2nd amendment civilian hero saved lives including toddlers in the Kenyan mall Siege...

Nairobi Hero: When Westgate Went Down, Civilian Grabbed His Gun and Rescued People

What were the odds that two of the most talented combat photographers working today would be on the scene of the Westgate mall attack in Nairobi? One was the New York Times’ Tyler Hicks, who was at a nearby mall when the Al-Shabaab attack broke out, and whose wife Nichole Sobecki, also a photojournalist, ran home to get their helmets and Kevlar vests before they both plunged into the mall to cover the unfolding tragedy. The other, Goran Tomašević, has covered Serbia, Iraq, Egypt, Libya and Syria; recently he settled in Nairobi as Reuters’ chief photographer for East Africa.

The above image was one of the countless haunting images captured that day by Tomašević, who was at home when he heard about a commotion at the mall and headed there.

The man in the checked shirt shows up in several of Goran’s photos from his 4-5 hours that he was able to accompany security forces inside the mall. Many of the plainclothes men in the day’s photos were police, but Abdul Haji, 39, is a real estate executive and son of a former security official.

As reported by ABC News:

As the gunmen began their rampage in Nairobi’s upscale Westgate Mall early Saturday afternoon, Haji got a short text from his brother who was at the mall. “I’m stuck at the Westgate. It’s probably a terrorist attack. Pray for me.” Haji’s immediate thought was that militants had gone to assassinate his brother.

Until just a few weeks ago, his brother was an undercover counterterrorism official battling organizations like al Shabab, the al Qaeda-linked group that has claimed responsibility for the four-day siege that left almost 70 people dead. But a local media outlet had recently revealed Haji’s brother’s identity and the family – including their father, a former defense minister – had started receiving death threats.

Haji says he grew up around guns and lately had been carrying his pistol with him. “I left where I was and I headed straight to the Westgate,” Haji told ABC News. “Luckily on that particular day I had actually carried my licensed gun with me so I didn’t have to go back home to waste time and pick up a gun, I went straight to the mall.”

Haji realized that the attack was bigger than an attack on his brother, and jumped in with security officials to go into the mall and save people. He provided cover for Red Cross workers and systematically searched through the stores for three harrowing hours. One of the men he was fighting with was shot in the stomach. One of the terrorists taunted Haji in Swahili: “As if it was a joke to him. This whole thing was a joke to him.”

Then comes the story behind the photo:

Nearby, a woman was trapped behind a table. Haji yelled at her to run to them but the woman, 39 year-old Katherine Walker, said she couldn’t because she had three young children with her. Haji told her to send the eldest, 4-year-old Portia, who ran across. “[A] very brave girl,” said Haji affectionately. “She’s running toward a man with a gun and she was very brave.”

“I don’t know how she knew to do it but she did,” Katherine Walker later told The Telegraph newspaper, “she did what she was told and she went.”

Walker and another woman followed close behind with the other two children who then re-united outside with the family’s two teenage sons who had been shopping elsewhere in the mall. “I was worried about family in America seeing [the photo] because we haven’t really shared the whole story with them yet,” Walker told the newspaper. “For me, I know the story behind it and that it ends well. I think I owe Mr. Haji a hug or two.”

Haji told the Telegraph that his father taught him to use a gun to protect their cattle from bandits when he was growing up.

Even after receiving a text saying that his brother had escaped, Haji kept rescuing others.

The death toll in the wicked attack is currently at 72, but the Kenyan Red Cross says 61 people are still missing as security officials carefully comb through rubble for fear that the terrorists planted bombs within.

Bridget Johnson is a career journalist whose news articles and opinion columns have run in dozens of news outlets across the globe. Bridget first came to Washington to be online editor at The Hill, where she wrote The World from The Hill column on foreign policy. Previously she was an opinion writer and editorial board member at the Rocky Mountain News and nation/world news columnist at the Los Angeles Daily News. She has contributed to USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, National Review Online, Politico and more, and has myriad television and radio credits as a commentator. Bridget is Washington Editor for PJ Media.

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Tyrel Ventura and Abby Martin Takes Rachel Maddow To Task

Rachel Maddow recently had some harsh criticism for people she labelled as conspiracy theorists. We look at the video and Tyrel Ventura responds to her in this clip from Buzzsaw.

Who Was Really Behind the 9/11 Attacks?

 As we have passed the 12th anniversary of 9/11, it is time for 9/11 truth to mature as a movement before it stagnates into insignificance. Either the movement will live up to its potential by naming names and identifying suspects in the crime, or it will become another JFK assassination investigation, doomed to spend half a century fighting pointless territorial battles while the real perpetrators walk free. Join us for this 9/11 anniversary edition of The Corbett Report as we ask the question and demand an answer: Who was really behind the attacks?

Over A Decade Of Fear

False Flag - Coming Soon!

Trailer

Coast to Coast Am: Alternative Media Special

Filling in for George, John B. Wells hosted a discussion on alternative media with a panel of guests appearing throughout the night, including journalist and Breaking the Set host Abby Martin, Shepard Ambellas of Intellihub.com, and Buzzsaw hosts Tyrel Ventura, Sean Stone and Tabitha Wallace. 

Websites:
http://www.AbbyMartin.org
http://www.Intellihub.com
http://www.thelip.tv/buzzsaw

Bill Still: SR 101 President of Iran

Confidence in Iran's new President is causing Iran's inflation rate to plummet -- from 109% in June before the election, to 20% today -- just 3 months later. But more importantly, President Hassan Rouhani retracted his predecessor's assertion that the Holocaust didn't happen -- a stunning reversal.

The Large Families that rule the world

Some people have started realizing that there are large financial groups that dominate the world. Forget the political intrigues, conflicts, revolutions and wars. It is not pure chance. Everything has been planned for a long time.

Some call it “conspiracy theories” or New World Order. Anyway, the key to understanding the current political and economic events is a restricted core of families who have accumulated more wealth and power.

We are speaking of 6, 8 or maybe 12 families who truly dominate the world. Know that it is a mystery difficult to unravel.

We will not be far from the truth by citing Goldman Sachs, Rockefellers, Loebs Kuh and Lehmans in New York, the Rothschilds of Paris and London, the Warburgs of Hamburg, Paris and Lazards Israel Moses Seifs Rome.

Many people have heard of the Bilderberg Group, Illuminati or the Trilateral Commission. But what are the names of the families who run the world and have control of states and international organizations like the UN, NATO or the IMF?

To try to answer this question, we can start with the easiest: inventory, the world’s largest banks, and see who the shareholders are and who make the decisions.

The world’s largest companies are now: Bank of America, JP Morgan, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley.Let us now review who their shareholders are.

Bank of America:

State Street Corporation, Vanguard Group, BlackRock, FMR (Fidelity), Paulson, JP Morgan, T. Rowe, Capital World Investors, AXA, Bank of NY, Mellon.

JP Morgan:

State Street Corp., Vanguard Group, FMR, BlackRock, T. Rowe, AXA, Capital World Investor, Capital Research Global
Investor, Northern Trust Corp. and Bank of Mellon.

Citigroup:

State Street Corporation, Vanguard Group, BlackRock, Paulson, FMR, Capital World Investor, JP Morgan, Northern Trust Corporation, Fairhome Capital Mgmt and Bank of NY Mellon.

Wells Fargo:

Berkshire Hathaway, FMR, State Street, Vanguard Group, Capital World Investors, BlackRock, Wellington Mgmt, AXA, T. Rowe and Davis Selected Advisers.

We can see that now there appears to be a nucleus present in all banks: State Street Corporation, Vanguard Group, BlackRock and FMR (Fidelity). To avoid repeating them, we will now call them the “big four”

Goldman Sachs:

“The big four,” Wellington, Capital World Investors, AXA, Massachusetts Financial Service and T. Rowe.

Morgan Stanley:

“The big four,” Mitsubishi UFJ, Franklin Resources, AXA, T. Rowe, Bank of NY Mellon e Jennison Associates. Rowe, Bank of NY Mellon and Jennison Associates.

We can just about always verify the names of major shareholders. To go further, we can now try to find out the shareholders of these companies and shareholders of major banks worldwide.

Bank of NY Mellon:

Davis Selected, Massachusetts Financial Services, Capital Research Global Investor, Dodge, Cox, Southeatern Asset Mgmt. and … “The big four.”

State Street Corporation (one of the “big four”):

Massachusetts Financial Services, Capital Research Global Investor, Barrow Hanley, GE, Putnam Investment and … The “big four” (shareholders themselves!).

BlackRock (another of the “big four”):

PNC, Barclays e CIC.

Who is behind the PNC? FMR (Fidelity), BlackRock, State Street, etc.

And behind Barclays? BlackRock

And we could go on for hours, passing by tax havens in the Cayman Islands, Monaco or the legal domicile of Shell companies in Liechtenstein. A network where companies are always the same, but never a name of a family.

In short: the eight largest U.S. financial companies (JP Morgan, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, U.S. Bancorp, Bank of New York Mellon and Morgan Stanley) are 100% controlled by ten shareholders and we have four companies always present in all decisions: BlackRock, State Street, Vanguard and Fidelity.

In addition, the Federal Reserve is comprised of 12 banks, represented by a board of seven people, which comprises
representatives of the “big four,” which in turn are present in all other entities.

In short, the Federal Reserve is controlled by four large private companies: BlackRock, State Street, Vanguard and Fidelity. These companies control U.S. monetary policy (and world) without any control or “democratic” choice. These companies launched and participated in the current worldwide economic crisis and managed to become even more enriched.

To finish, a look at some of the companies controlled by this “big four” group

• Alcoa Inc.
• Altria Group Inc.
• American International Group Inc.
• AT&T Inc.
• Boeing Co.
• Caterpillar Inc.
• Coca-Cola Co.
• DuPont & Co.
• Exxon Mobil Corp.
• General Electric Co.
• General Motors Corporation
• Hewlett-Packard Co.
• Home Depot Inc.
• Honeywell International Inc.
• Intel Corp.
• International Business Machines Corp
• Johnson & Johnson
• JP Morgan Chase & Co.
• McDonald’s Corp.
• Merck & Co. Inc.
• Microsoft Corp.
• 3M Co.
• Pfizer Inc.
• Procter & Gamble Co.
• United Technologies Corp.
• Verizon Communications Inc.
• Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
• Time Warner
• Walt Disney
• Viacom
• Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation.,
• CBS Corporation
• NBC Universal

The same “big four” control the vast majority of European companies counted on the stock exchange.

In addition, all these people run the large financial institutions, such as the IMF, the European Central Bank or the World Bank, and were “trained” and remain “employees” of the “big four” that formed them.

The names of the families that control the “big four”, never appear.

Translated from the Portuguese version by:

Lisa Karpova

Pravda.Ru

Read more http://www.trueactivist.com/the-large-families-that-rule-the-world/

Who Are The House of Rothschild And Their Relations To Zionism

The House of Rothschild " Full Documentary"

The House of Rothschild (1934 full length historical biography movie)

The Whole Story Of The Zionist Conspiracy

VP Joe Biden says he is a zionist (Washington DC influence)

CNN's Wolf Blitzer says he is a Zionist (Media Influence)

OBAMA: ROTHSCHILD CHOICE FULL FEATURE

Gobal warming exposed. (IPPC Scam)

SHOW NOTES AND MP3: http://www.corbettreport.com/?p=8066

The IPCC has released its latest assessment of the state of climate science, and this time it's even more dire than their 2007 assessment. Global warming is "unequivocal" and humans are the "dominant cause" to a certainty of 95%. But how are these uncertainties calculated? And how does the IPCC process work anyway? Join us this week on The Corbett Report as we dissect the latest IPCC hype and examine the organizations processes and conclusions.

Seymour Hersh: Bin Laden Raid “One Big Lie”

Pulitzer-prize wining journalist slams “pathetic” US media for failing to challenge White House

Paul Joseph Watson
September 27, 2013

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh says that the raid which killed Osama Bin Laden in 2011 is “one big lie” and that “not one word” of the Obama administration’s narrative on what happened is true.

Image: President Obama.

In a wide-ranging interview published today by the Guardian, Hersh savages the US media for failing to challenge the White House on a whole host of issues, from NSA spying, to drone attacks, to aggression against Syria.

On the subject of the Navy Seal raid that supposedly resulted in the death of the Al-Qaeda terror leader, Hersh remarked, “Nothing’s been done about that story, it’s one big lie, not one word of it is true.”

Hersh added that the Obama administration habitually lies but they continue to do so because the press allows them to get away with it.

“It’s pathetic, they are more than obsequious, they are afraid to pick on this guy [Obama],” Hersh told the Guardian.

The raid that supposedly led to Bin Laden’s death has been shrouded in mystery for over two years. Speculation that the Obama administration may have embellished or outright lied about the true account of what happened has persisted, mainly because the White House has refused to publicly release images of Bin Laden’s body.

Although the White House said the corpse was immediately “buried at sea” in line with Islamic tradition, it quickly emerged that this was not standard practice.

Numerous analysts have claimed that Bin Laden had in fact been dead for years and that the raid on his alleged compound in Pakistan was little more than a stunt.

Other questions also persist, such as why the narrative and timeline of the raid has changed multiple times, why the White House initially claimed that “situation room” photos showed Obama watching the raid live when in fact there was a blackout on the live feed, and why neighbors in the immediate area surrounding the compound said with absolute certainty that they had never seen Bin Laden and that they knew of no evidence whatsoever to suggest he lived there.

During the rest of the Guardian interview, which is well worth reading in its entirety, Hersh lambastes the corporate press and particularly the New York Times, which he says spends “so much more time carrying water for Obama than I ever thought they would.”

Hersh’s solution is to shut down news networks like NBC and ABC and fire 90% of mainstream editors, replacing them with real journalists who are outsiders and not afraid to speak truth to power.

“The republic’s in trouble, we lie about everything, lying has become the staple,” concluded Hersh.

Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/paul.j.watson.71
FOLLOW Paul Joseph Watson @ https://twitter.com/PrisonPlanet

Move the UN to Detroit

Hilarious but true

First they ignore you, Then they Laugh at you, Then they attack you, Then you Win...

Exposing the Rothschild mainstream media from George Galloway to Ron Paul.

The world's Backlash on obama after the UN Speech. I mean the Iranian President sounds more peaceful than you Mr President Obama and Putin hasn't talked yet.

Check out the 'Likes' and 'Dislikes' in comparison from today's UN speeches.

Do yall remeber this obama???


The UN Speeches

Americans, Canadian and Brit said to be among Kenya attackers

Americans, Canadian and Brit said to be among Kenya attackers | The Times of Israel.

Death toll in terrorist attack on Nairobi mall rises to 68; most of hostages freed, but an estimated 30 remain captive

By Times of Israel staff and AP September 23, 2013, 6:40 am

Trucks of soldiers from the Kenya Defense Forces arrive after dawn outside the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013. (photo credit: AP/Ben Curtis)

Three Americans, a Canadian, a Briton and a Finn are believed to be among the hostage-takers in the terrorist attack at a mall in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, CNN reported Monday.
A source in the Somali terrorist group al-Shabab told the American news network nine names of the estimated 10-15 gunmen who participated in the deadly attack on a shopping mall on Saturday.
“Their names all sound Arabic in their nature, or at least Somali… and all of them are quite young men,” CNN reported. The Americans, according to the report, were said to be residents of Minnesota and Kansas. Minnesota is home to the largest Somali population in the US with over 32,000, and Kansas home to an estimated 5,000 immigrants from the east African state.
The FBI began investigating the possibility of whether as many as five Americans participated in the Kenyan mall attack, NBC reported. The news outlet said the investigation was in the preliminary stages and that American authorities may not ascertain whether Americans were involved until the standoff with the gunmen reached its conclusion.
A Twitter feed associated with al-Shabab identified the Americans as Ahmed Mohamed Isse, 22, of St. Paul, MN, Abdifatah Osman Keenadiid, 24, of Minneapolis, MN, and Gen Mustafe Noorudiin, 27, of Kansas City, MO.
Kenya’s Red Cross raised the death toll in a devastating terror attack on an upscale mall in Nairobi to 68 Sunday night, as security officials said they were gearing up for a final push to free hostages after an over-24-hour standoff. An estimated 30 people are believed to remain held by the terrorist gunmen.
In a statement Sunday, the Red Cross said nine more bodies were recovered in a joint rescue mission. Officials say more than 175 people were wounded in the attack.
Shortly before sun down, Kenyan forces launched an intensive offensive aimed at ending the two-day siege.
The assault came as two helicopters circled the mall, with one skimming very close to the roof. A loud explosion rang, far larger than any previous grenade blast or gunfire volley.
Kenyan police said on Twitter that a “MAJOR” assault by security forces was ongoing to end the two-day siege.
“This will end tonight. Our forces will prevail. Kenyans are standing firm against aggression, and we will win,” Kenya’s Disaster Operations Centre said on Twitter.
Associated Press journalists at the Westgate Mall said the explosion Sunday afternoon was by far the largest in the 30-hour siege. There was silence after the big blast.
The assault came about 30 hours after the al-Shabab extremists stormed the mall from two sides, throwing grenades and firing on civilians at will.
Loud exchanges of gunfire emanated from inside the four-story upscale mall, throughout the day Sunday. Kenyan troops were seen carrying in at least two rocket-propelled grenades and helicopters hovered throughout the day. Al-Shabab militants reacted angrily to the helicopters on Twitter and said the Kenyan military action was endangering hostages.
Kenyan officials said they would do their utmost to save hostages lives, but no officials could say precisely how many hostages were inside. Kenya’s Red Cross said in a statement citing police that 49 people had been reported missing.
Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for Saturday’s attack in which grenades and assault rifles were used, and non-Muslims were specifically targeted. The Islamic extremist rebels said the attack was retribution for Kenyan forces’ 2011 push into neighboring Somalia.
Al-Shabab said on its new Twitter feed — after its previous one was shut down on Saturday — that Kenyan officials were asking the hostage-takers to negotiate and offering incentives.
“We’ll not negotiate with the Kenyan govt as long as its forces are invading our country, so reap the bitter fruits of your harvest,” al-Shabab said in a tweet.
Earlier in the day, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta issued a statement in which he sent condolences to the families of those killed in the attack and well-wishes for quick recovery to those injured.
He blasted the “despicable perpetrators of this cowardly act” whose intent, he said was to “intimidate, divide and cause despondency among Kenyans.” Declaring that “open and united country is a threat to evildoers everywhere,” Kenyatta accused the terrorists of trying to force citizens to “retreat into a closed, fearful and fractured society where trust, unity and enterprise are difficult to muster.”
Kenyatta pledged to not allow the terrorists to succeed. “We have overcome terrorist attacks before… within and outside our borders. We will defeat them again.” He added that “terrorism… is the philosophy of cowards.
He also reiterated his government’s determination to continue fighting al-Shabab.
“We went as a nation into Somalia to help stabilize the country and most importantly to fight terror that had been unleashed on Kenya and the world,” said Kenyatta.”We shall not relent on the war on terror.”
He said that, although this violent attack had succeeded, the Kenyan security forces had “neutralized” many others.
Kenyatta said his nephew and his nephew’s fiancée were killed in the attack.
Westgate Mall is at least partially owned by Israelis, and reports circulated that Israeli commandos were on the ground to assist in the response. Four restaurants inside the mall are Israeli-run or -owned.
Israel has close ties to Kenya going back many years. And, in recent years, Israel has identified East Africa as an area of strategic interest and has stepped up ties with Kenya and other neighboring countries, due to shared threats posed by al-Qaeda and other extremist elements. In 2002, militants bombed an Israeli-owned luxury hotel near Mombasa, killing 13 people, and tried to shoot down an Israeli airliner at the same time.
According to a Kenyan security source, Israeli forces entered the mall, where a siege has been ongoing since Saturday, and “are rescuing the hostages and injured,” AFP reported.
However, an unnamed security source told Reuters that Israeli advisers were helping in negotiations, but not in operations.
“There are Israeli advisers helping with the negotiating strategy, but no Israelis involved in any imminent storming operation,” the Israeli source said.
The attack began on Saturday, when witnesses said at least five gunmen — including at least one woman — first attacked an outdoor cafe at Westgate Mall, a shiny, new shopping center that hosts Nike, Adidas and Bose stores. The mall’s ownership is Israeli, and security experts have long said the structure made an attractive terrorist target.
Over 1,000 people have been evacuated or have fled the mall, officials said, and the terrorists remained inside with an unknown number of hostages in an ongoing siege.
AP reported that the cafe attacked is called Artcaffe; Kenyan websites said the cafe is owned by local Israelis.
Gilad Millo, a Nairobi-based Israeli, said two Israeli men and a woman who were in the mall when the attack began were unharmed and safe.
Yariv Kedar, one of the three Israelis who was in Artcaffe at the time, told Channel 2 he “heard the gunfire getting closer” and bullets whizzed “over our heads” before he managed to escape.
“We started by hearing gunshots downstairs and outside. Later we heard them come inside. We took cover. Then we saw two gunmen wearing black turbans. I saw them shoot,” said Patrick Kuria, an employee at Artcaffe.
President Shimon Peres, in a Sunday letter to Kenyatta, said, “I wish to extend my deepest condolences to the people of Kenya on the horrific terror attack in Nairobi. From the Holy Land we pray for the release of the hostages, the full recovery of the injured, and comfort for the families of the victims.”
Former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga told reporters at the mall that a number of people were being held hostage on the third floor and the basement area of the mall, which includes stores for Nike, Adidas and Bose stores.
Kenyan security officials sought to reassure the families of hostages inside, but implied that hostages could be killed. The security operation is “delicate” because Kenyan forces hoped to ensure the hostages are evacuated safely, said Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Lenku.
“The priority is to save as many lives as possible,” Lenku said. ”We have received a lot of messages from friendly countries, but for now it remains our operation.”
Britain’s prime minister, in confirming the deaths of three British nationals, told the country to “prepare ourselves for further bad news.”
“It’s an extremely difficult situation, but we’re doing everything we can to help the Kenyans in their hours of need,” David Cameron said.
“Violent extremists continue to occupy Westgate Mall. Security services are there in full force,” said the United States Embassy in an emergency text message issued Sunday morning advising Americans to stay indoors and close to home.
Kenyans and foreigners were among those confirmed dead, including British, French, Canadians, Indians, a Ghanaian, a South African, and a Chinese woman.
Kofi Awoonor, a Ghanaian poet, professor and former ambassador to Brazil, Cuba and the United Nations, died after being injured in the attack, Ghana’s presidential office confirmed. Ghana’s ministry of information said Awoonor’s son was injured and is responding to treatment.
Kenya’s presidential office said that one of the attackers was arrested on Saturday and died after suffering from bullet wounds.
Britain’s Foreign Office said that Foreign Secretary William Hague has chaired a meeting of Britain’s crisis committee and sent a rapid deployment team from London to Nairobi to provide extra consular support.
The United Nations Security Council condemned the attacks and “expressed their solidarity with the people and Government of Kenya” in a statement.
There was some good news on Sunday, as Kenyan media reported that several people in hiding in the mall escaped to safety, suggesting that not everyone who was inside overnight was being held by al-Shabab.
Cecile Ndwiga said she had been hiding under a car in the basement parking garage.
“I called my husband to ask the soldiers to come and rescue me. Because I couldn’t just walk out anyhow. The shootout was all over here — left, right— just gun shots,” she said.
Security forces had pushed curious crowds far back from the mall. Hundreds of residents gathered on a high ridge above the mall to watch for any activity. Police lobbed multiple rounds of tear gas throughout the day at hundreds of curious Kenyans who gathered near the mall.

Kenyan Bloodbath: Reaping the “Benefits” of US AFRICOM Collaboration

Tony Cartalucci

September 23, 2013

At face value, and how the Western media is attempting to portray it, the Westgate Mall siege in Kenya’s capital city of Nairobi appears to be yet another senseless terrorist attack by the “religious fanatics” of Al Qaeda’s Somalia franchise, Al Shabaab. Already, both Kenyan and Western politicians, as well as editorials across the Western media, are attempting to use the attack as a pretext to launch a military campaign against neighboring Somalia, while fueling anti-Muslim sentiment across profoundly ignorant audiences in the West.

Image: Kenyan mall attack.

A telling op-ed in USA Today titled, “Nairobi mall attack strikes against all of us: Column” states in its subtitle that:

As on 9/11, terrorists are waging a war on our modern, democratic way of life. Today, we are all Kenyans.

The op-ed continues by stating:

Just as important: The fight is not just a Kenyan, or African, fight. Somalia could be the new Afghanistan. A lawless, fundamentalist Somalia could incubate a Somali Osama bin Laden and new attacks on the USA, just as Afghanistan protected and nurtured bin Laden and al-Qaeda.

And:

After the Nairobi attack, the message should be “We Are All Kenyans.” Not just in our sympathy. But also in going all out to prevent another terrorist attack.

Leaving Somalia to al-Shabab is not an option.

Kenya: Proxy for US Aggression in Africa

What the USA Today op-ed fails to mention, even as it alludes to impending military intervention in Somalia, is that Kenya has already participated in military operations against its northern neighbor, including a full-scale military invasion complete with US and French military support in 2011. In the UK Independent’s October 2011 article, “Somali invasion backed by West, says Kenya,” it was reported that:

Kenya has confirmed that Western allies have joined its war on Islamic militants al-Shabaab despite denials from the US and France that they are involved in fighting in southern Somalia. Foreign military forces have carried out air strikes and a naval bombardment close to the militant stronghold of Kismayo, a Kenyan army spokesman said yesterday.

“There are certainly other actors in this theatre carrying out other attacks,” said Kenya’s Major Emmanuel Chirchir.

The Kenyan invasion has already caused a major rift between Somalia’s interim prime minister and president, who yesterday condemned the presence of foreign troops inside his country.

While the US attempted to deny any role in the invasion, it has admittedly carried out periodic airstrikes and drone strikes across Somalia, as reported by the BBC’s 2012 article, “Somalia air strike ‘kills foreign al-Shabab militants’:“

The US military, which has a base in neighbouring Djibouti, has previously carried out drone strikes in Somalia.

It has also launched air strikes against alleged al-Qaeda militants in the country.

Before using Kenya as a proxy for US aggression in Africa, and amidst two decades of unilateral, covert military operations, the US had backed two Ethiopian invasions into Somalia. The first US-backed invasion, under then US President George Bush, was carried out in 2006. USA Today reported in its 2007 article, “U.S. support key to Ethiopia’s invasion,” that:

The United States has quietly poured weapons and military advisers into Ethiopia, whose recent invasion of Somalia opened a new front in the Bush administration’s war on terrorism.

The second US-backed Ethiopian invasion of Somalia, under US President Barack Obama, was carried out in 2011 – coordinated with Kenya’s 2011 US-French-backed extraterritorial adventure into Somali territory. The UK Independent’s December 2011 article, “UN-backed invasion of Somalia spirals into chaos,” reported that:

Kenya’s invasion of Somalia, hailed by the West and the UN Security Council, was meant to deliver a knockout blow to the militant Islamist group al-Shabaab. Instead it has pulled Somalia’s regional rival Ethiopia back into the country, stirred up the warlords and rekindled popular support for fundamentalists whose willingness to let Somalis starve rather than receive foreign aid had left them widely hated.

It was in fact this US-backed military invasion that served as the alleged motivation of the Al Shabaab terrorists who attacked Kenya’s Westgate Mall this week.
The Same Terrorists the US is Arming in Syria are Killing Civilians in Kenya 

Beginning in 2011, geopolitical analysts warned that US, British and French intervention in Libya would create a terror emirate that would unleash a tidal wave of militant destabilization across Northern Africa and beyond. From Mali to Kenya, and as far as Syria, violence directly linked to the militants and the aid and weapons they received from the West in Libya, have now been felt.

Image: (click image to enlarge) Truly NATO’s intervention in Libya has been a resounding success. Not only has the West managed to revive the terrorist LIFG organization Qaddafi had been fighting successfully for decades, but now “international institutions” have a casus belli spreading across the whole of North Africa, into the Middle East and beyond as NATO weapons and Western cash enable LIFG fighters to battle as far as Syria in the east and Mali to the west. The wave of terror unleashed and the predictable “pretexts” it will provide, has now swept into Kenya.

….

Shortly after NATO’s intervention in Libya, it was Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), a US State Department listed terror organization (listed #38), that played a central role in the invasion of northern Mali, which provided the pretext for French military intervention and occupation. AQIM of course, was merged with Al Qaeda’s Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), the ground troops used in NATO’s regime change operation in Libya starting in 2011. In a 2007 West Point Combating Terrorism Center (CTC) report and a 2011 CTC report, “Are Islamist Extremists Fighting Among Libya’s Rebels?,” AQIM is specifically mentioned as working closely with the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG). The latter report admits:

There have also been reports during the past few years of a handful of Libyans who have traveled to Algeria to train with al-Qa`ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), although these reports are unconfirmed. AQIM has sought to capitalize on the situation in Libya

Geopolitical analyst Pepe Escobar would elaborate in an Asia Times piece titled, “How al-Qaeda got to rule in Tripoli,” that:

“Crucially, still in 2007, then al-Qaeda’s number two, Zawahiri, officially announced the merger between the LIFG and al-Qaeda in the Islamic Mahgreb (AQIM). So, for all practical purposes, since then, LIFG/AQIM have been one and the same – and Belhaj was/is its emir. “

“Belhaj,” referring to Hakim Abdul Belhaj, leader of LIFG in Libya, led with NATO support, arms, funding, and diplomatic recognition, the overthrowing of Muammar Qaddafi and has now plunged the nation into racist genocidal infighting. This intervention has also seen the rebellion’s epicenter of Benghazi peeling off from Tripoli as a semi-autonomous “Terror-Emirate.” Belhaj’s latest campaign has shifted to Syria where he was admittedly on the Turkish-Syrian border pledging weapons, money, and fighters to the so-called “Free Syrian Army,” again, under the auspices of NATO support.

The torrent of militants and weapons flowing from Libya into Syria to support Western-backed regime change against the Syrian government has been extensively documented over the last 2+ years.

In November 2011, the Telegraph in their article, “Leading Libyan Islamist met Free Syrian Army opposition group,” would report:

Abdulhakim Belhadj, head of the Tripoli Military Council and the former leader of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, “met with Free Syrian Army leaders in Istanbul and on the border with Turkey,” said a military official working with Mr Belhadj. “Mustafa Abdul Jalil (the interim Libyan president) sent him there.”

Another Telegraph article, “Libya’s new rulers offer weapons to Syrian rebels,” would admit

Syrian rebels held secret talks with Libya’s new authorities on Friday, aiming to secure weapons and money for their insurgency against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, The Daily Telegraph has learned.

At the meeting, which was held in Istanbul and included Turkish officials, the Syrians requested “assistance” from the Libyan representatives and were offered arms, and potentially volunteers.

“There is something being planned to send weapons and even Libyan fighters to Syria,” said a Libyan source, speaking on condition of anonymity. “There is a military intervention on the way. Within a few weeks you will see.”

Later that month, some 600 Libyan terrorists would be reported to have entered Syria to begin combat operations and as recently as last month, CNN, whose Ivan Watson accompanied terrorists over the Turkish-Syrian border and into Aleppo, revealed that indeed foreign fighters were amongst the militants, particularly Libyans. It was admitted that:

Meanwhile, residents of the village where the Syrian Falcons were headquartered said there were fighters of several North African nationalities also serving with the brigade’s ranks.

A volunteer Libyan fighter has also told CNN he intends to travel from Turkey to Syria within days to add a “platoon” of Libyan fighters to armed movement.

CNN also added:

On Wednesday, CNN’s crew met a Libyan fighter who had crossed into Syria from Turkey with four other Libyans. The fighter wore full camouflage and was carrying a Kalashnikov rifle. He said more Libyan fighters were on the way.

The foreign fighters, some of them are clearly drawn because they see this as … a jihad. So this is a magnet for jihadists who see this as a fight for Sunni Muslims.

CNN’s reports provide bookends to 2011′s admissions that large numbers of Libyan terrorists flush with NATO cash and weapons had headed to Syria, with notorious terrorist LIFG commanders making the arrangements.

Al Shabaab – Al Qaeda’s Somali franchise – is also directly linked to AQIM and the myriad of other Al Qaeda extremist subsidiaries, including Libya’s LIFG, and the more recently christened Al Nusra front in Syria. The BBC in its 2012 report titled, “Africa’s Islamist militants ‘co-ordinate efforts’,” stated:

Three of Africa’s largest militant Islamist groups are trying to co-ordinate their efforts, the head of the US Africa Command has warned.

Gen Carter Ham said in particular North African al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) was probably sharing explosives and funds with Nigeria’s Boko Haram.

Speaking in Washington, he said the separatist movement in northern Mali had provided AQIM with a “safe haven”.

Somalia’s al-Shabab was the other “most dangerous” group, he said.

This cooperation between AQIM, Boko Haram, and Al Shabaab has been clearly bolstered by the immense influx of NATO-provided cash and weapons flowing into Libya first to overthrow the Libyan government, then to be shipped to Syria to overthrow the government there. NATO’s assistance in expanding Al Qaeda’s operational capacity in North Africa can only be helping terrorists like those behind the Kenya Westgate Mall siege carry out cross-border operations of this scale.

Despite attempts by the West to provide other explanations as to where Al Qaeda is receiving its funds, manpower, and arsenal to carry out global campaigns, it is clear that it is a product of state-sponsorship – states like the US, UK, France, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Qatar, Turkey, Jordan, and others.

Indeed, Al Shabaab’s attack in Kenya is abhorrent, unjustifiable terrorism – however, what Kenyans and the world as a whole must remember, is who armed them, who continuously props them up, provides them entire nations (Libya) as safe havens, and swells their ranks and armories with billions in cash and thousands of tons of weaponry at a time in war zones like Syria.

Al Shabaab’s continued existence, along with its counterparts AQIM across Northern Africa, LIFG in Libya,  Boko Haram in Nigeria, and Al Nusra in Syria, is due entirely to both covert and overt Western military and financial backing. The blood of Kenya’s innocent are on the hands of those within the Kenyan government willfully serving as a proxy for US aggression across Africa, and those across the West using Al Qaeda as a geopolitical tool to achieve their global objectives.

Al Qaeda: The Perfect Pretext to Invade, The Perfect Mercenary Army to Covertly Wage War 

Al Qaeda, for the West, serves as the ultimate geopolitical tool. It can be used as a pretext to invade, as well as a nearly inexhaustible mercenary army to carry out ruthless terrorist campaigns and even full-scale war as seen in Syria and Libya, to achieve Western objectives. Additionally, the omnipresent, nebulous nature of Al Qaeda serves as justification to strip away the rights and liberties of people at home, across Western civilization – perpetuating a climate of fear within which the seeds of very profitable war can be sown and continuously reaped.

How profitable? A Harvard’s Kennedy School research paper titled, “The Financial Legacy of Iraq and Afghanistan,” places the total expenditures of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars alone somewhere between 4-6 trillion dollars. That isn’t 4-6 trillion dollars that went into a black hole. That is 4-6 trillion dollars that went to the Fortune 500 corporations that engineered and sold these conflicts to the American public in the first place.

The Washington Post in its recent article, “Americans are tweeting about ‘Syria’ almost as much as ‘twerking’ – sometimes more,” celebrated the general public’s ignorance regarding geopolitics. It stated:

The fact that more people are discuss twerking than Syria is not necessarily bad news. They share, as Floating Sheep notes, “little in common apart from recent media attention”: One is a pop culture phenomenon (both more fun and more accessible to a wider swath of the population) and one is a tragic, complicated news event halfway around the world (critically important, but not very fun — particularly on a platform many use for recreation).

It continued by claiming:

Of course, even if you polled all 300 million Americans on their relative interest in twerking and Syria, twerking would probably win — and that’s okay, too. There are many justifiable reasons why an individual or a population wouldn’t care about foreign news — things like a lack of education and limited access to computers or newspapers.

It is this “ lack of education” that the Washington Post’s editorial board and the special interests that steer it, claim is “okay too,” that allows these special interests to continue to use Al Qaeda both as the ultimate villain and to swell the ranks of its inexhaustible global “freedom fighters.”

The aforementioned USA Today editorial seeking to exploit the latest tragedy in Kenya also warned:

The Nairobi shopping mall attack is heartbreaking. The stories could so easily be American stories.

For the real interests driving and solely benefiting from Al Qaeda’s campaign of global terror, should they decide these stories need to be “American,” they will be, unless we rectify the “lack of education” these special interests have carefully cultivated and reassuringly claim is “okay.”

This post originally appeared at Land Destroyer

This article was posted: Monday, September 23, 2013 at 5:22 am