Nigeria – At least 118 people have been killed and dozens wounded in two bomb blasts that caused buildings to collapse in a crowded market area of the Nigerian city of Jos, authorities say.

The massive car bombs on Tuesday, just a few minutes apart, were the latest in a deadly wave of bombings across Nigeria over the past few weeks, raising fears that the extremist group Boko Haram has become powerful enough to expand its terrorist operations far outside its traditional strongholds and into new regions of the country. (link)

Remember, this falls on the heels of over 300 killed last week, and 200 killed and/or wounded in a bombing the week just prior to that.

JOS, Nigeria — Two car bombs exploded at a bustling bus terminal and market in Nigeria’s central city of Jos on Tuesday, and police said at least 46 were killed and dozens were wounded.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the twin car bombs, but they bore the hallmarks of Boko Haram, an Islamic extremist group.

The second blast came half an hour after the first, killing some of the rescue workers who had rushed to the scene that was obscured by billows of black smoke.

Dozens of bodies and body parts were covered in grain that had been loaded in the second car bomb, witnesses said. A Terminus Market official said he helped remove 50 casualties, most of them dead. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not allowed to give information to reporters. (more…)

Libya is on “the brink of civil war,” Col. Mukhtar Farnana, a prominent commander from Zintan, said in a televised statement, which he said was from the command of the self-declared Libyan National Army.  (link)

In March of 2011 Hillary Clinton, Samantha Power and Susan Rice, together with President Obama, made a specific decision to arm a group of unknown “rebels” in Benghazi Libya.    Those “rebels” were al-Qaeda faction Islamists.

Both the CIA and the Pentagon were against the decision.  Obama and Clinton ignored their advice and chose to send small arms, weapons and portable missiles to the region.

Today the Libyan National Army tried yet again to engage the radical Islamists and crack down on the lawless Eastern Tribal area.   However, the al-Qaeda militants are using those very same U.S. provided weapons (from Hillary and Co.) to fight.   Yes, there’s an Irony there. 

After the initial attack in Benghazi, the fighting quickly spread West to Tripoli where various elements of the Eastern Libyan islamists movement have embedded ready to start a civil war. 

These developments should be watched very closely.  If things escalate, the White House will be *tweeking* because of the political risk….   

Tripoli, Libya (CNN) — Fierce fighting swept across the Libyan capital of Tripoli on Sunday, a short time after armed men stormed the country’s interim parliament. The violence appeared to be some of the worst since the 2011 revolution that ousted longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi.

At least two people were killed and 66 were injured, according to the Health Ministry.

Residents of Tripoli rushed home Sunday evening. One Libyan who spoke to CNN reported seeing shop owners quickly closing up.

State media LANA reported that lawmakers had already left for the General National Congress when that attack happened as the session was over for the day. Armed men blocked the road that led to the parliament, LANA said, blocking members’ access to their offices. (more…)

• CAIR petitioning Sudanese Government for release/leniency, right ?

• Democrats and Liberals protesting 24/7 outside the Sudanese Embassy in Washington DC right ?

• Hollywood has begun a social media / #hashtag campaign, right?  (I mean what good is #BanBossy if..)

• Millions of Moderate Muslims around the world are expressing outrage, right ?

What’s that?    Yeah, thought so…   

(Christian Post) A pregnant Christian woman sentenced to death for apostasy in Sudan will be allowed to give birth before being hanged for apostasy.

Meriam Yehya Ibrahim, 27, was born to a Muslim father but was raised a Christian by her mother after he walked out on the family when she was just six years old.

She was sentenced to hang for apostasy after marrying a Christian man and was also sentenced to receive 100 lashes for adultery because the court determined that her marriage to a Christian man from South Sudan was void under Islamic law. (more…)

(White House)  Hello everyone, I’m Michelle Obama, and on this Mother’s Day weekend, I want to take a moment to honor all the mothers out there and wish you a Happy Mother’s Day.

I also want to speak to you about an issue of great significance to me as a First Lady, and more importantly, as the mother of two young daughters.

Like millions of people across the globe, my husband and I are outraged and heartbroken over the kidnapping of more than 200 Nigerian girls from their school dormitory in the middle of the night. (more…)

Yes, finally – and let’s hope this report is accurate.   

Why finally?    Consider…..  As we previously shared three weeks ago (April 14th), when the abduction took place, we ALREADY had TWO Rapid Response forces in the immediate area.    Each comprising 250 rotating Marine contingents:

One group stationed in Sudan trying desperately to maintain security for the semi-evacuated U.S. Embassy and interests.   AND THE OTHER right next door *still* engaged in the #SurrenderKony Campaign against the Lords Resistance Army.

That’s why we were gnashing our teeth back on 4/14 – weeks before the start of the #BringBackOurGirls campaign.    We’ll bet a donut, when the full story comes out, the guys in this article (if accurate) just moved to Nigeria from the Uganda/Congo border.

NIGERIA – US Marines currently in Nigeria to help the government combat Boko Haram terrorists have made their first arrests taking two male suspects into custody after they were found in possession of arms and ammunition during a targeted search.

Over the last week, US Marines have arrived in Nigeria to help with the fight against terrorism after Boko Haram took their war of terror to another level by abducting 234 pupils from Government Girls Secondary School Chibok in Borno State. Acknowledging that the matter was getting beyond its control, the Nigerian government swallowed its pride and accepted outside help. (more…)

Obama can find a way to make just about anything about him.

I’ve been thinking about this global social media campaign surrounding the Nigerian school girl abduction, and I fear the attention delivered to al-Qaeda’s Boko Haram is going to end up backfiring negatively upon the kidnapped. The value of the abduction to Boko Haram has increased exponentially as the entire world is now looking at, and listening to, them.

Quiet and decisive military action within 72 to 96 hours of April 14th could have produced a good outcome.   But a touchy feely media attention campaign, 3 weeks after the event, I fear has done nothing but provide time for AQIM to coordinate a hostile strategy.  I hope I’m wrong….

WASHINGTON DC – President Obama said he wakes up thinking of the Nigerian schoolgirls abducted by Islamist extremists and facing a life as sex slaves, and wishes he “could reach out and save those kids.”

“We only need to look at today’s headlines — the devastation of Syria, the murders and kidnappings in Nigeria, sectarian conflict, the tribal conflicts — to see that we have not yet extinguished man’s darkest impulses,” Obama said at a Los Angeles fund-raiser late Wednesday. (more…)

I knew it would eventually surface.    Secretary of State for Africa, J Carson, is outlining how under the Obama administration foreign policy is a method of advocating for “Social Justice” as a solution to ideologically driven opposition.   In most recent events the Boko Haram Jihadists.

*NOTE*  In this current example Boko Haram is the terror enemy.   Boko Haram have said their behavior is driven by their Islamic faith – and demand for strict adherence to Sharia Law, the underpinning of Islam.   For Boko Haram this is a holy war.   Remember this as you go forward. 

The exact same U.S. “social justice” approach via foreign policy, which is now openly displayed toward Nigeria (Boko Haram), was engaged two years ago in Uganda toward the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) and terrorist Joseph Kony.   Remember #KonySurrender.

What’s the larger picture ?

Step back and you can see how totally weak and disconnected this Obama Doctrine is.

This administration -and yes that includes both former and current secretary of States’ Hillary Clinton and John Kerry- view foreign policy through the prism of “social justice” definitions.

How so ?   Think back to early 2013 and Sec. John Kerry talking about the issues in Syria, Egypt and the Middle East Palestinian conflict.   Do you remember him giving speeches about the “real cause” for civil war being unemployment ?  John Kerry wants to stop terrorism with a jobs program – 2013.

“[W]e’re not going to solve this challenge of terror and of extremism and of people finding an alternative if we’re not reaching out to people, talking to them, bringing them to the table and trying to work through major, perceived differences,” Secretary of State John Kerry told a gathering in Brussels on Monday.  “I believe we have to create a new paradigm, frankly, to deal with this.”  (link)

That was April 2013.    Now today, May 2014, in a speech about Nigeria, John Kerry:

(more…)

Folks beginning to connect the dots….

(Commentary Magazine) Add another drop of tragedy to the story of America’s reluctant, no-boots-on-the-ground operation in Libya in 2011: Weapons that were never secured after Muammar Gaddafi’s ouster made their way to Boko Haram, the Islamist terrorist organization now holding hundreds of Nigerian girls.

Last May, Boko Haram staged an attack in the town of Bama, killing 55 innocents and freeing 100 prisoners. That month Reuters ran a story by Tim Cocks headlined “Nigeria’s Islamists staging bolder, deadlier comeback.” It explained:

The Bama attack showed their [Boko Haram’s] substantial firepower, including machine guns, large numbers of rocket propelled grenades (RPGs) and pick-up trucks mounted with anti-aircraft guns, a sign the weapons flood from the Libyan war that helped rebels seize parts of Mali last year has reached Nigeria, officials say.

(more…)

I had a very strong feeling over the weekend, as I watched the eyes of the political opportunists light up, that #BringBackOurGirls was going to be another re-run of #KonySurrender.

However, even in the depths of my cynical inclinations I did not expect to see THIS:

In order to truly understand the Supernova Level of Irony, and jaw-dropping hypocrisy, you must fully understand the back story to Boko Haram and how one man and three women directly contributed to this crisis of abduction in Nigeria.

The man is Michelle Obama’s husband, President Obama.   The three women are Hillary Clinton, Susan Rice and Samantha Power.

(more…)