Considering we have been highlighting the al-Qaeda connection in Libya since March this comes as no surprise.  What is concerning however, is the fact the source states the U.S. has been aware of the leadership activity around the area of Benghazi and the Libyan/Egyptian border.   Not concerning from the perspective of a “surprise”, but concerning in that either:   a.) Secretary of State Hillary Clinton intentionally lied.  Or, b.) the State Dept. really did not know the information known by the CIA and U.S. military.

At the exact timeframe this report describes, Treepers were just getting to know rebel leader, and former Libyan Justice Minister, Mustafa Abdel-Jalil.  We suspected from the outset he was connected to Radical Islamist Jihadists and potentially al-Qaeda operatives within the Muslim Brotherhood elements crossing the border from Egypt to help train, arm, and fight against Quackdaffy.   Looks like our suspicions, and the interpretations we were piecing together from internal reports were correct.   Check it out:

(CNN) – Al Qaeda’s leadership has sent experienced jihadists to Libya in an effort to build a fighting force there, according to a Libyan source briefed by Western counter-terrorism officials.

The jihadists include one veteran fighter who had been detained in Britain on suspicion of terrorism. The source describes him as committed to al Qaeda’s global cause and to attacking U.S. interests.  The source told CNN that the al Qaeda leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, personally dispatched the former British detainee to Libya earlier this year as the Gadhafi regime lost control of large swathes of the country. (more…)

The primary support for Syria comes from Iran.  Period.  This is no secret.  In response to criticism over the failure of Obama to support the Iranian “green movement” uprising President Obama specifically said in 2009 he wanted to extend his unclenched fist to Iran and work on better relations.  To prove his point Obama watched Mahmoud Ahmadinejad shoot his opposition in the street and stood silent.   At the same time Hillary Clinton called Syria’s Bashar Assad a “moderate” and a “reformer”.

However, now that attacking Iran’s nuclear ambition -to improve his “gutsy caller” image- becomes a process of Obama’s re-election strategy, you can expect a complete change in tone and approach to Assad.  It’s less about Syria, and much less aboout Assad or his brutal dictatorship, and more about Obama re-election optics.

(Foreign Policy) As the violence in Syria spirals out of control, top officials in President Barack Obama‘s administration are quietly preparing options for how to assist the Syrian opposition, including gaming out the unlikely option of setting up a no-fly zone in Syria and preparing for another major diplomatic initiative.

Critics on Capitol Hill accuse the Obama administration of being slow to react to the quickening deterioration of the security situation in Syria, where over 5,000 have died, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights. Many lawmakers say the White House is once again “leading from behind,” while the Turks,  the French, and the Arab League — which sent an observer mission to Syria this week – take the initiative to pursue more aggressive strategies for pressuring the Assad regime. But U.S. officials said that they are moving cautiously in order to avoid destabilizing Syria further, and to make sure they know as much as possible about the country’s complex dynamics before getting more involved. (more…)

U.S., Israel Discuss Triggers for Bombing Iran’s Nuclear Infrastructure  – The Obama administration is trying to assure Israel privately that it would strike Iran militarily if Tehran’s nuclear program crosses certain “red lines”—while attempting to dissuade the Israelis from acting unilaterally. Eli Lake reports exclusively.

When Defense Secretary Leon Panetta opined earlier this month that an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities could “consume the Middle East in a confrontation and a conflict that we would regret,” the Israelis went ballistic behind the scenes. Michael Oren, Israel’s ambassador to Washington, lodged a formal diplomatic protest known as a demarche. And the White House was thrust into action, reassuring the Israelis that the administration had its own “red lines” that would trigger military action against Iran, and that there is no need for Jerusalem to act unilaterally. (more…)

The “no-way” knee jerk reaction one would normally have to reading such an incendiary headline is unfortunately tempered by reality.  Yes,… sadly;  Way.  

To understand this article outlining how the Obama administration could possibly even fathom to use Al-Qardawi, the spiritual leader for the Muslim Brotherhood, to negotiate with the Taliban, you must first remember the comment from Vice-President Biden that drew jaws to the floor like 10G magnets under a mouth full of fillings.  

Biden said two weeks ago “the Taliban were not our enemy“, remember that?   Obviously there was considerable backlash from those who are indeed connected to reality, and who do actually recognize that bullets being shot, and IED bombs being deployed to kill U.S. forces in Afghanistan, are being fired at us and set by the Taliban.  But I digress.

So here is an interesting article outlining the motive that Joe Biden would have to begin to change the narrative:  (Via IPT) Radical Islamist cleric and longtime Muslim Brotherhood spiritual guide Yusuf al-Qaradawi serves as a “key mediator in secret talks between the U.S. and the Taliban,” according to unnamed government sources referenced in a report published late Wednesday in The Hindu.

In early December, the report said, “Qaradawi helped draw a road map for a deal between the Taliban and the United States, aimed at giving the superpower a face-saving political settlement ahead of its planned withdrawal from Afghanistan.” The United States is expected to begin pulling out of Afghanistan in 2014. (more…)