See PBS Infiltrate the Most Dangerous Branch of Al Qaeda in Yemen
- Posted on May 30, 2012 at 7:47am by
Billy Hallowell
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On Tuesday evening, PBS’s “Frontline” aired, “Inside Al Qaeda in Yemen,” a shocking documentary that explores the Al Qaeda stronghold that exists in the Arabian Peninsula, a large landmass northeast of Africa. The film provides a first-hand view of the bizarre and troubling power that the terror group yields in an area that The Atlantic’s John Hudson says is ”widely-considered the most dangerous Al Qaeda stronghold.”
Here’s a preview of the program:
In the film, Iraqi-born reporter Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, who works for The Guardian, is able to work his way into the territory to capture interviews and explore the situation at hand. What makes the Arabian Peninsula different from other localities that the Al Qaeda is dominant in is that, according to U.S. ambassador Gerald M. Feierstein, it is the first location in which the terror group is actually trying to capture and retain territory.
(Related: Read Some of the Best Parts of the New York Times Expose on Obama‘s ’Kill List’)
“The fact of the matter is that they continue to try to find ways to attack not only here in Yemen, but in the United States, in the neighborhood against Saudi Arabia, against Western Europe and the U.K.,” Feierstein told Frontline. ”So they have global aspirations, and we consider that they still present a very significant challenge.”
Yahoo! News’ “The Upshot” has more about the shocking documentary:
In recent years, the most significant terrorist plots against the United States have emanated from Yemen. This little known country on the Arabian Peninsula has become the hottest front in the war against al Qaeda. Last week, a suicide bomber killed about 100 soldiers in the country’s capital, Sana. Earlier this month, news broke of a foiled plot by al Qaeda in Yemen to bomb a U.S.-bound airliner. [...]
In dangerous areas of southern Yemen where few journalists have traveled, Ghaith found members of al Qaeda, describing themselves as the group Ansar al-Sharia, in control of cities and towns and winning both support and recruits among some in the local population by administering scarce resources. [...]
In the rest of Al Qaeda in Yemen, Ghaith explores the tension between al Qaeda’s brutal tactics and its efforts not to alienate the Yemeni populace. Ghait travels to the town of Lawdar, where he discovers that al Qaeda had been driven from power by local residents after assassinating a tribal leader.
If there’s any doubt that the Al Qaeda has qualms with the American way of life, a man named Fouad, a spokesperson for the group, makes the terror group’s stance clear. In the documentary, the leader proudly proclaims, “We are at war with America and its allies.”
Watch the film, below (caution: disturbing images and themes):
(H/T: The Atlantic)
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Ron_WA
Posted on May 30, 2012 at 8:08pmI watched this last night – EXCELLENT report.
This journalist really had some ‘nards to go so deep into the belly of the beast.
He better go deep off the radar for a few years ‘cuz you can bet uncle Akmehd is coming for him
Report Post »epicwinofgod
Posted on May 30, 2012 at 1:43pmThis piece was very revealing to me. In the nature of what people do. They hate America because they see us as Babylon. They sit in a desert and envy our lands which provide an abundance of crops and waters. Yet their small forces, should they come large, would inevitably make the same mistakes as Americans did. I can see how they think, but cannot understand why. Seeking power is just an endless cycle. Let that be truth.
Report Post »moose8684
Posted on May 30, 2012 at 2:59pmYour world view is very limited, these people don’t sit in the hills, dreaming of America and its wealth and hate us for it. They sit in the mountains of Afghanistan and Yemen and watch our drones fly overhead and kill people, that is why they hate us. They see the Israel/Palestine situation and they see that the US would never force Israelis out to give land to Palestinians. We created Al Qaeda, we created the Taliban, and if you think that these poor goat herders in the mountains of Yemen are capable of planning advanced terrorist attacks without the money and information that they receive from the CIA then you need to go and do some research.
Report Post »Ron_WA
Posted on May 30, 2012 at 7:56pm@MOOSE – I was w/ you until you got into the tinfoil pointy hat piece about the CIA financing, training & providing them plans & intel.
These are mostly goat herders & they hate America because a few well placed radical religious fanatics told them they should & that the Western world wants to shame & destroy Islam; the West wants to defile & corrupt their women & children, that we want to humiliate their men & pee on their Koran.
Yes the cruise missile, drone & air strikes tick them off especially when their radical leaders spin it into being some atrocity instead of a surgical strike against a well known international terrorist.
Some of their leaders are not only charismatic but very well educated engineers & doctors all financed by very wealthy ultra-religiously conservative Muslims.
Report Post »moose8684
Posted on May 30, 2012 at 9:13pmOk Ron, I guess even when the state department admits it it is still a conspiracy theory. Name one “thwarted terrorist threat” or secret terrorist plan that has been uncovered since 9/11 that did not directly involve an American or British Intelligence asset. You can demonize me or call me crazy, but when it is recorded fact you cannot deny that it is true. We created Al Qaeda, we created the Taliban, we are arming Al Qaeda right now in Syria, just like we did in Lybia, and somehow we magically have intelligence assets in place to uncover every one of their plots. If we have people in their midst who can uncover the plots, why not just kill them all?
Report Post »ScienceIsNotEvil
Posted on May 30, 2012 at 1:28pm“the Arabian Peninsula, a large landmass northeast of Africa”
Just goes to show that not even the Blaze editors think those who read this site are smart.
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on May 30, 2012 at 12:33pmIs PBS… Infiltrating… or CoConspiring?
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on May 30, 2012 at 12:10pmI wish Geraldo and Shep would go under cover in Yemen.
Report Post »AUsername
Posted on May 30, 2012 at 10:50amthere not a threat to anyone
Report Post »Walkabout
Posted on May 30, 2012 at 11:46amInteresting our trolls have for the most part all chosen new names.
How sweet.
Makes you wonder how organized they are?
Troll on my worthless son.
Report Post »flat_top_particular_about_the_point_it_makes
Posted on May 30, 2012 at 10:46amWhat is Saudi Arabia doing to help us? Probably nothing.
Report Post »Ron_WA
Posted on May 30, 2012 at 8:03pmThey were the ones who implanted & were running the double-agent in AQAP which stole & brought us the new & improved underwear bomb last month & oh, by the way brought us a boat-load of intel which lead to some very accurate drone strikes on some AQAP heavy hitters over the past couple of weeks. Saudis get an ‘atta-boy on this one … doesn’t mean we should trust ‘em but this time they came thru.
Report Post »closetotheedge
Posted on May 30, 2012 at 9:33amIt’s ready to explode in the Middle East and the genecide of Israel and the U.S. and allies are on target and here in the US people don’t know what is really happening over ther due to the media not reporting the truth as in Egypt, the Muslum Brotherhood is winning in elections and the battle on the streets of the cities are on fire. Syria and Assad,backed by Iran and Russia wipeing out multitudes of there own people,kids and anyone caught in the line of fire. Iran not pushing for the Nuc’ and we do nothing but sanctions,while their people suffer and the leaders live the high life. And continue to shout to the World,”We will build it and we are going to use them on Israel and the U.S.A. When will we ever get it right that they are and will use them just as they say they will?
Report Post »themachinist239
Posted on May 30, 2012 at 10:47amRight, because I’ve never heard Sean Hannity, Glen Beck, Mark Levin, or Rush Limbaugh drone on about the threat of the Muslim brotherhood. Oh wait they make a living doing just that.
Report Post »BigDogRex
Posted on May 30, 2012 at 9:17amIt is not “infiltration” if it is among allies…
Report Post »moussiagilda
Posted on May 30, 2012 at 9:05amEndless miracles. Endless signs and wonders.
And I still feel I have suffered nothing.
Report Post »Walkabout
Posted on May 30, 2012 at 11:44amAre you Sunni or Shia? Choose wisely little one :)
Report Post »rickc34
Posted on May 30, 2012 at 9:00amThe biggest threat is sitting in the Oval Office.
Report Post »65Mustang
Posted on May 30, 2012 at 8:55amI’ve always thought PBS was an elite arm of the government, progressive all the way….how did this get reported when we have so many progressive leaders in the Obama Administration?
Report Post »RJJinGadsden
Posted on May 30, 2012 at 9:27amPBS is more of an elite arm of the DNC. It just gets a good percentage of federal funding. Whenever a Republican says they should be self supporting PBS and our Congressional left pushes Big Bird out to beat them about the head and shoulders in the media. How dare Sesame Street be supported by such lowly advertising techniques? It’s beneath their dignity…yeah, right!
Report Post »Steve28
Posted on May 30, 2012 at 8:54amSince they only understand the most violent of punishment Nuke the city!
Report Post »moose8684
Posted on May 30, 2012 at 3:06pmYes, let’s nuke entire cities now. You people make me sick, you masquerade as Christians, and constantly talk as though Islam is taking over the world, and plotting to kill everyone. You constantly talk about the history of violence in the middle east and how that is a sign that all Muslims are extreme and want to kill Christians and Jews, yet in the last 50 years the US has been responsible for more deaths in the middle east than all Muslim extremist groups combined.
Report Post »EqualJustice
Posted on May 30, 2012 at 8:44amDid they steal this story line from Beck, the crazy guy? PBS.. conspiracy nuts.
Report Post »wboehmer
Posted on May 30, 2012 at 8:39amWhat??? Frontline portrays the thieving, murderous muslims as a threat?
Report Post »poorrichard09
Posted on May 30, 2012 at 8:32amWow, quite a change for PBS-actually telling the truth instead of portraying A Q as “freedom fighters.”
Report Post »Wolf
Posted on May 30, 2012 at 8:52amHowever, it wont cause them to change their thinking or take an honest stance. There‘s no profit for them if they don’t toe the liberal commie line.
Report Post »RJJinGadsden
Posted on May 30, 2012 at 9:30amRemember CNN‘s excuse that allowed them to stay in Sadam’s Iraq between Desert Storm and the final invasion? They promised the regime not to tell the truth on air! Makes a lot of sense. A willingness to lie just to get the story…NOT!
Report Post »progressiveslayer
Posted on May 30, 2012 at 8:12amJust continue using drones to kill the pigs,we have no loss of life on our side and can kill as many as we want,sounds like a win win.
Report Post »Walkabout
Posted on May 30, 2012 at 11:47amPeople even enemies adapt. Things will change. Obama is a fool.
Report Post »EP46
Posted on May 30, 2012 at 8:10amIn Bible prophecy Yemen joins Iran and Russia against Israel. So we know their future.
Report Post »themachinist239
Posted on May 30, 2012 at 10:38amBecause it’s always a good idea to base modern-day foreign policy decisions based on the predictions of holy books written thousands of years ago. I cringe to think how many leaders of our nation think this way.
Report Post »Walkabout
Posted on May 30, 2012 at 11:52amthemachinist239
If we could figure out these were the end of days then surely the devil could. If a person is a believer, they should not assume these are the last of days although they are troubled times.
Matthew 24:36 “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
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