The Counter Terrorist Magazine - August/September 2011 by Solomon

Avrasaya hostages • security contracting • al shabaab • pyroterror

Journal for Law Enforcement, Intelligence & Special Operations Professionals

Counter The

August/September 2011

Volume 4 • Number 4

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• 2001

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Firsthand: 8 Tactical Trackers Pursue fugitive

By Grant Lightfoot

Case Study: Hezbollah truck bomb in argentina By Tom Nypaver

La Línea: Network, Gang, and Mercenary 46 Army

By John P. Sullivan and Samuel Logan

islamic extremism in ireland By Patrick Finucane

departments: 6 From the Editor SITREP 2011 33 Book Review The Art of War 73 Innovative Products AW-FAPC, SWATSCOPE, M145 Moving Target System 76 Training Review Jungle Survival Cover: A Chinese soldier with the People’s Liberation Army waits to assist with American and

Chinese delegation’s traffic at Shenyang training base, China, March 24, 2007. Defense Dept. photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. D. Myles Cullen. U.S. currency photo overlay: Revisorweb

The Counter Terrorist ~ August/September 2011 5

Counter The

From The Editor:

SITREP 2011 By Chris Graham

At the halfway point of 2011, history can record an interesting period. Most encouragingly, American special operations personnel shot Osama bin Laden, godfather of al-Qaeda, in the head in Abbottabad, Pakistan, on May 2. The men that carried out this operation are due the respect of a grateful nation. Of course, challenges continue. The nation’s deficit spending crisis constitutes a strategic vulnerability that a widening group of adversaries recognize. While massive conventional campaigns around the world continue, we can now add the curious war prosecuted against the Libyan government without congressional authorization as another campaign to evaluate on a long-term cost/benefit basis. Strategic criminal threats have not evaporated either. An efficient campaign to eradicate international pirates has not been undertaken. Thousands of criminals continue to successfully penetrate the U.S./Mexico border. As long as man exists, conflict will exist. The Counter Terrorist remains dedicated to refining the efforts of those who have sworn to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic” and our brothers and sisters around the world dedicated to similar ideals. Do not force others to relearn what you have already discovered. When the experience of your duties provides insight that will benefit your teammates, share it here. Semper Fidelis, Chris Graham Editor, The Counter Terrorist

Journal for Law Enforcement, Intelligence & Special Operations Professionals

Volume 4 • Number 4

August/september 2011 Editor Chris Graham Director of Operations Sol Bradman Director of Advertizing Carmen Arnaes Director of Production Kelli Richardson Contributing Editors Eeben Barlow Jennifer Hesterman Richard Marquise Steve Young Graphic Design Morrison Creative Company Copy Editor Laura Town Office Manager Lily Valdes Publisher: Security Solutions International 13155 SW 134th St. • STE 204 Miami, Florida 33186

ISSN 1941-8639 The Counter Terrorist Magazine, Journal for Law Enforcement, Intelligence & Special Operations Professionals is published by Security Solutions International LLC, as a service to the nation’s First Responders and Homeland Security Professionals with the aim of deepening understanding of issues related to Terrorism. No part of the publication can be reproduced without permission from the publisher. The opinions expressed herein are the opinions of the authors represented and not necessarily the opinions of the publisher. Please direct all Editorial correspondence related to the magazine to: Security Solutions International SSI, 13155 SW 134th Street, Suite 204, Miami, Florida. 33186 or info@thecounterterroristmag.com The subscription price for 6 issues is $34.99 and the price of the magazine is $5.99. (1-866-573-3999) Fax: 1-786-573-2090. For article reprints, e-prints, posters and plaques please contact: PARS International Corp. Web: www.magreprints.com/quickquote.asp Email: reprints@parsintl.com Phone: 212-221-9595 • Fax: 212-221-9195 Please visit the magazine web site where you can also contact the editorial staff:

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On a mild April evening sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a rape complaint. They responded to a residence in a community just outside the limits of a city of approximately 3,000 residents. The surrounding area could be described as semirural and situated within the “urban-rural interface” area, which means that the community was just at the outer edge of forest. It was approximately 2100 hours (local) and dark.

T Firsthand:

Tactical Trackers pursue fugitive By Grant Lightfoot

Counter The

8 The Counter Terrorist ~ August/September 2011

On the Run

he initial responding deputy contacted the complainant and soon after his partner, then patrol sergeant. The deputies learned that a seven-year-old girl had been raped by her mother’s live-in boyfriend over the course of a month. The mother of the child was an emotional mixture of rage, sadness, frustration, and self-resentment—feeling partially responsible for not recognizing what she now saw as the obvious. The suspect had fled the residence on foot following an altercation with the victim’s mother after the victim disclosed what had happened to her. The deputies on scene were unable to verify the suspect’s identity. They conducted records’ checks through the communications center and found that there was no driver’s license or ID history, and no WACIC (Washington Crime Information Center) or NCIC (National Crime Information Center) rap sheets.

CBP UH-60 The complainant allowed the deputies access to the suspect’s belongings and during the search of a backpack they found papers indicating the man living with her had an assumed identity. The deputies checked the new information they found and learned the true identity of the suspect. The suspect was a convict from Nevada who was wanted and on the run from authorities in Las Vegas. Why he ended up on a border county in northwestern Washington was not clear. I was one of two on-duty deputies experienced at tracking who had been through training with the Tactical

I was one of two on-duty deputies experienced at tracking who had been through training with the Tactical Tracking Operations School (TTOS) in Arizona.

Tracker team boards UH-60 at Ediz Hook. All photos courtesy of the author. The Counter Terrorist ~ August/September 2011 9

CBP insertion of trackers

We met with the patrol sergeant and started “thinking it out” in preparation for “tracking it out.”

Tracking Operations School (TTOS) in Arizona. Being a border county, there is a wide range of resources available. The sheriff’s department did not have an organic air support unit, but could have its pick of one of three United States Coast Guard (USCG) HH-65s, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) UH-60 Blackhawk, a CBP A-Star EC135, and a CBP Pilatus PC-12, with a single call for assistance. Manpower resources in this particular area of the county include two local municipal agencies, the Arizona State Patrol and U.S. Border Patrol. Both agencies are on a mixture of VHF and UHF, some of

10 The Counter Terrorist ~ August/September 2011

which are on the DHS IWIN network. On the surface there appears to be an interoperability problem, but this was an issue solved long ago in anti-terrorism operations in rural environments (ATORE) training (with TTOS), with all the previously referenced agencies in attendance. Technical interoperability is covered in great detail and ranges from simple portable radio usage and crossbanding by use of gateway devices, to complex virtual network patching between state and local networks and the Department of Homeland Security’s networks. Even though we had the training and

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resources available, we were on standby mode without an initial commencement point (ICP) with which to start the follow-up. One needed to be found, and soon. We met with the patrol sergeant and started “thinking it out” in preparation for “tracking it out.” This is where the gathering of essential elements of information (EEI) begins. We learned that the suspect had a cellular phone and we had been trained to use electronic indicators as part of tracking. Electronic indicators include cellular phone locating by use of phone fixing within the cell (cardinal direction and range), GPS locations given by the phone itself to the carrier’s system, or coordinates provided by the carrier based on triangulation. The sergeant had the complainant call

the suspect. The cellular carrier gave a direction and range from the tower for the cell that the suspect was within and We were able to quickly narrow down the location of a suitable ICP. We worked together in a unique way. We knew that the suspect was west of our location and somewhere off the main road. The sergeant sent two units into the area. The suspect told the complainant that he saw “the cops.” At that point, the patrol sergeant asked each unit to yelp their siren. The complainant relayed that she heard a siren over the phone—bingo! Now the trackers knew where to cut spoor [look for signs] for an ICP. This process had taken hours and it would be daylight soon. We were able to cut into the suspect’s track and now had four things: EEIs, an ICP, direction

Deputy signals that he is on track. Circle 29 on Reader Service Card

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CLEAR SECURE SWAT trackers training in southern Utah.

where to cut spoor [look for signs] for an ICP. This process had taken hours and it would be daylight soon. We were able to cut into the suspect’s track and now had four things: EEIs, an ICP, direction of travel, and a general “track picture.” The track picture is an important aspect of tactical tracking that is bold, aggressive, and quick. The initial LNDAT (location, number, direction, age and type of footwear) was set, resources were mustered, and a USCG HH-65 was at the ready at Ediz Hook, approximately 10 minutes away. At first light, the follow-up would commence. At 0530 the air unit was en route. Overt containment was set up to the west and the trackers were on the move. Containment consisted of city police, border patrol, state patrol, and sheriff’s deputies. Technical interoperability was not an issue and most on containment

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ICE agent marks ICP in training. of travel, and a general “track picture.” The track picture is an important aspect of tactical tracking that is bold, aggressive, and quick. The initial LNDAT (location, number, direction, age and type of footwear) was set, resources were mustered, and a USCG HH-65 was at the ready at Ediz Hook, approximately 10 minutes away. At first light, the follow-up would commence. At 0530 the air unit was en route.

Overt containment was set up to the west and the trackers were on the move. Containment consisted of city police, border patrol, state patrol, and sheriff’s deputies. Technical interoperability was not an issue and most on containment understood the tactics of the hunt. The complainant told the sergeant that it sounded like the suspect was running through water. There was a river farther to the west of the trackers. The trackers

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The suspect was now in survival mode, trying to gain ground and taking risks in open areas.

Tracking team members apprehend quarry in a training scenario.

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Tracking Tactical tracking for law enforcement is the same as military combat tracking, for the most part. The techniques are similar; it is the results that may differ. For law enforcement officials, the training is multipurpose, multi-role, and multi-mission. It refines or enhances, and sometimes teaches, a simultaneous

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marked their last known spoor and made a break for the river to cut spoor and reduce the time/distance gap. Transference was located on the west bank of the river and the track continued. There was significant pressure on the quarry at this point. The air unit was able to narrow its search and the containment was able to condense. Within a few minutes, we were able to report that we had found “shit-filled underwear” on the track that was obviously from the quarry. This is not uncommon in a manhunt. When the pressure is on, the stress is high, and the respiration and heart rate are at a sustained high level, one of two things commonly happen—the quarry pukes or defecates, or sometimes just quits and walks back on his or her track to give up to the trackers. The suspect was now in survival mode, trying to gain ground and taking risks in open areas. The USCG air crew spotted the suspect and was able to direct containment and the trackers directly to the location where he was apprehended without further incident. The whole process took nearly 13 hours; the suspect was captured exhausted and without underwear. In the following months, the suspect was convicted of rape of a child in the first degree and sentenced. When his sentence is complete in Washington, he will be extradited to Nevada. Case closed, but for the damage done.

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Combat tracking concepts can be easier to teach because of a preexisting level of tactical interoperability.

inductive and deductive reasoning process. It teaches how to make logical connections, from a variety of sources of information, to the quarry. Tactical tracking begins with “thinking it out” before “tracking it out.” Combat tracking concepts can be easier to teach because of a preexisting level of tactical interoperability. Tactical interoperability means that groups can come together and shoot, move, and communicate effectively, based on a common foundation of basic or advanced tactical training. Unfortunately, interoperability for government operations is often a vendordriven area of concern, meaning that money is spent by the billions to solve technical interoperability problems, sometimes without those problems actually being solved. Vendors have provided systems that are potentially capable of rectifying the issues, but

FIRSTHAND AC COUNTS AND FROM FRONTL INE PERSONNE ANALYSES L AND ExPERT IN THE wAR AG S AINS T TERROR Based on

Understanding

•

About the Author Mr. Lightfoot is a captain in the Anacortes Police Department in Washington State. He has 16 years of experience with the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office and has served in a wide range of assignments. He is a veteran of the 2nd Bn, 75th Ranger Regiment and serves as a lead instructor for the Tactical Tracking Operations School.

edite

ophir falk and hed by nry Morgenstern

Understandin

g and Confro nting the threat

and Confront ing the threat

U.s. and policymakers, first israeli experiences and detailed interv responders, and threat of suicide students of home iews with frontline personnel, terro Suicide Terror enab land security to understand and for future attacks. r. it analyzes recent suicide attac deal with the grow les ks as well as our following the expe current vulnerabili Moreover, they learn rt authors’ advic ties and likely scena ing e, readers learn how to prepare for and losses in the and imple ment an effective possible measures to prevent an rios event of an attac attac and quick response k. following an overv to minimize casua k. iew and historical lties review of suicide terror, the book cover • Global jihad s: • Israel’s confron tation with suicide te rroris m • America’s expe rience with suicide b ombings • Internationalizat ion of suicide terroris m • High-risk scena rios and future trends • Methods for co nfronting suicide terror • Medical manag ement of suicide terro rism Using eye-witnes s accounts, the text recreates the studies help reade look and feel of rs actua these very dangerousget into the minds of suicide terro rists in order to unde l terrorism incidents. Detailed threats. case rstand how to best This book is a defin prevent and confr itive study of suicide ont experts who have terror, synthesizing t dealt with it firsth he ex perience of well-kno devastating threa and. anyone respo wn Israeli and A t should read this nsible for unde meric rstan book and consider its recommendation ding, preventing, and confrontin an OPHIR FALK, LLB, g this s with all seriousne ss. institute for Coun MBA, is a Partner at the Naveh, K ter terrorism, wher of experience in e he has published antor Even-Har law firm and a Rese vario numerous articles carried out risk asses us security capacities and serve in the field. Mr. falk arch Fellow at the d as a consultant sments for olympic has over a decade for the venue 2004 s and critical natio HENRY MORGEN nal infrastructure. olympic games, where he STERN is the Presi than 500 federal, dent of security state solutions internation first responders to Is , and local agencies to effectively al, a company that of suicide terror. He rael to study Homeland Security. Mr. confront the threat of terror and regul has trained more radio stations, and has offered expert commentary on tMorgenstern is a widely publishe arly takes groups of d aut Web broadcasts. error-related issu es for NBC, ABC hor on the subject , CBS, Fox, numerous

SUICIDE TERROR

falk Morgenstern

Ophir Falk and Henr y Morgenstern have serious about winn compiled a book that should be read ing the war on terro better understan r. By painstakingly by anyone who is d the nature of analyzing the empi our enemies and rical data, they they offer important why they employ help us insights on how these barbaric tacti terrorism can be In so doing, they cs. Most crucially, effectively confr have performed onted and ultim an invaluable servi crucial battle. ately defeated. ce for all those who are committed to winning this —Benjamin Neta nyahu, former Prime Minister of Israe l

sometimes are not yet successful. Ideally, experienced operators should drive the decision process for technology acquisition. When operators with the right skills, support and technology are brought together, you have the functional capability to form multiple small units and conduct productive tracking operations. Operators often jokingly call this multi-squad deployment a “hunt club.”

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Case Study:

hezbollah truck bomb in argentina By Tom Nypaver

At 9:53 a.m. on July 18, 1994, a Hezbollah operative named Ibrahim Hussein Berro drove a Renault TrafFic van loaded with 300-400 kilograms (kg) of Amonal1 explosive to the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA) Jewish Community Center and detonated this suicide-vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (SVBIED). The attack killed 85 people and injured at least 150, and was the second attack aimed at the Jewish population in Buenos Aires recorded in two years.

n the earlier attack on March 17, 1992, a Hezbollah SVBIED consisting of a Ford pickup truck carrying 100 kg of Semtex explosive slammed into the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires killing 29 and injuring 220.2 An echo of the 1983 attacks against the Marine barracks and U.S. embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, the AMIA bombing exemplified Hezbollah standard operating procedures (SOPs). Understanding Hezbollah’s SOPs may enable intelligence professionals to recognize them when seen again and thwart future attacks by Iran, Hezbollah, and other terrorist groups.

Motivations

Counter The

A banner commemorating the bombings of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires and the bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center, in an urban square dedicated to peace in Rosario, Argentina. The banner shows a sum, 22 + 85 (the number of deceased in each bombing) and the result, 6,000,107, which is a reference to the number of Jews killed in the Holocaust.

20 The Counter Terrorist ~ August/September 2011

Founded in the wake of the 1982 Israeli occupation of Lebanon as a “religious and pan-Islamic” organization loyal to the supreme ruler of Iran,

Hezbollah’s goal was the establishment of an Islamic regime in Lebanon.3 Iran saw Hezbollah as a means of exporting the Iranian revolution of 1979 throughout the world. In fact, Hezbollah’s three pillars are: Islamic faith, jihad, and jurisdiction of theologians.4 Yet, the attacks in Argentina have as much to do with vengeance as religious ideology. Following the 1992 bombing of the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires, a group calling itself “Islamic Jihad” claimed the attack was reprisal for an Israeli helicopter attack that killed Hezbollah leader Sheik Abbas Musawi.5 Similarly, the 1994 bombing was considered likely retaliation for an attack by an Israeli settler at a Hebron mosque and a June 2, 1994, Israeli raid on a Hezbollah base in the Beqaa Valley.6 However, Hezbollah likely selected Argentina again as the target area because

Hezbollah banners with the text “Our blood has won” in the aftermath of the 2006 war in South Lebanon. Photo: Julian Harneis of greater geopolitical concerns—the Argentinean government’s realignment with the United States and Israel that led Argentina to discontinue nuclear and military technology support to Iran7 and Syria.8 Terrorists may have also decided to strike again in Argentina simply because they believed that they could get away with it.9 It appears that In Argentina, Iran sought to not only kill Jews, but also to discredit the Argentinean government while sending a message to the United States that Hezbollah was bringing the war to the Western Hemisphere. The target selection was likely based on two important practical considerations. First, the success of the 1992 attack probably led the Iranian decision makers to determine that their operatives could operate successfully and escape that country without being apprehended.

The Counter Terrorist ~ August/September 2011 21

Second, the network that facilitated the first attack had become exposed to a degree by virtue of being activated for an operation. Although arrest was not imminent, it would become a greater possibility the longer operatives of Iran’s VEVAK intelligence service (also known as Ministry of Information and Security) and members of the Hezbollah cells remained in the region. Therefore, Iran likely calculated that the 1994 attack would be an opportune way to attack with a proven network, then extract key members prior to apprehension. These motivations show more than a penchant for revenge—they reveal the targeting process used by Hezbollah and Iran.

Strategy and Tactics Events suggest that Iran provided the strategy and the fatwa that set Hezbollah in motion to conduct the AMIA bombing. The strategy of expanding the jihad to the Western Hemisphere was apparently intended to intimidate Jewish populations worldwide and discourage nations that might oppose Iran. The tactics were straightforward— find a vulnerable target and maintain secrecy until precision-guided munitions in the form of an SVBIED could be delivered to the target. The difficulty lay in maintaining operational security (OPSEC) and logistically facilitating the operation while enabling a degree of deniability that would allow Iran to evade charges of involvement. Hezbollah and Iran achieved the OPSEC and logistic functions through a hybrid form of organization.10 Iran’s organizational form was a traditional government-military pyramid structure.11 It appears that the primary figures in this organization were VEVAK minister Ali Fallahian, overall in charge; Hezbollah external security commander Imad Mugniyah; a Hezbollah operation

commander; and Mohsen Rabbani, local logistics coordinator.12 Hezbollah would use a cellular network construct that relied on cutouts and a dormant network already in place to achieve compartmentalization. While Hezbollah was conducting terror attacks in the Middle East in 1983, Mohsen Rabbani was in Argentina ostensibly performing the duties of a cleric at Buenos Aires Shia mosques. It’s likely that Rabbani was actually acting on behalf of Iran’s VEVAK to set up networks in Buenos Aires and the Tri-Border Area (TBA). It appears that Rabbani recruited Samuel “Salman” El Reda (aka Andres Marques) as his agent.13 El Reda would apparently serve a critical function in the AMIA attack as a contact, coordinator, and cutout between Rabbani and the Hezbollah action and support elements. This may have allowed Rabbani, and thus Iran, to keep his hands clean and maintain deniability. At the time of the attack, Rabbani worked out of the Iranian embassy in

Buenos Aires as the cultural attaché. Rabbani received diplomatic status only four months prior to the attack. According to an Argentinian official: “In doing this, the Iranian government demonstrated that they had learned from past experience. In October 1992, Kazem Darabi a local regime functionary … was arrested in Berlin, Germany for having participated one month previously in an attack on a Berlin restaurant called Mykonos.”14 Meanwhile, El Reda allegedly relayed Rabbani’s orders to Hezbollah sleeper cells in the TBA. One of the contacts made by El Reda was Khodor Barakat, “the main financier for Hezbollah in the Tri-Border Area.”15 The financier likely bribed local officials, a technique used in the 1992 embassy bombing.16 Barakat’s financial support would also have been needed to facilitate the smuggling of explosives for the attack. It is also reported that: The explosives were smuggled by Colombian narco-traffickers, then handled by a Brazilian front company

working for VEVAK that moved the bomb materials through the so-called Tri-Border Area where Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina converge. The explosives were routed through Ciudad del Este, Paraguay, home to some thirty thousand Arabs and considered a ‘de facto Hezbollah resort’ since the 1980s by Israeli intelligence.17 Within the “resort” town of Ciudad del Este, Hezbollah lay hidden, waiting for orders to carry out the attack. The book Lightning Out of Lebanon states: A relatively quiet support cell, sometimes called a ‘sleeper cell,’ can remain benign for years. Yet its key hardcore members stand always ready to be activated to provide local logistics— reconnaissance, identification documents, housing, transportation, other direct support, and sometimes participating personnel—for violent terror attacks… this is exactly what Hezbollah did in Argentina under Mugniyah’s direction.18 With this existing support network activated, and the explosive materials in the TBA, Hezbollah then needed to move the explosives to Buenos Aires and assemble the bomb in the delivery vehicle. Carlos Telleldin, a car thief, and initial scapegoat of the attack, sold the white Renault Trafic van to an unknown man in Buenos Aires.19 Three days before the attack, the Renault van was prepositioned in a parking lot 400 meters from the AMIA building.20 Little information exists in the public domain on the assembly of the bomb and the bomb maker. There are, however, allegations that explosives were smuggled into Argentina via diplomatic pouch to the Iranian embassy.21 Schindler notes that some of the bomb materials were smuggled into the TBA. “[O]ne Paraguayan official said he believes that the bomb was almost certainly built in the area of Ciudad Del Este.”22 This may

These motivations show more than a penchant for revenge—they reveal the targeting process used by Hezbollah and Iran. DT 5008 CT FEB.pdf

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This is the building that was destroyed in October 1983 by an suicide truck bomber. Photo: James Case 22 The Counter Terrorist ~ August/September 2011

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Hassan Nasrallah in south part of Beirut. Photo: Bertramz indicate that the 300 kg of explosive were in the van at the time it was parked on July 15, 1994. An explosives’ specialist could have then assembled the detonation device from components sent in the diplomatic pouch and installed it between this time and the attack. This would ensure that the operation remained compartmentalized, and that the identity of the specialist remained a secret. The final step remaining in Hezbollah’s plan was for Ibrahim Hussein Berro, the suicide bomber, to pick up the van and drive it the short 400 meters to the target. On July 18, 1994, Berro did exactly that with devastating effect.

Lessons Learned There are numerous insights to be gained from a study of the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) that Iran and Hezbollah have refined to the point of being an SOP. Iran must be recognized as the decision-making body that provides organizational structure, leadership, funding, and supplies critical to the operation. Hezbollah’s capabilities to establish effective multifunctional

networks abroad must also be noted. Deeper scrutiny provides more insight. An attack against Iran or Hezbollah should be viewed as an event that triggers the Iranian operations’ cycle to execute preplanned operations. Once set in motion, Iran will seek to determine the best location to exact retribution. Any country in the world is potentially at risk. A former FBI counterterrorism officer confirms, “We know Hezbollah has a global reach.”23 The attack site will not be arbitrary. It will be determined by Iran through a pragmatic cost-benefit calculation that considers greater geopolitical factors. Iran will not only attempt to strike at Israel and the United States, but also at any other nation or group that it perceives to be a geostrategic opponent. The battleground need not be in Lebanon, Israel, or the United States. In fact, Iran understands that if it chooses to attack in these areas, the investigation and counterattack may be more intense. So it sometimes seeks out a vulnerable area that may go uncontested by its two major opponents. After the death of Imad Mugniyah on February 2, 2008, Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah proclaimed, “You have killed Hajj Imad outside the battlezone [of Lebanon] …If you want this kind of open war, then let the entire world listen: Let it be an open war.”24 The world should not just listen, but also take action and prepare to prevent the next attack.

.OGISTICS

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•

About the Author Mr. Nypaver commanded U.S. Army Special Forces A-Teams (ODAs) on multiple international deployments. He is a National Guard captain and is currently a graduate student focusing on national security issues at the Bush School at Texas A&M University.

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24 The Counter Terrorist ~ August/September 2011

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Counter Terrorist ~ August/September 2011 25 Circle 8 on Reader Service Card

MACTAC Multiple-Assault Counter Terrorism Action Capability

Endnotes 300-400 kg equals 650-900 lbs. Amonal is an improvised explosive mixture of ammonium nitrate, TNT, and aluminum which sometimes includes charcoal. 2 Diaz, Tom & Barbara Newman. 2005. Lightning Out of Lebanon: Hezbollah Terrorists on American Soil. New York: Ballantine. p. 120. 3 Azani, Eitan. 2009. Hezbollah:The Story of the Party of God. New York: St. Martins. p. 62. 4 Qassem, Naim. Translated by Dalia Khalil. 2005. Hizbullah:The Story from Within. London: Saqi. 5 Leif, L.L., & G.G. Garmini. 1992. “Iran’s New Offensive.” U.S. News & World Report. 112(12), 40. EBSCOhost. Also: Kushner, Harvey W. 2002. Encyclopedia of Terrorism. http://www. sage.erefernce.com/terrorism/Article_ n189.html. (March 3, 2011). 6Kramer, M. 1994. “The Jihad Against the Jews.” Commentary. 98(4), 38. EBSCOhost. Also: Deutche PresseAgentur. 1994. “Buenos Aires Blast Toll Reaches 34 – Moroccan Released.” 20 July. LexisNexis. (March 3, 2011). 7 Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center. 2006. “Summary 1

of the Argentinian Attorney General’s Petition Regarding Issuance of an Arrest Warrant for the Perpetrators of the 1994 Attack on the Jewish Community Center (AMIA) in Buenos Aires.” http://www. terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/ Hebrew/heb_n/html/argentina_amia.htm (March 5, 2011). 8 Madani, Blanca. 2000. “New Report Links Syria to 1992 Bombing of Israeli Embassy in Argentina.” Middle East Intelligence Bulletin. Vol.2, No.3, (March) http://www.meforum.org/meib/ articles/0003_s1.htm 9 Rohter, Larry. 2002. “Iran Blew Up Jewish Center in Argentina, Defector Says.” New York Times, July 22. (March 5, 2011). 10 See Appendix 1. Link Diagram. 11 Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center. 2006. “Summary of the Argentinian Attorney General’s Petition Regarding Issuance of an Arrest Warrant for the Perpetrators of the 1994 Attack on the Jewish Community Center (AMIA) in Buenos Aires.” http://www. terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/ Hebrew/heb_n/html/argentina_amia.htm (March 5, 2011). “The apex of the [Iranian] pyramid was the … Special Affairs Committee, which was headed by the Spiritual Leader

of the Nation, beneath which interacted, at the same level, the Intelligence and Security Ministry [VEVAK a.k.a. MOIS], Foreign Affairs Ministry, the Islamic Culture and Religion Ministry, and the Revolutionary Guard Ministry (Pasdaran) [a.k.a. IRGC], within which operated the feared Quds special forces, which were in charge of carrying out special operations abroad.” 12 Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center. 2006. “Summary of the Argentinian Attorney General’s Petition Regarding Issuance of an Arrest Warrant for the Perpetrators of the 1994 Attack on the Jewish Community Center (AMIA) in Buenos Aires.” http://www. terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/ Hebrew/heb_n/html/argentina_amia.htm (March 5, 2011). 13 Sklarz, Eduardo, & Martin Barillas. 2009. “Argentina Issues International Arrest Warrant for Terrorist Wanted in Bombing Masterminded by Iran.” The Cutting Edge News. May 25. http:// www.thecuttingedgenews.com/index.ph p?article=11343&pageid=17&pagename =News (March 5, 2011). 14 Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center. 2006. “Summary of the Argentinian Attorney General’s

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Petition Regarding Issuance of an Arrest Warrant for the Perpetrators of the 1994 Attack on the Jewish Community Center (AMIA) in Buenos Aires.” http://www. terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/ Hebrew/heb_n/html/argentina_amia.htm (March 5, 2011). 15 Greenberg, Nathaniel. “War in Pieces: AMIA and the Triple Frontier in Argentinean and American Discourse on Terrorism.” A Contra Corriente Vol. 8, No. 1, (Fall 2010): 61-93. p. 66. 16 Diaz. p. 124. 17 Schindler, John R. 2007. Unholy Terror: Bosnia, Al-Qa’ida, and The Rise of Global Jihad. St. Paul, MN: Zenith Press. p. 136. 18 Diaz. p. 69. 19 From the beginning there were questions of whether Telleldin was anything more than what journalist Katherine Ellison called a “hapless

middleman.” Ellison also suggests that it may be an “odd coincidence” that Telleldin was convicted of running a brothel in 1987 on the same city block as the AMIA building, but it may indicate much more. Such an occupation would give him excellent cover for action and the illegitimate nature of the business would provide a secondary cover. At any rate, Telleldin may have benefited from the massive corruption in the later investigation. On September 3, 2004, he and four Buenos Aires police officers were acquitted of all charges in the case. See: Ellison, Katherine. 1994. “Answers Elusive in Argentine Bombing.” Philadelphia Inquirer, December 18. Lexis Nexis. (March 5, 2011). 20 Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center. 2006. “Summary of the Argentinian Attorney General’s Petition Regarding Issuance of an Arrest

Warrant for the Perpetrators of the 1994 Attack on the Jewish Community Center (AMIA) in Buenos Aires.” http://www. terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/ Hebrew/heb_n/html/argentina_amia.htm (March 5, 2011). 21 Rubenstein, Colin. 2006. “Deadly Truth About Hezbollah.” Herald Sun (Australia), November 8. Lexis Nexis. (March 5, 2011). 22 Goldberg, Jeffrey. 2002. “In the Party of God: Hezbollah Sets Up Operations in South America and the United States.” The New Yorker. October 28. p. 75. 23 Blanford, Nicholas. 2008. “Not if, but how.” NOW Lebanon. http://www. nowlebanon.com (March 7, 2011). 24 Blanford, Nicholas. 2008. “Not if, but how.” NOW Lebanon. http://www. nowlebanon.com (March 7, 2011).

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Book Review

The Art of War By Sun Tzu

he Art of War recently came up in conversation at a Brazilian steakhouse with a friend (a U.S. Army Special Forces officer). He was unimpressed. He said it was nothing more than “common sense.” I asked him to confirm that he had participated in operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. He also confirmed that he was familiar with American operations in Libya and various domestic security operations. I took a sip of my 4°(C) Duvel and asked him, “How frequently do you see Sun Tzu’s principles upheld? How frequently are they violated?” He immediately conceded my point. The Chinese strategy book The Art of War is believed to have been written after 500 BC and is attributed to Sun Tzu. The strategies described are not only applicable to the advanced civilizations of ancient China, but are studied by all competent combatants and leaders to this day. There have been multiple historical copies uncovered and many translations. This book can be accessed at http://ctext.org/ art-of-war or purchased in book form from a variety of publishers. Sun Tzu observed, “Warfare is the greatest affair of state, the basis of life and death, the Way to survival or extinction. It must be thoroughly pondered and analyzed.” He added, “Warfare is the Way of deception. Thus although capable, display incapability to them. When committed to employing your forces, feign inactivity.”

Reviewed by: Chris Graham The wisest officer I ever worked for regularly said, “Hope is not a course of action.” Though not Irish, Sun Tzu similarly said, “If I observe it [conflict] from this perspective, victory and defeat

will be apparent.” He went on to say, “…one who knows the enemy and knows himself will not be endangered in a hundred engagements. One who does not know the enemy but knows himself will sometimes be victorious, sometimes meet with defeat. One who knows neither the enemy nor himself will invariably be defeated in every engagement.” He adds, “One who is free from errors directs his measures toward

30 The Counter Terrorist ~ August/September 2011

[certain] victory, conquering those who are already defeated…the victorious army first realizes the conditions for victory, and then seeks to engage in battle. The vanquished army fights first, and then seeks victory.” The Chinese strategist noted, “If you expose the army to a prolonged campaign, the state’s resources will be inadequate.” He added, “…when our strength has been expended and resources consumed, then the feudal lords will take advantage of our exhaustion to arise.” He concluded, “No country has ever profited from protracted warfare.” Sun Tzu shares the insight, “Subjugating the enemy’s army without fighting is the true pinnacle of excellence.” And, “…the wise general will concentrate on securing provisions from the enemy.” Does the United States maximize these principles? Is there any evidence that sophisticated adversaries employ these in campaigns against the United States? Sun Tzu warns against self-defeating policies born of incompetence or micromanagement. He notes that a ruler can misuse his forces if, “He does not understand…military affairs, but [directs them] in the same way as his [civil] administration...” He states that if, “He does not understand…tactical… power…but undertakes responsibility for command. Then officers will be doubtful.” The strategist states, “One who excels at sending forth the unorthodox

is as inexhaustible as Heaven…” and continues, “Thus the pinnacle of military deployment approaches the formless. If it is formless, then even the deepest spy cannot discern it or the wise make plans against it.” Sun Tzu commands, “Do not rely on their not coming, but depend on us having the means to await them. Do not rely on their not attacking, but depend on us having an unassailable position.” He provides the method for defeating each type of adversary. “One committed to dying can be slain. One committed to living can be captured. One angered and hasty can be insulted. One obsessed with being scrupulous and untainted can be shamed.” Finally, the strategist recognized the supreme value of accurate human intelligence. He said, “The means by

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which enlightened rulers and sagacious generals moved and conquered others, that their achievements surpassed the masses, was advance knowledge.” And said, “Thus…no relationship is closer than with spies; no rewards are more generous than those given to spies, no affairs are more secret than those pertaining to spies.” He added, “In general, as for the armies you want to strike, the cities you want to attack, and the men you want to assassinate, you must first know the names of the defensive commander, his assistants, staff, door guards, and attendants. You must have our spies search out and learn them all.” Ultimately, he observes, “If it is not advantageous, do not move. If objectives cannot be attained, do not employ the army. Unless endangered do not

engage in warfare. The ruler cannot mobilize the army out of personal anger. The general cannot engage in battle because of personal frustration. When it is advantageous, move; when not advantageous, stop. Anger can revert to happiness, annoyance can revert to joy, but a vanquished state cannot be revived…” As a voter, it is important to assess how well those elected comprehend these insights and to what degree each adversary employs them against us. As a leader, it is important to ensure that our subordinates and coworkers are familiar with these ideas. As a combatant, it is our responsibility to revisit The Art of War regularly throughout our careers. Sun Tzu provides the basis for strategic improvement in many areas.

•

The Counter Terrorist ~ August/September 2011 31

Is china at war with the usa?

By Kevin D. Freeman In February 1999 two People’s Liberation Army (PLA) colonels, Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui, wrote a book titled Unrestricted Warfare, which was published in Chinese by the PLA Literature and Arts Publishing House of Beijing. This strategy book identified unrestricted warfare in a variety of forms, including financial, smuggling, cultural, drug, media, technological, resources, psychological, network, international law, environmental, and economic aid.1

he writers carefully explained how these various forms of warfare may be combined to dramatically enhance campaign success. It appears that the People’s Republic of China and other groups have followed the blueprint for unrestricted warfare in recent years. For example, all cyber activities to infiltrate, subvert, or disrupt information systems fit within the context of network warfare. China has reportedly developed a massive cyber capability and many believe China to be behind specific attacks such as a “hack” on Google last year.2 There are also accusations of resources warfare in relation to rare earth minerals.3 Credible concerns have been raised regarding nearly every identified

Counter The

Soldiers of an honor guard of the People’s Liberation Army at their base in Nanjing, China. Photo: Demetrio J. Espinosa, U.S. Marine Corps

32 The Counter Terrorist ~ August/September 2011

form of unrestricted warfare. Perhaps the most urgent concern should be about financial warfare, the first discipline listed. This is deemed to be the foundation of other efforts and includes “entering and subverting banking and stock markets and manipulating the value of a targeted currency.” The authors of Unrestricted Warfare suggest that causing a single stock market crash may be more devastating than launching an attack with traditional weapons. Given the recent economic turmoil (wherein the global economy suffered both a stock market crash and collapse in credit markets, with estimates of losses up to $50 trillion in a single year), it is especially timely to examine these risks.4

The corner of Wall Street and Broadway. Photo: Fletcher6 The Counter Terrorist ~ August/September 2011 33

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34 The Counter Terrorist ~ August/September 2011

weapons is considered “out of scope” by many in the traditional defense community. Conversely, financial specialists tend to assume market participants to be economically rational. This makes it difficult for them to imagine that someone might deliberately accept economic setbacks in favor of

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In early 2009 at the request of Pentagon’s Irregular Warfare Support Group, I wrote a report titled “Economic Warfare: Risks and Responses”. This 110-page report identified the nature of financial warfare, reviewed market evidence from 2008, and listed possible suspects and methodology for how a financial attack may have taken place.5 The conclusions were dramatic in that they clearly demonstrated that the U.S. markets were vulnerable to attack, that potentially hostile parties were aware of the vulnerabilities, and that these parties had the motive, means, and opportunity to launch such attacks. The report hypothesized the possible existence of a three-phase attack with the second phase culminating in the stock market crash. A third phase was predicted wherein the U.S. dollar would be the target. In hindsight, there should be little doubt that the economic downturn was caused by financial market dislocations. This is well documented by the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission’s findings.6 (The commission was created by the U.S. government to study the causes of the financial crisis from 2007–2010.) Unfortunately, the scope of the economic warfare report was too limited to thoroughly uncover evidence of an attack that would meet criminal justice standards. Indeed, such a finding may be unlikely regardless of the scope because of the complexities involved. But, the concerns raised by the report are more than sufficient to justify investigation and development of a strategic threat doctrine with proper response planning. Clearly, if it were possible to cause such significant economic destruction, it is a national security imperative to understand how it could be done and how to prevent it. Unfortunately, the nature of economic

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Lehman Brothers Rockefeller Center. Photo: David Shankbone greater strategic achievements. The PLA colonels view these factors as serious advantages to an unrestricted warfare approach. They discuss new concept weapons such as a “man-made stock market crash, a single computer virus invasion, or a single rumor or scandal that results in a fluctuation in the enemy country’s exchange rate…” with an awareness that most analysts will fail to recognize them even after they have been deployed:7 Americans have not been able to get

their act together in this area. This is because proposing a new concept of weapons does not rely on the springboard of new (military) technology; it just demands lucid and decisive thinking. However, this is not a strong point of the Americans who are slaves to technology in their thinking.7 A “lack of imagination” was considered a primary failure in detecting the 9/11 attacks. Similarly, the U.S. defense establishment has been viewed as heavily dependent on military technology and concerned almost exclusively with kinetic

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attacks.8 This makes it difficult for some in the Pentagon to grasp the significance of how a sovereign wealth fund might begin a bear raid on Lehman Brothers using naked short selling and credit default swaps. Even the terminology is foreign to defense policy specialists and thus a strategic advantage for such new concept attacks. The community of specialists who do understand such things as credit default swaps too often has a limited understanding of national defense. Market specialists and economists tend to believe that human activity is rational from an economic perspective. They also tend to believe in efficient markets. Their models require ceteris paribus, which is Latin for “all other things being equal or held constant.” The concept of a suicide bomber, however, would be an example of an attack that may appear to fall outside the parameters of this model. As a result, economists may clearly understand how Goldman Sachs could create pools of toxic mortgages with a profit motivation even if these could distress the financial system. It may be difficult for those same economists, however, to conceive that a financial terrorist would conduct bear raids of Lehman Brothers to harm the infidel economy. Interestingly, the Unrestricted Warfare authors were aware that economic specialists would look to natural market forces and likely overlook the possibility of financial attacks. Anonymity is particularly valuable when conducting operations against a nation with a formidable conventional military in order to avoid possible kinetic retaliation. The authors suggest that financial terrorists are able to “conceal themselves within the forests of free economics.”9 What this suggests is that financial terrorists might operate generally

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38 The Counter Terrorist ~ August/September 2011

undetected. We can demonstrate that economic weapons exist and can be deployed with significant impact. The primary issue then becomes whether the Chinese or other groups would consider their use and if so, to what end? According to East Asia Intel, the Chinese believe that their long-term path to the dominant position economically and militarily is finally within their grasp: While the world’s eyes are glued to China’s 12th Five-Year Plan (12FYP) (2011-2015), security experts are looking at leads and telltale tidbits about the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) military Five-Year plan (MFYP) for the same period. Unlike the civilian version, the gist of which will be released at the National People’s Congress in early March, the MFYP will remain under wraps. The goal of the national 12th FYP is to smooth the way for the Chinese economy to overtake that of the U.S. in ten years or less. The military MFYP’s objectives are similar: to expeditiously close the gap between the PLA’s capacity and that of the U.S. armed forces.10 Would the Chinese risk this achievement by employing unrestricted warfare? International press reports covering the February 2011 issue of Qiushi (the official journal of the Central Committee of Communist Party of China) provide the answer as shown in the following excerpts (directly translated quotes from Qiushi in italic, bold added for emphasis): Throughout the history of the new China (since 1949), peace in China has never been gained by giving in, only through war. Safeguarding national interests is never achieved by mere negotiations, but by war. China on its part, it said, can consider the idea of launching economic warfare through strategies to contain the U.S. dollar and making effective use of forums like the International Monetary

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The Counter Terrorist ~ August/September 2011 39

Fund (IMF) and initiating a space war by developing strong space weapons. Of course, to fight the US, we have to come up with key weapons. What is the most powerful weapon China has today? It is our economic power; especially our foreign exchange reserves ($2.8 trillion). The key is to use it well. If we use it well, it is a weapon; otherwise it may become a burden. China, it said, should ensure that fewer countries should keep their foreign exchange reserves in U.S. dollars. So in view of this, China should pick up courage and go for aggressive buying of other currencies, including the Indian rupee, hence taking the lead in affecting the market for U.S. dollars. This approach, it said, is market driven and it will not be able to easily blame on China. The most important condition is still that China must have enough courage to challenge the US currency. China can act in one of two ways. One is to sell US dollar reserves, and the second is not to buy US dollars for a certain period of time, which will weaken the currency and cause deep economic crisis for Washington. Given the fact that China is the biggest buyer of U.S. debt, its actions will have a demonstrable effect on the market. If China stops buying, other countries will pay close attention and are very likely to follow. Once the printed excess dollars cannot be sold, the depreciation of the dollar will accelerate and the impact on Americans wealth will be enormous. The US will not be able to withstand this pressure and will curtail the printing of US currency.11 This is a clear endorsement of the unrestricted warfare approach. It also matches directly with the Phase Three attack scenario outlined in the 2009 “Economic Warfare: Risks and Responses” paper. Given the enthusiasm, we can reasonably wonder if the Chinese

40 The Counter Terrorist ~ August/September 2011

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have been active with other forms of unrestricted warfare as outlined in the paper. Although it may be quite some time before it is revealed if they played a role in the stock market crash, we do know it fits with the basic economic warfare doctrine. We also know that after the smoke cleared, the net effect on China has been positive even as the United States lost ground. As recently as 2003 the Chinese economy was believed to be on course to overtake that of the United States in a matter of decades. At the time, Goldman Sachs boldly predicted that China’s economy would be larger than that of the United States by 2041, which many viewed at that time as optimistic.12 In 2008 even as the economic crisis was unfolding, Goldman Sachs revised its forecast to estimate Chinese economic superiority by 2027.13 On April 25, 2011, the IMF estimated that the Chinese economy would overtake the United States’ economy as early as 2016.14 If the Chinese have been involved in economic warfare over the past few years, it is obvious that such efforts have been extraordinarily successful. As the U.S. economy has fallen, China’s economy has been rising. Of course, the Chinese are not the only proponents of economic attacks. Russia reportedly dumped its Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac holdings in mid-2008 to force a bailout by the government.15 Venezuela and Iran are also adversaries likely to employ asymmetric weapons.16 Nation states are not the only adversaries who have noted our debt-based vulnerabilities. Al-Qaeda attacks are clearly designed to provoke disproportionate governmental expense and the group revealed a financial terror approach in its January 2011 issue of Inspire Magazine that mentions

George Soros, Chairman, Soros Fund Management, USA. Photo: Copyright by World Economic Forum. swiss-image.ch/Photo by Sebastian Derungs.

Billionaire activist George Soros, famously described as “the man who broke the Bank of England,” has publicly advocated the degradation of the U.S. dollar.

The Counter Terrorist ~ August/September 2011 41

dispossessing the wealth of Wall Street.17 The piece is a primer on economic warfare. With the death of Osama bin Laden, it will be interesting to see to what degree captured materials mention financial terror plots. Even individuals may be players in this field. Billionaire activist George Soros, famously described as “the man who broke the Bank of England,”18has publicly advocated the degradation of the U.S. dollar. The bottom line is that national security cannot be thought of merely as a kinetic exercise based on technological superiority. One of the twenty-first century’s primary battle spaces is the economy. This was predicted in 1999 by the authors of Unrestricted Warfare: We believe that before long, ‘financial warfare’ will undoubtedly be an entry in the various dictionaries of official military jargon. Moreover, when people revive the history books on twentieth-century warfare

in the early 21st century, the section on financial warfare will command the reader’s utmost attention. The main protagonist in this section of the history book will not be a statesman or military strategist; rather it will be George Soros.19

•

About the Author Mr. Freeman is founder of Freeman Global Investment Counsel (www. freemanglobal.com). He has consulted for and briefed members of the U.S. House and Senate, CIA, DIA, FBI, SEC, DOJ, and Homeland Security on the issues of economic warfare and financial terrorism. He authors the blog www. globaleconomicwarfare.com.

Endnotes Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui, Unrestricted Warfare (Beijing, PLA Press, 1999) translated (Pan American Publishing Company, Panama City,

Panama, 2002), xii-xiii. 2 Damian Grammaticas, China cyberwarfare capability a ‘formidable concern,’ BBC News, Beijing, March 11, 2011, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/worldasia-pacific-12709417 (accessed May 8, 2011). 3 Asher Berube, US Sen Schumer: US Needs To Press Hu On Rare Earth Elements, January 18, 2011, http://www. raremetalblog.com/2011/01/us-senschumer-us-needs-to-press-hu-on-rareearth-elements.html (accessed May 8, 2011). 4 Shamim Adam, Global Financial Assets Lost $50 Trillion Last Year, ADB Says, Bloomberg News, March 9, 2009, http:// noir.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=new sarchive&sid=aZ1kcJ7y3LDM (accessed May 8, 2008). 5 Kevin Freeman, Economic Warfare, Risks and Responses, (Cross Consulting and Services, LLC, June 2009) http://www.

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Fannie, Freddie Bonds, January 29, 2010, http://noir.bloomberg.com/apps/news ?pid=newsarchive&sid=afbSjYv3v814, (accessed May 8, 2011). 16 Danny A. Dickerson, Venezuela The Unrecognized Threat, December 29, 2009, http://www.offnews.info/ verArticulo.php?contenidoID=19326, (accessed May 8, 2011). 17 The Ruling on Dispossessing the Disbelievers wealth in Dar Alharb, January 16, 2011, http:// obamaissellingamerciatoislam.blogspot. com/2011/01/ruling-on-dispossessingdisbelievers.html, (accessed May 8, 2011). 18 David Litterick, Billionaire who broke the Bank of England, The Telegraph, September 13, 2002, http://www. telegraph.co.uk/finance/2773265/ Billionaire-who-broke-the-Bank-ofEngland.html, (accessed May 8, 2011). 19 Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui, op. cit., pp. 39.

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tricks-and-feints/ (accessed May 8, 2011). 11 ‘Peace in China not gained by giving in, only through war,’ The Asian Age, February 12, 2011, http://www.asianage. com/international/peace-china-notgained-giving-only-through-war-185 (accessed May 8, 2011). 12 John Ross, Even optimists underestimated China’s growth, China. org.cn, January 30, 2011, http://www. china.org.cn/opinion/2011-01/30/ content_21843443.htm (accessed May 8, 2011). 13 Ibid. 14 Brett Arends, IMF bombshell: Age of America nears end, MarketWatch, April 25, 2011, http://www.marketwatch.com/ story/imf-bombshell-age-of-americaabout-to-end-2011-04-25?link=MW_ home_latest_news (accessed May 8, 2011). 15 Michael McKee and Alex Nicholson, Paulson Says Russia Urged China to Dump

See for yourself at:

scribd.com/doc/49755779/EconomicWarfare-Risks-and-Responses-by-KevinD-Freeman (accessed May 8, 2011). 6 Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, “The Financial Crisis Inquiry Report,” (New York, Public Affairs Reports, January 2011, http://fcic.law.stanford.edu/ 7 Ibid 8 Robert Haddick, Forget about China’s missiles and stealth fighter; worry instead about ‘non-kinetic’ combat, Small Wars Journal, January 19, 2011, http:// smallwarsjournal.com/blog/2011/01/ forget-about-chinas-missiles-a/ (accessed May 8, 2011). 9 Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui, op. cit., pp. 114. 10 Willy Lam, China’s new Military FiveYear Plan sets stage for Xi Jinping with ‘tricks and feints,’ East Asia Intel, February 21, 2011, http://www.freepressers. com/2011/02/chinas-new-military-fiveyear-plan-sets-stage-for-xi-jinping-with-

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The Counter Terrorist ~ August/September 2011 45

By John P. Sullivan and Samual Logan

he cartels and gangs fight each other (both against rival cartels and internally between competing factions) and against the state, attacking police and military forces that impede their quest for power and plunder. La Línea, an enforcer gang, operates in the Juárez Plaza area. This gang is influential in the contested and lucrative region adjacent to El Paso, Texas.

La LÍnea:

Network, Gang, and Mercenary Army Mexico is embroiled in a complex, irregular conflict often described as a drug war, a criminal insurgency, and a narco-conflict. A protean mix of criminal enterprises (cartels and gangs) fight for control of illicit economic circuits, drug-trafficking plazas and corridors, and freedom from state interference.

Counter The

Mexican drug lord Amado Carrillo Fuentes Photo: Zero Gravity

Vicente Carrillo Fuentes (b. October 16, 1962). Photo: Federal Bureau Of Investigations

Enter La Línea Amado Carrillo Fuentes became one of the most powerful men in Mexico before his (apparently) accidental death in 1997. Had he not died on the operating table, Amado might have lived a long life. Though he spent his last two years on the run, the head of the Juárez Cartel was well protected. His bodyguards, a group of co-opted police officers then known as the “Gatekeepers” or Los Arbolitos, were some of the better-trained and most violent gunmen in Mexico. This same group of mercenaries seamlessly passed their loyalty to Vicente Carrillo Fuentes (VCF), the apparent current leader of the Juárez Cartel (Cartel de Juárez). It appears

This battle has left thousands dead; approximately 3,100 in 2010 alone. Meanwhile, the city of Juárez has sprouted hundreds of local retail drug sales points and spawned, by some accounts, as many as 500 separate street gangs.

Ciudad Juárez at dusk looking west toward Misión de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. Photo: Daniel Schwen

46 The Counter Terrorist ~ August/September 2011

The Counter Terrorist ~ August/September 2011 47

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that he hired more municipal and state police to expand the ranks of Los Arbolitos into “a line of defense” between the Juárez Cartel and its enemies in the late-1990s. The cadre eventually came to be known as La Línea, which true to its original charter, continues to protect the two most important components of the Juárez Cartel: the boss and the drugs. As the influence of the Juárez Cartel has ebbed under the offensive of rival groups and the Mexican government, La Línea has made use of hired thugs— men with little training and even less to lose—to form the front line of defense between any would be rivals, the government, and their principal. With a presence across Mexico, the Juárez Cartel has, in the last three years, been forced to close ranks around Ciudad Juárez and VCF. This battle has left thousands dead; approximately 3,100 in 2010 alone.1 Meanwhile, the city of Juárez has sprouted hundreds of local retail drug sales points and spawned, by some accounts, as many as 500 separate street gangs. La Línea appears to stand at the top of enforcers hired to protect one man and his business interests.

Characterizing La Línea La Línea clearly serves as a protective organ for VCF and as enforcers for his organization, variously known as the Vicente Carrillo Fuentes Organization or Juárez Cartel. It has been described as the “straight line.” Comprised of drug dealers, sicarios (hit men), and corrupt police officials, it protects the cartel’s business interests and trafficking operations. It may merely be wording designed to convey control or garner loyalty—a case of sophisticated branding. Alternatively, it might be a unifying concept to consolidate efforts to protect

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The Counter Terrorist ~ August/September 2011 49

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter swoops down on suspects. Photo: James R. Tourtellotte, CBP, U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security

the market. Practically, it is both of these—a salient example of the adaptive organizational forms evolving within the narco-conflict. La Línea is not necessarily a drugtrafficking organization in its own right. La Línea likely would not exist without VCF and the Juárez Cartel. Neither could the Juárez Cartel exist without La Línea. Unlike Los Zetas, which began much like La Línea as an enforcement arm for the Gulf Cartel (Cartel del Golfo) before evolving into a powerful independent criminal organization, or La Familia, an emboldened vigilante group evolved into a broader criminal enterprise, La Línea remains tied to the jefe (boss) and to Juárez, appearing to still be loyal. These loyalties, and La Línea’s position as most powerful among the Juárez gangs, explains in part why members of this group have been labeled responsible for the long list of atrocities that have accompanied Juárez into the darkest days of the city’s 352-year history.2 La Línea is a hybrid entity within the array of networked non-state actors in Mexico’s narco-conflict. It serves as a protective detail, an enforcement operation, and collectors of street taxes. Its members are a cadre that may serve as liaison officers to other organizations. It is reported that,

“La Línea has their networks in gangs like Los Aztecas who are hired killers (sicarios), and the municipal police that protect their precious cargo.”3 La Línea is reputed to control co-opted judicial officials, a human intelligence network consisting of taxi drivers and other informants, and corrupted state police. It is reported to be linked to both the Barrio Azteca in Texas, and the Azteca’s transnational outlet Los Aztecas in Juárez.4 Its rivals may include actors aligned with the Sinaloa Cartel, including Sinaloa’s enforcers the Gente Nueva, the Artistes Asesinas (Artistic Assassins gang), and dissident Azteca factions. Essentially, La Línea is a networked gang, a specialized node in a transnational criminal enterprise. It appears to be operating as more than a turf-oriented street gang (a first-generation gang) or even a narco-trafficking gang (a secondgeneration gang). It appears to act as a specialized variant of a third-generation gang essentially serving as mercenaries.5 It has transnational reach through its allies and inter-networked cross-border gangs and cartel partners. It demonstrates a higher degree of sophistication than many gangs, and it even fulfills para-political functions for its cartel employer. Its network configuration enables morphing form to exploit custom network links to carry out specific, specialized missions.

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Masked gunmen, who “spray and pray” assault rifles (known as cuernos de chiva) into a crowded rehab center and a teenage birthday party, are alleged to have been affiliated with La Línea. The gunmen who shot and killed a U.S. consulate worker, her husband, and a third U.S. citizen (later reported to have been a case of mistaken identity) are also likely La Línea connected. The group has undertaken an overt war against police,

Essentially, La Línea is a networked gang, a specialized node in a transnational criminal enterprise.

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The Counter Terrorist ~ August/September 2011 51

employed by La Línea to achieve its objectives. Supplementing its repertoire of abilities is the additional firepower of street gangs La Línea subcontracts to kill rivals, and kidnap, torture, and execute policemen who do not cooperate. Though their training generally appears to be inferior to that of Los Zetas, members of La Línea attack with aggression not evident in other areas of Mexico. Street gang proxies and members of La Línea (reportedly including members of the Juárez municipal or Chihuahua state police) are able to collect considerable intelligence on their targets, maintain a presence across multiple sectors of society in Juárez, and corrupt nearly any organization they encounter. Currently, La Línea appears to be stable, possibly ascendant. It is a key element of the VCF Organization/Juárez Cartel’s efforts to control its parallel state. It supports its master by collecting street taxes,

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Supplementing its repertoire of abilities is the additional firepower of street gangs La Línea subcontracts to kill rivals, and kidnap, torture, and execute policemen who do not cooperate.

and been linked to attacks on journalists (to include the killing an El Diario photographer).6 A remote-detonated improvised explosive device (IED) that killed four—a federal police officer, a rescue worker, and two others—in Juárez on July 15, 2010, is also attributed to La Línea. This attack reportedly included a body dressed as a police officer to lure police into the kill zone.7 La Línea allegedly threatened to do it again. Another similar bomb was discovered by police in September 2010. Based on the size and construction of the bomb, local reports claim that it could have caused significantly more damage than its predecessor, but it failed to detonate. Assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, hand grenades, IEDs (including car bombs), kidnapping, extortion, coercion, and bribery all reportedly fall within the spectrum of tactical tools

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The Counter Terrorist ~ August/September 2011 53

intimidating government officials, attacking the police and military (both corrupted and legitimate elements), and battling rival gangsters.8

La Línea’s Future

Marcos Arturo Beltran Leyva (19612009), drug lord and leader of the Beltran Leyva drug cartel in Mexico. Photo: Counter Intelligence

La Línea may be vulnerable. First, the capability and reliability of municipal and state police in Juárez and Chihuahua must remain at a low level to allow potential new recruits to fall victim to La Línea’s advancements. With the recent appointment of Col. Julián Leyzaola, the military commander largely credited with cleaning up Tijuana (despite alleged human rights abuses) as the chief of police in Juárez, the city may experience a significant change in its municipal police force.9 Such an evolution could possibly weaken La Línea because it would push recruitment more heavily toward common thugs and Chihuahua state police.

Second, La Línea is only as strong as its host, the Juárez Cartel. At any moment, VCF may find himself in a corner, as did the kingpin Arturo Beltrán-Leyva in December 2009, when Mexican Marines gunned him down in Cuernavaca. The death of el jefe would leave La Línea without her sponsor in the violent anarchy beneath the surface of Ciudad Juarez. Without a commander or a reason to exist, La Línea might disintegrate into smaller rival groups, a process of atomization that Mexican analysts have already witnessed in Jalisco in the wake of the death of Ignacio “El Nacho” Coronel, who ran the Sinaloa Federation’s meth trade out of Guadalajara until his death in 2010. The future of La Línea is tied to that of the Juárez Cartel. As long as there is a cartel boss willing and able to spend sufficient money to hire police to work on his behalf, mercenary organizations

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Conclusion La Línea illustrates the organizational entrepreneurship that emerges during protracted conflict. In this case, an

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such as La Línea will continue to exist. It is an organization born from the necessity for protection and profit, but it could not exist without the complicity of components of the state, which is, at its very core, the reason why groups such as Los Zetas, La Familia, and La Línea exist at all. They are born of corruption, and as long as corruption exists, so will the mercenary groups that form out of the concept that corruptible police would rather kill for good money than be killed for nothing at all.

apparently amorphous, yet powerful precision node exists within the transnational/binational Juárez Cartel (perhaps more accurately described as the El Paso-Juárez Cartel). The La Línea node is a hybrid entity, essentially a thirdgeneration gang composed partially of corrupted law enforcement officers and serving as a bridge between street gangs and organized crime. Its structure consists of interlocking membership within allied organizations of nodes (much like elites who serve on multiple corporate boards). Here we see something similar to a feudal knight serving both his local liege (i.e., home gang) and a higher authority (i.e., the cartel). This neo-feudal organization of the parallel governance space,

The La Línea node is a hybrid entity, essentially a thirdgeneration gang composed partially of corrupted law enforcement officers and serving as a bridge between street gangs and organized crime.

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The Counter Terrorist ~ August/September 2011 55

new program for 2011 > Global expertise > Global best practices combined with its unbridled brutality/ lethality and organizational flexibility, makes it a significant threat to public safety and an important case study in transitional criminal forms. In this case, it appears that La LĂnea is a violent nonstate actor operating as a private army.

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Mr. Sullivan is a senior research fellow with the Center for the Advanced Studies of Terrorism (CAST) and a member of the Advisory Board of Southern Pulse | Networked Intelligence. He serves as a lieutenant with the Los Angeles Sheriffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Department. His current research focus is terrorism, transnational gangs, criminal insurgency, and their impact on policing, intelligence, and sovereignty. Mr. Logan is author of This Is for the Mara Salvatrucha (Hyperion, 2009). He is also the regional manager for the Americas with iJET International. He is the founder and managing director of Southern Pulse | Networked Intelligence, and has reported on security issues in Latin America since 1999.

Endnotes Estimates for the number of persons killed in Ciudad JuĂĄrez range from 3,075â&#x20AC;&#x201C;3,156 depending upon source. This number includes 30 municipal police. See John P. Sullivan and Carlos Rosales, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ciudad JuĂĄrez and Mexicoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Narco-Cultureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Threat,â&#x20AC;? Mexidata at http://mexidata.info/id2952.html, 28 February 2011 for a discussion of the texture of conflict in Cd. JuĂĄrez in 2010. 2 Cd. JuĂĄrez was established in 1659 as El Paso del Norte. It has been known as JuĂĄrez since 1888. In May 2011 it was formally renamed Heroica Ciudad JuĂĄrez. Local residents informally refer to this city of 1.5 million as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Juaritos.â&#x20AC;? 3 â&#x20AC;&#x153;La LĂnea,â&#x20AC;? Borderland Beat, 14 1

56 The Counter Terrorist ~ August/September 2011

October 2009 found at http://www. borderlandbeat.com/2009/10/la-linea. html. 4 Ibid and Daniel Borunda and Erica Molina Johnson, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gang leader linked to drug cartel, El Paso Times, 11 December 2008. 5 See John P. Sullivan, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Transnational Gangs: The Impact of Third Generation Gangs in Central America,â&#x20AC;? Air & Space Power Journalâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Spanish Edition, Second Trimester 2008 found at http://www. airpower.maxwell.af.mil/apjinternational/ apj-s/2008/2tri08/sullivaneng.htm. 6 See â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cae lĂder del cartel de JuĂĄrez; el grupo responde con ataque a la PF,â&#x20AC;? La Jornada, 26 July 2010, â&#x20AC;&#x153;La LĂnea declares war on State Police,â&#x20AC;? Borderland Beat, 20 March 2011; â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;&#x153;La LĂnea Claims Responsibility for El Diario Killing, Borderland Beat, 18 September 2010; â&#x20AC;&#x153;Video in which Members of La LĂnea Beat and Dismember Joaquin Gallegos,â&#x20AC;? Borderland Beat, 17 May 2011; and John P. Sullivan and Carlos Rosales, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ciudad JuĂĄrez and Mexicoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Narco-Cultureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Threat.â&#x20AC;? 7 See John P. Sullivan, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Explosive escalation: Reflections on the Car Bombing in Ciudad JuĂĄrez,â&#x20AC;? Small Wars Journal, 21 July 2010 at http:// smallwarsjournal.com/blog/journal/docstemp/474-sullivan.pdf. 8 See â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mexican drug gangs assuming government roles,â&#x20AC;? Arizona Daily Star, 5 May 2011 and Elyssa Pachico, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gunmen Take Over Mexico Town,â&#x20AC;? InSight, 15 May 2011 at http://www.insightcrime. org/criminal-groups/guatemala/ sinaloacartel/item/923-gunmen-takeover-mexico-town. 9 Adriana GĂłmez LicĂłn, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Former Tijuana police chief JuliĂĄn Leyzaola appointed new JuĂĄrez head of police,â&#x20AC;? El Paso Times, 10 March 2010 at http:// www.elpasotimes.com/newupdated/ ci_17582292.

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In 2005 Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern read the following statement in relation to the security threat from Islamic extremists in Ireland: The level of any terrorist threat to Ireland (from Islamic extremism) is continually assessed. The advice available to me would suggest that while the terrorist threat to parts of Europe is currently high, in relation to Ireland, it is low.

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58 The Counter Terrorist ~ August/September 2011

The tower on the top of a hill near Reenberg point, Ireland. Photo: Pam Brophy

Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern. Photo: ProhibitOnions

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Indeed, figures released by EUROPOL in 2008 and 2009 showed that this trend appeared to continue (there were no arrests leading to successful prosecutions of individuals on charges relating to Islamic-related terrorism in the Republic of Ireland during 2008â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2009).

In March 2010, however, the situation in Ireland changed. For the first time, a large-scale operation was launched by the security services to disrupt and arrest several Muslim extremists. It later transpired that those arrested were actively involved in planning an operation to assassinate the Swedish

For the first time, what had been an accepted reality within security circles finally became public knowledge.

ÂŠistockphoto.com/mpiotti The Counter Terrorist ~ August/September 2011 59

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60 The Counter Terrorist ~ August/September 2011

elements were living and moving freely through Irish society quite literally came as a shock. The Waterford [County] arrests were viewed by many within the Islamic community as a watershed moment; what had previously been rumor and suspicion had now become a reality. One concerned Muslim quoted in a Sunday Times article said, “These are people who admire Osama bin Laden, they shouldn’t be allowed to preach anywhere, publically or in private… they

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are moving and living in the other cities away from Dublin, where it is quieter, we feel they may be planning something big, maybe not in Ireland, but definitely planned from Ireland.” 2 Many people asked, “Why would they come here, why Ireland?” Unfortunately, the appeal of Ireland for extremists soon became obvious. Unlike many other European countries, Ireland makes an ideal training area—it is an open, democratic, and relatively liberal society. The security environment is comparatively benign, it has a generous and easily accessible welfare system, and historically its security forces are primarily focused on addressing a threat from traditional nationalist/loyalist terrorist groups such as the Irish Republican Army, Irish National Liberation Army, Ulster Volunteer Force, and Red Hand Commando.3 Other factors, such as the Common Travel Area (between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland),4 have also presented unique challenges. Because movement through the Common Travel Area is relatively straightforward, known extremists, such as Ibirhim Bouasir and Chafiq Ayaydi, can move throughout both states relatively unimpeded. Currently, both Bousair and Ayadi are on UN/ INTERPOL5 watch lists on suspicion of providing logistical and financial support to al-Qaeda operations in Europe. Relative to its population,6 incidents that can be attributed to Islamic extremists have risen dramatically in recent years within the Republic of Ireland; whether they can be attributed to an increasingly radicalized community is hard to tell. But as with other forms of terrorism, establishing the causal factors and motivations of Islamic radicalization is becoming increasingly difficult to determine. Despite the lack of empirical evidence concerning cells or clusters of

extremists, there is documented evidence indicating that individual members of the Islamic community have traveled to Iraq to fight in jihad. In May 2004 Abu Hafs al-Libi, a Libyan asylum seeker who lived in Ireland from 1996 to 2003, was killed in the U.S. military assault on Fallujah, Iraq. During his time in Ireland, Hafs al-Libi was the subject of intense surveillance. During an interview, one former National Security Intelligence Service (NSIS) officer conceded: Hafs was a person we were concerned about. When he turned up in Iraq, it wasn’t really a surprise. We knew he linked up with the Al-Zarqawi group, and that he may have been involved in at least one beheading. He used to attend the SCR (Mosque) with a few other radicals. But he would disappear every now and then and we would end up tracking him down, usually with a slightly different name.7

… they are moving and living in the other cities away from Dublin, where it is quieter, we feel they may be planning something big, maybe not in Ireland, but definitely planned from Ireland.” Many people asked, “Why would they come here, why Ireland?”

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A Fluid Border? Prior to 2005 there were few incidents attributed to Islamist activity within the state; however, since then the rate of incidents has risen sharply. While actual arrests may not have occurred within the state, for whatever reason a significant number of individuals have been arrested immediately after leaving Irish jurisdiction. One such individual is Abbas Boutrabb. Before fleeing the state, the Algerian national had already come to the attention of both the Special Detective Unit (SDU)8 and NSIS.9 Numerous concerns and inaccuracies concerning his claim for asylum marked Boutrabb out for attention by the security forces.10 Later, when arrested in Northern Ireland, he was found to be in possession of articles that “suggested that they could have been designed to allow a person to assemble a bomb on-board an airplane.” The charges against Boutrabb stated that: The defendant is charged with possession of articles for a purpose connected with terrorism, contrary to Section 57(1) of the Terrorism Act 2000. The particulars of offences are that on 14 April 2003 he had 25 computer discs which contained text, photographs and diagrams in his possession in circumstances giving rise to a reasonable suspicion that the items were in his possession for a purpose connected with the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism.12 As a result of the charges, Boutrabb was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment and was extradited back to Algeria in 2008 on completion of his term. It was later revealed that Boutrabb was a close associate of Kafeel Ahmed, whom he had met in Belfast in 2001.11 Ahmed later gained notoriety as one of two extremists who launched a failed car bomb attack on Glasgow Airport in 2007. In an interview with the author, one former SDU officer confirmed: Circle 130 on Reader Service Card

64 The Counter Terrorist ~ August/September 2011

It suits us if somebody is picked up across the border, we have very good relations with our counterparts in the UK, while its not official policy, if someone can be encouraged to leave the jurisdiction, well then that suits us as well, Boutrabb wasn’t the first and he sure as hell won’t be the last, we know that the lads are here (extremists) but we are heavily dependent on grasses (informers) in trying to weed them out.12 Incidents such as the Waterford arrests, the presence of known extremists, and the public debate concerning the activities of “firebrand” imams can occur in any country. They are not unique to Ireland. They grab the attention of the public partly because the community is small and under the microscope. But are they simply isolated events or are they the beginning of a slide toward extremism? When we compare the Irish community to the UK model, we can see some differences in scale. In using the year 2008 as a snapshot of extremist activity, the UK achieved fifty-three convictions on Islamist-related charges, whereas in Ireland there were zero convictions. But the question still remains, given the frequently recurring episodes of individual extremist activity, has radical Islam gained a foothold within the Irish Muslim community? I would argue that currently Ireland is at a crossroads with regard to its Muslim community. While research has shown that a small but significant section of young Muslims are predisposed toward fundamentalist behavior, it does not necessarily follow that they will become radicalized. Indeed, if Irish history has shown us anything, the lessons learned from the wrongful arrest and imprisonment of innocent individuals on paramilitary charges should be heeded. If young Muslims are experiencing a crisis of faith, then they may well be vulnerable to radical versions of Islam. It would be naive to suggest that Ireland is immune

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Anjem Choudary. Photo: to the threat posed by Islamic extremists; however, if such issues can be addressed, then that risk may be minimized.

Where Now? Today, Islam is the fastest growing religion in Ireland. With an expected population of almost 60,000 by the end of 2011, it has grown faster than any other sociological group within the country. Information is not readily available to confirm whether prison conversions occur at rates as high as in the USA and elsewhere, but Ireland is experiencing difficulties regarding integration into the host community similar to other countries. However, the fact that the Irish Muslim community is now primarily second generation means that any issues have to be addressed in a national context and can only be properly addressed by adequate governmental policy. At the moment, this is not happening. During my research, it quickly became apparent that although there are radicalized elements within the state, they appear to have operated primarily in isolation. But anti-integration groups, such as Glor Mosalmach and MPAC Ireland,13 have found a resonance with some members of the Islamic community,

and in several cases they have acted as a unifying force for disaffected Muslims. Having briefly examined the physical and sociological factors in Ireland, it appears that many of those that exist in other states (UK, Spain, and France) now exist in Ireland. Issues such as unemployment, education, and the influence of extremist elements within the community need to be constantly examined. But Ireland needs to tread carefully. Radical Islam has few friends and official naivety concerning the presence of extremists within the state must always be challenged; simply ignoring the problem or passing it across the border is not acceptable. In 2006, while participating at a public debate, Islamic supremacist Anjem Choudary made the following statement concerning Irish government complicity in Afghanistan and Iraq, and it would be foolish to ignore the content: I think what you have in Ireland is dynamite and the government are holding the matches, If you’re living in Iraq or Afghanistan and you see American planes stopping off in Ireland on their way to bombing raids in Muslim countries, there is no reason why no one

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would not see you as accomplices, I am not saying that Ireland is a legitimate target, but you have to wake up to the reality, it’s not a threat, it’s not a warning, it’s just an understanding of the reality and unless you wake up to that reality, then you are all going to suffer. 14

•

About the Author Mr. Finucane is a former member of the National Security Intelligence Section (NSIS). His operational experience includes work conducted in: Ireland, Lebanon, Kosovo, and Chad. Mr. Finucane is a Ph.D. candidate at Dublin City University studying the growth of Islamic radicalization in Ireland.

Endnotes ‘Seven Arrests over Vilks Plot’ - article by David Sharrock accessed 02/14/11: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/ world/europe/article7055282.ece 2 “The Enemy Within” Sunday Times article by Mark Tighe, accessed 02/14/11: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/ world/ireland/article7061014.ece 3 IRA – Irish Republican Army, INLA – Irish National Liberation Army (both Republican Terrorist Groups) UVF – Ulster Volunteer Force, RHC – 1

Red Hand Commandos (both Loyalist Terrorist Groups) as accessed on http:// www.cdi.org/terrorism/terrorist-groups. cfm on 02/12/11. 4 The Common Travel Area (CTA) refers to the area between the Republic of Ireland and that of Northern Ireland. Because of the limited border restrictions between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, it is relatively easy to transit between the two States. As accessed on 02/01/11: http://www. common-travel-area.co.tv/ 5 Buwiser and Ayadi placed on Interpol Watch List – As accessed on 03/12/11: http://www.interpol. int/public/Data/NoticesUN/Notices/ Data/2000/64/2000_49964.asp 6 2006 Central Statistic figures for Muslims in Ireland, accessed 02/02/11: http://www.cso.ie/newsevents/pr_ census2006Religion.htm 7 Authors interview with Police and Military specialists 02/12/11. 8 SDU – The Special Detective Unit is a subunit of the Crime and Security Branch of An Garda Siochanna (Irish Police Force). They are responsible for the investigation of threats both on a national and international front. Accessed 01/12/11. http://www.garda.ie/Controller. aspx?Page=40.

NSIS – National Security Intelligence Section is a subunit of the Directorate of Intelligence (Irish Army). NSIS deal specifically with identifying, monitoring any threat to the State posed by terrorist actors. Accessed http://www. contemporarysecuritypolicy.org/archive/ volume28_issue2.shtml 10 Abbas Boutrab and his links with Glasgow Airport attack, accessed 01/19/11: http://www.guardian.co.uk/ uk/2007/jul/08/terrorism.world 11 Examining the link between Boutrabb and Glasgow. As accessed on 02/10/11: www.gulf-times.com/mritems/ streams/2007/7/9/2_160104_1_255.pdf 12 Authors interview with SDU personnel: 01/03/11 13 MPAC Ireland is an antiintegration, pro sharia group that was formed in Jan 2009, accessed 01/01/11 http://www.dialogueireland.wordpress. com/2010/02/10/front-man-for-mpacireland-is-one-liam-eganor-mujaahidpreviously-a-christian-pastor 14 UK Extremist warns Irish public over its complicity in Iraq and Afghanistan, accessed 02/19/11: http:// www.independent.ie/national-news/ choudary-in-new-warning-over-ustroops-at-shannon-105763.html 9

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The Counter Terrorist ~ August/September 2011 71

Training Review

Jungle Survival By Chris Graham

n a stifling warm, humid day I sat sweat soaked under a thatched roof on a long pamacari. A small Honda motor with a prop at the end of a six-foot improvised shaft pushed the wooden boat slowly toward the headwaters of the Amazon. Seven students of Randall’s Adventure and Training and I headed toward the delta of the Marañon and Ucayali rivers to begin a week of jungle survival training in the Peruvian Amazon. Jeff Randall headed the expedition and over the course of the week we would receive instruction from Americans, including a tactical medic and a medical doctor, a Peruvian military jungle survival instructor, and “Percy,” our lead local guide. Along the way we shared a few bites of grilled rat and alligator. After eight puttering hours, we stepped into darkness off the bow of the boat and spent the rest of the night in a thatched hut. In the morning, we sat through classes on first aid, basic land navigation, and machete use. Lunch, our last meal for the course, consisted of rice, chicken, vegetables, and a sample of grubs. At about 11:00 a.m. we departed. I took point, picking and chopping my way through vines, thorns, and steaming jungle. John Stevenson, a federal agent, navigated and kept me on an azimuth of 124°. On the bright side, we were traveling light, carrying little more than ponchos, mosquito nets, water purification tablets, and a canteen in our packs, but every meter was a clawing effort. After pushing about 500 meters, we were rotated and others took over.

and rice in the village of Magdalena and returned to our site for another medical class. That night we made fires in twoman teams, killed and grilled two more tough, stringy jungle chickens, and had another wonderful night’s sleep on logs. On the sixth day of training, we woke up and drifted a few kilometers down the Amazon. While I was alert for piranha, anacondas, and alligators the entire time, none of us were eaten. We paused on land for two final classes on medicinal plants and rope work. This included use of a clever rope design with three carabiners to enable a line to be hand tightened for effective bridging of obstacles (for personnel and gear). Finally, we continued our journey back downstream in the pamacari until we reached the town of Tamshiyacu. We spent a comfortable night, now dry, in a local hotel while another downpour

rained down outside our screen. In the morning, we finished our pamacari ride to Iquitos listening to Percy explain where the Amazonian cannibal tribes reside and describing “Jungle Man,” an Amazonian bigfoot-like creature that he sincerely recounted having seen and explained that local Indians see so frequently that his existence is not in doubt. We reviewed the expedition. Ed’s Cold Steel Kukri was a favorite blade and my OTB Abyss boots were the best performers, drying faster than any of the jungle boots. Back in Iquitos, we rallied at Gerald Mayeaux’s Yellow Rose of Texas and savored .5°(C) Cusqueñas and plates of chili cheese fries. We agreed on a motto for the class knife. (Randall presents each class with a custom knife.) Ours will carry the words “Shebani Kurd.” This was an acknowledgement for a Libyan dissident.

Kyle Ver Steeg, our surgeon, had a friend imprisoned by Qadhafi. The man had spent time in a small cage with a male baboon trained to rape subjects when they began to fall asleep. Anybody who may find themselves isolated from the support of (a functioning) civilization has need for survival skills. If your agency does not provide sufficient opportunities to practice Spanish, experience hunger (when not sampling rat, piranha, and alligator), enjoy continuous immersion in humidity, rain, and personal filth, drink foul muddy, stagnant water, hack through dense jungle inhabited by a limitless supply of mosquitoes and ants, and sleep on logs, you and your friends will love Randall’s jungle survival course. www.jungletraining.com

•

Need new caption here Chris. Photo: ????? Finally, we halted and received a class on “jungle bed” construction. These structures consisted of chopped trees lashed together with vines. The first downpour of many let up just before we improvised a poncho roof. We would build these at each site we overnighted. Day three began with a soda cracker and consisted of another jungle hike. It ended with a class on killing and preparing a chicken. I accidentally cut his head off (I was supposed to slit his throat only), but we grilled them on improvised grills and went to sleep less hungry. Day four consisted of more medical classes, and classes on trapping and primitive trap construction. We received

72 The Counter Terrorist ~ August/September 2011

a class on fire making, made a grill and grilled a piranha and a few other small fish. We went on a night anaconda hunt on a small nearby waterway and enjoyed another blissful jungle sleep. On day five, we ate a few bites of charred armadillo and trekked to a patch of balsa trees. We ate a salad of foraged cucumbers and peppers, and each carried a five-foot balsa trunk back to the waterway. We skinned them, chopped them in half, and lashed both sides next to each other using fibers removed from below the bark level. We created “rafts” that would place a short log on either side of a submerged passenger to hang onto. We had a couple mouthfuls of beans

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