By Jenni Hesterman
Originally posted at Counter Terror Forum

The five American citizens from the Washington, D.C. area who traveled to Pakistan to join radical Islamists in their quest for jihad were convicted Thursday on charges of plotting terrorist attacks on Pakistan soil. They were sentenced to 10 years in prison. The men, aged 19-25, left behind a farewell video for their families in December when they departed the U.S.

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By William Tucker

ABC News is reporting that a recently released DHS Intelligence Note is stating attempted terrorist attacks against the U.S. homeland in the last 9 months has surpassed the number of attempts in any previous one year period. For the loyal readers of In Homeland Security, and my previous blog the World of Terrorism, you will note that this has been an ongoing topic of mine going back to September 2009 with the most recent posts falling within the last month. Since that time we have seen the tempo of attempted attacks continue to increase while our capability to thwart these plots has diminished due to mission fatigue.

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By William Tucker

Pakistani media is reporting that a suspected U.S. drone strike killed 15 militants in Khyber Agency. As I've stated before I don't usually comment on drone strikes because they happen with such frequency and have become a normal component of the conflict in Afghanistan. This occasion is slightly different, however. Since the U.S. began using unmanned aircraft against targets in Pakistan the primary targets has been Waziristan, but Khyber has never been the subject of a drone strike. On the face of it there appears to be several reasons for the change in venue such as the jihadist exodus out of North Waziristan into Khyber. Another reason is that Khyber serves as the main logistical transit point for NATO supplies. Most of the supplies for NATO must go through Afghanistan making them a prime target for the Taliban in Pakistan. If the U.S. makes the strikes in Khyber a regular occurrence it will likely lead to increased intelligence and military activity on the ground.

Map: BBC News

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By William Tucker

Several U.S. Senators wrote Secretary of State Hillary Clinton requesting that the Pakistani Taliban be added to the list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations. Earlier I noted the difficulty in doing so; however this does not mean I am opposed to the action. It is certainly something that could be done, but this would be an empty gesture at best. The U.S. is already targeting the multiple elements of the Pakistani Taliban and has used various avenues to attack funding of terrorist groups including those aligned with the Taliban. Part of the problem with designating the TTP a FTO is the fractious nature of the group making identification of individuals affiliated with the group nearly impossible. Taking the step to designate the TTP may have some benefit, but other steps are needed including disrupting support from foreign intelligence services.

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By William Tucker

Just after 1:00 pm local time on April 5, the U.S. Consulate in Peshawar Pakistan was heavily attacked by multiple vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIED) with a follow on attack by militants on foot. Militants in Pakistan and Iraq have been using VBIEDS as a means of breaching the fortified outer perimeters of hotels and government buildings as a means of creating a space from which other militants can enter the area. Multiple media reports state that the attackers were wearing security uniforms which helped the militants get closer to the target. Following precedent of the last several years, once the militants breached the outer walls the follow on attack targeted security personnel with small arms, mortars, and RPG fire.

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By William Tucker

Several media outlets are reporting that the Taliban have executed four American spies. The bodies of the suspected spies were found in the village of Mir Ali in North Waziristan accompanied with the note stating that, "Spies are spies, and they will come to the same fate as these men. Do not spy for America." It is not news that the Taliban are executing individuals they suspect of spying, but it does give us an opportunity to discuss why the Taliban suspect they have spies in their midst.

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By William Tucker

When news broke of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar's capture one month ago the operation was hailed as a successful collaboration of Pakistani and U.S. intelligence, and yet not everyone was please with the outcome. The AP is reporting today that the arrest of Baradar infuriated Afghan President Hamid Karzai because he was working with Baradar towards holding a peace summit between the Afghan government and the Taliban movement. If this report is accurate then it raises numerous questions.

U.S. policy has stated on many occasions that negotiating with reconcilable elements of the Taliban was necessary for NATO's withdrawal. Understanding this it stands to reason that there was a breakdown in communications between the U.S., Pakistani, and Afghan governments; or the U.S. and Pakistan new about Karzai's arrangement and chose to ignore it. Because of the close work between the Afghan and U.S. governments it is unlikely that the U.S. did not know that Karzai was speaking with Baradar. On the other hand it is possible that the U.S. and the Pakistanis thought Baradar held information on the whereabouts of high ranking Taliban and al-Qaeda thus forcing both nations to go around Karzai. Given the numerous arrests that followed in the wake of Baradar's detention this scenario seems plausible. Right now I am working with limited information; however I will continue to follow this as it could impact Afghan - U.S. relations.

Photo credit: NY Times

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By William Tucker
Whenever the U.S. carries out a drone strike in Pakistan's restive border areas rumors are quick to follow. Such is the case with the current leader of the Pakistani Taliban Hakimullah Mehsud. The U.S. struck two sites in Northern Waziristan on the 13th and 14th of January targeting the TTP leader only to have Mehsud release two audio tapes confirming his survival, but the rumors of his death still continue. Unfortunately, the U.S. and Pakistan do not have reliable intelligence assets in the area leaving the answer to the questions of known terrorist leaders' welfare elusive. As Professor Hesterman pointed out in her post on January 22nd, the intelligence gap is well known. This gap forces those of us that rely on open sources to wait for confirmation from the Taliban as to the current status of Mehsud.

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Terror Free Tomorrow's Ken Ballen and CBS news analyst Reza Aslan provide surprising results of a survey conducted across Pakistan. The survery showed Pakistani public support for Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, bin Laden and other radical Islamist groups has plummeted by half – all the way down to the teens and single digits.

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