Maybe if it had been a one-eyed bomb targeting a 500-pound jihad leader, it would have been successful. But these one-eyed guys are not so easy to strike down.
Keystone Kops Alert: “Militant says 500-pound U.S. bombs missed one-eyed terrorist leader with a history of dodging death,” by Sarah El Deeb and Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press, June 15, 2015:
CAIRO • The U.S military says it launched weekend airstrikes targeting and likely killing an al-Qaida-linked militant leader in eastern Libya charged with leading the attack on a gas plant in Algeria in 2013 that killed at least 35 hostages.
An Islamist with ties to Libyan militants, however, said the airstrikes missed Mokhtar Belmokhtar.
Instead, the missiles killed four members of a Libyan extremist group that the U.S. has linked to the Sept. 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi.
U.S. officials said they are still assessing the results of the Saturday strike, but Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren said the military believes the strike was successful and hit the target. Neither U.S. officials nor the Libyan government provided proof of Belmokhtar’s death, which likely requires a DNA test or an announcement by Belmokhtar’s group that he was killed.
“I can confirm that the target of last night’s counterterrorism strike in Libya was Mokhtar Belmokhtar,” Warren said Sunday.
“Belmokhtar has a long history of leading terrorist activities as a member of (al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb), is the operational leader of the al-Qaida-associated al-Murabitun organization in northwest Africa and maintains his personal allegiance to al-Qaida.”
A U.S. official said two F-15 fighter jets launched multiple 500-pound bombs in the attack. The official was not authorized to discuss the details of the attack publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity. Authorities say no U.S. personnel were on the ground for the assault.
But this isn’t the first time authorities have claimed to have killed Belmokhtar, a militant believed to be 43 who reportedly lost his eye in combat and fought in Afghanistan. He was one of a number of Islamist fighters who have battled Algeria’s government since the 1990s, later joining al-Qaida.
An al-Qaeda letter obtained by The Associated Press suggests Belmoktar pocketed about US$1-million for the release of Canadian diplomat Robert Fowler in Niger four years ago.
The letter was sent by al-Qaeda’s North African branch to Belmoktar, who split from the group to conduct his own operations, including the Fowler kidnapping in December 2008.
Fowler, the highest-ranking UN official in Niger, and his colleague Louis Guay, were kidnapped and held for four months before being released in April 2009.
The letter said that a plan to force concessions in the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan was stymied when Belmoktar struck his own deal for about $1-million for both men.
Interpol has issued an international arrest warrant for Moktar Belmoktar in connection with the kidnapping of Canadian diplomat Robert Fowler and his colleague Louis Guay in December 2008.
Belmokhtar is also known as Belaouer the One Eyed, Abou al-Abbes and Mister Marlboro, the last name a play on the fact he’s accused of smuggling contraband cigarettes through the Sahara and the Sahel.
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Sam says
Allah, the hater, is helping another hater. Nice!
t. says
“Maybe if it had been a one-eyed bomb targeting a 500-pound jihad leader, it would have been successful”
Robert Spencer, your comment and take on this story, quoted above, really made me laugh hard!
Thanks a lot.
Stardusty Psyche says
Sure, if you think denigration of the people fighting and risking their lives for our freedom is funny.
Disgusting story, and you are a witless sycophant.
t. says
Where in my comment, from near or far, I denigrated or showed support for denigration of the people fighting and risking their lives for our freedom?
Which part of the comment- the one eyed bomb or the 500 pound Jihadi?
There is one of two possibilities- either you completely suck at interpreting what you read, due to a malfunctioning part of your brain or you’re a Muslim who got pissed off at the imaginary sight of a one eyed bomb whisking the 500 pound Jihadi, whom you consider a freedom fighter, to his 72 virgins in paradise!
I think it’s the second possibility, in which case I say to you: F*ck off!
Starduty Psyche says
Hi t
“Keystone Kops Alert: “Militant says 500-pound U.S. bombs missed one-eyed terrorist leader with a history of dodging death,””
Comparison of our fine aviators to “keystone kops” because a bomb did not hit a particular targeted individual is denigration, which you laughed at.
Mr UPSIDE DOWN says
SATAN TAKES CARE OF HIS OWN…ISLAM IS THE BEAST SPOKEN OF IN THE BIBLE..BE NOT AFRAID…AFTER BEING RELEASED FROM THE PIT WILL GO ON A MURDER SPREE KNOWING HIS TIME IS SHORT….
11B40 says
Greetings:
A year or so back, I channel surfed into a documentary on the local Progressive (née Public) Broadcasting System affiliate. The film was entitled “Held Hostage” and was about the 2013 attack on a gas plant in southern Algeria. The filmmaker thought it important to mention that the general in charge of the brigade called out to deal with the situation was known by his “nom de guerre”, “The Eradicator”.
Good name for a general that, I thought to myself.
cs says
HAHAHAHA, Mustafah, the Erradicator. lol
Angemon says
Oh, well, that’s not so bad then.
OK, I’m not a military strategist, but I think that expecting others to tell you when you killed one of their leaders is not a very reliable mean of confirmation.
Stardusty Psyche says
At least one regular JW poster had something intelligent to say…
Stardusty Psyche says
Hi PJ
“Bull. What epithet did I use in my last post?”
“Dumbass:”
Apparently name calling is such a natural part of your speech you are not even aware of doing so.
“The truth of the matter is it wasn’t a spelling error – it was an error of usage. ”
No, I correctly applied the meaning of epithet in context, I spelled it incorrectly as epitaph.
Apparently you consider my gratitude for pointing out this spelling error to be “bullshit” on my part, I don’t know why…I mean, I receive so very few legitimate corrections it is always refreshing and educational when I finally get a legitimate one, so thanks again JP.
mortimer says
A lot of these terrorists would be dead already if the squeaky-clean rules of engagement did not prevent strikes in the presence of civilians. They no doubt use these rules to thwart our side.
Stardusty Psyche says
Hi mortimer,
I really hate to disturb your dreams with actual facts but most of the people Obama kills are not even the intended targets:
41 men targeted but 1,147 people killed: US drone strikes – the facts on the ground
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/nov/24/-sp-us-drone-strikes-kill-1147
Even Robert Spencer’s inexcusable and disgusting slam against our fine service members admits that our attacks kill the unintended.
The left calls him a terrorist
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/01/19/noam-chomsky-obamas-drone-program-most-extreme-terrorist-campaign-modern-times
The Pamela Geller sycophants call him a stealth jihadi.
So what is Obama going to do?
Keep on being the fine commander in chief he is, keep on killing the enemy at the cost of innocent lives and not so innocent bystanders, keep on being the planet’s number 1 jihadi killer, number 1 on the IS hit list…they know who their enemy leader is, President Obama.
Dhimmiwit says
Khairul Maakereen is helping Masih Ad-Dajaal.
abad says
One-eyed jihad leader? Yeah he played one of the cyclops in “The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad” didn’t he? LOL
Stardusty Psyche says
“Maybe if it had been a one-eyed bomb targeting a 500-pound jihad leader, it would have been successful. But these one-eyed guys are not so easy to strike down. ”
Robert Spencer is a great scholar of Islam and a courageous truth teller…but military analyst…not so much.
Bombs don’t always hit the target. The individual having 1 eye or 2 eyes is irrelevant. What, does Robert Spencer think a 2 eyed man can see the bomb coming and dodge it but a 1 eyed man is somehow and easier target? Ridiculous.
Stardusty Psyche says
“Keystone Kops Alert: “Militant says 500-pound U.S. bombs missed one-eyed terrorist leader with a history of dodging death,”
Robert Spencer owes our fine military personnel an apology for reprinting that, how disgusting of him to say that about the dedicated professionals in our armed services. Sickening.
What, does Robert Spencer think… the aviators flying our F-15s are a bunch of bumbling comedy buffoons? Disgusting.