21 U.S. embassies and consulates to close Sunday.

[LSN80]

Al Qaeda fighters in the Arab Peninsula have made what U.S. officials have deemed 'active and credible' threats, and as a result, 21 U.S. consulates from Algeria to Bangladesh will close their doors tomorrow, the largest action of its kind since 9/11.

http://abcnews.go.com/International...oors-al-qaeda-threat-deemed/story?id=19860835

While discussing attacks aimed towards the Middle East and Northern Africa, U.S. officials intercepted transmissions and electronic communications between Senior Al Qaeda members. Because the threats were deemed both specific and imminent, the U.S. has decided to take immediate action. Along with closing the 21 consulates, the U.S. has barracaded Cairo, Egypt with approximately 500 Marines in anticipation of an attack. Said U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsy, regarding the U.S. response:

"It is more specific and we are taking it seriously, which I think you'd expect us to do. There is a significant threat stream and we're reacting to it."

One can only hope and pray that at worst, this is a precautionary and preventative measure, and the plans made by Al Qaeda will be headed off by word of U.S. actions. On top of the closings and the heavy Marine presence in Cairo, the U.S. has issued a global travel warning to citizens around the world out of fear of the attacks, urging them not to travel to certain regions. Chief among them is Yemen, where the potential terrorist attacks are rumored to be the chief location for them.

While I'm not a fan of the U.S. reacting out of 'fear', it's obviously a necessary evil until the U.S. can declare with certainty that a threat no longer remains. Unfortunately, a resolution doesn't appear to be coming any time soon. Said an unidentified U.S. official for the State Department stationed in the region to ABC News:

"Current information suggests that al Qaeda and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks both in the region and beyond, and that they may focus efforts to conduct attacks in the period between now and the end of August."

One has to wonder if the consulates and embassies will be closed for only a day, or if there is longer-term, contingency planning. In the past in this area, Al Qaeda has both targeted and subsequently attacked subway and rail systems, as well as aviation and maritime services. The threats intercepted seem to indicate that Al Qaeda has plans for not only the U.S. consulates, but for American tourists in the area as well.

If this is indeed an 'overreaction', it's completely understandable. U.S. officials are said to be shaken anew, remembering in horror the attack in Libya in September of 2012 that killed the U.S. ambassador. Wanting to take no chances, especially with threats directly aimed at U.S. government officials and tourists, the State Department is closing not only the 21 Embassies and Consulates, but local hotels in Yemen where American tourists would be staying. Said the same official from the State Department:

"We continue to work closely with other nations on the threat from international terrorism, including from al Qaeda. Information is routinely shared between the U.S. and our key partners in order to disrupt terrorist plotting, identify and take action against potential operatives, and strengthen our defenses against potential threats."

Is immediate conflict unavoidable at this point?

Do you agree with the U.S. response to the threats, based on the information available above? Living in fear, or taking no chances?

Any other thoughts or discussion on this story are welcome.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Do you agree with the U.S. response to the threats, based on the information available above? Living in fear, or taking no chances?

They've got to act, because whatever our government does about these threats (or even the threat of threats) they're in a "damned if we do, damned if we don't" position. If we come down hard on threats that don't materialize, we curse American government intelligence, claiming they're incompetent. If we don't react vigorously enough, and the threat materializes .....look out below.

Yet, which threats do we act on....and which not? During the mid-70's when the Son of Sam killer was terrorizing New York City, the police fielded hundreds of calls from people who claimed to be the killer. Which ones do they act on? If they act on them all, they're considered inefficient. If they weed out the ones that sound bogus, and one of them turns out to be the guy.....well, you can guess what happens then, especially in the media.

We demand that the government protect us, yet we expect to sit back while they do it. Since the present threats concern distant places in the world, how many of us are actually worried about it? Yes, we're all supposed to say we are.....but how many are even aware of it? How many of us are sitting by the radio, listening to the latest reports? Face it, the threat only becomes important to us if the attack actually occurs.....and if it happens in a distant part of the world, it's still just a headline in the news to most people. Yes, if an American is killed, we might be outraged......or not.

The aspect that really gets to me is the one on airline flights in which the inspectors aren't supposed to target young men of Arab extraction because it's considered "profiling"....forcing the authorities to pull a bunch of 6-year-old children and 80-year-old ladies out of the passenger line and target them too. In other words, we're telling the government: "We demand that you protect us. But, while you're doing it, don't hurt anybody's feelings." Terrific, huh?

The authorities whom we look to for protection have an almost impossible job. They have people who sit by all day and night, trying their best to detect these possible threats to our peace. Most of what they pick up is harmless, as the latest round of stuff might (or might not) be.

Yet, how would you like to be one of the people responsible for doing this?

 

[H33LTurn]

Better safe than sorry, but it honestly seems like a tongue in cheek overreaction by the President in response to what happen in Benghazi. I do appreciate that now, however, we're taking intel seriously and bracing for the worst. Hopefully its just a threat and nothing too serious occurs. My thoughts are with the people in high alert areas.