Tim Sumner

al Qaeda, al-Shabab, Gulf of Aden, pirates, Somalia, Yemen

Somalia pirates shuttling al Qaeda terrorists and weapons for al-Shabab, sharing ransoms

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Perhaps purely motivated by profit, Somalian pirates are shuttling weapons and terrorists in and out of the country and sharing up to fifty-percent of the ransoms with al-Shabab, what it reaps from hijacking ships. Formed as the Islamic Courts Union’s (ICU) military wing, al-Shabab announced in March its affiliation with al Qaeda after regaining control of most of southern Somalia earlier this year when Ethiopia withdrew its forces.

Southern Somalia is now under the control of Shabaab and other Islamist groups. Click image to enlarge. Map used with permission. Read the story at The Long War Journal

The Weekly Standard’s Thomas Joscelyn reported last month on DNI Blair’s written testimony to Congress on the US Intelligence Community’s assessment:

heroes, Iraq, Justin Ellsworth, Military Families United

Vandals Destroy Fallen Heroes’ Monument, Son of National Pro-Troop Advocate (for the second time)

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Vandals destroy memorial to LCpl Justin Ellsworth for 2nd time (before and after photos)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Wednesday, April 8, 2009, Contact: Meghan Tisinger, Meghan@FamiliesUnitedMission.com, (202) 510-5304
Vandals Destroy Fallen Heroes’ Monument, Son of National Pro-Troop Advocate

Mt. Pleasant, MI – April 8, 2009 – Last week, a monument honoring the life and death of Lance Corporal Justin Ellsworth was vandalized on Island Park near the Michigan Vietnam Memorial. Lance Corporal Ellsworth died on November 13, 2004 [while] serving in Iraq. His father, John Ellsworth, is the President of Military Families United, an advocacy organization that has recently been vocal in opposition to President Obama’s plans for Guantanamo Bay and the handling of the War on Terror.

“My son made the ultimate sacrifice for his country when he gave his life in Iraq in 2004. The people of Mt. Pleasant, MI honored my son by collecting funds to erect a monument to honor his life and support our family,” said John Ellsworth. “The thieves who conducted this senseless act have taken an honorable and elegant monument to my son and made it a focal point of their hatred and destruction.”