The CenterLine

In Association with The Soufan Group

Brother of Hamid Karzai Killed in Kandahar

The half brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai was killed at his home in Kandahar Tuesday. Initial reports suggested he had been shot dead by a bodyguard, though the New York Times and others are reporting that the assassin was a security official who was a “close family associate” and not a member of the security detail. Ahmed Wali Karzai, an influential power broker in the country, had been accused of corruption and links to the Afghan drug trade, as well as being on the CIA’s payroll. The Taliban took responsibility for his killing, but “several leaders in Kandahar said they doubted the claims,” according to the NYT. Continue reading →

In Association with The Soufan Group

Panetta: Defeat of al Qaeda ‘Within Reach’

On his first trip to Afghanistan since taking over as Pentagon chief on July 1, Leon Panetta said Saturday on his way to Kabul that the United States is “within reach of strategically defeating Al Qaeda,” according to multiple reports. Panetta also said that the United States believes the newly appointed head of al Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri, is hiding in Pakistan’s tribal area and that al Qaeda’s affiliate in Yemen poses the most potent threat to the United States. Continue reading →

In Association with The Soufan Group

New York Man Convicted of Terror Charges

A Brooklyn-born man accused of plotting to kill U.S. soldiers overseas was found guilty on four terror charges by a federal jury in New York on Thursday. Betim Kaziu, 23, was convicted of conspiracy to provide material support to a terror organization and conspiracy to commit murder, among other charges. He faces life in prison at sentencing in November. Continue reading →

In Association with The Soufan Group

Republicans Criticize Handling of Somali Terror Suspect

GOP leaders are criticizing the White House’s decision to hold a captured Somali terror suspect on a U.S. Navy ship for interrogation for two months before bringing him to New York this week to face terror charges in civilian court. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Wednesday that “Ahmed Abdulkadir Warsame is a foreign enemy combatant. He should be treated as one; he should be sitting in a cell Guantanamo Bay, and eventually be tried before a military commission….The administration’s actions are inexplicable, create unnecessary risks here at home, and do nothing to increase the security of the United States,” according to ABC News. Rep. Buck McKeon (R-Calif.), the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said that “[t]he transfer of this terrorist detainee directly contradicts Congressional intent and the will of the American people….Congress has spoken clearly multiple times — including explicitly in pending legislation — of the perils of bringing terrorists onto U.S. soil,” according to the NYT. Continue reading →

In Association with The Soufan Group

Somali Held Offshore Is Indicted in NYC on Terrorism Charges

A Somali man suspected of ties to al Shabab and al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was captured in the Gulf of Aden on April 19 and interrogated aboard a U.S. Navy ship for two months before being transferred to New York this week, where he has been indicted on terrorism charges. Continue reading →

In Association with The Soufan Group

Matthew Olsen Nominated to Lead Counterterrorism Center

Matthew Olsen, the general counsel of the National Security Agency and a longtime Justice Department official, has been nominated to replace Michael Leiter as the head of the National Counterterrorism Center, the White House announced Friday. Olsen, 49, led the 2009-2010 task force that assessed the detention of each detainee at Guantanamo, and reportedly oversaw intelligence matters during his 18 years at Justice. Leiter is set to step down this week. Continue reading →

In Association with The Soufan Group

Today’s Terrorism News will return Tuesday, July 5.

U.S. to Investigate Two Detainee Deaths in CIA Custody

On Thursday, the Justice Department announced that the deaths of two detainees in CIA custody overseas will be fully investigated. Nearly 100 other inquiries into suspected detainee abuse will be dropped. Continue reading →