‘Murderers’: Thousands gather in Montenegro capital to protest NATO membership (VIDEO)
Shortly after Montenegro’s bid to join the North Atlantic Alliance was given the green light, thousands flooded the streets of the capital to protest the upcoming membership and remind people of lives taken during the NATO invasion of 1999.
Former Montenegrin President Momir Bulatovic and opposition leaders called the rally on Saturday in Montenegro’s capital, Podgorica. They gathered at least 5,000 supporters outside the parliament, according to the local Vijesti newspaper. The protesters held national flags while patriotic and pro-Russian chants ringing out from the assembled crowd.
Bulatovic, who was also prime minister of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1998 to 2000, told the rally that joining NATO would mean “blood of innocent people on our hands,” and emphasized his country had been against the alliance’s wars until recently.
“What has Afghanistan done wrong, what has Iraq done wrong? Why has Libya been destroyed, what's happening today in Syria? Can we close our eyes to that?" he said.
‘Murderers’: Thousands gather in Montenegro capital to protest NATO membership (VIDEO)
Shortly
after Montenegro’s bid to join the North Atlantic Alliance was given
the green light, thousands flooded the streets of the capital to protest
the upcoming membership and remind people of lives taken during the
NATO invasion of 1999.
Former
Montenegrin President Momir Bulatovic and opposition leaders called the
rally on Saturday in Montenegro’s capital, Podgorica. They gathered at
least 5,000 supporters outside the parliament, according to the local
Vijesti newspaper. The protesters held national flags while patriotic
and pro-Russian chants ringing out from the assembled crowd.
Bulatovic,
who was also prime minister of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from
1998 to 2000, told the rally that joining NATO would mean “blood of innocent people on our hands,” and emphasized his country had been against the alliance’s wars until recently.
“What has Afghanistan done wrong, what has Iraq done wrong? Why has
Libya been destroyed, what's happening today in Syria? Can we close our
eyes to that?" he said.
The
US Navy’s brand new littoral combat ship, the Milwaukee, broke down on
Friday and had to be towed for emergency repair just three weeks after
commissioning. The warship’s troubles came after several days of
propulsion system problems.
The
USS Milwaukee was traveling from Halifax, Canada to Mayport, Florida,
on its way to its homeport in San Diego when it suffered an engineering
failure, the Navy Times reported.
The
salvage ship Grapple towed it more than 40 nautical miles to the Joint
Expeditionary Base in Little Creek, Virginia, where the cause of the
failure will be traced and repairs carried out.
Initial
indications point to metal filings in the lube oil filter as the cause
of the shutdown, the report said. The ship experienced propulsion
problems after leaving Halifax. Engineers cleaned out the metal debris
and locked the port shaft as a precaution, but it appears the fix wasn’t
enough to keep the Milwaukee running.
According
to French Defense Minister Jean Yves Le Drian, Russian Aerospace Forces
aircraft have been launching significant strikes against the Islamic
State positions in Syria."Russia’s stance on Syria has changed… It was
dealt a serious blow by the Islamic State… Now Russia launches
significant strikes against ISIL positions," Le Drian told Europe1 radio
station.
David,
a French nurse who delivered first aid to a suicide attacker who blew
himself up at the Comptoir Voltaire cafe during last week's Paris
attacks, poses during an interview with Reuters in Paris, France,
November 20, 2015. FRANCE-SHOOTING/NURSE-BOMBER
Reuters/Eric Gaillard
In
the chaos of the explosion at the Comptoir Voltaire cafe, one of
several targets hit in the Nov. 13 Paris attacks, nurse David
instinctively sought to help the wounded.
Among them was a man
lying amid overturned chairs and tables. David, who asked to be called
just by his first name, lay him down. The man did not look to have
massive injuries, but appeared unconscious, so David began CPR, the
cardiopulmonary resuscitation he'd been trained for.
When he tore
open the man's t-shirt, David quickly realized that what he initially
thought was a gas explosion at the cafe close to the Bataclan music hall
where gunmen killed 89, was actually something far worse.
"There
were wires; one white, one black, one red and one orange. Four different
colors," he told Reuters. "I knew then he was a suicide bomber."
The
man David was trying to resuscitate was Brahim Abdeslam, one of those
involved in a series of deadly attacks that killed 130 people at bars,
restaurants, a soccer stadium and a music hall. No one other than
Abdeslam died at the cafe.
French
President Francois Hollande has called the Paris attacks an ‘act of
war’ by the Islamic State and called on the global community to step up
its fight against the terrorist regime by bombing Syria. Simone Del
Rosario reports from Paris.
...........
November 18, 2015
Amb. Marc GinsbergFmr. U.S. Ambassador to Morocco; White House Middle East Adviser
France Cries ISIS -- Obama Cries Uncle -- A Field Guide to a Better Battle Against ISIS
Posted: 11/18/2015 10:10 am EST Updated: 1 hour ago
Based
on President Obama's defiant ("I know better than everyone") defensive
crouch at his post-Paris attacks G-20 Turkey press conference don't
expect a sea change in White House policy against ISIS. Just think of
more sloppy spit across the ISIS swamp. Better yet, designate it
"Leading From As Far Behind as Possible, Version 2.0."
It was
Obama at his most unappealing - setting up the red herrings and
imaginary (if not imaginative) policy alibis that is his want in a vain
attempt to silence his growing chorus of ISIS critics. The president's
stubborn insistence that anyone daring to challenge his failing,
slap-dash anti-ISIS strategy that has squandered so much and produced so
little is merely playing politics: "W" wannabees bent on repeating the
historical error of the Iraq invasion.
If only, as Obama whined in
Anatalya, his ISIS critics would cease engaging in petty "political
games or offering shallow solutions..." by challenging him on ISIS, life
would be well and good for all. It's akin to him asserting that between
birth and death there is nothing in between, case closed!
Smearing
anyone who smells the malodorous odor of a failing Syria/Iraq/ISIS
policy a mile away is a self-serving falsehood Obama frequently resorts
to when cornered. By persisting in this un-presidential conduct Mr.
Obama camouflages his own failures no longer able to be hidden - sinking
to the low level of Politician-in-Chief rather than rising to a
respected Commander-in-Chief as ISIS pounds at our doorstep.
French prosecutor: 9th suspect in Paris terror attacks being sought
France
made an unprecedented demand Tuesday that its European Union allies
support its military action against the Islamic State group after the
attacks in Paris.
by Tiffany Wilson
Tuesday, November 17, 2015 03:33PM
GERMANY (KGO) --
Authorities
are seeking a ninth suspect in Friday's attacks in Paris, a French
prosecutor's spokeswoman told ABC News. The spokeswoman did not reveal
any details about the suspect's identity.
France took
unprecedented action Tuesday when it invoked the Mutual-Defense article
of the EU Treaty. Now all 28 member nations must help France in its war
against ISIS.
French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said all
27 of France's EU partners responded positively, and they could help
"either by taking part in France's operations in Syria or Iraq, or by
easing the load or providing support for France in other operations."
"Every country said: I am going to assist, I am going to help," Drian said.
Arriving
for talks in Brussels with his EU counterparts, Greek Defense Minister
Panagiotis Kammenos told reporters that the Paris attacks were a
game-changer for the bloc.
"This is Sept. 11 for Europe," he said.
French
President Francois Hollande has vowed to forge a united coalition
capable of defeating the jihadists at home and abroad. NATO allies were
sharing intelligence and working closely with France, NATO chief Jens
Stoltenberg said.
Noting that victims of the Paris attacks came
from at least 19 nations, Hollande says the international community, led
by the U.S. and Russia, must overcome their deep-seated divisions over
Syria to destroy IS on its home turf.
Russia’s military forces are stepping up their airstrikes against the Islamic State as new information has confirmed an explosive device was behind the crash of the A321 jet in Egypt’s Sinai desert. Murad Gazdiev has the latest.
..........
Plane crash in Sinai a terrorist attack - Russian Security Service
The Russian plane crash in Sinai, Egypt, was caused by a terrorist attack as traces of explosives have been found in the wreckage of the plane, Federal Security Service director Aleksandr Bortnikov told President Vladimir Putin.
“We can say that that [Sinai plane crash] was a terror act,” Bortnikov told Putin. According to the FSB chief, experts analyzed passengers’ belongings as well as the parts of the plane. “After the examination on all these objects, we have found traces of a foreign-made explosive substance,” Bortnikov said.
“During the flight, a homemade device with the power of 1.5 kilograms of TNT was detonated. As a result, the plane fell apart in the air, which can be explained by the huge scattering of the fuselage parts of the plane,” he added.
Russia will act in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter, which provides for countries’ right to self-defense, Putin said. “Those who attempt to assist criminals should be aware that the consequences of such attempts will be entirely their responsibility,” he added.
ISIS says Russia targeted over Syria campaign, shows alleged Sinai jet 'bomb'
An image of alleged parts of a “bomb” used to take down a Russian passenger plane over Egypt's Sinai, killing all 224 people onboard, was posted by Islamic State’s magazine.
A soft drink can and what appeared to be a detonator and switch allegedly made up the parts of an improvised homemade bomb, a photo published online on Wednesday by Dabiq magazine suggests.
Another photograph showed passports said to belong to Russian passengers killed in the bombing, with the documents allegedly obtained by Islamic fighters.
The authenticity of the images has not been verified.
Reports Egypt detained 2 airport workers suspected of aiding bomb plant on Russian plane denied
A report that Egypt is holding two employees of Sharm el-Sheikh Airport on suspicion of assisting those who planted the explosive device on the Russian jet that crashed in Sinai have been denied by Egyptian authorities and other airport officials.
"Seventeen people are being held, two of them are suspected of helping whoever planted the bomb on the plane at Sharm al-Sheikh Airport," one of the officials apparently told Reuters.
The reports, however, were promptly denied first by Egyptian authorities, and later by one of the airport employees, who spoke with RIA Novosti.
“I have been here [in the airport] during these days, so I can say that no one was detained. In the first days after the tragedy, many people were questioned, but no one was arrested,” he said.
ISIS releases video claiming revenge ‘downing’ of Russian passenger jet over Sinai
A new Islamic State video shows a Russian-speaking jihadist praising his “Sinai brothers” for “taking down” a Russian passenger jet and threatening more attacks, while both Russia and Egypt say the group doesn’t possess the means to shoot down a plane.
In the newly-released video, five Islamic State (IS, formely ISIS/ISIL) jihadists are seen sitting outside as one of them praises militants in the Sinai Peninsula for allegedly bringing down the Russian A321 passenger jet with 224 people on board.
Surrounded by four fellow jihadists, a Slavic-looking man speaking both in Russian and Arabic, addresses President Vladimir Putin, warning the Russian leader that he would regret targeting ISIS in Syria.
With a knife in hand, he threatens to continue taking down planes, invading countries, and killing people in retaliation for Russia’s military operation in Syria.
Islamic State first attempted to claim responsibility for bringing down the Airbus 321 shortly after the plane crashed en route from Egypt’s Sharm-el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg on October 31.
However, the claim was quickly rejected by both Russian and Egyptian officials as “unlikely.”
‘Bogus bomb detectors’ used in Sharm el-Sheikh hotels before Sinai plane crash
Bomb detectors used in Sharm el-Sheikh hotels as part of security procedures introduced to tackle terrorism have been exposed as “fake” by experts, it has emerged.
Hundreds of Britons are still stranded in the Egyptian resort after a plane carrying 224 people crashed in Sinai last week.
Foreign Secretary Phillip Hammond announced on Monday it is “highly likely” a bomb planted by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) supporters caused the disaster.
A number of hotels in the resort have been using a wand-like aerial attached to a box to screen luggage.
Guards have been using the devices to sweep hotel guests, cars and luggage to ensure no explosive devices are kept in rooms or taken on to planes.
Experts, however, have revealed the supposed bomb detectors offer “no protection” whatsoever against terrorism.
This revelation means a bomb could have easily been smuggled into a hotel and planted in a passenger’s luggage before the Russian jet crashed last week.
According to the Mail Online, the devices were being used to protect at least five top hotels in Egypt catering for Britons.
Obama speaks about the Islamic State and refugees following the Paris attacks
President
Obama made remarks and answered questions at the G-20 summit in Turkey
on Nov. 13. Here's what he said about the path forward fighting the
Islamic State, welcoming Muslims and protecting Syrian refugees. (AP)
The
carnage of the Paris attacks and the largely stalemated war in Iraq and
Syria have prompted heavy criticism of President Obama’s handling of
the fight against the Islamic State over the past three years.The
questions came in waves Monday at the Group of 20 summit in Antalya,
Turkey: Hadn’t Obama underestimated the threat posed by the Islamic
State? Wasn’t it time for a new and more aggressive attack plan? Did he
really understand the group well enough to defeat it and protect the
United States?
“All right,” Obama replied to the last question,
his tone betraying utter indignation. “So this is a variation on the
same question. . . . Let me try it one last time.”
In response to
each of the questions posed by reporters, Obama made his case for a
steady and persistent campaign that seeks to gradually shrink the
Islamic State’s territory in Iraq and Syria with airstrikes, slowly
build up indigenous ground forces and press for renewed diplomatic
negotiations to end Syria’s civil war.
The questions reflected concerns following the Paris attacks — which killed 129 people and led France’s president to promise a “merciless” response — that Obama had missed opportunities to defeat the group when it was still gaining strength.
aft missile on the background of a black ISIS flag
(Picture sent by ISIS via Twitter)
slamic
State warned in a new video on Monday that countries taking part in air
strikes against Syria would suffer the same fate as France, and
threatened to attack in Washington.
The video, which appeared on a
website used by Islamic State to post its messages, begins with news
footage of the aftermath of Friday's Paris shootings in which at least
129 people were killed.
The message to countries involved in what
it called the "crusader campaign" was delivered by a man dressed in
fatigues and a turban, and identified in subtitles as Al Ghareeb the
Algerian.
"We say to the states that take part in the crusader
campaign that, by God, you will have a day, God willing, like France's
and by God, as we struck France in the center of its abode in Paris,
then we swear that we will strike America at its center in Washington,"
the man said.
It was not immediately possible to verify the
authenticity of the video, which purports to be the work of Islamic
State fighters in the Iraqi province of Salahuddine, north of Baghdad.
The
U.S. Department of Homeland Security would not comment on the video but
said it has not received information indicating a potential attack.
French warplanes pounded Islamic State positions in Syria on Sunday as police in Europe widened their investigations into coordinated attacks in Paris that killed more than 130 people.
Islamic
State has claimed responsibility for Friday's suicide bombings and
shootings, which have re-ignited a row over Europe's refugee crisis and
drawn calls to block a huge influx of Muslim asylum-seekers.
French
police have launched an international hunt for a Belgian-born man they
believe helped organize the assaults with two of his brothers. One of
the brothers died in the attacks, while the second one is under arrest
in Belgium, a judicial source said.
A further two French suicide
attackers have been identified, police said, while the identity of four
other assailants, who all died in the violence, was still under review.
France
has been bombing Islamic State positions in Iraq and Syria for months
as part of a U.S.-led operation. Following Friday's mayhem, Paris vowed
to destroy the group. Underlining its resolve, French jets on Sunday
launched their biggest raids in Syria to date, hitting its stronghold in
Raqqa.
"The raid ... including 10 fighter jets, was launched
simultaneously from the United Arab Emirates and Jordan. Twenty bombs
were dropped," the Defence Ministry said. Among the targets were a
munitions depot and training camp, it said.
IS fighters said they carried out the gun and bomb massacre - calling Paris "the capital of prostitution and obscenity".
Sky's
Sam Kiley, in northern Iraq, said the French airstrikes should not be
seen as a "wanton act of revenge" or carpet-bombing campaign.
"I
think it's very clear that the French and the wider coalition have
decided in a sense to give France the iron fist at least for the next 24
hours or so," he said.
PARIS — French warplanes struck Islamic State militants
in Syria on Sunday, a French government official said, two days after
attackers linked to the terrorist group carried out a coordinated assault on Paris that killed 129 people.
Prior to the attack on Paris, France had been sparing in its strikes against targets in Syria.
News
reports in France said the airstrikes were focused on Raqqa, the city
in northern Syria that is the self-proclaimed capital of the Islamic
State.
The attackers in
Friday’s terrorist assault in Paris communicated at some point
beforehand with known members of the Islamic State in Syria, officials
on both sides of the Atlantic say, adding evidence to the assertions
that the radical group coordinated or helped carry out the attacks
rather than simply inspired them.
President François Hollande of France has characterized the attacks as “an act of war” carried out by the Islamic State, also known as ISIS
or ISIL. He provided no specific information, but the Islamic State
released statements on Saturday claiming responsibility for the attacks,
part of increasing indications that the group is becoming more capable
of extending its reach far beyond its base in Syria and Iraq.
A
manhunt is under way for Saleh Abdeslam after he was reportedly
questioned and released despite being identified by authorities.
21:29, UK, Sunday 15November 2015
A man wanted over the Paris terror attacks had been questioned and released by police hours after the massacres, it is claimed.
Salah
Abdeslam, 26, reportedly helped with logistics and rented a black
Volkswagen Polo used by the gunmen who stormed the Bataclan concert hall
and killed at least 89 people on Friday night.
He was apparently
spoken to by officers on Saturday morning when they pulled over a car
carrying three people near the Belgian border.
Police then checked Abdeslam's ID and subsequently let him go, officials told the Associated Press.
The
incident came just hours after authorities had identified him as the
person who rented the Polo which was abandoned at the scene of the
attack.
One
of his brothers, Ibrahim Abdeslam, was reportedly among the seven
suicide bombers in the co-ordinated assaults targeting six sites across
the French capital.
A third brother was apparently arrested in Belgium and questioned before being released.
Salah Abdeslam, who was born in Brussels, is described as 1m 75cm (5ft 8in) tall and has brown eyes.
Police
released a photo of him and warned the public he is dangerous and said
"do not intervene yourself". There are reports he may have fled to
Spain.
Another man, Bilal Hadfi, has been named as among the
attackers and he also lived in Belgium as did Salah and Ibrahim
Abdeslam, said the Washington Post.
If
investigators determine that the Islamic State is responsible for the
catastrophic attacks in Paris, as the group claims and France alleges,
the assaults represent a major leap in the group’s abilities.
Until
now, the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, has relied mainly
on “lone wolf” followers to attack the West, with relatively low-tech
assaults — shootings, the taking of hostages, hit-and-runs — that draw
wide attention but do not cause mass casualties.
“This is much
different than a normal lone wolf inspired attack,” said Patrick M.
Skinner, a former C.I.A. operations officer now with the Soufan Group, a
security consultancy. “This was choreographed.”
“The fact that
they could do this, especially in Paris, where the intelligence service
is really good, clearly there’s a hole somewhere,” Mr. Skinner said.
The
Islamic State has been expanding beyond its base in Iraq and Syria
since it declared a caliphate, or Islamic state, in June 2014. The group
is focused on three parallel tracks, according to Harleen Gambhir, an
analyst at the Institute for the Study of War:
inciting regional conflict with attacks in Iraq and Syria;
building relationships with jihadist groups that can carry out military operations across the Middle East and North Africa;
and inspiring, and sometimes helping, ISIS sympathizers to conduct attacks in the West.
“The
goal,” Ms. Gambhir said, “is that through these regional affiliates and
through efforts to create chaos in the wider world, the organization
will be able to expand, and perhaps incite a global apocalyptic war.”
ISIS claimed responsibility for a horrific series of coordinated attacks throughout Paris that killed 129 people and
wounded 352 as official announced the assailants included three
Belgians, a Frenchman and possibly one Syrian migrant who passed
through Greece this year.
The
terror group warned in a Saturday statement that France “will remain at
the top of the list of targets of the Islamic State" and claimed that
eight of its fighters stormed carefully chosen targets in the “capital
of adultery and vice."
One of the fighters, who was killed in a suicide bomb, had a Syrian passport on him, officials said.
Officials
in Greece said that passport belonged to a migrant who had entered
Europe in October through Leros, one of the islands that tens of
thousands of people fleeing war and poverty in Syria and elsewhere have
been using as a gateway to the European Union in recent months.
It's not clear if the passport belonged to the fighter or if it was stolen from a refugee.
Another
one of the terrorists was a 30-year-old French national who had been on
authorities’ radar since 2010 for his ties to Islamic extremism,
officials said.
Devastation in France: What We Know About The Paris Attacks
By EMILY KNAPP
EMILY SHAPIRO
Nov 14, 2015, 5:30 PM ET
Christian Hartmann/Reuters
WATCH At Least 1 American Killed in Paris Terror Attacks
A
wave of devastating attacks on civilians across Paris Friday night has
left at least 129 dead, including an American, and many more injured.
As France initiates a state of emergency and begins several days of mourning, here is a breakdown of what we know so far:
Where
Six separate attacks were carried out across Paris, beginning after 10 p.m. local time Friday night.
One
of the targets was the Stade de France soccer stadium, where Germany
was playing France in a game that French President Francois Hollande was
attending. Hollande was evacuated from the stadium.
Christophe Ena/AP Photo
A
French supporter reacts after invading the pitch of the Stade de France
stadium at the end of a soccer match between France and Germany in
Saint Denis, outside Paris, Nov. 13, 2015.more +At
least 80 were killed inside the Bataclan concert hall, where American
rock band Eagles of Death Metal was playing. A witness in the theater
told ABC News she heard gunmen shout "Syria!"
The four other
attacks were at other locations in the 10th and 11th districts of Paris,
where gunmen targeted bars and restaurants. Police said some attackers
first sprayed cafes outside the venue with machine gunfire before
continuing the assault inside the concert hall.
Thibault Camus/AP Photo
A woman is evacuated from the Bataclan theater after a shooting in Paris, Nov. 13, 2015.
WATCH At Least 1 American Killed in Paris Terror Attacks
A
23-year-old American was killed in Friday night's devastating six-part
attack in Paris, according to California State University, Long Beach.
Nohemi
Gonzalez, a CSU Long Beach student, was in Paris attending Strate
College of Design for a semester abroad program, the school said.
Gonzalez
was one of 17 CSU Long Beach students studying abroad at Strate,
according to a school official. The 16 other students are safe,
according to the school.
Paris massacre: World mourns 120+ killed in series of terrorist attacks Live updates
The
world is mourning with France, the victims of Friday’s terror assaults
in Paris that claimed the lives of at least 129 people. Security has
been tightened up globally as Islamic State, who claimed responsibility
for the massacre, threatened more violence.
14 November 2015
21:46 GMT
A
second person who was reportedly involved in the Paris massacre is
“very likely” to have entered European Union via Greece, sources in the
Greek government told Reuters. Earlier Greece's deputy minister in
charge of police said a Syrian man whose passport was found at one of
the suicide bombing sites made it to the EU through Greece in October.
21:33 GMT
A
spokesman for the Accor hotel chain, which operates the Pullman Hotel,
also confirmed that the earlier incident was a false bomb alert.
21:24 GMT
A
spokesman for the French Interior Ministry has told Reuters that the
incident at the hotel in the center of Paris was a false alarm.
21:22 GMT
Heavily
armed police have been deployed at the Pullman Hotel in Paris' 15th
district, according to witnesses, who said the officers were searching
through rooms. An evacuation has also been reported to have taken place
near the Eiffel Tower.
21:08 GMT
Police in Paris have evacuated an area around the Eiffel tower, Reuters reports, citing witnesses.
Perfect storm: ‘Paris massacre may enflame public opinion on migrant crisis, NATO interventions'
French
President Hollande has declared a state of emergency across the country
as Paris comes to grip with a series of terrorist attacks that led to
the death of 127 people in the capital, which was placed under curfew
for the first time since World War II.
RT
interviewed several analysts for their opinions on what these deadly
coordinated attacks in the French capital mean not only for the freedom
of movement across Europe, but for the ongoing Syrian military
operation, which has brought together various state actors - including
the US and Russia - in an increasingly shrinking and volatile military
theater.
Alain Corvez, Former
Advisor to French Interior Ministry, provided insight into the question
as to how it is possible that Islamic State has such a long reach -
right into the very heart of Europe.
Corvez believes these attacks are “linked to the geopolitical system, and what we are doing in Iraq and in Syria is directly linked to attacks.”
I think all of the specialists and experts on terrorism knew that such an attack was possible," he continued. "This
is a world war against terrorists that we have to wage. And for the
first time, President Hollande said we have to fight terrorism on a
larger scale."
‘France has been intervening in the Middle East since 1917’
Washington-based
defense analyst Ivan Eland, asked whether this was the right time for
nations to put aside their differences and join together in the fight
against terrorism, he explained that it is important to consider the
problem long-term it is important to ask “what are the root causes of
this terrorism – we call them “blanket terrorism” – but there’s many
different groups in the world with many different causes and most of
them tend to be local causes, which become international causes when
Western countries, or other countries, intervene where they shouldn’t.”
“France
has been intervening in the Middle East since after World War I, when
Britain and France divided it; it was the colonial master in Syria and
now it’s taking a fairly assertive policy by bombing in Syria.
It’s no secret – this is not random - that France is the target.”
'Terrorists chose Paris as iconic target like twin towers' – ex-CIA officer
The series of apparent Islamic State attacks in Paris can be compared to the 2001 destruction of the WTC towers in the US, says Jack Rice, a former CIA officer. The French capital is an iconic European city, and terrorists target icons.
France has suffered one of the worst tragedies in its modern history with more than 150 people reported killed in seven separate gun and bomb attacks throughout the capital. The terrorist group Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) claimed responsibility for the attacks.
“Part of the strength that a terrorist group has is to take down an icon,” Rice told RT. “If we go back to 9/11 in the United States, they took down the World Trade Center and parts of New York. And we've seen efforts around the world to do similar things.
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