Pope Francis visiting US between 22 and 27 September – security beefed up

Homeland Security has already taken care of one security threat to Pope Francis who is scheduled to visit the US between 22 and 27 September and has taken necessary measures to beef up security at outdoor events that he would be attending.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 14 September 2015.

Congressman Michael McCaul, head of the House Homeland Security Committee, has revealed that one potential threat has already been stopped and that authorities were monitoring others. He has added that the Pope is a very passionate man and likes to get out with the people which carries a large security risk.
The US Department of Homeland Security has indicated that the visit will be a National Special Security Event which means the Secret Service will head the planning of security. These security checks would include airspace restrictions, screening checkpoints and a ban on balloons, selfie sticks and backpacks at papal events.
The pontiff will get a plane-side greeting from President Barack Obama in Washington DC on 22 September, and would become the third pope to visit the White House.
His schedule is to give a speech to the Senate and House of Representatives, address world leaders at the United Nations, preside over a service at the 9/11 memorial in New York and celebrate Mass at Madison Square Garden.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Obama agrees to send 1500 additional troops to Iraq

The clock is turning a full circle for US President Barack Obama. When he took over as President of the USA, the US troops in Iraq were counting the days when they would return to the comfort of their homes as assured by Barack Obama. He had promised to evacuate Iraq by end 2011 and he did just that.
But, the present global scenario is forcing his hand because of the growing threats of the ISIS and he has agreed to send an additional 1500 troops to Iraq. This deployment would amount to doubling the current deployment. The Pentagon has decided to brand this deployment as Operation Inherent Resolve and the new troops would extend support to the roughly 1,600 US personnel already in Iraq.
The White House has indicated that the new forces would not be in combat roles and has asked Congress for $5.6bn (£3.5bn) to fund the mission against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. The request includes $1.6bn for an "Iraq Train and Equip Fund".
The US has reiterated that its troops in northern Iraq do not have any fighting role and their main purpose is to help train national and Kurdish forces to battle the Islamic State jihadists.
The White House has clarified that as a part of the strategy for strengthening partners on the ground, the President has authorized the deployment of up to 1,500 additional US military personnel in a non-combat role – they would be involved to train, advise and assist Iraqi Security Forces, including Kurdish forces.
The plan is that the new troops would operate at military facilities beyond Baghdad and Irbil, where they have hitherto been based and the military would set up several training sites across Iraq to instruct 12 Iraqi brigades.

White House security breach again – computers hacked

White House security has been breached yet again – this time it is the computer system that has reportedly been hacked into bbc.com. While everyone is tightlipped, this is believed to have been a state sponsored activity with fingers of suspicion pointing towards the Russians.

It seems the network that had been targeted was the unclassified Executive Office of the President network and the US authorities are investigating the breach, which was reported to officials by an ally of the US. Obviously, the system in use at the White House was unable to detect the breach.
White House officials are not revealing details of the nature of data that had been stolen except that "some elements of the unclassified network" had been affected.
The attack came to surface a couple of weeks earlier and the staff of the White House were instructed to change their passwords and there was some disruption to network services.

Officials have admitted that the computers and systems have not been damaged but some elements of the unclassified network have been affected. The US's National Security Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Security Service were reportedly investigating.

Another security breach in White House – something is wrong somewhere

It seems someone is out there to make a point on the security setup in the White House, home to the most powerful man on this planet nzherald.co.nz. A number of incidents have been reported in the recent past regarding security failures and the latest one would force the authorities to wonder who is trying to make what sort of statement.

It happened when President Barack Obama was in the White House. Dominic Adesanya, a 23-year-old man, climbed over the White House fence last night and has been charged with felonies for assaulting two police dogs and making threats.
He is in the custody of the US Marshals Service for previous outstanding warrants – as per records, he was charged with unlawful entry at the White House complex in late July. He had admitted to an officer that a security barrier he jumped over "was easy and that the next fence to the south grounds of the White House would not be a problem as well."
Earlier, a White House fence jumper carrying a knife had sprinted across the same lawn, ran past armed uniformed agents and entered the mansion before he was felled in the East Room and taken into custody. Obviously, these incidents reveal the weak underbelly of the security.

Anti-ISIS coalition frustrated – unable to control the militants

The fight against the ISIS is gradually taking the shape of a World War nzherald.co.nz – with as many as 22 countries joining the fight. That is what is seen from a summit of military commanders from the US-led coalition against the Islamic State.

The countries are Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United States.

They have in Washington with US President Barack Obama at Andrews Air Force Base outside the US capital to discuss ways to halt the jihadist group's relentless advance in Iraq and Syria. Tis has been confirmed by the White House.
The discussion was to evolve a common vision on the counter-ISIL campaign, challenges and the way ahead.

IS dares US to save American hostage Peter Kassig who is scheduled for beheading next

The Islamic State (IS) has made its intentions clear news.sky.com – no matter how many airstrikes are undertaken, it has now threatened to kill American hostage Peter Kassig next, after the beheading of British aid convoy volunteer Alan Henning.

Incidentally, Peter Kassig was in his mid-20s and hailed from Indiana – he had gone to the region to volunteer in hospitals in Lebanon after serving in Iraq. Once there, he spent time in Lebanon and then established his own charity to deliver aid to Syrians. He had named it Special Emergency Response and Assistance (SERA).
He was undertaking a project for SERA when he was detained on 1 October 2013 on his way to Deir Ezzour in eastern Syria. The former soldier Peter Kassig was shown in the video clip of beheading of Alan Henning – in the video, an IS fighter says - Obama, you have started your aerial bombardment in Sham. So it's only right we continue to strike the necks of your people.
Obviously, it is all about retaliation by the blood thirsty militants and, speaking on this video, President Barack Obama has strongly condemned the brutal murder of United Kingdom citizen Alan Henning by the terrorist group ISIL. In Obama’s words – Alan Henning worked to help improve the lives of the Syrian people and his death would be a great loss for not only them but also for his family and the people of the United Kingdom.

Lisa Monaco, Homeland Security adviser to the White House, has described the murder of Alan Henning as "yet another clear example of the brutality of this group" – it had, earlier, killed two American journalists - James Foley and Steven Sotloff.
The global community must join had to bring to justice the murderer of Alan Henning, Jim Foley, Steven Sotloff and David Haines.

Kabul to sign accord to allow 9800 American soldiers to stay on after 2014

The newly inaugurated Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai is expected to sign a vital security deal by virtue of which 9800 American soldiers would continue to remain in Afghanistan beyond 2014 foxnews.com.
As understood from the Defense Department, the new president will sign the Bilateral Security Agreement allowing for 9,800 U.S. troops to stay on in Afghanistan after 2014. The president is also expected to sign a NATO Status of Forces Agreement which would allow a small NATO force to stay on as well.
According to the White House, U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan James Cunningham will sign the document on behalf of the U.S. president.
Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai has been sworn in as Afghanistan's new president – he replaces Hamid Karzai who was the country's first democratic transfer of power after the 2001 U.S.-led invasion toppled the Taliban.
Incidentally, Karzai had declined to sign the security agreement with the U.S. before relinquishing office.
While delivering his first speech, Ghani Ahmadzai has called upon the Taliban and other militants to join the country's political process and lay down their weapons. He has said that we are tired of war and our message is peace, (but) this doesn't mean we are weak.

Intruder caught in the White House was a major security risk for the President

It now appears that the intruder who evaded Secret Service and bolted into the White House on Friday was a danger to the President Barack Obama because he had 800 rounds of ammunition in his car in addition to two hatchets and a machete.
42-year-old Omar J. Gonzalez already had two prior run-ins with the law this year itself foxnews.com – the man is believed to be homeless, and had been arrested in July for evading police. At the time, he was in possession of a sawed-off shotgun, apart from a map of the D.C. area with the White House and Masonic Temple circled.
Details of the July 19 incident mentions that he had two powerful rifles, four handguns and other guns and ammunition in his Ford Bronco when troopers stopped him in southwestern Virginia. He made attempts to flee the troopers by weaving and driving off the road into a highway median.
When the troopers finally caught up with him, the illegal shotgun was found in his car along with the ammunition and a tomahawk.
Incidentally, Gonzalez is an Army veteran from Copperas Cove, Texas – he had been in service from 1997 until his discharge in 2003, and again from 2005 to December 2012, when he retired due to disability.
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Iran tries to exploit the situation created by ISIS

US President Barack Obama wanted to take Iran into the folds for battling the ISIS and Iran wants to exploit the situation created by the ISIS news.sky.com – it wants concessions in its nuclear programs from the US before joining hands in the fight against the ISIS.
However, the Obama administration has rejected the proposal from Iran to cooperate in the fight against Islamic State (IS) militants in exchange for nuclear program concessions. As White House spokesman Josh Earnest has clarified, nuclear talks with Tehran were "entirely separate" from Barack Obama's attempts to build a coalition to destroy IS, also known as ISIS or ISIL. Hence, the United States will not be in the position of trading aspects of Iran's nuclear program to secure its support to take on ISIL.
It seems senior Iranian officials had indicated in a section of the media that Iran was seeking flexibility on its uranium enrichment program in exchange for Tehran's cooperation in fighting IS.
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Man with a knife breaches security in the White House

The White House is one of the most heavily protected buildings in the world and the Secret Service chief has stepped-up security outside the White House following an incident of a man with a knife breaching the security nzherald.co.nz.
He had jumped the fence and made it into the presidential residence before being apprehended, and the incident against the background of another man being recently arrested outside the White House does raise questions – of course, the two incidents are not believed to be related.
It seems President Barack Obama and his daughters had just left the White House by helicopter when the 42-year-old Omar J. Gonzalez scaled the fence and darted across the lawn and through the unlocked North Portico doors before officers finally tackled him.
Initially Gonzalez was thought to be unarmed but he had a small folding knife with a serrated blade at the time of the arrest and would face charges of unlawfully entering a restricted building or grounds while carrying a deadly or dangerous weapon.
In the second incident, a man was apprehended after he drove up to a White House gate and refused to leave prompting bomb technicians in full gear to search the vehicle while agents shut down nearby streets.
The President has insisted that he still has confidence in the beleaguered agency's ability to protect him and his family.
In view of these breaches, Secret Service Director Julia Pierson has issued orders to enhance officer patrols and surveillance along the North Fence of the compound just after the incident which triggered a rare evacuation of the White House as well as renewed scrutiny of the Secret Service. Julia Pierson had also ordered a comprehensive review of what happened.
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US in a limbo – it wants to eliminate IS militants but without boots on the ground

That the Islamic State is a serious threat to the US goes without saying and with its declared policy of ‘no US boots on the ground’, the big shots in White House and the Pentagon are working overtime to evolve a suitable strategy news.sky.com.
The US is, therefore, trying to form a sort of "core coalition" to battle Islamic State militants in Iraq. To achieve this, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel have called for support as they held talks with officials from 10 nations on the sidelines of the NATO summit to build a strategy to defeat IS.
As John Kerry has remarked – there is a need to attack the IS in ways that prevent them from taking over territory, to bolster the Iraqi security forces and others in the region who are prepared to take them on, without committing troops of our own. That would be a red line for all concerned – there should be no boots on the ground.
Instead of direct military strikes, the 10 nations could provide intelligence, equipment or weapons. The 10 nations are US, Britain, France, Germany, Canada, Australia, Turkey, Italy, Poland and Denmark.
British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has added that there has to be a comprehensive response to the ISIL challenge.
The beheading of two American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff by the IS and the death of a senior IS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi in a US drone strike have led to the formation of a coalition.
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Obama to send 350 additional military personnel to Iraq to protect US interests

US President Barack Obama is dead against any further US boots on the ground in Iraq but, he has agreed to send across approximately 350 additional military personnel to protect U.S. diplomatic facilities and workers in Baghdad foxnews.com. The White House has clarified that the personnel will not serve in any combat role, and are fulfilling a request from the State Department for more protection as the country fights an insurgency from the Islamic State militant group, also known as ISIS or ISIL.
In the opinion of the White House, such a team of additional personnel will be able to provide a “more robust, sustainable security force” and will also allow previously deployed personnel to leave the country. The US will continue to support the Iraqi government against the terror group ISIS because it “poses a threat not only to Iraq, but to the broader Middle East and U.S. personnel and interests in the region.”
Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby has elaborated that Obama's authorization will result in a net increase of approximately 350 military personnel – while 405 personnel will be sent to Baghdad, 55 of earlier batches will leave, leading to the net increase.
Due to the latest deployment, the total number of U.S. forces responsible for providing security support in Baghdad will be approximately 820 and, once the fresh forces arrive, the figure would rise to 1213.
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US to fight terror with terror – spy flights to Syria would identify probable hot spots

US President Barack Obama has compared the rise of the ISIS in Iraq and Syria as ‘cancer’ and his motto appears to be ‘a tooth for a tooth’. He has said that he would do whatever is necessary to go after those miscreants who harm Americans.
He has vowed that "justice will be done" against the killers of James Foley news.sky.com. The US has already launched surveillance flights over Syria to identify possible targets for carrying out airstrikes. The Islamic State (IS) militants had beheaded the journalist in a video released earlier this month and have seized large chunks of Syria as well as neighboring Iraq. The US is already conducting airstrikes there.
President Obama cautioned that America does not forget – he was talking to veterans at an American Legion convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. He said - our reach is long, we are patient, justice will be done. Rooting out a cancer like ISIL would not be easy, neither would it be quick.
Syria is already devastated by a three-year civil war and it has warned Washington that it would need permission to operate in its airspace. However, White House spokesman Josh Earnest has reiterated by saying that the US did not even recognize Syria's president, Bashar al Assad, as the country's legitimate leader.
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki also echoed the same sentiments – she has said that when it came to defending US interests, "we're not going to ask for permission from the Syrian regime"
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.

ISIS militants behead US journalist James Foley and post video on YouTube

The unnerving news from Iraq speaks of the extent of violence in the country where ISIS militants have beheaded US journalist James Foley and captured it on video edition.cnn.com – the video has been posted on YouTube with a warning to US President Barack Obama to stop military operations in Iraq. If he continues to do so, it would be bad for America and there would be more deaths like that of Foley. It seems the ISIS already have a second victim lined up!!
Foley worked with the US based GlobalPost and disappeared on 22 November 2012 in northwest Syria somewhere near the border with Turkey. It seems he was forced into a vehicle by gunmen and has not been heard of since then.
The video is being investigated by the National Security Council to confirm authenticity of the murder of U.S. citizen James Foley by (ISIS). Incidentally, the beheading video shows a second US journalist. The militant in the video, who speaks English with what sounds like a British accent, says the second American's life hangs in the balance, depending on what Obama does next.
It is understood that this second journalist is Steven Sotloff, a contributor to Time and Foreign Policy magazines – he had been kidnapped at the Syria-Turkey border in 2013.
President Obama was briefed about the video, and a spokesman of the White House has indicated that the President would be receiving regular updates on the issue.
The emergence of ISIS has sent shock waves all over the world – it has carried out executions, including beheadings, as part of its effort to establish an Islamic caliphate that stretches from Syria into Iraq. In many cases, ISIS -- which refers to itself as the Islamic State -- has videotaped the executions and posted them online to instill fear into people. They are ruthless as are their methods.
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