Al-Qaida (al Qaeda)

Why Obama Wants To Change The Key Law In The Terrorism Fight

Ari Shapiro — Wed, 29 May 2013 21:49:00 +0000

Almost all of the federal government's actions against terrorism — from drone strikes to the prison at Guantanamo Bay — are authorized by a single law: the Authorization for Use of Military Force.

Congress passed it just after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Now, President Obama says he wants to revise the law, and ultimately repeal it.

The AUMF is one of the most unusual laws Congress has passed this century. It's less than a page long. The vote was nearly unanimous.

Drone Said To Have Killed Key Pakistani Taliban Commander

Mark Memmott — Wed, 29 May 2013 16:35:00 +0000

It's not confirmed that he's dead. But if a suspected U.S. drone strike on Wednesday did kill Waliur Rehman, as Pakistani officials say it did, then a top Pakistani Taliban commander with a $5 million price on his head has been taken off the battlefield.

According to the U.S.

AP Reporter Gathers Al-Qaida Documents In Mali

Wed, 29 May 2013 09:30:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

On a Wednesday, it's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm David Greene.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And I'm Renee Montagne. You could call it a failing performance review. Recently uncovered correspondence from the North African branch of al-Qaida lays out - in bullet points - the shortcomings of one of its local leaders. In the letter, he is chastised by his bosses for sloppy expense reports, ignoring emails and failing to pull off, quote, "any single spectacular operation."

This document, and many others, were discovered by AP reporter Rukmini Callimachi.

What's Changed Since U.S. Last Moved Detainees To Yemen

Sun, 26 May 2013 11:13:00 +0000

Host Rachel Martin talks with Greg Johnsen, author of The Last Refuge: Yemen, al-Qaeda, and America's War in Arabia. They discuss President Obama's plan to restart prisoner transfers of Yemeni detainees from the Guantanamo Bay prison.

Obama Tweaks Vision For Terrorism Fight

Fri, 24 May 2013 09:14:00 +0000

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Good morning. I'm Renee Montagne.

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

And I'm David Greene.

President Obama has outlined a new vision for the fight against terrorism. His speech at the National Defense University in Washington yesterday covered a lot of ground. Obama spoke about limiting drone strikes, working more with allies and closing the Guantanamo Bay prison. Broadly, the president said the terrorist threat against America has changed, and so the time has come to take a hard look at how the U.S.