Why Obama Won’t Release Drone Memos

Interesting story up at the National Journal* explaining why the President doesn’t want to show the House and Senate Intelligence Committees all of the Justice Department drone memos.  The article says it’s because they “contain secret protocols with foreign governments, including Pakistan and Yemen, as well as ‘case-specific’ details of strikes.”

The Administration believes that even if released just to certain members of Congress, the sensitive information would become public and embarrass the governments we have protocols with, which may include additional countries like Mali and Algeria.

This would explain why the Administration is supposedly trying to get John Brennan’s nomination for CIA out of the Senate Intelligence Committee by giving up some Dem votes over the drone memos and going for GOP votes by giving them more info on Benghazi.

National security issues can create some strange bedfellows!

* “What’s in the Secret Drone Memos,” Michael Hirsh and Kristin Roberts

Death Toll Rises in Algerian Terror Attack

The death toll from the terror attack at the BP gas facility in Algeria, for which Al Qaeda has claimed responsibility, has risen to 81.  The Algerian military found 25 more bodies, in such bad shape that they couldn’t tell if they were terrorists or foreign workers held as hostages.  Plus, one of the freed hostages, a Romanian, has died.

The Algerians are searching the site for explosives because the terrorists had planned to blow up the entire plant.

 

The Latest on Algeria

More information has emerged about the Algerian military attack on the Islamic terrorists holding foreigners hostage at a BP natural gas plant.

573 Algerians have left the plant, as have about 100 of the 132 foreign hostages.

The terrorists still have as many as seven hostages and are demanding the release of two terrorists held in U. S. jails, one of whom is the “Blind Sheik” responsible for the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center.

There are reports that two Britons and two Filipinos were killed in the rescue raid, while one Briton and one Algerian died during the initial hostage taking.

Algeria says that 18 terrorists have been killed.

Algerian Terror Incident

The State Department confirms that the Algerian military launched an assault on Islamic extremists who are holding foreigners hostage at a BP natural gas plant.

Algeria claims it freed 600 hostages, while Islamic terrorists claim that the raid killed 35 hostages and 15 kidnappers.

Americans are among those held, but their fate is unknown.

This Algerian act of terror was in retaliation for France’s fight against terrorists in Mali because Algeria is allowing France to use its air space.

Terrorists Hold Americans Hostage in Algeria

Islamic extremists have attacked a BP natural gas site in Algeria and seized 41 European, Japanese, and American hostages.  Seven of the hostages are believed to be American.  Two foreigners were killed in the initial attack.

Algerian troops have surrounded the facility.

Looks like a rescue mission for the Israelis…