Gates: Bin Laden Mission Reflects Perseverance, Determination

By Donna Miles

American Forces Press Service

ANNAPOLIS, Md., May 27, 2011 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates urged the U.S. Naval Academy Class of 2011 today to embrace the power of perseverance and determination as he contrasted the failed 1980 hostage rescue attempt in Iran with last month’s successful mission that killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.

Speaking at commencement ceremonies at the U.S. Naval Academy, Gates recollected the nail-biting night at the White House on April 24, 1980. He was executive assistant to the CIA director at the time, he said, and had been involved on planning the secret rescue mission for 52 Americans being held hostage in Tehran.

“While the operation was clearly risky, I honestly believed it would work,” he told the audience in Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium here. “It did not.”

Gates conveyed the painful images of burnt helicopters and the charred remains of U.S. servicemen that were splashed around the world. “It was truly a low ebb for our nation and for a military that was still recovering from Vietnam,” he said.

But rather than be defeated, the special operations community and U.S. military as a whole “pulled itself together, reformed the way it was trained and organized [and] took on the corrosive service parochialism that had hobbled our military institutionally and operationally.”

The results, he said, were seen May 1, when Gates spent what he acknowledged was a “nerve-wracking afternoon in the White House” watching a risky special operations mission unfold.

“When word of a downed helicopter came back, my heart sank, remembering that awful night 30 years ago,” he acknowledged.

“But this time, of course, there was a very different result,” Gates said, sending the audience into widespread applause. “A mass murderer was brought to a fitting end; a world in awe of America’s military prowess; a country relieved that justice was done, and frankly, that their government could do something hard and do it right; and a powerful blow struck on behalf of democratic civilization against its most lethal and determined enemies.”

Gates urged the new Navy and Marine Corps officers to learn from that experience as they launch their military careers.

“I want each of you to take that lesson of adaptability, of responding to setbacks by improving yourself and your institution, and [to take] that example of success with you as you go forward into the Navy and Marine Corps you will someday lead,” he said.

Noting that today’s address would be his last opportunity to engage future military leaders before retiring next month as defense secretary, Gates drew another contrast from the past.

He recalled his days as president of Texas A&M University, seeing 18- to 25-year-old students walking the campus between classes. In December 2006, just after becoming defense secretary, Gates visited Iraq, where he saw young men and women of the same age group.

The difference, he said, was that the latter group was “wearing body armor and carrying assault rifles, putting their lives at risk for all Americans.”

Gates said he knew some would not make it home whole and some wouldn’t make it home at all, and that soon he would be the one sending all who served in harm’s way.

“Ever since, I have come to work every day with a sense of personal responsibility for each and every young American in uniform -- as if you were my own sons and daughters,” he said, emotion choking his voice.

“My only prayer is that you serve with honor and come home safely,” he said. “And I personally thank you from the bottom of my heart for your service. Serving and leading you has been the greatest honor of my life.”

Combined Force Captures Haqqani Leader in Afghanistan

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, May 27, 2011 – A combined Afghan and coalition security force captured a Haqqani terrorist network leader and several of his associates in the Gardez district of Afghanistan’s Paktia province yesterday, military officials reported.

The leader commanded 30 to 40 fighters in the Khost and Gardez districts who were involved in anti-government operations along the main road between the province’s Sperah and Nadir Shah Kot districts.

In other operations yesterday:

-- In Helmand province’s Nahr-e Saraj district, a combined force detained several suspected insurgents while searching for a Taliban leader responsible for planning and commanding operations against Afghan forces.

-- A combined force detained two suspected insurgents in Kandahar province’s Kandahar city while searching for a Taliban leader. The leader directs a core group of insurgent fighters augmented by al-Qaida-associated foreign fighters in Quetta, Pakistan.

-- In Khost province’s Manduzai district, a combined force detained a suspected insurgent during an operation to target a Haqqani network leader involved in roadside-bomb manufacturing and attacks against Afghan government establishments and the Afghan army.

-- In Logar province’s Charkh district, a combined Afghan and coalition security force detained two suspected insurgents during a clearance operation to disrupt future insurgent activity in an area historically associated with Taliban facilitators.

-- In Kandahar province’s Zharay district, a combined patrol found 551 pounds of hashish.

-- A coalition patrol in Helmand province’s Marja district found 1,102 pounds of wet opiumand detained two men associated with the cache.

-- In Helmand province’s Nad-e Ali district, a coalition patrol found eight 81 mm illumination rounds, 49 7.62 mm rounds, 15 5.56 mm rounds and an audio tape.

-- A combined patrol in Kandahar province’s Arghandab district found 15 82 mm rounds.

-- In Herat province’s Shindad district, a combined force found a cache of mortar and small-arms rounds, seven rocket-propelled grenades, an anti-tank mine, 23 five-quart jugs filled with homemade explosives, 53 fuses, 33 feet of electric wire, two pressure plates and 19 RPG propellants.

In other recent operations:

-- A combined force in the Afghan capital of Kabul found 18 hand grenades, about 4,409 pounds of ammonium nitrate -- a banned fertilizer used to make roadside bombs -- 40 round fuses, 27 cans of explosive material, 2,700 detonators, four timed detonators and 20 rifle magazines.

-- In Helmand province’s Sangin district, a combined patrol found 220 pounds of opium May 23 and 24. The drug cache would have a street value of $500,000 once exported, officials said. The force transferred a man who had anacetic anahydride -- a precursor for producing heroin -- to the custody of Afghan forces for questioning.

Forces Kill Senior Taliban Leader in Baghlan Province

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, May 26, 2011 – An Afghan and coalition force killed Qari Musa, a senior Taliban leader, during a precision airstrike in the Talah wa Barfak district of Afghanistan’s Baghlan province, military officials reported today.

Musa was the senior Taliban leader in the district, officials said, and routinely targeted Afghan government officials and Afghan National Police in the district. At the time of his death, he was gathering groups of fighters, including suicide bombers, to conduct attacks against Afghan security forces.

Musa also purchased weapons from arms facilitators to conduct ambushes, officials added.

The coalition force conducted the May 23 strike after receiving reports that identified Musa and several insurgents operating at a compound in the district. Besides Musa, two of his bodyguards and several other insurgent fighters were killed during the air strike.

No civilians were harmed as a result of the air strike, officials said.

In other operations:

-- Ziahuddin, the Taliban-appointed senior governing official for Bamyan district, and Shayk Dayan, the newly Taliban-appointed senior governing official for Doshi district, were killed during a security operation in Baghlan province’s Doshi district May 22, International Security Assistance Force officials confirmed today.

-- Also today, ISAF officials confirmed the capture of a Taliban facilitator during a security operation May 23 in Logar province’s Baraki Barak district. The facilitator assisted the insurgent network with improvised explosive devices and weapons for attacks against Afghan security forces.

-- Officials confirmed today the capture of a Taliban leader during a security operation May 21 in Helmand province’s Nad’ Ali district. The leader was engaged in planning ambushes and other attacks on Afghan forces.

-- A coalition force patrol found and destroyed several weapons caches today in Kandahar province’s Arghandab district. The cache included an RPK machine gun, three 120 mm rounds, nine mortar rounds, 12 rocket-propelled grenades, an anti-personnel mine, three grenades, 800 7.62 mm rounds, seven booster rounds and four blasting caps.

In operations yesterday:

-- Afghan and coalition forces air assaulted into Nuristan province’s Do-ab district to assess insurgent activity, officials said, following claims that the district was overrun by insurgents. The combined force came under small-arms fire upon landing from an unknown number of insurgents. The force returned fire and called for close-air support, suppressing the enemy fire and killing more than 10 insurgents.

“We have seen the insurgent claims in the media, Col. Hans Bush, ISAF Joint Command spokesman, said. “Our Afghan and coalition forces are on the ground. There is some fighting; however, no indication at this time the district was ever overrun. The ground force commander continues to develop the situation on the ground.”

-- In Balkh province’s Chimtal district, a combined Afghan and coalition security force detained two suspected insurgents while searching for a senior Taliban leader. The leader is the Taliban-appointed senior governing official for the province. He is the focal point for all operational direction and is involved in all stages of western Balkh operations.

-- In Helmand province’s Nahr-e Saraj district, a combined Afghan and coalition security force detained several suspected insurgents during a security operation targeting a Taliban leader. The Taliban leader coordinated attacks against security forces and provides other insurgents in his area with munitions.

-- In Khost province’s Musa Khel district, a combined Afghan and coalition security force detained two insurgents during a security operation targeting a Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin leader. The leader directs insurgents in Qalandar and Musa Khel districts.

-- In Ghazni province, coalition force patrols discovered two weapons caches. In Qarah Bagh district, a patrol found eight rocket-propelled grenades, while a separate patrol in Deh Yak district discovered 10 120 mm rounds, one 105 mm rounds and a fuse. Security forces will destroy all weapons and ammunition.

Imam from Trinidad Convicted of Conspiracy to Launch Terrorist Attack at JFK Airport

Defendant Plotted to Explode Fuel Tanks and Pipeline at Airport

BROOKLYN, NY—Following a four-week jury trial, Kareem Ibrahim was convicted today in the Eastern District of New York of conspiring to attack John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York, by exploding fuel tanks and the fuel pipeline under the airport. The defendant believed the attack would cause extensive damage to the airport and to the United States economy, as well as the loss of innocent lives. The defendant faces a sentence of up to life in prison. Sentencing has been scheduled for October 21, 2011.

The convictions were announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Janice K. Fedarcyk, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Joint Terrorism Task Force in New York.

The evidence at trial established that Kareem Ibrahim, an Imam and leader of the Shiite Muslim community in Trinidad and Tobago, provided religious instruction and operational support to a group plotting to commit a terrorist attack at JFK Airport. The plot originated with Russell Defreitas, a naturalized United States citizen from Guyana, who drew on his prior experience working at JFK Airport as a cargo handler to plan the attack on its fuel tanks and fuel pipeline. Beginning in 2006, Defreitas recruited others to join the plot, including the defendant Kareem Ibrahim, Abdel Nur and Abdul Kadir, a former member of parliament in Guyana.

In May 2007, Defreitas presented defendant Kareem Ibrahim with video surveillance and satellite imagery of the targets for terrorist attack because Ibrahim had connections with militant leaders in Iran. During cross-examination at trial, Ibrahim admitted that he advised the plotters to present the plot to revolutionary leaders in Iran and to use operatives ready to engage in suicide attacks at the airport. On one of the recorded conversations entered into evidence, Ibrahim told Defreitas that the attackers must be ready to “fight it out, kill who you could kill and go back to Allah.”

According to the trial evidence, the conspirators also attempted to enlist support for the plot from prominent international terrorist groups and leaders, including Adnan El Shukrijumah, an al Qaeda leader and explosives expert, and Yasin Abu Bakr, leader of the Trinidadian militant group Jamaat Al Muslimeen. Ultimately, the plotters followed Ibrahim’s direction and sent Abdul Kadir to meet with his contacts in the Iranian revolutionary leadership, including Mohsen Rabbani, the former cultural attache indicted for his leading role in the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish cultural center in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Kareem Ibrahim, Nur and Kadir were arrested in Trinidad in June 2007, with Kadir aboard a plane headed to Venezuela, en route to Iran. All three were subsequently extradited to the United States. Defreitas was arrested in New York. After a trial in 2010, Russell Defreitas and Abdul Kadir were found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. Nur pleaded guilty before trial to supporting the plot and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

The specific charges Ibrahim was convicted of are: conspiracy to attack a public transportation system, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2332f; conspiracy to destroy a building by fire or explosive, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 844(n); conspiracy to attack aircraft and aircraft materials, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 32; conspiracy to destroy international airport facilities, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 37; and conspiracy to attack a mass transportation facility, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1992(a)(10).

“In pursuit of a radical terrorist agenda, bent on the destruction of John F. Kennedy Airport and the murder of innocent civilians, Imam Kareem Ibrahim abandoned the true tenets of his religion,” stated United States Attorney Lynch. “We will continue to seek out and bring to justice all those who plot to attack the United States and its people.” Ms. Lynch extended her grateful appreciation to the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force in New York for its role in investigating and assisting in the prosecution of the case, as well as to the Guyanese and Trinidadian law enforcement authorities who assisted with the investigation and apprehension of the defendants.

“Ibrahim and his co-conspirators had elaborate plans to attack John F. Kennedy International Airport, not only to cause carnage, but also to damage the economy,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Fedarcyk. “Today’s guilty verdict is not only a victory for the American justice system, it is also a rejection of the extremist ideology he supported.”

The government’s case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Marshall L. Miller, Berit W. Berger and Zainab Ahmad.

The Defendant:

KAREEM IBRAHIM, also known as “Amir Kareem” and “Winston Kingston”

Age: 65

Tenth Somali Pleads Guilty in Pirate Attack that Resulted in Murder of Four U.S. Citizens

NORFOLK, VA—Mahdi Jama Mohamed, a/k/a “Mahdi,” age estimated to be 23 to 24, of Somalia, pled guilty today in Norfolk federal court to acts of piracy against the S/V Quest, which resulted in the murder of United States citizens Scott Underwood Adam, Jean Savage Adam, Phyllis Patricia Macay, and Robert Campbell Riggle. Approximately two months from their arrival in the United States, 10 of the 15 individuals arrested in connection with the attack on the Quest have pled guilty to mandatory life in prison.

Neil H. MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Janice K. Fedarcyk, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s New York Field Office; Alex J. Turner, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; and Mark Russ, Special Agent in Charge of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) in Norfolk, made the announcement after the pleas were accepted by United States District Judge Mark S. Davis.

“Ten Somali pirates have now pled guilty to the armed hijacking of a U.S. vessel in February,” said U.S. Attorney MacBride. “The pirates’ greed for tens of thousands in ransom money ultimately led to the cold-blooded murder of the four U.S. hostages off the coast of East Africa. Modern-day pirates are dangerous criminals, not the swash-buckling rogues portrayed in Hollywood movies, and this latest guilty plea shows that attacks against American vessels will be met with swift justice in an American courtroom.”

“Mohamed was a willing conspirator in the planned attack to hijack a vessel for ransom,” said FBI ADIC Fedarcyk. “The Quest unwittingly crossed the pirates’ path, but it was Mohamed’s own avaricious behavior that led to his involvement in this deadly plot. With this additional plea, the FBI reaffirms its commitment to investigating and prosecuting all acts of violence against Americans, whether domestic or abroad.”

Mohamed pled guilty today to piracy under the law of nations, which carries a mandatory life sentence. Mohamed’s sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 3, 2011.

According to court documents, Mohamed admitted he requested to join the pirates before the pirates left Somalia to look for a vessel to hijack. He also admitted to holding a rifle while aboard the Quest when he was on guard duty with the hostages. He warranted in his plea agreement that he did not personally shoot any of the four Americans, nor did they instruct any other person to shoot the hostages.

Prior to Mohamed’s guilty plea, the following co-conspirators have pled guilty in this case:

■Mohamud Hirs Issa Ali, a/k/a Sanadaaq, 32, pled guilty on May 20, 2011, to piracy and hostage taking resulting in death. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 6, 2011.

■Mohamud Salad Ali, a/k/a Juguuf, 35, pled guilty on May 20, 2011, to piracy and hostage taking resulting in death. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 18, 2011.

■Ali Abdi Mohamed, a/k/a Basher, 30, pled guilty on May 20, 2011, to piracy. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 22, 2011.

■Jilani Abdiali, a/k/a Ilkasse, 20, pled guilty on May 23, 2011, to piracy. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 6, 2011.

■Burhan Abdirahman Yusuf, a/k/a Burhan or Famah, 31, pled guilty on May 23, 2011, to piracy. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 22, 2011.

■Said Abdi Fooley, a/k/a Sae Abdi Fooley or Said, 22, pled guilty on May 24, 2011, to piracy. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 9, 2011.

■Abdi Jama Aqid, a/k/a abdi Mahad Jama or Dabid, age estimated between 24 and 28, pled guilty on May 24, 2011, to piracy. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 9, 2011.

■Muhidin Salad Omar, a/k/a Muhiyaden Salad or Gurdan or Garan or Gurden or Muhdin or Dudan, 30, pled guilty on May 25, 2011, to piracy. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 3, 2011.

■Ahmed Sala Ali Burale, a/k/a Ahmed Sala Ali or Ahmed Hindi or Ahmed Salah Ali Burle, 22, pled guilty on May 25, 2011, to piracy. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 21, 2011.

Court documents associated with the 10 guilty pleas to date indicate that 19 Somalis willingly conspired to sail the high seas in search of a vessel to pirate and hold for ransom. The men anticipated receiving a percentage of whatever ransom they received, after paying approximately 35 percent to the operation’s financier.

After several days at sea, court documents state that the conspirators were approximately 900 miles from Somalia and running low on fuel when they saw what they knew was an American vessel, the S/V Quest, and they decided to take it. The four hostages were held inside the steering house, being guarded by seven men holding firearms.

According to court documents, as the conspirators sailed back to Somalia, they were overtaken by a U.S. warship. Two men—Mohamud Salad Ali, who was, at the time, the leader of the pirates, and Muhidin Salad Omar, the driver of the skiff—boarded the warship to try to save things. The U.S. military told the men that they do not pay ransoms, but that if the hostages were released the military would allow the pirates to take the Quest back with them to Somalia. The conspirators, court documents state, did not want to release the hostages because they believed they would get little money for the boat itself.

While the military attempted to secure the release of the hostages, Ibrahim, who is deceased but was in charge after Mohamud Salad Ali left the Quest, told the military that they were not going to stop and others on board the Quest began discussing massacring the hostages to get the U.S. boats to retreat. Ibrahim ordered Ali Abdi Mohamed to fire an RPG at the military warship as a warning shot. At this time, court documents state that the five men guarding the hostages began firing their weapons at the hostages, including three men in custody and two who are deceased. Ali Abdi Mohamed and Ahmed Sala Ali Burale stated in court documents that once the shootings began, they and others rushed the shooters and attempted to immobilize them.

Soon after, U.S. military personnel boarded the Quest and took 15 individuals into custody, including a juvenile who has not been charged in this case. Four men were deceased.

On March 8, 2011, Mohammad Saaili Shibin, a/k/a “Khalif Ahmed Shibin,” a/k/a “Shibin,” 50, of Somalia, was indicted for his role in the attack on the Quest. He is alleged to be the person in Somalia responsible for negotiating the ransom of four U.S. citizens held hostage on the high seas. According to the indictment, as the U.S. military attempted to negotiate with the alleged pirates to attempt to free the hostages, they were informed by one of the conspirators on the Quest that Shibin was the person responsible for negotiating the return of the hostages on board the Quest upon their arrival in Somalia. The indictment alleges that during this period of negotiation, Shibin conducted research on the Internet to learn about the hostages on the Quest and determine the amount of ransom to demand, along with the identity of family members of the hostages whom he could contact about the ransom.

The investigation of the case is being conducted by the FBI and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

The prosecution in the Eastern District of Virginia is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin L. Hatch, Joseph DePadilla, and Brian J. Samuels, from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and Trial Attorney Paul Casey from the Department of Justice’s National Security Division.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.

Face of Defense: Soldier Notes 26 Years of Change

By Karen Parrish

American Forces Press Service

COMBAT OUTPOST MUNOZ, Afghanistan, May 26, 2011 – “We have war stories; he has Civil War stories.” “He talks about his first squad, muskets all on line …”

His fellow infantrymen seldom run short of jokes about one noncommissioned officer here.

Army Staff Sgt. William Billett first joined the Army in January 1985, served eight years and got out.

“I was out for 14 years,” he said. “Right after my son came in, I came back in.”

Billett originally served in the anti-armor infantry, and rejoined the infantry when he returned to the Army in 2006. He currently works as the operations noncommissioned officer for Dog Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st Airborne Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team.

Billett’s company is based in eastern Paktika province, along the border with Pakistan, but the staff sergeant performed a special duty elsewhere in Afghanistan midway through his tour.

Billett’s son, Army Sgt. Timothy Billett, recently returned to Fort Campbell, Ky., from a deployment with the division’s 1st Brigade. Billett pinned his son’s Purple Heart on him last Thanksgiving at Kabul. His son was wounded when a rocket-propelled grenade hit his vehicle.

His son is with the military police, Billett said, but while on deployment went on patrols and effectively acted as infantry.

“He’s in a close-knit unit,” he said. “It’s a pretty good bunch.”

Billett commended his wife, Beth, for her strength over the years. This deployment marked the second time both her husband and son deployed at the same time; the two also shared a tour of duty in Iraq.

“I don’t know how she does it,” he said. “I have a hard time with my son deployed. I worry about him. I don’t know how she can deal with it with both of us gone, and last time was for 15 months. She’s good.”

Billett said he had a “break in service” in his marriage, too. He and his wife divorced for five years, then remarried in 2000.

“She’s a stronger person than I am,” he said. “I’ve got my head on a little bit straighter than I used to.”

Billett was 39 when he came back in the Army. He went through a five-week warrior transition course and then completed infantry advanced individual training at Fort Benning, Ga., he said.

“I’ve only got about six years left until I retire, so if my body holds out, I’ll stay,” he said. “This deployment I’ve been working operations, and I’ve only been out on one patrol. It hasn’t been too bad.”

Billett noted the changes he’s seen in the Army over the years. The only thing about the Army that’s the same now as when he first joined, he said, is the .50 caliber.

“Technologywise, it’s leaps and bounds from when I was in last time,” he said. “The mentality is different. The combat’s harder, but life back in garrison, I think, is easier.”

Before the technology that put surveillance platforms and satellite phones on the battlefield, Billett said, “your job was easier, but it made it harder to coordinate. Out here, we wouldn’t be able to call for help, because radios don’t reach that far.”

The Army also is much more family oriented than it used to be, he said. “That’s a huge change. When I was in before, we would go to the field for 30, 45 days at a time every three months. Now, they pretty much don’t go for more than two weeks … which is nice. I don’t mind that at all.”

Time with family is critical to today’s soldiers, Billett noted.

“Some of these guys are on their fifth deployment,” he said. “They’ve got kids that they’ve been away from more than they’ve been with, and that’s hard.”

The staff sergeant said he’s looking forward to the end of his deployment, which will come in about two months.

“We’ve got a cruise booked for Nassau, the Bahamas, during block leave,” Billett said. “Then get back and pack, because we’re [moving] to Fort Sill, Oklahoma.”

Two More Somalis Plead Guilty to Charges Relating to Piracy of Quest

Pirate Attack Resulted in Murder of Four U.S. Citizens

NORFOLK, VA—Muhidin Salad Omar, a/k/a “Muhiyaden Salad,” a/k/a “Gurdan,” a/k/a “Gardan,” a/k/a “Gurden,” a/k/a “Muhdin,” a/k/a “Dudan,” 30, and Ahmed Sala Ali Burale, a/k/a “Ahmed Salah Ali,” a/k/a “Ahmed Hindi,” a/k/a “Ahmed Salah Ali Burle,” 22, both of Somalia, pled guilty today in Norfolk federal court to acts of piracy against the S/V Quest, which resulted in the murder of United States citizens Scott Underwood Adam, Jean Savage Adam, Phyllis Patricia Macay, and Robert Campbell Riggle.

Neil H. MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Janice K. Fedarcyk, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s New York Field Office; Alex J. Turner, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; and Mark Russ, Special Agent in Charge of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) in Norfolk, made the announcement after the pleas were accepted by United States District Judge Mark S. Davis.

“Today, Burale and Omar admitted they became pirates of their own free will and that their co-conspirators gunned down the four American hostages while others were attempting to negotiate with the U.S. military,” said U.S. Attorney MacBride. “These men and others have learned that pirating an American vessel is a dangerous business with serious, long-term consequences.”

“Armed to the teeth, Omar and Burale, along with the other pirates, took part in the captivity of the sailing vessel Quest with the mission of taking hostages for ransom. As the criminal justice system continues to process all those involved, including the pleas entered today, the FBI remains committed to bringing justice to those who seek to harm U.S. citizens both domestically and abroad.”

Both pled guilty today to piracy under the law of nations, which carries a mandatory life sentence.

According to court documents, Omar admitted that he was approached to participate in piracy operations because they needed a driver for the skiff and that he went to the American warship to try and save things, hoping that the American forces would pull back and allow them to reach Somali waters. He told the court that the American commander informed the pirates that the U.S. government does not pay money, but if they sent over the hostages on the skiff, they could take the Quest. He admitted that he knew the pirates had committed a crime against the United States because they held the hostages.

Burale admitted that he joined the group of pirates for the sole purpose of making money and that he had carried an AK-47 without a stock. He also admitted that when the shooting started, he rushed to try to stop it by grabbing a shooter’s rifle and pushing the barrel upward to immobilize the shooter.

Omar and Burale admitted that they willingly engaged in piracy for financial gain and participated in the pirating of the Quest and in the taking of the four Americans on board as hostages. The two defendants warranted in their plea agreements that they did not personally shoot any of the four Americans, nor did they instruct any other person to shoot the hostages.

Sentencing for Muhidin Salad Omar is scheduled for October 3, 2011, and sentencing for Ahmed Sala Ali Burale is scheduled for September 21, 2011.

The investigation of the case is being conducted by the FBI and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

The prosecution in the Eastern District of Virginia is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin L. Hatch, Joseph DePadilla and Brian J. Samuels, from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and Trial Attorney Paul Casey from the Department of Justice’s National Security Division.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.

Army Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of four soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

They died May 23, in Kunar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device.  They were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

Killed were:

Staff Sgt. Kristofferson B. Lorenzo, 33, of Chula Vista, Calif.,

Pfc. William S. Blevins, 21, of Sardinia, Ohio,

Pvt. Andrew M. Krippner, 20, Garland, Texas; and

Pvt. Thomas C. Allers, 23, of Plainwell, Mich.

For more information the media may contact the 25th Infantry Division public affairs office at 808-655-6351.

Toledo Couple Guilty in Scheme to Provide Support to Hizballah

Hor I. Akl and Amera A. Akl, a married couple from Toledo, Ohio, pleaded guilty to criminal charges related to a scheme to send hundreds of thousands of dollars to Hizballah, a designated foreign terrorist organization, Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, and Stephen D. Anthony, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Cleveland Division, announced today.

Hor Akl, age 38, pleaded guilty to a total of five counts: conspiracy to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization; conspiracy to violate money laundering statutes; perjury; and two counts of bankruptcy fraud.

Amera Akl, age 38, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

“Money is the lifeblood of terrorist organizations, and stopping the flow is a key component to choking off these organizations,” Dettelbach said.

“This case demonstrates the continued effort by the FBI and our Joint Terrorism Task Forces to deny financing and support to those terrorist organizations that present a threat to the United States,” Anthony said.

The Akls are scheduled to be sentenced later this year. They will forfeit a 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer and $7,740 in U.S. currency, according to court documents.

The Akls met multiple times between August 2009 and June 2010 with a confidential source who was working on behalf of the FBI. During those meetings, the Akls discussed ways to secretly send money to Hizballah leaders in Lebanon, according to court documents.

Amera Akl told the confidential source during a meeting in Toledo on Aug. 30, 2009 that she dreamed of dressing like Hizballah, carrying a gun, and dying as a martyr, according to court documents.

Hor Akl, in the presence of his wife, told the confidential source during a Sept. 10, 2009 meeting in Toledo that he understood the money was being transported to “terrorists.” He also stated he understood the funds would be sent to a designated terrorist organization and used to target Israel, according to court documents.

Eventually, the Akls agreed to send the money by secreting it inside a 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer, which they planned send to Lebanon via a container ship.

On June 3, 2010, the confidential source delivered $200,000 to the Akls at their home on Brookfield Drive in Toledo and told them he would return later in the day with more money. Shortly thereafter, the Akls were observed inside their residence wearing latex/rubber gloves, in close proximity to various automobile accessories, plastic wrap, duct tape, latex/rubber gloves, and fragrant insect repellant sticks. Hor Akl had prepared a portion of the money for concealment into the auto accessories, wrapped it in plastic and taped into a bundle, according to court documents.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin E. Herdman, Duncan Brown, and Thomas E. Getz and Trial Attorney S. Elisa Poteat of the National Security Division, Counterterrorism Section, following an investigation by the FBI, through its Joint Terrorism Task Force in Toledo, and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division.

Face of Defense: Twin Dentists’ Paths Lead to Iraq

By Army Maj. Jason Billington

3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment

BABIL, Iraq, May 25, 2011 – Suffering from a toothache in southern Iraq may land you in the chair of either of two brothers with an interesting story of adversity, perseverance, and the unique bond of identical twins.

Army Capts. (Drs.) Aleksandr and Dmitry Baron both serve in the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment as dentists on separate bases in southern Iraq. Both are augmenting the unit from their home base of Fort Stewart, Ga. Aleksandr deployed to Contingency Operating Site Kalsu at the end of October to work with the Regimental Support Squadron, and Dmitry joined the regiment’s 3rd Squadron at Contingency Operating Site Echo in April.

Both men volunteered for the deployments, but Dmitry’s recent arrival to the same unit in Iraq was mere coincidence, the kind of common occurrence that has kept these twins together for most of their lives. The tight bond between them was forged when their parents, Vitaly and Emma Baron of Aberdeen, N.J., decided to take them from Russia to America when they were 6 years old.

“He just wanted a better life for his children,” Aleksandr said, explaining why his father moved them from what is now the Ukraine to Brooklyn, N.Y.

“We did everything together. We got in trouble together. We’d be in the corner together. With a twin, that can be a lot of fun,” Dmitry said.

The two recalled their assimilation to American culture as difficult, between learning a new language and being foreign kids in their New York neighborhood.

“Being in a country that is as far as the United States is from Russia, to have him next to me was the best thing God could give me,” Aleksandr said. "He was a best friend. Trying to get cultured to America is hard. With him by my side, we were partners all the way.”

They were not welcomed by their school-age peers, and both brothers recalled being in numerous fights during that time. This kind of adversity, they said, brought them closer together.

“That’s probably why we’re so close and much closer than a lot of twins. We’ve been through a lot,” Aleksandr said.

Both attended Rutgers University for their undergraduate degrees and pursued their dental degrees at New York University College of Dentistry through the Health Professions Scholarship Program, offered by the Defense Department to medical and dental school students in exchange for a military service obligation.

“We had a …” “… just a drive for it,” said the two, with Aleksandr finishing Dmitry’s sentence in a way that seemed to be part of their normal communication pattern.

Even when Dmitry decided to take a separate path and become a pilot in the Air Force, he jokingly described how he took the test and “never heard back.”

In their roles as combat dentists in Iraq, the two respond to dental emergencies, fill cavities and even perform cleanings to ensure soldiers remain healthy and mission-ready. Both men recounted how their jobs seemed to spill into other, more unexpected roles, as soldiers have come in with greater needs than their dental instruments can resolve.

“I have people come in here to see me just because they want to talk,” Aleksandr said. “They sit in the chair, they talk to me about their divorce, about family issues back home, about finance problems. I want this place to be a place for people to get away and just feel comfortable.”

“People are appreciative of us,” Dmitry said, describing the fulfillment of his job as a dentist in this unique environment. “We’re like combat stress [relievers]. We’re leaders. It’s a pretty big balance.”

Aleksandr has performed yet another role as a triage doctor, making decisions on priority of care based upon the severity of soldiers’ combat wounds.

"I never thought I would do something like that,” he said. “I thought, ‘You send me to a deployed environment, I’ll take care of soldiers, I’ll comfort them, listen to them, care for their teeth,’ but I did not think I would be doing triage.”

A recent visit by Dmitry to see his brother at Kalsu brought the twin dentists together, thousands of miles from their Georgia homes. Their nearly identical appearance turned several heads as they walked side by side on the base. For the brothers, it was a chance to catch up and be together again.

“He’s here. It’s unbelievable,” Aleksandr said. “I’m praying to God that he just keeps following me.”

Combined Forces in Helmand Detain Insurgents

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, May 25, 2011 – A combined Afghan and coalition security force acting on intelligence leads detained several suspected insurgents while searching for a Taliban facilitator in the Musa Qalah district of Afghanistan’s Helmand province yesterday, military officials reported.

The facilitator coordinates the procurement of finances, assisting Taliban leaders as they transit through his area, officials said.

The force found and destroyed 25 pounds of opium at the scene. Drug trafficking is an important means of financing insurgent activity in Afghanistan, officials said.

In other operations yesterday:

-- In Baghlan province’s Baghlan-e Jadid district, a combined force detained a suspected insurgent during an intelligence-driven operation targeting a Taliban leader who works with area commission members and Taliban commanders to plan attacks. Previously, he led a group of 10 enemy fighters.

-- A combined patrol in Helmand province’s Marja district found a cache of about 900 rounds of ammunition.

-- In Khost province’s Sabari district, a combined force detained a suspected insurgent while searching for a Haqqani terrorist network facilitator responsible for the transfer of weapons and explosives for attacks against Afghan forces.

-- A combined force in Logar province’s Pul-e Alam district detained two suspected insurgents during a clearance operation in an area that historically is associated with a Taliban leader and commonly used for roadside-bomb attacks.

-- In Khost province’s Nadir Shah Kot district, a coalition patrol found two 107 mm rockets, an anti-personnel mine and multiple machine-gun rounds, detaining a man associated with the cache for further questioning.

-- In Uruzgan province’s Shahid-e-Hasas district, a combined force found and destroyed a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, a machine gun, an assault rifle, a pistol, 15 RPG rounds, a recoilless rifle round, several small-arms rounds, two anti-personnel mines, a grenade, bomb-making materials, 13 RPG propellants, four chest rigs and a GPS device.

-- An Afghan and coalition force in Kandahar province’s Maiwand district found and destroyed 441 pounds of hashish.

In May 23 operations:

-- An Afghan and coalition operation resulted in discovery and destruction of weapons and narcotics in Helmand province’s Washer district. The combined force found 132 pounds of wet opium, 176 pounds of ammonium nitrate -- a banned fertilizer used in homemade bombs -- six mortar rounds, two rocket-propelled grenades, a 107 mm round, an anti-tank mine, a pressure-plate, an assault rifle, a pistol, assorted small-arms ammunition and bomb-making materials.

-- A combined force seized several compounds containing illegal drugs and killed three insurgent fighters in Helmand province’s Kajaki district. The operation was intended to disrupt the illegal drug trade and insurgent activity in the region, a coalition team leader said. One of the objectives, an opium refinery, served a dual purpose for the insurgents in the area, officials said, noting that opium sales help to finance Taliban operations and drug facilities serve as staging locations for insurgent activity.

-- A combined force seized and destroyed enemy weapons in Wardak province’s Maidan Shar district. The cache included nine grenades, eight 66 mm mortar rounds, an 82 mm mortar round, a 73 mm recoilless rifle round, two rifles, a machine gun and assorted ammunition.

Departure Ceremony

Soldiers of the Minnesota Guard's 1st Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division salute the American flag as the United States anthem is being played during their departure ceremony at historic Fort Snelling May 22, 2011. 1st BCT will be deploying to Kuwait in support of Operation New Dawn.

DOD Announces Iraq Force Deployment

The Department of Defense announced today the deployment of units as part of an upcoming rotation of forces supporting Operation New Dawn in Iraq.  This rotation involves one division headquarters totaling 775 personnel and two brigade combat teams totaling 6,400 personnel.  The scheduled rotation for the forces begins in mid-summer and continues through the fall of 2011.  In accordance with the security agreement between the United States and Iraq signed in 2008, all U.S. forces will depart Iraq by Dec. 31, 2011.

Headquarters unit:

3rd Infantry Division Headquarters,Fort Stewart, Ga.

Brigade Combat Teams:

1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas

4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas

The Department of Defense will continue to announce major deployments as they are approved.  For information on the 3rd Infantry Division Headquarters, contact Lt. Col. Jeffrey W. Allen at 912-435-9869, jeffrey.allen1@conus.army.mil .  For information on the 1st Cavalry Division BCT, contact Christopher Haug at 254-287-9993, christopher.haugsr@conus.army.mil .  For information on the 1st Armored BCT, contact Maj. Myles Caggins at 915-568-8612, myles.caggins@conus.army.mil .

Army Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two soldiers who were supporting Operation New Dawn.

They died May 22 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device.  They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 63rd Armor, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.

Killed were:

Sgt. 1st Class Clifford E. Beattie, 37, of Medical Lake, Wash., and

Pfc. Ramon Mora Jr., 19, of Ontario, Calif.

For more information, the media may contact the 1st Infantry Division public affairs office at 785-240-6359.

Logistics Troops Support Soldiers in Afghanistan

By Karen Parrish

American Forces Press Service

FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHARANA, Afghanistan, May 24, 2011 – Army Lt. Col. Dave Preston and Army Command Sgt. Maj. Gary Holder are the command team for the 801st Brigade Support Battalion, a unit that provides food, fuel, ammunition and more for soldiers assigned to the 101st Airborne Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team here.

“The challenges here in Paktika are the hardest thing I’ve ever dealt with in my career, but our soldiers make it easy,” Preston said. “They care, and they bust their tails on a daily basis.”

Preston said he keeps his soldiers “outside the wire” much of the time, making sure the brigade’s outlying troop locations have all the supplies that they need, in keeping with the battalion’s motto: “No Mission Will Fail Due to Logistics.”

“Here at Sharana we’re living pretty good,” Preston said. “But probably five out of seven days of the week, there’s a member of this battalion out on an outlying [forward operating base or combat outpost] helping out.”

Preston said he and Holder identified their two-word mission focus as soon as they arrived in Afghanistan: support forward.

Preston said he and members of his staff visit the brigade’s 20-plus installations positioned throughout Paktika province regularly, spending two days each week walking the bases where soldiers live and identifying ways to improve living conditions.

“I ask the chain of command when I leave, ‘What are your top three needs?’” Preston said. “A lot of times, there’s a helicopter there the next day with what they want.”

Preston said his battalion has provided the smaller posts with showers and cold-storage containers for food,, as well as ensuring regular mail and fuel delivery to even the most-remote locations.

Medical teams also regularly visit the small troop locations, Preston said, noting, “That keeps your combat power forward [and] it builds trust. Everybody knows our providers, and they love our providers.”

“We had to gain credibility by coming through,” he said. “Support soldiers kind of get a bad rap in an infantry brigade … we have to get out there and do everything we can for them, which is what we’ve done.”

Preston credits his four companies of troops with a long list of accomplishments: delivering 6 million pounds of cargo by helicopter, providing force protection for supply convoys to areas accessible by road, managing 9,400 categories of supply items, rebuilding an entire fleet of forklifts, running the medical clinic, and supplying fuel for vehicles and generators.

“They’ve never let us down when we’ve set a standard for them,” Preston said.

The lieutenant colonel said his battalion’s companies have worked hard with their Afghan counterparts.

The medical company set up and conducted a version of the Army’s Expert Field Medical Badge competition with their Afghan partners, Preston said.

The Afghan competition consisted of 15 tasks including treating a patient under fire, litter carry, evacuating a patient by helicopter, and a road march, Preston said.

“They did that for the whole day,” he said. “They’ve never done anything like that before -- incredible training that the soldiers [have] had.”

Similar competitions are planned for the battalion’s other two companies, Preston said. One of the companies will run a truck rodeo with driving tasks, he said, and the other will conduct a mechanics’ rodeo.

“The Afghans love competition,” he said. “So we set that up, and for a month prior our guys are training them on all these tasks. So they get excellent training and it’s fun for them.”

Preston said he and his staff put a priority on maintaining high morale in the battalion.

“We’re here 365 days, working 18 hours-a -day, seven-days-a-week,” he said. “So we do things like monthly barbecues … we’re in combat here and we don’t lose sight of that, but we try to keep an environment where it’s not serious 24 hours-a-day.”

Holder agreed that maintaining morale for the troops has been a high priority during the deployment. Making sure the soldiers have internet access, so they can stay in touch with their families, “has been a huge morale boost,” he said.

“Something as small as allowing them to wear [physical training uniforms of shorts and T-shirts] on Sundays, when they’re not turning wrenches or working on a forklift,” gives soldiers a needed break, Holder said.

It’s also important to provide the troops with enough rest time, Holder said.

“We’ve seen what happens when you just try to work someone for 365 days,” he said. “Somewhere in the middle, they just fall on their face. So we try our best to give them one day-a-week where they can relax a little.”

Preston said he and Holder have been planning the battalion’s transition to its replacement unit for six months, streamlining contracts and clearing broken down equipment from troop locations to make the incoming unit’s job easier.

“It’s about being a professional organization,” he said. “Everybody complains about the way they get things handed to them -- well, we’re not going to give [our replacements] anything to complain about.”