Haqqani at The Hajj
Plus: Feedback
Howdy,
Look, I get it. You’re probably sick of me talking about Haqqani. You’ve probably never heard of him.
But that doesn’t matter.
He’s currently in Saudi Arabia, and that’s not because I have sources inside his network, although I did at one point, but because he’s blasting it on X.
LOL.
There’s no chance that the Biden administration doesn’t know about this.
0%.
Further, the Central Intelligence Agency also knows about it and likely worked his visit out with Saudi Arbaia’s General Intelligence Presidency (GIP), a subdivision of the General Intelligence Directorate (GID).
Since it’s been a very busy couple of weeks, I haven’t had a chance to share this little treasure I saw in late May.
The 71-page document, released in redacted form earlier this month, summarizes what the plaintiffs say they’ve learned through the evidence obtained in discovery and recently declassified materials. They allege that Saudi officials—most notably Fahad al-Thumairy, an imam at a Los Angeles mosque and an accredited diplomat at Saudi Arabia’s consulate in that city, and Omar al-Bayoumi, who masqueraded as a graduate student but was identified by the FBI as an intelligence operative—were not rogue operators but rather the front end of a conspiracy that included the Saudi embassy in Washington and senior government officials in Riyadh.
This is a good bit of reporting. I would quibble with a few things here and there. But anyone who was in the game knew Al Qaeda sympathizers had infiltrated the Saudis regime.
The article also (correctly) argues that for all of Mohammed bin Salman (widely known as MBS) many sins as Saudi Arabia’s rulers—like killing Khashoggi—he’s done an excellent job of purging his regime of Al Qaeda sympathizers.
But they’re not all gone, my friends. Nope. If you don’t think that the GIP has ties to Haqqani Al Qaeda, well then here’s some more proof:
He’s currently in Saudia Arabia tonight:
Now, to be transparent, some people disagree with my assessment. They’re very learned people. They hold all those PhDs and are very well credentialed.
Here’s Barnett Rubin with his “expert” take at The Diplomat:
I know Barnett Rubin.
And he’s been wrong about Afghanistan for decades now.
Smart guy. Very smart. But wrong, wrong, wrong. In future rants, I’ll go deeper into his missteps.
For now, I’ll just leave you with who enjoyed the Diplomat’s article.
Muhammad Jalal probably just thought the author did a good job constructing her argument.
LOL.
Anyway, I think it’s safe to say now that we are on our way to recognizing the Taliban.
If you’re going to do that, then you owe it to the American people to explain why.
More importantly, you owe it to my brothers and sister-in-arms and our Afghan allies too.
At least look us in the face when you take the knife and stab us (yet again). Don’t be a coward. I’d respect you so much more if you owned it instead of playing parlor house games.
Great Feedback
GCV family, thanks for the overwhelming feedback we’re getting.
gave us great feedback on our experiments with the website’s colors. Hopefully, this will be easier on the eyes. Or not? I don’t know!Please, we welcome constructive criticism.
BUT If you think I’m just a buffoon—-well, that’s also quite true!
Regardless, we’re listening and making more adjustments in the future.
Also, I have a great team behind the scenes that really helps out. Not only Kate Kovarovic but also my old senior enlisted, Sara (can I use your last name?), Natalie, Sultan, Rose, Skinner, and others.
I’m so thankful for the team at GCV+F. I’m blessed.
And here’s a little feedback to give you a healthy cry and remind you what we have going on here at GCV+F.
Jaimee, your father, James, is an American hero.
Period. Full Stop.
The honor is ours here at GCV+F.
Recommendation
Senior Non-Commissioned Officers are the heart and soul of the military. Without them, the officer corps would actually have to do —- work!
Bruh, I just type on the computer and come up with brilliant plans! You need to take all my scribbles and turn them into my vision!
With that in mind, do me a favor and give my brother,
, a follow. He’s a wicked smart Air Force SNCO. You’ll learn something.Here’s his first salvo (pretty darn good):
On September 11th, 2001, I woke up around 9 to prepare for my 11 o'clock shift at Blockbuster Video. I was a 20-year-old college dropout, waiting to begin my fresh start in the United States Air Force through the Delayed Entry Program.
Nearly twenty-three years later, I've enjoyed a successful career in the Air Force. I achieved the rank of Senior Master Sergeant, deployed multiple times, and have been fortunate enough to be involved in some historical events that would require pre-publication clearance before recounting them here.
Have a wonderful weekend. Spend it with your families!
As always, thanks for supporting us!
Will, your passion around Afghanistan is one of the main reasons I follow your writing. I love the storytelling and raw honesty and passionate advocacy for veterans and co-laborers, but what pulled me in was knowing there are others who are just as filled with rage about people like Haqqani and our country's foreign policy sins.
Our country is off the rails if we let this guy walk around moving at will and in plain view enjoying his travels and power openly. Speechless.