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Pakistani Taliban claims NYC car bomb attempt

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CAIRO, EGYPT — The Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for the failed car bomb attack in Times Square in New York City

Linkage

~10 years since the hostilities started, and they can still infiltrate New York City.

Can be spun five ways: [1] the wars in Afghanistan/Pakistan are fruitless, and we are still as vulnerable as ever; [2] the mission isn't complete; [3] the Iraq excursion was an unnecessary detour, and our real threat has always been the Taliban/FATA al-Qa'ida; [4] Bush failed; [5] Obama failed.
 
You know, there is something that just doesn't meet the eye here. It was such an amateurish attempt, and now "The Pakistani Taliban" is taking credit for it. "The Pakistani Taliban" is a huge generalization of a lot of different groups, and there is no specific group mentioned, just the general Pakistani Taliban.

Could this have been a false flag operation planned by somebody? Could the bomb have been a dud for a reason, with it's only real purpose to instill fear in Americans, to socialize us for yet another war of some kind, or to socialize us for expanding operations in Afghanistan? In connecting the dots, those dots could lead anywhere.

BTW, I am just playing Devil's advocate here, and attempting to get some discussion going on this angle, in order to see where the discussion might lead.
 
You know, there is something that just doesn't meet the eye here. It was such an amateurish attempt, and now "The Pakistani Taliban" is taking credit for it. "The Pakistani Taliban" is a huge generalization of a lot of different groups, and there is no specific group mentioned, just the general Pakistani Taliban.

No necessarily true. The group that claimed responsibility for this attack is Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, according to SETI (linkage) .

Could this have been a false flag operation planned by somebody? Could the bomb have been a dud for a reason, with it's only real purpose to instill fear in Americans, to socialize us for yet another war of some kind, or to socialize us for expanding operations in Afghanistan? In connecting the dots, those dots could lead anywhere.

BTW, I am just playing Devil's advocate here, and attempting to get some discussion going on this angle, in order to see where the discussion might lead.

T-i-T, as I like to call them, are a fairly competent group. They are cited as being the al-Qa'ida/Terrorist arm that helped Mushy assassinate Benazir Bhutto

I think the fact that the terrorists are becoming less and less capable of finishing their attacks on American soil is because we're whipping their ass.
 
This same type of car bomb was used in London in 2007 by Islamic terrorists. Was this the same group, does anyone know?
 
No connection..

The main 4 terrorists in the 7/7 bombing were British and Jamaican.
 
Linkage

~10 years since the hostilities started, and they can still infiltrate New York City.

Can be spun five ways: [1] the wars in Afghanistan/Pakistan are fruitless, and we are still as vulnerable as ever; [2] the mission isn't complete; [3] the Iraq excursion was an unnecessary detour, and our real threat has always been the Taliban/FATA al-Qa'ida; [4] Bush failed; [5] Obama failed.

Infiltrate New York? It's not a secure location. Anyone with a car, bike, train ticket, helicopter, wheelchair, skateboard, or pair of legs can get in.
 
Infiltrate New York? It's not a secure location. Anyone with a car, bike, train ticket, helicopter, wheelchair, skateboard, or pair of legs can get in.

of course, but if they're Pakistan Taliban then should have one hell of a time.

You just cant walks right into Mordor.
 
You know, there is something that just doesn't meet the eye here. It was such an amateurish attempt...

Given what has been described in the media e.g., the "amateurish" explosive device, I tend to doubt that the Taliban had any role in the attack. The Taliban has too much experience with such devices, and even if one had failed to detonate, it would not have been set up in an "amateurish" fashion.

While a sympathizer could have been involved, odds may favor some individual who acted for reasons unrelated to the Taliban e.g., an individual who might have had some personal grudge over some issue that impacted him/her or he/she perceived did.

As for the Taliban's claiming credit, the Taliban would dearly like to carry out an act of terrorism on U.S. soil to widen the proverbial battlefield. That they have had no success to date in doing so and likely face significant difficulties in trying to organize such an attack has been frustrating for that terrorist organization. Therefore, the claim of responsibility is more likely than not opportunistic, even as the probability of an actual attempt by the Taliban in this case is probably low (but probably not zero).
 
I really doubt the Taliban had any part in this, since the supposed device had really an amateurish quality to the explosive device, and the fact that the Taliban do have more experience with this type of thing. I think this is just people taken credit for stuff to boast about it. Well that is what I think at least is the problem here. ;) I am not saying it is not possible, but this just seem a little bit fishy to me as to why they did such an amateurish device.
 
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No connection..

The main 4 terrorists in the 7/7 bombing were British and Jamaican.

That is not the group Catz was talking about

A few Pakistani immigrants (including a doctor I believe) used the same method as a means to try to set off a car bomb at Heathrow I believe. It failed to blow up. Instead it just caught fire causing the suspects significant burn injuries
 
That is not the group Catz was talking about

A few Pakistani immigrants (including a doctor I believe) used the same method as a means to try to set off a car bomb at Heathrow I believe. It failed to blow up. Instead it just caught fire causing the suspects significant burn injuries

OH yeah I totally misread he post, and those she meant the 7/7 attakcs.

in 2007 there was one at Heathrow (an Indian) and one at Glasgow International.

We know that these Indians had "connection" with Lashkar-e-Taiba
 
Yeah they were Muslims.

What I think is possible in this case is that it was a localized group of Muslims who were ideologically sympathetic, but not part of the organized Taliban (i.e., not recruited and trained by them).

It reminds me of cases that we saw in our community involving ALF. ALF utilizes leaderless resistance, independent cells operating without a leadership structure aside from the group itself. They bear no connection to the organization other than shared ideology. They learn how to commit acts of terror not at a training camp, but online or from peers.

The bombs are often rather unsophisticated and involve well-known techniques that have been publicized online.

Here's an example:
Animal Liberation Front Flashback: Explosions Destroy Utah Feed Plant | Voice of the Voiceless

I would not be surprised if these were not Pakistanis at all, but locals who were ideologically sympathetic. In that case, it isn't Pakistanis slipping into New York, but locals buying into their mentality...much harder to fight.
 
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At this point anything is possible. All we have to go on are those who take responsibility for it.

Had it been Revolution Muslim, as Sgt. Rock claims in his thread, I don't think they would be taking responsibility because it would give the Government the capability of arresting every single member, or affiliate of the group.
 
Yeah that is, what I think too Catz Part Deux that this was someone who sympathized with the Taliban.
 
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of course, but if they're Pakistan Taliban then should have one hell of a time.

You just cant walks right into Mordor.

Mordor? No, that's New Jersey.

It's not like the Taliban guys come with an identification stamp on their foreheads.
 
Linkage

~10 years since the hostilities started, and they can still infiltrate New York City.

Can be spun five ways: [1] the wars in Afghanistan/Pakistan are fruitless, and we are still as vulnerable as ever; [2] the mission isn't complete; [3] the Iraq excursion was an unnecessary detour, and our real threat has always been the Taliban/FATA al-Qa'ida; [4] Bush failed; [5] Obama failed.

There is always going to be ways to infiltrate the US, unless we totally seal our borders, which would be even more harmful. Absolute security is just not going to happen.

I did love your list of 5 ways to spin it, very well done.
 

Given the incompetence of the event I was thinking a lone nutter white racist for this incident.

It will be interesting to find out who the Nissan Pathfinder belongs to and where it came from.

NYC or a larger US metro center most likely a islamic terrorist, a rural community a white racist.

Although way any group would want to associate them with such a poor job is beyond me
 
I thought when Obama was elected this nonsense would stop.

What happened?

.
 
Just looking at the type of explosives they tried to use, and the failed detonation this has the hallmarks of a homegrown terrorist attempt.
Firstly its extremely amateurish, a hodgepodge of different types of explosives: fireworks, black powder, propane tanks, and NO shrapnel around the explosives.
None of these are particularly explosive and probably won't do much damage, in fact the SUV these were packed it would probably do more to contain the explosion than expand it. A propane tank would probably make more of a fire ball than dangerous explosion, the fireworks and black powder would do the same. Especially if the propane or fireworks were ignited first, it would blow the black powder for a split second and reduce its effectiveness.
If the the goal of this was to kill people it would have been built differently, or it means the bomb makers dont know what they are doing.

Additionally, all overseas terrorists that have come to this country have been suicide attackers, this guy ran from the vehicle after he planted it. Also most IEDs in Iraq and Afghanistan these days aren't timed bombs, they are built with triggers so they can be set off at any time. I keep with IED attacks and disarmed bombs through the Army and timed explosives are very very uncommon.

Lastly homegrown terrorists tend to be more concerned about their lives than Afghan, Pakistanis, or AQ in general. If this was someone from overseas it would have almost certainly been a suicide bomber. Its also unlikely that someone sent a bomb maker to the US, those people are valuable and most are trained and experienced in converting military explosives into IEDs, not propane tanks and fireworks.

I don't know anything other than open source but in my experience and education this says homegrown terrorist, I could even see this as someone without a terrorist agenda.
 
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