A video surfaces
threatening the Winter Olympics. Russia's President vows the Games will be
safe. Some U.S. lawmakers warn that they won't be.
One thing was clear as
debate over the situation surged on Sunday: security is a top concern, less
than three weeks away from the competition.
"It's a very
serious fear," Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, told CNN's State of the Union
Sunday.
Russian President
Vladimir Putin acknowledged that the Games, like any high-profile event, could
be a target for terrorists.
But, he said, Russia
has a "perfect understanding" of the threat and how to stop it.
As a transcript of his
interview with half a dozen national and international broadcasters was posted
on the Kremlin website Sunday, a video that surfaced online again highlighted
the security situation.
In the video, posted
on a well-known Jihadi forum website, two young men believed to have been
suicide bombers in last month's back-to-back bombings in the Russian city of
Volgograd speak of those attacks and make an ominous promise.
"We've prepared a
present for you and all tourists who'll come over," the video says.
"If you will hold the Olympics, you'll get a present from us for the
Muslim blood that's been spilled."
In the video, the men
are dressed in black and standing in front of a black banner with religious
verse that is typically associated with al Qaeda-linked extremists.
Last month's attacks
in Volgograd, a major transit hub about 650 kilometers (400 miles) away from
Sochi, sparked concerns over security as the Olympics approach.
The explosions
targeted a train station and a trolley bus and claimed the lives of more than
30 people.
In addition to the
Volgograd attacks, there has also been violence in recent days in the southern
republic of Dagestan -- the latest unrest linked to a long-running Islamist
insurgency in the North Caucasus region.
Putin has pledged that
visitors to Sochi for the Winter Olympics will be kept safe.
"We will try to
make certain that the security measures are not intrusive or too conspicuous,
so they are not too noticeable for the athletes, the Olympics' guests or
journalists," Putin said, according to the interview transcript.
"But at the same
time, we will do our utmost to ensure that they are effective."
Russia has plenty of
experience in keeping international events secure, Putin said, pointing to the
G8 and G20 summits as examples.
"Security is to
be ensured by some 40,000 law enforcement and special services officers,"
he said. "Of course, we will draw on the experience acquired during
similar events held in other regions of the world and in other countries. It
means that we will protect our air and sea space, as well as the mountain
cluster."
But several U.S.
lawmakers offered a different take Sunday on CNN's State of the Union.
King, a member of the
Senate Intelligence Committee, said he wouldn't go to the games himself,
"and I don't think I would send my family."
Rep. Mike Rogers,
chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, also called on the Russian
government to be more cooperative with the United States on intelligence
sharing ahead of the games.
"Their level of
concern is great, but we don't seem to be getting all of the information we
need to protect our athletes in the Games. I think this needs to change, and it
should change soon," Rogers said.
When asked whether he
thought Americans would be safe at the Games, former CIA and NSA director
Michael Hayden said he trusts Russia's ability to provide security.
"I think
Americans will be quite safe," he said.
(ALSO)
3 Americans among 21 killed in attack on restaurant in
Afghan capital
Three Americans were
among 21 killed in a Taliban attack Friday on a Kabul restaurant popular with
foreigners and affluent Afghans, the deadliest violence against foreign civilians
in the country since the start of the war nearly 13 years ago.
"The U.S. Embassy
in Kabul has confirmed that three U.S. Citizens were killed during the attack
in Kabul on January 17th. Our deepest sympathies go out to the families of
those killed" a State Department spokesperson said Saturday evening.
The victims have been
identified as Alexis "Lexie" Kamerman, an employee of the American
University of Afghanistan, Dr. Alexandros Petersen, a professor at the
university, and Basra Hassan, a Somali-American UNICEF worker.
Kabul police chief
Gen. Mohammad Zahir Zahir said Saturday that the victims included 13 foreigners
and eight Afghans, and that the majority are civilians.
He says the three
attackers, including a suicide bomber and two gunmen, were also killed during
Friday's assault on the Lebanese restaurant.
The dead included the
head of the International Monetary Fund in Afghanistan and three United Nations
staff.
The U.S. Ambassador to
Afghanistan, James Cunningham, said Saturday that the victims of the
"shameful act" were "united by their shared humanity and by
their commitment to building a peaceful future for Afghanistan."
"The Taliban
target those who have hope in, and work for, this country's success. With such
criminal acts the Taliban only destroy, they cannot build. The United States
remains firm in our commitment to a peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan where
Afghans and their partners can live and work together free from the threat of
violence," Cunningham said in a statement.
The U.N. chief
condemned Friday's attack "in the strongest terms," saying "such
targeted attacks against civilians are completely unacceptable and are in
flagrant breach of international humanitarian law," U.N. deputy spokesman
Farhan Haq said.
The Taliban claimed
responsibility for the attack.
Insurgents have
frequently targeted foreign interests around the country and in Kabul.
Job 18:11
Terrors shall make him afraid on every side, and shall drive him to his
feet.
Job 24:17 For
the morning is to them even as the shadow of death: if one know them, they are
in the terrors of the shadow of death.
Psalm 73:19 How
are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed
with terrors.
No comments:
Post a Comment