Guy Taylor
Articles by Guy Taylor
U.S. ‘very closely’ monitoring worldwide spread of Islamic State
President Obama's top adviser overseeing the coalition fighting the Islamic State said Thursday that U.S. officials are "very closely" monitoring the potential spread of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's extremist movement beyond Syria and Iraq, especially as international efforts ramp up toward crushing the group in those two nations. Published December 11, 2014
House criticizes White House on Islamic State progress
Sparks flew at a hearing on Capitol Hill on Wednesday when a key Republican accused the White House of "dithering" in its strategy for destroying the Islamic State group, while a top administration official argued the fight is in only its "earliest phase" and that progress is likely to be "uneven going forward." Published December 10, 2014
Qatar allows money to flow to Islamic State, other terrorists: report
The government of Qatar continues to willfully turn a blind eye to individuals channeling money to al Qaeda-affiliated groups across the Middle East, as well as to Islamic State extremists in Syria and Iraq, despite joining a U.S.-led military coalition battling the group, according to a report released Wednesday by a think tank in Washington. Published December 10, 2014
CIA refutes ‘torture report,’ says interrogation tactics thwarted terror plots
The CIA hit back angrily against the findings of the long-awaited "torture report" by Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee Tuesday by claiming that the techniques used on terror suspects after 9/11 yielded "valuable and unique intelligence" that helped disrupt future attacks and directly aided in the hunt for Osama bin Laden. Published December 9, 2014
Report suggests CIA misled DOJ on frequency of waterboarding
A Senate report on the harsh treatment of terrorism suspects during interrogation says evidence suggests the CIA used "waterboarding" on more than three detainees, contrary to what the agency has previously told the Justice Department. Published December 9, 2014
CIA’s ‘harsh’ tactics against al Qaeda suspects didn’t work: Senate report
President Obama said Tuesday that a long-awaited Senate report on CIA torture of terrorism suspects details "a troubling program" that harmed America's reputation, reasons that he ended the practices soon after taking office. Published December 9, 2014
White House on Senate torture report: Proper security precautions taken in advance of release
Obama administration officials said Monday the "necessary precautions" have been taken at U.S. facilities around the world in preparation for the looming release of a Senate report on the alleged use of torture by the CIA. Published December 8, 2014
Obama to take hits at Ashton Carter confirmation
Ashton Carter is expected to cruise to confirmation as the Obama administration's fourth defense secretary in just six years, even as Republicans prepare to use his confirmation hearing to hammer the president's national security policy for lacking organization and vision. Published December 7, 2014
John Kerry condemns Iran detention of Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian
The State Department on Sunday condemned the Iranian government's leveling of unspecified charges against Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, who has been detained in the Islamic republic since July. Published December 7, 2014
Feinstein readies release of damning report on CIA terror programs
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein is seeking to draw maximum media attention as she prepares the to release "over the coming days" of the panel's long anticipated and highly critical report on harsh CIA interrogation tactics used on terror suspects after the 9/11 attacks. Published December 5, 2014
Putin’s push to reinstate Soviet power will grow, ex-CIA chief says
The former top CIA official is warning that even if Russian President Vladimir Putin were to measurably tone down his expansionist rhetoric in the near term, his push to grow Russia's influence over former Soviet states "seems only to have just begun." Published December 4, 2014
White House confirms failed secret mission to rescue American held by al Qaeda
The Obama administration revealed Thursday that a secret mission launched by U.S. forces inside Yemen last month failed to rescue American Luke Somers — held hostage by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula since September 2013. Published December 4, 2014
Iran airstrikes target Islamic State; John Kerry sees participation as ‘net positive’
Iranian fighter jets have begun pounding Islamic State targets, and France said Wednesday that it will ramp up its airstrikes as a U.S.-led coalition met for the first time since the extremists began seizing swaths of Iraq and Syria nearly a year ago. Published December 3, 2014
John Kerry admits: U.S. wants Iran’s help in bombing Islamic State
Secretary of State John F. Kerry effectively gave the green light Wednesday for Iran to use direct military force against the Islamic State movement in Iraq, but said there are no plans for U.S. forces to coordinate with their Iranian counterparts in battling the extremists. Published December 3, 2014
Syria refugees go hungry as wealthy nations fail to deliver millions in promised aid
Wealthy nations that pledged hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitarian aid to refugees of Syria's civil war haven't come through with the money, according to data compiled by the top U.N. agency tracking the funds. Published December 2, 2014
Islamic State opening front in North Africa
In its war to create a caliphate across Syria and Iraq, the Islamic State is opening a front in North Africa, where affiliated militants are wreaking havoc in eastern Libya and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula — presenting a complex challenge for Washington and its allies in the region. Published November 27, 2014
Eerie lack of terror chatter this Thanksgiving, but feds keep ‘vigilant’
U.S. authorities say there's no specific "chatter" indicating an imminent terrorist plot targeting the American homeland, but intelligence and law enforcement officials are staying vigilant around Thanksgiving — which arrives just weeks after the Department of Homeland Security cited an enhanced threat of "lone" wolf attacks in the United States. Published November 26, 2014
Pentagon to send more troops to Afghanistan as NATO comes up short
The Obama administration plans to add up to 1,000 troops to the U.S. ground forces that will remain in Afghanistan next year in order to fill a gap left by NATO partners. Published November 25, 2014
Islamic State pocketed as much as $45 million in ransoms in past year
The Islamic State has raked in as much as $45 million in ransom payments over the past year, a U.N. counterterrorism official says, Published November 25, 2014
Iran nuclear talks extension gives Republicans time to press for increased sanctions
President Obama's willingness to extend by seven months the talks on ending Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions thrusts any final decision on the matter into a new year when Republicans will have control of both chambers of Congress and be able to press their own efforts at increasing sanctions or other pressures on Tehran. Published November 24, 2014