'The infidels will not be silenced'

But the militants are working at it

Here’s a midweek flash post, a few news items catching my attention. It’s also one way to thank you for being a paid subscriber.

This post has been edited to change an incorrect date for a USCIRF hearing on Afghanistan. The correct date is Aug. 24.

“The infidels will not be silenced,” writes Ayaan Hirsi Ali in a poignant reflection following the attack on Salman Rushdie.

Al-Shabab militants carried out a 30-hour siege on the Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Friday that left at least 21 dead and 117 wounded. It was the al-Qaeda-linked group’s longest hotel siege in its history of attacks inside the Somali capital. Two suicide car bombers preceded an assault team that opened fire, commandos trained by the U.S. and Turkey arrived to begin rescuing hotel guests, and Somali forces killed the gunmen. Noteworthy :

The hotel assault comes as the United States has increased its tempo of airstrikes against the al Qaeda branch. The US military has conducted at least 6 strikes against the group since June 3.