AFRICOM Related News Clips 29 Nov 2011

8/3/2019 AFRICOM Related News Clips 29 Nov 2011

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U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Office +49(0)711-729-2687 [email protected]

United States Africa Command

Public Affairs Office29 November 2011

USAFRICOM - related news stories

Good morning. Please find attached news clips related to U.S. Africa Command and

Africa, along with upcoming events of interest for November 29, 2011.

Of interest in todays clips:

In Somalia: Reuters is reporting that Al Shabaab continues to ban 16 aid groups coming

into the country; rebels continue to conduct raids and stealing much needed supplies for

the starving region.

In Kenya: Kenyan courts ruled that Sudan President Bashir should be arrested andhanded over to the International Criminal Court if he should visit the country.

In DRC: Elections turn violent and are plagued with logistical problems.

Provided in text format for remote reading. Links work more effectively when this

message is viewed as in HTML format.

U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs

Please send questions or comments to:

[email protected]

421-2687 (+49-711-729-2687)

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Top News related to U.S. Africa Command and Africa

UPDATE 3-Al Shabaab bans some aid groups in Somalia, loot offices (Reuters)http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL5E7MS1Y020111128?sp=true

28 November 2011

By Mohamed Ahmed and Katy Migiro

Al Shabaab rebels stormed and looted offices of aid organisations in famine-hit Somaliaon Monday, the United Nations said, and the rebels announced a ban on 16 relief

agencies from areas they control.

DR Congo polls disrupted by violence (Al Jazeera)http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/11/20111128124016868913.html

28 November 2011
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL5E7MS1Y020111128?sp=truehttp://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL5E7MS1Y020111128?sp=truehttp://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/11/20111128124016868913.htmlhttp://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/11/20111128124016868913.htmlhttp://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/11/20111128124016868913.htmlhttp://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL5E7MS1Y020111128?sp=truemailto:[email protected]


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Seven people have been killed in two separate clashes on election day in the southeast of

the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the country's interior minister has said.

DR Congo votes amid delays and violence (BBC)http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15910554

28 November 2011The Democratic Republic of Congo election has been marred by violence and logistical

problems. At least four people died after gunmen attacked polling stations in the second

city, Lubumbashi, officials say.

Kenya issues arrest papers for Sudan's Bashir (Al Jazeera)http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/11/2011112811423433705.html 28 November 2011

Court rules president should be arrested and handed to ICC over alleged war crimes and

genocide if he visits Kenya.

Sudan to expel ambassador after Kenya's Bashir warrant (BBC)http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15932019

29 November 2011Sudan ordered the expulsion of the Kenyan ambassador after a Kenyan judge issued an

arrest warrant for Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir, Sudan's foreign ministry has said.

The Secret War: Tense ties plagued Africa ops (Navy Times)http://www.navytimes.com/news/2011/11/army-tense-ties-plagued-africa-ops-112811w/

28 November 2011

By Sean D. Naylor

Along with some Ethiopian troops, a really small number of U.S. personnel werehunting a high-value target near the town ofBargal in Somalias autonomous Puntland

region when they came under heavy fire that not only prevented them from killing or

capturing the target but also pinned them down, according to several sources.

Japan seeks U.S. intelligence on S. Sudan (UPI)http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2011/11/28/Japan-seeks-US-intelligence-on-S-Sudan/UPI-96891322483389/

28 November 2011

Japan sought U.S. input as it prepared to send its security personnel for a U.N.peacekeeping effort in South Sudan, sources told the Yomiuri Shimbun.

After destroying Libya, Imperialists escalate war in Somalia (Worker's World)http://www.workers.org/2011/world/somalia_1201/27 November 2011

By Abayomi Azikiwe, Editor, Pan-African News Wire

The Western-orchestrated military effort to defeat the Islamic resistance group Al-Shabaab in Somalia is bogged down, despite the deployment of the most modern

weapons against this peoples movement. On Nov. 18, the Kenyan government
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15910554http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15910554http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/11/2011112811423433705.htmlhttp://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/11/2011112811423433705.htmlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15932019http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15932019http://www.navytimes.com/news/2011/11/army-tense-ties-plagued-africa-ops-112811w/http://www.navytimes.com/news/2011/11/army-tense-ties-plagued-africa-ops-112811w/http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2011/11/28/Japan-seeks-US-intelligence-on-S-Sudan/UPI-96891322483389/http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2011/11/28/Japan-seeks-US-intelligence-on-S-Sudan/UPI-96891322483389/http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2011/11/28/Japan-seeks-US-intelligence-on-S-Sudan/UPI-96891322483389/http://www.workers.org/2011/world/somalia_1201/http://www.workers.org/2011/world/somalia_1201/http://www.workers.org/2011/world/somalia_1201/http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2011/11/28/Japan-seeks-US-intelligence-on-S-Sudan/UPI-96891322483389/http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2011/11/28/Japan-seeks-US-intelligence-on-S-Sudan/UPI-96891322483389/http://www.navytimes.com/news/2011/11/army-tense-ties-plagued-africa-ops-112811w/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15932019http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/11/2011112811423433705.htmlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15910554


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announced it had requested greater U.S. military assistance in its campaign to li quidate

Al-Shabaab in southern and central Somalia.

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UN News Service Africa Briefshttp://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICA

UN envoy welcomes Somali and Central African progress on child soldiers28 NovemberNew commitments by Somalias transitional Government and the CentralAfrican Republic (CAR) to end the use of child soldiers are encouraging, a United

Nations envoy stressed today, but warned that despite these advancements, the situation

in both countries remains volatile.

Most pressing task for Libya is consolidation of security, UN envoy reports28 NovemberLibyas interim Government faces a number of challenges as it seeks tomove past the recent conflict and decades of dictatorship, the most immediate of which is

consolidating security, the top United Nations envoy to the country said today.

Voting in DR Congo elections relatively peaceful so far, UN says28 NovemberMillions of Congolese went to the polls today to cast their votes in

presidential and parliamentary elections, with senior United Nations officials urging all

political parties and their supporters to ensure that the ballot is staged peacefully.

Somalia: UN strongly condemns seizure of aid agency assets by insurgent group28 NovemberSenior United Nations officials today voiced grave concern over the

seizure by members of Somalias Al-Shabaab insurgent group of property belonging toUnited Nations agencies and several non-governmental organizations (NGOS) striving to

alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the countrys south.

Morocco: Ban welcomes peaceful conduct of legislative elections28 NovemberSecretary-General Ban Ki-moon today commended the peaceful staging

of legislative elections in Morocco and called for the incoming government to respond to

the aspirations of the North African countrys people.

(Full Articles on UN Website)

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Upcoming Events of Interest:

29 November 2011

Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) Johns Hopkins
http://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICAhttp://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICAhttp://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=40545&Cr=child+soldiers&Cr1=http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=40542&Cr=libya&Cr1=http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=40542&Cr=libya&Cr1=http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=40545&Cr=child+soldiers&Cr1=http://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICA


4/27


University Discussion on Tunisia: From Dictatorship to Democratic Era.Speaker: Salah Bourjini, former Division Chief of the U.N. Development ProgramWHERE: SAIS, Room 500, Bernstein-Offit Building, 1717 Massachusetts Avenue, NW

CONTACT: Felisa Neuringer Klubes at 202-663-5626 or [email protected]; web site:

www.sais-jhu.edu

SOURCE: SAIS - event announcement at:http://www.sais-jhu.edu/calendar/index.htm

30 November 2011

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) Discussion on "America's

Challenge: Engaging a Rising China in the Twenty-First Century."Speakers: Michael D. Swaine, David Lampton, and Geoff Dyer.

WHERE: CEIP, 1779 Massachusetts Avenue, NWCONTACT: 202-483-7600; web site: www.carnegieendowment.org

SOURCE: CEIP - event announcement at:

http://www.carnegieendowment.org/2011/11/30/america-s-challenge-engaging-rising-

china-in-twenty-first-century/7g14

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New onwww.africom.mil

Securing the Boat: Djiboutian Navy Hones Tacticshttp://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7463&lang=0 23 November 2011

Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa Public Affairs

"This is the Kennedy," said U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Albert "Boats" Perret,

Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa small boat tactics instructor, as he pointed tothe schematics of a small boat, which were displayed on the far wall of a conference

room overlooking the pier at Djibouti, Djibouti, November 23. "Its name has changed six

times (to confuse the authorities) since it left Somalia on its way to this harbor."

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FULL TEXT

UPDATE 3-Al Shabaab bans some aid groups in Somalia, loot offices (Reuters)http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL5E7MS1Y020111128?sp=true

28 November 2011By Mohamed Ahmed and Katy Migiro

MOGADISHU/NAIROBI, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Al Shabaab rebels stormed and looted
http://www.sais-jhu.edu/calendar/index.htmhttp://www.sais-jhu.edu/calendar/index.htmhttp://www.sais-jhu.edu/calendar/index.htmhttp://www.carnegieendowment.org/2011/11/30/america-s-challenge-engaging-rising-china-in-twenty-first-century/7g14http://www.carnegieendowment.org/2011/11/30/america-s-challenge-engaging-rising-china-in-twenty-first-century/7g14http://www.carnegieendowment.org/2011/11/30/america-s-challenge-engaging-rising-china-in-twenty-first-century/7g14http://www.africom.mil/http://www.africom.mil/http://www.africom.mil/http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7463&lang=0http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7463&lang=0http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL5E7MS1Y020111128?sp=truehttp://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL5E7MS1Y020111128?sp=truehttp://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL5E7MS1Y020111128?sp=truehttp://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7463&lang=0http://www.africom.mil/http://www.carnegieendowment.org/2011/11/30/america-s-challenge-engaging-rising-china-in-twenty-first-century/7g14http://www.carnegieendowment.org/2011/11/30/america-s-challenge-engaging-rising-china-in-twenty-first-century/7g14http://www.sais-jhu.edu/calendar/index.htm


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offices of aid organisations in famine-hit Somalia on Monday, the United Nations said,

and the rebels announced a ban on 16 relief agencies from areas they control.

Rebels occupied agency offices and took supplies in southern and central areas at a time

when a quarter of a million Somalis face starvation and Kenyan, Somali and Ethiopian

forces are fighting the al-Qaeda-inspired group.

Al Shabaab, which controls large areas of the anarchic country, said it had "decided to

permanently revoke the permissions of the following organisations to operate insideSomalia", naming 16.

These included agencies like the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR, the World HealthOrganisation (WHO), the U.N. children's agency UNICEF and the Norwegian and

Danish Refugee Councils. The International Committee for the Red Cross and Medecins

Sans Frontieres escaped the ban.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, through his spokesman, condemned in thestrongest terms possible the seizure of property and equipment belonging to aid groups

and U.N. agencies.

The U.N. Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, Valerie Amos, said she was

extremely concerned by the looting, urging the rebel group to reverse the announcementand withdraw from seized compounds of aid groups.

"Any disruption to ongoing humanitarian efforts threatens to undermine the fragile

progress made this year, and could bring back famine conditions in several areas," Amossaid in a statement.

The rebels, who are hostile to Western intervention, banned food aid last year in the areas

they controlled and kicked many groups out, saying aid created dependency. They liftedthe ban in July when the food crisis hit critical levels, only to re-impose it later.

Some organisations were found to be "persistently galvanising the local populationagainst the full establishment of the Islamic Sharia system", the group said in a statement.

Al Shabaab, which wants to impose its harsh interpretation of sharia, the Islamic moraland legal code, also accused the banned groups of financing and aiding "subversive

groups seeking to destroy the basic tenets of the Islamic penal system".

Pieter Desloovere, WHO Somalia's communications officer, said the agency's offices inthe Somali towns of Baidoa and Wajid had been attacked on Monday.

UNICEF's Jaya Murthy told Reuters the agency's offices had been occupied by alShabaab in Baidoa on Monday.

"All of our staff that were in the office at the same time were asked to leave. All of our


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7/27


U.N. and Tom Miles in Geneva; writing by Yara Bayoumy and Duncan Miriri; Editing

by)

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DR Congo polls disrupted by violence (Al Jazeera)http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/11/20111128124016868913.html

28 November 2011

Seven people have been killed in two separate clashes on election day in the southeast of

the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the country's interior minister has said.

Although voting was scheduled to be completed early on Monday evening, the chairman

of the country's electoral commission announced that voting would be extended at least

until Tuesday.

Election-related violence occurred in the southern city of Lubumbashi on Monday, afterarmed men attacked a vehicle carrying ballots and several voting centres, Bikanga Kazadi

told the AP news agency.

He said that the first attack happened before dawn when armed men opened fire on a

vehicle loaded with voting materials, including ballots. Later in the day, armed menattacked voting centres.

Kazadi said the army was called in to quell the attack. One policeman and four assailants

were killed, he said.

Separately, locals burnt down three polling stations in the neighbouring opposition

heartland of West Kasai and an election observer was badly injured in crowd violence,

electoral monitoring group RENOSEC said.

More than 31 million people are eligible to vote on Monday in the country's second

elections since back-to-back wars from 1996 to 2003. The country remains one of theworld's poorest despite an abundance of cobalt, copper, diamonds and gold.

About 19,000 candidates competing for 500 legislative seats, while 11 candidates arevying for the presidency.

Fraud allegations

The buildup to the vote has been dogged by concerns over whether the country is ready,

as election officials raced up until the last moments to finish their preparations, amid

rumours of electoral fraud.

In weekend clashes in the capital, Kinshasa, police and supporters of Etienne Tshisekedi,

the main opposition candidate, left four people dead and prompted the UN to appeal for
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/11/20111128124016868913.htmlhttp://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/11/20111128124016868913.htmlhttp://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/11/20111128124016868913.html


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calm.

"We've been able to speak to various candidates in this election. One is alleging

systematic fraud by authorities to favor the incumbent," Al Jazeera's Yvonne Ndege,

reporting from the capital, said. "He says children are being registered to vote and some

ballots were filled out before the election."

"People see no reason to conduct an exercise in which the people's votes don't count ...

[the fact that] the opposition is already presenting evidence of fraud is a warning oftension."

Our correspondent also said it was difficult to give a comprehensive account of electiondifficulties, since there were less than 1,000 election monitors for some 63,000 polling

stations.

Cindy McCain said that observers had stumbled upon what may be a case of ballot

stuffing in the east. The wife of US Sen John McCain is part of a team of independentobservers.

"But I'm really hopeful," McCain told Al Jazeera. "What we've seen has not been perfect

progress but a really good beginning."

In Goma, the main city in the east of the country and flagged as a possible election

hotspot in a region of the country where many areas are still controlled by armed groups,

people began arriving at polling stations on foot and motorcycle taxis before sunrise, Al

Jazeera's Azad Essa reported.

"There is talk of burnt ballot sheets and missing names on voter rolls, which has also

caused confusion and anger," he said. "Security also seems to have tightened up as we

approach closing time, compared to earlier in the day."

Etienne Senga, 25, had arrived early "to beat the crowds" and said he hoped for peace,

security and better economic opportunity.

Mapendo Furaha, 24, told Al Jazeera she intended to "vote for a new president" to replace

incumbent Jospeh Kabila.

"In 2006 [the last elections] I was hoping for peace and development," she said.

"We have at least gained peace but the development didn't not happen ... Perhaps thistime round it will."

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Anneke van Woudenberg, a senior researcher at Human RightsWatch, said: "It's a very slow start, and very chaotic. Quite a few offices are missing

materials.


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10/27


Helicopter deliveries

Polling has ended in most areas, except in some places where voting was extended

because of the late start.

The vote count has begun but final results are not expected for several days.

Election officials scrambled to get ballot papers distributed to all 60,000 of the polling

stations in the country - which is two-thirds the size of Western Europe and has littletransport infrastructure.

In many inaccessible areas, voting material was delivered by helicopter.

Some polling stations opened as scheduled at 06:00 local time. Because of the time

difference in this continent-sized country, this was 04:00 GMT in eastern areas and an

hour later in the west.

However, there were long delays in some areas due to a lack of voting material.

The BBC's Mamadou Moussa Ba in the south-eastern mining capital of Lubumbashi says

gunmen - suspected to belong to a secessionist movement - attacked two polling stations

in the city.

AFP news agency quotes a military spokesman as saying two policeman and a civilian

were killed and two soldiers wounded.

The governor of the local Katanga province, Moise Katumbi, told Reuters news agency

that three of the attackers had been killed and seven arrested.

Two vehicles carrying election materials were also attacked overnight just outsideLubumbashi, our reporter says.

The attackers wounded one driver and a security officer and set voting material on fire,election officials said.

Our reporter says there were lengthy delays at some polling stations, which failed to opensix hours after voting was due to start, although polling began on time in other areas.

President Kabila comes from the Katanga region around Lubumbashi and it has been a

stronghold of the governing party.

But Mr Tshisekedi is mounting a strong challenge and tension there has run high in

recent weeks.

'Who will pay?'


11/27


Mr Tshisekedi's Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) party said police

blocked his route as he was going to a polling station in Kinshasa, forcing him to go toanother voting centre to cast his ballot.

In West Kasai, anger at the long delays were fuelled by reports that stuffed ballot boxes

had been found, a UN source told the AFP news agency.

About 15 polling stations were burnt in this region, where Mr Tshisekedi has long

enjoyed strong support.

In Kinshasa, there were also reports of long delays while voter turnout was hit by

torrential rain.

Some voters told the BBC they were unable to cast their ballots - either because they

could not find their names on the electoral register or because someone had already voted

in their place.

In the north-eastern town of Kisangani, Jasper Mulungi protested: "I was here at 5am and

now they are telling me to move to another polling centre about 20km away. Who willpay for my transport?"

As well as the 11 presidential candidates, more than 18,000 are vying for seats in the 500-member parliament.

In some areas, the ballot paper ran to several pages and resembles a newspaper because

there are so many parliamentary candidates.

This is likely to have caused some confusion in a country where one-third of adults

cannot read or write.

The last election, in 2006, was marred by weeks of street battles led by supporters of the

losing candidate, Jean-Pierre Bemba.

A former rebel leader, he is now on trial for alleged war crimes at the International

Criminal Court in The Hague.

BBC East Africa correspondent Will Ross says that whether it is peaceful or not this time

will depend to a great extent on the behaviour of the candidates and whether the losers

are willing to accept defeat.

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Kenya issues arrest papers for Sudan's Bashir (Al Jazeera)http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/11/2011112811423433705.html

28 November 2011
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/11/2011112811423433705.htmlhttp://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/11/2011112811423433705.htmlhttp://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/11/2011112811423433705.html


12/27


A Kenyan court has ruled that Kenyan authorities should arrest Omar al-Bashir, Sudan's

president, and hand him over to the International Criminal Court (ICC) over alleged warcrimes and genocide in his country's western region of Darfur.

Monday's ruling means that Bashir's arrest "should be effected by the Attorney General

and the Minister for Internal Security should he [Bashir] ever set foot in Kenya," JudgeNicolas Ombija said.

Though Kenya has ratified the ICC's founding Rome statute, it failed to arrest theSudanese leader when he visited the country in August 2010.

Bashir, the subject of two arrest warrants issued by the ICC, denies the charges andfamously told the court to "dissolve the arrest warrant in water and drink it".

The first warrant was issued in March 2009 on charges of war crimes and crimes against

humanity, while the second was issued in July 2010 on charges of genocide.

Last year, Bashir attended a ceremony in the Kenyan capital Nairobi to mark the adopting

of Kenya's new constitution.

As a signatory of the ICC's founding treaty, Kenya was theoretically obliged to arrest al-

Bashir when he entered the country.

The UN estimates that at least 200,000 people have been killed in Darfur, but Sundan -

which split into two nations in July after a referendum - says only 10,000 people have

died in the conflict and that many died of hunger.

Violence in Darfur erupted in 2003 after the Justice and Equality Movement and the

Sudan Liberation Army attacked government troops, accusing them of marginalisation

and failure to protect villagers from attacks by nomadic groups.

The region is currently divided into three states - North, South and West Darfur - with

their own governors and administrations.

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Sudan to expel ambassador after Kenya's Bashir warrant (BBC)http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15932019

29 November 2011

Sudan ordered the expulsion of the Kenyan ambassador after a Kenyan judge issued an

arrest warrant for Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir, Sudan's foreign ministry has said.

Mr Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes in

Darfur.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15932019http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15932019http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15932019


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Sudan has ordered the Kenyan ambassador to leave the country within 72 hours.

It has also ordered the Sudanese ambassador in Kenya to return to Khartoum.

Mr Bashir was the first head of state to be indicted by the ICC, which accused him of

genocide and crimes against humanity in the Sudanese region of Darfur.

He denies the charges, saying they are politically motivated.

Chinese support

The High Court in Nairobi on Monday issued the arrest warrant for President Bashir afterKenya allowed him to visit the country in August in defiance of an ICC warrant for his

arrest.

In his ruling, Judge Nicolas Ombija said Mr Bashir's arrest "should be effected by the

attorney general and the minister for internal security should he ever set foot in Kenya".

The case was brought by a non-governmental organisation, the International Commissionof Jurists (ICJ).

Kenya is a signatory to the treaty which established the ICC in 2002. But like mostAfrican countries, it has refused to enforce the ICC warrant for Mr Bashir's arrest.

The African Union has lobbied for the arrest warrant to be deferred, accusing the ICC of

only investigating alleged war crimes in Africa and arguing that arresting Sudan'spresident would hamper the search for peace in Darfur.

Malawi and Chad are among other African countries that Mr Bashir has visited in

defiance of the arrest warrant.

The BBC's James Copnall in Khartoum says President Bashir's international reputation

reached its lowest point after the ICC issued an arrest warrant against him. But he hasreceived support from several Arab and African countries, and from China.

Some 2.7m people have fled their homes since the conflict began in Darfur in 2003, andthe UN says about 300,000 have died - many from disease.

Sudan's government says the conflict has killed about 12,000 people and the number of

dead has been exaggerated for political reasons.

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The Secret War: Tense ties plagued Africa ops (Navy Times)http://www.navytimes.com/news/2011/11/army-tense-ties-plagued-africa-ops-112811w/

28 November 2011
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2011/11/army-tense-ties-plagued-africa-ops-112811w/http://www.navytimes.com/news/2011/11/army-tense-ties-plagued-africa-ops-112811w/http://www.navytimes.com/news/2011/11/army-tense-ties-plagued-africa-ops-112811w/


14/27


By Sean D. Naylor

The U.S. operators were in trouble. Deep trouble. Along with some Ethiopian troops, a

really small number of U.S. personnel were hunting a high-value target near the town

of Bargal in Somalias autonomous Puntland region when they came under heavy fire

that not only prevented them from killing or capturing the target but also pinned themdown, according to several sources.

Running out of options on June 1, 2007, the operators called the destroyer Chafee sailingoff the coast. In response, Chafee fired more than a dozen rounds from its 5-inch gun, a

senior Pentagon official told Stars and Stripes (without mentioning that the mission was a

desperate bid to rescue U.S. troops in Somalia). That naval gunfirea rarity in themodern ageenabled the United States and Ethiopian troops to break contact and getaway, a senior intelligence official said.

The close escape was a notable moment in a relationship between U.S. and Ethiopian

forces that developed because each country perceived Somalias burgeoning Islamistmilitias as a threat but became strained as the U.S. pressed Ethiopia for more substantive

on-the-ground cooperation.

The middle years of the last decade proved difficult for the U.S.s efforts to destroy al-

Qaida in East Africa. By mid-2003, as the insurgency blossomed in Iraq, the CIA hadwithdrawn its Predator drones from Djibouti, according to a special operations source

with firsthand experience of operations in the Horn of Africa. There just wasnt a

lucrative enough target environment to maintain a Predator program over there, he said.

Lawless, anarchic Somalia was al-Qaidas sanctuary and hub in the Horn. But gettingU.S. intelligence and special ops personnel into Somalia was really, really difficult,

said the intelligence official.

INVASION PROVIDED A PATH

However, in 2006, an opportunity to gain greater access to Somalia presented itself whenEthiopia invaded Somalia in an effort to oust the Islamic Courts Union, an Islamist group

(sometimes referred to as the Council of Islamic Courts) that had seized power in

Mogadishu from the Transitional Federal Government. Ethiopia, which had fought twoprevious wars with Somalia, first sent forces across the border in July to prop up the

TFG, which had moved to Baidoa, about 160 miles northwest of Mogadishu. But in late

December, a far larger Ethiopian force invaded with the intent of driving the ICU from

power.

Despite speculation that Ethiopia invaded at the U.S.s behest, cables from the U.S.

Embassy in Addis Ababa released by WikiLeaks indicate Ethiopia felt forced to act by

circumstances in Somalia. The GOE [government of Ethiopia] feels ever morecompelled to intervene in southern Somalia to counter what it sees as the growing threat

of an extremist Islamic regime in Mogadishu that is cooperating with Eritrea and other


15/27


foreign elements to undermine Ethiopian stability and territorial integrity, said U.S.

Ambassador Donald Yamamoto in a Dec. 6, 2006, cable. The same cable accurately

predicted Ethiopia would invade in late December and that the incursion might prove

more difficult for Ethiopia than many now imagine.

The cables make clear that the U.S. expected Ethiopia to invade. Nonetheless, a seniormilitary official said events caught Joint Special Operations Command, which controls

the militarys elite special ops forces, unprepared.

The military wasnt prepared to take any advantage of it, the official said. We shouldhave been leaning forward to capitalize on this, and we did nothing.

JSOC scrambled to take advantage by sending in small teams with Ethiopian special

operations forces.

Less than a dozen JSOC operators went in, drawn from a mix of units, the intelligence

official said. The largest number came from Naval Special Warfare Development Group,sometimes known as SEAL Team 6. The Air Forces 24th Special Tactics Squadron also

provided personnel. The numbers were kept small because we didnt need that much,the official said.

But even the secret deployment of such small numbers of JSOC personnel into Somalia

created angst in Washingtons policymaking circles.

It was very uncomfortable, the intelligence official said.

JSOC would have gone with a much bigger capability and been much more aggressive.

As it was, the deployment had to be approved by the defense secretary, but he needed to

get concurrence, or at least acknowledgment from President George W. Bush, theofficial said.

JSOCs focus in Somalia was on the handful of high-value individuals linked to al-Qaida. The United States had little interest in killing large numbers of regular Islamist

fighters, the official said.

If we wanted to kill a couple of thousand guys, we could have done that pretty much any

time, the official said.

The U.S. preference was for Ethiopians to do the direct action missions against al-Qaidafigures whenever possible. The JSOC operators were to liaise with and provide assistance

to them, but also to effect a capture or a kill if necessary, the official said.

RAPID MOVEMENT


16/27


The mechanized Ethiopian columns made good progress at first, pushing southeast along

the Shabelle River Valley to Mogadishu, as well as along a more southerly axis toward

Somalias southern coast and the Kenyan border. They moved pretty rapidly and we did

seize on that to drive, and to help them drive, the al-Qaida guys toward the border of

Kenya, the official said.

In a Dec. 28 meeting with U.S. Ambassador to the African Union Cindy Courville, the

TFGs permanent representative to the African Union and ambassador to Ethiopia,

Abdulkarim Farah, said the Islamic Courts extremists had fled Mogadishu the previousday by boat headed for the southern port of Ras Kamboni, according to a cable sent that

day by U.S. Charge dAffaires Janet Wilgus, posted by WikiLeaks. Another Wilgus cable

the same day said Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi had reiterated his request

for U.S. help to interdict extremists.

Meles said that groups of ex-members of the CIC were fleeing south to Kismayo in a

convoy of approximately 150 vehicles, the cable reported. The CIC convoy included

foreign fighters, some wounded, and presumably some CIC leaders.

By Jan. 4, 2007, however, in a meeting with Assistant Secretary of State for AfricanAffairs Jendayi Frazer, Meles was hailing bilateral military cooperation with the UnitedStates and calling for continuing and improved joint intelligence operations to target

terrorists, according to a Jan. 8, 2007, cable from Yamamoto.

Meles welcomed support from the United States and called for continued cooperation to

capitalize on the situation on the ground in Somalia, the cable said, adding that Meles

said he had given his military chief of staff very clear guidelines to cooperate with the[U.S. government], including on identification of foreign fighters in Somalia.

However, some U.S. support quickly wore out its welcome with the Ethiopian leadership.

A LOW PROFILE

On Jan. 7, an Air Force special operations AC-130 gunship, apparently flying out ofEthiopia, struck suspected al-Qaida targets near Ras Kamboni. The next day, CBS News

quoted Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman as saying the strike was based on

intelligence that led us to believe we had principal al-Qaida leaders in an area where we

could identify them and take action against them.

In a Jan. 9 meeting with Yamamoto Meles noted that press reports of an alleged U.S.

strike in Somalia may create diplomatic problems for the United States, but so long as

terrorist targets are hit and the United States is seen as addressing Somalias humanitarianneeds, the United States will make a positive impact and receive support from the Somali

people, according to a Jan. 10, 2007, Yamamoto cable.

Meles urged the U.S. military, however, to keep its footprint slight, so as not to play

into the hands of jihadists who wish to portray action in Somalia as a crusade against


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Islam, Yamamoto stated. Meles said he was not concerned about press reports

regarding U.S. action in Somalia, so long as terrorist targets were hit.

Two days after the AC-130 attack, another airstrike hit four towns near Ras Kamboni.

(The type of aircraft used in the attack has never been confirmed. The Ethiopians had

their own attack helicopters, but a Jan. 12, 2007, Yamamoto cable refers to a U.S.military strike Jan. 9 against members of the East Africa Al Qaeda cell believed to be

on the run in a remote area of Somalia near the Kenyan border.)

With Ethiopia planning to pull most of its troops out of Somalia within a couple of

weeks, to be replaced by international peacekeepers, a note of concern began to creep

into exchanges between U.S. and Ethiopian officials. In a Jan. 11 meeting withYamamoto, Ethiopian Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin requested that the USG [U.S.

government] endeavor to keep U.S. military engagement in Somalia at a low profile,citing concerns among potential African TCCs [troop contributing countries] that media

reports of direct U.S. involvement in airstrikes created greater risk of terrorist attacks

against peace-keeping contingents, Yamamoto said in a Jan. 11 cable. Seyoumrecommended that the USG publicly state that it would not conduct any future military

operations in Somalia, so as not to alarm potential TCCs for Somalia.

But an AC-130 conducted another strike Jan. 22 in southern Somalia, which the

Washington Post reported Jan. 24. (An account in The Nation this year said the attackhappened Jan. 23 and targeted Ahmed Madobe, a deputy of ICU leader Hassan Turki.

Madobe survived the attack, but was captured, according to the magazine.) Meles met

privately with Yamamoto on Jan. 25 and told him the AC-130 strike was terrific

because the targets were hit and there were no civilian casualties, the ambassador

reported in a Jan. 25 cable. But Meles had a serious complaint. The problem was that inless than 24 hours after the strike, the Washington Post published a report on it, clearly

showing there is no opsec [operational security] on these military operations, the cable

said, adding that Meles was worried the publicity was weakening international supportfor the peacekeeping mission.

He requested that for opsecpurposes the gunships be removed from the area, the cable

continued. In addition, the Prime Minister requested that the U.S. refrain from furthermilitary strikes in Somalia. Instead, Meles said, Ethiopian forces would act on

information relating to where extremists were located. Yamamoto noted that the

Ethiopian military has been effective in acting quickly and engaging targets.

We recommend compliance with the Prime Ministers request for removal of the AC-

130 aircraft, Yamamoto said. Heavy press interest has made it difficult to secure andprotect AC-130 operations.

Before long, the AC-130 element was on its way out of Ethiopia.

They got told to go home, said the senior military official, adding that the Ethiopians

had warned that AC-130 operations would have to end if they were made public.


18/27


19/27


tank and anti-aircraft weaponry. He noted that the GOE had observed some tension

between the two groups in training camps in Somali [sic], but that their unusual

cooperation was continuing.

In his Jan. 11 meeting with Yamamoto, Seyoum, the Ethiopian foreign minister, said

Kenya had taken into custody senior Eritrean military officers who had beentraining, organizing, and commanding an international force to destroy the constitutional

government in Somalia before the Ethiopian offensive forced them across the Kenyan

border.

Meanwhile, the U.S. and Ethiopian forces enjoyed a patchy relationship with the

Kenyans as they tried to get Somalias southern neighbor to round up the most dangerousIslamists who fled across the border.

What we were trying to do was have forces postured [on the Kenyan side of the border]

so that when they came across to try to arrest or detain them, the intelligence official

said.

Armed JSOC personnel based in Kenya accompanied Kenyan forces to the border but

were there to enable the Kenyans rather than to conduct direct action missionsthemselves, the official said.

However, U.S. trust in the Kenyans was finite.

We were always convinced that the Kenyans were spilling their guts to certain Somali

elements, said an intelligence source with long experience in the Horn. Some of ourconcerns were well-founded. Others were not.

MARRIAGES OF CONVENIENCE

U.S. officials were not alone in their reservations. In his Jan. 4 meeting with Frazer,

Meles voiced concern that Kenyas susceptibility to financial inducements threatened

to jeopardize Ethiopias operations [and] called for the USG to highlight to Kenyanauthorities the need to capture extremists.

The Kenyans sometimes either released Islamists sought by the U.S. or they would just

not let them in, the senior intelligence official said. This ran counter to the U.S. desirefor Kenya to allow the Islamists to cross the border so they could be detained and

screened.

Were wanting them to let them in, roll up the whole group of them and then lets goface by face and start looking, the official said. Then you can push them back across

the border, those that are just Somalis that got rolled up. The failure to rein them in

meant some Islamist fighters probably lived to fight another day, the official said.


20/27


This type of behavior, in which a national ally could not be trusted to round up suspected

Islamist fighters on its territory, prompted the intelligence source with long experience in

the Horn to describe the region as a wilderness of mirrors characterized by marriagesof convenience between government and nongovernment actors in the Somali drama.

You never really knew who was a true partner and who wasnt, the source said.

Meles said in his Jan. 4, 2007, meeting with Frazer that he hoped Ethiopian troops could

withdraw within two weeks, following one week of mopping up. But his hopes were

misplaced. The Islamist fighters returned to Mogadishu and elsewhere to wage a guerrillacampaign that bogged the Ethiopians down for two years.

Ethiopian cooperation with U.S. forces against al-Qaida began to fray.

Our love relationship with them didnt last very long, the senior military official said.

Small JSOC teams continued working with the Ethiopians in Somalia, but it was a tense

partnership that Ethiopia did not want to expand, according to the official. JSOC wantedto train more Ethiopians, they wanted to train Ethiopian and Somali surrogates to go in

and do things, they wanted to do what you would naturally expect, the official said.

But the Ethiopians attitude was, We dont really want any help, we dont want to be

associated with you while were doing this, we dont want people to think were your

proxy, the official said. So that was the issue. There was a lot of pressure put on themand they wouldnt let us do the things that we wanted to do.

However, JSOCs role in training and fighting with Ethiopian special ops forces did notend immediately.

JSOC did that for a while, because after working with the most elite U.S. special

operators, the Ethiopians were reluctant to work with regular Special Forces, the specialops element most experienced in training host-nation militaries, the military official said.

But the U.S. campaign against Islamist militant leaders in Somalia continued, with a

notable success May 1, 2008, when at least one Tomahawk cruise missile fired from aNavy vessel slammed into a house in the town of Dhusamareb, killing Aden Hashi Ayro,

leader of the al-Shabaab militia that rose from the ashes of the ICU, as well as seven

other Islamist fighters. The attack occurred less than two months after a March 3Tomahawk strike hit the town of Dhoble. Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, a leading figure in al-

Qaida in East Africa, and Turki were reportedly there but survived the strike.

President Bush had to approve each strike, the senior intelligence official said.

The decision-making process was unbelievably painful, the official said. JSOCs

attitude was, Just let us make the decision and well be able to kill these guys, the

official said. As for political consequences, the official compared it to the decisions toauthorize Predator and Reaper drone strikes against al-Qaida targets in Pakistan and

elsewhere. Its like firing drones, it has a political consequence, [but] what would you


21/27


rather have: the guy dead and then you get through one weekend of Sunday talk shows

and you get onto another problem, or do you want this guy still around? And it was not

easy to convince the powers that be.

The official cited the strike that killed Ayro as an example.

In order for that decision to be made, the confidence level they wanted [was] almost 100

percent, because they didnt want to have this compound destroyed with a whole bunch

of women and children getting lined up, the official said. Therefore, U.S. forces really

had to time the collection of intelligence. For real-time video of the target site, the

military used a little-known variant of the Navy P-3 Orion aircraft called a Chain Shot. It

was a very good aircraft, very effective, the official said. We used that capability quite

a bit because it has long legs.

The Chain Shot flew out of Djibouti, the official said.

So the precision of timing when that thing was going to be on station, and then thetiming for when the TLAMs [Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles] had to be teed up, ready

to go, because if we saw the target, then the decision had to be made and its not just

push a button [on the Navy vessel firing the Tomahawk], theres a whole series of thingsthat the guys there had to go through, they had to tee everything up then theres the

time to fly it really, really had to be precise, the official said.

The Ethiopian military pulled out of Somalia in January 2009. The withdrawal closed a

window of opportunity for U.S. forces.

They were truly abetted by circumstances on the ground in Somalia that dont existanymore, said a former military officer with long experience in the CENTCOM theater.

But JSOC and the CIA had done their best to maximize the chances presented by the

Ethiopian invasion.

During that time, when the Ethiopians were in there because the Ethiopians went all

the way to Mogadishuthere was a lot of opportunities that we were trying to take

advantage of, and, in a way, did, the intelligence official said.

###

Japan seeks U.S. intelligence on S. Sudan (UPI.com)http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2011/11/28/Japan-seeks-US-intelligence-

on-S-Sudan/UPI-96891322483389/28 November 2011

TOKYO, Nov. 28 (UPI) -- Japan sought U.S. input as it prepared to send its securitypersonnel for a U.N. peacekeeping effort in South Sudan, sources told the Yomiuri

Shimbun.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2011/11/28/Japan-seeks-US-intelligence-on-S-Sudan/UPI-96891322483389/http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2011/11/28/Japan-seeks-US-intelligence-on-S-Sudan/UPI-96891322483389/http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2011/11/28/Japan-seeks-US-intelligence-on-S-Sudan/UPI-96891322483389/http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2011/11/28/Japan-seeks-US-intelligence-on-S-Sudan/UPI-96891322483389/


22/27


The government wants U.S. intelligence on the newly independent African nation, where

it plans to send about 300 members of its Ground Self-Defense Force in January, thenewspaper said.

South Sudan separated from Sudan and emerged as an independent country in July after

years of civil strife.

Japanese government sources told the newspaper the U.S. Africa Command will work

with the Japanese military.

The Japanese government, concerned its personnel do not get caught up in any conflicts

in the region, wants to know the security situation near the border with Sudan, thesources said.

Initially, the Japanese military contingent will mostly be involved in improving

infrastructure in areas near the capital of Juba, but the report said the United Nations also

wants the forces to be in the tense northern part of the country closer to Sudan.

###

After destroying Libya, Imperialists escalate war in Somalia (Worker's World)http://www.workers.org/2011/world/somalia_1201/27 November 2011

By Abayomi Azikiwe, Editor, Pan-African News Wire

The Western-orchestrated military effort to defeat the Islamic resistance group Al-Shabaab in Somalia is bogged down, despite the deployment of the most modern

weapons against this peoples movement.

On Nov. 18, the Kenyan government announced it had requested greater U.S. militaryassistance in its campaign to li quidate Al-Shabaab in southern and central Somalia.

During the same week the Ethiopian army reportedly crossed the border into Somaliaonce again in an effort to assist both the U.S. and Kenya. Kenya had launched a land

invasion into Somalia in October aimed at capturing Al-Shabaab bases in the southern

region and ousting the resistance movement from the strategic port at Kismayo.

In addition, the leaders of Uganda and Kenya traveled to Israel for a high-level meeting

to request its assistance in the Somalia war. Both Israel and the United States have had

economic and military ties with Kenya, formerly a British colony, for many years.

France also entered the war in Somalia during October. Its naval vessels reportedly

bombed areas in the south of the country. Despite a denial from Paris, Kenyan militaryspokespeople confirmed the French intervention.
http://www.workers.org/2011/world/somalia_1201/http://www.workers.org/2011/world/somalia_1201/http://www.workers.org/2011/world/somalia_1201/


23/27


The Pentagon has recently stationed drones in Somalia. Air strikes have been carried out

on a daily basis resulting in the deaths of hundreds of civilians. Washington suppliesfunding, arms and training for the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM). This

army of so-called peacekeepers has 9,000 Ugandan and Burundian troops, largely

based in the capital of Mogadishu, to bolster the U.S.-backed Transitional Federal

Government regime in the city.

Kenyan invasion stalled

Reports from the battlefield in Somalia indicate that the Kenyan military intervention is

not going well. Conditions of heavy rainfall and the lack of combat experience are

hampering the efforts to dislodge al-Shabaab from key towns in the south where it hasbuilt up fortified positions with support from the local population.

The Los Angeles Times reported Nov. 18 that U.S. officials were considering providing

military surveillance and reconnaissance, which could include imagery from drone

aircraft.

The U.S. has been a major player in Somalian affairs since the late 1970s, when theCarter administration persuaded former leader Mohammed Siad Barre to break ties with

the Soviet Union and ally Somalia with Washington. At that time Washingtons main

target in the region was the revolutionary government in Ethiopia supported by theformer USSR and Cuba.

With U.S. blessings and support, Somalia invaded Ethiopias Ogaden region in 1978,

trying to annex the territory, but was defeated. This failed expansionist adventure beganthe unraveling of the regime in Somalia. Later, in 1992 under the first Bush

administration, thousands of Marines were sent into Somalia ostensibly to provide

humanitarian assistance to drought-stricken people. The intervention was quickly

exposed as an invasion. A popular uprising forced their withdrawal by early 1994.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the revolutionary government of Mengistu

Haile Mariam in Ethiopia was pulled down. His successor, Meles Zenawi, has maintainedclose ties with Washington. Zenawi ordered troops into Somalia in late 2006 to support

U.S. aims in the region.

Despite large-scale assistance from the Pentagon, the Ethiopian military was defeated by

the resistance forces, led at that time by the Islamic Courts Union.

This latest push into Somalia by the combined forces of Kenya, France, the U.S.,Ethiopia, AMISOM and Israel is clearly designed to make this strategically located Horn

of Africa nation a base for imperialist intrigue. The U.S. Africa Command, known as

AFRICOM, already has a base in neighboring Djibouti. So does France. A similaroutpost in Somalia would strengthen the overall objectives of the Western capitalist

states: to secure East Africa as a continuing source of oil, raw materials, shipping lanes,

tourism and cheap labor.


24/27


Parallels to Libya war

The recent overthrow of the government of Col. Moammar Gadhafi in Libya has set a

dangerous precedent on the African continent. The U.S./NATO bombing campaign and

support for rebel forces has provided an opening for further penetration of AFRICOMelsewhere on the continent.

In Somalia, the Kenyan and AMISOM forces, along with a newly formed army under thecontrol of the TFG, are bogged down in a quagmire. By escalating U.S., French, Israeli

and Ethiopian military engagement, the imperialists are searching for a formula to

consolidate their hold over the region. As in Libya, this militarization will inevitably leadto further exploitation and impoverishment of the masses.

In Libya, U.S., British and French oil firms and other corporations are eager to exploit the

vast oil and natural gas reserves. Under Gadhafi, the nationalization of oil resources gave

Libyans the highest standard of living in Africa. Today, social programs that guaranteedfree education, health care, housing subsidies and womens equality are being

systematically abolished, with the blessing of the U.S. and the NATO countries.

The use of drones, fighter aircraft, naval vessels, CIA and MI-6 operatives along with

NATO-led rebel military forces on the ground sealed the fate of the Gadhafi government.A similar strategy is being utilized in Somalia, with total disregard for its impact on the

people.

With the nationwide crackdown on the Occupy Wall Street movement, the U.S. isseeking to crush opposition to its program of austerity at home and imperialist war

abroad. Anti-war organizations and the burgeoning anti-capitalist movement in the U.S.

must raise demands against increasing military interventions in Africa. These wars drain

resources away from the working class, the oppressed and youth here in order to enhancethe power and influence of international finance capital.

###

The Arab Spring: Neoliberalism, "Regime Change" and NATO (Global Research)http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1111/S00239/the-arab-spring-neoliberalism-regime-change-and-nato.htm

28 November 2011

By Michel Chossudovsky, Finian Cunningham and Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya

First in Global Research's Interactive Reader Series, we bring to the attention of our

readers a collection of Global Research articles on the "Arab Spring", covering recent

developments in several countries across the Middle East and North Africa region.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1111/S00239/the-arab-spring-neoliberalism-regime-change-and-nato.htmhttp://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1111/S00239/the-arab-spring-neoliberalism-regime-change-and-nato.htmhttp://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1111/S00239/the-arab-spring-neoliberalism-regime-change-and-nato.htmhttp://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1111/S00239/the-arab-spring-neoliberalism-regime-change-and-nato.htmhttp://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1111/S00239/the-arab-spring-neoliberalism-regime-change-and-nato.htm


25/27


The Interactive Reader is a collection of previously published articles on Global

Research. Its objective is to provide an overview as well as a comparative understandingof country-level experiences of the upheavals.

This selection of articles is intended to dispel the notion that the "Arab Spring" is just a

pro-democracy movement spreading spontaneously from country to country, opening theway to a meaningful change in the political and economic landscape. The term "Arab

Spring" is itself a Western-imposed term conjured up by people who appear to have little

understanding of the complexities and realities of the region.

The double-standards of the U.S. and the European Union have become visible during the

course of these tumultuous events. Both the US and the EU have kept silent about thebrutal repression of unarmed civilian protesters in the Persian Gulf sheikhdoms, such as

Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, while, by contrast, the Western powers have vehemently

pushed for conflict with Libya and Syria.

America is no "role model" of democratization for the Arab World, comprising some 22countries with a combined population of 300 million. US military presence imposed on

Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and other Arab countries over decades, coupledwith Washington-inspired "free market" reforms, are the root cause of state violence.

Washington's agenda for Egypt and Tunisia was to hijack the protest movement; whatprevails in Egypt is the maintenance of a de facto military regime. In Tunisia, following

the October 2011 parliamentary elections, the neoliberal policy framework remains

unscathed.

From Washington's standpoint, regime replacement no longer requires the installation of

authoritarian military rulers, as in the heyday of US imperialism. Regime change can be

implemented by co-opting political parties, financing civil society groups, infiltrating the

protest movement, and by manipulating national elections.

The ultimate objective is to sustain the interests of foreign powers and to uphold the

"Washington consensus" of the IMF/World Bank economic agenda that has served toimpoverish millions throughout the Arab World and beyond.

Moreover, Western powers have used "Political Islam" --including the MuslimBrotherhood and Al Qaeda-affiliated groups-- to pursue their hegemonic objectives.

Covert operations are launched to weaken the secular state, foment sectarian violence and

create social divisions throughout the Arab World.

In Libya, the "pro-democracy" rebels were led by Al Qaeda affiliated paramilitary

brigades under the supervision of NATO Special Forces. The much-vaunted "Liberation"

of Tripoli was carried out by former members of the Libya Islamic Fighting Group(LIFG).


26/27


Destabilization of sovereign states through "regime change" is closely coordinated with

military planning.

War preparations to attack Syria and Iran have been in an advanced state of readiness for

several years. The road to Tehran goes through Damascus. A US/NATO-sponsored war

on Iran would involve, as a first step, a destabilization campaign ("regime change")including covert intelligence operations in support of rebel forces directed against the

Syrian government.

A "humanitarian war" under the logo of "Responsibility to Protect" (R2P), as seen in

Libya, is on the Western powers' agenda for Syria. Such a venture would also contribute

to the ongoing destabilization of Lebanon.

Were a military campaign to be waged against Syria, Israel would be directly or

indirectly involved in military and intelligence operations. The hitherto covert role of

Saudi Arabia and Turkey in destabilizing Syria would also emerge as open aggression

towards long-time regional rival Iran.

A war on Syria could quite possibly ignite a conflagration across the entire Middle Eastand North Africa, with repercussions on a global scale: Iran's historic allies, Russia and

China, will be pitted against the US and NATO powers; and religious schisms across the

region could vent into an explosion of internecine conflicts; also proxy wars currentlybeing waged in East Africa by Western powers could escalate with untold human

suffering in an already famine-hit region.

War plans directed against Syria are coordinated with those pertaining to Iran.

Iran's alleged nuclear weapons programme is the pretext and the justification. Tehran is

also identified as a "State sponsor of terrorism", for allegedly supporting the Al Qaeda

network.

In recent developments, what is unfolding is an integrated attack plan on Iran led by the

US, with the participation of the United Kingdom and Israel.

The military deployment of US-NATO forces is occurring in several regions of the

World simultaneously.

Militarization at the global level is instrumented through the US military's Unified

Command structure: the entire planet is divided up into geographic Combatant

Commands under the control of the Pentagon.

The Pentagons global military design is one of world conquest. According to (former)

NATO Commander General Wesley Clark, the Pentagons military road-map consists of

a sequence of war theaters : [The] five-year campaign plan [includes]... a total of seven

countries, beginning with Iraq, then Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Iran, Somalia and Sudan.


27/27

f i d bli ff i ffi 6 f i il

What this collection of essays demonstrates is that Western intervention in this pivotal

world region is far from the benign rhetoric frequently spouted in Washington, London,Paris and Berlin, espousing universal human rights and democratic freedoms. Rather, we

are witnessing a neo-imperialist intervention that is self-serving, expedient and ultimately

setting the world on a path of incalculable destruction.

###

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