U.S. Expands "War on Terror" to Africa's 'Wild West'

I seem to remember many a poster on the left of me asking something like "Why just Saddam? Why not all the other places in the world?"...

And I seem to remember you refusing to answer.... As you're doing here.

DD!

Notice I have ignored the first poster, which will be the case since he is past hope!

Anon

But critics say the region is not a terrorist zone, as some senior U.S. military officers assert

So who are going to believe? The critics or senior US military officers?Well, if we're Liberals we have to believe the critics, because we never believe the US military.

During the first phase of the program, dubbed Operation Flintlock, 700 U.S. Special Forces troops and 2,100 soldiers from nine North and West African nations led 3,000 ill-equipped Saharan troops in tactical exercises designed to better coordinate security along porous borders and beef up patrols in ungoverned territories.

Now that sure sounds heavy handed! Damned American cowboys and their Wild West shenanigans!

Thirteen Algerian soldiers were killed and six were wounded when a Salafist bomb exploded under a truck convoy on June 8. Twelve troops died May 15 in an ambush 300 miles east of Algiers. Fifteen Mauritanian soldiers were killed and 17 were wounded in a June 4 raid on a remote military outpost. Some victims reportedly had their throats slit.

The Salafist Group said the offensive was a "message that implies that our activity is not restricted to fighting the internal enemy but enemies of the religion wherever they are."

No reason to worry about these guys.

European Command officials say there is recent evidence that 25 percent of suicide bombers in Iraq are Saharan Africans, and they suspect that "fighters are being trained in Iraq and then transiting back to Africa with the ability to teach techniques" to recruits there. Terrorist attacks such as the March 11, 2004, Madrid train bombings that killed 191 people have been linked to North African militants.

Well we can't believe those Europeans either, at least not when they don't say what we want to hear.

Some observers say terrorism in the Sahara is little more than a mirage and that a higher-profile U.S. involvement could destabilize the region.

And they would be:

An academic at the University of East Anglia in Britain
A Brussels Think-tank

Heads better start rolling at the Pentagon and State Depts!

As one special operations officer at the European Command involved in the initiative put it: "It's not as much about killing alligators as it is about draining the swamp."

And isn't that what it's supposed to be about?

""It's the Wild West all over again," said Maj. Holly Silkman, a public affairs officer at U.S. Special Operations Command Europe, which presides over U.S. security and peacekeeping operations in Europe, former Soviet bloc countries and most of Africa. Algeria, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Morocco, Nigeria and Tunisia take part in the initiative.

During the first phase of the program, dubbed Operation Flintlock, 700 U.S. Special Forces troops and 2,100 soldiers from nine North and West African nations led 3,000 ill-equipped Saharan troops in tactical exercises designed to better coordinate security along porous borders and beef up patrols in ungoverned territories. "

Seems the prudent thing to do and is in our interests to do so.


""The Algeria-based Salafist Group, which reportedly aims to topple the Algerian government and create an Islamic state, is estimated to have about 300 fighters. It was accused of kidnapping European tourists in 2003 and has taken responsibility for a spate of attacks in the Sahara this year.

Thirteen Algerian soldiers were killed and six were wounded when a Salafist bomb exploded under a truck convoy on June 8. Twelve troops died May 15 in an ambush 300 miles east of Algiers. Fifteen Mauritanian soldiers were killed and 17 were wounded in a June 4 raid on a remote military outpost. Some victims reportedly had their throats slit. "

These people do not sound like "freedom fighters " to me.

"European Command officials say there is recent evidence that 25 percent of suicide bombers in Iraq are Saharan Africans, and they suspect that "fighters are being trained in Iraq and then transiting back to Africa with the ability to teach techniques" to recruits there. Terrorist attacks such as the March 11, 2004, Madrid train bombings that killed 191 people have been linked to North African militants."

Why did you not post this little tid-bit?


""If anything, the (initiative) ... will generate terrorism, by which I mean resistance to the overall U.S. presence and strategy," said Jeremy Keenan, a Sahara specialist at the University of East Anglia in Britain.

A report by the International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based think tank, said that although the Sahara is "not a terrorist hotbed," repressive governments in the region are taking advantage of the Bush administration's "war on terror" to tap U.S. largesse and deny civil freedoms. "

So maybe they will like us better if we let them "do their thing"?

"Aside from the 2003 kidnapping issue, U.S. and Algerian authorities have failed to present "indisputable verification of a single act of alleged terrorism in the Sahara," Keenan said. "Without the GSPC, the U.S. has no legitimacy for its presence in the region," he said, noting that a growing American strategic dependence on African oil has led the United States to bolster its presence in the region. "

Well besides that....... there really great people!

""Reducing the threat is not as much about taking direct action as it is in eliminating conditions that allow terrorism to flourish," she said.

As one special operations officer at the European Command involved in the initiative put it: "It's not as much about killing alligators as it is about draining the swamp."

BINGO!!!

Will respond tonight. Time for Physical Therapy.

Anon

Oh yea, the military has been so reliable with their information and assessments of situations. Gag!



They're going to go in and back jackasses and penny ante dictators like Saddam, The Shah of Iran, Osama Bin Laden, ad infintum. THEY will be the next people hating our guts and wanting to kill us. It's the same **** all over again. They will be our enemy of tomorrow. You sure can't accuse Bush of not making sure the war continues.



$500 Million Dollars. FIVE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS. That for 44 casualties. I'm going to get into this deeper, but I think these guys probably aren't worth worrying about.



By all means DO listen to them! Your quote says they are being trained in Iraq. By golly, kill them in Iraq where the real terror action is!! We don't have all those soldiers over there to just goof around and get fat!



They can't do any worse than our f*ckup CIA that can't pull off a snatch and grab without having their every move detected. They did such a great job on 9/11 as well!



There's no swamp to drain. Haliburton just needs some more fat, no bid contracts so that they can ripoff the American taxpayer some more!

Anon

Anon

You're a crank.

I forgot what a crank you were.

I won't make the same mistake again by responding to your postings.

Please consider me of the same status as McGentrix: "Past hope"

Finn

I knew that before I started

You're not past hope, you're just the typical republican rightwinger that doesn't give a **** what we do as long as it helps the rightwing maintain more control, more power, make more money, etc. You are neither stupid or ignorant! You have the capability to understand, matter of fact that's the problem. You DO understand, and it's all fine with you!

The reason I bring this situation up now, is that there isn't a problem there to speak of as of now. After we're through f*cking with it in our usual SOP, it will be a major problem that requires of course, more war, more taxpayers dollars, and more dead military. This is rightwing Nirvana because it means MONEY and it means POWER and it means CONTROL!!!! The rightwing can continue to cash in while they fill our young with ideas that it's for Mom, Apple Pie, and Patriotism. For the most part, the young and the ignorant are the only ones who buy that line, and they get to die or be disabled for it. I'm not happy about this happening to our kids so the venal rightwing can get rich! I'm also not thrilled about indebting the country for decades for the same reason. The truth is, I am the ULTIMATE patriot because I want what's better for the nation as a whole, not just rich rightwingers. If that's being cranky, what the hell, we all have our crosses to bear!

George Bush has been warned. It's another disaster, waiting to happen. Unfortunately, that is exactly what the rightwing wants. I'm starting another topic soon which shows just how much money IT DOES MEAN.

Stay tuned!

Your buddy ... Much love,
Anon

http://www.able2know.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=66200&highlight=

Right on Anon. I read all your post. I don't see a crank.

I'm not sure I disapprove completely. While I think any American military presence in that area would be a mistake and might cause problems where none exist -- yet. Economic development would go a long way toward preventing future problems there. If it's done correctly, it could stem the tide. If it's done badly, it will open the flood gates.

Finn calls me a crank because he has no other defense. There is no defense for his positions, and he knows it.

Another reason he can't deal with me is because I think I have his number. Back at Abuzz, Finn made a statement about how the "rebuilding effort was going quite well, Thank you!" I could be wrong, but I think Finn baby is one of the venal rightwingers cashing in on American blood, so of course he's all for it. As we all know, the major "rebuilding" in reality is building American Military bases. Iraqis are still wating for electricity to reach pre-war levels.

So, Finn ignoring me is not much of a loss! Matter of fact, that is probably winning!

Thanks for reading my topic!

Anon

That's what Able2Know is all about!



And how do you think the Bush Administration will handle it ... correctly, or badly?

Anon

Personally, I don't have much faith in their ability to get it right. I have never had the expectation of competence with this administration and so far I have yet to be disappointed. But in this case I would certainly love to be surprised. It's possible that this program has been delegated to some folks with a clue and not the usual political cronies. One can only hope.

In all honesty, the fubaring of the M.E. started decades ago. We have just made it go from awful to vile!

Anon