Brings to mind Iran contra. On Aug 12, 2016 12:30 PM, "MJ" <[email protected]> wrote:
> May 24, 2015 > > *Secret Pentagon Report Reveals US "Created" ISIS As A "Tool" To Overthrow > Syria's President Assad *by Tyler Durden > > From the first sudden, and quite dramatic, appearance of the fanatical > Islamic group known as ISIS which was largely unheard of until a year ago, > on the world's stage and which promptly replaced the worn out and tired al > Qaeda as the world's terrorist bogeyman, we suggested that the "*straight > to beheading YouTube clip*" purpose behind the Saudi Arabia-funded > Islamic State > <http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/06/14/america-s-allies-are-funding-isis.html>was > a simple one: use the Jihadists as the vehicle of choice to achieve a > political goal: depose of Syria's president Assad, who for years has stood > in the way of a critical Qatari natural gas pipeline > <http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-05-16/mystery-sponsor-weapons-and-money-syrian-rebels-revealed>, > one which could dethrone Russia as Europe's dominant - and belligerent - > source of energy, reaching an interim climax with the unsuccessful > Mediterranean Sea military build up of 2013, which nearly resulted in > quasi-world war. > > The narrative and the plotline were so transparent, even Russia saw right > through them. Recall from September of last year > <http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-09-11/russia-warns-obamas-two-faced-strategy-syria-will-lead-huge-escalation-middle-east-a> > : > > If the West bombs Islamic State militants in Syria without consulting > Damascus, LiveLeak reports > <http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=760_1410383985#Iv1gTyxwvHzlfUFs.99> that > the anti-ISIS alliance may use the occasion to launch airstrikes against > President Bashar Assad’s forces, according to Russian Foreign Minister > Sergey Lavrov. Clearly comprehending that Obama's new strategy against > ISIS in Syria is all about pushing the Qatar pipeline through > <http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-05-16/mystery-sponsor-weapons-and-money-syrian-rebels-revealed> > (as > was the impetus behind the 2013 intervention push) > <http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-05-16/mystery-sponsor-weapons-and-money-syrian-rebels-revealed>, > Russia is pushing back noting that the it is using ISIS as a pretext for > bombing Syrian government forces and warning that "such a development would > lead to a huge escalation of conflict in the Middle East and North Africa." > > But it's one thing to speculate; it's something entirely different to have > hard proof. > > And while speculation was rife that just like the CIA-funded al Qaeda > <http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/15/world/asia/cia-funds-found-their-way-into-al-qaeda-coffers.html?_r=0>had > been used as a facade by the US to achieve its own geopolitical and > national interests over the past two decades, so ISIS was nothing more than > al Qaeda 2.0, there was no actual evidence of just this. > > That may all have changed now when a declassified secret US government > document obtained by the public interest law firm, Judicial Watch, shows > that Western governments deliberately allied with al-Qaeda and other > Islamist extremist groups to topple Syrian dictator Bashir al-Assad. > > According to investigative reporter Nafeez Ahmed in Medium, the "leaked > document reveals that in coordination with the Gulf states and Turkey, the > West intentionally sponsored violent Islamist groups to destabilize Assad, > despite anticipating that doing so could lead to the emergence of an > ‘Islamic State’ in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). > > According to the newly declassified US document, the Pentagon foresaw the > likely rise of the ‘Islamic State’ as a direct consequence of the strategy, > but described this outcome as a strategic opportunity to “isolate the > Syrian regime.” > > And not just that: as we reported last week > <http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-05-22/how-you-boost-gdp-us-sells-over-4-billion-weapons-israel-iran-and-saudi-arabia>, > now that ISIS is running around the middle east, cutting people's heads of > in 1080p quality and Hollywood-quality (perhaps literally) video, the US > has a credible justification to sell billions worth of modern, > sophisticated weapons in the region in order to "modernize" and "replenish" > the weapons of such US allies as Saudi Arabia, Israel and Iraq. > > But that the US military-industrial complex is a winner every time war > breaks out anywhere in the world (usually with the assistance of the CIA) > is clear to everyone by now. What wasn't clear is just how the US > predetermined the current course of events in the middle east. > > Now, thanks to the following declassified report, we have a far better > understanding of not only how current events in the middle east came to be, > but what America's puppermaster role leading up to it all, was. > > From Nafeez Ahmed: Secret Pentagon report reveals West saw ISIS as > strategic asset Anti-ISIS coalition knowingly sponsored violent extremists > to ‘isolate’ Assad, rollback ‘Shia expansion', originally posted in Medium > <https://medium.com/insurge-intelligence/secret-pentagon-report-reveals-west-saw-isis-as-strategic-asset-b99ad7a29092> > . > > [image: []] > <http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/default/files/images/user5/imageroot/2015/05/isis%20US%20role.jpeg> > > Hypocrisy > > > > The revelations contradict the official line of Western government on > their policies in Syria, and raise disturbing questions about secret > Western support for violent extremists abroad, while using the burgeoning > threat of terror to justify excessive mass surveillance and crackdowns on > civil liberties at home. > > Among the batch of documents obtained by Judicial Watch through a federal > lawsuit, released earlier this week, is a US Defense Intelligence Agency > (DIA) document > <http://www.judicialwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Pg.-291-Pgs.-287-293-JW-v-DOD-and-State-14-812-DOD-Release-2015-04-10-final-version11.pdf> > then classified as “secret,” dated 12th August 2012. > > The DIA provides military intelligence in support of planners, > policymakers and operations for the US Department of Defense and > intelligence community. > > So far, media reporting has focused on the evidence that the Obama > administration knew of arms supplies from a Libyan terrorist stronghold to > rebels in Syria. > > Some outlets have reported the US intelligence community’s internal > prediction of the rise of ISIS. Yet none have accurately acknowledged the > disturbing details exposing how the West knowingly fostered a sectarian, > al-Qaeda-driven rebellion in Syria. > > Charles Shoebridge, a former British Army and Metropolitan Police > counter-terrorism intelligence officer, said: > > “Given the political leanings of the organisation that obtained these > documents, it’s unsurprising that the main emphasis given to them thus far > has been an attempt to embarrass Hilary Clinton regarding what was known > about the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi in 2012. However, the > documents also contain far less publicized revelations that raise vitally > important questions of the West’s governments and media in their support of > Syria’s rebellion.” > > > > > *The West’s Islamists*The newly declassified DIA document > <http://www.judicialwatch.org/document-archive/pgs-287-293-291-jw-v-dod-and-state-14-812-2/> > from 2012 confirms that the main component of the anti-Assad rebel forces > by this time comprised Islamist insurgents affiliated to groups that would > lead to the emergence of ISIS. Despite this, these groups were to continue > receiving support from Western militaries and their regional allies. > > Noting that “the Salafist [sic], the Muslim Brotherhood, and AQI [al-Qaeda > in Iraq] are the major forces driving the insurgency in Syria,” the > document states that “the West, Gulf countries, and Turkey support the > opposition,” while Russia, China and Iran “support the [Assad] regime.” > > The 7-page DIA document states that al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), the precursor > to the ‘Islamic State in Iraq,’ (ISI) which became the ‘Islamic State in > Iraq and Syria,’ “supported the Syrian opposition from the beginning, both > ideologically and through the media.” > > The formerly secret Pentagon report notes that the “rise of the insurgency > in Syria” has increasingly taken a “sectarian direction,” attracting > diverse support from Sunni “religious and tribal powers” across the region. > > In a section titled ‘The Future Assumptions of the Crisis,’ the DIA report > predicts that while Assad’s regime will survive, retaining control over > Syrian territory, the crisis will continue to escalate “into proxy war.” > > The document also recommends the creation of “safe havens under > international sheltering, similar to what transpired in Libya when Benghazi > was chosen as the command centre for the temporary government.” > > In Libya, anti-Gaddafi rebels, most of whom were al-Qaeda affiliated > militias, were protected > <http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/good-news-uk-counter-extremism-plans-could-be-used-silence-katie-hopkins-1353190385> > by NATO ‘safe havens’ (aka ‘no fly zones’). > > > > *‘Supporting powers want’ ISIS entity*In a strikingly prescient > prediction, the Pentagon document explicitly forecasts the probable > declaration of “an Islamic State through its union with other terrorist > organizations in Iraq and Syria.” > > Nevertheless, “Western countries, the Gulf states and Turkey are > supporting these efforts” by Syrian “opposition forces” fighting to > “control the eastern areas (Hasaka and Der Zor), adjacent to Western Iraqi > provinces (Mosul and Anbar)”: > > “… there is the possibility of establishing a declared or undeclared > Salafist Principality in eastern Syria (Hasaka and Der Zor), and this is > exactly what the supporting powers to the opposition want, in order to > isolate the Syrian regime, which is considered the strategic depth of the > Shia expansion (Iraq and Iran).” > > The secret Pentagon document thus provides extraordinary confirmation that > the US-led coalition currently fighting ISIS, had three years ago welcomed > the emergence of an extremist “Salafist Principality” in the region as a > way to undermine Assad, and block off the strategic expansion of Iran. > Crucially, Iraq is labeled as an integral part of this “Shia expansion.” > > The establishment of such a “Salafist Principality” in eastern Syria, the > DIA document asserts, is “exactly” what the “supporting powers to the > [Syrian] opposition want.” Earlier on, the document repeatedly describes > those “supporting powers” as “the West, Gulf countries, and Turkey.” > > Further on, the document reveals that Pentagon analysts were acutely aware > of the dire risks of this strategy, yet ploughed ahead anyway. > > The establishment of such a “Salafist Principality” in eastern Syria, it > says, would create “the ideal atmosphere for AQI to return to its old > pockets in Mosul and Ramadi.” Last summer, ISIS conquered Mosul in Iraq, > and just this month has also taken control of Ramadi. > > Such a quasi-state entity will provide: > > “… a renewed momentum under the presumption of unifying the jihad among > Sunni Iraq and Syria, and the rest of the Sunnis in the Arab world against > what it considers one enemy. ISI could also declare an Islamic State > through its union with other terrorist organizations in Iraq and Syria, > which will create grave danger in regards to unifying Iraq and the > protection of territory.” > > The 2012 DIA document is an Intelligence Information Report (IIR), not a > “finally evaluated intelligence” assessment, but its contents are vetted > before distribution. The report was circulated throughout the US > intelligence community, including to the State Department, Central Command, > the Department of Homeland Security, the CIA, FBI, among other agencies. > > In response to my questions about the strategy, the British government > simply denied the Pentagon report’s startling revelations of deliberate > Western sponsorship of violent extremists in Syria. A British Foreign > Office spokesperson said: > > “AQ and ISIL are proscribed terrorist organisations. The UK opposes all > forms of terrorism. AQ, ISIL, and their affiliates pose a direct threat to > the UK’s national security. We are part of a military and political > coalition to defeat ISIL in Iraq and Syria, and are working with > international partners to counter the threat from AQ and other terrorist > groups in that region. In Syria we have always supported those moderate > opposition groups who oppose the tyranny of Assad and the brutality of the > extremists.” > > The DIA did not respond to request for comment. > > > > *Strategic asset for regime-change*Security analyst Shoebridge, however, > who has tracked Western support for Islamist terrorists in Syria since the > beginning of the war, pointed out that the secret Pentagon intelligence > report exposes fatal contradictions at the heart of official pronunciations: > > “Throughout the early years of the Syria crisis, the US and UK > governments, and almost universally the West’s mainstream media, promoted > Syria’s rebels as moderate, liberal, secular, democratic, and therefore > deserving of the West’s support. Given that these documents wholly > undermine this assessment, it’s significant that the West’s media has now, > despite their immense significance, almost entirely ignored them.” > > According to Brad Hoff, a former US Marine who served during the early > years of the Iraq War and as a 9/11 first responder at the Marine Corps > Headquarters in Battalion Quantico from 2000 to 2004, the just released > Pentagon report for the first time provides stunning affirmation that: > > “US intelligence predicted the rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and the > Levant (ISIL or ISIS), but instead of clearly delineating the group as an > enemy, the report envisions the terror group as a US strategic asset.” > > Hoff, who is managing editor of Levant Report > <http://levantreport.com/2015/05/19/2012-defense-intelligence-agency-document-west-will-facilitate-rise-of-islamic-state-in-order-to-isolate-the-syrian-regime/> > ?an online publication run by Texas-based educators who have direct > experience of the Middle East??points out that the DIA document > “matter-of-factly” states that the rise of such an extremist Salafist > political entity in the region offers a “tool for regime change in Syria.” > > The DIA intelligence report shows, he said, that the rise of ISIS only > became possible in the context of the Syrian insurgency??“there is no > mention of US troop withdrawal from Iraq as a catalyst for Islamic State’s > rise, which is the contention of innumerable politicians and pundits.” The > report demonstrates that: > > “The establishment of a ‘Salafist Principality’ in Eastern Syria is > ‘exactly’ what the external powers supporting the opposition want > (identified as ‘the West, Gulf Countries, and Turkey’) in order to weaken > the Assad government.” > > The rise of a Salafist quasi-state entity that might expand into Iraq, and > fracture that country, was therefore clearly foreseen by US intelligence as > likely??but nevertheless strategically useful??blowback from the West’s > commitment to “isolating Syria.” > > > > *Complicity*Critics of the US-led strategy in the region have repeatedly > raised questions about the role of coalition allies in intentionally > providing extensive support to Islamist terrorist groups in the drive to > destabilize the Assad regime in Syria. > > The conventional wisdom is that the US government did not retain > sufficient oversight on the funding to anti-Assad rebel groups, which was > supposed to be monitored and vetted to ensure that only ‘moderate’ groups > were supported. > > However, the newly declassified Pentagon report proves unambiguously that > years before ISIS launched its concerted offensive against Iraq, the US > intelligence community was fully aware that Islamist militants constituted > the core of Syria’s sectarian insurgency. > > Despite that, the Pentagon continued to support the Islamist insurgency, > even while anticipating the probability that doing so would establish an > extremist Salafi stronghold in Syria and Iraq. > > As Shoebridge told me, “The documents show that not only did the US > government at the latest by August 2012 know the true extremist nature and > likely outcome of Syria’s rebellion”??namely, the emergence of ISIS??“but > that this was considered an advantage for US foreign policy. This also > suggests a decision to spend years in an effort to deliberately mislead the > West’s public, via a compliant media, into believing that Syria’s rebellion > was overwhelmingly ‘moderate.’” > > Annie Machon > <http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/oct/24/mi6-whistleblowers-accuses-intelligence-agencies-annie-machon>, > a former MI5 intelligence officer who blew the whistle > <http://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/nov/15/gender.uk> in the 1990s on > MI6 funding of al-Qaeda to assassinate Libya’s former leader Colonel > Gaddafi, similarly said of the revelations: > > “This is no surprise to me. Within individual countries there are always > multiple intelligence agencies with competing agendas.” > > She explained that MI6’s Libya operation in 1996, which resulted in the > deaths of innocent people, “happened at precisely the time when MI5 was > setting up a new section to investigate al-Qaeda.” > > This strategy was repeated on a grand scale in the 2011 NATO intervention > in Libya, said Machon, where the CIA and MI6 were: > > “… supporting the very same Libyan groups, resulting in a failed state, > mass murder, displacement and anarchy. So the idea that elements of the > American military-security complex have enabled the development of ISIS > after their failed attempt to get NATO to once again ‘intervene’ is part of > an established pattern. And they remain indifferent to the sheer scale of > human suffering that is unleashed as a result of such game-playing.” > > > > > *Divide and rule*Several US government officials have conceded that their > closest allies in the anti-ISIS coalition were funding violent extremist > Islamist groups that became integral to ISIS. > > US Vice President Joe Biden, for instance, admitted > <http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/cancer-modern-capitalism-1323585268> > last year that Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Turkey had funneled > hundreds of millions of dollars to Islamist rebels in Syria that > metamorphosed into ISIS. > > But he did not admit what this internal Pentagon document > demonstrates??that the entire covert strategy was sanctioned and > supervised > <http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/cancer-modern-capitalism-1323585268> > by the US, Britain, France, Israel and other Western powers. > > The strategy appears to fit a policy scenario identified by a recent US > Army-commissioned RAND Corp report > <http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/pentagon-plan-divide-and-rule-muslim-world-1690265165#sthash.N7UEf4Dc.dpuf> > . > > The report, published four years before the DIA document, called for the > US “to capitalise on the Shia-Sunni conflict by taking the side of the > conservative Sunni regimes in a decisive fashion and working with them > against all Shiite empowerment movements in the Muslim world.” > > The US would need to contain “Iranian power and influence” in the Gulf by > “shoring up the traditional Sunni regimes in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and > Pakistan.” Simultaneously, the US must maintain “a strong strategic > relationship with the Iraqi Shiite government” despite its Iran alliance. > > The RAND report confirmed > <http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monographs/2008/RAND_MG738.pdf> > that the “divide and rule” strategy was already being deployed “to create > divisions in the jihadist camp. Today in Iraq such a strategy is being used > at the tactical level.” > > The report observed that the US was forming “temporary alliances” with > al-Qaeda affiliated “nationalist insurgent groups” that have fought the US > for four years in the form of “weapons and cash.” Although these > nationalists “have cooperated with al-Qaeda against US forces,” they are > now being supported to exploit “the common threat that al-Qaeda now poses > to both parties.” > > The 2012 DIA document, however, further shows that while sponsoring > purportedly former al-Qaeda insurgents in Iraq to counter al-Qaeda, Western > governments were simultaneously arming al-Qaeda insurgents in Syria. > > The revelation from an internal US intelligence document that the very > US-led coalition supposedly fighting ‘Islamic State’ today, knowingly > created ISIS in the first place, raises troubling questions about recent > government efforts to justify the expansion of state anti-terror powers. > > In the wake of the rise of ISIS, intrusive new measures to combat > extremism including mass surveillance, the Orwellian ‘prevent duty’ and > even plans to enable government censorship of broadcasters, are being > pursued on both sides of the Atlantic, much of which disproportionately > targets activists, journalists and ethnic minorities, especially Muslims. > > Yet the new Pentagon report reveals that, contrary to Western government > claims, the primary cause of the threat comes from their own deeply > misguided policies of secretly sponsoring Islamist terrorism for dubious > geopolitical purposes. > > > http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-05-23/secret-pentagon- > report-reveals-us-created-isis-tool-overthrow-syrias-president-assad > > -- > -- > Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. > For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum > > * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ > * It's active and moderated. 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