Posted on 09/09/2006 8:02:11 PM PDT by blam
US accused of covert operations in Somalia
Emails suggest that the CIA knew of plans by private military companies to breach UN rules
Antony Barnett and Patrick Smith
Sunday September 10, 2006
The Observer (UK)
Dramatic evidence that America is involved in illegal mercenary operations in east Africa has emerged in a string of confidential emails seen by The Observer. The leaked communications between US private military companies suggest the CIA had knowledge of the plans to run covert military operations inside Somalia - against UN rulings - and they hint at involvement of British security firms. The emails, dated June this year, reveal how US firms have been planning undercover missions in support of President Abdullahi Yusuf's transitional federal government - founded with UN backing in 2004 - against the Supreme Islamic Courts Council - a radical Muslim militia which took control of Mogadishu, the country's capital, also in June promising national unity under Sharia law.
Evidence of foreign involvement in the conflict would not only breach the UN arms embargo but could destabilise the entire region.
One email dated Friday, 16 June, is from Michele Ballarin, chief executive of Select Armor - a US military firm based in Virginia. Ballarin's email was sent to a number of individuals including Chris Farina of the Florida-based military company ATS Worldwide.
Ballarin said: 'Boys: Successful meeting with President Abdullay Yussef [sic] and his chief staff personnel in Nairobi, Kenya on Tuesday ... where he invited us to his private hotel suite flacked by security detail ... He has appointed is chief of presidential protocol as our go to during this phase.'
She refers to one 'closed-door meeting' with a senior UN figure and mentions there are 'a number of Brit security firms' also looking to get involved.
(Excerpt) Read more at observer.guardian.co.uk ...
If we don't have covert ops going on in Somalia, we are not doing our job.
Lord knows the Horn of Africa has been a paragon of stability for decades.
Where does the Guardian find these morons?
L
WTF? Aren't they bound by some sort of confidential agreement? We are surrounded by a bunch of blabber-mouths.
I have no problem with that, how much more destabilized could it get?
Why not, everyone else does!
Guess the Guardian hasn't been paying much attention to
the other "foreign involvements" that breached UN Arms
Embargos eh.
I guess Rockefeller wasn't in the loop on this one to notify the bad guys this time.
Its a private company, not the US. There is nothing illegal about this.
Only later in the article do these clowns admit: Evidence of foreign involvement in the conflict would not only breach the UN arms embargo but could destabilise the entire region.
How in the hell can anyone call that region Stable? Destabilizing terrorist governments is a good thing.
Why are there so many people who don't know how the world really works and what's necessary sometimes.
An enemy is fighting an endless war to destroy America, Israel and Western civilization. They lie and cheat, they don't play by the "rules" of so called civilized society. They will do and say anything.
They will nuke us as soon as they can.
Do we want to play by the "rules" or do we want to die?
Think about it and then decide.
That Michele Balaran is one gutsy individual. She had good security, I'm sure, but you know what they do to women over there...
I hate that we can't say "We are at war with your ideology and beliefs. Change or be changed." It would be like if Norway had embraced Nazism by choice and we didn't attack it because they were not part of WWII. Ludicrous.
right on.
U.S. Not Accused of Anything Evil Yet in Antarctica. Yet.
I mean, you'd better threaten an intelligence agency by accusing it of NOT running covert ops in (totally screwed-up since day 1) Africa....
"would not only breach the UN arms embargo but could destabilise the entire region"
This sums up the entire liberal perspective on the war on terror. Notice how the the Islamists aren't responsible fo causing instability. No, instead it is the West's actions to counteract the Islamists. The Guardian is really going to loose its breath over some silly UN arms embargo? We need to be steeled for tough years ahead.
To them, a stable, safe Gov't is unstable, you can't report or have stories from a peacful country.
Sad, real sad.
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