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Tag: Afghanistan
Shaker Aamer the 44 year old Saudi Arabian citizen and the last British resident still held by the US in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp for 12 years. Aamer has never been charged never received a trial, his lawyer says he is "totally innocent", and has been cleared for release by both the Bush administration in 2007, and the Obama administration in 2009 but still remains in Guantanamo. He has been described as a charismatic leader who spoke up and fought for the rights of fellow prisoners, and some have speculated that this might be a reason for his continued detention. Aamer alleges that he has been subject to torture while in detention. Murtaza Hussain in The Guardian article titled ‘Obama promised to close Guantanamo. Instead, he's made it worse’ states “In his letters, Shaker Aamer appeals in desperation to his captors and the outside world: "Please … torture me in the old way. Here they destroy people mentally and physically without leaving marks." …the father of four …is just one of hundreds of detainees who remain imprisoned... Despite running on an explicit campaign promise to shut down the island prison which has become a symbol of the abuses of the "war on terror", President Obama has continued to preside over its operation. And by recent accounts, under his tenure, the conditions … have become markedly worse. …the majority of prisoners at Guantanamo began a hunger strike in protest of alleged mistreatment at the hands of guards at the facility. …In the words of his lawyer, Clive Stafford Smith: "I have known Shaker for some time; because he is so eloquent and outspoken about the injustices of Guantánamo, he is very definitely viewed as a threat by the US. Not in the sense of being an extremist, but in the sense of being someone who can rather eloquently criticize the nightmare that happened there." For those who have experienced and borne witness to beatings, torture, and even death at Guantánamo Bay over the past decade, Barack Obama has ensured that the prospect of freedom will remain as remote as ever.”  Inspired by Murtaza Hussain, The Guardian ow.ly/j4zQy Image source USA Govt ow.ly/j4zSI Please torture me in the old way (April 9 2013)

 

Shaker Aamer the 44 year old Saudi Arabian citizen and the last British resident still held by the US in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp for 12 years. Aamer has never been charged never received a trial, his lawyer says he is “totally innocent”, and has been cleared for release by both the Bush administration in 2007, and the Obama administration in 2009 but still remains in Guantanamo. He has been described as a charismatic leader who spoke up and fought for the rights of fellow prisoners, and some have speculated that this might be a reason for his continued detention. Aamer alleges that he has been subject to torture while in detention. Murtaza Hussain in The Guardian article titled ‘Obama promised to close Guantanamo. Instead, he’s made it worse’ states “In his letters, Shaker Aamer appeals in desperation to his captors and the outside world: “Please … torture me in the old way. Here they destroy people mentally and physically without leaving marks.” …the father of four …is just one of hundreds of detainees who remain imprisoned… Despite running on an explicit campaign promise to shut down the island prison which has become a symbol of the abuses of the “war on terror”, President Obama has continued to preside over its operation. And by recent accounts, under his tenure, the conditions … have become markedly worse. …the majority of prisoners at Guantanamo began a hunger strike in protest of alleged mistreatment at the hands of guards at the facility. …In the words of his lawyer, Clive Stafford Smith: “I have known Shaker for some time; because he is so eloquent and outspoken about the injustices of Guantánamo, he is very definitely viewed as a threat by the US. Not in the sense of being an extremist, but in the sense of being someone who can rather eloquently criticize the nightmare that happened there.” For those who have experienced and borne witness to beatings, torture, and even death at Guantánamo Bay over the past decade, Barack Obama has ensured that the prospect of freedom will remain as remote as ever.”

 

Inspired by Murtaza Hussain, The Guardian ow.ly/j4zQy Image source USA Govt ow.ly/j4zSI

Fayiz Mohammed Ahmed Al Kandari the 37 year old Kuwaiti citizen who has been detained in Guantanamo Bay for nearly 11 years on purely ‘hearsay evidence’ has been profiled in the New York Times. The Project Kuwaiti Freedom states “Al Kandari was a 27 year-old student who went to Afghanistan during his summer vacation in 2001 to render humanitarian aid. It was his belief that helping others might honor his grandmother, who had just died, and bring better health to his mother, who was suffering from cancer. After being captured by U.S. forces, he wrote in a message to his family that an American investigator had questioned him and found nothing against him, and he believed he would soon be freed. He wrote in a Red Cross letter, “If the construction of a mosque…or the digging of a well is the sin that makes me a detainee, then I willingly accept my detention.” Al Kandari according to his Lawyers, is as an example of a detainee for whom all the evidence against him is ‘hearsay evidence’. "Indeed, the evidence considered persuasive by the Tribunal is made up almost entirely of hearsay evidence recorded by unidentified individuals with no first hand knowledge of the events they describe." A tribunal report noted. Al Kandari’s lead attorney from the Office of Military Commissions, Lieutenant Colonel Barry D. Wingard states “Outside of the CSRT process, this type of evidence is more commonly referred to as 'rumor'” and that "Vague charges made it difficult to defend his client …There simply is no evidence other than he is a Muslim in Afghanistan at the wrong time, other than double and triple hearsay statements, something I have never seen as justification for incarceration…” Al Kandari is still subjected to harsh treatment and has been subjected to enhanced interrogation techniques including sleep deprivation, physical abuse, being placed in stress positions, sexual humiliation, and the use of extreme temperature, loud music and dogs.”  Inspired by Project Kuwaiti Freedom ow.ly/hYChK Image source New York Times ow.ly/hYCfz All evidence against him is hearsay evidence (March 10 2013)

 

Fayiz Mohammed Ahmed Al Kandari the 37 year old Kuwaiti citizen who has been detained in Guantanamo Bay for nearly 11 years on purely ‘hearsay evidence’ has been profiled in the New York Times. The Project Kuwaiti Freedom states “Al Kandari was a 27 year-old student who went to Afghanistan during his summer vacation in 2001 to render humanitarian aid. It was his belief that helping others might honor his grandmother, who had just died, and bring better health to his mother, who was suffering from cancer. After being captured by U.S. forces, he wrote in a message to his family that an American investigator had questioned him and found nothing against him, and he believed he would soon be freed. He wrote in a Red Cross letter, “If the construction of a mosque…or the digging of a well is the sin that makes me a detainee, then I willingly accept my detention.” Al Kandari according to his Lawyers, is as an example of a detainee for whom all the evidence against him is ‘hearsay evidence’. “Indeed, the evidence considered persuasive by the Tribunal is made up almost entirely of hearsay evidence recorded by unidentified individuals with no first hand knowledge of the events they describe.” A tribunal report noted. Al Kandari’s lead attorney from the Office of Military Commissions, Lieutenant Colonel Barry D. Wingard states “Outside of the CSRT process, this type of evidence is more commonly referred to as ‘rumor’” and that “Vague charges made it difficult to defend his client …There simply is no evidence other than he is a Muslim in Afghanistan at the wrong time, other than double and triple hearsay statements, something I have never seen as justification for incarceration…” Al Kandari is still subjected to harsh treatment and has been subjected to enhanced interrogation techniques including sleep deprivation, physical abuse, being placed in stress positions, sexual humiliation, and the use of extreme temperature, loud music and dogs.”

 

Inspired by Project Kuwaiti Freedom ow.ly/hYChK Image source New York Times ow.ly/hYCfz

Fawzi [Fouzi] Khaled Abdullah Fahad Al Odah the 35 year old Kuwaiti citizen and teacher held in the US Guantanamo Bay detainment camp in Cuba for the past 11 years without charge has been featured in the New York Times. Fawzi traveled to the Pakistan/Afghanistan border area in order to undertake charitable outreach work. Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, Fawzi fled Afghanistan, intending to return home to Kuwait, however having crossed the border into Pakistan he was captured by Pakistani bounty hunters who handed him along with eleven other Kuwaitis over to American authorities. The Kuwait Freedom Project established to seek the release of Fawzi and other Kuwaiti detainee’s reports that Fawzi spent his summers traveling in poor nations to educate less fortunate students, and along with his family have built libraries and wells in Africa. They’ve sponsored orphans in countries including Albania. Fawzi has not had any weapons training or experience, writing to his parents in 2002 stating, “Now I am detained by the American forces and investigations are still going on…I will be established as innocent soon, and then I will return back to you…” Fawzi’s father, Khalid Al-Odah, is the head of the Kuwaiti Family Committee, an organization formed by relatives of the detainees to advocate for their just treatment under the U.S. judicial system. The elder Al-Odah is a former member of the Kuwaiti Air Force, who trained with American servicemen in the United States and flew missions with them as an ally in the Persian Gulf War of 1991. … The U.S. Government contends that Fawzi’s true purpose in Afghanistan was to join the Taliban and al Qaeda referring to "additional incriminating evidence" discovered since his capture, however the nature of that evidence is redacted in the unclassified version…”  Inspired by Project Kuwaiti Freedom ow.ly/hMvRJ Image source Wikipedia ow.ly/hMvQa Captured by Pakistani bounty hunters (February 26 2013)

Fawzi [Fouzi] Khaled Abdullah Fahad Al Odah the 35 year old Kuwaiti citizen and teacher held in the US Guantanamo Bay detainment camp in Cuba for the past 11 years without charge has been featured in the New York Times. Fawzi traveled to the Pakistan/Afghanistan border area in order to undertake charitable outreach work. Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, Fawzi fled Afghanistan, intending to return home to Kuwait, however having crossed the border into Pakistan he was captured by Pakistani bounty hunters who handed him along with eleven other Kuwaitis over to American authorities. The Kuwait Freedom Project established to seek the release of Fawzi and other Kuwaiti detainee’s reports that Fawzi spent his summers traveling in poor nations to educate less fortunate students, and along with his family have built libraries and wells in Africa. They’ve sponsored orphans in countries including Albania. Fawzi has not had any weapons training or experience, writing to his parents in 2002 stating, “Now I am detained by the American forces and investigations are still going on…I will be established as innocent soon, and then I will return back to you…” Fawzi’s father, Khalid Al-Odah, is the head of the Kuwaiti Family Committee, an organization formed by relatives of the detainees to advocate for their just treatment under the U.S. judicial system. The elder Al-Odah is a former member of the Kuwaiti Air Force, who trained with American servicemen in the United States and flew missions with them as an ally in the Persian Gulf War of 1991. … The U.S. Government contends that Fawzi’s true purpose in Afghanistan was to join the Taliban and al Qaeda referring to “additional incriminating evidence” discovered since his capture, however the nature of that evidence is redacted in the unclassified version…”

 

Inspired by Project Kuwaiti Freedom ow.ly/hMvRJ Image source Wikipedia ow.ly/hMvQa

Ashfaq Yusufzai the Pakistani journalist for IPS News has published an article titled ‘Remittances Soothe the Scourge of Militancy’ in which he states “A majority of the 5.5 million people living in FATA have been … affected by the decade-old militancy, which began in earnest in 2001 when U.S.-led forces toppled the Taliban government in Kabul, forcing the militants to cross over to Pakistan and establish sanctuaries along the 2,400-kilometre-long border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. FATA soon became infested with Taliban cells. As Pakistan emerged as a frontline state in the U.S.’ ‘war on terror’, armed forces poured into FATA in a full-scale military offensive in 2005 designed to root out the Taliban. The army offensive, coupled with the militants’ resistance, made it impossible for civilians to carry on with everyday life. Now, for the first time in years, people … are finally starting to see improvements in their lives, as remittances from a younger generation of migrants who fled the region in search of employment abroad streams into FATA, easing the financial burden of unrelenting militancy. …Abu Zar, an official at the FATA Secretariat, told IPS that the militarisation of the region has brought misery to many residents but has also fuelled a wave of migration to Gulf states like the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman, which is now helping people get back on their feet. “Currently, more than 400,000 FATA residents are living and working in foreign countries”, up from less than 100,000 prior to 2005, …The younger generation has been going abroad in droves because of the prolonged insurgency”, in order to escape a sharp decline in trade, business opportunities and income in FATA, he added.” Inspired by Inter Press Service ow.ly/gwWbA image source WFSJ ow.ly/gwWb7 Remittances soothe the scourge of militancy (January 12 2013)

Ashfaq Yusufzai the Pakistani journalist for IPS News has published an article titled ‘Remittances Soothe the Scourge of Militancy’ in which he states “A majority of the 5.5 million people living in FATA have been … affected by the decade-old militancy, which began in earnest in 2001 when U.S.-led forces toppled the Taliban government in Kabul, forcing the militants to cross over to Pakistan and establish sanctuaries along the 2,400-kilometre-long border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. FATA soon became infested with Taliban cells. As Pakistan emerged as a frontline state in the U.S.’ ‘war on terror’, armed forces poured into FATA in a full-scale military offensive in 2005 designed to root out the Taliban. The army offensive, coupled with the militants’ resistance, made it impossible for civilians to carry on with everyday life. Now, for the first time in years, people … are finally starting to see improvements in their lives, as remittances from a younger generation of migrants who fled the region in search of employment abroad streams into FATA, easing the financial burden of unrelenting militancy. …Abu Zar, an official at the FATA Secretariat, told IPS that the militarisation of the region has brought misery to many residents but has also fuelled a wave of migration to Gulf states like the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman, which is now helping people get back on their feet. “Currently, more than 400,000 FATA residents are living and working in foreign countries”, up from less than 100,000 prior to 2005, …The younger generation has been going abroad in droves because of the prolonged insurgency”, in order to escape a sharp decline in trade, business opportunities and income in FATA, he added.”

 

Inspired by Inter Press Service ow.ly/gwWbA image source WFSJ ow.ly/gwWb7

Chronicle of a death foretold (October 7 2012) Chronicle of a death foretold (October 7 2012)

Adnan Farhan Abdul Latif the 32 year old Yemini citizen detained for over 10 years at the American naval base at Guantanamo Bay has died in custody without having ever been charged with a crime. Murtaza Hussain has published an article on Aljazeera titled ‘Chronicle of a death foretold’ in which he states “The cause of his death has been recorded as unknown and may never truly be known, but Latif had long suffered from feelings of extreme depression during his time in jail, having made several suicide attempts in the previous years. …Latif was initially captured by Pakistani bounty hunters in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks when a mixture of confusion and desire for vengeance resulted in the effective labeling of any military age Arab males found in Afghanistan and Pakistan as potential terrorists. He had been receiving medical care in Amman, Jordan for chronic injuries he had received from a car crash in Yemen that had fractured his skull and caused permanent damage to his hearing. Lured to Pakistan by the promise of cheap healthcare, once the war started he ended up caught in the dragnet of opportunistic bounty hunters who detained him, proclaimed him a terrorist and handed him over to the US military in neighboring Afghanistan …in order to collect large cash incentives from the US military for their handover. No evidence was ever found connecting him to terrorism or violent militancy of any kind… Indeed, when he was apprehended he was found not to be in possession of weapons or extremist literature of any kind – what he had with him were copies of his medical records.”

 

Inspired by Aljazeera ow.ly/e0giJ image source JTF-GTMO ow.ly/e0gci

Exercise great caution in playing the "India card" (July 14th 2012) Exercise great caution in playing the “India card” (July 14th 2012)

Robert L Grenier the American former CIA director of counter-terrorism who was dismissed from the position, and now Chairman of ERG Partners, an independent financial and strategic advisory firm focusing on the security and intelligence sectors, has released an article on Aljazeera discussing implications of the USA playing the ‘India card’ in Afghanistan. Grenier states “Involving India in the US war in Afghanistan could further polarise Pakistan and turn the country into a proxy war. …US Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta’s visit to New Delhi, in which he pressed the Indians to raise their level of engagement in Afghanistan. No longer satisfied simply with Indian provision of economic and development assistance, the American defence chief indicated he would like to see India engaged with Afghan security forces as well. In so saying, he was apparently not unmindful of how this message would be received in Islamabad. …But the US government should know that to the extent it is successful in pressing India into high-profile security engagement in Afghanistan, the more likely it is to produce the very situation it fears most: A renewed Afghan civil war in which India and Pakistan are actively engaged in support of their respective proxies, and in which Islamabad’s ties to the Taliban are strongly reinforced. …it should likewise exercise great caution in playing the “India card” in Afghanistan.”

 

Inspired by Aljazeera http://ow.ly/c4ZtK image source University of Delaware ow.ly/c4Zpk

Invest in Afghan people not foreign contractors (June 29th 2012) Invest in Afghan people not foreign contractors (June 29th 2012)

Michael Shank the American Vice-President at the Institute for Economics and Peace has co-published an article on Aljazeera with Congressman Mike Honda titled ‘Invest in the Afghan people not foreign contractors – The country’s post-withdrawal development plan should be handled by those who know Afghanistan best – the Afghans’. The article states “The truth is that development in Afghanistan is currently in the wrong hands. Tens of billions of dollars of American taxpayer money have been spent over almost 12 years in Afghanistan on development projects which were largely managed and implemented by foreign contractors and with little regard for long-term localised viability. It is now clear for anyone intimately involved in the reconstruction and stabilisation process that the key to building a strong state lies not in foreign contractors, but rather local village efforts connected to a Kabul command. To achieve a crucial state of regional stability, Afghans need peace, security and the right to self-determination based on their own social, cultural and religious values. In this spirit, it is problematic that the Afghanistan Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development’s National Solidarity Program – out of which the highly effective Community Development Councils are run – remains stunted due to limited financial capacity…”

 

Inspired by Aljazeera ow.ly/bJg0l image source ow.ly/bJfNG

Zalmai Rassoul the 68 year old Afghanistan Foreign Minister has met for the first time with his Indian counterpart, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna where wide-ranging talks were held. The meeting took place at the India-Afghanistan Partnership Council, set up during the visit of Afghan President Hamid Karzai under the first bilateral strategic pact Afghanistan has signed with any other country. India has concerns with the safety of nearly 4,000 of its nationals living in Afghanistan along with its missions and facilities. Rassoul stated at a joint press conference after the talks, “With India, we are not only willing to discuss the training of our officers, but also equipping of security forces. Security organisations of the two countries are in discussion.” The nature of the Indian assistance to Afghanistan has not been specified, although India is involved in the training of the Afghan National Army. Krishna stated at the press conference “We have always reacted positively to any suggestions from Afghanistan” and has pledged $2 billion for reconstruction activities. India is obviously keen for security of its strategic neighbour which its foe Pakistan tended to regard as its own backyard, as the time runs down for the withdrawal of the international coalition force.

 

Inspired by Russia & India Report http://ow.ly/aFIBI image source Wikipedia http://ow.ly/aFIhP

Michael Hastings the 32 year old USA journalist and contributing editor at Rolling Stone magazine renowned for his profile story of General Stanley McChrystal the then commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, has published an article titled ‘The Rise of the Killer Drones: How America Goes to War in Secret, an inside look at how killing by remote control has changed the way we fight” In the article Hastings states, “Drones offer the government an advanced and precise technology in its War on Terror – yet many of those killed by drones don’t appear to be terrorists at all. In fact, according to a detailed study of drone victims compiled by the Bureau for Investigative Journalism, at least 174 of those executed by drones were under the age of 18 – in other words, children. Estimates by human rights groups that include adults who were likely civilians put the toll of innocent victims at more than 800. U.S. officials hotly dismiss such figures – “bullshit,” one senior administration official told me. Brennan, one of Obama’s top counterterrorism advisers, absurdly insisted last June that there hadn’t been “a single civilian” killed by drones in the previous year.”

 

Inspired by Rolling Stone http://ow.ly/avkUM image source ctv http://ow.ly/avlO8

Daniel L. Davis a Lt Colonel in the US Army has published an open unclassified letter explaining his actions in publishing articles describing the misinformation about Afghanistan and the war. Davis in his letter states “…I was deployed to Afghanistan for a year… I saw many things during that deployment — the fourth combat deployment of my career — that I found disturbing. Eventually I felt morally obligated to do something about what I saw to such an extent that I was incapable of not acting … I submitted a Department of Defense Inspector General complaint against select senior leaders of the Armed Forces for being so deceptive to the US Congress and American people that the truth is no longer recognizable — and the biggest bill-payer for this deception has been the lives and bodies of America’s service men and women. Once I became aware of the truth on the ground, I could no longer rationalize inaction on my part …thousands of combat troops who continue risking their lives each and every day they go outside the wire … I was compelled to act…”

 

Inspired by Fabius Maximus http://ow.ly/96u6X image source aspousa http://ow.ly/96tXk

Adel Al-Gazzar the 56 year old Egyptian formerly held for eight years by the US in the Cuban Guantanamo Bay detainment camp, and imprisoned in Egypt on his return, has Katie Taylor a project officer with Reprieve, calling for Ad-Gazzar’s amnesty. Al-Gazzar had a leg amputated as a result of a US bombing raid in Afghanistan on what he claims was a humanitarian visit to provide aid for the Saudi Red Crescent, he managed to return to Pakistan for treatment until sold to US security agents for a bounty. He was subsequently moved to Guantanamo Bay and been imprisoned for the past decade. Al-Gazzar is currently held by the Egyptians for “attempting to overthrow former President Hosni Mubarak’s regime … widely condemned as an attempt by Mubarak to suppress his Islamist opponents.” Taylor states that “Adel has already suffered far too much in one lifetime. He has been unjustly detained for nearly a decade, and as a result, has suffered permanent injury and chronic health problems and his family now stands on the edge of poverty.”

 

Inspired by Katie Taylor http://ow.ly/7VoPa image source eurasiareview http://ow.ly/7VoVy

Calvin Gibbs the 26 year old US Army Staff Sergeant known as the ringleader of the ‘kill team’, a rogue army platoon in Afghanistan has been convicted of murder and will be released in less than nine years with parole. A court martial hearing resulted in Gibbs being convicted on fifteen charges including three of premeditated murder, and the use of medical shears to sever fingers from his unarmed victims, keeping them as a form of trophy collection. During the military trial, the prosecutor informed the jury panel that Gibbs had often referred to the Afghan people as savages, “These people are all savages, look at how they live”, then setting about to disguise the murders as legitimate combat kills with the use of ‘drop’ weapons to make it appear the victims were armed.

 

Inspired by Aljazeera http://ow.ly/7rMue image source http://ow.ly/7rMBq

Frank Lindh, the father of 30 year old John Phillip Walker Lindh the US citizen captured as an enemy combatant during the US invasion of Afghanistan and serving a 20 year prison sentence as a result of his participation with the Taliban, has published an article calling for his son’s release from prison. Lindh describes his son’s gentle nature and conversion to Islam at the age of 16 as an intellectual path. For three years from the age of 17 John travelled the middle east on a quest of learning cultures and language, eventually taking him to Afghanistan fighting with the Taliban against the Northern Alliance. John has not been accused of any terrorism activities but had become the focus of “a petty prosecution” in the aftermath of the 7/11 atrocities. Inspired by Frank Lindh ow.ly/5ZA6y image source Lindt Family ow.ly/5ZA4S Petty prosecution unworthy of a great country (August 17 2011)

Frank Lindh, the father of 30 year old John Phillip Walker Lindh the US citizen captured as an enemy combatant during the US invasion of Afghanistan and serving a 20 year prison sentence as a result of his participation with the Taliban, has published an article calling for his son’s release from prison. Lindh describes his son’s gentle nature and conversion to Islam at the age of 16 as an intellectual path. For three years from the age of 17 John travelled the middle east on a quest of learning cultures and language, eventually taking him to Afghanistan fighting with the Taliban against the Northern Alliance. John has not been accused of any terrorism activities but had become the focus of “a petty prosecution” in the aftermath of the 7/11 atrocities.

 

Inspired by Frank Lindh http://ow.ly/5ZA6y image source Lindt Family http://ow.ly/5ZA4S

Benoit Julien de Pommerol a French military chaplain stationed in Afghanistan has been reassigned to the French Antilles following accusations of Islamophobia in a report he wrote published on the internet. In the report de Pommerol denounced the French army’s deference to Islam as “babouche-licking”, citing examples including of a female soldier forced to wear a head covering veil and preparation of religious feasts for nationals. The French army officials rejected de Pommerol’s accusations claiming “it’s a matter of courtesy, common sense and education to respect other people’s religion” attempting to try and “earn acceptance by respecting local customs” and were specific decisions “made in a specific operational context.” The report has played into the national sensitivities that have grown towards Islam in France, resulting in tense anti-islamic reactions. Inspired by Nathalie Guibert ow.ly/5DfX4  image source Military Photos ow.ly/5DfIJ Accused the army of babouche-licking (July 26 2011)

Benoit Julien de Pommerol a French military chaplain stationed in Afghanistan has been reassigned to the French Antilles following accusations of Islamophobia in a report he wrote published on the internet. In the report de Pommerol denounced the French army’s deference to Islam as “babouche-licking”, citing examples including of a female soldier forced to wear a head covering veil and preparation of religious feasts for nationals. The French army officials rejected de Pommerol’s accusations claiming “it’s a matter of courtesy, common sense and education to respect other people’s religion” attempting to try and “earn acceptance by respecting local customs” and were specific decisions “made in a specific operational context.” The report has played into the national sensitivities that have grown towards Islam in France, resulting in tense anti-islamic reactions.

 

Inspired by Nathalie Guibert http://ow.ly/5DfX4  image source Military Photos http://ow.ly/5DfIJ

Saif al-Adel also known as Muhamad Ibrahim Makkawi, the 50 year old Egyptian explosives expert and former Egyptian Special Forces officer is reported to have been chosen as the interim leader of al-Qaeda after the death of Osama bin Laden in a dramatic US Navy Seals commando raid in Pakistan. Al-Adel is considered a leading strategist and military leader, is currently under indictment in the US for bombings of embassies in Africa. He has been credited with masterminding the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Al Sadat, the repelling of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and training Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Bin Laden's long-time deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri had been considered the likely successor, although not popular within the organization. Al-Adel’s interim appointment may well be to gauge reaction for someone outside the Muslim holy region of the Arabian Peninsula. Inspired by Max Read ow.ly/50B4y image source france24 ow.ly/50BpG We’re all one happy family you know (May 28 2011)

Saif al-Adel also known as Muhamad Ibrahim Makkawi, the 50 year old Egyptian explosives expert and former Egyptian Special Forces officer is reported to have been chosen as the interim leader of al-Qaeda after the death of Osama bin Laden in a dramatic US Navy Seals commando raid in Pakistan. Al-Adel is considered a leading strategist and military leader, is currently under indictment in the US for bombings of embassies in Africa. He has been credited with masterminding the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Al Sadat, the repelling of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and training Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Bin Laden’s long-time deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri had been considered the likely successor, although not popular within the organization. Al-Adel’s interim appointment may well be to gauge reaction for someone outside the Muslim holy region of the Arabian Peninsula.

 

Inspired by Max Read ow.ly/50B4y image source france24 ow.ly/50BpG

William B. Caldwell the IV a US Army Lieutenant General and the Commander of the NATO Training Mission in Afghanistan What do I have to put inside their heads? (February 28 2011)

William B. Caldwell the IV a US Army Lieutenant General and the Commander of the NATO Training Mission in Afghanistan ordered a psychological operations team of the military to illegally manipulate visiting US dignitaries into supporting calls for further troops and funding. Caldwell is alleged to have breached laws that prevent the use of military propaganda on US citizens, by inappropriately pressuring the team to compile dossiers on senators and senior military personnel that identify “hot button issues” and vulnerabilities of each, enabling the targeting of propaganda for “psyops” to “plant inside their heads”. Caldwell denies the allegation that he commanded the use of the psychological operations team to influence the visitors, however General David Petraeus the US commander in Afghanistan has ordered an investigation.

 

Inspired by Michael Hastings ow.ly/46dQ0 image source Wikipedia ow.ly/46e3i

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