I keep linking to Chichakli’s web site because he keeps adding
interesting material. The most recent instances are
this and this. Both indicate that Chichakli has documentation that is, to say the least, embarassing for the U.S. government and his critics. In particular, the photos in the former link suggest (and document?) U.S. tampering with the scene of the Kam Air Boeing 737 crash east of Kabul in February 2005. The cockpit voice recorder for that flight was never found (at least officially), and the flight recorder mysteriously was found to have malfunctioned, being blank for the 25 hours preceding the crash. It seems highly likely that two CIA personel were aboard the flight (one of the victims was identified in the reports I have seen only as a “navy captain”, while other US citizens were identified by name).

The possibility that Viktor Bout is being used as a sort of catchall scarecrow whose notoriety conveniently obscures the true malefactors of arms and drug contraband begins, to me at least, to seem plausible. This doesn’t necessarily make Bout a “babe in the woods”, but it certainly sheds a whole new light on his alleged operations out of Sharjah, UAE and elsewhere.

It would not surprise me if Chichakli were to be offered an out of court settlement by the U.S. government, since a public trial would almost certainly produce new problems for the prosecution. Presumably Chichakli’s lawyers have other documents tending to exonerate him and inculpate others. The government seems to be resorting to “secret evidence” in prosecuting Chichakli which is in sharp contrast to the ultra-public display of documentation on Chichakli’s website, which is being updated almost daily. It may be just that the prosecution chooses not to reveal its evidence before the trial. In any case, a fair and open trial is the proper venue for deciding the merits of the case. For now Chichakli is certainly not losing the struggle for public opinion. Any prosecutorial recourse to the cloak of secrecy on the grounds of “national security” would be a sure sign of high level corruption, but would not be unexpected precisely for that reason.

Posted by: Hannah K. O’Luthon | Sep 23 2005 8:20 utc | 4

Regarding the British tactics in Basra

The unstated secret behind the relative peace in the southeast of Iraq (Basra) is that the British troops have relied on “loyalist” Shiite paramilitaries to maintain order (this is part of the unofficial controlled chaos exit strategy). Unfortunately, this strategy has not been fully acknowledged by the US command authority which is still engaged in armed sweeps and “nation-building.” The inevitable result of this confusion is a breakdown in the relationship between the paramilitaries and US/UK forces — as this convoluted story of yesterday’s clash between British troops and local paramilitaries depicts:
(Sunday): British troops arrest three members of the Mahdi army (including a key associate of Sadr’s).
British special ops in civilian clothes are confronted by Iraqi “policemen” affiliated by local paramilitaries.
The policemen arrest the troops after a fire fight. The policemen refuse to release the prisoners per Interior ministry orders.
British troops surround a Basra police station and demand the release of the troops. The troops in the cordon are attacked by the angry crowd (militia) and their vehicles are set on fire (see picture inset).
Iraqi policemen, under threat of a 30 mm cannon reveal the location of the “hostages”: a paramilitary safe house in Basra.
British troops stage a hostage recovery effort to gain their release.
Parallel to this, a reporter to the NYTimes was killed after being abducted at gunpoint from his home in Basra by men claiming to be police (which puts the death of Stephen Vincent into perspective). As explored in the brief: War’s new Equilibrium, this is a new type of war which requires a new approach.

Posted by: Cloned Poster | Sep 23 2005 9:29 utc | 6

Debs,
Sure, its an interesting gumbo but its hard to see the Brits supporting Sadrs gang, while he may be anti Iranian he is also anti- occupation, and presumably draws some power (of appeasment type) always ready to join the Sunnis. I think its the reverse, the medi militia has infiltrated the security forces to such an extent that it threatened the “elected” SCIRI & Dawa forces running the local government. The mayor (of Basra) seemed to indicate this. The Brits, however were caught with some hard evidence, IED stuff that would indicate they were posing as medi army types, no doubt to lead a trail to Sadrs doorstep, painting him as a terrorist. Whatever, the Brits have responded like a levee has broken which indicates they’re in major spin control.

Posted by: anna missed | Sep 23 2005 10:04 utc | 8

HOLD THE PHONE!
Is this it? Is this
THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF BUSH!; a crime family goes down?

Posted by: Uncle $cam | Sep 23 2005 11:41 utc | 10

“The groups that will gather in Washington DC for a major anti-war protest this weekend have financial ties to major leftist fundraisers like George Soros and Theresa Heinz Kerry, and beyond them to communist organizations and radical left-wing groups, the Washington Times reports today”

Do you expect anything different from a propaganda rag owned by cult leader Sun Myung Moon? He’s pumped over a billions dollars of his own money into the Washington Times to keep pseudo newspaper alive only so he can mock the left and push his own ultra rightest theocracy agenda. Every time I see it gravely quoted in C-span I get ill.

Posted by: Diogenes | Sep 23 2005 12:32 utc | 12

Phil Donahue on O’Reilly’s Spin Zone. For those without tv/cable – I recommend the video clip.

Posted by: DM | Sep 23 2005 13:06 utc | 14

Now that he’s back on the sauce, he wants to hook up with that old crowd he ran with back in the day.
It’s a pity that the U.S. press is not more forthcoming about Bush’s drinking, as it has been obvious that he has been intermittently intoxicated for several years now.
In Britain and Australia the press has a phrase to indicate drunkenness:
“tired and emotional”
This can relate to sports:
Even if you’re “tired and emotional” after watching the AFL grand final, make the Dragons v Tigers game a must. You won’t be disappointed!
or to describing politicians:
Mr. Bush appeared tired and emotional during the speech.
If it can’t say it outright, and if it won’t appropriate the British expression, couldn’t the U.S. press come up with a euphemistic expression of its own?

Posted by: Trilby | Sep 23 2005 17:45 utc | 16

another sign of “operation balboa” gearing up in colombia?

U.S. Embassy-Bogota to Deploy ‘Casualty Extraction’ Aviation Advisor
The UH-1 military helicopter, also known as the “Huey,” played a critical role in U.S. “casualty extraction” and troop deployment missions in Viet Nam. It now appears that an upgraded version of the Huey, the UH-1N, will serve in a similar capacity in Colombia, where the U.S. State Dept. intends to bring aboard yet another private contractor to coordinate such activities.
…
Working in conjunction with other privately hired administrators and approximately 50 additional “contractor personnel,” the new advisor will develop “air assault/air movement tactics and new training procedures” to enhance the counter-drug mission spelled out by Plan Colombia, the document says. Though based in Bogota, the advisor will “engage in frequent in-country travel to remote locations.”
…
As previously reported in NarcoSphere, State Dept-based, private-contractor supported counterdrug operations in Colombia and the surrounding region clearly are on the rise, evident by the ongoing creation of additional military style advisor positions (also see recent but unreported campaigns to hire a COLAR Aviation Log/Facilities Advisor
and a COLAR Aviation Safety Advisor) plus the heightened acquisition of combat supplies that the department funnels through the Ft. Bragg, N.C.-based Delta Force or via Florida-based “exporters” who deliver the good directly to the Colombian military and national police.

if i recall my history correctly, balboa the conquistador didn’t last too long, losing his head after being found guilty of treason and genocide.

Posted by: b real | Sep 23 2005 18:55 utc | 18

hmmm – Several killed in Hamas rally blast

The explosion occurred as thousands of Hamas members and supporters attended a rally in the impoverished Jabaliya refugee camp to celebrate Israel’s historic pullout from the Gaza Strip, witnesses said.
The blast ripped through the camp just before one of the main leaders of Hamas, Ismail Haniya, was to address the crowd.

Qui bono?

Posted by: b | Sep 23 2005 19:40 utc | 20

no i didn’t jj – but this surprises me not one little bit – the propoganda ministry working at the white house cannot afford the dangerous presence of a writer who writes & speaks the truth – again the comparison with the nazis is easy but it is also accurate

Posted by: remembereringgiap | Sep 24 2005 1:35 utc | 22

HKOL- re those crashed 737 pix you pointed out at the chichakli site – the pix have a (faux) timestamp of feb 21, 2205. the plane crashed on feb 3rd. this nato press release dated feb 5 announces the location of the crash site & that “ISAF [International Security Assistance Force] has airlifted specialist mountain rescue teams into the site to secure the area”. this isaf site has entries for feb 5 and 6 that indicate the recovery operations were prohibited by weather conditions, and then on the 9th there is this entry stating that search & rescue has ended and recovery & investigation will begin.
the first pic on chichakli’s site is featured in this cbs article dated feb 8, as being taken on monday feb 7 as nato and afghan soldiers inspected the crash site. the article says that recovery of the bodies may take weeks, depending on the weather, and mentions rumours that looters may have already visited the site, located near an old soviet military lookout.
not sure why the fake timestamps on the pix. should we take this guy seriously?

Posted by: b real | Sep 24 2005 3:24 utc | 24

Equatorial Guinea Dictator’s Damages Claim Over Attempted Coup Thrown Out
An unprecedented legal claim by Equatorial Guinea’s President Teodoro Obiang Nguema for tens of millions of pounds in damages from the alleged perpetrators of a coup against him last year was thrown out by a judge in London’s High Court yesterday [wed].
The claim had been brought against Lebanese oil tycoon Eli Calil; former British Special Air Service officer Simon Mann, and two offshore companies said to be controlled by him; an associate, Greg Wales; and Severo Moto Nsa, an exiled Equatorial Guinea opposition leader who, it was claimed, would have replaced Mr Obiang had the alleged coup succeeded.
Giving his judgment yesterday, Mr Justice Davis acknowledged that it was “a very strong thing to drive a claimant from the driving seat and deprive him of the chance of proving his case at trial”.
Nevertheless, the judge said, the damages action “must be struck out”.
The judge also refused leave to appeal – although the African president and his lawyers could still ask the Court of Appeal to hear the matter directly.

what most people remember when the plans for this coup was exposed was that maggie thatcher’s son, mark, was also arrested.

Earlier this year, in a plea bargain deal in the South African courts, Sir Mark did admit to financing the hiring of a military helicopter. However, he continues to deny that he was involved in any coup or had knowingly helped to finance one.

evidently, sir mark, and his pops, aren’t exactly new to nefarious activities. from the desk of joseph j. trento, in his book prelude to terror: the rogue cia and the legacy of america’s private intelligence network:

Perhaps the final seal on President Carter’s fate was provided by the Thatcher government in England. British Customs investigator J. Barrie Riley, who arrested British gunrunner Ian Smalley, said that Smalley threatened on June 18, 1982, to reveal that the British Ministry of Defence was involved w/ fulfilling the Republican pledge of arms to Iran in exchange for delaying the hostages’ release until after the elections. What makes Smalley’s account believable is the fact that he provided Riley his notes on the shipments years before they became a public issue.
Why would Margaret Thatcher engage in such an enterprise w/ the Republicans? Kamal Adham. By this time, Adham had moved many of his operations to London and had cultivated not only Thatcher, but also her husband, Denis, and son, Mark. According to Sarkis Soghanalian, Adham brought Mark Thatcher into the arms business. Soghanalian, who had infuriated the Thatcher regime when he had arranged the purchase of Exocet missles by Argentian during the Falklands War, had believed he could never do business in Britian again. “To my great surprise, I learned that as long as I did business through a Mark Thatcher company, I could even purchase classified American equipment for export.” Soghanalian realized at the time that he had run into “Kamal’s system of cultivating the sons of politicians. He did it w/ Mark Thatcher and he did it w/ George Bush.”
…
In the Iran-Iraq War, Casey knew that the Israelis were illegally supplying spare parts and small weapons made under U.S. license, some of them classified, to Iran. That, after all, had been part of the October Surprise deal. What Casey did not know was that Bush, the Safari Club, and his private intelligence associates were secretly supporting Saddam Hussein through the Miami-based arms dealer Sarkis Soghanalian…Casey was not kept informed of all the secret operations. Bush was running his own operations out of the executive office.
…
For the EATSCO partners, business was booming. It had generated enormous amounts of cash – $71 million, to date. Their connections gave them political power in the Reagan administration. Their international contacts put them in a position to cash in on almost any foreign-policy initiative undertaken by the new president. Casey’s and Bush’s interest in “off-the-books” operations and inside information about each other’s activities allowed Shackley, Secord, von Marbod, and Clines to continue their profit-making activities while convincing Casey and Bush that only their individual bidding was being done.
Deputy Secretary of Defense Frank Carlucci supported von Marbod’s and Secord’s initiatives as they orchestrated the secret shipments, through Israel, of October Surprise weapons promised to Iran. At the same time, Bush, w/ his old friend Sheikh Kamal Adham, established the “tilt” toward Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War. It was an arms merchant’s wildest dream come true.
…
Saddam’s importance to the CIA increased dramatically w/ the fall of the shah. Though Saddam had led Arab opposition to the Camp David Accords, the personal and religious schism bewteen his secular government and the new regime in Teheren was huge. Saddam Hussein’s opposition to Islamic fundamentalism had been visible early in his career, even before he assumed the presidency. After completing a campaign against the Kurds, he brutally suppressed his own Shi’a majority. His next effort was against the Communists…this perceived anti-Communist trait in Saddam is what Adham and Shackley would sucessfully use to sell the White House on the scheme of supporting both sides in the Iran-Iraq War.
…
As the Reagan-Bush team took over, Saddam Hussein offered two attractions. The first was that he was the ideal hedge against Iran. The second was that billions of dollars in weapon sales meant there could be profits in the Iran-Iraq War for friends of the administration.
The perfect man to deal w/ Saddam for the United States was Sarkis Soghanalian, the Turkish-born Armenian who had grown up in Lebanon…[and]…became a utility man for the DIA and CIA. His fluency in seven languages, his comfort around tribal Arabs, and his ability to get along w/ the Israelis made him unique in the Arab world.
…
[Soghanalian deals w/ the Iraqi defense minister and determines what classified equipment Israel was supplying Iran that the Iraqis also needed, such as night-vision technology for T-50 and T-72 tank fleets.]
…
According to Soghanalian, he contact Kamal Adham, who suggested that the devices could be exported from the United States to England and then reexported to Iraq. Soghanalian succeeded in getting the United States to send the classified parts to a British company called United Scientific. But then the Iraqis said United Scientific was not acceptable to them unless a member of Margaret Thatcher’s family accompanied Soghanalian when he met w/ the Iraqi representatives. Soghanalian arranged through Kamal Adham for Mark Thatcher to be present in the London hotel room when the deal was made.
Soghanalian then arranged for shipments of mortars from Bulgaria and France; artillery from South Africa; and helicopters and spare parts from France and Italy. For the first time, the Iraqis had some realistic hope of victory in the war w/ Iran.

sir mark also has links to the bin laden family

Posted by: b real | Sep 24 2005 5:37 utc | 26

pattern of abuse

“On their day off people would show up all the time,” the sergeant continues in the HRW report. “Everyone in camp knew if you wanted to work out your frustration you show up at the PUC tent. In a way it was sport. The cooks were all U.S. soldiers. One day a sergeant shows up and tells a PUC to grab a pole. He told him to bend over and broke the guy’s leg with a mini Louisville Slugger that was a metal bat. He was the cook.”

Posted by: annie | Sep 24 2005 6:20 utc | 28

@ Annie & DM
Didn’t you guys get the memo. Prisoner abuse is so last year it’s not funny. Focus groups tell us that consumers won’t buy a magazine with teasers for US prisoner abuse on the cover. Get with the program people.
Actually the only thing that gets me about all of this is that there are soldiers like the un-named but careerless captain who imagine that this stuff doesn’t go on.
Although in the captain’s defense it seems that the confusion created by BushCo at the start of the Afghani action about Geneva not applying meant that there was considerable confusion in both Afghanistan and Iraq about what was ‘legal’.
That confusion was undoubtedly created by Gonzales & Co quite deliberately and does make anyone wonder about the President’s role as Commander in Chief.
For example if W was a bit ‘fog and mist’ one evening and during the State of the Union or somesuch he announced that sodomising Muslims was a perfectly fine thing to do, if all his ‘good germans’ went out and buggered some ragheads would they be protected from justice on the grounds they were just following orders or would they need to show the orders in writing having been passed down through the chain of command?

Posted by: Debs is dead | Sep 24 2005 7:19 utc | 30

“Why did Leahy decide to vote for Roberts? Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the person(s) who mailed weapons-grade anthrax to him and fellow Democratic senator Daschle in 2001 were never identified.
The curious lack of a perpetrator in the anthrax mailings — mailed exclusively to Democratic senators in powerful positions — is in some ways even more alarming than the fact that the same administration also managed not to catch Osama bin Laden. ” (skimble)
Scroll down the page abit further and you will also see a photo of a morgue full of Katrina victims’ corpses wickedly labelled “Bush’s Vacation Photo Album”, by the way. I love it.

Posted by: Uncle $cam | Sep 24 2005 7:58 utc | 32

Rita eye directly over Port Arthur/Beaumont – that is a mjor oil storage and refinery area -> gas $5

Posted by: b | Sep 24 2005 9:22 utc | 34

Country is hurtling towards disintegration
surprise surprise

The Saudi government yesterday warned that Iraq is hurtling towards disintegration and that an election planned for December is unlikely to make any difference. The government said it was delivering this bleak assessment to both the US and British administrations as a matter of urgency.

Posted by: annie | Sep 24 2005 10:06 utc | 36

uncle, this is not the first of your links from tonight that hasn’t opened. perhaps you could preview them? just in the last couple days they haven’t open w/regularity

Posted by: annie | Sep 24 2005 10:49 utc | 38

Preparations for the coming big battle over Baghdad
Shiites fleeing Sunni dominated neighborhoods of Baghdad

The ethnic cleansing of Baghdad neighborhoods is proceeding at an alarming and potentially destabilizing pace.
Some Shiite Muslim residents in predominantly Sunni Muslim Baghdad neighborhoods are fleeing their homes because they say the country’s violence and sectarian tensions have reached their front doors, forcing them to move into more homogenous communities.
…
Indeed, some government officials concede that insurgents, mainly Sunnis, are controlling parts of Baghdad.
“Civil war today is closer than any time before,” said Hazim Abdel Hamid al Nuaimi, a professor of politics at al-Mustansiriya University in Baghdad. “All of these explosions, the efforts by police and purging of neighborhoods is a battle to control Baghdad.”

Posted by: b | Sep 24 2005 12:24 utc | 40

Let’s see if it works if I give link that $cam couldn’t do. link
but be forewarned – blogging is Not a format that works for Arkin. He’s a great military analyst, whose articles I always look forward to reading in IHT & LA Times, but this format will only work for him if he imposes limits to contain his admitted OCD. His first efforts here run on forever.

Posted by: jj | Sep 24 2005 18:06 utc | 42

@Uncle $cam:

Perhaps your web browser is trying to do you a favor and outsmarting itself? The problem most recently is that there was a “<br />” inserted at the end of the URL in your link, so that instead of “http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/earlywarning/2005/09/today_in_dc_com.html&rdquo it came out as “http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/earlywarning/2005/09/today_in_dc_com.html<br />”. “<br />” is XHTML for “line break”. Did you perhaps type a return after the URL, leading your browser to try to insert a line break for you? If so, stop doing that. (Instead, just get used to putting a <p> before each paragraph and typing everything in one big lump. It may not be as easy to read your own text, but it avoids that problem.)

Posted by: Anonymous | Sep 24 2005 20:41 utc | 44

Here’s the Sun. Frank Rich column. Nothing imaginative – just rundown of the cronyism. Bring Back Warren Harding

Posted by: jj | Sep 26 2005 5:44 utc | 46