A Black-Hole Prison in Benghazi
As the Petraeus "All In" affair continues to unfold new revelations about the attack in Benghazi are the most interesting parts of it.On October 26 Petraeus lover Paula Broadwell gave a talk (video) at an alumni symposium. She pointed out that three Libyans were held at the CIA "annex" compound in Benghazi and that this was probably the reason why it was attacked. That was know due to a Foxnews report that was published earlier that day:
According to a source on the ground at the time of the attack, the team inside the CIA annex had captured three Libyan attackers and was forced to hand them over to the Libyans.Foxnews now stupidly asks if that Broadwell speech may have revealed classified information. But as Broadwell refereed to "the facts that came out today" she obviously had read the Foxnews report and just repeated its claims.
But there is a new much more important issue buried in today's Foxnews report:
A well-placed Washington source confirms to Fox News that there were Libyan militiamen being held at the CIA annex in Benghazi and that their presence was being looked at as a possible motive for the staged attack on the consulate and annex that night.The CIA compound in Benghazi was a black-hole prison the CIA was supposed to close. The CIA somewhat denies that it held prisoners there:According to multiple intelligence sources who have served in Benghazi, there were more than just Libyan militia members who were held and interrogated by CIA contractors at the CIA annex in the days prior to the attack. Other prisoners from additional countries in Africa and the Middle East were brought to this location.
The Libya annex was the largest CIA station in North Africa, and two weeks prior to the attack, the CIA was preparing to shut it down. Most prisoners, according to British and American intelligence sources, had been moved two weeks earlier.
The CIA, though, categorically denied these allegations, saying: “The CIA has not had detention authority since January 2009, when Executive Order 13491 was issued. Any suggestion that the agency is still in the detention business is uninformed and baseless.”The CIA is correct in that the Executive Order 13491 (pdf) denies it detention authority:
Sec. 4. (a) CIA Detention. The CIA shall close as expeditiously as possible any detention facilities that it currently operates and shall not operate any such detention facility in the future.But the CIA denial is irrelevant. The people who talked to Foxnews are claiming that prisoners were "held and interrogated by CIA contractors", not by the CIA itself. The Executive Order only refers to the CIA, not to the military. We know that "former" special operation soldiers were operating from the "annex". How much "former" these are is a yet unknown. The drone that came to observe the situation as the annex was attacked was operated by the military for observation of some alleged militant training camps near Benghazi. Also unknown is which "contractors" the CIA hired for that dirty part of the business it is no longer allowed to do itself.
We do know that U.S. Special Forces are involved in lot of secret operations in northern Africa. For example on April 20 three Special Force soldiers accompanied by three Moroccan prostitutes died in a traffic accident in Mali.
What the men were doing in the impoverished country of Mali, and why they were still there a month after the United States suspended military relations with its government, is at the crux of a mystery that officials have not fully explained even 10 weeks later.
If that Foxnews report gets confirmed it seems that the CIA station in Benghazi was not only involved in weapons transfers to Syrian insurgents but was also part of some combined operation with Special Forces in which contractors were used to do detention and interrogation "stuff" that the CIA and maybe even the special forces are no longer allowed to do.Are there more such prisons and to which one were the people who were held in Benghazi transferred to? The CIA prison in Somalia?
The prison and the questions it opens is of course something the Obama administration would have wanted to hide before the election and would explain its laughable "that Mohammed video made them do it" claims.
Posted by b on November 12, 2012 at 17:25 UTC | Permalink
There were also some South African contractors purportedly working on US-funded disarmament kidnapped by militia--then released--in April.
Posted by: emptywheel | Nov 12 2012 18:53 utc | 2
Just more information on the "people's" revolution in Libya. It's so frustrating thinking of all those deluded leftists in the US and Europe that believe Nato can be a progressive revolutionary force. Now the ultimate result of that revolution: the new government inviting in CIA secret prisons!
In the 1960s the left led antiwar movement was not a tool of the governing Democratic Party. Today, many of their descendants will only oppose wars started by Republicans. I never thought this could happen but it did starting with the war against Serbia and now with Obama's wars.
Posted by: ToivoS | Nov 12 2012 19:44 utc | 3
ToivoS;
Do you think that one can be "leftist" without being anti-imperialist?
If 'yes' then can you tell us what your definition of 'left' is?
And if 'no' then why do you classify these people as 'leftists'?
Posted by: Pirouz_2 | Nov 12 2012 20:37 utc | 4
#4 In Europe the former Trotskyist parties seem to be supporting Nato led revolutions. If asked, they would likely say they are anti-imperialist. In the US we often use the term left as a synonym for progressive which is largely embedded in the Democratic Party.
Posted by: ToivoS | Nov 12 2012 20:49 utc | 5
"...It's so frustrating thinking of all those deluded leftists in the US and Europe that believe Nato can be a progressive revolutionary force."
And that Syria deserves the same fate as Libya. But are these "leftists" really deluded? Or are they just earning their silver pieces from the empire? One thing is certain: they are doing nothing to further the interests of the people in their own countries, unless creating job opportunities in the military is counted.
What they do is to perform a real service for the imperialists who face almost no political opposition even as they undermine living standards, institute authoritarian rule, create mass unemployment and destroy planetary resources.
Most "leftist" organisations are run, undemocratically, by committees of police agents, narrow minded, pedantic careerists and opportunists waiting for offers.
Posted by: bevin | Nov 12 2012 20:54 utc | 6
Most neocons are former Trotskyists
"The roots of neoconservatism lie in a remarkable group of largely Jewish intellectuals who attended City College of New York (C.C.N.Y.) in the mid- to late 1930's and early 1940's, a group that included Irving Kristol, Daniel Bell, Irving Howe, Nathan Glazer and, a bit later, Daniel Patrick Moynihan. The story of this group has been told in a number of places, most notably in a documentary film by Joseph Dorman called "Arguing the World." The most important inheritance from the C.C.N.Y. group was an idealistic belief in social progress and the universality of rights, coupled with intense anti-Communism.
It is not an accident that many in the C.C.N.Y. group started out as Trotskyites."
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/19/magazine/neo.html?pagewanted=all
Posted by: nikon | Nov 12 2012 21:29 utc | 7
Trotskyist reaction to Stalinism was to support imperial wars in the name of democracy.
Posted by: nikon | Nov 12 2012 21:31 utc | 8
ToivoS;
You say:
"In Europe the former Trotskyist parties seem to be supporting Nato led revolutions. If asked, they would likely say they are anti-imperialist."
If they are former Trotskyists then they can only be described as former leftists.
If they describe themselves as current Tortsyists then one should ask them how can they be lefitsts without being anti-imperialsts? After all Lenin says:
"It was on this basis alone [ie.destruction of feudalism, absolutism, and foreign oppression]that there arose the concept of “defence of the fatherland”, defence of a bourgeois nation that is liberating itself from medievalism. Only in this sense did socialists recognise “defence of the fatherland”. Even today it must be recognised in this sense ; for instance, the defence of Persia or China against Russia or Britain, of Turkey against Germany or Russia, of Albania against Austria and Italy, etc. ".....
"Victory for Russia, Britain, and France means the strangulation of Armenia, Asia Minor, etc.—this is stated in the Basle Manifesto. Germany’s victory means the strangulation of Asia Minor, Serbia, Albania, etc. This is stated in the selfsame Manifesto, and has been recognised by all socialists! All phrases about a war of defence or about the defence of the fatherland by the Great Powers (i.e., the great predators), who are fighting for world domination, markets and “spheres of influence”, and the enslavement of nations, are false, meaningless and hypocritical! It is not surprising that “socialists” who are in favour of defending the fatherland are afraid to recall or to exactly quote the Basle Manifesto, for it exposes their hypocrisy. The Basle Manifesto proves that socialists who stand for the “defence of the fatherland” in the 1914-15 war are socialists only in word and chauvinists in deed. They are social-chauvinists. "
Posted by: Pirouz_2 | Nov 12 2012 22:42 utc | 9
it doesn't make sense
Us ambassador Stevens meets the Turkish Consul a few meters away from a CIA "black hole" knowing there is insufficient security?
maybe we are getting farther from the truth, not closer
Posted by: claudio | Nov 12 2012 22:57 utc | 10
"Most neocons are former Trotskyists"
What the hell are you smoking?
Posted by: ben | Nov 12 2012 23:05 utc | 11
The left baiting started in #3 is known as trolling. The intention of ToivoS is to distract people away from discussing the header article subject matter by red baiting, into a pointless argument about something stupid which just wastes people's time. She/he is using one of the standard trolling canards for that purpose. If one will look at the majority of ToivoS posts, one will see they are more designed to distract the conversation away from a subject critical of Israeli-American actions and into something more favourable to the fascists instead, or something simply irrelevant altogether. If the ToivoS here is the same as the one at Mondoweiss, it is nothing more than an Israeli hasbara troll. If not, it's just a troll imitating that hasbara troll.
Posted by: вот так | Nov 12 2012 23:29 utc | 12
ToivoS,
It would be appreciated if you stick to using small brushes when describing broader issues. Any rational individual, that's not toeing any [party] line, will come to their respective conclusions without the need and guidance of pompous laptop commandos and couch-potato philosophers. Blair, Cinton and Obama have killed as much ppl as any ruthless dictator. Fortunately, it's all done in the name of 'liberation' so we don't have dead ppl, we have 'collateral damage.' The west really needs a couple of very bloody noses before they finally phuck off. Personally I hope that happens sooner rather than later [and yes, I'm aware that those who will die have nothing to do with what's going on right now]. I just want it to stop.
Posted by: Daniel Rich | Nov 13 2012 0:04 utc | 13
"...it seems that the CIA station in Benghazi was not only involved in weapons transfers to Syrian insurgents but was also part of some combined operation with Special Forces in which contractors were used to do detention and interrogation "stuff" that the CIA and maybe even the special forces are no longer allowed to do.Are there more such prisons and to which one were the people who were held in Benghazi transferred to?"
Could that particular CIA "black site" have predated Qaddafi's overthrow/death?
Posted by: Maracatu | Nov 13 2012 0:50 utc | 14
Maracatu, that is what i thought about when i first read it.
Posted by: annie | Nov 13 2012 1:02 utc | 15
@ Maracatu,
Perhaps you remember the days of our callous 'rendition' flights? The days when we flew ppl to countries specialized in torture and we gladly looked the other way? Fortunately we can do it ourselves now and get away with it. This is how we do it Court Ruling. Thus, I have no trouble imagining what must have been going on in Benghazi, but can't uphold those images to the scrutiny of truth.
Posted by: Daniel Rich | Nov 13 2012 1:04 utc | 16
Poor Qaddafi. He figured if he kissed arse enough and gave the fascists what they demanded, they would let him remain in power. With regard to Israel-America, such faulty thinking always ends in grief. The Israeli-Americans used their new access into Libya to infiltrate terrorists and covert operators.
Posted by: вот так | Nov 13 2012 1:50 utc | 17
Then it's a case of obvious blowback, compounded with utter incompetence on the part of the US, by virtue of having placed it's consul there as a sitting duck with a big huge target sign on him and his staff.
Posted by: Maracatu | Nov 13 2012 1:56 utc | 18
"Then it's a case of obvious blowback"
Could be hubris. They are so bloody over confident, they think nothing can touch them.
Then it does. And they start running circles, screaming and shouting.
But without more information, we really know little about what happened that night the ambassador died and what lead to it. Most of the information we have been fed is deliberate misinformation, to cover up what it was about. And keep us confused and stumbling about in the dark.
Posted by: вот так | Nov 13 2012 2:46 utc | 19
@ben
why don't you read the article I posted? can you read?
Posted by: nikon | Nov 13 2012 3:10 utc | 21
"Moissaye J. Olgin published a book entitled Trotskyism: Counter-Revolution in Disguise in which he put forward the idea that Trotskyism was "the enemy of the working class" and that it "should be shunned by anybody who has sympathy for the revolutionary movement of the exploited and oppressed the world over.""
which seems to be confirmed by Trotskyites's tendency to support US regime changes.
Posted by: nikon | Nov 13 2012 6:11 utc | 25
Scandal probe ensnares commander of U.S., NATO troops in Afghanistan
ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT — The FBI probe into the sex scandal that led to the resignation of CIA director David Petraeus has expanded to ensnare Gen. John R. Allen, the commander of U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan, the Pentagon announced early Tuesday.20,000-30,000 pages of sex-emails over two-three years. No wonder these generals are unable to win any war.According to a senior U.S. defense official, the FBI has uncovered between 20,000 and 30,000 pages of “potentially inappropriate” emails between Allen and Jill Kelley, a 37-year-old Tampa woman whose close friendship with Petraeus ultimately led to his downfall. Allen, a Marine, succeeded Petraeus as the top allied commander in Afghanistan in July 2011.
This is turning to be quite a swinger's party. Kelley is the woman Broadwell sent the threatening emails to.
I'm wondering where Tonya Harding fits into all of this.
Posted by: вот так | Nov 13 2012 6:28 utc | 27
@ bot tak,
Q: And keep us confused and stumbling about in the dark.
R: Bingo! Disinfo 101. Before long we'll know more about Broad-well's A through G Strings and a lot less about who did what and why in Benghazi. Mission accomplished.
Q2: I'm wondering where Tonya Harding fits into all of this.
R2: roflmaopimp.
Posted by: Daniel Rich | Nov 13 2012 6:43 utc | 28
If General Martin E. Dempsey gets snared in this "swinger's party" then we know whose hand is behind this. After all he recently said this
Distancing himself from any Israeli plan to bomb Iran, Dempsey said such an attack would "clearly delay but probably not destroy Iran's nuclear programme".He added: "I don't want to be complicit if they [Israel] choose to do it."
Posted by: hans | Nov 13 2012 7:03 utc | 29
Jill Kelley AKA Jill Khawam, AKA Gilberte J. Kelley, AKA Gigi Khawam, AKA Gigi Kelley.
Of Lebanese heritage. Doing unpaid "social event planning" at the CENTCOM base in Tampa. According to Broadwell had her hands on Petreaus pants under the table at some event. Pictures of Petreaus and Kelly here. Exchanges 20-30 emails each day(!) with General Allen over 3 years.
This gives some new meaning to "social event planner" and opens the question if she is working for some foreign agency targeting CENTCOM.
This is about something else entirely, and the truth will come out," Paul Krantz, the father of Petraeus's mistress Paula Broadwell told the Daily News from his home in Bismarck, North Dakota. "There is a lot more that is going to come out … you wait and see. There's a lot more here than meets the eye.
Can't wait for more! While I am waiting the San Andreas fault is getting agitated, there are not many days left before 21 Dec 11:12 (UTC).
Posted by: hans | Nov 13 2012 7:17 utc | 31
Sure, the prison presumably dates back to Gaddafi and US "militia" contacts, too.
The US "consulate" was the only one in Libya not to rely on their own countries special forces.
The dance around how the incident was handled seems to be that the response tried to avoid "hostage taking" - why would they be so worried about that in election time.
If you watch Paula Broadwell's Denver video she seems to deconstruct Petraeus' COIN whilst admiring his "leadership".
And if the affair ended since summer Paula Broadwell had time to take revenge since summer, she strikes me as somewhat of a fighter.
And what about those Iranian Red Crescent workers who were quietly released in October whom the ambassador enquired after but got no real answer, did the CIA station know more about them.
And what was that Carter scenario described to Romney in the 49% video.
Oh, and the British "consulate" left Benghazi, too, some time in October.
And has al Qeida really that type of organizational strength or who is it.
Posted by: somebody | Nov 13 2012 7:22 utc | 32
Slightly off topic, but [imho] always adding fuel to fire:
US Ambassador Dan Shapiro posted on Facebook and Twitter: "Our thoughts are with the residents of southern Israel, who continue to be bombarded with missile attacks from terrorist organisations in Gaza. The United States supports Israel's right to defend itself and its citizens." The Independent
Israel does not attack and does not occupy anything, you know.
Posted by: Daniel Rich | Nov 13 2012 7:35 utc | 33
Just to keep the link - weirder and weirder: Petraeus helps whistleblower's 'unstable' twin in nasty custody fight
Gen. David Petraeus sure loved helping his lady friends.While he was director of the CIA, Petraeus wrote a letter supporting the child-custody fight of the “psychologically unstable” twin sister of his close friend Jill Kelley — whose bombshell claims of being threatened by his lover led to the top spy’s resignation last week, sources told The Post.
The four-star general’s letter to the court — written in the past two months — supported a motion to overturn a ruling made nearly a year earlier by a judge who resoundingly denied custody to Kelley’s sister, Natalie Khawam, because of serious reservations about her honesty and mental stability, court records show.
...
Latest from Penny on Syria, and Petraeus: http://pennyforyourthoughts2.blogspot.com/
Posted by: ben | Nov 13 2012 15:31 utc | 35
So far:
Broadwell, the BiogBabe, had an affair with Petraeus, and Kelley a relationship (which must have been conducted mainly or solely over the intertubes in view of the volume..) with Commander Allen.
Kelley and her hubby were friends with the Petreaus’. I suspect P. had a previous relationship in Afgh. (see previous posts), which taught him a lesson > no subordinates/colleagues.
Petraeus has recently declared that he has had no other affair. (!) Do ppl really imagine that such a man stays celibate for decades when much of the time he doesn’t even live with his wife?
Rivalry between Broadwell and Kelley morphed into high hysteria .. B sent nasty e-mails and then K complained to some guy in the FBI that she knew who then became obsessed with her and sent her sexy pix.
(note, Kelley has an identical twin sister, Natalie Khawam, and it’s easy to confuse the two. I see now b posted about this just above. Petraeus supported Kelley’s testimony in the divorce case of her sister against Grayson Wolf, who, allegedly worked for the CPA in Iraq..)
Allen’s nomination as next NATO commander is now on hold (today, 13 nov., Chicago Tribune.)
I’m not convinced *yet* this has anything to do with 9/11 Benghazi.
It may be merely about security breaches - in the sense of extravagantly lax comm. and actions (besides the sex part which nobody cares about anyway, not even the CIA) by these two Supreme Top Brass Figures. Like, they live in a sort of suburban, clownish, even teen-like parallel world, while bearing the highest responsibility.
Sex scandals are often used as cover ups for financial matters. Benghazi - seen as coincidental in the time line - may simply be a dragged in distraction. (?)
Posted by: Noirette | Nov 13 2012 15:50 utc | 36
A few other articles with revelations of the soap opera. An obsessed FBI agent (likely an Israeli intelligence asset):
Revealed: FBI agent friend of Florida housewife at center of Petreaus scandal who sent topless pictures to her ‘went rogue’ after being told to 'stay the hell away'
And Raimondo at antiwar.com adds some background about Broadwell's deep neo-con connections and her potential role as an Israel intelligence asset gathering classified data, along with this intriguing bit:
A Covert Affair: Petraeus Caught in the Honeypot?
http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2012/11/11/a-covert-affair-petraeus-caught-in-the-honeypot/
"The FBI probe apparently started in late spring, when several people associated with Petraeus — not just the one woman, as has been reported elsewhere — received harassing emails. The emails were traced to 40-year-old Paula Broadwell, national security analyst, military intelligence veteran, and author of a biography of Petraeus."
The Benghazi aspect may also turn into a major scandal over the CIA continuing to use its "black holes":
Petraeus Scandal Expands to Cabinet as Benghazi Ties Hinted
http://news.antiwar.com/2012/11/12/petraeus-scandal-expands-to-cabinet-as-benghazi-ties-hinted/
So we got a nest of neo-cons being exposed in scandal and having their careers cut short. An exposure to the public curiously facilitated by Israeli assets in the U.S. Congress and FBI giving the info to probable fellow Israeli assets in the media. A potential Israeli spy being investigated. Another attempted cover-up of CIA torture actions and other war crimes. What if it's all of these, and some more besides? The most curious part is the Israelis exposing their own neo-con assets and allies.
One positive possibility is that these related affairs could end up occupying the American establishment in enough drama and spook hunt scandals to the extent they wont be able to concentrate on the Israel-America world domination project and the rest of the world could get a breather from constant Israel-American aggressions. That would be good news for the rest of the world.
Posted by: вот так | Nov 13 2012 18:29 utc | 37
Actually, a lot of those original neo-cons did call themselves "trotskyites" once, but that was a long time ago, and hardly relevant at this point. I don't think anybody considers it an active connection, and it's brought up to show the shallowness of the depth of their infatuations.
Posted by: Mooser | Nov 13 2012 21:17 utc | 38
Bot tak says: The left baiting started in #3 is known as trolling.
I have no idea why you are being so antagonistic here. I identify myself with the left and have been active in a number of anti-war movements over previous decades. I started this line of questions stating my frustration that many people who are identified with the "left" have ended up supporting Nato sponsored wars against the Serbs, against Libya and now against Syria. Pirutz questioned my definition of "left". Yes that has always been vague. Nevertheless, there really is a problem for us lefties in the anti-war movement having to confront others that appear to be on our side ending up backing international imperialist (i.e. Nato) interventions.
These statements should not even be controversial here at MoA. Haven't you guys been paying attention?
Posted by: ToivoS | Nov 14 2012 1:48 utc | 39
I think unintentionally I contributed to some what diverting the main line of discussion. For that I apologize to everyone. It is just that I have heard people putting even a person such as 'Christopher Hitchens' among the "leftists" and that is a MALICIOUS BS.
By the way if I get the impression that someone is a troll I don't engage him/her. So if I engage anyone that means that I don't get the impression that s/he is a troll. On the contrary it means that I value him/her and his/her opinion.(Just mentioned this so that I wouldnt leave any room for misunderstanding)
Posted by: Pirouz_2 | Nov 14 2012 3:05 utc | 40
"Broadwell, the BiogBabe, had an affair with Petraeus, and Kelley a relationship (which must have been conducted mainly or solely over the intertubes in view of the volume..) with Commander Allen"
Blahblablah...blahblah.....blahblablablah....blabla..blabla...blahblahbla.....and.....uh....blablablah.
Good to see y'all are keeping up with the distraction d'jour. Nothing like a bit of sex to take our minds of the coupla million we've murdered, are continuing tio murder, and are gonna murder tommorrow. They hate us for our freedoms, doncha know.
Hey, how 'bout that Broadwell broad??? How'd ya like a night in the sack with her, eh??? Wink, wink.
If you aren't ashamed to be an American by now, there's somethin' wrong with ya.
Posted by: PissedOffAmerican | Nov 14 2012 3:18 utc | 41
POA given the discussion that is raging across the MSM and much of the net your comment is quite relevant. But I do not think it is appropriate here at MoA. I do believe that b and many of us who respond to his analysis are trying to look beyond the superficial titillating elements of this story. You should pay attention to what we are saying.
Posted by: ToivoS | Nov 14 2012 6:54 utc | 42
Doesn't Iran fit perfectly in here. The Pentagon has put the kibosh on war with Iran, so the top commander, the nexus of intelligence, the Pentagon and the anti-Iran war faction takes a fall. Now, the Mossad, AIPAC or whomever can declare, don't cross us, dear friend. Never invite this sort to dinner, they have a tradition of really making a mess of things, and consorting with inappropriate company.
Posted by: scottindallas | Nov 14 2012 8:33 utc | 43
"POA given the discussion that is raging across the MSM and much of the net your comment is quite relevant"
I see you got my point.
"But I do not think it is appropriate here at MoA"
Don't be so sensitive, you take yourself waaaaay too seriously.
Posted by: PissedOffAmerican | Nov 14 2012 14:22 utc | 44
Foxnews appears to have removed the paragraphs about prisoners.
Posted by: a swedish kind of death | Nov 15 2012 21:43 utc | 45
Earlier I speculated the FBI agent who notified AIPAC's chosen ones in Congress was probably working for the Israelis. Now there is more information and the agent is undoubtedly working for Israel. It's also obvious the Kelley's are Israeli agents.
Why Paula Broadwell Sent Those Emails
http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2012/11/15/why-paula-broadwell-sent-those-emails/
He doesn't get to the reason till at the end of the piece, but before that he brings together a lot of very interesting info about the Kelleys and the FBI psycho. Add in what Broadwell's old man said about what's been exposed so far is only scratching the surface and I think at the centre of this scandal lies a full blown Israeli spy ring.
Posted by: вот так | Nov 16 2012 3:50 utc | 46
The comments to this entry are closed.
All CIA stations are "black holes" and routinely conduct torture of those the CIA kidnaps. Maybe we are finally getting somewhere on finding out the what, who, and why of that Benghazi event.
Posted by: вот так | Nov 12 2012 17:51 utc | 1