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Crazy Ideas About The U.S. Attack In Yemen
The Fake Outrage About Trump piece included a part on a U.S. special force attack in Yemen that had happened just hours before:
The rural home of a tribal leader's family, friendly with some Yemeni al-Qaeda members, was raided by a special operations commando. A U.S. tiltrotor military aircraft was shot down during the raid. One soldier was killed and several were wounded. The U.S. commandos responded with their usual panic. They killed anyone in sight and bombed the shit out of any nearby structure. According to Yemeni sources between 30 and 57 Yemenis were killed including eight women and eight children (graphic pics). The U.S. military claimed, as it always does, that no civilians were hurt in the raid.
One of the killed kids was the 8 year old daughter of al-Qaeda propagandist Anwar al-Awlaki.
That early description holds up well against recent reporting by NBC, the Washington Post and the New York Times. The incident happened as described.
But an open question is still why the raid happen. The military and the administration claim it was to get intelligence, laptops, hard-drives and the like. But that is not a good explanation for an elaborate raid that needed lots of resources and backup. We had noted that "Yemeni sources say that at least two men were abducted by the U.S. military." The U.S. Central Command claims that no prisoners were taken only intelligence material. But a few days ago it also claimed that no civilians were hurt which it now admits indeed happened. My gut tells me that we will hear more on this issue.
There are also some weir conspiracy theories around the raid.
Marcy Wheeler aka Emptywheel headlined: Trump Fulfills Another Campaign Promise: Kills 8-Year Old American Girl and asked "Was that the point?"
That is a crazy and impossible theory. Trump had been in office for less than ten days. The "raid" included SEAL Team 6 forces, UAE special forces, attack helicopters, U.S. Marine MV-22 tiltrotor planes, various drones and intelligence assets, a ship off the coast that launched Harrier jets and who knows what else. An organization like the U.S. military can not possibly vet, arrange and coordinated such a collection of different units and assets without several weeks of intense preparations. It is impossible that Trump ordered this raid up within very few days and just to kill some girl. Also – the military hierarchy would have very likely rejected such an order.
One can file Marcy's piece next to the dissection about the Liberals On the Edge of a Nervous Breakdown. Note: A loudmouth ruling in the White House does not make the sky fall down.
Another crazy piece was published by Reuters today:
U.S. military officials told Reuters that Trump approved his first covert counterterrorism operation without sufficient intelligence, ground support or adequate backup preparations.
As a result, three officials said, the attacking SEAL team found itself dropping onto a reinforced al Qaeda base defended by landmines, snipers, and a larger than expected contingent of heavily armed Islamist extremists.
On wonders who these three "U.S. military officials" are who try to back-stab Trump and his advisors. The raiders surely had prior and current intelligence, they surely had enough forces on the ground and in the air. Lots of backup actually did come in when needed.
The "three military officials" are also lying about the "reinforced al-Qaeda base". The pictures show a few normal houses in a small tribal village. All reports from Yemen speak of a few local families of which men were hired by the Saudis as anti-Houthi fighters. Such may at times align with local al-Qaeda groups who are also supported by the Saudis but that does not make them al-Qaeda terrorists.
The attack in Yemen must have been planned for month under the Obama administration for reason we likely do not yet know. It was then delayed and handed over "ready to go" to the Trump administration. That was my best guess days ago and it is also what the NYT now reports:
[O]ver dinner with his newly installed secretary of defense and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, President Trump was presented with the first of what will be many life-or-death decisions [… ] Vice President Mike Pence and Michael T. Flynn, the national security adviser, also attended the dinner.
…
Mr. Obama did not act because the Pentagon wanted to launch the attack on a moonless night and the next one would come after his term had ended.
…
[M]onths of detailed planning that went into the operation during the Obama administration […] the Defense Department had conducted a legal review of the operation that Mr. Trump approved and that a Pentagon lawyer had signed off on it.
The "U.S. military officials" Reuters quotes must known this. Why do they try to plant their false story and thereby blame not only Trump but also Mattis, Dunford and Flynn – (former) generals who agreed on the mission? Is there some nonsense ongoing like an amateurish "military coup" attempt against Trump that Rosa Books fantasizes about?
The military attack in Yemen was a bad idea. Killing some local Yemenis who work for the U.S. "ally" Saudi Arabia for what? To be hated by their families, clansmen and tribal allies for the next decades?
Then there is the operational failure. According to the NYT and others the SEALs were detected early on, recognized they had been detected and still proceeded. The surprise effect was gone and they ran into an ambush. The operation should have been stopped as soon as they noticed that it was not going as planned. They screwed up just as their command screwed up - up to the strategic level of Obama and Trump.
Just think about the background fight between the local "allies" in the war on Yemen. From my comment at Mary's site:
Take the bigger view. The Saudis want a united Yemen under their full control. The UAE (while said to be allied with Saudis) supports the southern separation movement in Yemen. Dubai Port (DPWorld) wants exclusive rights to Aden and the south Yemeni oil terminals. (These to avoid the strategic problems of the street of Hormuz passages.)
After UAE forces took Aden they were attacked by Saudi supported al-Qaeda (and ISIS) groups. The U.S. military supports the UAE in this family strife because it dislikes the Saudi support for al-Qaeda.
The U.S./UAE hit against that “al-Qaeda aligned” Saudi mercenary gang was as much against the Saudis themselves as it was against al-Qaeda.
Unless there is a really big secret about it yet to unveil, the raid was planned and done for little effect and more out of (Obama typical) pettiness than out of sound strategic necessity. That Trump agree to it was a stupid mistake he by now probably regrets.
That all can and should be criticized. But that does not require unfounded conspiracy theories about some spontaneous raid Trump ordered out of malice or incompetence.
There are plenty of reasons to attack him for what he does. Inventing "bad Trump" stories will only help him along.
@ Posted by: Jackrabbit | Feb 3, 2017 11:27:52 AM | 103
Deep State antipathy toward Trump lead to question of whether the mission was betrayed.
Having slept on it and reviewed events …
Didn’t realize the US was at war with Yemen or that Yemen was at war with the US ? The administration actively chose to launch a major military strike (drones/Strike aircraft/Attack helicopters/etc), essentially unlawful targeted killings, based on shit Intel, to accomplish what, precisely ? To look tough ?
Well, the Trump administration has just announced new US sanctions against Iran, claiming dissemination of WMD and being a State sponsor of terrorism. Two utterly ludicrous, ongoing falsehoods. However, it is a continuation of Empire policy since ’79. A carrier group has now been dispatched back on station to the Strait of Hormuz re the Persian Gulf/Iran. The USS Cole has now been stationed off Yemen.
Disseminating absolute lies re Iran, whilst enabling KSA in Yemen and Iraq/Syria ?! Claiming to want to destroy ISIS, yet no indications of action against KSA or GCC, whatsoever, in fact the opposite. Well Iran is a demonstrated active enemy of ISIS … what happened to the enemy of my enemy is my friend, at least re ISIS.
Trumps administration via Mattis has announced it’s proceeding with THAAD in Sth Korea, against Russian & Chinese protests, sustaining the lie it is about defending against Nth Korea, which is BS. The Missile Defense deployments around the globe are all about surrounding Russia and China to seek to reduce their ability to retaliate against a first strike and attempt to force concessions through ‘Might is Right’.
The Armored troops deployed to the Russian border, firing rounds towards RF, have not been recalled. As NATO and Ukraine run joint naval exercises — Sea Shield 2017, in the Black Sea, concurrent with the Ukie provocations.
The lies Haley spouted in partnership with UK in the UN, re Ukraine/Donbass/Crimea & the myth of Russian aggression was no different to Samantha Power, on a good day.
It is now reported China has heightened it’s Military Readiness levels in response to all the open bluster and continuous talk by principals, of War over the South China Sea, etc.
ALL the above serves Deep State/MIC interests … and is not in Americas ‘interests’, nor its citizens and won’t MAGA. The Strategic ‘tension’ is being wound up, around the globe, to what purpose, whilst simultaneously undermining international alliances … this is a very dangerous, highly unpredictable, dual track.
Negotiating re real estate deals does not equate to dealing with Sovereign States, when ya walk away from the table ’cause you didn’t get what you wanted, they are still there … realpolitik & real diplomacy is in short supply …
Trump appears to enjoy being seen as irrational/unpredictable/winner take all … in national leaders, that is very risky, dangerous even, from other nations perspectives re predictability/rationality and acceptable outcomes … other States ‘interests’ must be acknowledged and addressed … this Trump and his advisers seem unable or unwilling to comprehend. There appears to be no or trivial apparent, rational ‘pushback’ in Council re strategic consequences.
Looking like the ‘Bulletin of Atomic Scientists’ should have moved the Doomsday Clock a full minute, not just 30 seconds … upon reflection, positive signs are few and far between.
And all the above is only over just the last few days … not good, not good at all 🙁
IF, a big if, it is all just posturing for position, it’s a dangerous path to follow, indeed.
Posted by: Outraged | Feb 3 2017 17:37 utc | 112
@ Posted by: juliania | Feb 3, 2017 1:22:04 PM | 116
Trump has inherited a neoliberal nightmare of lesser participants and pretend neo-trumpists. He needs their expertise in day to day management. He is vulnerable to their persuasions, just as President Kennedy was vulnerable to the persuasions leading to the Bay of Pigs fiasco.
The Yemen ‘review’ will be as all others have been, a whitewash, and their will be no acknowledgement, lesson learnt, nor apology … that has been the case for 16 years now, at least, without exception. Have little doubt. A US president does Not apologize, and that is certainly not in Trumps personal character either …
Trump is many things, yet he is not stupid & he is clearly wilful & fully aware of his ultimate authority. Am having great difficulty given the events/actions of the myriad of events of the last few days, in believing he as an individual is being manipulated/misled by his immediate principals … he has a long history of seeking & taking advice he respects, yet always reserving to himself the final decision.
The thing that is lacking from all his principals, especially UN Rep Halley, is no career diplomats/foreign policy/International relations experts … Malloch as EU Ambassador to have publicly talked about taking the EU ‘down’ same as the USSR, now has the EU Council openly discussing to refuse his credentials as EU Ambassador, declaring him malevolent and possibly even declare him ‘Persona Non Grata‘ …
They’ve completely mishandled the poison pill Obama left re US accepting AUS refugees … so badly, so incompetently, in fact, the AUS press has been openly talking about needing to review the US/AU alliance (ANZUS?) of ~74 years standing given their economic dependence on China. AUS is a Five-Eyes member and the multiple strategic facilities in AUS are crucial to US global strategic operations for NSA, SSBMs comms, ICBM launch monitoring/detection, SIGINT/GEOINT, SAC, etc.
It’s been reported Mattis, a rabid Iranophobe, had to talk Flynn down and water down his intended response to the Iran missile launch. Given Flynn knows exactly who is behind ISIS & Al-Qaeda … Al-Saud/Qatar/Turkey … KSA/Al-Qaeda in Yemen … as former Director DIA … he wrote it up … hell, he was sacked by Obama/Clapper for passing the intelligence along to allies. That raises crucial questions as to Flynn’s competence & considered judgement as National Security Adviser.
Tillerson as Sec o’ State seems to have an impossible task ahead if he’s going to be the ‘Grown-Up’ in the room …
@ b | Feb 3, 2017 2:27:13 PM | 120
So much for “valuable intelligence” …
New Administration, yet exactly the same, as predicted re the ‘Raid‘ justification … BS as for the last 16 years, at least, re the Global War on Terra.
Situ … No Change. 🙁
Posted by: Outraged | Feb 3 2017 19:37 utc | 121
@ Posted by: juliania | Feb 4, 2017 11:18:17 AM | 139
Ike and JFK was another age 😉
In the almost 16 years, no matter the issue, AFAIK, no. The Empire is astoundingly arrogant and apologizes to no-one, the best to be hoped for is hollow, insincere, expressions of, ‘Regret‘.
The Aussies shouldn’t be trying to dump their refugees on anyone, the concentration camps they created are their problem, legally & morally. Incredibly naive to think they could offload them to the Trump-faction given their stated American Nativism stance, very naive indeed. However, Trump and his staff completely mishandled the whole sequence of events, IMHO.
Yes, they should have told ’em where to go, however given the wider alliance issues involved, it could have been done far more maturely/diplomatically. Ie, “There is no legal agreement/treaty, not bound by Obama, the answer is NO, the domestic political price is too high. Now, what else shall we discuss Prime Minister ?” Without all the disrespect and braggadocio in public, to an allied nations leader. Such can cause the Vassal to turn away … creating a cascade of even more avoidable problems.
Very poor judgement with no apparent consideration of the wider consequences and contempt by both parties for the actual humans, refugees plight, involved. Nothing new there. It also now leads into every other nations Government/Leaders concerns with any confidential communication … without private candor, Trumps admin will largely hear … silence … or useless faux ‘yes-men’ responses to avoid similar public ridicule/embarrassment.
Oh, Five-eyes and beyond is an overwhelming curse and unaccountable force re sovereignty and basic human rights, just for starters … Five-eyes could be stripped/paired down and made accountable to their own governments and Laws, if the will actually existed. Which does not …
Yet, US strategic defense are currently critically dependent on key facilities in AUS. Unnecessarily risking an unplanned rupture engenders grave & unwarranted strategic risks. If AUS started to openly move away, the result would likely be another soft or even hard coup attempt. The strategic facilities ‘could’ be re-located as part of a planned process, without creating yet more risk. Yet ego driven bluster & ill-considered public outbursts only creates more instability and more risks … Trump is acting like an adult brat, with little understanding or concern of the wider consequences and remarkably his advisers apparently are comfortable with that.
All this brings into direct and clear focus rational judgement, or the lack thereof, in a future potential major confrontational crisis, with China, Russia, Iran, Nth Korea or ? Does not bode well moving forward 🙁
Posted by: Outraged | Feb 4 2017 17:43 utc | 141
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