Old Blackwater -- excuse me, Xe -- just keep on rollin'*, maybe even with the knowledge of the commander-in-chief:
At a covert forward operating base run by the US Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) in the Pakistani port city of Karachi, members of an elite division of Blackwater are at the center of a secret program in which they plan targeted assassinations of suspected Taliban and Al Qaeda operatives, "snatch and grabs" of high-value targets and other sensitive action inside and outside Pakistan, an investigation by The Nation has found. The Blackwater operatives also assist in gathering intelligence and help run a secret US military drone bombing campaign that runs parallel to the well-documented CIA predator strikes, according to a well-placed source within the US military intelligence apparatus.
The source, who has worked on covert US military programs for years, including in Afghanistan and Pakistan, has direct knowledge of Blackwater's involvement. He spoke to The Nation on condition of anonymity because the program is classified. The source said that the program is so "compartmentalized" that senior figures within the Obama administration and the US military chain of command may not be aware of its existence.
Personally, I don't have a problem with the type of work that Blackwater is reportedly doing here, so much as with the fact that it's Blackwater -- a corrupt, rogue outfit -- that's doing the work. Here's one reason why they may not be the best choice for Pakistan:
In one of the statements, John Doe 2, who worked for Blackwater for four years, alleged that Mr Prince “views himself as a Christian crusader tasked with eliminating Muslims and the Islamic faith from the globe” and that his companies “encouraged and rewarded the destruction of Iraqi life”.
As it looks like the Obama administration is preparing to step up activity in the region, it would be good for the president to filter Blackwater in the process.
(*Dated song reference of the day)
Comment removed.
---}}} Personally, I don't have a problem with the type of work that Blackwater is reportedly doing here, {{{--- The problem is, Will, that there is no accountability and no transparency. The same is true of the drone attacks - regardless of the Blackwater involvement. Essentially, this is all happening with NO oversight. The legality is highly questionable. This is a real stain on Obama's government - and is very, very dangerous.— Talking point sleuth- Acorn? Bad timing with the "Great document dump" in San Diego.— Manny Trillo
"Seeking to hasten the fall of capitalism by overloading the government bureaucracy with a flood of impossible demands, thus pushing society into crisis and economic collapse." . . . . Except they didn't foresee that the demands would come from the capitalists themselves.- on a completely unrelated topic, check out this blog about how global warming supporting scientists have tried to suppress dissenting opinions and falsified data that didn't support their conclusions: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100017393/climategate-the-final-nail-in-the-coffin-of-anthropogenic-global-warming/— IggleFan68
- Comment removed.
- TPS -- I think this is a critical point that we agree on. We can't have these contractors acting outside of the scope and structure of the US military. It is very dangerous to have these people perform these types of activities (assassinations, etc) without any accountability. We should absolutely not outsource our wars. The US military, with accountability to the US gov't, who has accountability to the US voters should conduct all of our combat and secret missions. Contractors should be used in non-combat support activities (food, shelter, construction, transportation, etc).— IggleFan68
A constitutional amendment, The Armed Republic Amendment, needs to be passed. It affirms the inalienable right to self defense as exclusively reserved for the Republic of the United States of America in all matters of organized military, para-military, armed defense, powers of war, espionage, counter intelligence and electronic surveillance for national security purposes and orbiting weaponry, naval military power and all other military weaponry for offense and defense delivered by air force, and all manner of technology based energy weapon systems. Private armies are the dictionary definition of fascism. Only the state can command and control organized military might, not private interests controlled by faceless shareholders and guided by narrow minded factionalism.- We've spent millions training SEALS, Spec Forces, Spec ops, Rangers and Airborne Delta units who need to do something beyond their tour(s). You expect them to sit on their a**s and watch TV when they can earn 4 to 5 times what they earned while in uniform? As for "...these contractors acting outside of the scope and structure of the US military," back up brother! Our government, in recent times, has been tacitly approving paramilitary ops: ever since the "Bay of Pigs" fiasco and throughout our stay in Nam. Non-uniformed ops were even reported during the Civil War. Operations in Nicaragua, South America and Africa were and still are prevalent. Military field commanders and their Pentagon chiefs willingly support these ops so long as they're carried out anonymously and have "pre-approved" plans of action or engagement. Speaking of "engagement," it's our present twisted set of Rules for Engagement that strangle our uniformed warriors and necessitate the expanded roles that parmilitary ops play. When operations requiring some "flexibility" are devised, these boys fit the bill. Whether you consider yourselves liberal or conservative, sip the coffee while it's hot: this is the way it is and will be as we totally drift away from inductions and add more points to an already full plate of "cannot does."— lefty
- Will woud have preferred the girl scouts be mobilized but they are busy getting ready to sell cookies. Yummmy.— jimmymack
Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.
E-mail Will by clicking here.
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