21 March 2015
The New York Times has reported militias, paramilitary forces and warlords are now prevalent in Afghanistan. These groups were created as part of the United States’ exit strategy, with varying support and US involvement. (more…)
25 February 2015
On Wednesday 18 February, President Obama called on over 60 states to join the ideological fight against violent extremist groups such as the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. The President stated that this was a “generational challenge” which would require governments, communities, religious leaders and educators to come together and “amplify the voices of peace and tolerance and inclusion”, particularly online. White House officials noted that the Presidents “call to arms” signaled a desire to take a leading role in gathering an international coalition to push back against the ideologies of ISIS. (more…)
Source: The New York Times | Obama Urges Global United Front Against Extremist Groups Like ISIS
28 January 2015
On 23 January, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby stated that US troops will soon be dispatched in order to establish training sites for the Syrian opposition. He is quoted as stating that: ‘We’ve said, though, we know how to do this and we’re not going to do it just alone (…) We’re going to do it with our interagency and international partners, people who know these groups.’
Pentagon spokeswomen Elisa Smith said: ‘Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar have agreed to host training sites, and we anticipate the program to train and equip the moderate Syrian opposition will take approximately 400 U.S. trainers, with the caveat that this number could fluctuate based on course load, course requirements and other variables.’
Source: U.S. Department of Defense | U.S. Troops to Begin Establishing Syrian Opposition Training Sites
Source: The Washington Times | U.S. is sending 400 troops to train Syrian fighters against Islamic State
22 January 2015
According to whistleblower Edward Snowden, the Dutch security agencies AIVD and MIVD do whatever the United States security agency NSA tells them to do. Snowden, who worked for both the NSA and CIA, said that the Dutch agencies are regarded as ‘subordinate’. ‘The Dutch work for the Americans. They do what they are told,’ he said, and ‘[t]hey are not valued in terms of their capacities but for the access they offer. The NSA uses this.’ (more…)
Source: DutchNews.nl | Dutch security services ‘work for the US’, says whistleblower Snowden
23 December 2014
Professor Manfred Novak, United Nations special rapporteur on torture between 2004 and 2010, has stated that the United Kingdom must undertake independent investigations into allegations of its involvement in the CIA’s torture programme. Contrary to the assurances given by both the Labour and coalition government, Novak gathered evidence suggesting that the United States utilised the British overseas territory of Diego Garcia for detaining individuals. The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed that they had “received a file of evidence from the Metropolitan police investigating two specific cases of alleged rendition of named individuals to Libya and their alleged ill-treatment” with the apparent assistance of MI6. The CPS correspondent also stated that they were “now in a position to begin considering the material with a view to making a charging decision”. (more…)
Source: The Guardian | UK must probe its role in CIA torture, says UN legal expert