WikiLeaks: Cables reveal U.S. military role in Muslim world (more than US openly acknowledges)

[kpete]

Source: McClatchy

WikiLeaks: Cables reveal U.S. military role in Muslim world

Read more: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/12/09/105053/wikileaks-show-deeper-us-military.html#ixzz17j6mpAYw
By Shashank Bengali | McClatchy Newspapers

BAGHDAD — From the Saudi-Yemen border to lawless Somalia and the north-central African desert, the U.S. military is more engaged in armed conflicts in the Muslim world than the U.S. government openly acknowledges, according to cables released by the WikiLeaks website.

U.S. officials have struck relationships with regimes that generally aren't considered allies in the war against terrorism, and while the cables show U.S. diplomats admonishing the regimes to respect the laws of war, they also underscore the perils of using advanced military technologies in complex, remote battlefields with sometimes shifty friends.

Cables released this week indicate that the United States:

* Provided Saudi Arabia with satellite imagery to help direct airstrikes against Shiite rebels after earlier strikes resulted in civilian casualties.

* Collaborated with Algerian forces in 2006 and 2007 to capture militants allegedly bound for Iraq and, more recently, obtained permission to fly U.S. surveillance planes through Algerian airspace to hunt suspected al Qaida members.

* Killed a militant Islamist leader in a 2008 airstrike in Somalia and, later, fielded requests from Somali officials





Read more: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/12/09/105053/wikileaks-show-deeper-us-military.html#ixzz17j6btE00

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[xchrom]

1. the voter has a right and responsibility to know this. nt

[Robb]

2. K&R. But poor writing; the 2008 airstrike on Ayro was openly acknowledged at the time.

We don't get to that until many paragraphs into this story.

2008 story: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/01/world/africa/01iht-02somalia.12481389.html

[Arctic Dave]

3. I made a comment last year about how the US was in a war with the entire

Muslim world and I was beat down for it because I was slandering our military.

Anyone care to comment on that now?

[Pavulon]

4. Yeah your still wrong. If we assist our ALLIES there killing people

we are not at war WITH the middle east. If we begin strategic bombing of their cities, ports, water supplies, and such killing as many people as the technology allows, then we are at war with them.

[The Stranger]

5. Your definition of war is at least 50 years outdated.

It's changed. Wake up.

[Pavulon]

8. Like I said, when we kill 3 times the total dead in Iraq in one day

you have a regional war. Until then you have foreign policy decisions.

[The Stranger]

10. Like what you said is wrong.

"Foreign policy decisions" are what make up war.

[Pavulon]

28. Killing taliban is not a war on islam. considering muslims authorize

and provide information to make them dead.

[The Stranger]

31. Where the fuck in the article does it talk about "killing Taliban"?

[Pavulon]

32. some poster was bleating about war on the region

war against islam. traditional stupid. if the others are participating how is it a war on the region.

[Arctic Dave]

6. We are allies with dictators and other terrorist?

Interesting.

I am always amazed at the moral relativity we possess as a nation.

[Pavulon]

7. Morals do not have anything to do with strategic

interests of the united states in the region.

[Arctic Dave]

9. Like I said moral relativism.

We love to brow beat the rest of the world with our morality but when it comes down to it we are no better then the terrorist we are killing. It all comes down to we what something and we will kill anyone for it.

[bongbong]

13. Just another way of saying .....

"US Strategic Interests" = "We Can Blow Up Anybody And Any Country We Want To So Our Billionaires Can Get Richer"

[KansDem]

14. That's what it's been all about....

...ever since WWII.

It all has to do with the plutocracy.

Wars for Empire are great: until you run out of other people's children

[bongbong]

18. Yes

And to pile on :) , with the Citizen's United decision, there goes the last vestige of any real Democracy. Now when some US leader starts yapping about "freedom" or "liberty", there will be only one thing to wonder about: are they liars or just dense?

I got a printout of the CU decision, and reading it is like a reading about Nero fiddling while Rome burned. Steven's super-long dissent is the only fireman in the room, but it wasn't enough.

[daleo]

19. And other peoples' money. n/t

[ronnie624]

21. Morality has nothing to do with conspiracy to wage aggressive war?

Nothing to do with violating the sovereignty of other nations for your own self interests?

If your interests, whatever they may be, conflict with human rights, you are in the wrong. Practically every modern legal charter on earth says so. If you must support despots, organize covert war and bomb and invade other countries to promote your interests, you don't have a moral leg to stand on.

No wonder you think the way you do.

[Pavulon]

27. Yes this is not a church service. Stupidity led to one of the two wars

bad policy. what fool suggested this was a moral endeavor?

[ronnie624]

17. "We" are not assisting any allies.

Our government is assisting its allies: the dictatorships it props up in the Muslim world. The House of Saud is no ally of mine.

[Pavulon]

29. You vote.

representative democracy at work. Sorry those are the breaks. You want up down on everything you get lots of prop 8's

[geek tragedy]

16. You're still full of crap and stating falsehoods.

Islamic militants are not the entire Muslim world. Specifically, we're cooperating with Muslim nations, so we're obviously not at war with those nations.

You deserve a verbal beat down for repeating bin Laden's lies.

[daleo]

20. Generally, these are not democracies

So there is a legitimate question about whether these governments truly represent the wishes of the people who live there.

[ronnie624]

22. "We" are not cooperating with nations.

Our government is cooperating with the dictatorships of those nations, just as it has done for decades. When it comes to securing control over energy reserves, democracy has little meaning for the establishment of U.S. foreign policy.

[geek tragedy]

26. We are still not at war with "all Muslims."

Only Neocons and bin Laden disciples believe that.

[Arctic Dave]

24. Supporting dictators and terrorists isn't exactly helping your arguement.

That and just plain killing anyone who thinks we shouldn't be there.

[geek tragedy]

25. Another blatant falsehood from you.

Islamic Militants are not "anyone who thinks we shouldn't be there."

Your sympathy with the AQ/Taliban types is misplaced.

[Arctic Dave]

30. I never said AQ or IMs, you did.

I don't have sympathy for anyone that kills and occupies for profit or ideology.

[krabigirl]

11. When will the insanity end?

[BadtotheboneBob]

12. US helps fight terrorists

None of these US actions were unilateral. Our assistance was requested by Algeria, Saudi Arabia and Somalia. In addition, our request was granted by Algeria. The only reason why I can see not to make this made public is that such information is used to claim that the US is 'at war with Islam', which is absurd when we are acting in concert with Muslim countries against a common foe.

[EFerrari]

15. BushCo claimed we were "invited" into Iraq, too.

That's standard doublespeak.

[Uncle Joe]

23. There is at least one more reason not to make that public.

Those nations are autocratic and not representative of their people's will. Little if any different than the Shah of Iran.

Legitimate political opposition to those regimes could/would easily be labeled as "terrorist" by their governments and if the U.S. openly takes sides in squashing them, our moral authority is lost with those people.

If legitimate political opposition to those regimes combines with strict Islamic fundamentalism as happened in Iran because they perceive themselves as having a common foe, then De Facto the U.S. is perceived as waging war against Islam.

Welcome to D.U. BadtotheboneBob.:hi:

[No Elephants]

33. No Shiite. Both Ends, meet Middle.

Endless war.