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Pentagon to Funnel US Arms to Yemen to Fight al-Qaeda
The Pentagon has proposed a $1.2 billion (£778m) military aid package to Yemen for its battle against al-Qaeda, sparking a warning from some US government quarters that the extra resources would be used in the country's civil wars.
The US State Department has reportedly raised concerns that with President Ali Abdullah Saleh facing rebellions in the north and south of the country he could divert the additional weaponry, coast patrol boats and aircraft from its intended purpose.
In this Saturday, Jan. 9, 2010 file photo, soldiers from the anti-terrorism force of the Yemeni Defense Ministry take part in an exercise in a training camp at the Sarif district, north of the capital San'a, Yemen. U.S. special operations forces are expanding their training of the Yemeni military as the Obama administration broadens its program to counter terrorism in countries reluctant to harbor a visible American military presence.(AP Photo/Nasser Nasser, File)
The terror threat from Yemen
has escalated
in the past 18 months, with estimates that about 300 al-Qaeda
members or cells are operating there.
The young Nigerian accused in the plot was reportedly trained in by al-Qaeda's branch in Yemen and given his final orders by Anwar al-Awlaki, a cleric and American citizen based in the country.
Daniel Benjamin, the state department's counterterrorism coordinator, said recently that the US was placing unprecedented emphasis on Yemen, but stressed that the approach must combine military and civil aid.
"Security operations may over time weaken the enemy's leadership and deny it the time and space it needs to organize, plan and train for operations," he said in a speech in Washington. "At the same time, countering violent extremism in Yemen over the long term must involve the development of credible institutions that can deliver real economic and social progress."
The US military is already training in Yemen, aiming to fix shortfalls in the Yemeni military's aviation, intelligence and tactical operations. US Predator drones have been used in several attacks on suspected al-Qaeda targets.
Diversion of military aid has happened in the past as in Pakistan under the presidency of Gen Pervez Musharraf, who used US aid to strengthen forces on the border with India, rather than in the fight against Taliban and al-Qaeda in Pakistan's tribal zones.
Experts in the region have questioned the wisdom of heavily arming the military of the poorest country in the Middle East.
Christopher Boucek, a Yemen expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said: "If we just focus on the military and security for them to become more lethal, it's not going to improve the country's security; it will only fuel recruitment and grievances."
12 Comments so far
Show AllSpreading the means for terrorism spreads the "necessity" of the "war on terror." It's a win-win-win formula for the MIC: 1) arm "them" and profit; 2) fight them and profit; 3) re-build them and profit; and, finally, 4) repeat endlessly.
Permanent war generates a permanent profit stream that vastly exceeds anything that could be produced by peace (or so it seems). Pox amerikana...
Endless enemies, for endless wars, for endless profits. The MIC and the Pentagon love having enemies, but in typical Orwellian double speak they are the real enemies of America. Americans need to fear their domestic enemies, because they are the real terrorists! Sure, I am not a pacifist as there are real thugs that are in the world, but they could be controlled by a fraction of what America's current Pentagon budget is and are small potatoes compared to what is called America's foreign aid and foreign policy, which is an euphemism for foreign terrorism. They do not hate us for our freedoms but for the way we are bringing and supporting the freedom of the oligarchy, the oil cartels and corportocracy to do business in their countries. The very worst thing and anathema to these nihlistic and greedy domestic, terrorists is if all the sudden they could not invent any enemies and they had to dismantle the 700 or more foreign terrorist bases around the world. They really love al-Qaeda and if there was no al-Qaeda they would have to invent another enmity in order to keep the American miasma of hubris and hegemony around the world.
"Endless enemies, for endless wars, for endless profits."
That pretty much sums it up nicely. I think I'll have some t-shirts made. Seriously. If I do that, I'll send you a free one. If there is any profit to made it will go to some kind of anti-war effort -- maybe bus tickets to a demonstration, that kind of thing. Any of us could do this kind of thing in our own locales. Every little bit helps.
Oboy!
The arms market is growing.
Endless enemies, for endless wars, for endless profits.
I'm soooo proud to be an American!?
...there's plenty of money to be made
by supplying the tools of the trade...
CJFish Fixin'to Die Rag
Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and who knows how many other places the US has invaded and occupied and is conducting "non combat" operations? How much of any of this do we get from "American" news outlets? Is the United States trying to begin World War 3 by increments? How long can this go on? It all has to be about PROFIT, no? It sure ain't about "security".
What is wrong with this picture? The US founded or at least funded Al Queda back in the 80s to oppose the Soviets in Afghanistan. Now they want to send sophisticated weapons to an increasingly unstable country to fight their own creation. Don't the American policy makers understand that those very same weapons are going to be used against them sometime in the near future? Just look at Al Queda and you will see what I mean. Foolishness, total foolishness!
No. Not foolishness.
It is the lesser of two evils, and by far so in the US eyes. China is interested in Yemen and is building a huge port in Pishukan, Pakistan to bypass the strangle hold the US has placed on the Malacca Strait . It is also a factor that the Gwadar Port as it is called will be a gateway to the landlocked states in Central Asia, Gulf, and
Afghanistan.
This transparent programme of destabilisation under the perfidious cover of the al-Queda bogey man is to cement the US presence in the Arabian Sea with the accent on that other bottleneck, the Gulf of Aden where China has strong peaceful relations with Djibouti and Yemen. Militarizing the area gives the US the excuse to use the only real card it has, namely the military, which is presently increasingly being utilised there to supply arms under the guise of the War on Terror or whatever name this idiotic initiative has been given now.
Enough said about Yemen.
This says much more about the USA.
It is the greatest long term threat to peace on earth. We have to get rid of it. It is long a failed state persistently and blatantly fomenting war in the name of peace.
American policy makers are not likely to become chess masters anytime soon.
So the u.s. is trying to increase our export trade by selling more arms around the world. And still keeping up the pretenses of fighting the ghosts in the 'ghost war on terrorism' when those selling and leading the fighting are the real terrorist of this whole world. Reality dictates that the people will NOT profit a bit from this form of export trade.
Poor dumb people of america, just refuse to pay attention when someone such as a president tells us what it wrong and who is the real enemy, as president eisenhower did in his farewell speech which everyone ignored because the charismatic JFK stepped into and stole the limelight distracting the real import of what eisenhower said. Sad thing is, JFK paid for trying to handle that evil juggernaut that is calling the shots, the military industrial congressional cia complex.
To paraphrase what I said the other day (with props to Country Joe & The Fish):
Yeah, come on all of you big tough dupes
The MIC needs mercenary troops
They carved themselves a costly jam
Way down yonder in IrafPakStan
So drop your joystick and pick up a gun
It's blood-for-oil profits fun.
And it's one, two, three
What're we deregulating for?
Failed banks, oil spills, nuke accidents?
Poisoned food, cars, fracking and gas blow-outs?
And it's five, six, seven
Open up the pearly gates.
There's plenty of time to wonder why
When your ass is long-term unemployed.
Well, come on general, though you're an ass
Your big chance has come at last.
The MIC will butter your bread
The only good haji is the one who's dead
You know that oil can only be controlled
When we hold countries at the end of a gun.
And it's one, two, three,
Too many progressives on their ass
Too farted out to organize
Busy checking their dividends.
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Scared or old or spoiled as shit
Toothless gutless gits.
Huh!
Well, come on Wall Street, don't move slow,
It's investment bank a-go-go.
There's plenty good money to be made:
Endless War using market laundered tax money!
Just pray that if they're mer-cen-ar-ies
They don't start hitting politicians in trade.
And it's one, two, three,
What are we piling up ?
CO2, oil spills and Gulf fish kills
Next stop is Karachi, Sindh.
And it's five, six, seven,
Few defense cuts, Robert Gates.
There'll be plenty of time to wonder why,
Over-extended empires die.
Well, come on mothers throughout the land,
Pack your boys off to IrafPakStan.
Come on fathers, don't hesitate,
Send 'em off before it's too late.
Be the first Tea Bagger Party hag
To have your son or daughter home in a bag.
And it's one, two, three
What are we pissing away?
Don't care; gotta check my mutual fund
Next stop is Sanaa, Yemen, man.
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
There'll be plenty of time to wonder why,
Over-extended empires die.