Tag: Airstrikes

Donny Is Determined (Venezuela)

The big meeting tomorrow is news but the main news for me is the declaration that US is close to bombing Venezuela.

The US military could start bombing targets inside Venezuela within a matter of weeks, according to a report from NBC News that was published on Saturday.

Sources told NBC that US military officials were drawing up options for striking alleged drug traffickers inside Venezuela, though the report said that so far, no plans have been approved by President Trump.

CNN also previously reported that the Trump administration was considering launching strikes inside Venezuela and was considering hitting targets with the goal of weakening Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The US has accused the Venezuelan president of being the leader of a cartel, meaning he could be a potential target. The Venezuelan government has strongly denied the US allegations and recently announced additional military deployments to combat drug shipments from Colombia.

Since early September, the US has bombed at least three boats in the Caribbean that it claimed were carrying drugs. According to numbers released by President Trump, 17 people have been extrajudicially executed in the operations.

US officials have told The New York Times that while combating drug trafficking was the pretext for the recent military action in the Caribbean, the ultimate goal is regime change in Venezuela. The policy is being driven by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has long sought the overthrow of Maduro.

The NBC report said that some Trump administration officials were disappointed that the US military escalations in the region had not impacted Maduro’s grip on power or prompted any significant response. One official said that the White House has faced more pushback over bombing boats in the region than it expected. Recent polling shows the majority of Americans are opposed to the US military using force to carry out regime change in Venezuela.

While tensions are soaring between the US and Venezuela, they continue to cooperate on the deportation of Venezuelan citizens from the US. Ric Grenell, a special envoy for President Trump, has stated that he remains in communication with the Venezuelan government, and the NBC report said that Middle Eastern leaders have been mediating talks between the two sides.

(antiwar.com)

Just another soft target for Donny to prove his manhood.

This is a really bad idea….but what the Hell that is what the Trump group is becoming famous for imposing….bad ideas….

Just what will this accomplish?

Bragging rights?

Cessation of drugs into the US?   (Not a chance in Hell)

Just what is the thought behind this colossal bad idea?

Thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

We Keep Trying

I read that the US has carried out a second attack on  some boat off Venezuela….a boat of ‘terrorists’…..

President Trump announced that the US military again targeted a boat he says was carrying drugs from Venezuela, killing three aboard the vessel.

  • “This morning, on my Orders, U.S. Military Forces conducted a SECOND Kinetic Strike against positively identified, extraordinarily violent drug trafficking cartels and narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility,” the president said in a Truth Social post.
  • “The Strike occurred while these confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela were in International Waters transporting illegal narcotics (A DEADLY WEAPON POISONING AMERICANS!) headed to the U.S.,” Trump wrote. “The Strike resulted in 3 male terrorists killed in action. No U.S. Forces were harmed in this Strike.”
  • The strike that Trump says was carried out Monday came two weeks after another military strike on what the Trump administration says was a drug-carrying speedboat from Venezuela that killed 11. The administration justified the earlier strike as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the US. “These extremely violent drug trafficking cartels POSE A THREAT to U.S. National Security, Foreign Policy, and vital U.S. Interests,” Trump wrote Monday.

    But several senators, Democrats and some Republicans, have indicated dissatisfaction with the administration’s rationale and questioned the legality of the action, the AP reports. They view it as a potential overreach of executive authority in part by using the military for law enforcement purposes. “There is no evidence—none—that this strike was conducted in self-defense,” Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said last week, per CNN. “That matters, because under both domestic and international law, the US military simply does not have the authority to use lethal force against a civilian vessel unless acting in self-defense.”

A second attack?

Why?

Although the president is posting edited videos of these strikes, information about the planning, execution, and legal justification for this campaign on alleged “narcoterrorists” is being kept secret from senior congressional staffers.

Last Tuesday, senior staff from House leadership and relevant committees were barred by the Office of the Secretary of War from attending a briefing on the first attack, according to three government sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The military cited “alternative compensatory control measures” — the term for enhanced security procedures designed to keep information under wraps — as the reason.

The War Department has attempted to conceal numerous details about the attack that killed 11 people in the Caribbean, including the fact that the vessel altered its course and appeared to have turned back toward shore prior to the strikes. Men on board were said to have survived an initial strike, The Intercept reported last week. They were then killed shortly after in a follow-up attack.

(theintercept.com)

It seems that the US is determined to force Venezuela into committing some action that can be used to justify a direct attack on Venezuelan soil.

These slugs are trying so hard to force a new conflict that the defense contractors need to stay in the green.

This is silly sh*t and cannot end well for either country.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Another Expansion By Israel

The news lit up with an Israeli airstrike in the nation of Qatar….according to Israel it was targeting the Hamas team that was negotiating a possible peace.

The Israeli military launched airstrikes in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday in an attempt to target Hamas political leadership, marking a major Israeli escalation in the region that dims any hope of a ceasefire in Gaza.

A source told Al Jazeera that the attack occurred while Hamas officials were gathered to discuss a ceasefire proposal from the US. Suhail al-Hindi, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, said that Hamas’s leadership survived the attack, while the son of acting Hamas political bureau chief Khalil al-Hayya was killed, along with several of his aides. Qatar’s Interior Ministry said that a Qatari security officer was also killed in the attack.

Hamas later issued a statement that said none of its political leaders were killed in the attack. It said a total of six people were killed, including al-Hayya’s son, four office staff, and the Qatari officer.

According to Israeli media, Israeli warplanes dropped more than 10 bombs on a residential building where Israel believed Hamas leaders were gathering, an area of Doha near schools and embassies. Qatar has hosted a Hamas office since 2012, a step it took at the request of the US.

…

Sources told Middle East Eye President Trump “blessed” the attack on Qatar, which his a major non-NATO ally of the US and hosts about 10,000 US troops, although US officials speaking to other media outlets claim that the US was notified while Israeli warplanes were in the air.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later commented on the attack, saying it doesn’t advance US and Israeli goals while also backing the idea of targeting Hamas officials. “The Trump administration was notified by the United States military that Israel was attacking Hamas, which very unfortunately, was located in a section of Doha, the capital of Qatar,” she said.

“Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a sovereign nation and close ally of the United States that is working very hard and bravely taking risks with us to broker peace does not advance Israel or America’s goals. However, eliminating Hamas, who have profited off the misery of those living in Gaza is a worthy goal,” Leavitt added.

She said that Trump “believes this unfortunate incident could serve as an opportunity for peace.”

Israeli Prime Minister claimed the attack was “a wholly independent Israeli operation. Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility.”

https://news.antiwar.com/2025/09/09/israeli-airstrikes-target-hamas-leadership-in-qatar/

I do not think that this will further the pursuit of a peaceful ceasefire.

Do you?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

What Game Is This?

We all know that US assaulted Iranian nuke sites recently and the whole affair ended in a tentative ceasefire….but as with most things within Donny’s foreign policy world there are questions….

It was reported shortly after the US airstrikes that Iran had been alerted….time enough to move their enrichment process.

The after strike assessment run the gambit of BS….Donny says the sites were ‘obliterated then US intel disputed that claim and then everyone fell in line with Donny, whatever pressure he used, and the story now is they were heavily effected.

The Iran retaliated by an attack on the US base in Qatar….the report is that it was an ineffective attack….

Donny has stated that Iran warned the US before the attack….

President Trump said Monday the Iranian government offered “early notice” about a series of missile strikes that targeted the U.S. Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, downplaying Iran’s response to the U.S. bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend as “very weak.”

“I want to thank Iran for giving us early notice, which made it possible for no lives to be lost, and nobody to be injured,” Mr. Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

The president did not specify how much early warning Iran gave or how the warning was delivered. But Mr. Trump’s message seemed to confirm speculation that Iran could telegraph its plans for retaliation in advance, giving the United States a chance to minimize the damage and avoid an escalation.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-iran-early-notice-qatar-attacks-us-base/

It is said that Iran told Qatar of the impending airstrike knowing the Qatari government would tell their good friend about it.

To me it was just a way for the Iranians to save face after all the harsh rhetoric they had uttered.

What is going on in US foreign policy?

Iran was warned then Iran warmed of their intentions….what page is this from in the foreign policy handbook?

After looking over the reports all I can say is WTF?

Is this the new foreign policy….tough talk and then behind the scenes making nice with however we are at odds with?

At least all of Israel’s efforts and those US airstrikes have stopped Iran’s nuke program…..or did it?

President Trump is not going to like the new interview from the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Speaking to Face the Nation on CBS News, Rafael Grossi downplayed the damage done to Iran’s nuclear sites by US bombs.

  • Iran could start enriching uranium again, at least to a small degree, in a “matter of months,” said Grossi, per the BBC.
  • In his interview with Margaret Brennan, Grossi said it’s “clear that there has been severe damage, but it’s not total damage.” What’s more, “Iran has the capacities there; industrial and technological capacities. So if they so wish, they will be able to start doing this again.”
  • Gross’s comments sync with a leaked preliminary assessment by US intelligence, though the assessment’s conclusions have been aggressively disputed by Trump and defense secretary Pete Hegseth. Trump most recently asserted that Iran’s nuclear program has been set back years, if not “decades.” But Grossi’s contention is that diplomacy, not military strikes, is the only way to get a permanent solution.

Sitting and shaking my head.

Then there is the intercepted call on the damage….

Intercepted conversations among top Iranian officials indicate that the recent US strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites caused less damage than the officials expected, contradicting President Trump’s claims of “obliteration.” Four people familiar with the intercepted Iranian communications anonymously shared the information with the Washington Post, prompting pushback from the Trump administration. “It’s shameful that the Washington Post is helping people commit felonies by publishing out-of-context leaks,” said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. “The notion that unnamed Iranian officials know what happened under hundreds of feet of rubble is nonsense. Their nuclear weapons program is over.”

The intercepted communications revealed surprise that the US strikes were less damaging than anticipated, with speculation about why the attacks did not inflict greater destruction on nuclear sites, the sources say. The debate over just how much damage was truly inflicted continues to rage; another Trump administration official said the intercepted communication was incorrect because the US destroyed critical elements of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, including a key metal conversion facility, which officials claim will take years to rebuild. CIA Director John Ratcliffe told lawmakers the same thing during a classified briefing last week, sources tell the AP.

Apparently Donny’s definition of the term ‘obliterated’ and mine are different.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Those Conflicting Reports

Now that there is a lull in the Iranian conflict thing there are conflicting reports on whether the damage was as all encompassing as it was first reported……

Little Marco has stated the popular Trump line….

In the back and forth around whether Iran’s nuclear capabilities were “obliterated” as President Trump has said or just damaged, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is making a case for the former fate. The New York Times reports Rubio on Wednesday provided a “more detailed description” of why he believes the US attack set Iran back years, not just months, and it involves a conversion facility in Isfahan—which the BBC reports was twice hit by Israel before the US targeted it. It’s where enriched uranium gas was converted by Iran into solid materials, then metal. Without that conversion, “you can’t do a nuclear bomb,” said Rubio. In his telling, the facility no longer exists:

  • “We can’t even find where it is, where it used to be on the map. The whole thing is blackened out. It’s gone. It’s wiped out.”

The BBC flags new satellite images that show a structure in Isfahan that the Institute for Science and International Security had previously said was the main uranium conversion building does appear to have been “mostly destroyed.”

Then there is contradictory reports by the DIA….

Unhappy with the leak of a preliminary assessment of the damage done to Iran’s nuclear facilities in a US bombing that disagrees with his own, President Trump plans to restrict the classified information his administration shares with Congress. “We are declaring a war on leakers,” a senior White House official told Axios on Wednesday. Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Marco Rubio, national security adviser in addition to being secretary of state, angrily objected to the leaking of the Defense Intelligence Agency’s initial assessment, which they say was meant to counter the president’s claim that the targets had been “obliterated.”

Then there is Donny who got butt hurt because of a leak….but hey leaks are a thing in DC it is an institution….personally I think leaks help keep the public informed otherwise there would be no info doled out to us peons.

But that is just me.

I am still wondering what game is being played with this whole affair.

Does anyone have an idea as to what?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Captain Clueless And The World Of Tomorrow

It is done!

The US jumped into the Iran/Israel mash-up and by all accounts (I do not believe half of what they sat because they are constantly lying to the people) it was a success on hitting the Nuke facilities…..now we wait for the retaliation.

When and if it comes what will it look like?

Things could get messy fast.

Now the waiting game begins. How will Iran respond to attacks on three of its sites, including Fordo, seen as the crown jewel of its nuclear programme?

Trump appears to be hoping the US strikes force Iran to make greater concessions at the negotiating table, but it seems unlikely that a nation unwilling to talk while under Israeli attack will be more inclined when American bombs are also falling.

And while Trump seemed to be implying that the US attack was a singular, successful event, if that’s not the case, then the pressure to strike again will grow – or the president will have taken a serious political risk for minimal military gain.

At first I think it will be cyberattacks…..

In the wake of President Donald Trump’s “massive precision strikes” on Iran, concerns have been raised both for Americans in the region and at home.

A principal area of worry is cyberattacks by Iranian state actors, including targeting the banking system or energy grid.

A recent Department of Homeland Security bulletin warned: “Iranian government-affiliated cyber actors will probably prioritize retaliatory attacks against Israeli targets in the short term but may target U.S. networks due to their perception of U.S. support for Israeli strikes.”

The bulletin urged domestic critical infrastructure entities to “immediately” assess and shore up their security. Such attacks have already infiltrated U.S. water and wastewater systems, according to the non-profit think tank Center for Internet Security, which briefed law enforcement on Friday.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/after-trump-attacks-iran-experts-officials-fear-american/story

The possibility of retaliation against our troops could be in the early stages of planning….

Iranian forces themselves have previously targeted American interests, hitting U.S. bases in the Middle East, for instance, after top Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani was killed in an American airstrike in Iraq in 2020.

And in the summer of last year, the Justice Department also separately charged a Pakistani man with ties to the Iranian government for allegedly seeking to carry out political assassinations. Authorities told ABC News that among Asif Merchant’s targets were Trump and other current and former U.S. officials.

Then think about the Strait of Hormuz…..

Iranian media reported on Sunday that Iran’s parliament has voted to close the Strait of Hormuz in response to the US bombing of three Iranian nuclear facilities, a step that could significantly impact the global oil markets and economy.

Esmaeil Kowsari, a senior Iranian lawmaker, said it was now up to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council whether to go through with closing the waterway. “The parliament has come to the conclusion that it should close the Hormuz Strait, but the final decision lies with the Supreme National Security Council,” he said.

Roughly 18 million barrels of crude oil — about 20% of the world’s consumption — move through the Strait of Hormuz each day, making it a vital choke point for global energy trade. According to Newsweek, some experts suggest that closing the strait could raise oil prices by 30% to 50%, potentially leading to a $5 increase in gasoline prices per gallon.

(antiwar.com)

This action would be my first guess if Iran retaliates.

Finally the scary part of this whole thing….

Medvedev responded to the US strike in social media posts, including on his English-language channels, on June 22 by claiming that US President Donald Trump has started a new war.[7] Medvedev also claimed that the United States failed to destroy Iran’s nuclear capabilities, that Iran will continue to work towards the production of nuclear weapons, and that several unspecified countries are ready to “directly supply” Iran with nuclear warheads. The Kremlin typically leverages Medvedev to amplify narratives intended to stoke panic and fear among Western decision makers, particularly through nuclear saber rattling.[8] Medvedev’s veiled threats thus do not represent a significant rhetorical inflection. CTP-ISW continues to assess that Russia is constrained in its ability to provide direct support to Iran due to its war in Ukraine and has likely resigned itself to providing diplomatic overtures for the time being, showcasing the immediate limitations in the Russo-Iranian strategic relationship.

Of course this could very well be vague chest thumping but one that needs to be watched closely.

Just a couple of scenarios but the situation seems to be fluid right now so anything could happen at any time.

Tick Tock

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Sh*t! WTF?

Late last night I read the news that the US has jumped into the Israe/Iran conflict to help our ‘good’ friends the Israelis beast down Iran.

What is that idiot thinking?

US warplanes dropped bombs on nuclear sites in Iran on Saturday, President Trump announced, ending the global uncertainty about his intentions in the Israel-Iran conflict that he had said might last another two weeks. He posted online that the planes had left Iranian airspace after striking three targets. “All planes are safely on their way home,” Trump wrote, per the New York Times. The attack brings the US directly into Israel’s military campaign to destroy Iran’s nuclear program. Iran had threatened to retaliate against the US if that happened and said it would not negotiate as long as it was under attack. Trump said he would address the nation at 10pm EDT.

  • The mission: Trump said the targets were Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan. Labs in Isfahan have worked on how to convert uranium into the form required to produce a nuclear weapon. It was not often mentioned as a candidate for a strike, per the Times, and presented a more complex target. Inspectors visited the site, where Iran is thought to store its near-bomb-grade enriched uranium, two weeks ago. Fordo is the fortified underground facility that experts said would require the Pentagon’s heaviest bombs, which are carried by B-2 stealth bombers. B-2s had taken off earlier from the US.
  • Digging in: As the second week of the Israel-Iran exchanges began, Israel said it’s preparing for a lengthy war, per the AP. Israel renewed its attacks on a nuclear research facility near Isfahan and said it started strikes on military infrastructure in southwest Iran. It wasn’t clear what those targets were.
  • Americans in Israel: Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, announced on X that “assisted departure flights” from Israel have begun, per CBS News. “If you are a US citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident currently in Israel or the West Bank and seeking US government assistance to depart,” Huckabee wrote, “please complete this form”: https://mytravel.state.gov/s/crisis-intake. Hundreds of Americans arrived on charter flights from Tel Aviv organized by not-for-profit organizations and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday.
  • Ayatollah’s planning: Iran’s supreme leader has identified three senior clerics as possible successors in the event of his death, per the Times. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who remains in a bunker, also has selected replacements for military officers in the chain of command. Officials awaiting the US decision on attacking Iran are planning for a range of possible outcomes. Khamenei recognizes that one of those possibilities is his assassination by Israeli or US forces, Iranian officials said, and would consider it martyrdom.

This is a stupid move on Donny’s part.  Shows how much influence Israeli cash has on the decision making in DC.

What does this action accomplish…..better yet was it necessary?

Does this mean WAR?

America is now at the center of this conflict thanx to the amateurs running the country.

MORONS!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

War Hawks Get Their War

It has been a long time coming.

The day has come…..the day when war hawks and Israel have their way…..Iran’s capital has been hit and now the world waits for the response.

Israel launched air strikes on the Iranian capital Friday night. While the extent of the damage is unclear, the US is expecting Iran to retaliate.

Iranian media reported that some sites in the capital city of Tehran were targeted. A statement from the Israel Defense Forces confirmed the strikes. “In response to months of continuous attacks … The Israel Defense Forces is conducting precise strikes on military targets in Iran,” it said.

According to Axios, the US expects Iran will retaliate. “US and Israeli officials believe Iran will respond militarily,” the outlet reported, adding, “but hope it will be limited and allow the two adversaries to break the tit-for-tat cycle.”

However, the White House is concerned that Iran’s response to Israel will lead to a regional war. An official speaking with the Wall Street Journal confirmed that Tel Avi did inform Washington it was preparing to strike Tehran but did not specify how far in advance Israel warned the US of its plans.

The US claimed Israel’s attack on Iran was an act of self-defense. “We understand that Israel is conducting targeted strikes against military targets in Iran as an exercise of self-defense and in response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack against Israel on October 1st.” National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett continued, “We would refer you to the Israeli government for more information on their operation.”

Last week, top-secret US intelligence documents provided some details of Israel’s preparations to strike Iran.

Over the past year, the Middle East has moved closer to an all-out regional war as Israel has attacked several neighboring countries, conducted assassinations throughout the region, and slaughtered Palestinians.

On October 1, Iran attacked military sites in Israel with nearly 200 missiles in response to Tel Aviv killing Hamas’s political leader in Tehran and assassinating Hezbollah’s leader in Beirut. Tel Aviv has been vowing retaliation for the Iranian attack throughout the month. Tehran has said it will respond to any Israeli attack.

Just before Israel attacked Iran on Friday, the US moved fighter jets from Europe to the Middle East.

In the leadup to the Israeli strike on Iran, Tel Aviv requested the deployment of an American THAAD air defense system. The White House granted the request, and now 100 American soldiers are manning the system in Israel, making them a potential target for any Iranian response.

(antiwar.com)

Precise airstrikes on military targets?   You mean like schools and hospitals?

The White House is concerned?  What total bullshit….they made this possible war inevitable.

And now Israel and the US War Hawks have their war with Iran….and the world awaits the response.

Not to worry the “Dump” will appear later today.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Is This A Good Idea?

We know that Israel will attack Iran in the near future….just we are not sure what the targets will be….and a US official stated the US could hit Iranian targets as well….

Why?

The US has discussed the idea of supporting Israel’s expected attack on Iran with intelligence or with airstrikes of its own, NBC News reported on Tuesday, citing two unnamed US officials.

The report said senior US military officials have discussed launching “very limited” airstrikes against Iranian targets inside Iran or outside of the country, though the US officials said intelligence support for Israel was more likely.

So far, no final decision on US action has been made, according to the report, and the US officials said Israel has not briefed the US on its specific plans to strike Iran in response to the Iranian missile barrage that hit Israel last week.

…

The Israelis are considering several types of targets to hit in Iran: military and intelligence infrastructure, air defenses, and energy facilities. Based on media reports, Israel does not plan to strike Iranian nuclear facilities in its first attack, but could if Iran hits back and the situation turns into a full-blown war, which Israeli officials think is likely to happen.

(antiwar.com)

This one statement should make all those warmongers in Congress giddy with delight.

So I ask again….is this statement a good idea?

Does it paint a target on US assets in the Middle East?

Personally I think it is a stupid statement to make and the person that made it should be terminated immediately.

Nothing about this situation will lessen any tensions and the election will not help either…..

No matter who wins the presidential election next month, US policy towards Iran seems likely to remain extremely hostile and confrontational. Both campaigns seem determined to out-hawk each other. The Iran policy debate in Washington, such as it is, is focused entirely on the same bankrupt coercive measures of sanctions, threats, and military action that are guaranteed to make things worse. There is no serious discussion of reducing tensions or resuming negotiations in the new year. The persistence of this failed hawkish consensus is dangerous for the US, Iran, and the wider region, and it needs to end.

The failed bipartisan hawkish consensus on Iran closes off paths for resolving disagreements peacefully, and it paves the way for unnecessary wars. The consensus embraces escalation as the solution to each new crisis, and it writes off diplomacy as naïve and useless. It is the same kind of bankrupt, outdated thinking that has dominated US foreign policy in the region for at least the last thirty years, and it is why US Iran policy remains so destructive and dangerous. We are desperately in need of some fresh and different policy ideas.

Unfortunately, both presidential candidates are content to keep the US on a collision course with Iran for the time being, and that means that the US will be stuck with the same rotten foreign policy in the Middle East for at least another four years. Donald Trump recently expressed support for an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. During the vice-presidential debate, Sen. Vance said that he would support whatever Israel wanted to do. On the Democratic side, Vice President Harris bizarrely claimed that Iran is America’s “greatest adversary” in response to a question in her interview with 60 Minutes. Harris asserted that Iran was an “obvious” candidate for being the greatest adversary because its government “has American blood on its hands.”

(antiwar.com)

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Are We Still In Somalia?

I got to thinking after I read a news story about the latest attack by the US in Somalia….and it made me ask the question in the title.

US Africa Command announced that it launched an airstrike in Somalia on March 10 in support of the Mogadishu-based government, marking the second time the US bombed the country this month.

AFRICOM said the strike hit a target in the vicinity of Ugunji, a village about 44 miles southwest of Mogadishu.

The command claimed its “initial assessment” found three al-Shabaab fighters were killed and no civilians were harmed, but AFRICOM is notorious for undercounting civilian casualties, and US military operations in Somalia are shrouded in secrecy.

The last strike AFRICOM reported in Somalia took place on March 2, and the command claimed it killed two al-Shabaab members. It’s unclear if AFRICOM reports all US airstrikes in Somalia, as the CIA could also be carrying out covert drone strikes.

(antiwar.com)

After reading the news I thought back to something I read a couple of days ago about our fixation on Somalia….

The Pentagon has known of fundamental flaws with U.S. military operations in the Horn of Africa for nearly 20 years but has nonetheless forged ahead, failing to address glaring problems, according to a 2007 study obtained exclusively by The Intercept.

“There is no useful, shared conception of the conflict,” says the Pentagon study, which was obtained via the Freedom of Information Act and has not previously been made public. “The instruments of national power are not balanced, which results in excessive reliance on the military instrument. There is imbalance within the military instrument as well.”

The 50-page analysis, conducted by the Institute for Defense Analyses, a private think tank that works solely for the U.S. government, is based on anonymized interviews with key U.S. government officials from across various departments and agencies. It found America’s nascent war in the Horn of Africa was plagued by a failure to define the parameters of the conflict or its aims; an overemphasis on military measures without a clear definition of the optimal military strategy; and barriers to coordination between the military and other government agencies like the State Department and local allies like the Somali government.

Who Could Have Predicted the U.S. War in Somalia Would Fail? The Pentagon.

The US military hypes the threat of al-Shabaab due to its size and al-Qaeda affiliation, but it’s widely believed the group does not have ambitions outside of Somalia.

If so then why waste the ordinance?

Speaking of AFRICOM….their record is not something to be proud of in any way.

Africa–“We Are Here To Help”

Please stop wasting money and time on things that are not that important.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”