Special Operations

Turks, Free Syrian Army Forces Capture Afrin City

Turkish military forces and their Free Syrian Army (FSA) proxies continued their offensive in northwest Syria on Sunday and captured the city of Afrin.

Operation Olive Branch has been steadily moving forward and the Kurdish fighters who had taken the city from the Islamic State were themselves removed by the Turks who consider the Kurds terrorists. The Kurds, seeing the writing on the wall, abandoned the city to regroup and fight on elsewhere.

Turkey’s military said in a tweet on Sunday that troops were searching for landmines and other explosive devices in the area.

“Many of the terrorists had turned tail and run away already,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a speech in western Turkey.
He announced that Turkey-backed forces took complete control of the city centre at 8:30am local time (05:00 GMT). He said 3,603 “terrorists had been neutralised” in Afrin since the launch of the cross-border operation on January 20.
Erdogan said the Turkish flag and the flag of the Syrian opposition fighters were raised in the city, previously controlled by the Kurdish militia known as the People’s Protection Units, or YPG.
Later on Sunday, limited fighting was reported in some pockets in Afrin.
“Our special forces and members of the Free Syrian Army are cleaning the remains and the traps they left behind,” Erdogan said. “In the centre of Afrin, symbols of trust and stability are waving instead of rags of terrorists.”
Footage by Turkey’s private Dogan news agency showed Syrian fighters shooting in the air in celebration. In another Dogan video, a Syrian fighter is seen shooting at a statue of Kurdish hero Kawa, a symbol of resistance against oppressors, before a bulldozer pulled it down.
Turkey – together with the FSA – launched the military operation into Afrin in the northwest of Syria to vanquish the US-backed YPG fighters near its border.

Over 150,000 civilians have fled the city, and despite the Turks calls for them to return now as it is safe, most will probably stay away for the time being. The Kurds have vowed to continue fighting with guerrilla tactics.

To read the entire article from Al Jazeera, click here:

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German Defense Minister Blasts Russian Nerve Gas Attack in Britain

Ursula von der Leyen, Germany’s defense minister in the most strongly worded statement yet on the Sergei Skripal nerve agent poisoning, said that the Russians were most certainly behind the attack and tied this into the use of chemical weapons in Syria.

Von der Leyen appeared Thursday on Morgen Magazin, a joint breakfast show by public broadcasters ARD and ZDF and stated that the Russians must cooperate in the investigation and vowed “consequences”.

The nerve agent attack was a “serious violation of international agreements on chemical weapons,” she said.

Britain has said it was “highly likely” Moscow was behind the attack, or that it had “lost control” of the military-grade nerve agent used against ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia nearly two weeks ago. The two remain in critical condition.
“It’s the very first time since World War II that a horrible chemical weapon has been used on European soil,” von der Leyen said, demanding Russia contribute to providing clarity on the incident.
Russia has denied any involvement in the nerve-agent attack, which prompted a UN Security Council meeting on Wednesday.
Tom Tugendhat, a British MP and chairman of the foreign affairs committee in the House of Commons, told DW that Russia’s actions were “war-like.”
“Had [this chemical] been opened on the London Underground, for example, it would have killed hundreds of people. And to use it next to a children’s playground, where, had the children been there, it would have killed 30 or 40 children. This is a completely unacceptable, war-like act by a violent, deranged regime that is weakening and lashing out. This is a corrupt dictatorship that has to stop,” he said.
Von der Leyen also tied the UK nerve-agent attack to events in Syria, where Russia is allied with President Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian regime has been accused of using banned chemical agentsagainst civilians and rebels.
“We see the Assad-allied forces using poison gas. Russia is the one the allies of Assad. That’s why it’s crucial for Russia to clarify what happened there,” von der Leyen said.

The outrage of the brazen attack on Skripal in the UK is opening up the investigations of more than just his attack. And the European NATO countries are going to be watching the events closely. But if history is any indication, the Russians won’t stop what they’ve always done and Putin’s administration will only grow stronger.

To read the entire article from Deutsche Welle, click here:

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What Happened at the CIA Black Site in Thailand?

As soon as President Trump nominated Gina Haspel to become CIA director, the specter of the United States’ use of torture, would again be raised. The CIA used what it called at the time, “enhanced interrogation techniques” but stopped about a decade ago.

While many in Congress will be looking to ask pointed questions of Haspel about the practice, Trump, while a candidate for President stated that “torture works” and that he wanted to bring back outlawed techniques like waterboarding and “much worse.”

In 2002, Haspel was in charge of a secret “black site” prison in Thailand where detainees were subject to abusive interrogation techniques. In a 6,700-page classified report on the CIA’s interrogation programs, the Senate Intelligence Committee documented among other things what agency contractors and personnel did at the site to Abu Zubaydah—a Saudi-born Palestinian citizen accused of a “key role” in al-Qaeda, including possible advance knowledge of major attacks—and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri—a Saudi national suspected of involvement in al-Qaeda’s bombing of the American destroyer USS Cole in 2000. (Both are now imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay, where they are considered “high value” detainees.)
The use of the CIA’s enhanced interrogation techniques—including walling, attention grasps, slapping, facial hold, stress positions, cramped confinement, white noise and sleep deprivation—continued “in varying combinations, 24 hours a day, for 17 straight days,” through August 20, 2002. When Abu Zubaydah was left alone during this period, he was placed in a stress position, left on the waterboard with a cloth over his face, or locked in one of two confinement boxes. According to the cables, Abu Zubaydah was also subjected to the waterboard “2-4 times a day … with multiple iterations of the watering cycle during each application.”
The “aggressive phase of interrogation” continued until August 23, 2002. Over the course of the entire 20-day “aggressive phase of interrogation,” Abu Zubaydah spent a total of 266 hours (11 days, 2 hours) in the large (coffin size) confinement box and 29 hours in a small confinement box, which had a width of 21 inches, at depth of 2.5 feet, and a height of 2.5 feet. The CIA interrogators told Abu Zubaydah that the only way he would leave the facility was in the coffin-shaped confinement box.
According to the daily cables from DETENTION SITE GREEN, Abu Zubaydah frequently “cried,” “begged,” “pleaded,” and “whimpered,” but continued to deny that he had any additional information on current threats to, or operatives in, the United States.
By August 9, 2002, the sixth day of the interrogation period, the interrogation team informed CIA Headquarters that they had come to the “collective preliminary assessment” that it was unlikely Abu Zubaydah “had actionable new information about current threats to the United States.” On August 10, 2002, the interrogation team stated that it was “highly unlikely” that Abu Zubaydah possessed the information they were seeking. …
DETENTION SITE GREEN personnel also informed CIA Headquarters that it was their assessment that the application of the CIA’s enhanced interrogation techniques was “approach[ing] the legal limit.” The chief of CTC [the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center], Jose Rodriguez, responded:
Strongly urge that any speculative language as to the legality of given activities or, more precisely, judgment calls as to their legality vis-a-vis operational guidelines for this activity agreed upon and vetted at the most senior levels of the agency, be refrained from in written traffic (email or cable traffic). Such language is not helpful.

CIA personnel at the site were disturbed at the treatment of Abu Zubaydah and their reactions were worthy of note in cable traffic to Washington. Several members of the team were reduced to tears at the effect of the continued waterboarding when they all felt that he didn’t have any further useful information.

The cable also stated that several CIA employees would probably ask to be reassigned from this posting. And that many questioned the legality and futility of continuing this.

It won’t ease on the questions, but as the head of the site, Haspel can point to all of the cable traffic originating the site and make the argument that she was in favor of stopping the enhanced interrogations. It is going to make for an interesting confirmation hearing.

To read the entire article from Government Executive, click here:

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Starship Troopers? Trump Calls for New Military “Space Force”

President Trump spoke in front of thousands of military members in California on Tuesday and heaped lavish praise on their dedication and successes and promised that his administration is planning on bestowing the “largest pay raise in over a decade,” and even suggested the creation of a new military branch — the “Space Force.”

The president spoke to thousands of military men and women at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, Calif., Tuesday, following his visit to review border wall prototypes.
“I have a message for you straight from the heart of the American people, and you know what that is — we support you, we love you and we will always have your back like you have ours,” Trump said, also praising military spouses and families for their service.
“For too long, the men and women of the United States Armed Forces have been asked to do more with less,” Trump said, listing “underinvestment,” deferred modernization and maintenance, old equipment and having “fewer ships than we should, fewer planes than we should, and fewer of you than we should.”
“Today I am very proud to report that all of that is changing, and as you have seen, all of that is changing quickly,” Trump said, noting that his administration sees “peace through strength.”
“We are finally going to lead again. Very soon, we’re going to Mars —you wouldn’t be going to Mars if my opponent won. You wouldn’t even be thinking of it,” Trump said, in a swipe at Hillary Clinton.
That’s when the president went on to introduce his “new national strategy for space.”
“Space is a war-fighting domain, just like the land, air and sea,” Trump said. “We may even have a Space Force — we have the Air Force, we’ll have the Space Force, you know, the Army, the Navy.”
He added: “I said, maybe we need a new force, I was not really serious, but now I’m thinking that’s a great idea. We’re making a Space Force. Tremendous.”
The president noted that astronauts have been “soldiers and sailors,” and said that service members will be “vital” to “ensuring America continues to lead its way into the stars.”

The president then went on to praise the work of the military in defeating the Islamic State stating “ISIS never thought this would happen.” It was a busy day for the President, earlier he fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and replaced him with CIA Director Mike Pompeo and tagged career CIA employee Gina Haspel for the top spot in the agency replacing Pompeo.

Democrats in Congress are already aligning against her for her running a CIA site of an “advanced interrogation site” which was accused of torture during the Global War on Terror (GWOT).

To read the entire article from Fox News, click here:

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Colombia Heads to the Polls in 1st Election Since FARC Peace Process

In the first election since the peace accords between the Colombian government and the FARC, the candidates for the Colombian presidency will be a right-wing opponent to the peace deal and a leftist former mayor of Bogota.

It was the first elections that the FARC were allowed to take part in. The election will take place in late May with the runoff in mid-June.

Polls closed on Sunday in Colombia’s highly contested parliamentary election, the first of its kind since President Juan Manuel Santos finalized a peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
“We can say, with a lot of pride, that these elections are the most peaceful, the most transparent … in the recent history of the country,” said Santos after casting his vote.
Santos, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2016 for ending a decades-long civil war, urged Colombian citizens to strengthen the country’s democracy and “get out and vote.” Santos, who signed the peace agreement with the FARC in November 2016, is stepping down as president in August after two terms.
Ivan Duque of the Democratic Center party won the right-wing primary on Sunday taking more than 3.9 million votes, with 96 percent of ballots counted. He will lead the hardline opposition to the peace deal which allowed the FARC rebels to take part in the elections, with a guarantee of five seats in the Senate and five in the lower house.
A close ally of former President Alvaro Uribe, Duque is a lawyer who wants to see the deal with the rebels renegotiated.
Former-mayor of the capital Bogota, the leftist Gustavo Petro will oppose Duque in the May presidential vote. He won 2.8 million votes in his primary on Sunday. He is in favor of the peace deal and is proposing a “social economy” for Colombia with increased taxes for the rich.
“Our results were very positive” Petro told his followers after hearing of the first results. “The presidential campaign starts today.”
The first round of the presidential election is set for May 27, with the runoff planned for June 17.

The FARC has changed their name to the Common Alternative Revolutionary Force, and thus far, engaging in the political process for them has been tough. Many FARC candidates were mobbed by angry crowds during the campaigning. Due to the kidnapping, drug trafficking and atrocities carried out by the FARC, Colombian citizens aren’t in a forgiving mood.

Early results have FARC candidates receiving 0.5 percent of the overall voting so their prospects at garnering more than their allocated 10 seats are slim.

To read the entire article from Deutsche Welle, click here:

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Turkish Military Encircles Kurdish-held Town of Afrin In Syria

Turkey’s military and its rebel allies have encircled the northern Syrian town of Afrin, the Turkish armed forces said on Tuesday, marking a substantial advance in Turkey’s offensive against Kurdish fighters across its southern border.

Turkey launched its operation, dubbed “Olive Branch”, in northern Syria nearly two months ago to sweep the Syrian Kurdish YPG from the Turkish border. Turkey sees the YPG as a terrorist group and an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
The forces encircled Afrin town and also captured “areas of critical importance” in the region as of Monday, the Turkish military said in a statement.
On Monday, a Turkish government spokesman said the armed forces had gained control of more than half the area and vowed to clear the Afrin town of militants.
President Tayyip Erdogan last week said Turkish forces had besieged the Afrin town and were nearing its town center, but a YPG spokesman later denied this, saying the regions claimed to be under Turkish control were still battlegrounds.
Since the start of its offensive, Turkey has also threatened to push its military operations to Manbij, further east, to sweep Syrian Kurdish fighters from the length of its borders.

The United States has armed the Kurdish YPG fighters in Syria during the fight against the Islamic State or Daesh as the locals call it, after they took vast areas of the country during the Syrian civil war. This support among other things has driven a deep wedge between the U.S. and their long-time ally of Turkey.

To read the entire article from Reuters, click here:

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Mattis: Victory in Afghanistan, To Come Politically, Not Necessarily Militarily

In a change of tone for the first time, the U.S. is stating that a military solution to Afghanistan may not be possible. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Tuesday that victory in Afghanistan is still possible, by facilitating a Taliban reconciliation with the Afghan government.

Mattis spoke shortly before arriving in Kabul, where security concerns were so high that reporters traveling with him were not allowed to publish stories until his party had moved from the Kabul airport to the U.S.-led military coalition’s headquarters. That was the first such restriction on coverage of a Pentagon chief’s visit in memory.
Mattis said he would be meeting with President Ashraf Ghani and top U.S. commanders.”We do look toward a victory in Afghanistan,” he said, adding, “Not a military victory — the victory will be a political reconciliation” with the Taliban, which has achieved a stalemate in recent years and shown little interest in conceding to the Kabul government.
Mattis, a retired Marine general who commanded U.S. troops in southern Afghanistan in the opening weeks of the war in 2001, said getting the Taliban to reconcile en masse may be “a bridge too far.” So the emphasis is on drawing in Taliban elements piecemeal. He described this approach as an effort to “start peeling off those who are tired of fighting,” after more than 16 years of war.
The Taliban stance is that talks for a conflict-ending compromise must take place with Washington, not Kabul.
U.S. officials have conveyed messages to Taliban political representatives in Qatar urging the group to negotiate with the Afghan government. Neighboring countries are doubtful about America’s commitment to a political resolution. Pakistan, Iran and Russia are thought to maintain ties to militant proxies inside Afghanistan in case the war-ravaged country collapses.
On the military front, U.S. officials assert that years of effort to build a credible and effective Afghan army and air force are beginning to pay off.

Intelligence agencies, however, are painting a much bleaker picture as the Taliban control more is increasing in the rural areas of the country and as insurgent attacks continue in Kabul.

To read the entire article from Time, click here:

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British Deploy Military to Salisbury After Nerve Gas Poison Attack

The British Ministry of Defense has deployed about 180 military personnel to Salisbury in an effort to investigate the nerve gas attempted murder attack of an ex-Russian spy and his daughter.

The MOD personnel are a mix of troops from the Army, Royal Marines, and RAF and are experts in chemical warfare and decontamination.

Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia remain in a critical condition after being exposed to a nerve agent.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd will chair a meeting of the government’s emergency committee, Cobra, on Saturday.

She has described Sunday’s attack as “outrageous”.
Those deployed include instructors from the Defence Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear Centre and the 29 Explosive Ordnance Group, who are experts in bomb disposal.
Members of the military were seen covering over a police car that has been at Salisbury Hospital since Sunday, before men dressed in white hazardous materials suits examined it.
It was later towed away from the hospital, covered by a tarpaulin, on the back of an Army truck.
Officers are also expected to secure Mr Skripal’s car.
Specialist officers have also put up a tent over the grave of Mr Skripal’s son, who died last year, at Salisbury cemetery.
The Metropolitan Police said the counter-terrorism unit has requested the military’s assistance “to remove a number of vehicles and objects from the scene”, including ambulances that may have been contaminated while assisting the victims.
The public should not be alarmed and there is no evidence to suggest a wide public health risk at this time, the police added.

Mr. Skripal and his daughter had visited a pub and a restaurant before being found unconscious on the park bench nearby last week. Both remain in critical condition in the hospital.

A British first responder who treated both at the scene is also in the hospital in serious but stable condition after being contaminated by the same nerve agent.

To read the entire article from the BBC, click here:

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SF Soldier Honored For Saving Lives in Car Wreck

A staff sergeant in Ft. Bragg’s 3^rd Special Forces Group was awarded the Soldier’s Medal for saving the lives of two people, pulling them from a burning vehicle in Asheboro, NC.

Staff Sgt. Adams didn’t hesitate.
As he watched a truck veer off the road ahead of him and tumble down a steep, tree-covered embankment, the Fort Bragg soldier knew what he had to do.
When he lost his shoes running to the vehicle, he didn’t stop — even as glass became embedded in the soles of his feet.
And when he reached the truck, the billowing smoke gave him no pause.
“The only thing I could really think about was the people in the vehicle,” Adams said, two years after he leapt into action to save two people following a deadly crash on U.S. 64 near Asheboro.
Adams, a soldier with the 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group, repeatedly returned to the scene of the crash, carried four victims up the steep embankment and rendered emergency aid until rescue personnel arrived.
On Monday, Adams — who is not being identified by his first name because of the nature of his job as a Special Forces soldier — received the Army’s highest award for heroism outside of combat.
During a ceremony on Fort Bragg, officials praised Adams for risking his life to save others and presented him with the Soldier’s Medal.
Adams said he and his wife were returning from a weekend trip at a family lake house on Oct. 10, 2016, when they witnessed the crash.
According to the Asheboro Courier-Tribune, the single-vehicle wreck occurred about 4 p.m. The newspaper said a N.C. Highway Patrol trooper reported that Lillie Mingin, 33, of Lexington, was driving a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado when the vehicle ran off the road, went into a ditch and then down the embankment.
One passenger, 26-year-old Brittany Goodman of Salisbury, was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene.
A child, 12-year-old Colby Springle of Angier, was trapped in the vehicle and died shortly after being extracted.
Springle was the son of Mingin, who survived the wreck alongside another of her sons, 7-year-old Eric Mason Mingin of Fuquay-Varina.
Army officials said the pair likely would not have lived were it not for Adams, who pulled them from the vehicle before a fire could start and provided lifesaving medical care.

Adams’ family was in attendance as he was being lauded for his bravery and the 1^st Special Forces Command’s deputy head, BG Richard Angle encouraged all soldiers to emulate the example put forth by Adams.

To read the entire article from the Fayetteville Observer, click here:

Photo courtesy US Army

Turkey Urges US to “Stop Shifting Terrorists to Afrin”

Turkey with their offensive against Syrian Kurdish YPG fighters in full-swing has stated that they expect the United States to stop “shifting terrorists” from Manbij to Afrin, presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters at the presidential complex in the capital, Ankara, Kalin said: “It is particularly expected [by Turkey] that the US must certainly step in and halt the shifting of YPG/PYD forces, which move under its control, in Manbij to Afrin. This is our natural right.
“With this regard, we [Turkey] took the necessary steps via official channels, and we will continue to take [such steps].”
On January 20, Turkey launched a military operation against the YPG militia from Afrin.
Turkey sees the YPG – trained, armed and supported by the US to fight against ISIL – as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
The US has about 2,000 soldiers based in Manbij – 100 kilometres east of Afrin – and, in January, it announced that it will train about 15,000 fighters to be part of a 30,000-strong border force in the region.
As part of its ongoing operation, Turkey said it will eventually launch a military operation against the YPG in Manbij, also.
According to the Turkish General Staff, the operation aims to establish security and stability along the Turkey-Syria borders.

The Turkish offensive in Afrin and the U.S. continued support for the Kurds has been a sticking point between Ankara and Washington as the tensions have rising in the past few years. Thus far, neither side has come into contact with one another in Syria, but the offensive by the Turkish military shows no sign of stopping and it is a matter of time before US forces are facing threats from all sides.

To read the entire article from Al Jazeera, click here:

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