Introduction In the mainstream view, al-Qaeda did not play a role in the Syria conflict until Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi dispatched his deputy, Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, to Syria in August 2011 to establish a wing of the group there, called Jabhat al-Nusra, or the Nusra Front. Additionally, al-Qaeda allegedly did not carry out any military operations until December 2011 and did not announce its establishment until January 2012. However, there is evidence that al-Qaeda affiliated militants were involved in the Syrian conflict much earlier. Saudi intelligence...
Mercenaries
News Roundup 12/27/21
Covid Massachusetts halts all elective procedures. [Link] The USS Milwaukee will remain in Cuba after several sailors tested positive for Covid. [Link] USAID is running out of money to distribute covid vaccinations. [Link] The US donates 1.5 million vaccine doses to Egypt through Covax. [Link] Biden will lift the travel restriction from eight African countries on January 1st. [Link] US News LAPD officers killed a 14-year-old girl. [Link] The Pentagon cuts the cost of living stipend it gives to tens of thousands of soldiers living in high-cost areas in the US. [Link] Stu Scheller - who...
USA Massacred 60 Afghan Children, Lied About It For Over 10 Years
Americans: I think I found a flaw in your counterinsurgency doctrine. When you murder people, their survivors tend to disapprove. Can you relate to that at all? Say for example if some mean old Pashtun terrorists, while trying to murder their own mercenaries, "accidentally" killed 60 young children in your part of town. How do you think that would make you feel?
FPF #259 – Progress in Syria? guest Will Porter
On FPF #259, Will Porter joins the show to cover the Turkish/Russian agreement that has delayed the Syrian offensive of rebel-held Idlib. The agreement had a deadline for all rebels to be out of the buffer zone by October 15th. The deadline has passed, but Russia, Syria, and Turkey continue to work towards implementing the agreed steps. Will explains why he is optimistic about recent developments in Syria. We also discuss Nikki Haley and Yemen. Will Porter is a freelance journalist with a focus on Mideast Affairs and US foreign policy. His work can be found at Libertarian Institute,...
7/19/17 Mark Perry on contracting out the Afghan war
Mark Perry returns to the show to talk about his latest exclusive for The American Conservative Magazine, "Bannon & Kushner Want to Outsource Afghanistan to Mercenaries." Perry explains that Kushner and Bannon are against a troop surge in Afghanistan, but don't want to be blamed for losing the war if they withdraw completely. Instead they're pushing Donald Trump to outsource the war to mercenaries. According to Perry's sources, Trump is in favor of the idea, at least privately. But his top military advisors, James Mattis and H.R. McMaster, are not. If Trump decides to go with Bannon...