Other US Death Squads

[Ed Jewett]

CIA in Honduras: the Practice of Selective Terror

8 09 2010 [This is a complete revival of Reagan's deadly foreign policy strategy of using terrorists and calling them "freedom fighters." Sometimes the CIA/Special Forces death squads are called terrorists whenever agency strategists need to invent a new enemy, while they are called "freedom fighters" or "contras," whenever we need local cover for an invasion. This is the same strategy now being used in south and central Asia, by both Obama and Putin.]
CIA in Honduras: the Practice of Selective Terror

Nil NIKANDROV (Russia) President of Honduras Manuel Zelaya was displaced slightly over a year ago in a coup staged by the local oligarchy and the US intelligence community. The coup came as a punishment for Zelaya’s alignment with H. Chavez and other populist Latin American leaders. Since the time, the news flow from Honduras abounds with stories of political assassinations, the victims being activists of trade unions, peasant and student organizations, and the National Popular Resistance Front opposing the pro-US regime of Porfirio Lobo. Ten journalists who expressed support for the ousted Honduran president have been killed this year alone.
The most recent case of the type was the murder of Israel Zelaya, 56, who was kidnapped by an armed group which easily crossed by car numerous police checkpoints set up as a part of the security-tightening campaign. The journalist was taken to a secluded location, tortured, and shot two times in the head and once – in the chest.
Dozens of similar incidents show that a program of ”political cleansing” is underway in Honduras. Killers selectively target potential leaders capable of galvanizing protesters. Peasant leader Maria Teresa Flores, 50, was the coordinator of the Council of Peasant Organizations of Honduras and a proponent of an agrarian reform including the abolition of latifundias and the establishment of rural cooperatives. She was kidnapped, and a week later her bullet-ridden body with numerous traces of machete strikes and one hand cut off was found by the roadside in the Comayagua department.
Only a fraction of the cases of political assassinations in Honduras become widely known. The operations are carried out in secrecy by specially trained and lavishly paid death squads staffed by police agents, bandits, and professional killers of Honduran origin or brought in from Columbia. These days, mass graves of opponents of the current regime are discovered in Honduras increasingly often. It is an established pattern that political murders become widespread wherever the US “helps restore democracy”. Berta Oliva, president of the Committee of Relatives of the Detained and Disappeared of Honduras, told the media a few days ago about the discovery of another mass grave with the bodies of over 100 people reported missing in June-August, that is, after the coup that propelled P. Lobo to power.
Leader of the National Front of Popular Resistance (FNRP) Carlos H. Reyes charges that the decisions to kill opposition leaders are made at the top level of the Honduran administration with direct involvement of key US Embassy officers. It is no overstatement considering that preemptive terror implemented by the state is a practice openly endorsed by Washington. Invoking cases of assassinations of foes of the US in Asia and Africa, The New York Times maintained on August 15 that the geography and scale of the CIA secret wars “against terrorists” expanded under B. Obama compared to what the agency was allowed to do under G. Bush. The article contained no mentioning of the assassinations in Latin America, but it is an open secret that CIA operations targeting the regimes unfriendly to the US in Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua, and Ecuador are at full swing. Serious efforts are being made to strengthen the subversive terrorist networks in the above countries where agents are receiving intense on-site training.
Fighting against the Central American insurgencies and guerrilla groups in the 1960ies – 1980ies, the Pentagon and the US intelligence community developed efficient approaches of the “struggle against terror”. Priority used to be given to decapitating the groups and neutralizing their support bases. In that epoch, peasants and Indians were routinely intimidated, forced to flee or even killed en masse in the regions of heightened guerrilla activity. The methods were later borrowed by the Columbian army and applied under the guidance of US advisers in the country’s internal conflict to undermine the potentials of FARC and ELN. So far there are no guerrilla groups in Honduras, and the Honduran administration noiselessly relies on the omnipresent death squads – which act under the US Embassy staff’s supervision – to bleed the opposition.
The bloated US mission in Tegucigalpa functions as a de facto parallel Honduran government, largely overshadowing the official one. US ambassador Hugo Llorens appointed under G. Bush is artistically playing the role of an honest diplomat totally uninvolved in the coup that led to the ouster of the legitimate president of Honduras. Llorens can count on Lobo’s understanding as the new Honduran president is highly receptive to Washington’s initiatives and readily distances himself from the Latin American populist regimes. And, of course, Lobo rejects the ALBA integration project and H. Chavez’s “XXI century socialism” and – for Washington’s peace of mind – even shies away from discount energy deals with Venezuela, the resulting damage suffered by the Honduran economy notwithstanding.
US military diplomats – Defense Attaché Colonel Robert W. Swisher, Special Tactics Group commander Colonel Kenneth F. Rodriguez, Palmerola Airbase liaison officer Steve Argenthal, and others – are known to contribute a lot to the governance in Honduras. Several dozens of US military intelligence officers are spying on the Honduran National Popular Resistance Front jointly with other US intelligence community staff operating under the cover of the US Embassy, the Peace Corps, DEA, etc. The CIA station in Honduras headed by US Embassy political counselor Silvia Eiriz is at the helm of the activity.
There are obvious reasons behind Washington’s involvement in the Honduran crisis. Toppling Zelaya stopped the drift of Honduras towards a strategic alliance with the Latin American populist regimes, but the intensifying resistance mounted by the supporters of the ousted president is likely to confront Lobo’s administration with serious problems. Zelaya’s Patriotic Alternative and the threat of nation-wide strikes highlight the ineptitude of the current Honduran government.
For Washington, the return of Zelaya would mean a new headache. Secretary General of the Organization of American States Jose Miguel Insulza hopes to see Zelaya reinstated to prevent the emergence of a precedent allowing rightists to throw a legitimate president out of his own country. Zelaya is doing what he can to stage a comeback: he submits appeals to Honduran media nearly on a daily basis calling for unity of protesters and disproving the allegations leveled at him by the US media.
At the moment the official and the shadow administrations of Honduras are bombarding Zelaya with charges. Allegedly, he misappropriated millions of dollars handed out to Honduras by Venezuela as economic aid. There is no clarity what happened to his personal presidential Lexus and to portions of the budget of his administration. Zelaya is aware that in the case of his return to Honduras he will have to defend himself in court.
The surge of terror in Honduras is also a factor Zelaya has to reckon with. He is the number one target for the death squads, and threats are relayed to him via various channels that going back home would be a major risk.
At present Zelaya has the guest status in the Dominican Republic. For Washington, the optimal scenario would be Zelaya’s consent to stay where he is – at the fancy La Romana resort frequented by millionaires and pop idols. Zelaya does not give in, though, keeps in touch with the populist leaders, and ignores Washington’s displeasure. With Chavez’s help, Zelaya became the Petrocaribe coordinator responsible for safeguarding independence and democracy. Holding the post makes it easier for him to travel around the region and to promote the National Popular Resistance Front.
CIA agents in the Dominican Republic are watching Zelaya day and night, sending reports with details of his meetings, phone calls, and e-mails to Langley. The US Embassy’s political section – A. Margulis, T. Fitzgibbons, and A. Norman – put collecting information about Zelaya and about his contacts with Chavez high on their agenda. Zelaya is surrounded by CIA agents and sophisticated surveillance systems, and the Dominican police readily shares information with the US. Chief of Dominican police Gen. R.G. Gusman is regarded by the CIA as a partner and enjoys the agency’s sponsorship. In a couple of decades, journalists will probably unearth facts about the CIA personal donations to Gen. Gusman. Some findings are already in the media: the police will get $3m to fight drug trafficking and other types of crime plus $250,000 to buy computers and various equipment.
The CIA would readily dispense with even greater sums of money to make sure Zelaya is debarred from Honduras. The US double standards in countering terrorism are common knowledge, and for Washington wars and provocations are acceptable instruments in political games. Most likely Zelaya has already got a Black Spot from the CIA and a team of cleaners is waiting for the moment…


http://therearenosunglasses.wordpress.co...ve-terror/

[Ed Jewett]

Does this belong here?

What are the insignia on the berets?



US soldiers killed Afghans as sport
Thu Sep 9, 2010 7:25AM


Andrew Holmes, Michael Wagnon, Jeremy Morlock and Adam Winfield are four of the five soldiers who face murder charges.
A dozen American soldiers have been charged with alleged killing of innocent Afghan civilians as a sport and collecting their fingers as trophies.


At least twelve US soldiers were accused of forming a secret "kill team" that shot and blew up civilians at random.

Five of the soldiers were charged with murdering three Afghan men in separate attacks in southern Kandahar province this year.

The three Afghan victims were shot. Two were also hit with grenades in what has proved to be one of the most serious war-crime cases to emerge from the Afghan war.

Seven other soldiers were accused of covering up the killings and assaulting another soldier who exposed the murders when he reported other abuses.

At least one of the soldiers collected the fingers of the victims as souvenirs and that some of them posed for photographs with the bodies, the Army Times reported.

Five soldiers -- Calvin Gibbs, Jeremy Morlock, Andrew Holmes, Michael Wagnon and Adam Winfield -- were also accused of murder and aggravated assault among other charges.

All of the soldiers, who face the death penalty or life imprisonment if convicted, have denied the charges.

Civilians have been the main victims of violence in Afghanistan, particularly in the country's troubled southern and eastern provinces.

AGB/JG/MB

[Ed Jewett]

Posted on Thu, Sep. 09, 2010
Stryker brigade soldiers allegedly kept 'trophy' body parts

Mike Archbold | Tacoma News Tribune

last updated: September 09, 2010 06:07:08 PM
New details in Army charge sheets released Wednesday paint a disturbing picture of depravity, deceit and savage internal discipline involving at least 12 Stryker soldiers from Joint Base Lewis-Mc-Chord in Washington state during their recent deployment to Afghanistan.
The soldiers, all from the same company in the 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, are charged with a total of 76 crimes, including the premeditated murders of three Afghan civilians and the beating of one or more fellow soldiers.
Six of the men face charges of keeping trophy body parts from Afghan corpses, including a skull and fingers, according to the charging documents.
One soldier is alleged to have stabbed a corpse last December. Three soldiers face charges of wrongfully taking and/or possessing photographs of dead bodies.
The highest-ranking member of the group, Staff Sgt. Calvin R. Gibbs, is accused of showing fingers from a corpse to a soldier in an attempt to keep him from talking to Army investigators about his and other soldiers’ alleged use of drugs.
As previously reported, Gibbs and four other soldiers from Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment face charges of murdering Afghan noncombatants and conspiracy to commit premeditated murder in Kandahar province.
The other four are Spc. Jeremy Morlock, Spc. Michael S. Wagnon II, Spc. Adam C. Winfield and Pfc. Andrew H. Holmes. All five have been confined since returning from Afghanistan.
On May 5, just a few days after the last murder, seven of the defendants allegedly went after at least one fellow soldier, apparently to keep him quiet. (The documents are blacked out in parts, so it’s unclear if one or more soldiers were attacked.)
The soldiers allegedly beat up their comrade, hitting, kicking, strangling, dragging and spitting on him.
In an alleged effort to stymie Army investigators, some of the soldiers were also charged with lying or concealing evidence. Wagnon is charged with trying to get his computer hard drive erased.
Investigators looked into reports of more Afghan civilians being shot at by six soldiers in the unit in March. Staff Sgt. Robert Stevens told investigators that the Afghans were a threat “and that he observed something that resembled a rocket propelled grenade in the possession of the individuals he fired upon.” The statement was false, according to the documents, and Stevens knew it to be false.
Stevens also is charged with throwing a grenade outside his Stryker vehicle “while there was no threat to himself or other soldiers,” which might have hurt or killed soldiers in his own unit, according to the charge sheets. In March, he claimed an enemy fighter had thrown the grenade, which was also a lie, the documents allege.
Stevens is one of the seven soldiers in the unit charged in August with 35 non-murder counts, including assault on a fellow soldier, impeding an investigation and drug use. They have not been jailed.
Morlock and Gibbs are the only soldiers charged in all three murders, which occurred separately in January, February and May. The Afghan men were killed with grenades, shot, or both.
Attempts Wednesday to reach defense attorneys for comment were unsuccessful. All 12 defendants have been assigned military counsel.
At least some of the soldiers have retained civilian attorneys. Families for both Wagnon and Morlock have set up websites to support the two soldiers and raise funds for their defense.
Gibbs alone is charged with 16 crimes and is alleged to have had a strong hand in much of the criminal activity. From Nov. 1 to May 11, Gibbs is charged with possessing “finger bones, leg bones, and a tooth from Afghan corpses.” In November or December, he is charged with soliciting another soldier to cut off the finger of a corpse.
Gibbs also was allegedly one of the seven soldiers who participated in the May 5 beating of a fellow soldier. He threatened “to kill him if he spoke about hashish use within the platoon,” according to charging documents.
On another occasion, the records allege Gibbs threatened to injure Winfield by saying : “I’m going to send you home by dropping a tow bar on you.” He allegedly urged Winfield to lie to investigators about the civilian killings and drug use in the platoon, according to the documents.
The charge sheets don’t shed light on what might have driven the soldiers to kill: whether for revenge, or for sport, or something else.
More details will likely come out at pretrial hearings to be held at Lewis-McChord later this year, similar to grand jury investigations. Both the prosecution and defense will present their cases to the hearing officer, who must decide whether to refer the cases for a full courtmartial.
Staff writer Matt Misterek contributed to this report.
THE CHARGES
-- Spc. Jeremy N. Morlock: Premeditated murder (three charges); conspiracy to commit premeditated murder; conspiracy to commit assault and battery; wrongfully endeavoring to impede an investigation; violating a lawful general order; wrongfully using a controlled substance.
-- Spc. Michael S. Wagnon II: Premeditated murder (one charge); conspiracy to commit premeditated murder; conspiracy to commit aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon; assault with a dangerous weapon; conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline; wrongfully endeavoring to impede an investigation.
-- Spc. Adam C. Winfield: Premeditated murder (one charge); conspiracy to commit premeditated murder; conspiracy to commit aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon; committing an assault with a dangerous weapon; wrongfully using a controlled substance.
-- Pfc. Andrew H. Holmes: Premeditated murder (one charge); conspiracy to commit premeditated murder; conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline; violating a lawful general order; wrongfully using a controlled substance.
-- Staff Sgt. Calvin E. Gibbs: Premeditated murder (three charges); conspiracy to commit premeditated murder; conspiracy to commit assault and battery; conspiracy to commit aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon; conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline (two charges); wrongfully endeavoring to impede an investigation (two charges); communicating a threat to injure; unlawfully striking another soldier; committing an assault with a dangerous weapon; dereliction of duty (two charges); violating a general order. (No picture available.)
-- Staff Sgt. Robert G. Stevens: Conspiracy to commit aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon; making a false official statement; aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon; wrongfully and wantonly engaging in conduct likely to cause death or bodily harm to other soldiers; dereliction of duty.
-- Staff Sgt. David D. Bram: Conspiracy to commit assault and battery; wrongfully endeavoring to impede an investigation; unlawfully striking another soldier; violating a lawful general order; dereliction of duty.
-- Sgt. Darren N. Jones: Conspiracy to commit assault and battery; conspiracy to commit aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon; unlawfully striking another soldier; committing assault with a dangerous weapon; wrongfully endeavoring to impede an investigation; wrongfully using a controlled substance.
-- Cpl. Emmitt R. Quintal: Conspiracy to commit assault and battery; wrongfully endeavoring to impede an investigation; unlawfully striking another soldier; wrongfully using a controlled substance; violating a lawful general order.
-- Spc. Adam W. Kelly: Conspiracy to commit assault and battery; unlawfully striking another soldier; wrongfully using a controlled substance; wrongfully endeavoring to impede an investigation.
-- Spc. Corey A. Moore: Conspiracy to commit assault and battery; wrongfully endeavoring to impede an investigation; conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline; unlawfully striking another soldier; wrongfully using a controlled substance.
-- Pfc. Ashton A. Moore: Conspiracy to commit aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon; assault with a dangerous weapon; wrongfully using a controlled substance.


http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/09/09/10...-kept.html