US VP Biden; Saudis, Emiratis, Turkey & Allies Funded & Armed Al Nusra, Al Qaeda & other Extremists
So what is new! West, Allies and protected Gulf Gas pumps began it in 1979 in Pak-Af
Background from old notes;
When questioned if he had any regrets in supporting Islamic fundamentalism in Afghanistan during 1980s, Zbigniew Brzezinski in a January 1998 interview with Le Nouvel Observateur, Paris, replied, "What is most important to the history of the world? The Taliban or the collapse of the Soviet empire? Some stirred-up Moslems or the liberation of Central Europe and the end of the cold war?"." Nonsense--" responded Brzezinski when asked "If Islamic fundamentalism represents a world menace today." Brzezinski was President Jimmy Carter's National Security Adviser.
Brzezinski admitted on July 3, 1979, that unknown to the public and Congress President Carter secretly authorized $500 million to create an international terrorist movement that would spread Islamic fundamentalism in Central Asia to destabilize the Soviet Union. This was called 'Operation Cyclone'
"Terrorism is a tactic, a technique, a weapon that fanatics, dictators and warriors have resorted to through history. If, as Clausewitz wrote, war is the continuation of politics by other means, terrorism is the continuation of war by other means." Patrick J. Buchanan
"The United States has supported radical Islamic activism over the past six decades, sometimes overtly, sometimes covertly," and is thus "partly to blame for the emergence of Islamic terrorism as a world-wide phenomenon." Robert Drefuss.
Establishment of Terrorist Nurseries in Afghanistan and Pakistan
When one analyzes the history, the causes and the phenomenon of Islamic terrorism, it is important to look at the role played by and still being played by USA, UK, Israel and Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and others, in stirring up Muslims, either as mercenaries or for proxy wars to preserve their regimes and promote their interests.
The major axis controlling fundamentalist Islamic terrorism is composed of the ruling corporate elites in USA and UK, the Saud dynasty and the military establishment in Pakistan.
From 1979 to the exit of Soviet troops in 1989, USA , UK other western countries, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf and Muslim states and even China (which sold AKM assault rifles and Type 69 RPGs, with US even supplying Stinger anti-aircraft missiles systems) exploited Jihadis as a weapon against the Russian forces in Afghanistan. Washington and Riyadh contributed most of the funds, reportedly totaling even up to $40 billion on the war in Afghanistan (US with $600 million in aid per year, with a matching amount coming from the Gulf states.) The CIA and its allies, Pakistan ISI, British MI6 and others recruited, supplied, and trained almost 40,000 hard core radical Mujahedeen from forty Muslim countries including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Algeria, and Afghanistan itself. Zia's military government established some 2,500 religious school nurseries, which were funded by Saudi Arabia and backed by the U.S. Some 225,000 children who went to these schools were trained to fight as guerrillas in Afghanistan and elsewhere. Not a penny was spent in defense of the Afghan people.
Pakistan has been the largest recipient of Counter terror funds since 9/11. It's Army has been receiving almost over USD 1 billion a year since 2002 under the Coalition Support Fund (CSF) towards meeting the expenses incurred by Pakistan to fight terrorists. With this count Washington administration has already spent more than USD 5 billion to bolster the Pakistani military campaign against al-qaeda/Taliban. If reports are to be believed, Pakistan has received an additional US 7.5 billion to USD 9.5 billion in CSF since 2002.
Today's New York Times has a story which paints alarming picture about Pakistan's intention and puts question marks against its role in the US led War on Terror campaign. According to the report, US aid worth billions of dollars, given to Islamabad administration towards counter terror efforts have been 'wasted and much of it was diverted to help finance weapons systems designed to counter India rather than fight al-Qaeda/Taliban combine. Centre for Public Integrity, Washington had raised this issue in May this year (Billions in Aid, With No Accountability) while investigating CSF's funding to Pakistan. The latest NYT report will raise some thinking eyebrows in the region, both within Hawks and Doves.
December 24, 2007
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden Tells the truth
But Biden had to apologize to Turkish President Recep Tayep Erdoğan over his comments that accused Turkey and other allies for paving the way for the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
"The Vice President apologized for any implication that Turkey or other Allies and partners in the region had intentionally supplied or facilitated the growth of ISIL or other violent extremists in Syria. The Vice President made clear that the United States greatly values the commitments and sacrifices made by our Allies and partners from around the world to combat the scourge of ISIL, including Turkey," a White House statement said on Oct. 4.
Biden called Erdoğan to clarify recent comments made at Harvard University, according to the statement. "The two leaders reaffirmed the importance of Turkey and the United States working closely together to confront ISIL," it added.
Earlier, Erdoğan had demanded an apology from Biden. "If Biden said these words, then he will be history for me. I never uttered such remarks," he said after the morning prayer for Eid al-Adha - the festival of sacrifice observed by Muslims all over the world - in Istanbul early Oct. 4.
"President Erdoğan told me, he is an old friend, said you were right, we let too many people through, now we are trying to seal the border," Biden had said during a speech on foreign policy at Harvard Kennedy School on Oct. 2, while complaining about the conduct of his country's regional allies that led to the rise of the ISIL.
However, the Turkish president vehemently denied these claims. "I was prime minister at the time. We absolutely didn't provide even the smallest amount of support to any terrorist organization, including the ISIL. Nobody can prove it. Foreign fighters never crossed from Turkey to Syria. There were people coming to Turkey as tourists and went to Syria, but nobody can suggest that they were armed while crossing the border," Erdoğan said.
He also stressed that Ankara's "sensitivity" over the issue continues, as do its measures to prevent the jihadist flow into Syria.
"I view [Biden's remarks] regretfully. I never admitted any mistake, nor did we tell them that they 'were right' during my visit to the U.S. If Mr. Biden uttered these remarks at Harvard, he should apologize. I'm saying this clearly. We won't accept slander, indirect explanations," Erdoğan added.
Wrote Sharmine Narwani, a hard hitting based in Lebanon on 4 October, 2014.
On my blog tonight, I examine the breathtaking admission by US Vice President Joe Biden that America's Sunni coalition partners have funded and armed ISIL & Co. None of the major US networks have reported this story yet - that scoop was left to Russia Today and Al Manar. Less mentioned are Biden's comments that there are no "moderates" among Syria's opposition fighters. The only moderates inside that country, he stresses, are "shopkeepers, not soldiers."
Biden may be known to often put his foot in his mouth, but this time he has done the world a favor. Awesome stuff.
Link: http://mideastshuffle.com/2014/10/04/biden-turks-saudis-uae-funded-and-armed-al-nusra-and-al-qaeda/
Biden: Turks, Saudis, UAE funded and armed Al Nusra and Al Qaeda
Update: The White House on Saturday said Vice President Joe Biden "apologized for any implication that Turkey or other allies and partners in the region had intentionally supplied or facilitated the growth of ISIL (IS, ISIS) or other violent extremists in Syria." The operative word here is "intentionally" – please note that this language does not constitute a retraction of Biden's claims that the US's closest Mideast allies armed and funded extremist groups in Syria.
When Joe Biden gets candid, he really lets rip. The US vice president, speaking at the John F. Kennedy Jr Forum at Harvard University's Institute of Politics, on Thursday told his audience – point blank – that America's Sunni allies are responsible for funding and arming Al Qaeda-type extremists in Syria.
And he named names: Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, specifically. Others – like Qatar – are undoubtedly complicit too, but Biden's comments were made off-the-cuff during the question and answer period following his prepared statement.
Of course, much of what Biden said has been suspected for years by Syria watchers, but to acknowledge this outright during the early days of President Barack Obama's much-vaunted ISIL-busting Coalition – featuring these very same Sunni Arab partners – is a jaw-dropping concession.
But that's not all. Biden also managed to fundamentally undermine his administration's efforts to train and arm "moderate" Syrian rebels today, by claiming there is no "moderate middle (in Syria) because the moderate middle are made up of shopkeepers, not soldiers."
Keep in mind now that just two weeks ago Congress approved – at the request of this White House – $500 million dollars to train and arm "moderate" Syrian rebels. Obama's second-in-command is saying there are none of those, so who exactly are US forces teaching to fight with heavy weapons in Saudi training camps today?
Let's go directly to the Q&A session following Biden's speech. Here is an unedited version taken from the audio recording released on The White House's YouTube channel:
Question: In retrospect do u believe the United States should have acted earlier in Syria, and if not why is now the right moment?
Biden: The answer is 'no' for 2 reasons. One, the idea of identifying a moderate middle has been a chase America has been engaged in for a long time. We Americans think in every country in transition there is a Thomas Jefferson hiding beside some rock – or a James Madison beyond one sand dune. The fact of the matter is the ability to identify a moderate middle in Syria was – there was no moderate middle because the moderate middle are made up of shopkeepers, not soldiers – they are made up of people who in fact have ordinary elements of the middle class of that country. And what happened was – and history will record this because I'm finding that former administration officials, as soon as they leave write books which I think is inappropriate, but anyway, (laughs) no I'm serious – I do think it's inappropriate at least , you know, give the guy a chance to get out of office. And what my constant cry was that our biggest problem is our allies – our allies in the region were our largest problem in Syria. The Turks were great friends – and I have the greatest relationship with Erdogan, which I just spent a lot of time with – the Saudis, the Emiratis, etc. What were they doing? They were so determined to take down Assad and essentially have a proxy Sunni-Shia war, what did they do? They poured hundreds of millions of dollars and tens, thousands of tons of weapons into anyone who would fight against Assad except that the people who were being supplied were Al Nusra and Al Qaeda and the extremist elements of jihadis coming from other parts of the world. Now you think I'm exaggerating – take a look. Where did all of this go? So now what's happening? All of a sudden everybody's awakened because this outfit called ISIL which was Al Qaeda in Iraq, which when they were essentially thrown out of Iraq, found open space in territory in eastern Syria, work with Al Nusra who we declared a terrorist group early on and we could not convince our colleagues to stop supplying them. So what happened? Now all of a sudden – I don't want to be too facetious – but they had seen the Lord. Now we have – the President's been able to put together a coalition of our Sunni neighbors, because America can't once again go into a Muslim nation and be seen as the aggressor – it has to be led by Sunnis to go and attack a Sunni organization.
So what do we have for the first time?
The audio clip ends there. While you are taking a moment to readjust your worldview and re-categorize the 'good guys' and bad guys,' do also note the veiled swipe Biden takes at former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton whose recent book criticizes Obama's Syria decisions while he is still a sitting president.
Before you allow Biden to transfer all blame for the radicalism in Syria onto the convenient Muslims-du-jour, consider for a moment the US's role in all of this.
We have press reports that the CIA was a major conduit for the transfer of weapons from Libya to Syria – a role, no doubt, facilitated by US Ambassador Christopher Stevens who was killed in Benghazi by unknown extremists.
We are also told that the US assisted in the logistics of delivering a Saudi-bankrolled transfer of Croatian weapons in 2012 to Syrian 'rebels.' According to the BBC: "The CIA is also reported to have been instrumental in setting up the alleged secret airlift of weapons from Croatia. And here is
The Telegraph's take on things:
"The shipments were allegedly paid for by Saudi Arabia at the bidding of the United States, with assistance on supplying the weapons organised through Turkey and Jordan, Syria's neighbors."
These weapons were later caught on video in the hands of Ahrar al-Sham, which today is a target of US airstrikes inside Syria. The New York Times goes further:
"With help from the C.I.A., Arab governments and Turkey have sharply increased their military aid to Syria's opposition fighters in recent months, expanding a secret airlift of arms and equipment for the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, according to air traffic data, interviews with officials in several countries and the accounts of rebel commanders."
"From offices at secret locations, American intelligence officers have helped the Arab governments shop for weapons, including a large procurement from Croatia, and have vetted rebel commanders and groups to determine who should receive the weapons as they arrive, according to American officials speaking on the condition of anonymity."
Exactly how does that exonerate Americans from delivering weapons to "Al Nusra and Al Qaeda?"
Biden's comments on Thursday were a bombshell that will be heard across the globe. They will fundamentally undermine Obama's attempts to arm "moderate rebels" and assemble a coalition that includes the very same Sunni Arab states that have helped create ISIL.
So what did the mainstream US media say about it? Nothing. Zip. Nada.
No – wait. There were headlines about Biden's speech – let me be fair. But this is what CNN, ABC,
NBC, CBS and Fox News pulled out of their collective hats:
CNN: "Joe Biden gets colorful on being a VP – and it rhymes with glitch." This, a reference to Biden's use of the word "bitch" in jokingly describing the job of a vice president.
CNN (again): "Joe Biden explains how Ebola is like ISIS."
ABC: "This might be the best thing Joe Biden's ever said." Another reference to the 'bitch' comment.
NBC: "Vice President Joe Biden's Foul-Mouthed Quip on Job Draws Laughs." Bitch, again.
CBS: "Joe Biden's salty description of being VP." Yawn.
Fox: "Biden on being Vice President: It's a b-itch." Kill me now.
Enough said. Washington's partners in fighting extremism – and trampling all over international laws to do it – are the same ones who have fueled it. The Vice President of the United States just said so. And Americans are snickering over the B-word. Leaders of the free world indeed.
Thanks to Walid Itayim for his research assistance on this blogpost. Follow the author on Twitter and Facebook.
