New report reveals spread of US war on Al-Qaeda to six new countries
U.S.
President Barack Obama © Kevin Lamarque / Reuters
RT,
5
December, 2016
A
White House report on efforts to target so-called extremists abroad
shows a broadening use of war powers in the fight against Al-Qaeda,
beyond military operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.
The
60-page report shows deployments in over half a dozen new areas –
including Somalia, Yemen, Jordan, Niger, Cameroon, Central Africa,
the Red Sea, Somalia and South Sudan – with troops on the ground,
regular air strikes, and surveillance efforts, all in the name of
counterterrorism.
In
a presidential memorandum released on Monday, the White House said US
military operations are grounded in the October 7, 2001 Authorization
for the Use of Military Force (AUMF), by which Congress approved
military operations and counterterrorism combat operations against
Al-Qaeda. Since August 2014, those have expanded to include
operations against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL), which
was “formerly
known as Al-Qaeda in Iraq.”
whitehouse_rss
(press office) Letter from the President -- War Powers Resolution:
TEXT OF A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
TO ...
The
Obama administration’s broad use of the 2001 resolution has raised
concerns about how President-elect Donald Trump might use the
authority.
The
memo includes some new details about how the Obama administration
determines which regions are “areas
of active hostilities” or
war zones, taking into account not only whether a war has been
declared there but also the size and scope of the threat, the scope
of US involvement, and threats posed to US forces in the area.
President
Barack Obama has called for the report to be updated and released
publicly on an annual basis.
“The
United States has deployed combat-equipped forces to a number of
locations in the US Central, Pacifica, European, Southern and African
Command areas of operation,” said the
White House. “Such
operations and deployments … consistent with Public Law and the War
Powers Resolution, and operations and deployments remain ongoing.”
“It
is not possible to know at this time the precise scope or the
duration of the deployments of the US Armed Force necessary to
counter terrorist threats to the United States,” the
memo dded.
Among
its broadening efforts, the US identified Al-Shabaab in Somalia as
Al-Qaeda for the first time, but provides no justification for the
change. The administration believes it can target Al-Shabaab because
it “seeks to establish a strict Islamic emirate.”
“United
States advises, assists, and occasionally accompany regional forces …
during counterterrorism operations … conducted airstrikes [in
Somalia] on June 21, July 20, July 31, August 31, September 25 and
September 28, 2016,” said
the memo.
The
US has deployed “a
small number of military personnel in Yemen to support operations
against Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)” and
carried out 18 airstrikes since June 13, 2016.
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In
Africa, the US has a base of operations in Djibouti and has conducted
airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Libya. The US is also
conducting military operations in Niger, where it has deployed
approximately 575 personnel, and is sharing intelligence with French
forces. There are another 285 US troops in Cameroon, conducting
intelligence and surveillance operations. Washington has also
deployed troops in Central Africa, conducted military operations in
the Red Sea, and assigned 700 military personnel to Egypt.
Further
in the memorandum, the White House said it had deployed over 2,300
military personnel to Jordan “to support counter-ISIL operations,”
and to provide security to the country.
RT
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The
prison camp inside the naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is still
holding 59 detainees.
The
Obama administration said it had tried to apply “rules,
practices and policies long used in traditional warfare” to
a new type of conflict embodied by extremist groups who often “do
not wear uniforms ore respect geographic boundaries” and
show little regard for the rules of war.
“To
say that a military tactic is legal, or effective, is not to say that
is wise or moral in every instance,” the
White House said, according
to AP,
which obtained a copy of the memo and report.
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