'US Drone Strikes Help Saudi Arabia Keep Yemen Divided'...

'US Drone Strikes Help Saudi Arabia Keep Yemen Divided'...

Courtesy of rt.com

Civilian-killing drone strikes are turning local populations against the US, Ryan Dawson, an American journalist, told RT. He added that the US' campaign in Yemen is part of a bigger scheme to help Saudi Arabia keep its tiny neighbor divided.

RT: Why is the American public not being made more aware of the civilian casualties being caused by these unmanned aircraft attacks?

Ryan Dawson: Well first of all, the claim that they are surgical is not at all accurate. They killed 14 people, I read in the recent report, and they killed eight people last week; again the US claimed that they were all al-Qaeda, but it turned out that one of them was Salem bin Ali Jaber, who was a cleric who was actually vocal against al-Qaeda, and we’ve seen this in Pakistan as well. They rarely even give names of the victims at all, so that part is almost discredited completely, that they are surgical strikes. I think there was a bump in the news coverage when a 16-year-old American was killed in an air strike, but there hasn’t been much coverage. It really depends though. If you’re getting all your news from the state owned media ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, then you’re not going to hear much about it but there is also a generation of Americans who are getting the news online and it’s pretty easy to find.

RT: Now the drone attacks in Pakistan, which was a staunch American ally, have alienated the civilian population from the cause. Will the same thing happen in Yemen, do you think?

RD: Unfortunately I think so, one of the more nasty things that has been happening in Pakistan is this policy of the follow-up attack, in which the drone will take out what we assume are militants but which are often civilians, and then do a second strike killing the people who have gone to aid those murdered in the original strike. That has been very disastrous in Pakistan, and last July in Yemen we had a similar process occurring – and that can do nothing but alienate the locals.

RT: While the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq get all the attention, the air strike campaign in Yemen is rarely mentioned by Washington. What is the US trying to hide, if anything?

RD: Well actually even the war in Afghanistan didn’t get that much attention until recently; the US is hiding a lot. Part of this whole debacle is assisting Saudi Arabia – they are partners as well, and the fiasco in Syria aided the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council), and NATO are hiring mercenaries there as well. This is in the Saudi’s interest; the conflict in Yemen has been going on since the Sixties. This isn’t just part of the random Arab Spring.

RT: Is the drone campaign reaching its military goals, given that whole areas of Yemen are still under militant control?

RD: That would depend on what you assume the military goals even are. Sometimes the military-industrial complex spends money just for the sake of it. It’s not always to win, sometimes it’s a process of killing what you create – and I don’t really agree that this is a conflict between Islamic militants versus the government. Yemen was just unified in 1990; they had a civil war in 1994. South Yemen has had its accession movement since 2007, and it wasn’t about religion or ethnicities, it was about resources. The majority of the oil is on that side of the country, although the majority of the profits have been allocated to the north. These are monetary issues. It has become more of a religious issue because of the press and because the US policy of killing civilians drives people in that direction. They don’t even have to see eye to eye ideologically, they just have a common enemy.

RT: The power vacuum created by the Yemeni version of the Arab Spring has enabled, some say, Islamist militants to move in, but has it also given America more room to operate there with impunity?

RD: Well I think they are doing that already, it’s the drone strikes that you asked, before Afghanistan and Iraq got more attention because they had more American boots actually on the ground. This is a playground for drone warfare, and it is assisting Saudi Arabia in its aim of keeping Yemen divided as they have been doing since the 1960’s – this isn’t Yemen’s first Civil War.

Viper Strike: US Tests New High-Precision Glide Bomb...

Viper Strike: US Tests New High-Precision Glide Bomb...

Courtesy of rt.com

The US has successfully tested GBU-44/E Viper Strike glide bomb. The high-precision munition can hit both air and ground targets from up to 5 km away using GPS-aided navigation and laser positioning.

During a US government sponsored test at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, a Viper Strike launched from a Cessna Caravan test aircraft hit eight vehicles moving at extremely high speeds in varying realistic scenarios, munition’s developer MBDA Inc said in a press release.

The glide munition boasts high precision and its developers say it causes low collateral damage, which would allow military planner to deploy it in densely-populated areas.

The US Department of Defense have stated Viper munitions can hit targets moving up to 40kph. The bomb weight is estimated at about 19kg, the weapon measures 90cm long.

“This proven high speed target attack capability is a game changer for warfighters that need to hit very fast vehicles with great precision and from any direction of attack,” said Tom Bien, Viper Strike’s Program Manager.

Viper Strikes have been used in combat by both manned and unmanned aircraft and are expected to be deployed on the US Marine Corps’ KC-130J Harvest HAWK aircraft.  It can be carried either internally or externally from the host aircraft, helicopter or UAV.

'Long Overdue': 55 Names of Unfairly Imprisoned US Guantanamo Inmates Released...

'Long Overdue': 55 Names of Unfairly Imprisoned US Guantanamo Inmates Released...

Courtesy of rt.com

It has been three years since the US government approved a list of Guantanamo Bay detainees for release. On Friday, the names of those 55 inmates who had been authorized for transfer were made public.

The Department of Justice stated that there was no longer a “need to withhold” the information. However, the prisoners in question remain on the island. 

The US government has previously said that a list could not be released as it would hinder efforts to repatriate and resettle prisoners in other countries. A large proportion of the men are believed to be Yemeni. 

In January 2010, President Obama suspended further transfers to Yemen, saying the country’s atmosphere was too“unsettled” to be certain that detainees wouldn't engage in terrorist activities.

Shane Kadidal of the Center for Constitutional Rights claims the list still “seems to not include the Yemenis cleared for conditional release.”

She added that the government noted in its brief that for a number of cleared men “it still needs to seek formal court approval to release their names. That should not be a problem, but will take time, and people reading the list should know that some cleared men are not listed only because of this legal technicality."

Although it is only the names which are being provided, the action has been described as “long overdue” by Vincent Warren, executive director at the Center for Constitutional Rights. A statement has also been issued by the American Civil Liberties Union, saying that “it is well past time for our government to release and resettle these unfairly imprisoned men.” The list has been kept confidential since 2009. 

Warren went on to point out that “most of the 55 men listed have endured [up to] 11 years of indefinite detention without charge or trial, despite the unanimous assessment…that these men could be safely released or transferred.” He insisted that not appearing on the transfer list is still “no indication of wrongdoing.”

Earlier this month, Adnan Farhan Abdul Latif was found dead in his cell at Guantanamo Bay, making him the ninth prisoner to have died in custody. He had been ordered freed in 2010 after respondents “failed to demonstrate that the detention of Latif is lawful.” His name does not appear on the list.

Obama pledged to close Guantanamo by 22 January 2010, and the failure to do so led Amnesty International to slam the detention facility’s existence. “[It] is leaving a toxic legacy for human rights.” Shabnum Mustapha, Amnesty’s International's program director in Scotland, said.

“Ten years on and it is an absolute disgrace that 171 detainees, including Shaker Aamer, are still behind bars at Guantánamo, their most basic of human rights ignored – no charge, no trial and no access to justice,” Mustapha said.

There are now 167 detainees being held overall, and the 55-name list only includes those of detainees approved for transfer. It does not list the names of prisoners who have been categorized as recommended for prosecution, indefinite detention, and conditional detention. The ACLU has sought these names of in a Freedom of Information request, but has as of yet received little in response. 

Each captive held at the facility costs taxpayers approximately $800,000 per annum – more than 30 times the cost of keeping a captive on US soil, according to the Miami Herald 2011 report. That’s also more than the most expensive four-year US college degree.

Speak up: US Law Enforcement to Use Russian Software to Store Millions of Voices...

Speak up: US Law Enforcement to Use Russian Software to Store Millions of Voices...

Courtesy of rt.com

The US government has already proven its intent to see all evil, with the use of Orwellian programs like TrapWire. But it can now hear all evil too, as law enforcement agencies implement a tool able to store, analyze and identify voices in seconds.

‘Voice Grid Nation’ is a system that uses advanced algorithms to match identities to voices. Brought to the US by Russia’s Speech Technology Center, it claims to be capable of allowing police, federal agencies and other law enforcement personnel to build up a huge database containing up to several million voices.

When authorities intercept a call they’ve deemed ‘hinky’, the recording is entered into the VoiceGrid program, which (probably) buzzes and whirrs and spits out a match. In five seconds, the program can scan through 10,000 voices, and it only needs 3 seconds for speech analysis. All that, combined with 100 simultaneous searches and the storage capacity of 2 million samples, gives SpeechPro, as the company is known in the US, the right to claim a 90% success rate.

According to Slate.com’s Ryan Gallagher, who spoke with SpeechPro president Aleksey Khitrov, the software is already being used in many different countries and for ‘noble causes’ only – like in Mexico, where Voice Grid helped identify and apprehend kidnappers during a ransom call, thus saving their victim’s life.

Both the FBI and the NSA have expressed interest in the program, which is also expected to be used at 911 call centers and police precincts. And sample lists would, of course, contain ‘persons of interest’ – known criminals, terror suspects or people on a watch list.

Or would it?

The definition of ‘suspect’ has been known to be loosely interpreted by US law enforcement agencies in the past. What with the FBI branding people as ‘terrorist suspects’ for buying waterproof matches or flashlights, and the Department of Homeland Security urging hotel staff to notify authorities immediately if a person has tried to use cash and/or hung a ‘do not disturb’ sign on their door, it’s easy to see why many are spooked by the idea that not only can the government see you at all times, it can also hear you.

In fact, combined with the capabilities of TrapWire, this would give law enforcement agencies an unprecedented ability to effectively dismiss both the country’s founding documents and any notion of privacy you may have had.

An unsuspicious, law-abiding citizen would obviously have to read his private messages or broadcast his phone calls out loud to be considered above-board. If he's whispering into his handset, however, the DHS is relying on its “citizen spies” to pounce and denounce the poor guy.

So, law enforcement agencies now have TrapWire to ‘all the better to see you with’ and Voice Grid ‘all the better to hear you with’. That plus the Patriot Act is effectively turning America into the land of the-no-longer-free-and the very agencies that set out to protect their people and their land into the big bad wolf.

The Patriot Act is probably one of the most controversial pieces of legislature in American history, an acronym that, for all the old and new security bureaus, Provides Appropriate Tools Required (to) Intercept (and) Obstruct Terrorism. But the tools included in the bill weren’t – and still aren’t –considered appropriate by many. Wiretaps and electronic surveillance were legalized. Arrests were made on a daily basis. When the number of those detained reached 1,200, officials stopped counting. Personal records no longer remained personal – and that was only the domestic beginning.

Officially, 1,200 special interest detainees were held and investigated under the Patriot Act. The Justice Department examined more than 700 of them and none were ever linked to any terrorist group or plot.

Nevertheless, upon his resignation in 2004, former Attorney General John Ashcroft’s letter stated that “The objective of securing the safety of Americans from crime and terror has been achieved.” This should have meant the end of the Patriot Act, for it included a “sunset” provision, to expire in December 2005. Seven years later, it’s still in place and regularly being enforced…not necessarily for a war against terror.

Statistics show that the so-called sneak-and-peak, a search warrant that can be executed without prior warning, is mostly used for drug-related crimes. Between 2006 and 2009, 1,618 delayed-search warrants were issued for drugs, 122 for fraud – and only 15 for terrorism.

The National Defense Authorization Act allows the indefinite detention of anyone deemed a terror suspect – American citizen or not. And if you look at what makes a potential suspect, you can pretty much expect to be taken in every time you answer your phone.

So bottom line:you can be heard making a hotel reservation and then seen trying to pay cash, for example, or looking stressed at breakfast and then detained as a suspect under the NDAA whilst police comb through your files using a warning-less warrant.

But the good thing is: you’ll be totally safe.

Iran may Launch Pre-Emptive Strike on Israel, Conflict Could Grow into WWIII - Senior Commander...

Iran may Launch Pre-Emptive Strike on Israel, Conflict Could Grow into WWIII - Senior Commander...

Courtesy of rt.com

An Iranian military official has warned that military conflict between Iran and Israel could “turn into World War III.” He added that if Israel “is putting the final touches on attacking Iran,” a preemptive strike against Tel Aviv would ensue.

Israel “cannot imagine” the force of Iran’s response if Tel Aviv attacks it, Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh told Iran’s Arabic-language television network. “It will sustain heavy damage and that will be a prelude to its obliteration,”he said. 

Hajizadeh added that Iran does not see this happening at the moment because he does not believe that Israel will conduct an attack without its strongest ally – the United States. 

If America does decide to back an Israeli plan to strike Iran, Hejizadeh insists Tehran will retaliate against both Tel Aviv and Washington.

“Tehran will definitely attack US bases in Bahrain, Qatar and Afghanistan…there will be no neutral country in the region,” Hajizadeh said. “To us, these bases are equal to US soil.”

The statement comes after the head of the Revolutionary Guards, General Mohammad Ali Jafari, said that a war between Iran and Israel “will eventually happen.” Jafari did not speculate on a possible date or location of the war.  

"If they begin [aggression], it will spell their destruction and will be the end of the story," Jafari told local news agencies.

Jafari’s deputy backed up his statements, telling Fars news agency that Iran will not start a war with Israel, but will respond to provocation. 

“Iran’s defensive strategy is based on the assumption that we will engage in a war, a massive battle against a global coalition led by the US,” Deputy Commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Brig.-Gen. Hossein Salami said.

"If the Zionists act against Iran, it will be a historic opportunity for the Islamic Revolution to wipe them off the world's geographic history," he continued.

The latest statements come in response to Tel Aviv’s threats to strike Iranian nuclear facilities. Israel insists that numerous sanctions have failed to curb Tehran's alleged nuclear weapons program. 

On September 2, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused world powers, including the US, of failing to draw a “clear red line.” 

“Until Iran sees this clear red line and this determination, it won’t stop advancing its nuclear program. Iran must never be allowed to acquire nuclear arms,” Netanyahu said.

The Obama administration refused to meet Israel’s demand. On September 14, President Obama said that there would not be any “red lines or deadlines” because “there remains time and space for diplomacy.”

The statements coincide with US led anti-mine sweeping exercises currently taking place in the Persian Gulf. The drills are being interpreted as a show of force – warning Tehran not to disrupt vital oil routes in the Strait of Hormuz. 

American officials insist that the exercises were entirely defensive in nature and not directed at any particular country.

As tension continues to mount between Israel and Iran, Tehran continues to insist that its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes.

Netanyahu Urges U.S. to Set 'Red Line' for Iran...

By the CNN Wire Staff

Courtesy of CNN.com

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: If Israel attacks Iran, "there will be nothing left of Israel," an Iranian commander says
• NEW: There's still time for pressure to work on Iran, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. says
• Israel's leader says in six months, Iran will have 90% of what it needs to produce a bomb
• He says people are trying to draw him into the American election and he won't allow it

(CNN) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Sunday that the United States must establish a clear "red line" that Iran cannot cross with its nuclear program if it wants to avoid war.

"I think the issue is how to prevent Iran from completing its nuclear weapons program. They're moving very rapidly to completing the enrichment of the uranium that they need to produce a nuclear bomb. In six months or so, they will be 90% of the way there," Netanyahu said on CNN's "State of the Union."

"I think it's important to place a red line before Iran, and I think that actually reduces the chance of a military conflict because, if they know there's a point, a stage in the enrichment or other nuclear activities that they cannot cross because they'll face consequences, I think they'll actually not cross it," Netanyahu told CNN's Candy Crowley.

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Concerns in Washington that Israel could launch a pre-emptive strike on Iran's nuclear facilities prompted a wave of visits this summer to Israel by several top Obama administration officials.

Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, warned Sunday, "Our answer to the Zionist regime is quite clear. In the event of an attack on Iran by the Zionist regime there will be nothing left of Israel."

He added, "Considering the size of Israel and its vulnerabilities and also because of the high number of our rockets, I don't think anywhere in Israel will be safe."

Iran denies that it aims to build a nuclear bomb, saying that its nuclear program is for energy and medical use.

U.S. President Barack Obama last week reportedly rejected Netanyahu's call to lay down a line that Iran could not cross.

According to The New York Times, during an hour-long telephone call between the two leaders, Obama did not embrace Netanyahu's proposal to set a limit on the size of Iran's stockpile of close-to-bomb-grade uranium and launch a military strike if Tehran exceeded it.

Netanyahu has shown growing impatience with what he says is a lack of clarity by the Obama administration on articulating red lines over Iran's nuclear ambitions.

The administration has resisted pressure to take that step.

"We share a grave concern about Iran pursuing a nuclear weapon," U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice told "State of the Union" Sunday.

"We are determined to prevent that from happening. President Obama has been absolutely clear, and on this there's absolutely no daylight between the United States and Israel that we will do what it takes to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon."

Steps the United States and other countries are taking to pressure Iran are working, Rice said.

"We have just seen the imposition of another layer of the toughest sanctions that have ever been imposed on a country," she said, adding that Iran's oil production and currency have both plummeted 40%.

"And this is only going to intensify, so we think that there's still considerable time for this pressure to work, but this is not an infinite window."

U.S. intelligence officials have said they do not believe Iran has decided to develop a nuclear weapon, even as evidence continues to mount that the country is improving its ability to do so.

Far from establishing a threshold for military action, the closest White House spokesman Jay Carney would go last week was to repeat the commonly-used phrase "the president is committed to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon."

Atomic enrichment in and of itself is not a red line, a U.S. official told CNN following the telephone call between Obama and Netanyahu.

But Israel feels a sense of urgency, as negotiations aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear ambitions have failed to produce an agreement and sanctions have fallen short of their intended effect.

The issue has taken on a decidedly political tone with Netanyahu's call coming at the height of the presidential election season.

The prime minister told CNN that he knew people "are trying to draw me into the American election, and I'm not going to do that."

"But I will say that we value, we cherish the bipartisan support for Israel in the United States, and we're supported by Democrats and Republicans alike," he said.

"This is not an electoral issue. It is not based on any electoral consideration. I think that there's a common interest of all Americans, of all political persuasions, to stop Iran. This is a regime that is giving vent to the worst impulses that you see right now in the Middle East."

Iran's President condemns Anti-Islam Film, the Violence it Sparked...

By the CNN Wire Staff

Courtesy of CNN.com

New York (CNN) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad slammed Sunday an anti-Islam film and the violent and deadly protests it triggered in the Muslim world.

Ahmadinejad spoke to CNN's Piers Morgan in New York, ahead of the president's visit to the U.N. General Assembly this week.

"Fundamentally, first of all, any action that is provocative, offends the religious thoughts and feelings of any people, we condemn," he said about the inflammatory film that mocks the Prophet Mohammed as a womanizer, child molester and killer.

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"Likewise, we condemn any type of extremism. Of course, what took place was ugly. Offending the Holy Prophet is quite ugly. This has very little or nothing to do with freedom and freedom of speech. This is the weakness of and the abuse of freedom, and in many places it is a crime. It shouldn't take place and I do hope the day will come in which politicians will not seek to offend those whom others hold holy," said Ahmadinejad.

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"We also believe that this must also be resolved in a humane atmosphere, in a participatory environment and we do not like anyone losing their lives or being killed for any reason, anywhere in the world."

The privately produced film sparked protests against the United States, where it was made. While most of the demonstrations have been peaceful, some were marred by violence that has left more than two dozen people dead -- among them U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens and three other Americans killed in an attack on the consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that reportedly followed a demonstration against the film.

When asked by Morgan whether he thought protesters should stop threatening U.S. staff abroad, Ahmadinejad responded that he cannot say what other people or nations should do, but that he believes "extremism gives birth to following and subsequent extremists.

"Perhaps if the politicians take a better position in the West vis-a-vis offensive words or thoughts or pictures towards what we hold holy, I think conditions will improve," the president said.

Sunni Islam leader urges Muslims to exercise 'patience and wisdom'

During the wide-ranging interview, which will be broadcast Monday, Ahmadinejad discussed what Iran would do if Israel were to attack it.

"Any nation has the right and will indeed defend herself. But my question is this: Why should the world be managed in such a way that an individual can allow himself to threaten a rich and deeply rooted historical, ancient country, such as Iran. A great country, such as Iran, based on an excuse of his own fabrication ... Another country can say, I am guessing that country B is doing activity X, therefore I will attack that country ... can this be ... a successful formula for the management of the world?" Ahmadinejad asked.

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The president was likely referring to his country's disputed nuclear program.

Some world powers, particularly Western nations, suspect that Iran is seeking to build nuclear weapons. Tehran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

In response to whether he feared a war, or military conflict, with Israel was imminent, Ahmadinejad said: "The Zionists are very much, very adventuresome, very much seeking to fabricate things and I think they see themselves at the end of the line and I do firmly believe that they seek to create new opportunities for themselves and their adventurous behaviors."

In related news Sunday, a top general in Iran said his country would be capable of defeating Israel within a day, according to Iran's state-run Press TV.

Netanyahu urges U.S. to set 'red line' for Iran

"A regime (with a frontier) that in some spots is only 24 kilometers wide could have its back broken by one of our infantry battalions in 24 hours," Brigadier General Hossein Salami reportedly said.

"Our strategic doctrines are all defensive, but our tactics are invasive. It means that we do not initiate any war, but if anyone wages a war against us, we will counterattack incessantly and will not stop," he said, Press TV reported. "The enemy could initiate a war, but its ending would be up to us."

President Ahmadinejad also spoke strongly about his views on homosexuality.

"I'm sorry. Let me ask you this. Do you believe that anyone is giving birth through homosexuality? Homosexuality ceases procreation. Who has said that if you like or believe in doing something ugly, and others do not accept your behavior, that they're denying your freedom?" he asked Morgan.

"Proper education must be given ... the education system must be revamped. The political system must be revamped. And these must be also reformed, revamped along the way. But if you, if a group recognizes an ugly behavior or ugly deed as legitimate, you must not expect other countries or other groups to give it the same recognition."