NY Times: Bush OK'd Global Secret Raids

Rumsfeld Penned Order Allowing Ground Forces To Invade Any Country To Go After Al Qaeda

(CBS/AP)  The U.S. military has conducted nearly a dozen secret operations against al Qaeda and other terrorist groups in Syria, Pakistan and other countries since 2004, The New York Times reported Sunday night.

Citing anonymous U.S. officials, the Times story said the operations were authorized by a broad classified order that then-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld signed and President Bush approved in spring 2004. The order gave the military authority to attack al Qaeda anywhere in the world and to conduct operations in countries that were not at war with the U.S.

One such operation was an Oct. 26 raid inside Syria, the Times reported. Washington has not formally acknowledged the raid, but U.S. officials have said the target was a top al Qaeda in Iraq figure. Syria has asked for proof and said eight civilians were killed in the attack.

Sources told CBS News national security correspondent David Martin the raid targeted and killed Abu Ghadiyah, who was a senior al Qaeda in Iraq operative responsible for funneling foreign fighters and money into Iraq. A U.S. official called his death "very significant," but no proof has been offered to verify the strike's success.

The incursion prompted furious backlash in Syria, where thousands took to the streets in protest, the government demanded the closure of at least one American school, and Syria's military reportedly withdrew some of its own troops from the border with Iraq in retaliation.

In September this year a team of Navy SEALs laid siege to several buildings in a Pakistani village for at least a couple hours in the most recent, known incidence of U.S. ground forces operating inside Pakistan. At least 15 people were killed, including one militant subcommander, but many of them were civilians.

Far more common in Pakistan are the regular missile strikes by American pilotless drones, which have hit numerous suspected militant targets during the last several months, but have also angered the local population and officials who say they leave more innocent civilians dead than Taliban or al Qaeda fighters.

Pakistan's leaders have demanded a halt to the missile strike campaign, and U.S. Central Command chief Gen. David Petraeus has acknowledged the civilian death toll, but would not rule out future strikes.

The ground raids around the world have typically been conducted by U.S. Special Forces, often in conjunction with the Central Intelligence Agency, the Times said. Even though the process has been streamlined, specific missions have to be approved by the defense secretary or, in the cases of Syria and Pakistan, by the president.

A Defense Department spokesman had no comment Sunday night on the Times report.

[txgrouch2007]

Because the lies have a recognizable style, I didn''''t believe that WMD BS when Bush Sr, or Kerry, or Clinton, or the junior *** said it.
Posted by brianbwb at 10:57 PM : Nov 10, 2008

So it should be "Bush/Clinton/Kerry/Clinton/Bush lied, our soldiers died."

[mydiatribe]

Welcome to Obamaworld! US Ambassadors will be backing up to the diplomatic negotiating table with their hands up! Or they will be getting down on their knees pleading for mercy.
Mass media where is the reporting?
No one is asking the HARD questions:

HOW DID THE NY TIMES LEARN OF ALL THIS?
Never mind if it''s true.

Answer: Obama staff leaks! Screendoor security! Tell your enemies what you''re doing all the time. This is to insure further defeats!!! What does Obama care? He believes our own Military is the REAL enewmy! He wants a NATIONAL CIVILIAN POLICE FORCE funded equally to our military!
GESTAPO! KGB?? Why?
In the end Obama will prove he is correct by permitting our enemies to kick our A$$ all over the world! OY VEY!

[karl2m]

This is more or less the same thing then the foreign assassination campaign that the Israeli mossad conducted on PLO leaders during the 70ies.
Did it ever stop the PLO? No, it only backfired on Israel when the mossad mistook a young Norwegian waiter for a PLO-man, murdered him, and got caught red-handed.
What disturbs me most is that these assassination campaigns are conducted by countries that call themselves democracies, and -especially in the case of America- constantly lecture others on democracy and freedom.
Fine, just don''t be surprised if people around the world perceive this as hypocrisy, bigotry and moral failure of the highest leadership of America. And don''t come complaining if people around the world turn away from democracy, because they see it as the system that justifies aggression.

[guadalcanal3]

PCreversed...No doubt.

[guadalcanal3]

brianbwb...PAY ATTENTION...Who said anything about WMD''s????...we''re talking about going after Al Qaeda here...Al Qaeda didn''t use WMD''s on 9/11.

[brianbwb-2009]

Posted by brianbwb

My apologies for the asterisks, actually what I said was in no way scatological, or erotic, but I leave it to you to put your own word for Bush in.

[brianbwb-2009]

"Sorry people...But the President was right on this one." Posted by guadalcanal3

Then where are the WMDs?

No, Bush lied, and knew he was lying. You might agree with his unspoken geopolitical agenda, but I, along with US law, International law, don''t.

The specific reasons he gave for sending US sons and daughters into harm''s way were all lies, and have cost the economic stability of our country, and left us depleted in the event that we really do need to defend our shores.

[brianbwb-2009]

"...And yet, we are supposed to believe that when Bill said it, it was TRUE. Then, his airstrike 100% DESTROYED all WMD in 1998..." Posted by txgrouch2007

Ya know tx, one of the benefits of being "Black" in the 60s was that we learned the style of lies the government used to stir up fear of us in the "White" community. Dr. King was a threat to national security, the Black Panthers were a subversive communist terror organization, Muhammad Ali was a "Black" militant, we heard them all.

Because the lies have a recognizable style, I didn''t believe that WMD BS when Bush Sr, or Kerry, or Clinton, or the junior *** said it.

[guadalcanal3]

Sorry people...But the President was right on this one.

[ajmarine111]

Posted by txgrouch2007 at 09:58 PM : Nov 10, 2008



That old Bush is a good liar isn''t he, he had everyone believing him.



"Without question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime ... He presents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation ... And now he is miscalculating America''s response to his continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction ... So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real..."

- Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Jan. 23. 2003

[txgrouch2007]

"In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock... It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity ..."
- Sen. Hillary Clinton (D, NY), Oct 10, 2002
Posted by AJMarine111 at 08:45 PM : Nov 10, 2008

"Other countries possess weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles. With Saddam, there is one big difference: He has used them. ...
%u201DThe international community had little doubt then, and I have no doubt today, that left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will use these terrible weapons again. "
- President William Clinton, December 16, 1998

NOTICE THE SIMILARITIES in these two speeches

And yet, we are supposed to believe that when Bill said it, it was TRUE. Then, his airstrike 100% DESTROYED all WMD in 1998.

So when Hillary said THE EXACT SAME THING (she practically read the same speech), she was being DECEIVED BY BUSH.

Then when Bush said it, it was a LIE.

YAH, RIGHT!!!

OK, who is waging the campaign of deceit???

[andor3]

Bush and Rumsfeld, criminals of the lowest stature, committing crimes against their country and humanity. No moral person will rest until they are brought to justice.

[ajmarine111]

if you people want to defend bush then you need to look at yourselves, Bush , Cheney, and rumsfeld are the axis of terror, they are behind everything,he has never produced any evidence that proves anything.Bush cannot even prove his story of a 757 hitting the pentagon, because he knows it wasn''''t a 757 instead it was an American cruise missile, no tell me how Bin Laden managed to fire that?only fools will follow Bush and eat his lies.

Posted by tincup356 at 07:46 PM : Nov 10, 2008



Everyone was on board for this when it started. I don''t care what they say now.



"In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al Qaeda members ... It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons."

- Sen. Hillary Clinton (D, NY), Oct 10, 2002

[n0rm1-2009]

Al Qaeda''s goal is to try and create a state of war between Muslims and the U.S. This will allow them to pose as "leaders" in the Muslim world. The best way to destroy Al Qaeda is to recruit Muslims, not make enemies out of them. The best example of this is the Sunni Awakening. Killing civilians plays into Al Qaeda''s hands, and by the way is wrong. This is not World War II, where civilians killed were an integral part of whole countries bent on our destruction. The vast majority of Muslim people do not support Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda is born out of a fanatical religious "Wahhabi" sect in Saudia Arabia. Al Qaeda is not representative of Muslims worldwide.

To win you must first know your enemy. It not about being %u201Cnice%u201D its about being smarter than the enemy. So far this hasn%u2019t been the case, with the exception of Patreaus, and the %u201CSunni Awakening%u201D in Iraq. I imagine we will get this right someday, but immorality & stupidity will only prolong the misery.

[downsteamjim]

tincup: Good news: I see you dodged the black helicopters for another day. Bad news: the Energizer Bunnie has rabies and knows where you live.

[tincup356]

if you people want to defend bush then you need to look at yourselves, Bush , Cheney, and rumsfeld are the axis of terror, they are behind everything,he has never produced any evidence that proves anything.Bush cannot even prove his story of a 757 hitting the pentagon, because he knows it wasn''t a 757 instead it was an American cruise missile, no tell me how Bin Laden managed to fire that?only fools will follow Bush and eat his lies.

[promaclaura]

How many innocents die when they decide to bomb an embassy, a market or a hotel? Screw them, I have no respect for a militant that chooses to shield themselves in a church, a home, a school or village. If you bring the war to these places, you have damned your own people. I am tired of being told we have to act in a certain manner. We did not do it during the revolutionary war yet Britian did. Who won that war? So maybe we should stoop to some of our enemies levels. Each time we choose to ingore teh danger, it comes back to bite us on the arse!


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by au_fait at 06:38 PM : Nov 10, 2008

Today it was a bus of innocent schoolgirls, the 2nd bomber nailing those helping the first bombed group. Tincup, your hate of Bush blinds you to all else, get some help.

[au_fait]

How many innocents die when they decide to bomb an embassy, a market or a hotel? Screw them, I have no respect for a militant that chooses to shield themselves in a church, a home, a school or village. If you bring the war to these places, you have damned your own people. I am tired of being told we have to act in a certain manner. We did not do it during the revolutionary war yet Britian did. Who won that war? So maybe we should stoop to some of our enemies levels. Each time we choose to ingore teh danger, it comes back to bite us on the arse!

[kevnkar]

you people need to remember , the enemy was identified by Bush , Bush who has lied about everything about the war.Slick move to get the attention away from his lies.George, ***, and donald are the worlds biggest terrorists.They just make up and break laws to do what they want to, at anybody else''''s expense.they are in the act right now of a large terror scheme called the bailout.After they devalue the American dollar as much as they can they will introduce the Amero, and will gladly exchange them for your dollars...at pennies on the dollar...coming soon .Just wait till they are all up on charges of war crimes, treason, murder, extortion,torture and breaking of Geneva convention laws.i hope to see all three of them tried , convicted , and executed.For what they have done to our country and the world.

Posted by tincup356

Hahahahahaha! Obama advocated unilateral bombing in north western Pakistan and will continue after he takes office. He will also involve us in wars in Africa under the guise of humanitarian action. The true goal in these will be to choke of the supply of raw materials to China. Don''t be so naive about the goings on in this world.

[toolmangler-2009]

Do you know why they are secret?
Because they *** kill civilians!
Posted by JesusEyes at 05:40 PM : Nov 10, 2008



In certain territories a civillian is anybody that doesn''t have a gun/RPG in their hands at the moment.