Secret 2004 Order Lets U.S. Raid Al Qaeda in Many Countries

New York Times:

WASHINGTON -- The United States military since 2004 has used broad, secret authority to carry out nearly a dozen previously undisclosed attacks against Al Qaeda and other militants in Syria, Pakistan and elsewhere, according to senior American officials.

These military raids, typically carried out by Special Operations forces, were authorized by a classified order that Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld signed in the spring of 2004 with the approval of President Bush, the officials said. The secret order gave the military new authority to attack the Qaeda terrorist network anywhere in the world, and a more sweeping mandate to conduct operations in countries not at war with the United States.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[StillAmused]

"The secret order gave the military new authority to attack the Qaeda terrorist network anywhere in the world, and a more sweeping mandate to conduct operations in countries not at war with the United States."

Wonder how "anywhere in the world" might feel about that?

[LITU]

History proves one thing for sure - what goes around comes around. I mention this for all the jingoists posting here. We have not prosecuted a single military engagement in my lifetime that has benefited our citizens. Quite the contrary.

[cardineau]

Terrorists ... who gave the US the right to judge who is and who isn't a terrorist in this world? The US is a terrorist country in the eyes of most of the civilized world. What ever a country decides to have or not have within their borders is of no business of the US. If the US is out of its own territory and occupying another country, they are fair game from anyone in that country. If some country were occupying the US. we would act the exact same way. Mind our own business and quit using our soldiers and money to promote the well being of oil companies and dictators worldwide.

[JiwonSong]

Is America going insane? They should raid Al Quaida anywhere in the world.

[PSM42]

WHAT Al Qaeda? Google Gore Vidal Channel 4

[richardmcnoggin]

The people of the USA need to march down to the New York Time offices and drag the traitors into the streets and lynch these anti-American bastards from the streetlights in front of the building..­.

[dctackett]

go for it... really, do it... or are you not an American?.­..

I, being an American, actually am glad that a news organization is notifying me that my government is taking such action. Mainly because I now know what other countries can do to us... it's the whole it's ok to do it to us because we did it to you/them..­.

You know, the Nazis weren't tried on anything that equated to anything that the Alliance powers did... Just like Saddam... it's that whole, if it's illegal for you to do it, it's illegal for me to do it...

I guess that concept just doesn't make it into the minds of "patriotic" Americans.

[PSM42]

Its not news to anyone else. Google Sy Hersh Iran $400m. Been away long? Overseas?

[PSM42]

"American enough" does NOT mean pro war, torture, murder and 20,000 secretly disappeared. See O's election for why not.

[PSM42]

"American enough" does NOT mean pro war, tor t u r e, m u r der and 20,000 secretly disappeared. See O's election for why not.

[cardineau]

You sound very enlightened and tolerant ... you must be a Christian.

[PSM42]

The Vietnam to wars in Central America switcheroo, deja vu. Warehouses full.

[SeanOcali]

I'm all for this. If a nation doesn't want it's sovereignty compromised, then all they have to do is make sure there are no al-Qaeda groups operating within their borders. In 2002 nobody would have argued with me on this. It's a shame how much the war in Iraq has totally compromised our support (domestic and foreign) for the real war on terror. One of Bush's biggest blunders.

[dctackett]

there's a little problem with that... if we do it to other countries, then they can do it to us...

[Ramirez]

That would be worse for them than for us. We just might crush their armies, boomb their palaces and pull their leader out of his hole, all on national TV.

[cardineau]

There are probably at present Al Qaeda groups operating in the US. Do you feel that China should be able to send a drone over here and wipe out a large wedding party because a suspected Chinese terrorist is attending?

[Ramirez]

We would not allow China to do that. However if China pointed them out to us we would be glad to smoke them ourselves.

That would be win/win for all.

[sent2null]

It seems that Treason has become an every day occurrence in these modern times...ev­eryone is doing it. There is no point in swearing an oath to keeping top secret ops. top secret if you are going to blab in anonymity and potentially damage our countries National Security operations.

Opinions on the necessity of the programs is irrelevant, if you can't keep the secret then bow out of the operation like a Man don't become a traitor after you find the heat in the kitchen is too hot for you take.

[dctackett]

so, you don't want to know what other countries are free to do here in the US?... because, if we conduct military operations in other countries, other countries are free to conduct military operations inside the US...

[Ramirez]

Only if they feel really, really lucky. The payback could be severe.

[sent2null]

I am talking about upholding the requirements of your position once you accept it. If I take a job , knowing the requirements and potential consequences I will follow through with that job even if I disagree with internal developments that I was not privy to at the start, until such time as I am free from that obligation of silence. It is called honoring your words....a­s I said, "opinions of the necessity of the programs is irrelevant" this is simply about honoring your word. If the operations you'll be involved in *could be* too intense for you, then don't sign up for the program and prevent being a traitor. That is my point.

[Americatortures]

So when terrorists strike us again...I guess it 's just a "get-even" policy on their part for our illegal invasions into their soverign nations!! I hope the bitter folks clinging to their guns and churches don't forget to thank our own terrorists in the White House when the next attack comes!!

[Americatortures]

Hey, PELOSI..ho­w about warming up the impeachment proceedings,now!!!

[Ramirez]

Impeachment is off the table. She only talks smaeck in election years.

[NoElephants]

If you have such a problem with us proactively stopping terrorism, why don't you move to Iceland or something. Obama is fully behind using whatever force is necessary to render threats unable to attack. This is why out of the last 16 Sec. of Defense, only 4 have been Democrats. Because most of us (not me thankfully) are so caught up in ideology and the "high road" and are too scared to pull out the guns when it needs to happen.

[qdog112]

Yeah, we don't need no stinkin' laws. Laws are are for the weak or should I say a way to keep the weak - weak.

The WILD, WILD WEST.

If you're so scared, why don't you move to AK, she'll protect ya.

[Sammy00400]

Then again, alot of us are more circumspect on when and where to do such things. You dont want to give a blank check and it seems this executive order has the requirement that all operations must be approved by the white house first. The "youre with us or against us" mentality in your post however isnt thought through very well. One other requirement I would hope exists is that there must have been prior attempts for those countries to help deal with the problem. Therefore, maybe some of these countries do know about it and cover their eyes to such things.... so long as they are not public.

[PSM42]

No. You want a f a s c i s t country? - YOU move to I r a q. They'd be delighted.

[dctackett]

If you have a problem with us proactively pre-arresting you for raping children, then why don't you move to the Congo or something.­..

I guess I'm just to caught up with "the rule of law" and the "high road"...

[Aroura]

We need to stop being warmngers, and inventing threats. Terrorists exist, as does al qaeda, but they aren't a threat to our security unless we turn an intentional blind eye....
We can watch for threats, and pick off individual ones without occupying and bombing whole countries full of innocent civilian.

I sincerely hope (and believe from what he has said) that he will stop american terrorism overseas, and protect our borders and country for real, here in our country!!instead of make believe, like it is now.

[instagladiator]

What do you mean by "So when terrorists strike us again..."? When did they? And where?

[JoeBlough]

Are we still trying to take out rogue wedding parties?

[Americatortures]

Yes,but not rogue ones...ANY one will do!!!

[noseysniper]

It's always hard for me to talk about the whole osama bin laden thing, due to my stance on what happened on 9/11. Basically I think we're looking for a unicorn and can't leave afghanistan until we find this unicorn. If only someone would tell obama that the target we're looking for is a unicorn and that he's wasting his time and resources trying to find something that doesn't exist. K.

[Aroura]

Heh, good way of putting it. See my post below, I totally agree with you.

[Bocado]

True, but the uninformed will say you're just claiming a conspiracy theory.
But I'm one of the few that does agree with you.

[RedDogBear]

I think that is a good point as well. i wouldn't go so far as to call OBL a unicorn. I do think he exists. But I think what you are getting at is that the strength and influence of Al Queda have been completely overblown. Books by Peter Lance (and others) support this. Before 9/11 Bin Laden could barely explode a firecracker. Most of his efforts failed. In the MSM he is often given credit for "fighting the soviets" but Lance points out that his fight consisted of getting a few arabs to join him in mass suicide with no military value whatsoever and they failed even in that. As for 9/11 I think the so called "truth movement" has done imense harm to those of us who want to find out what really happened. The fact is that we don't have a good understanding of who the terrorists really were (several of the people named have shown up alive and well in the middle east) and most importantly who funded them. But discussions like this always get derailed in nonsensical fantasies about DARPA death rays, dissapearing planes, and controlled demolitions.

[StacyJ]

Controlled demolitions are "nonsensical fantasies " ?
Larry Silverstein , the leaseholder of the World Trade Center, admitted that he made a decision to "pull" WTC7.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2q2mD2HaKA&feature=related

[PSM42]

Single best source is P. D. Scott The Road to Nine-elev. On google video too. V. impressive man.

[PSM42]

Unicorn. Or Yeti. Or Lough N ... etc :-)

[PSM42]

> This revelation is not going to be well received by the global community.
The rest of the world has always known. The only people kept in the dark were in the U.S. Unfortunately. But the internet is changing things, hence O's election; one among the reasons anyway.

[Aroura]

ok, I'm just going to come right out and say it.

Both wars are based on false pretenses. There is no reason...N­O REASON, for us to be over there in 2 wars right now. we need to extricate ourselves asap with the least amount of confusion as we can.

Suddam was a very bad dic.t.ator­, but there were and still are worse leaders. Why him and not one of the others? Where is this fantastic group of terrorist group who pulled off 9.1.1. with such exact precision? Al qaeda exists, for sure, but they did not and do not have the resources or ability to pull that off (without, um, help anyway). It may be the biggest lie of our time, and people are still talking about it as if it's true.

I know, hang me with my own tin.foil hat. Terr.orist­s exist, I know that is true, I just don't think they did the big one.
I know Pres-elect Obama has to talk the talk, but I hope he can get our troops withdrawn quickly and orderly (so we don't cause and entire collapse of the gov't now). If he wants to make a show by sending elite troops out to hunt down terr.orist cells, fine. As long as they avoid civilian casualties, and WAR, and make it precision small strikes.

[coastalcarla]

THANK YOU. Now I don't feel quite so crazy. I feel the same way, and am getting really tired of people calling me nuts.

[Aroura]

You aren't nuts. Lot's people think the same thing, but are afraid to say so. I'm afraid to say so even on an annonymous chat forum here, lol
The ones who don't are in serious denial I think.

Thanks to PSM for the google also, I'll check it out (looks like mst people hate it, and think it's whooey. typical denial)

For those who think "conspiracy theories" are always wrong and crazy by default, note how often in our history they have happened (proven).

http://xenophilius.wordpress.com/2008/09/20/ten-proven-us-government-conspiracies-and-why-i-still-trust-the-government/

[Aroura]

Also, note that by definition, the purported idea that OBL was responsible for 9.1.1 is just as much a Conspiracy as the other. there must be proof, and no one has ANY!! People just like to use the term to insult other people who think outside the box.

[PSM42]

Google Gore Vidal Channel 4 and enjoy.

[PSM42]

Re 9.1.1. P. D. Scott is VERY circumspect, with no theories. Only points buried, avoided etc. "We don't know" what happened on 9.1.1 ... etc. V.v. able academci. The Road to Nine-Elev pub by Berkeley University Press AND fact checked by them - THREE different independent checkers!

[R1Rider]

Who's leaking this info and why is it on the public domain? Does anyone see what's happening here? Classified info is being leaked, and the Obama party will be blaimed for "treason" before he even gets inaugerated. Scary stuff.

[Durango]

It would not be Obama leaking this info.

It is Dept of Defense or State officials.

We can expect a whole lot more of this in the coming weeks.

All those honest efficient govt employees will be leaking all those memo's and emails they have been saving all these years.

It is payback time from the real American patriots.

[utd]

You obviously have never had a security clearance of any importance. The devil is always in the details, and that article has little in the way of details. This is not mind blowing information getting out there, you could play a game of connect the dots of news articles over the years that could bring you to these conclusions with little trouble. That's called "investigative news reporting". I know you may have trouble with the thought considering what our media has devolved into as of late, but it is still legal according to the constitution last I checked.

The only time someone is going to jail for leaking classified information is when they start getting into specifics. Also, I cannot guarantee you much in this life but Obama getting blamed for anything, least of treason, is preposterous. Lest you be reminded who got us into this mess in the first place, and it sure as h e l l wasn't Obama.

[PSM42]

It's not a leak. It's not even news if you read Sy Hersh in the New Yorker.

[hark]

Well, the terrorists have long held secret orders to commit their nefarious deeds, so . . .

Didn't Bush tell us when we began such missions in Afghanistan that this is the way the "war on terror" would be fought? Only somehow we got sidetracked into fighting it with a trillion dollar conventional military invasion and occupation. And against a country that had nothing to do with terrorism.

If our cause is so noble and critical, why don't all the nations of the world join in, at least providing financial support, so the American people aren't bankrupted? It's getting pretty tough for us taxpayers, what with our responsibilities of bailing out all the robber barons over here and all, ya know.

[qdog112]

Surprise, we've got our own little secret wars going on all over the world. This revelation is not going to be well received by the global community.

We can expect this to come before the UN. In effect, we just allowed every nation in the world to take similar action when they deem necessary.

If we can justify this, can they justify 9/11?