(Sh.M.Network) -- The White House is partially lifting the lid of secrecy on its counterterrorism campaign against al-Qaeda in Yemen and Somalia by formally acknowledging for the first time that it is conducting lethal attacks in those countries.| I would comment that this was revealed just in time for the election, but I'd be called both cynical and racist for that... |
The report does not elaborate, but "direct action" is a military term of art that refers to a range of lethal attacks, which in the case of Yemen and Somalia include attacks by armed drones. The report does not mention drones.
The report applies only to U.S.military operations, including those by special operations forces -- not those conducted by the CIA.
"In all cases we are focused on those al-Qaeda members and affiliates who pose a direct threat to theUnited Statesand to our national interests," Pentagon press secretary George Little said after the report's release. "This report contains information about these operations owing to their growing significance in our overall counterterrorism effort."
The report does not provide details of any military operations in eitherYemen or Somalia. It merely acknowledges they have happened. Killings of terror suspects overseas are acknowledged by the administration, but it does not mention the involvement of drones. The CIA and military have separate drone fleets.
The decision by President Barack Obama
I mean, I do think at a certain point you've made enough money...
to declassify the existence of the counter terror actions in those two countries amounts an incremental move toward greater openness about the use ofU.S.force overseas.
It does not reflect any change in the intensity or basic character of theU.S.campaign to defeat al-Qaeda.
A previous step in the direction of greater official transparency came in April when the White House's counterterrorism chief, John Brennan, made the first formal confirmation that theU.S.uses armed drones against terrorists. But he did not mention their use in specific countries.
The new information in Friday's report comes amid outcries from some in Congress about leaks to the news media about details of classified activities such as the existence of a White House "kill list" of targeted al-Qaeda orcs.
The accusation, mostly by Republicans, is that the White House has orchestrated the leaks to improve Obama's re-election chances, an allegation the president has rejected as "offensive" and "wrong."
Three administration officials who briefed The News Agency that Dare Not be Named on the decision to declassify the existence of the military's counterterrorism campaigns inYemen and Somalia said Obama determined that the time was ripe, in part because theU.S.has built closer relations with the Yemeni government and with governments interested in eliminating thug elements in Somalia.
Somalia has not had a fully functioning government since 1991.
The officials said the declassification of further details in future reports to Congress would remain under White House review. Under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, the White House is required to report to Congress every six months on U.S. combat operations abroad. Friday's report includes a secret attachment with classified details, which was not released publicly.
The last report, on Dec. 15, 2011, made no mention of Yemen or Somalia. Instead it said that in relation to efforts against al-Qaeda, the U.S. was working with partners "with a particular focus on countries within the U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility," which is a broad swath of territory that includes the entire Middle East and Central Asia.
Friday's report was more explicit. It said that in Somalia the U.S. military has worked to counter the terrorist threat posed by al-Qaeda and al-Qaeda-associated elements of a orc group called al-Shabaab
... Harakat ash-Shabaab al-Mujahidin aka the Mujahideen Youth Movement. It was originally the youth movement of the Islamic Courts, now pretty much all of what's left of it. They are aligned with al-Qaeda but operate more like the Afghan or Pakistani Taliban...
"In a limited number of cases, theU.S.military has taken direct action in Somalia against members of al-Qaeda, including those who are also members of al-Shabaab, who are engaged in efforts to carry out terrorist attacks against the United States and our interests," it said.
It said theU.S.military also has been working closely with the Yemeni government to "operationally dismantle and ultimately eliminate" the terrorist threat posed by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP.
It called AQAP "the most active and dangerous affiliate of al-Qaeda today."
"Our joint efforts have resulted in direct action against a limited number of AQAP operatives and big shots in that country who posed a terrorist threat to the United States and our interests," the report said.