A decade after the Pentagon declared a zero-tolerance policy for racist hate groups, recruiting shortfalls caused by the war in Iraq have allowed "large numbers of neo-Nazis and skinhead extremists" to infiltrate the military, according to a watchdog organization.
The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks racist and right-wing militia groups, estimated that the numbers could run into the thousands, citing interviews with Defense Department investigators and reports and postings on racist Web sites and magazines.
"We've got Aryan Nations graffiti in Baghdad," the group quoted a Defense Department investigator as saying in a report to be posted today on its Web site, www.splcenter.org. "That's a problem."
A Defense Department spokeswoman said officials there could not comment on the report because they had not yet seen it.
The center called on Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld to appoint a task force to study the problem, declare a new zero tolerance policy and strictly enforce it.
The report said that neo-Nazi groups like the National Alliance, whose founder, William Pierce, wrote "The Turner Diaries," the novel that was the inspiration and blueprint for Timothy J. McVeigh's bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building, sought to enroll followers in the Army to get training for a race war.
The groups are being abetted, the report said, by pressure on recruiters, particularly for the Army, to meet quotas that are more difficult to reach because of the growing unpopularity of the war in Iraq.
The report quotes Scott Barfield, a Defense Department investigator, saying, "Recruiters are knowingly allowing neo-Nazis and white supremacists to join the armed forces, and commanders don't remove them from the military even after we positively identify them as extremists or gang members."
Mr. Barfield said Army recruiters struggled last year to meet goals. "They don't want to make a big deal again about neo-Nazis in the military," he said, "because then parents who are already worried about their kids signing up and dying in Iraq are going to be even more reluctant about their kids enlisting if they feel they'll be exposed to gangs and white supremacists."
The 1996 crackdown on extremists came after revelations that Mr. McVeigh had espoused far-right ideas when he was in the Army and recruited two fellow soldiers to aid his bomb plot. Those revelations were followed by a furor that developed when three white paratroopers were convicted of the random slaying of a black couple in order to win tattoos and 19 others were discharged for participating in neo-Nazi activities.
The defense secretary at the time, William Perry, said the rules were meant to leave no room for racist and extremist activities within the military. But the report said Mr. Barfield, who is based at Fort Lewis, Wash., had said that he had provided evidence on 320 extremists there in the past year, but that only two had been discharged. He also said there was an online network of neo-Nazis.
"They're communicating with each other about weapons, about recruiting, about keeping their identities secret, about organizing within the military," he said. "Several of these individuals have since been deployed to combat missions in Iraq."
The report cited accounts by neo-Nazis of their infiltration of the military, including a discussion on the white supremacist Web site Stormfront. "There are others among you in the forces," one participant wrote. "You are never alone."
An article in the National Alliance magazine Resistance urged skinheads to join the Army and insist on being assigned to light infantry units.
The Southern Poverty Law Center identified the author as Steven Barry, who it said was a former Special Forces officer who was the alliance's "military unit coordinator."
"Light infantry is your branch of choice because the coming race war and the ethnic cleansing to follow will be very much an infantryman's war," he wrote. "It will be house-to-house, neighborhood-by-neighborhood until your town or city is cleared and the alien races are driven into the countryside where they can be hunted down and 'cleansed.' "
He concluded: "As a professional soldier, my goal is to fill the ranks of the United States Army with skinheads. As street brawlers, you will be useless in the coming race war. As trained infantrymen, you will join the ranks of the Aryan warrior brotherhood."
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Sunday, July 02, 2006
Intel, Motorola Back Clearwire by Susan Rush
Craig McCaw's Clearwire may have backed off its initial public offering plans, but the company has received a vote of confidence from the funding world - securing a $900 investment commitment. Of the total, $600 million will come from Intel Corporation's capital arm. Motorola also is on the list of backers.
Intel's $600 million investment marks the largest single investment the company has made to date, according to Clearwire.
Motorola's portion of the remaining $300 million investment is not being disclosed by the companies. Motorola also announced plans to acquire Clearwire subsidiary NextNet Wireless, a supplier of fixed and portable non-line-of-site (NLOS) wireless broadband equipment.
The investment is designed to help accelerate the adoption of WiMAX technology. As part of the funding agreement, Motorola has signed on as a supplier of wireless broadband equipment for Clearwire's existing and future networks. Intel has agreed to work to enable the inclusion of WiMAX chipsets in next-generation mobile computing platforms, Clearwire says.
Clearwire first launched its pre-WiMAX service offering in 2004 to a limited audience. Since then, the company has ramped up its rollout efforts to include 27 markets. Clearwire owns spectrum in the 2.5GHz band in the United States and the 3.5GHz band in Europe. The company boosts download speeds of up to 1.5 Mbps and upload speeds up to 256 kbps.
Clearwire has been planning a $400 million IPO, but recently scrapped the idea.
Intel's $600 million investment marks the largest single investment the company has made to date, according to Clearwire.
Motorola's portion of the remaining $300 million investment is not being disclosed by the companies. Motorola also announced plans to acquire Clearwire subsidiary NextNet Wireless, a supplier of fixed and portable non-line-of-site (NLOS) wireless broadband equipment.
The investment is designed to help accelerate the adoption of WiMAX technology. As part of the funding agreement, Motorola has signed on as a supplier of wireless broadband equipment for Clearwire's existing and future networks. Intel has agreed to work to enable the inclusion of WiMAX chipsets in next-generation mobile computing platforms, Clearwire says.
Clearwire first launched its pre-WiMAX service offering in 2004 to a limited audience. Since then, the company has ramped up its rollout efforts to include 27 markets. Clearwire owns spectrum in the 2.5GHz band in the United States and the 3.5GHz band in Europe. The company boosts download speeds of up to 1.5 Mbps and upload speeds up to 256 kbps.
Clearwire has been planning a $400 million IPO, but recently scrapped the idea.
Somalia's Terror Camps by Bill Roggio
As the situation in Somalia deteriorates and the al-Qaeda backed Islamic Courts Union (or al-Ittihad Mahakem al-Islamiya) consolidates power in the capital city of Mogadishu, the Ethiopian military has crossed the border into Somalia. Approximately 200-300 Ethiopian troops, about two companies including two armored platoons, have pushed upwards to 100 miles into Somali territory. It is unclear if their goal is to secure the lawless border, make a land grab or engage the militias of the Islamic Courts. The Ethiopian government denies reports its military has crossed the Somali border.
Ethiopia has intervened in Somalia in the mid 1990's and destroyed the al-Qaeda backed Union of Islam (al-Ittihad al-Islamiya), as it was sponsoring separatist Islamist groups in Ethiopian border province of Ogaden. The rise to power of the Islamic Courts Union, the successor group to al-Ittihad al-Islamiya, must be of concern to the Ethiopian government. In Osama bin Laden’s latest speech (which has just been verified by the CIA) he backs the Islamic Courts and call for the continuation of Jihad in Somalia must also concern the secular government of Ethiopia. Osama essentially elevates the importance of Islamic Courts Union to the status of the Taliban.
The appointment of al-Qaeda linked Hassan Dahir Aweys as the new leader of the Islamic Courts has shed the group's thin veneer of moderation, an image it attempted to cultivate since seizing control of Mogadishu in the first week of June. In November of 2001, Aweys was identified by the U.S. Department of State as a as "Specially Designated Global Terrorists." The U.S. has insisted the Islamic Courts turn over three known terrorists involved with the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania; Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan and Abu Taha al-Sudani.
In 2002, a confidential report indicated Somalia contained 17 known operational terrorist training camps. The environment in Somalia is said to compare to that of Afghanistan during the heyday of the Taliban. Terrorists from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Chechnya, Iraq and the Arabian peninsula are said to be flocking into Somalia to staff the camps or enter training. Camps are said to be training recruits to employ improvised explosive devices (roadside bombs or IEDs) to counter the expected Ethiopian armor. The Islamic Courts are also scouring the Communist-era weapons caches for anti-aircraft weapons, small arms, and explosives.
The failure of U.S. backed warlords comprising the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counterterrorism has left southern Somalia with little indigenous opposition to the Islamic Courts. This is a vacuum Ethiopia may be attempting to fill. France is said to be very concerned about the situation in Somalia, and may consider deploying troops from the Foreign Legion to support any U.S. action.
The U.S. has assets at Camp Lemonier in neighboring Djibouti; Joint Combined Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA)is comprised of U.S. Marines, Special Operations Forces, civil affairs teams and a U.S. and international naval task force to patrol the Eastern African coast and vital straits of the Bab Al Mandeb, one of world's seven oil transit choke point. JCTF-HOA's primary missions have been the training of regional militaries to fight the spread of Islamist terrorist groups, 'goodwill' missions designed to improve the lives of and covert intelligence and hunter-killer missions. Qaed Salim Sinan al-Harethi, al-Qaeda's chief operative in Yemen and a suspect in the October 2000 bombing of the destroyer USS Cole" was killed by a Predator said to be operating from Djibouti.
The U.S. plan to back the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counterterrorism has failed, and it appears there is no backup plan. The U.S. has "insisted that it will continue supporting any group fighting elements of terrorism in Somalia," yet it appears there is no one left to turn to. The Transitional Government of Abdullahi Yussuf has no power base to rely on, and has been willing to negotiate with the Islamic Courts. The Transitional Government is based in Baidoa, 90 miles west of Mogadishu, and is waiting to be overrun by the militias of the Islamic Courts.
While the U.S. formulates policy on dealing with the rise of the al-Qaeda backed Islamist Courts, the allies of al-Qaeda consolidate power and continue to churn out terrorists from the multitude of training camps. Like the border provinces of western Pakistan, Somalia is now a de facto safe haven for al-Qaeda and its allies to indoctrinate, train, arm, and deploy terrorists. Four years after the existence of the terror camps were made known, they still remain in operation.
Ethiopia has intervened in Somalia in the mid 1990's and destroyed the al-Qaeda backed Union of Islam (al-Ittihad al-Islamiya), as it was sponsoring separatist Islamist groups in Ethiopian border province of Ogaden. The rise to power of the Islamic Courts Union, the successor group to al-Ittihad al-Islamiya, must be of concern to the Ethiopian government. In Osama bin Laden’s latest speech (which has just been verified by the CIA) he backs the Islamic Courts and call for the continuation of Jihad in Somalia must also concern the secular government of Ethiopia. Osama essentially elevates the importance of Islamic Courts Union to the status of the Taliban.
The appointment of al-Qaeda linked Hassan Dahir Aweys as the new leader of the Islamic Courts has shed the group's thin veneer of moderation, an image it attempted to cultivate since seizing control of Mogadishu in the first week of June. In November of 2001, Aweys was identified by the U.S. Department of State as a as "Specially Designated Global Terrorists." The U.S. has insisted the Islamic Courts turn over three known terrorists involved with the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania; Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan and Abu Taha al-Sudani.
In 2002, a confidential report indicated Somalia contained 17 known operational terrorist training camps. The environment in Somalia is said to compare to that of Afghanistan during the heyday of the Taliban. Terrorists from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Chechnya, Iraq and the Arabian peninsula are said to be flocking into Somalia to staff the camps or enter training. Camps are said to be training recruits to employ improvised explosive devices (roadside bombs or IEDs) to counter the expected Ethiopian armor. The Islamic Courts are also scouring the Communist-era weapons caches for anti-aircraft weapons, small arms, and explosives.
The failure of U.S. backed warlords comprising the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counterterrorism has left southern Somalia with little indigenous opposition to the Islamic Courts. This is a vacuum Ethiopia may be attempting to fill. France is said to be very concerned about the situation in Somalia, and may consider deploying troops from the Foreign Legion to support any U.S. action.
The U.S. has assets at Camp Lemonier in neighboring Djibouti; Joint Combined Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA)is comprised of U.S. Marines, Special Operations Forces, civil affairs teams and a U.S. and international naval task force to patrol the Eastern African coast and vital straits of the Bab Al Mandeb, one of world's seven oil transit choke point. JCTF-HOA's primary missions have been the training of regional militaries to fight the spread of Islamist terrorist groups, 'goodwill' missions designed to improve the lives of and covert intelligence and hunter-killer missions. Qaed Salim Sinan al-Harethi, al-Qaeda's chief operative in Yemen and a suspect in the October 2000 bombing of the destroyer USS Cole" was killed by a Predator said to be operating from Djibouti.
The U.S. plan to back the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counterterrorism has failed, and it appears there is no backup plan. The U.S. has "insisted that it will continue supporting any group fighting elements of terrorism in Somalia," yet it appears there is no one left to turn to. The Transitional Government of Abdullahi Yussuf has no power base to rely on, and has been willing to negotiate with the Islamic Courts. The Transitional Government is based in Baidoa, 90 miles west of Mogadishu, and is waiting to be overrun by the militias of the Islamic Courts.
While the U.S. formulates policy on dealing with the rise of the al-Qaeda backed Islamist Courts, the allies of al-Qaeda consolidate power and continue to churn out terrorists from the multitude of training camps. Like the border provinces of western Pakistan, Somalia is now a de facto safe haven for al-Qaeda and its allies to indoctrinate, train, arm, and deploy terrorists. Four years after the existence of the terror camps were made known, they still remain in operation.
Media Continues to Spread Misinformation about Zarqawi Successor by Evan Kohlmann
Yesterday's audio recording released by Usama Bin Laden on the Internet caused a flurry of reactions in media circles, particularly focused on Bin Laden's discussion of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's role within Al-Qaida and the identity of his successor at the helm of Al-Qaida in Iraq. Unfortunately, once again, mainstream media has made some very serious mistakes in reporting on this issue. Let's try and make this issue as clear as possible:
1.) Usama Bin Laden has *never* endorsed Abu Ayyub al-Masri by name as the leader of Al-Qaida in Iraq. To my knowledge, Bin Laden has *never*, *ever* mentioned this person before publicly in any statement, video, or even offhand remark.
2.) In his latest speech, Bin Laden identified the new leader of Al-Qaida in Iraq as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir--the same mysterious individual nominated by Al-Qaida's commanders inside of Iraq about two weeks ago. The only credible source to link Abu Ayyub to Abu Hamza is the U.S. military, which suggested recently that they are "probably" the same person. The military posted a hefty reward for al-Masri--but White House officials subsequently backed off that hazy assertion. Thus, until there is at least some additional corroboration from credible Al-Qaida sources, it is only prudent to assume that Abu Hamza and Abu Ayyub are *NOT*, in fact, the same person.
1.) Usama Bin Laden has *never* endorsed Abu Ayyub al-Masri by name as the leader of Al-Qaida in Iraq. To my knowledge, Bin Laden has *never*, *ever* mentioned this person before publicly in any statement, video, or even offhand remark.
2.) In his latest speech, Bin Laden identified the new leader of Al-Qaida in Iraq as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir--the same mysterious individual nominated by Al-Qaida's commanders inside of Iraq about two weeks ago. The only credible source to link Abu Ayyub to Abu Hamza is the U.S. military, which suggested recently that they are "probably" the same person. The military posted a hefty reward for al-Masri--but White House officials subsequently backed off that hazy assertion. Thus, until there is at least some additional corroboration from credible Al-Qaida sources, it is only prudent to assume that Abu Hamza and Abu Ayyub are *NOT*, in fact, the same person.
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