Tag: CENTCOM

Interview with Lawrence Wilkerson

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Retired US army colonel Lawrence Wilkerson touches on a number of hot topics, from a potential war between Lebanon and “Israel”, the dwindling Israeli military capabilities, to Biden’s Middle East doctrine, all the while casting doubt on Trump’s re-election.

Former chief of staff to US Secretary of State Colin Powell: Best case scenario for “Israel” in future war with Hezbollah would be a stalemate

Video via Al Mayadeen English

US accused over huge ‘covert pro-Western’ digital campaign targeting Middle East

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)1 Comment

Dozens of social media accounts operating for years in an attempt to influence people in the Middle East and Asia have been shut down. Now a major new study believes the US is likely behind it

US accused over huge ‘covert pro-Western’ digital campaign targeting Middle East

Related:

CONOPs

Evaluating Five Years of Pro-Western Covert Influence Operations

The US government got caught using sock puppets to spread propaganda on social media

The data analyzed came from 146 Twitter accounts (which tweeted 299,566 times), 39 Facebook profiles, and 26 Instagram accounts, along with 16 Facebook pages and two Facebook groups. Some of the accounts were meant to appear like real people and used AI-generated profile pictures. Meta and Twitter didn’t specifically name any organizations or people behind the campaigns but said their analysis led them to believe they originated in the US and Great Britain.

For anyone who’s ever been within 15 feet of a history book, the news that the US is using covert action to push its interests in other countries won’t come as a surprise. It is, however, interesting that these operations were uncovered just as social media companies are gearing up to deal with a wave of foreign interference and misinformation in our own elections.

The report also comes right on the heels of a bombshell whistleblower report from Peiter “Mudge” Zatko, Twitter’s former head of security, which accused the company of lax security practices and misrepresenting the number of bots on its platform (something the US government is investigating and that Twitter has strongly denied).

US Carries Out Airstrikes Targeting ‘Iran-Backed’ Groups in Syria

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

US Carries Out Airstrikes Targeting ‘Iran-Backed’ Groups in Syria

A Pentagon statement on August 15 said a US base in al-Tanf, Syria, was attacked by a series of drones causing no damage or injuries. There was no claim of responsibility for the attack. The White House has not provided evidence that an Iranian-backed group carried out the attack.

The US occupies about a third of Syrian territory with 900 troops. Washington claims its forces remain in Syria to ensure the enduring defeat of the Islamic State. However, Iranian-backed groups support the government of Bashar al-Assad, an avowed enemy of ISIS. In recent months, ISIS has carried out several attacks against Assad’s forces, killing scores of soldiers.

President Joe Biden asserted he had Constitutional authority to carry out the strikes. “The President gave the direction for these strikes pursuant to his Article II authority to protect and defend US personnel by disrupting or deterring attacks by Iran-backed groups,” the press release said.

While Article II may give Biden the power to defend US troops, Congress has never passed a declaration of war or authorization of military force for Syria. Without Congressional authorization, three successive American presidents bombed Syria.

‘I Know You Are But What Am I’: Russia’s Ready Response to US Africa-Alarmism

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Perhaps you’ve heard: not only is Moscow about to maraud its way through Ukraine, not only is Tsar Vladimir I seeking a new Eurasian empire, but – as if to add insult to injury – Russia is “returning” to Africa in a big way, intent on “displacing” the influence of the continent’s apparently rightful influencers (interesting language, that – no?). Anyway, at least that’s the hyper-panicked Russophobic narrative emanating from America’s top think tanks, papers of record, and bipartisan but paltry politicians.

‘I Know You Are But What Am I’: Russia’s Ready Response to US Africa-Alarmism

Conflicting reports on Islamic State leader arrested in US operation in north Syria

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

The US-led coalition has revealed the identity of the Islamic State leader it arrested during an airdrop operation in northern Syria, saying he was a prominent bombmaker. But some Syrian opposition sources say they got the wrong man.

Conflicting reports on Islamic State leader arrested in US operation in north Syria

Related:

The operations of the international coalition against ISIS west of the Euphrates: significance and importance (machine translation of link by Al-Monitor)

Disclosure of arrested ISIS leader identity | ISIS top leader and son of top sharia official, but not the “Wali” of Al-Raqqah (English article linked by Al-Monitor)

U.S. Forces Have Captured Another Daesh Senior Leader During Night Helicopter Raid

Oopsie! 🤷🏼‍♀️