Tag: French Foreign Legion

US to cut military presence in Niger + Pentagon lied to Congress

Ms. Cat

The Pentagon reportedly plans to pull out some of its troops from the African country

The US has begun “repositioning” the troops it has in Niger and plans to cut their number “nearly in half” over the next several weeks, Politico reported on Friday citing two Defense Department officials.

US to cut military presence in Niger

Related:

Pentagon Misled Congress About U.S. Bases in Africa

Rand Paul: Why do we still have troops in Niger?

Wagner Chief Denies Claims That He Offered Ukraine Russian Troop Positions + What are we to Make of Prigozhin and the Wagner Group?

Ms. Cat1 Comment

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, dismissed claims made by The Washington Post that he offered Ukraine Russian troop positions in exchange for a Ukrainian withdrawal from Bakhmut, calling the report “laughable.”

Wagner Chief Denies Claims That He Offered Ukraine Russian Troop Positions

Related:

What are we to Make of Prigozhin and the Wagner Group?

UN high court finds US seizure of Iranian assets violated treaty + More

Ms. Cat

In 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered nearly $2 billion in assets of Iran’s state bank, frozen in the U.S., to be paid as compensation to relatives of victims of attacks linked to Iran.

UN high court finds US seizure of Iranian assets violated treaty

Related:

International Court of Justice orders US to compensate Iran for frozen assets

ICJ judgments are legally binding, however, the court has no means of enforcing them. Previously, both the US and Iran have ignored the court’s judgments.

US Hails ICJ Ruling On Iran Assets As ‘Major Victory’

“The court’s decision today rejected the vast majority of Iran’s case, including notably Iran’s claims on behalf of Bank Markazi,” said acting legal adviser Rich Visek of the US State Department.

Is the U.S. and NATO Running Another Operation Gladio in Europe?

Ms. Cat

Part Two of a Three-Part CAM Series on Mercenaries and Clandestine Operations in Ukraine

[In Part Two of this three-part series on foreign mercenary fighters in Ukraine, (see Part 1) the nexus between mercenaries with experience in Syria, Ukraine and U.S.-EU-NATO armed forces becomes more apparent. This second part of the investigation looks at Shaun Pinner, Alexander Tobiassen, John Harding, Sjoerd Heeger, Craig Lang and Ben Fischer.—Editors]

Is the U.S. and NATO Running Another Operation Gladio in Europe?

Archived (WordPress is now private): American YPG Fighter Complains About Group’s Lack of Medical Care

Army launches coup in Burkina Faso amid mass protests against France

Ms. Cat

Army launches coup in Burkina Faso amid mass protests against France

The ousted junta leader, [Paul-Henri Sandaogo] Damiba, was widely seen as too closely linked to France. Late Saturday, there were protests outside the French embassy in Ouagadougou and the French Institute in the city of Bobo-Dioulasso. Video on social media showed residents with lit torches outside the French embassy, and other images showed part of the compound ablaze. The crowds also vandalised the French Institute.

Related:

Burkina Faso: Another Coup Led By U.S-Trained Soldier

[Paul-Henri Sandaogo] Damiba is a highly trained soldier, thanks in no small part to the U.S. military, which has a long record of training soldiers in Africa who go on to stage coups. Damiba, it turns out, participated in at least a half-dozen U.S. training exercises, according to U.S. Africa Command, or AFRICOM.

Ousted coup leader leaves Burkina Faso for Togo