UN Begs Countries to Take Syrian Refugees

Posted on December 7, 2014December 7, 2014 by Denise Simon

Nothing says failure like the United Nations admitting defeat. The number of failed states in the last six years is staggering. Libya, Somalia, Iraq, Syria…so presently the United Nations is calling countries to take in Syrian refugees up to 180,000.

If you don’t think that failed foreign policy impacts our homeland, think again. Amnesty International has a large hand in this demand. The United States has already taken more than the annual quota.

Canada should admit up to 10,000 Syrian refugees says Amnesty International Canada and the Syrian Canadian Council. Canada promised to resettle 1,300, most of whom were to be privately sponsored. So far only 457 have arrived.

Around 3.8 million people who have fled the civil war in Syria are being hosted in five main countries in the region and only 1.7 per cent have been offered sanctuary, according Amnesty’s report. Some of the world’s wealthiest countries have failed to offer a single place.

Canada’s response called ‘miserly’

In a news conference the head of Amnesty International Canada, Alex Neve asked whether things would be different if the Syrian refugees weren’t Muslims and asked how else to explain the Canadian government’s “miserly” response.

UN asks countries to take in 180,000 Syrian refugees

Figure would represent just 5% of the projected refugee population by end of 2015

That figure would represent five percent of the projected refugee population by the end of 2015, according to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The issue will be discussed at a conference in Geneva on Tuesday.

After three years of fighting in Syria, more than 3.2 million refugees are registered in neighboring countries and with little sign of the conflict coming to an end, the UNHCR believes the number could rise to nearly 3.6 million by the end of 2015.

The world must act to save a generation of traumatised, isolated and suffering Syrian children from catastrophe. If we do not move quickly, this generation of innocents will become lasting casualties of an appalling war.

This report highlights the painful challenges these children face every day. It details the horrors that Syrian children have suffered—loved ones dying around them, their schools closed, their friends lost.

Research conducted over four months in Lebanon and Jordan found that Syrian refugee children face a startling degree of isolation and insecurity. If they aren’t working as breadwinners—often doing menial labour on farms or in shops—they are confined to their homes.

Perhaps the statistic we should pay the most attention to is: 29 per cent of children interviewed said that they leave their home once a week or less. Home is often a crammed apartment, a makeshift shelter or a tent.

It should be no surprise that the needs of these children are vast. Too many have been wounded physically, psychologically or both. Some children have been drawn into the war—their innocence ruthlessly exploited.

A grave consequence of the conflict is that a generation is growing up without a formal education. More than half of all school-aged Syrian children in Jordan and Lebanon are not in school. In Lebanon, it is estimated that some 200,000 school-aged Syrian refugee children could remain out of school at the end of the year.

Another disturbing symptom of the crisis is the vast number of babies born in exile who do not have birth certificates. A recent UNHCR survey on birth registration in Lebanon revealed that 77 per cent of 781 refugee infants sampled did not have an official birth certificate. Between January and mid-October 2013, only 68 certificates were issued to babies born in Za’atari camp, Jordan.

Over 1.1 million Syrian children are refugees.

Read more here as a hired spokesperson for this mission is none other than Angelina Jolie. But what else is behind this quest where the United Nations is admitting defeat with regard to Syria? Money. There is no more money for food, medicine or housing.

The idea to remove Assad, which was the original failed objective of Obama and Hillary has been lost in discussions, then Daesh and al Nusra showed up. Hagel lost his job after demanding that the White House deliver a strategy with regard to Syria/Iraq and Islamic State. There is none. So, the issues with Syria manifest.

United Nations’ Food Program Halts Aid to Syrian Refugees

World Food Programme Cites Lack of Funding

By Dana Ballout Updated Dec. 1, 2014 3:30 p.m. ET

The United Nations World Food Programme on Monday said it would halt its aid to 1.7 million Syrian refugees on the cusp of winter due to lack of funding.

In a statement on their website, the WFP said the consequences of the decision will be “devastating” for the refugees and their host countries.

“A suspension of WFP food assistance will endanger the health and safety of these refugees and will potentially cause further tensions, instability and insecurity in the neighboring host countries,” WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin said in the statement.

The decision will impact refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt, and comes at a time when temperatures have begun to drop in the region, raising concerns around how refugees will be able to endure the potentially harsh winter.

Many Syrian refugees, especially in Lebanon, where the majority of refugees reside, live in makeshift tents and camps and suffer from a lack of fuel, clean water, proper sanitation and warm clothing.

The U.N. agency warned in September it was running out of funds and that cutbacks were inevitable if additional support wasn’t received.

The inability to secure the $64 million needed for the program to continue also ends the WFP’s electronic voucher program. The e-vouchers allowed refugee families access to a prepaid credit card that could be used in participating local stores. The program had contributed $800 million to the economies of the host countries, the statement said.

If sufficient financial support is secured, the program will resume immediately, the statement said.

As the Syrian crisis nears the end of its fourth year, the WFP isn’t the only U.N. agency struggling to meet its funding appeals, said Lama Fakih, Syria and Lebanon researcher at Human Rights Watch.

Of the $3.7 billion request made in June 2014 by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Syria’s neighboring countries and other humanitarian agencies, only 51% of the funds have been received thus far.

“As the number of Syrian refugees increases, 3.2 million now, the needs increase, and despite international attention diverted to other crises, Syrians are still very much in need,” said Lama Fakih, Syria and Lebanon researcher at Human Rights Watch.

There are several reasons contributing to the lack of sufficient aid to Syrian refugees, most notably the various humanitarian emergencies happening simultaneously around the world that have diverted the world’s attention and wallets away from Syria.

According to Joelle Eid, the WFP’s communication officer stationed in Amman, Jordan, the need for humanitarian aid has skyrocketed this year. The WFP is currently dealing with five high priority emergencies around the world, including the Ebola crisis, Eid said.

“If we don’t urgently get this assistance, get the $64 million for December alone, people will simply go hungry,” she added.

Turkey, the Gray Country

Posted on December 7, 2014December 7, 2014 by Denise Simon

Nothing says politics like the Obama administration not only tolerating terrorists but dancing with them. The same goes for rogue nations like Qatar and Pakistan. We have proven failed countries like Libya, Somalia, Iran and Mexico. But then far beyond our own State Department, it goes to the White House and then to the Democrats likely nominee for president, Hillary Clinton, after all it was she just a few days ago that told us we must empathize with our enemies. This is something that John Kerry is doing presently, they refer to it as smart power. This is common on this administration when it comes to the Palestinian Authority and Hamas.

But it is time to take a longer look at Erdogan and Turkey.

Erdogan is playing a double game. (Reuters) – Turkey has told three unnamed banks to “cooperate” in its fight against financing terrorism and in identifying dirty money, Turkey’s state news agency said on Sunday.

“There are three banks that do not cooperate with the Financial Crime Investigation Board (MASAK) efficiently in the detection of dirty money and in the fight against terrorism. We have warned them,” Finance Minister Ahmet Simsek was quoted as telling the Anadolu news agency, adding that he was unable to name the banks because of privacy concerns.

Sounds great huh? Hold on….

TURKEY’S HAND IN THE RISE OF THE ISLAMIC STATE CROSSES TO TERRORISM

Southeastern Turkey has now become a jurisdiction for terrorism finance, weapons smuggling, illegal oil sales, and the flow of fighters to Syria. This pipeline serves the interest of several terrorist organizations, including Jabhat al-Nusra (JN) and the Islamic State (IS).

It is unclear whether Ankara is explicitly assisting these groups, or whether JN and IS are merely exploiting Turkey’s lax border policies. Either way, it is clear that Turkey seeks to bring down the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria with the aid of irregular fighters.

Ankara opened its border to Syrian rebel forces, namely the Free Syrian Army, in the early stages of the uprising in 2011. But when Assad did not fall, the makeup of the Syrian opposition began to change. Radical groups such as the al-Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra and the Salafist Ahrar al-Sham emerged in 2012. Within a year, jihadist groups dominated the Syrian opposition. Border towns in southeastern Turkey were effectively a rear guard for some of the rebel units, while foreign fighters streamed into Syria from Turkey. All of this served as a crucible for the rise of the Islamic State.

The meteoric ascendance of IS has led to a full-blown crisis in Iraq and Syria. After conquering large swaths of territory in both states, IS declared a caliphate. The group’s brutality, highlighted by the beheadings of journalists, has prompted the United States and a broad coalition of Arab States to intervene with military force.

“We have warned them and now we expect them to build much more effective cooperation with us. They considered our earlier warnings, and I am sure they will cooperate more now,” he added.

Last year Turkey’s parliament approved a long-awaited anti-terrorism financing law, which allows alleged “terrorist” accounts to be frozen without a court order and provides for a variety of penalties including imprisonment for those found to be abetting terrorism.

Before Oct. 15 Turkey was on a “grey list” of countries drawn up by the 36-member Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a money-laundering watchdog, for failing to implement the legislation required by its members, despite being pressed to do so for years.

The IS crisis has put Turkey and the U.S. on a collision course. Turkey refuses to allow the coalition to launch military strikes from its soil. Its military also merely looked on while IS besieged the Kurdish town of Kobani, just across its border. Turkey negotiated directly with IS in the summer of 2013 to release 49 Turks held by the terrorist group. In return, Ankara secured the release of 150 IS fighters, many of whom returned to the battlefield. Meanwhile, the border continues to serve as a transit point for the illegal sale of oil, the transfer of weapons, and the flow of foreign fighters. Inside Turkey, IS has also established cells for recruiting militants and other logistical operations. All of this has raised questions about Turkey’s value as an American ally, and its place in the NATO alliance.

Turkey’s Syria policy also has negative repercussions domestically. The presence of extremists threatens Turkey’s internal security, as well as its economic stability, given Ankara’s dependence on foreign investment and tourism. Additionally, the turmoil in Syria has greatly complicated Turkey’s relationships with the Kurds and exacerbated the government’s battles with domestic opponents.

Washington now needs to work with Ankara to address the extremism problem on its southeastern front. This will require high-level diplomatic engagement that must address head-on the security challenges that Turkey has helped spawn. However, Washington must also address Turkey’s valid concerns, including long-term strategies for ending the Assad regime and how to increase support for the moderate opposition in Syria. The United States also has an opportunity to work with its NATO allies to help Ankara erect an integrated border protection system along the Syrian border to contain the current security and illicit finance threats. If Ankara is unwilling to tackle these challenges, Washington may need to consider other measures, including sanctions or curbing the security cooperation that has long been a cornerstone of this important bilateral relationship.

Terror Gangs Move to Destroy the Holiday/Police

Posted on December 7, 2014December 7, 2014 by Denise Simon

While America is preparing, shopping and partying as the holiday season gets into full swing, the domestic terrorists spun from Ferguson and beyond have occupied Macy’s, Apple Stores, the Disney Store and Toys R Us. Now they have fully threatened police.

NYPD cops warned militant group Black Guerilla Family ‘preparing to shoot on-duty police officers’

EXCLUSIVE: An NYPD confidential informant learned of the threat on Friday evening — three days after a Staten Island grand jury decided not to indict Officer Daniel Pantaleo for the chokehold death of Eric Garner. Cop union confirmed the threat late Saturday and were ordering all police officers, on duty and off, to take extra precautions.

BY Rocco Parascandola , Thomas Tracy

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Published: Saturday, December 6, 2014, 11:56 PM

Updated: Sunday, December 7, 2014, 7:57 PM

A tattooed gang of militants declared open season on the NYPD in the wake of the Eric Garner grand jury decision, according to a threat a police union verified Saturday.Ten Black Guerrilla Family members are “preparing to shoot on duty police officers,” Sergeants Benevolent Association President Ed Mullins said. The gang, formed in the 1960s in the California prison system, recently surfaced on the East Coast and Maryland, where members are at the heart of a drug-trafficking and corruption probe within the Baltimore prison system. Members swear allegiance for life and sport “BGF” tattoos, as well as ink depicting a dragon surrounding a prison tower, according to gangs.org. An undercover NYPD cop learned of the hit put out on officers Friday evening — three days after a Staten Island grand jury decided not to indict Officer Daniel Pantaleo in Garner’s death. Mullins confirmed late Saturday night that the gang was gunning for officers. Union leaders ordered all officers, on duty and off, to take extra precautions. “Please WEAR your VESTS and carry your firearm off-duty along with additional magazines,” Mullins said in an alert. “Your priority is to go home at the end of your tour!” Mullins does not believe the threat is directly related to the Garner decision. “I think it’s related to the whole atmosphere,” he said. “Who knows if there’s a lone wolf out there or a small group that wants to do something.”

The FBI has a file on this terror gang.

And this gang has a long history.

The threat analysis is as follows:

Black Guerrilla Family (BGF)

Sketch of dragon Gender Makeup: Male Racial Makeup: Black Origin: Founded in 1966 at San Quentin State Prison, California by former Black Panther member George L. Jackson. Characteristics:

The BGF is the most politically oriented of the major prison gangs.
They were formed as a Marxist/Maoist/Leninist revolutionary organization with these goals:
- Eradicate racism
- Struggle to maintain dignity in prison
- Overthrow the United States government
The group is extremely antigovernment and anti-official. This mentality is often depicted in their symbolism.
BGF has a very strict death oath that requires a life pledge of loyalty to the group.

Identifiers/symbols:

Antigovernment/anti-official mentality is often depicted in conjunction with the initials BGF.
Cross sabers and shotgun
Black dragon overtaking a prison or prison tower

Enemies/Rivals:

Aryan Brotherhood
Texas Syndicate
Aryan Brotherhood of Texas
Mexican Mafia

Allies:

Has a very active working relationship with La Nuestra Familia.
Other allies
- Black Liberation Army
- Symbionese Liberation Army
- Weather Underground
- black street gangs
Black street gangs are often utilized by the BGF and their members are heavily recruited into the BGF. These include:
- Crips
- Bloods
- El Rukns
- Black Gangster Disciples
- other black street gangs

Recruitment/Initiation:

Membership in the BGF has traditionally come from black male inmates.
Lifelong allegiance is a requirement and a death oath must be taken.
Black street gang members are often recruited into the BGF upon imprisonment.

Propensity for Disruptive Behavior:

The BGF is not readily recognizable in the Florida Department of Corrections; however the history of the group and documented acts of violence in other jurisdictions warrants their certification as a Security Threat Group.
Receipt of inmates on interstate compact lend to the potential threat of an organizing BGF within our facilities.

The antigovernment, anti-official mentality promoted by the group poses a serious threat to corrections and law enforcement personnel who represent the government and the law.

Mexican Mafia

Sketch of EMC eagle Gender Makeup: Male Racial Makeup: Mexican-American/Hispanic Origin: The Mexican Mafia (EME) was formed in the late 50s at Duel Vocational Center, a youthful offender facility in California, from an urban Los Angeles street gang. Characteristics:

EME’s philosophy centers on ethnic solidarity and control of drug trafficking.
EME is the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ most active gang, in terms of incident frequency rather than severity.
Ordinarily, each prison has a separate leadership.

Identifiers/Symbols:

Initials “EME.”
The Mexican flag symbols such as the eagle with a snake in conjunction with the initials “EME.”
A single hand print, usually black in color.
The EME symbol of eternal war.
Initials ‘MM’ or ‘M.’

Many intelligence personnel and officers confuse the EME with the Mexikanemi from Texas. Great care should be taken in evaluating these distinct groups. Some believe the Mexikanemi share identical tattoos and symbols with EME, but there are subtle differences to be taken into account when attempting to associate membership. Enemies/Rivals: The La Nuestra Familia is the EME’s chief rival. They are said to have a “kill on sight relationship,” which has resulted in Federal Bureau of Prisons adopting an absolute separation of confirmed members. Other rivals include:

Northern Structure
Arizona’s New Mexican Mafia
Black Guerrilla Family
black street gangs

Allies: The EME has a very active working relationship with the Aryan Brotherhood. Other allies include:

Arizona’s Old Mexican Mafia
Mexikanemi
New Mexico Syndicate
urban Latino street gangs.

The EME often provides protection for imprisoned La Costa Nostra members. Recruitment/Initiation:

Members are Mexican-American/Hispanic male inmates.
The wives, girlfriends, and relatives of the EME are held in extremely high regard due to their support of drug transactions, financial activities, and mail-forwarding operations.
The EME is generally considered a “blood in, blood out” organization.

Propensity for Disruptive Behavior:

EME is not readily recognizable in the Florida Department of Corrections; however the history of the group and documented acts of violence in other jurisdictions warrants STG certification.
Receipt of inmates on interstate compact and the current membership in groups with Hispanic/Latino supremacy ideology and Latino street gangs lend to the threat.

The main activities of the EME are centered around drug trafficking, extortion, pressure rackets, and internal discipline. The EME uses killing as a means of discipline or gaining respect. EME killings are extremely gruesome and calculated to establish fear and intimidation.

La Nuestra Familia

Graffiti from La Nuestra Familia Gender Makeup: Male Racial Makeup: Mexican-American/ Hispanic Origin: The La Nuestra Familia (NF) originated in Soledad prison in California in the mid 60s. It was established to protect younger, rural, Mexican-American inmates from other inmates. Characteristics:

The NF was originally formed for protection purposes from the Mexican Mafia (EME).
The cultural and social differences between urban and rural Mexican Americans developed into a deep hatred between the EME and NF.
The struggle to gain power over other groups evolved into the NF’s participation in criminal activities in an effort to control the introduction of contraband into the facilities.
There are separate organizational chains for street and prison segments.

Identifiers/Symbols:

La Nuestra Familia members are known to wear identifying red rags (as does the Northern Structure).
NF members favor larger tattoos, often on the entire back.
Symbols include the initials NF, LNF, ENE, and F.
The number 14 for “N,” the 14th letter in the alphabet stands for Norte or Northern California.
A sombrero with a dagger is a symbol commonly used by NF members.

Enemies/Rivals: The Mexican Mafia is the chief rival. Other rivals include:

Texas Syndicate
Mexikanemi
F-14s
Aryan Brotherhood

Allies:

The NFs have an uneasy working relationship with the Black Guerrilla Family that is driven by their sharing of common enemies.
The Northern Structure, a spin-off subsidiary prison gang, is believed to have formed to direct the attention of officials away from the NF.

Recruitment/Initiation:

Membership consists traditionally of Mexican-American/Hispanic male inmates.
Lifelong allegiance is a requirement and a “blood in, blood out” oath must be taken.
Membership appears to extend beyond prison.

Propensity for Disruptive Behavior:

The NF is not readily recognizable in the Florida Department of Corrections; however the history of the group and documented acts of violence in other jurisdictions warrants their STG certification.
Receipt of inmates on interstate compact and the current membership in groups with Hispanic and Latino supremacy ideology lend to the threat of an organizing NF within our facilities.
Their main activities are drug trafficking, extortion, pressure rackets, and internal discipline.

Once released from custody NF members are expected to actively continue to assist or “score” for the members remaining in prison. Failure to do so can cause a member to fall in great disfavor with other members.

Texas Syndicate (TS)

Sketch of woman with letters TS located in design Gender Makeup: Male Racial Makeup: Mexican-American/ Hispanic Origin: The TS originated in Folsom prison, in California in the early 70s.

It was established in direct response to the other California prison gangs (notably the Aryan Brotherhood and Mexican Mafia), which were attempting to prey on native Texas inmates.

Characteristics:

Membership is rising nationally due to recruitment.
The TS now accepts members from Latin American countries such as Colombia, Cuba, and Mexico.
They have made attempts to recruit in the Florida Department of Corrections.
A TS member is called a “Carnal.”
A group of members is called “Carnales.”
A TS recruit is called a “Cardinal.”
The institutional leader is called the “Chairman.”

Identifiers/Symbols: Sketch showing letters TS, eagle and sword

They have tattoos with a “TS” located somewhere in the design; sometimes requires close scrutiny.
The tattoos are generally located on the back of the right forearm, but they have also been found on the outside calf areas, neck, and chest.

Enemies/Rivals:

Aryan Brotherhood
La Nuestra Familia
Mexican Mafia
Mexikanemi
Mandingo Warriors

Allies: Sketch showing the letter T and snake is the letter S The TS has developed associations with the Texas Mafia and Dirty White Boys. Propensity for Disruptive Behavior:

There is some representation in the Florida Department of Corrections.
The TS has been found to be recruiting.
The history of the group and documented acts of violence in other jurisdictions warrant their certification as a Security Threat Group.
Receipt of inmates on interstate compact and the current membership in groups with Hispanic and Latino supremacy ideology lend to the threat of an organizing TS within our facilities.
The main activities of the TS are centered around drug trafficking, extortion, pressure rackets, and internal discipline.

Tug of War Over Qaddafi’s Wealth

Posted on December 7, 2014December 7, 2014 by Denise Simon

Did it really take all this time to discover the location of the wealth of Libya, hidden by Qaddafi? Well no, it has taken this long to understand who is part of the wrangling for control.

Muammar Gaddafi was able to build his massive personal wealth thanks to a violent and domineering control over Libya’s natural resources. Specifically their rich supply of oil. Libya has the largest supply of oil in Africa and the tenth largest in the world. Gaddafi used Libya’s oil to print money for 40 years! During that time he spread his money around the globe through family members, Swiss bank accounts, real estate and investments. Estimated at $200 billion, he had enough to give $30,000 to each of Libya’s 6.6 million citizens.

At the beginning of the Lybian conflict, authorities discovered and seized roughly $67 billion of Gaddafi’s wealth hidden in bank accounts around the globe. England, France, Italy and Germany seized another $30 billion and the Obama administration found a staggering $37 billion in the United States. Investigators suspect that Gaddafi hid an additional $30 billion around the world.

Muammar Gaddafi had made over $200 billion from Libya's rich oil supply

As more investigations take place, it looks like Gaddafi had money stashed or invested in almost every major country in the world including the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. In addition to bank accounts, Muammar owned a stake in the Italian soccer club Juventus and the car company Fiat. He also was a minority of London’s Financial Times. Gaddafi had luxury homes around the world including the huge estate pictured below. Surprisingly this house is located in the United States. In Englewood, New Jersey of all places! His house includes a huge swimming pool, tennis court and even a shooting range…

Muammar Gaddafi had a home in Englewood, New Jersey, USA

Investigators from U. N. Security are still waiting on many countries to resolve what Gaddafi might have within their borders. Several neighboring African nations refused to freeze Gaddafi’s accounts because of their fear and loyalty to the ruthless leader. Now that he’s dead, we should see even more money come to light. On top of all this, it’s believed that Gaddafi had billions of dollars worth of gold hidden in Libya, which has yet to be discovered.

Did Mummar Gaddafi’s $200 billion make him the richest person of all time? To find out how he stacks up, click this article:

The 25 Richest People Who Ever Lived – Inflation Adjusted

Gaddafi had a secret fortune of over $200 billion hidden around the world

So, where is the wealth of the failed and rogue leader and country? Ah, SA. But it will likely be embargoed for a long while after all the forensic accounting and criminal activity is matched to a comprehensive investigation. Oh yes, one more thing, our own U.S. Treasury and Secretary of State John Kerry is actively engaged in the process. It is a sure bet many other global leaders and the United Nations will complicate resolutions as their names are also likely attached.

Johannesburg – The South African government and President Jacob Zuma have been caught in the middle of an international wrangle over as much as R2 trillion in US dollars as well as hundreds of tons of gold and at least six million carats of diamonds in assets belonging to the people of Libya.

What could be the world’s largest cash pile is stored in palettes at seven heavily guarded warehouses and bunkers in secret locations between Joburg and Pretoria.

The Libyan billions have led to a Hawks investigation into possible violation of exchange controls as well as international interests from the UN and the US.

It has also led to heightened interest in the local and international intelligence community as well as the criminal underworld.

Those interested in the Libyan loot include several high-ranking ANC politicians, several business leaders, a former high court judge and a number of private companies.

The R2-trillion held in warehouses is separate from several other billions, believed to be in excess of R260 billion, held legally in four banks in South Africa.

Other legal assets include hotels in Joburg and Cape Town.

The Sunday Independent has seen official South African government documents which confirm that at least $179bn in US dollars is kept, illegally, in storage facilities across Gauteng.

Soon after Muammar Gaddafi’s death in October 2011, the new Libyan government embarked on a large-scale mission to recover legal assets in South Africa, the rest of Africa, the US and Europe.

In South Africa, the focus of the Libyans has been on assets brought into the country legally as well as illegally.

Last year, the Libyan government put in place a separate process to identify and repatriate the illegal assets in South Africa.

Investigations by The Sunday Independent on the illegal assets have led to allegations that:

* The US dollar loot was ferried to South Africa in at least 62 flights between Tripoli and South Africa. The crew of the planes were mainly ex-special forces from the apartheid era. The crew are understood to have deposed affidavits clarifying their role in an effort to avoid criminal charges.

* The money, gold and diamonds were moved to South Africa. Most of it was kept here and some was moved to neighbouring southern African countries. Most of the assets were taken out of Libya after Zuma got involved in an AU process to persuade then Libyan President Gaddafi to step down after an Arab-spring-like uprising to force him out of office.

Gaddafi was killed as he tried to flee Tripoli.

The Libyan government has formed a special board, the National Board for the Following Up and Recovery of Libyan Looted and Disguised Funds, to recover the assets. Now two companies have presented themselves to the South African government, claiming they were mandated by the national board to recover the funds.

The two companies are the Texas-based Washington African Consulting Group (WACG), led by its chief executive Erik Goalied, and Maltese-based Sam Serj, led by its chief executive, Tahah Buishi. Both companies claim to be the only legitimate representatives of the Libyan government.

Goalied has dismissed Sam Serj as impostors who want to stage the “biggest heist in the world”.

He said they were using fake documents and had used a number of South Africans, with the lure of lucrative commissions, to get the South African government to comply. Goalied has formalised his allegations about Sam Serj in an affidavit that he has submitted to the National Prosecuting Authority, who have passed it on to the Hawks.

He told The Sunday Independent that on September 26 he met with the Libyan Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thani in New York, where both parties reconfirmed that the WACG should work with the South African government. “The assets are important but the bigger goal is to resolve this smoothly so that relations between South Africa and Libya can improve,” he said.

Goalied said the Libyans did not necessarily want the loot to be sent back to Tripoli. They wanted full and legal control of the assets which, he added, could be used for investments and other job-creation projects that would benefit both countries.

Last month, Goalied wrote to Zuma asking for co-operation and assistance in resolving the assets saga. The Presidency wrote to him this week, acknowledging his letter.

The Presidency has referred The Sunday Independent’s queries to the Treasury. The Treasury, in turn, referred The Sunday Independent to a statement issued last June in which the government called on those with knowledge of Libyan assets in South Africa to come forward. Hawks spokesman Paul Ramaloko declined to confirm the probe.

The Sunday Independent has also established that Goalied has also written to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and US Foreign Secretary John Kerry asking for assistance. The UN adopted Resolution 438 which forces countries that have Libyan assets to return them.

The second company – Sam Serj – has already been in South Africa to discuss the return of the assets.

Sam Serj chief executive Buishi claimed his company was the only legitimate entity with a mandate to find and recover assets that belong to the people of Libya.

Buishi said his company has been contracted by the Libyan government to trace and recover assets looted by Gaddafi and those close to him.

He said the assets had been traced to South Africa, Libya’s neighbour, Tunisia, and several countries in Europe.

“We have been contracted by the Libyan government and are working with the South African government to recover the looted assets.

“We had a good meeting during our last visit with the then-minister of finance, Pravin Gordhan.

“We are working with the South African government. Hopefully, there will be a delegation to South Africa to repatriate the assets or come to some sort of arrangement.

“We want to work with the South African government to not only recover the assets but to find ways of re-investing them in South Africa.

“We want the assets to be identified as belonging to the Libyan people.

“Politically, we are trying to help the new Libya integrate with the rest of the African continent. Libya is a very big and rich country and together with South Africa can play a strategic role in Africa,” Buishi said.

Several sources told The Sunday Independent that the Libyans have complained to the UN and have placed South Africa and Zuma on terms, threatening to lay charges of theft with the International Criminal Court if the assets were not returned promptly.

The Sunday Independent understands that the money was brought in by a company, which has hired former SADF special forces and is keeping the warehouses where the money, gold and diamonds are being kept under 24-hour surveillance.

Other cash assets, running into hundreds of millions of rand, are being kept in accounts in South Africa’s major banks.

Several sources have confirmed that the ex-apartheid era special forces pilots and soldiers have deposed affidavits that are designed to protect them from, among others, money-laundering charges.

DHS Avoids Details to Maintain NatSec

Posted on December 3, 2014December 3, 2014 by Denise Simon

By Susan Jones

(CNSNews.com) – The United States must use “all of the tools at our disposal” to deal with the threat posed by Americans and other Westerners who go to Syria and Iraq to fight with ISIS, a State Department official told Congress on Tuesday.

But so far, that does not include revoking the passports of U.S. citizens who have traveled to Syria to fight with ISIS.

“Has the State Department cancelled the passports of any U.S. citizens who have joined any terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq?” Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) asked Ambassador Robert Bradtke on Tuesday at a hearing of a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee.

“To my knowledge, the State Department has not cancelled any passports,” responded Bradtke, a senior adviser with the State Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism who was called out of retirement to focus on foreign fighters.

“As Secretary Kerry said, he does have the authority to revoke passports. And this is something we would only do in relatively rare and unique circumstances because of the importance for average Americans (to) have the freedom to travel,” Bradtke said.

“We would only do it also in consultations with law enforcement authorities. And we have not yet had any requests from law enforcement authorities to cancel the passports of ISIS or foreign fighters. So again, we have the authority; it is one tool; we do have other tools to use as well in this regard.”

A second government official told lawmakers that the no-fly list is one of those other tools:

“Congressman, if we have indications that someone on the no-fly list is trying to fly back to the United States, we would deny them boarding,” said Thomas Warrick, a deputy assistant secretary for counter-terrorism policy at the Department of Homeland Security.

“If someone shows up in the United States and there’s indications that that person has been a foreign fighter in Syria, it would be referred to the FBI, and then it would be a matter for law enforcement,” Warrick explained.

Video of hearing is below:

http://www.mrctv.org/videos/foreign-affairs-subcommittee-witness-says-us-has-not-cancelled-passports-any-foreign-fighters

“We would have the ability at the border to ask any questions that were necessary and appropriate; we would have the ability and the authority to inspect their luggage, inspect their personal possessions, in order to determine whether they were or were not a foreign fighter who had been fighting with ISIL. Anything like this, I can assure you, is taken extremely seriously.”

Later in the hearing, Warrick was asked what would happen if an Irish national, for example, tried to come to the U.S. after fighting with terrorists in Syria.

“Where somebody has been identified as a foreign fighter fighting for ISIL in Syria…they’re going to be in all likelihood on a no-fly list or another list of the U.S. government that is going to attract a great deal of attention before they’re allowed to get on board an airplane for the United States.”

But Warrick admitted that the no-fly list can’t guarantee that foreign fighters will be kept out of this country:

“Well, they wouldn’t be able to fly here,” he said. “The no-fly list obviously doesn’t apply to other modes of transportation. However, I can assure you that there are equal or equivalent measures in place so that somebody on the no-fly list is almost certainly not going to be allowed entry into the United States, if they come by cruise ship or if they fly to Canada, for example…and they were to try, let’s say, to come across the U.S.-Canadian border.”

No one mentioned the U.S.-Mexico border, which was overwhelmed by an influx of people from Central America just a few months ago.

Additional video of hearing is below:

http://www.mrctv.org/videos/dhs-witness-cant-guarantee-no-fly-list-will-keep-foreign-fighters-out-us

Warrick put the number of U.S. citizens fighting with ISIS/ISIL at “greater than a hundred,” and he said some of those returning fighters have been arrested on arrival in this country. He did not say how many have been arrested, but when it happens, he said the returning fighters move from DHS purview to FBI purview.

Two Democrats on the subcommittee asked why the State Department has not hired its own expert on Islamic law.

“It is incredibly important that we get Islamic scholars, experts and jurists to issue rulings adverse to ISIS and favorable to the United States,” said Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.).

“It is about time that the State Department hire its first Islamic legal expert to work full time on that — maybe a couple (of experts). And it is time that at least somebody be hired at the State Department, not because they went to a fancy American school or because they did well on the foreign service exam.”

Sherman said he’s been told that the State Department is relying on outsiders to provide expertise on Islamic law and issue statements that are favorable to the United States.

Rep. Gerald Connolly (D-Va.) said the Middle East is “unraveling,” posing “a threat to us and the West.”

“As the United States moves forward, it just seems that the State Department needs to be promoting leadership from within that has particular focus on this region, since that’s what we’re dealing with…I do think Mr. Sherman has a point, that longer term, the United States has got to get serious about this region and expertise in this region if we’re going to address the challenges we face.”