U.S. Puts Former Gitmo Detainee on Terror List, Istanbul Attack

Posted on July 14, 2016July 14, 2016 by Denise Simon

What has he been doing since his release 10 years ago? Planning and recruiting for the Istanbul airport terror attack? And Obama released 3 detainees in 2 days and more to come. What about those ‘forever’ detainees like Khalid Sheik Mohammed? Hummmm

Ex-Gitmo detainee, Islamic State’s leader in Chechnya designated by State Department

The State Department announced today that two jihadists have been added to the US government’s list of designated terrorists.

One of the two, Ayrat Nasimovich Vakhitov, was once detained at Guantanamo and was recently arrested by Turkish authorities. According to Voice of America, Vakhitov is “among 30 people Turkish authorities say they have arrested in connection with” the terrorist attack at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport late last month. No terrorist organization has claimed responsibility for the assault on the airport, which left more than 40 people dead. But it is widely suspected to be the work of the Islamic State.

The second newly-designated terrorist is Aslan Avgazarovich Byutukaev, who leads the jihadists in Chechnya who are loyal to the Islamic State’s so-called Caucasus province.

Former Guantanamo Detainee

Vakhitov (pictured on the right) was held at Guantanamo for less than two years, from June 2002 until February 2004. He was then transferred to Russia. The State Department’s designation page does not say that Vakhitov was once detained at the American facility in Cuba, but The Long War Journal has confirmed that he is the same individual.

The details of his story, as recounted in a leaked Joint Task Force – Guantanamo (JTF-GTMO) threat assessment, are somewhat odd. Vakhitov was “arrested by the Taliban on suspicion of espionage, and incarcerated at the Sarpuza prison complex in Kandahar,” the leaked file reads. He was apparently transferred to Guantanamo because of “his possible knowledge of an American citizen killed” at that same prison “while he was there.”

JTF-GTMO ultimately concluded that Vakhitov was neither affiliated with al Qaeda, nor a Taliban leader. He was recommended for transfer. But JTF-GTMO also thought he would be remain imprisoned inside Russia.

“Because of the Russian government’s agreement to incarcerate this detainee upon his transfer, and provided that he remains incarcerated under the control of the Russian government, the detainee poses no future threat to the U.S. or its allies,” JTF-GTMO’s threat assessment reads.

The State Department says that Vakhitov “is associated with Jaysh al-Muhajirin Wal Ansar” (JMWA, or “the Army of the Emigrants and Helpers”). Part of the original JMWA organization joined the Islamic State, while the rest of the organization continued to operate independently before swearing allegiance to Al Nusrah Front in Sept. 2015. Al Nusrah is al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria and the Islamic State’s rival.

The State Department’s designation page does not mention Vakhitov’s reported arrest in Turkey, but does say he has “used the internet to recruit militants to travel to Syria.”

Islamic State leader in Chechnya

The State Department note Byutukaev was a “prominent leader” in the Islamic Caucasus Emirate (ICE). ICE is openly loyal to al Qaeda, but has suffered a string of defections to the Islamic State.

Russian security forces killed ICE’s top emir and his two successors in less than two years time, from late 2013 until mid-2015. The decapitation strikes likely helped the Islamic State win the loyalty of some of ICE’s most important remaining commanders, including Byutukaev.

Byutukaev, also known as Emir Khamzat, was a close confidant of Dokku Umarov and led ICE’s Riyad-us-Saliheen Martyr Brigade. But Umarov perished sometime in late 2013 or early 2014. His replacement, Aliaskhab Kebekov, more commonly known as Ali Abu Muhammad al Dagestani, was subsequently killed by Russian forces in April 2015.

Less than two months after Kebekov’s demise, Byutukaev officially broke with ICE, declaring himself to be one of Baghdadi’s men.

The pro-al Qaeda contingent in the Caucasus then suffered another blow when Abu Usman, Kebekov’s successor, was hunted down in August 2015. Both Kebekov and Abu Usman were vocal opponents of Abu Bakr al Baghdadi’s Islamic State, so much so that al Qaeda’s main propaganda arm continues to feature clips of their anti-Baghdadi lectures in its productions.

High value targeting, as it is commonly called, is an essential part of any government’s counterterrorism strategy. But it can lead to unintended consequences as well. In this instance, the deaths of ICE’s top leaders probably helped drive Byutukaev and his comrades into the Islamic State’s arms. The large contingent of fighters from the Caucasus region in the Islamic State’s ranks in Iraq and Syria most likely added to the pressure on the jihadists back home to flip as well.

The State Department notes that Byutukaev is “responsible for directing numerous deadly suicide bombing operations, including the January 2011 attack at the crowded international arrivals hall of Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport.” The bombing killed at least 35 people and wounded more than 100 others.

Umarov, who was ICE’s emir at the time, quickly claimed credit for the airport attack in a video released online.

Umarov also appeared in another video alongside Byutukaev (seen on the left in the photo included here) and a suicide bomber identified only as “Saifullah.” Umarov said that he had visited the Riyad-us-Saliheen Martyr Brigade’s base before sending Saifullah on a “special operation,” meaning the bombing at Domodedovo.

At the end of video, both Umarov and Byutukaev were shown embracing Saifullah. [See LWJ report, Caucasus Emirate leader threatens Russia with ‘a year of blood and tears.’]

“Since becoming an ISIL [Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant] leader in June 2015,” State reports, “Byutukaev has planned attacks on behalf of the group.” One of these operations took place in November 2015, when “Russian Special Forces discovered a large bomb hidden on the side of the road in Kantyshevo, Ingushetiya, Russia.”

The Caucasus “province” was announced in June 2015, after Islamic State spokesman Abu Muhammad al Adnani publicly accepted the oaths of allegiance sworn by jihadists throughout the region. The Caucasus branch is reportedly led by Rustam Asilderov, a former ICE leader who defected to the Islamic State in late 2014. Asilderov’s defection set off a firestorm of controversy and bickering among the Caucasus jihadists.

In Sept. 2015, Foggy Bottom designated the Islamic State’s Caucasus “province” as a terrorist organization and also identified other ICE defectors who had joined its cause.

Thomas Joscelyn is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Senior Editor for The Long War Journal.

*****

Aiat Nasimovich Vahitov, also spelled Ayrat Wakhitov or Vahidov (Tatar Cyrillic: Айрат Вахитов, Latin: Ayrat Waxitov) is an ethnic Tatar citizen of Russia who was held in extrajudicial detention in the United States Guantanamo Bay detention camp, in Cuba.^[1] He was repatriated with six other Russians in February 2004. Fluent in Arabic, Pashto, Persian, Urdu and Russian, he also spoke basic English.^[2]

On May 15, 2006 the Department of Defense released its first full official list of all the Guantanamo detainees who were held in military custody.^[3] Airat Vakhitov’s name is not on that list. The list includes an individual named Aiat Nasimovich Vahitov.who was born on March 27, 1977, on Naberezhnye Chelny, Tatarstan, Russia.

Russian authorities released the detainees after investigations into whether they had broken any Russian laws.

Vakhitov spoke publicly on June 28, 2005 about torture in Guantanamo when he announced he was planning to sue the United States for his mistreatment.^[4] He was invited, by Amnesty International, to speak about Guantanamo torture, in London, on November 2, 2002.

Geydar Dzhemal, chairman of the Islamic Committee of Russia, reported that he was hosting Vakhitov, and another former Guantanamo detainee, Rustam Akhmyarov, following threats by security officials.^[5] According to Dzhemal the security officials had visited Vakhitov, and warned him that he should only talk about torture in Guantanamo Bay, not Russian torture. Dzhemal reported that security officials subsequently seized Vakhitov and Akhmyarov from his apartment on August 29, 2005. He called their seizure a kidnapping because they refused to show their identification. He predicted that the pair would be arrested on trumped up charges, to curtail their human rights activities.

The pair were released from detention on September 2, 2005 More details here.

Leaked U.S. Proposal with Russia on Syria

Posted on July 14, 2016July 14, 2016 by Denise Simon

From the Washington Post For a shorter summary of which the Pentagon is noted to be rejecting and for which Russia denies exists, go here.

It calls for joint bombing operations, a command-and-control headquarters and other synchronized efforts. U.S. and Russian officials with expertise in intelligence, targeting and air operations will “work together to defeat” the extremist groups, the eight-page paper states. Such a partnership would undercut months of U.S. criticism of Russia’s military intervention in Syria. And it would put the U.S. alongside Syrian President Bashar Assad’s chief international backer, despite years of American demands for Assad to leave power.

Russia would be getting what it has wanted since intervening in Syria in late September: An international alliance of sorts. Washington previously rebuffed Moscow’s requests for military cooperation, accusing the Russians of using anti-terrorism objectives as a pretext for protecting Assad’s position. The U.S. also says Syria’s military and Russia’s air force have repeatedly violated truces with moderate rebel groups backed by the U.S. or its allies. More from ABC

Terms of Reference for the Joint Implementation Group

These terms of reference describe organization, functions, and procedures for

the Joint Implementation Group (JIG.)

The purpose of the JIG is to enable expanded coordination between the United

States and the Russian Federation beyond the established safety of flight

procedures. The participants, through the JIG, are to work together to defeat

Jabhat al Nusra and Daesh within the context of strengthening the Cessation of

Hostilities (CoH) and supporting the political transition process outlined in

UNSCR 2254. The United States and the Russian Federation, hereafter referred

to as “the participants”, intend to act in accordance with these terms of

reference. Unless otherwise stated, the participants will conduct their efforts

through the JIG.

The participants are to implement the provisions of the “Approach for Practical

Russian-American Efforts against Daesh and Jabhat al Nusra and Strengthening

the Cessation of Hostilities.”

The participants are to conduct all efforts consistent with the intent to take all

reasonable measures to eliminate non-combatant casualties.

The participants also commit to all efforts, including operations subject to

cooperation or otherwise addressed by these terms of reference, occurring in

compliance with international humanitarian law and the terms of the CoH.

1. JIG Location, Organization and Composition

a. Location. The JIG is to be located in the vicinity of Amman, Jordan.

Participants intend to negotiate their own support requirements with the host

nation.

b. Organization. The participants intend to maintain separate, national

headquarters in which they will install systems to exchange information with their

respective headquarters responsible for tactical actions against Nusra and

Daesh. The participants, through the JIG, intend to establish a coordination

center at which they are to exchange intelligence and operational information.

d. Composition. Participants intend to staff the JIG in numbers sufficient to

accomplish the JIG’s functions. The participants intend to match, as practicable,

the ranks of their counterparts.

i. Staffing. The participants intend to staff the JIG with subject matter

experts and professionals with expertise in intelligence, targeting and air

operations. Intelligence expertise includes knowledge of the disposition,

operations, and tactics of the relevant armed actors in Syria. Targeting

expertise requires familiarity with national procedures to choose, confirm

and prosecute deliberate targets.

ii. Language and Translation. The participants intend to provide

information to the JIG in their native language. Participants are

responsible for translating material received. Participants intend to staff

the JIG with a sufficient number of bilingual personnel familiar with military

intelligence and operational terminology, in order to enable the real-time

translation of conversations and documents.

iii. Senior National Representative. The participants intend to provide

the JIG with senior national representatives — Colonels (0-6) or civilian

employees of the equivalent ranks – with the authority to transmit, on

behalf of their respective operational commanders, their participants’

national decisions or positions.

iv. Intelligence Personnel. The participants intend to staff the JIG with

intelligence personnel who can exchange information and resolve

differences between how the participants represent information -grid

reference systems, place names and other such technical

details. Intelligence personnel are to include subject matter experts Nusra

and Daesh in Syria. The participants, through the JIG, should develop

mutually acceptable formats for information to be exchanged.

v. Operations Representatives. The participants intend to staff the JIG

with operations representatives with expertise in national procedures for

strike planning, targeting, weaponeering, operational law and other

functions. Operations representatives are to resolve differences in how

the parties present information. The participants, through the JIG should

develop mutually acceptable formats for how information is exchanged.

vi. Support Personnel. The participants may staff the JIG with

personnel, as required, to manage logistics, force protection,

communications and other requirements.

2. JIG Role in Military Operations. The participants, through the JIG, should

enable coordination between the participants for military operations against

Nusra. Participants, through the JIG, may work to maximize independent, but

synchronized, efforts against Daesh in Syria. Coordination should begin with

information exchange on both Nusra and Daesh. If national authorities determine

that integrated operations against deliberate targets is in the interest of both

participants, the participants should coordinate procedures to permit integrated

operations.

a. Nusra Targeting. The participants will commit to supporting deliberate

targeting of Nusra. Once senior representatives to the JIG decide that

information exchange has produced commonly understood information,

the participants, through the JIG, intend to begin coordinating the targeting

of Nusra. The participants are to develop target packages for Nusra

targets under their national targeting processes. The participants, through

the JIG, should coordinate on targets that have been developed. Once a

decision has been reached on targets, the participants should coordinate

the participants’ proposals on how these targets are to be addressed.

Initial efforts against mutually-decided-upon targets will be deconflicted by

geography or time. With the exception of imminent threats to the

participants where prior agreement on a target is infeasible, the

participants will only take action against Nusra targets that are agreed to

in advance, pursuant to procedures developed by the JIG and deconflicted

through existing channels.

i. Targeting. The participants are to select and prioritize targets, as

outlined in previous paragraph, at their respective operational

headquarters. The participants are to manage the exchange of

information between targeting organizations.

ii. Actionable Targets. The participants are to coordinate

agreement on Nusra targets that have been deemed “actionable”

through the participants’ respective national processes. National

headquarters are to provide information on actionable targets in a

format to be developed and decided upon by the participants.

Actionable targets are those that have been “vetted” – targets for

which participants have accurate supporting intelligence. The

participants may commit additional Intelligence, Surveillance and

Reconnaissance resources to support vetting of potential targets

consistent with their respective national priorities. The participants

anticipate “validating” actionable targets under their respective

national processes to ensure they meet the appropriate

commander’s guidance, and may be targeted consistent with

international humanitarian law and applicable rules of engagement.

iii. Target Development. Only those targets that both participants

agree are actionable will be further developed for strikes. The

participants are to facilitate precision targeting by exchanging

mensurated target locations. Actionable targets, as decided

mutually by the participants, are to receive the same treatment as

do other national targets – there is no presumption of priority simply

because the participants mutually decided that a target is

actionable.

b. Daesh Targeting: The participants may communicate targeting

information for targets that permit independent, but synchronized,

operations against Daesh in Syria. The participants are to select and

prioritize targets at their respective operational headquarters. The

participants are to manage the exchange of information between targeting

organizations. Any decision to jointly validate and execute a Daesh target

should be made pursuant to procedures developed by the JIG and

deconflicted through existing channels. [Both participants reserve the right

to conduct unilateral strikes against Daesh targets outside of designated

areas].

c. Operational Deconfliction and Coordination. The JIG is a liaison

body; it is to expose portions of a participant’s targeting and airstrike

planning functions to the other participant. The United States and Russia

should inform one another through the JIG of final plans for operations

against a mutually selected target no later than the day before

execution. The JIG is to communicate assessments of national actions

against Nusra and to the participants. The JIG may communicate

assessments of national actions against Daesh in Syria to the participants.

i. Timelines. The JIG is to operate on timelines that permit the

participants to incorporate information developed by the JIG into

their normal, national procedures.

ii. Strike Details. The participants commit to developing a format

for the information about intended operations to be exchanged,

including the general time of the strike, the intended method of

target attack, general force composition, routing of the strike and

precise details of the target being struck. The participants commit to

ensuring that the intended actions are deconflicted by time and/or

geography. The participants commit to coordinating to ensure strike

packages are not targeted by air defenses of either party or by

those of the regime.

iii. Battle Damage Assessment. Each participant intends to

collect BDA on JIG-coordinated targets it strikes; participants may

choose to expose the details of the BDA they collect. Either

participant may collect BDA on targets the other participant strikes.

iv. Collateral Damage. The participants intend to facilitate the

consideration of any allegations that mutually-decided-upon strikes

caused unacceptable collateral damage or loss of life, and explore

additional measures to avoid such strikes in the future.

v. Coordination of Integrated Operations. At some point,

national authorities may authorize the participants to coordinate on

integrated operations. Should such a decision be taken, the

participants intend to host a conference of national representatives

to develop procedures for integrated operations.

d. Emergent Circumstances.

i. Imminent Threats. The participants can target imminent threats

to their respective personnel if prior agreement on a target is

infeasible. In addition, participants can target imminent threats

against their respective nationals by named senior Shura council

members of Nusra and active external plotters, as agreed by the

United States and Russia.

ii. Other Circumstances. The Syrian military can employ military

action, including air activities, against the Nusra Front outside of

designated areas if Nusra acquires territory there. Russia can use

airpower in defense of Syrian government forces in the event of

attack by Nusra from within a designated area, if agreed in advance

with the United States. All actions should be consistent with the

terms of the cessation of hostilities.

iii. Cessation of Hostilities Violations. The participants may

report information that could corroborate allegations of COH

violations to the Geneva Cell.

3. JIG Role in Monitoring the Grounding of Syrian Air Activities. The

participants intend to collect and report information on regime air activities in

support of monitoring the grounding of Syrian aircraft in designated areas.

a. Information to be Collected. The JIG is to be provided advance

notice of regime air operations that are permitted as exemptions to the

grounding of Syrian military aircraft. The JIG is to maintain a current

Syrian air order of battle; changes to the disposition of regime aircraft are

to be reported daily. The participants should develop measures to help

confirm the Syrian military’s compliance with the grounding. The JIG is to

report regime violations to the participants.

b. Prohibited Activities and Exemptions. The regime is prohibited from

flying in designated areas; designated areas include areas of most

concentrated Nusra presence, areas of significant Nusra presence, and

areas where the opposition is dominant, with some possible Nusra

presence. Exempted circumstances are:

• MEDEVAC

• Humanitarian Assistance

• Personnel recovery

c. Advance Notice of Regime Air Operations. The Russian Federation is to

provide the JIG advance notice of all regime air operations. For exempted

missions, the JIG is to be provided the general time of the Syrian mission,

general force composition and details of the routing of the package no later than

the day prior to execution. Routing for operations in areas under Daesh control

from areas under regime control is to be provided to the JIG in advance of such

operations taking place, no later than the day prior to execution

Approach for Practical Russian-American Cooperation against Daesh and

Jabhat al Nusra and Strengthening the Cessation of Hostilities

The following is designed to allow Russia and the U.S. to intensify joint and

mutual efforts to bring about the destruction of Nusra and Daesh in the context of

a strengthened COH with all COH parties adhering to COH terms.

To this end, Russia and the U.S. reconfirm their commitment to intensifying

support and assistance to regional allies to help them prevent the flow of fighters,

weapons, or financial support to UN designated terrorist groups across the

Syrian border.

Delineation of territories controlled by Daesh, Nusra, and moderate opposition

forces remains a key priority. Nusra shall enjoy no safe haven anywhere within

Syria.

Russia and the United States will also work in parallel to bring about the political

transition process as outlined in UNSCR 2254.

Mechanisms:

1) Russia and the United States will intensify their efforts to ensure full

compliance with the COH, including the suspension of all offensive ground

and air operations against signatories to the COH and civilians in Syria.

2) In the context of a strengthened COH, which will have been restored

with the target of reaching the level that had been achieved in late February

and maintained for a period of at least 7 days, the United States and Russia

will establish a Joint Implementation Group (JIG) comprised of subject matter

experts on Syria and professionals with expertise on targeting. The JIG is to

be established NLT [DATE] and located at [LOCATION].

3) The JIG is to take on the following tasks, in sequence:

a) Complete, to the extent possible, no later than five days after formation of

the JIG, a common map of territories with high concentrations of Nusra

formations, to include areas where Nusra formations are in close proximity to

opposition formations, for precise target development.

b) Share intelligence and develop actionable targets for military action against

Nusra, including, but not limited to, leadership targets, training camps, logistical

depots, supply lines, and headquarters.

c) Designate a set of targets for airstrikes by the Russian Aerospace Forces

and/or U.S. military forces related to Jabhat al-Nusra operations in designated

areas. Designated areas include areas of most concentrated Nusrah Front

presence, areas of significant Nusrah Front presence, and areas where the

opposition is dominant, with some possible Nusrah Front presence. Even prior to

the establishment of the JIG, technical experts from the U.S. and Russia will plot

the geo-coordinates of these designated areas.

d) Devise mechanisms to monitor and enforce the Syrian military’s cessation

of military air activity over the designated areas described in paragraph c, with

appropriate non-combat exceptions to be decided.

d) Decide on a date, shortly after the initial set of targets is agreed, to

simultaneously: 1) begin Russian and/or U.S. strikes against agreed Nusra

targets, and 2) stop all Syrian military air activities – fixed and rotary wing – in

agreed designated areas, with appropriate exceptions for non-combat purposes.

e) If Syrian military activity in conflict with paragraph 3.d or airstrikes in conflict

with paragraph 5 occur, either participant may pull out of the JIG.

4) The process of target development through the JIG and airstrikes

against Nusra targets by Russian Aerospace Forces and/or U.S. military

forces will be ongoing and continuous. The JIG is to exchange information on

the effects of targeting Nusra and the developing situation on the ground.

5) With the exception of imminent threats to the United States or Russia

where prior agreement on a target is infeasible, Russia and the United States

will only take action against Nusra targets that are agreed to in advance and

pursuant to appropriate procedures through existing de-confliction channels.

6) The JIG will also work to maximize independent but synchronized

efforts against Daesh.

7) All efforts outlined above will be conducted in a manner consistent with

the Laws of Armed Conflict and full implementation of the cessation of

hostilities.

8) Compliance with the CoH will be required for this understanding to

remain in effect.

9) Modalities for the mechanism described above will be further developed

in bilateral negotiations to be concluded as soon as possible given the

urgency expressed by both Russia and the U.S.

10) The steps outlined above are intended as steps toward a more

comprehensive understanding between the U.S. and Russia, with a target

date ofJuly 31, 2016, on three inter-related issues designed to produce a

durable end of the conflict and the defeat of Daesh and Nusrah:

a) military and intelligence cooperation between Russia and the U.S. to defeat

Daesh and Nusrah;

b) translation of the CoH into a durable, nationwide ceasefire, phased with

steps on the political transition, inclusive of provisions on the disposition and

separation of forces, control of heavy weapons, regulation of the flow of weapons

into Syria , independent monitoring and verification, and enforcement; and

c) a framework on political transition in Syria consistent with UNSCR 2254, to

include provisions on how and when a transitional government with full executive

authority formed on the basis of mutual consent will be established, security and

intelligence institutions will be reformed, and constitutional and electoral

processes will be conducted.

But John Kerry, Iran Does Support al Qaeda

Posted on July 13, 2016July 13, 2016 by Denise Simon

Primer:

The State Department confirmed that Iran continues to work with Al-Qaeda elements, despite
their expressed hostility towards one another. It stated: “Iran remained unwilling to bring to
justice senior Al-Qaeda (AQ) members it continued to detain, and refused to publicly identify
those senior members in its custody.
Iran allowed AQ facilitators Muhsin al-Fadhli and Adel Radi Saq al-Wahabi al-Harbi to operate a
core facilitation pipeline through Iran, enabling AQ to move funds and fighters to South Asia and
also to Syria.

Al-Fadhli is a veteran AQ operative who has been active for years. Al-Fadhli began working with the Iran-based AQ facilitation network in 2009 and was later arrested by Iranian authorities. He was released in 2011 and assumed leadership of the Iran-based AQ facilitation network.” Clarion Project

Top Intel Official: Al Qaeda Worked on WMD in Iran

New evidence of the bin Laden-Iran connection.

WeeklyStandard: Al Qaeda operatives based in Iran worked on and biological weapons, according to a letter written to Osama bin Laden that is described in a new book by a top former U.S. intelligence official.

The letter was captured by a U.S. military sensitive site exploitation team during the raid on bin Laden’s Abbottabad headquarters in May 2011. It is described in Field of Fight, out Tuesday from Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, the former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, and Michael Ledeen of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

“One letter to bin Laden reveals that al Qaeda was working on chemical and biological weapons in Iran,” Flynn writes.

Flynn’s claim, if true, significantly advances what we know about al Qaeda’s activity in Iran. The book was cleared by the intelligence community’s classification review process. And U.S. intelligence sources familiar with the bin Laden documents tell us the disclosure on al Qaeda’s WMD work is accurate.

Flynn notes that only a small subset of bin Laden’s files have been released to the public. The “Defense Intelligence Agency’s numerous summaries and analyses of the files remain classified,” too, Flynn writes. “But even the public peek gives us considerable insight into the capabilities of this very dangerous global organization.”

It’s not just al Qaeda.

“There’s a lot of information on Iran in the files and computer discs captured at the Pakistan hideout of Osama bin Laden,” Flynn writes in the introduction. The authors note that the relationship between Iran and al Qaeda “has always been strained” and “[s]ometimes bin Laden himself would erupt angrily at the Iranians.” Previously released documents and other evidence show that al Qaeda kidnapped an Iranian diplomat in order to force a hostage exchange and bin Laden was very concerned about the Iranians’ ability to track his family members.

And yet the book makes clear that Flynn believes there is much more to the al Qaeda-Iran relationship than the public has been told. And that’s not an accident. Obama administration “censors have been busy,” Flynn writes, blocking the release of the bin Laden documents to the public and, in some cases, to analysts inside the U.S. intelligence community. “Some of it—a tiny fraction—has been declassified and released, but the bulk of it is still under official seal. Those of us who have read bin Laden’s material know how important it is…”

Not surprisingly, Obama administration officials bristle at Flynn’s characterization of their lack of transparency and lack of urgency on jihadists and their state sponsors. “Mike Flynn, in true Kremlin form, has been peddling these baseless conspiracy theories for years. Anyone who thinks Iran was or is in bed with al Qaeda doesn’t know much about either,” an Obama administration official told THE WEEKLY STANDARD.

It’s an odd line of attack, given the fact that the Obama administration has repeatedly accused Iran of directly aiding al Qaeda. The Treasury and State Departments publicly accused the Iranian regime of allowing al Qaeda to operate inside Iran in: July 2011, December 2011, February 2012,July 2012, October 2012, May 2013, January 2014, February 2014, April 2014, and August 2014. In addition, in congressional testimony in February 2012, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper described the relationship as a “marriage of convenience.”

Asked about the administration’s own repeated statements pointing to the Iranian regime’s deal with al Qaeda, the administration official who dismissed Flynn’s claim as a “baseless conspiracy” theory declined to comment further.

The Flynn/Ledeen claim about al Qaeda’s WMD work in Iran comes with an interesting wrinkle. The authors preface their disclosure of al Qaeda’s work on “chemical and biological weapons in Iran” by suggesting that the revelation was included in documents already public.

But the only document released to date that seems to touch on the subject is a March 28, 2007, letter to an al Qaeda operative known as “Hafiz Sultan.” The letter, which discussed the possibility of Iran-based al Qaeda operatives using chlorine gas on Kurdish leaders and includes a likely reference to Atiyah ‘Abd-al-Rahman, was released by the administration via the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point in May 2012. President Obama’s Treasury Department has claimed that Rahman was appointed by Osama bin Laden “to serve as al Qaeda’s emissary in Iran, a position which allowed him to travel in and out of Iran with the permission of Iranian officials.” It is not, however, addressed to bin Laden and it does not include a reference to biological weapons.

And while the U.S. Treasury and State Department have repeatedly sanctioned al Qaeda’s operatives inside Iran and offered rewards for information on their activities, as noted, statements from Treasury and the State Department do not mention al Qaeda’s “chemical and biological weapons” work inside Iran.

The takeaway: It does not appear that the al Qaeda document referenced by Flynn has been released by the U.S. government.

Flynn and others who have seen the documents say there are more explosive revelations in the bin Laden files kept from the public. Those already released give us a hint. One document, released in 2015, is a letter presumably written by Osama bin Laden to the “Honorable brother Karim.” The recipient of the October 18, 2007, missive, “Karim,” was likely an al Qaeda veteran known Abu Ayyub al Masri, who led al Qaeda in the Iraq (AQI) at the time.

Bin Laden chastised the AQI leader for threatening to attack Iran. The al Qaeda master offered a number of reasons why this didn’t make sense. “You did not consult with us on that serious issue that affects the general welfare of all of us,” bin Laden wrote. “We expected you would consult with us for these important matters, for as you are aware, Iran is our main artery for funds, personnel, and communication, as well as the matter of hostages.”

That language from bin Laden sounds a lot like the language the Obama administration used in July 2011, when a statement from the U.S. Treasury noted that the network in Iran “serves as the core pipeline through which Al Qaeda moves money, facilitators and operatives from across the Middle East to South Asia.”

David Cohen, who was then a top Treasury official and is now the number two official at the CIA, told us back then: “There is an agreement between the Iranian government and al Qaeda to allow this network to operate. There’s no dispute in the intelligence community on this.”

Why, then, is the Obama administration attempting to dismiss the cooperative relationship between Iran and al Qaeda as a “baseless conspiracy?” Good question.

And it’s one that releasing the rest of the documents could help answer.

Note: Flynn’s co-author Michael Ledeen is a colleague of Thomas Joscelyn at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

****

Most recently, in September, the Obama administration launched missile strikes against al Qaeda’s so-called Khorasan Group in Syria. The administration pointed to indicating that this cadre of “core” al Qaeda operatives was planning mass killings in the West, and possibly even in the United States. Two of the terrorists who lead the Khorasan Group formerly headed al Qaeda’s operations in Iran. Tellingly, Iran allowed this pair to continue their fight against the West, even as they have battled Iran’s chief allies in Syria.

Obama’s Treasury Department first publicly recognized the relationship between the Iranian regime and al Qaeda on July 28, 2011. Treasury added six al Qaeda operatives to the U.S. government’s list of designated terrorists. The principal terrorist among them is known as Yasin al-Suri, “a prominent Iran-based al Qaeda facilitator” who operates “under an agreement between al Qaeda and the Iranian government.” Treasury described al Qaeda’s presence in Iran as a “core pipeline” and “a critical transit point for funding to support al Qaeda’s activities in Afghanistan and Pakistan.” Treasury made it clear that other high-level al Qaeda members were actively involved in shuttling cash and recruits across Iran.

Venezuela, Chaos in our Hemisphere, Inflation Skyrockets

Posted on July 12, 2016July 12, 2016 by Denise Simon

Venezuelans flee to Mexico to escape economic crisis

Kimberly-Clark: Venezuela seizes and re-opens US-owned factory

BBC: The government of Venezuela has said it has seized a factory owned by the US firm Kimberly-Clark.

The firm had said it was halting operations in Venezuela as it was unable to obtain raw materials.

But the labour minister said on Monday that the factory closure was illegal and it had re-opened “in the hands of the workers”.

Kimberly-Clark, which makes hygiene products including tissues and nappies, said it had acted appropriately.

Over the weekend it became the latest multinational to close or scale back operations in the country, citing strict currency controls, a lack of raw materials and soaring inflation.

Reuters: No to the closure” read graffiti on the firm’s gates over the weekend

General Mills, Procter & Gamble and other corporations have reduced operations in Venezuela as the country is gripped by economic crisis and widespread shortages of basic household goods.

What has gone wrong in Venezuela?

Labour Minister Oswaldo Vera, from the ruling Socialist Party (PSUV), visited the factory in Maracay and said it was illegal.

Almost 1,000 workers had asked him to re-start production, he said.

Mr Vera said: “Kimberly-Clark will continue producing, now in the hands of the workers.

“We’ve just turned on the first engine.”

The Texas-based company said in a statement: “If the Venezuelan government takes control of Kimberly-Clark facilities and operations, it will be responsible for the well-being of the workers and the physical asset, equipment and machinery in the facilities going forward.”

In just 12 hours, more than 35K Venezuelans cross Colombian border to buy food, medicine

FoxNewsLatino – Cucuta – In just 12 hours, more than 35,000 Venezuelans crossed the border into Colombia on Sunday to buy food and medicines in the city of Cucuta, when the Venezuelan government agreed to opened border crossings for one day only.

People began crossing the Simon Bolivar international bridge at 5:00 a.m. to purchase products that are scarce in Venezuela.

“We’re from here in San Antonio (and), honestly, we don’t have any food to give our children, so I don’t think it’s fair that the border is still closed,” a Venezuelan woman told EFE in Cucuta.

The woman, who preferred to not give her name, crossed the international bridge with her husband and children ages 5 and 2.

The border crossings between Tachira state and Norte de Santander province were closed on Aug. 19, 2015, by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who said he took the measure to fight smuggling and prevent members of paramilitary groups from entering Venezuela.

Maduro later ordered all crossings along the 1,378-mile border closed.

Tachira Gov. Jose Gregorio Vielma Mora said Saturday that the border would be opened on Maduro’s orders.

After the announcement, hundreds of Venezuelans began lining up to cross the Simon Bolivar international bridge.

“A second entry by Venezuelans into Colombia was planned by the Venezuelan right, with the pretext of buying food and medicines,” Vielma Mora said.

The governor was apparently referring to an incident last Tuesday, when about 500 Venezuelans from the city of Ureña crossed the closed Francisco de Paula Santander international bridge and went into Cucuta to buy food.

Norte de Santander Gov. William Villamizar, for his part, said in a Twitter post after visiting the border crossings that the humanitarian corridor “has benefited 25,000 people” who were able to buy “food and medicines.”

Villamizar spoke with some of the people streaming across the border and posed for photos with a family carrying a poster that read, “Colombia, gracias por su solidaridad con Venezuela” (Colombia, Thanks for Your Solidarity with Venezuela).

“This is super nice on Colombia’s part, very good,” Rosalba Jaimes, a San Antonio resident, told EFE.

Betty Rojas, a Venezuelan already heading home, said she and others planned to cross whenever the border was open.

“We bought rice, pasta, sugar, toilet paper, butter, everything we could bring back. We had enough for lots of stuff,” Rojas told EFE, adding that she wanted to tell the Colombian government “thank you.”

Cucuta police chief Col. Jaime Barrera said officers would “guarantee security in Cucuta’s business districts for the thousands of people coming from Venezuela.

Officers have been posted at the border crossings and at businesses across the border city, the provincial police chief said.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin visited Cucuta on Wednesday.

The president said he would try to negotiate with Maduro in an effort to reopen the border crossings.

Venezuela: Decree Grants New Powers To President, Defense Minister

Stratfor: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro issued a presidential decree July 11 granting new, sweeping powers to himself and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez, Sumarium reported. Maduro said the decree establishes a new program that concentrates economic and political power at the very top of government, which will enable the country to correct its economic woes and get production back on track. Moreover, all government institutions and ministries in the country will now fall under the direct control of the president and the defense minister. The president said that he will provide more information about the decree, which effectively makes Padrino Lopez a second head of state in Venezuela, within the coming days.

U.S. Evacuates Embassy Over Violence/Unrest

Posted on July 12, 2016July 12, 2016 by Denise Simon

UN: 36,000 civilians seek shelter in South Sudan capital

Displaced South Sudanese families are seen in a camp for internally displaced people in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) compound in Tomping, Juba, South Sudan, July 11, 2016. (Reuters)

al-Arabiya: he United Nations called on Tuesday for free movement and protection of civilians fleeing fighting in the South Sudanese capital of Juba, where it said at least 36,000 displaced people are seeking shelter in UN sites and other locations.

“Access to those in need is limited by the ongoing fighting and insecurity,” UN spokeswoman Alessandra Vellucci told a news briefing in Geneva.

Access to the UN compound is being blocked for civilians, who are trapped in churches and schools without access to water and sanitation, the World Health Organization (WHO) said, adding that it was sending trauma kits.

Meanwhile the UN refugee agency called on neighboring countries to keep their borders open to people seeking asylum and said it was gearing up for possible refugee outflows.

Related reading: U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations has been there but she is currently ignoring South Sudan for Chile and Uruguay. No worries though, she issued this statement:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tonight, the Security Council expressed its readiness to enhance UNMISS’ role in responding to this crisis and its role in providing security on the ground. The Security Council has also called upon states in the region to begin preparing additional troops for possible deployment.

Violent fighting between rival factions in South Sudan forces U.S. to evacuate embassy

• Five SPLA soldiers were killed and at least two SPLM-IO troops were injured on Sunday

• Clashes occurred on the fifth anniversary of the country’s independence

• Koro Bessho, Japan’s ambassador to the U.N., confirmed the death of the Chinese soldier

JUBA, South Sudan – United States is set to evacuate its embassy in South Sudan following the recent surge in violent clashes in the region.

The State Department spoke of the “sudden and serious deterioration,” of the situation in the new country which had blown the rivalry between the President and Vice President into an everyday “general fighting.”

There were also reports of a U.S. embassy vehicle being attacked in clashes on July 7.

The rival factions pledging loyalties to President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar engaged in a violent fight on Sunday, involving gunfire outside a UN building. Allegations that Machar’s residence in Juba was attacked by Kiir’s men had triggered the fight.

Local reports claimed that five SPLA soldiers were killed and at least two SPLM-IO troops were injured, besides a few civilian casualties.

Clashes occurred on the fifth anniversary of the country’s independence. UNMISS, the UN mission in South Sudan, said that the violence occured so close that it drove away 1,000 internally displaced people under its protection. It said, “Both UNMISS compounds in Juba have sustained impacts from small arms and heavy weapons fire.”

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the incident as “senseless violence” and reports stated that he plans to hold an emergency session to discuss the situation in South Sudan.

While Chinese and Rwandan peacekeepers sustained injuries, Japan’s ambassador to the UN Koro Bessho confirmed the death of a Chinese soldier.

On July 7, a shootout between the bodyguards of both the leaders led to a full blown fight in Juba that killed at least 150 people.

Kiir and Machar met at the Presidential Palace the next day to issue a call for calm, following the severe damage and loss of lives.

By July 10, local radio station Radio Tamazuj reported that the death toll from those clashes may be as high as 271.

Kenya Airways informed the suspension of all flights to the city because of an “uncertain security situation.”

Meanwhile, Britain’s Foreign Office also advised against all travel to South Sudan, saying “the security situation in Juba has deteriorated” since Friday.

In July 2011, South Sudan declared itself as an independent country following more than 20 years of guerrilla warfare. The states of war had claimed the lives of at least 1.5 million people and displaced more than four million and the declaration of independence raised hopes for stable conditions.

However, after President Salva Kiir sacked the cabinet and accused Vice-President Riek Machar of planning a coup, civil war broke out between both camps in December 2013 which involved ethnic groups – the Dinka, led by Kiir, and the Nuer, under Machar, turning the clashes more violent.

A peace agreement was signed in South Sudan in August 2015, but many issues remain unresolved.