Somalis Under Relentless Drone Attack as U.S. Tightens Military Grip on Continent

Tue, 10/18/2011 - 20:53 — Glen Ford

A Black Agenda Radio commentary by Glen Ford

Africa, under President Obama, is an expanding theater of war for the United States. There are few points on the African map where the U.S. military does not operate, independently, through proxies, or by agreement with local governments and militaries. AFRICOM has penetrated the armed forces of the continent to a degree no single European power could have ever aspired. Indeed, “the U.S. has so thoroughly infiltrated African armies, many, if not most, would be of no use for national defense against the Americans.”

Somalis Under Relentless Drone Attack as U.S. Tightens Military Grip on Continent

A Black Agenda Radio commentary by Glen Ford

“The overlapping entanglements have allowed the U.S. military to achieve deep penetration of the armed forces of most African nations.”

Scores of Somali civilians have been killed in U.S. drone attacks in the southern region of the country, as Washington tightens its military grip on much of the continent. The current offensive involves thousands of Kenyan troops that are threatening the major Somali city of Kismayo. The American drones are supporting the Kenyan invasion. The drones’ origins are officially secret, but it is known that the U.S. operates drone bases in Ethiopia and Djibouti, which is home to a huge American base.

For all practical purposes, the U.S. has made proxies of Ethiopia and the five member states of the East African Community: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda. The Ugandans and Burundians safeguard the airport that is the lifeline for Somalia’s puppet regime in Mogadishu, where the CIA operates a major facility. In September, the militaries of the East African Community held joint exercises with AFRICOM, the U.S. Africa Command.

Such exercises with American forces have become commonplace. The U.S. Defense Department is busily training the militaries of Mali, Chad, Niger, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Gabon, Zambia, Uganda, Senegal, Mozambique, Ghana, Malawi, and Mauretania. ECOWAS, the Economic Community of West African States, is considering asking the U.S. navy to help it out with its pirate problem. Most of the militaries of the African Union already communicate with American command-and-control equipment, requiring U.S. advisors. The overlapping entanglements have allowed the U.S. military to achieve deep penetration of the armed forces of most African nations.

“Most of the militaries of the African Union already communicate with American command-and-control equipment.”

In such a web of dependency, few standing African armies are capable of defending themselves – if the aggressor is the United States. But in most cases, the U.S. would likely get its way without a fight, since the officer class of so many African militaries have direct ties with their American counterparts. The U.S. has so thoroughly infiltrated African armies, many, if not most, would be of no use for national defense against the Americans.

The Americans are almost everywhere, but the French never left Africa. Although France and the U.S. were longtime rivals in Africa, waging proxy wars against each other through their African flunkies, their joint actions against Haiti and Libya, and in bringing down the government in the Ivory Coast, signal that the French and Americans are full partners in neocolonialism.

Now President Obama has officially sent 100 U.S. Special Forces troops to Uganda and neighboring countries, ostensibly to track down a rebel force. They will also operate in the new nation of South Sudan.

Meanwhile, the NATO attack on Libya threatens to set the whole northern tier of Africa ablaze, a pretext for further U.S. and French operations. American penetration of Africa has reached the point that any nation – such as Eritrea – that does not have a military relationship with the United States is marked for regime change. Instead of the pan-Africanist dream of a United States of Africa, we are seeing an Africa under the military thumb of the United States. For Black Agenda Radio, I'm Glen Ford. On the web, go to BlackAgendaReport.com.

BAR executive editor Glen Ford can be contacted at Glen.Ford@BlackAgendaReport.com.

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Comments

Spot on analysis

Fanon - 10/20/2011 - 00:39

'The bourgeoisie, which evolved in Europe, was able to elaborate an ideology while strengthening its own influence.... In the underdeveloped countries there was no genuine bourgeoisie but rather an acquisitive, voracious, and ambitious petty caste, dominated by a small-time racketeer mentality, content with the dividends paid out by the former colonial power. This short-sighted bourgeoisie lacks vision and inventiveness. It has learned by heart what it has read in the manuals of the West and subtly transforms itself not into a replica of Europe but rather its caricature'.

Franz Fanon, The Wretched of The Earth. Fanon was spot on.

The Divine Right of Kings?

Cynical Negro - 10/21/2011 - 12:16

Either Qadhafi was captured in Sirte by NATO forces and dumped in Misrata to be summarily killed by a "Democratic," racist horde, or Qadhafi cut a deal with Obama to stage his own assassination and go into retirement (Just in time for the 2012 election season):

www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7yCYamrMzo

What perfect timing: Act 1) Obama orders 100 troops to a U.S. puppet state (Uganda) that already offered Qadhafi asylum. Act 2) Clinton shows up in Libya. Calls for Qadhafi's head. Then magically he's automatically captured and killed, and then his body lowered into the ocean like Osama bin Laden! Lol... No independent autopsy! No nothin...

Does this necessarily mean that the fighting in Libya stops?

1) Until conclusively confirmed, Qadhafi's sons are still in the field

2) The Qadhafah tribe and its allies, the Warfalla, Al-Awaqir and Magariha, will not rest until they avenge their leader's death

3) The Tuareg's and other allied tribes are in the field in Libya and in surrounding countries ready to cause problems for all regional governments

4) The armed Al Qaeda faction of the rebels (who are smuggling weapons into the Gaza strip via Egypt) don't like the TNC puppet government

5) The "rebels" are fighting amongst themselves

6) Be on the look-out for Pro-Qadhafi street demonstrations (and violence) throughout the continent of Africa:

MALI

http://www.voltairenet.org/Mali-Masses-March-in-Support-of

7) There will be African American Democratic-operatives/talking-heads/Elites praising Obama over the assassination of Qadhafi, but ordinary Black folks might not want Black genocide and de-development in Africa being carried out in our and Martin Luther King's name !!!

Black people are about to see the biggest shucking & jiving for white folks that some of us haven't seen in a long time. TheRoot.com has got the ball rolling with an article linking the NOI, Qadhafi, and the El Rukns Gang... Unbelievable. An Estimated 60,000 men, women and children killed, women raped, entire Black towns got the ROSEWOOD treatment. I think we'll pass on the barbaric cheering on of Obama.

Steve Pieczenik former Deputy

beverly - 10/21/2011 - 23:45

Steve Pieczenik former Deputy Asst Sec of State under Kissinger, Vance, Schultz, and Baker and current Dept of Defense advisor opines that Quaddafi was taken out of country into exile probably by the US forces who went to Uganda a few days ago. Pieczenik suggests the footage of dead Quaddafi was doctored just like the videos of Bin Laden. He also adds that it was unlikely Hillary goes into Libya and hobnobs with transitional govt w/o some deal with Quaddafi. Webster Tarpley believes it was a body double, not Quaddafi who is in the video footage.

This scenario is a long shot but I hope Quaddafi did escape. Regardless, I'm sure there is more to the story than the official US/NATO line. I see another murder of a foreign big wig isn't enough for Obomber. He's rolling out even more "treats" to improve his re-election chances with the recent announcement about withdrawing troops from Iraq by year's end. The dumbass sheeple will no doubt lap this up, totally ignorant of fact that thousands of Blackwater type contractors will remain so the US will continue to occupy and wreak havoc on Iraq. One can safely bet most of those troops will be re-deployed to Afghanistan, Libya, Iran, and parts of Africa. Venezuela, watch your back, you're on the backburner.

RT.com reports Russian govt wants inquiry into NATO's unlawful killing of Quaddafi. Spare me Mr. Putin and your sidekick Medvedev the crocodile concerns. If Russia, along with China and Brazil, gave a damn about the law and morality, they would have voted no instead of abstaining in the vote to allow NATO to go full speed ahead in war with Libya. Rest assured, Russia, China, and Brazil will join the other vultures in picking over the spoils in Libya.

Transparent: The Obama Campaign Needs a Better special ops team

Cynical Negro - 10/22/2011 - 19:51

October 17, 2011

AFP Headline: "US, Italy discuss ending NATO air war in Libya"

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jB0rnzqDkywHGGYcyc17l...

October 18, 2011

AP Headline: "Clinton in Libya to offer new aid package"

Clinton: "We hope he can be captured or killed soon so that you don't have to fear him any longer."

October 20, 2011

Abracadabra! Qadhafi "Dead"

Dr. Steve Pieczenik: "Obama is an Obsessional Pathological Liar!"

www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7yCYamrMzo

"7) There will be African

beverly - 10/21/2011 - 23:55

"7) There will be African American Democratic-operatives/talking-heads/Elites praising Obama over the assassination of Qadhafi, but ordinary Black folks might not want Black genocide and de-development in Africa being carried out in our and Martin Luther King's name !!!"

The great majority of ordinary black folks don't give much thought to Quaddafi and African issues in general. As with the rest of the US population, foreign policy is not a hot conversation topic around the dinner table. Ask most black people about Libya and those old enough may know of Quaddafi from the Pan Am bombing (which was carried out by CIA and/or Iran, not Libya, but again, few people are aware of such). Most know nothing about Libya, especially fact that it had the highest living standards on the African continent. If anything, most black sheeple are now bursting with "pride" that their president killed up another "terrorist" and is now bringing the boys home from Iraq as such feats will help his re-election chances.

Death of Khadaffi Is NOT Like the Alleged Bin Laden Kill Episode

Nixakliel - 10/23/2011 - 03:07

IMO- Unlike the alleged 'Bin Laden Kill' Episode [reminiscent of an episode of '24'], in which there were no clear pics of Bin Laden's corpse & then they came up w that ridiculous 'Burial at Sea in accord w Islamic Law' fable, -&- then there was that suspect series of so-called Bin-Laden videos which looked fake & statements from several sources that bin Laden had been dead for yrs [likely since Dec 2001]; - When I saw the first pix of Khadffi's body my first reaction was they've actually did get him. Plus there's been several more clear photo's of Khadaffi's body so I'd say the odds are at least 10 - 1 or even 20 - 1 that they did actually get him. Plus just a couple of days before Billary went to Libya & put a hit order out on Khadaffi!

IMO- Here's what might have happened - FUK-US NATO's intel told them that Khadaffi was most likely or definitely making a last stand in his home town of Sirte - which is why the people there were fighting so fiercely against that FUK-US NATO backed AL-CIAeda / King Idris Affiliated Rebel Racist Lynch Mob! So O-Bomb-em, Billary, Cameron, & Sarkozy & Co - sent down the order to NATO to finish him off by hook or by crook. So they got word to Khadaffi if he didn't come out in the open FUK-US NATO was going to complete level Sirte & kill EVERYONE There- especially Khadaffi extended family members. So Khadaffi decide to sacrifice himself rather than see everyone in Sirte slaughtered, which is why he came out in the open where he became a clear target for FUK-US NATO's planes & drones. After they bombed his convoy the sent in their AL-CIAeda / King Idris Affiliated Lynch Mob to finish him off.

Most folks [even so-called 'liberals'] have bought into the demonization of Khadaffi & the so-called 'virture' of FUK-US NATO's phony R2P hype - they would NEVER even consider that Khadaffi could be capable of making such a noble sacrifice or that O-Bomb-em & Billary would be that ruthless, but I won't be a bit surprised if in the long run this is just how death of Khadaffi went down.

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/spy-talk/2010/05/cia_group_had_wa

Cynical Negro - 10/23/2011 - 08:00

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/spy-talk/2010/05/cia_group_had_wacky_idea...

Death of Khadaffi Is NOT Like the Alleged Bin Laden Kill Episode

Nixakliel - 10/23/2011 - 10:28

IMO- Unlike the alleged 'Bin Laden Kill' Episode [reminiscent of an episode of '24'], in which there were no clear pics of Bin Laden's corpse & then they came up w that ridiculous 'Burial [as in disposal] at Sea in accord w Islamic Law' fable, -&- then there was that suspect series of so-called Bin-Laden videos which looked fake & statements from several different hi-level sources [IE: ex-Pakistani Pres Musharraf] that bin Laden has been dead for yrs [likely since Dec 2001]; - When I saw the first pix of Khadffi's body my first reaction was they've actually did get him. Plus there's been several more clear photo's of Khadaffi's body so I'd say the odds are at least 10 - 1 or even 20 - 1 that they did actually get him [IE: Khadaffi's death has more in common w the Saddam's demise than the suspect tale of Bin Laden's death]. Plus just a couple of days before Billary went to Libya & issed a Hit Order on Khadaffi!

IMO- Here's what might have happened - FUK-US NATO's intel told them that Khadaffi was most likely or definitely making a last stand in his home town of Sirte - which is why the people there were fighting so fiercely against that FUK-US NATO backed AL-CIAeda / King Idris Affiliated Rebel Racist Lynch Mob! So O-Bomb-em, Billary, Cameron, & Sarkozy & Co - sent down the order to NATO to finish him off by hook or by crook. So they got word to Khadaffi that if he didn't come out in the open FUK-US NATO was going to complete level Sirte & kill EVERYONE There- especially Khadaffi's extended family members. So Khadaffi decide to sacrifice himself rather than see everyone in Sirte slaughtered, which is why he came out in the open where he became a clear target for FUK-US NATO's planes & drones. After they bombed his convoy they sent in their AL-CIAeda / King Idris Affiliated Lynch Mob to finish him off [or maybe they where NATO &/or Qatari Special Forces Mercs dressed-up like the Rebels]!

Since most folks [even so-called 'liberals'] have bought into the demonization of Khadaffi & the so-called 'virture' of FUK-US NATO's phony R2P hype - they would NEVER even consider that Khadaffi could be capable of making such a brave & noble sacrifice or that O-Bomb-em & Billary would be that ruthless! Maybe I'm wrong but I won't be a bit surprised if it comes out in the long run this is just how Khadaffi's death went down [maybe via a Wikileaks a few yrs from now].