When kings came with gold and rifles we bowed: Further evidence unearthed of direct American aid to Islamic State
Internationally sponsored warfare against the Islamic State took an unprecedented turn in recent weeks with Russia launching strikes against Syriaâs IS. Fears of US-Russian proxy clashes in the country fueled the near instantaneous backlash from the west . In Iraq, american operations are similarly under pressure as itâs government very reluctantly accepted Russian military aid despite US warnings. Now less bound to its western keepers, the Iraqi government stands to do a great many things, including discuss American aid to IS ever so openly, and without trepidation.
Russian recent Syrian campaign in Assadâs defense seems entirely unimpeded by mounting US concerns. American officials fear Russian strikes will endanger CIA/JSOC rebel training programs which, according to recent coverage, have faulted. US operatives, due to these programâs shortcomings, may defend both rebels and themselves if certain groups are targeted. âItâs immoral to train people and watch them get destroyed and maimed and killedâ, says Sen. John McCain, according to the Wall Street Journal.
With public Russian-Syrian intervention so fresh, the end of the rabbit hole isnât exactly visible. Initially, American and Russian negotiations to avoid proxy confrontation in Syria appeared successful, with the US seemingly backing out of the region. That resolution changed seemingly overnight, as American strikes in Syria have now increased and Russian operations jumping to Iraq. Russiaâs Syrian air raids, per dictator Bashar al-Assadâs request, began on September 30th 2015, according to Todayâs Zaman.
Iraqi officials, the outlet reports, requested strikes shortly after the Kremlin arrived in Syria. Fearing Russian pressure in Syria would further force IS into Iraq, Baghdad hesitantly welcomed the Kremlinâs bombs. US Chief of General Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford, Todayâs Zaman reports, told Iraqi officials that accepting Russian strikes would make the continuation of American operations impossible.
Baghdad's difficult policy decisions, interestingly, are much more complex than the well echoed, black and white US vs. Kremlin proxy narrative. It is essential, in any war, to know oneâs adversary nearly as well, if not better, than oneâs own forces. Iraqi defensive lines, intended specifically for US trained security forces, also shelter both numerous militias and an diverse tapestry of US intelligence and spec warfare operatives. Baghdad, commanding but a fraction of this overall force, has, over the last year, learned a great deal about its enemy.
Iraqâs first hand observations of the Islamic Statesâ capabilities, funding, and equipment suggest a well oiled and funded geo-political intimidation mechanism. For instance, it may surprise some to learn of attacks on Russian Army barracks by a self-proclaimed IS affiliate mear weeks ago. In similarly uncirculated reports, IS clashes in Afghanistan against the Taliban, militants obstructing US domination in the region, deeply troubled the Afghan government.
Ask yourself, who else, besides Americaâs stated political and military enemies, has IS mounted large scale organized assaults upon? Yes one could reference the several Americans publicly slaughtered, such as the late James Foley. However, these killings, including the ghastly act of burning a caged Jordanian pilot alive, were made into videos by the group. Though acts of evil, their purpose was simple: scare as many people around the world at once, weâre the new boogeyman. IS holding ground in Iraq and now pushing in Afghanistan ensures these governments remain dependent on American help- hostages of a different kind. If IS werenât so successful in sustaining its presence in Iraq, for instance, the the US would not be able to justify further occupying the country.
The terror group, according to a year old Daily Beast report by writer Josh Rogin, suspiciously enjoys a great deal of Persian Gulf, US allies, funding. âEverybody knows the money is going through Kuwaitâ, says senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy Andrew Tabler, âand that itâs coming from the Arab Gulf.â According to the piece, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia- all key US allies- were instrumental early donors to IS. ISIS, Â like these countries, rakes in millions in oil sales, sometimes directly to the Assad regime, Daily Beast reports, as well as war booty captured from Mosulâs ransacked banks.
Kuwaitâs banking system is particularly notorious for being âa major conduit for money to extremist groups in Syria and now Iraqâ, says Tabler, Daily Beast reports. Iraqâs then Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki publicly, and repeatedly, outed Saudi Arabia and Qatar as IS donors for several months.
Roginâs piece also cites a December 2013 report conducted by Washington think tank The Brookings Institution, which also receives some Qatari government funding. âTodayâ, the report read, âthere is evidence that Kuwaiti donors have backed rebels who have committed atrocities and who are either directly linked with al-Qaeda or cooperate with its affiliated brigades on the ground.â According to the Daily Beast, the report further reveals the US Treasuryâs  âaware of this activity and has expressed concern about this flow of private financing.â In conclusion, The Brooking Institution calls on the US action, not the âcollective shrugâ of its politicians.
Such apathy, though characteristic of American political enthusiasm, may be for more insidious reasons than many are willing to accept. A still growing mountain of evidence, much leaked late 2014, outs the US government as having directly and consciously provided IS with fighters, money, food, weapons, and training. Just days ago, a piece released by the Centre for Research on Globalization rehashed this particularly noisy elephant in the room.
It relies heavily on the testimony of increasingly frustrated, and desperate, Iraqi sources- from fighters to politicians. Months ago, Iraqâs parliament began serious inquiry into consistent accounts from itâs forces that US planes supplies IS quite blatantly. Some aircraft, CRG reports, were reputedly recognizable American hardware whereas others appeared unmarked or unidentifiable. For a relatively new group technically involved in multiple costly, violent wars, IS has held captured ground in Iraq superbly. Security forces, according to CRG, routinely recover âbrand newâ US rifles and high tech missile systems from âliberatedâ areas, oftentimes inside abandoned IS trenches.
Iraqâs parliament, to date, has not received an explanation for the British plane itâs soldiers shot down, reputedly whist dropping IS-bound food and munitions. The pilot'sâ fate has never been determined, as authorities have yet to publically acknowledge these claims to any extent.
âThere are proofs and evidenceâ, says Iraqi Parliament's National Security and Defense Committee Head Hakem al-Zameli, âfor the US-led coalition's military aid to ISIL terrorists though air (dropped cargos).â Others, such as Iraqi Parliamentâs al-Sadr Bloc member Jome Divan, have outed the coalition as âan excuse for protecting the ISIL and helping the terrorist group with equipment and weapons.â Divan goes onto say, CGR reports, âthe coalition has not targeted ISILâs main positions in Iraqâ. Interestingly, this particular accusation represents a uniform sentiment among the Iraqi government: more warfare continued US military occupation in the country.
An older report from January 2015, one DannyProtest missed, holds a latchkey bombshell which, although echoed across web outlets, was and is nonexistent in mainstream coverage. While focus centralized around a ghost hunt for Abu Bakar al-Baghdadi, a more tangible Islamic State leader had already been captured- Yousaf al-Salafi.
Al-Salafi, considered commander of IS in Pakistan, CRG reports, was picked up during a government raid in Lahore, possibly with others. Yousaf, while in custody, reputedly admitted to having accepted American money in return for recruiting young people for the fight in Syria. Before you label this story as unreliable, consider it was echoed and investigated by RT, International Business times, Daily Beast, Breitbart, and many others whose reporting, on any given day, is considered reliable. CRG largely cited a secondary source, Daily Express, which both broke the story and cited sources close to the White House stating US Secretary of State John Kerry and CENCOM chief Gen. Lloyd Austin were aware of al-Salafiâs revelations.
While IS commanders snitched out their employers, US intelligence analysts had already come to their own disturbing conclusions. Former Obama Administration intelligence director Michael Flynn, according to CRG, warned the White House three years ago that they were funding extremists in Syria. Information backing the claims of both Flynn and Iraqi officials was released in leaked DIA reports, detailing the exact nature of IS-US cooperation.
Currently, according to the Centre for Research on Globalization, 50 intelligence analysts are outraged over alterations made to their IS reports. Analysts have accused unnamed senior officials as having doctored the reports, possibly some within CENCOM. These inaccurate, borderline fabricated DIA reports, which supported the public narrative that IS is losing, would then be presented before President Obama.
May no time be wasted on asking why all this hasnât been covered by the mainstream, most understand why. Thus, this final paragraph will not be allocated to further condemn an already broken, corrupted information funnel. Instead, this conclusion constitutes a call to action, an invocation of bloggers, videographers, unpaid reporters, hobby writers, techies and any other demographics unlisted herein. Many of us similarly frown at the deplorable state of journalism in this country, tolerating propaganda factories as they are. This is the primary reason why all capable hands should reach, not for tools of war, but tools which facilitate the sharing of ideas. Stories such as the leaked DIA reports or al-Salafiâs confession will likely never see mainstream airtime. In some cases, alternative outlets shy away from such leads as if theyâre tainted fruit. If we: an independent, decentralized, yet similarly motivated, cooperative mass united in the effort to spread any and all uncirculated information available, imagine what could be accomplished. The best part: no one will have to seek asylum in Russia for it, for itâs entirely legal and just.