The Trouble With Stupendia

In two recent posts, I've reviewed current articles by Jeremy Kuzmarov on one hand, and Ben Howard, Aaron Good, and Peter Dale Scott on the other. Regarding the latter, "Why Did Key U.S. Officials Protect the Alleged 9/11 Plotters?" (reviewed here), I wrote:

I'm sad to say I'm surprised by how shallow it is. ... the authors provide many indications that the "hijackers" were protected by members of "our" "security services" once they arrived in the U.S.

But they never give us any indication that they realize they're talking about patsies. They write as if the patsies had committed the crimes.

By this I meant, among other things, that the towers didn't "collapse" because of impact by airplanes, or fires, or both. They didn't collapse in any but the molecular sense.

For the most part, they turned to toxic dust. The larger (heavier) particles covered the city, several inches deep in places, the smaller (lighter) particles drifted away on the wind, and the mid-size particles hung in the air for days and caused untold death and suffering among first responders and others.

In my view, if we are to make any sense of 9/11 at all, we must accept at least this dollop of obvious-at-the-time (but now suppressed) truth.

Noam Chomsky, U.S. Foreign Policy, Propaganda, Syria, International Terrorism, And Grasping At Straws

Jeremy Kuzmarov, Managing Editor of Covert Action Magazine, has recently posted a piece called The U.S. May Have Lost the Military War in Syria, But Has Won the Propaganda War at Home By Portraying its Murderous Invasion as a Moral Crusade, which he opens by claiming that, in the case of Syria, the

propaganda has been so good that [Noam] Chomsky himself at times was taken in by it.

This is the first article I have ever read by Jeremy Kuzmarov, and I couldn't agree less! So we're off to a good start!

In my view, the propaganda regarding Syria has been so obvious and so desperate that it's now much easier than ever to see that Noam Chomsky himself plays a part in it.

It's not easy for everyone, of course. It's not even easy for Jeremy Kuzmarov, who himself has at times been taken in by Chomsky, I would say.

Big Surprise: US Intel Knew Syrian Rebels Could Produce Sarin; Obama Lied About It Trying To Justify Another War

Seymour Hersh

Seymour Hersh has reported that US intelligence agencies knew the opposition forces in Syria were able to produce sarin. Some of us may recall our noble leaders asserting quite the opposite, and using said assertion to attempt to justify waging overt war against Syria.

Hersh proves that they deliberately lied. Is anyone surprised by this revelation?

Hersh usually writes for the New Yorker. But his new article, "Whose sarin?" is published online-only by the London Review of Books.

Some of us may recall being told we have a free press. Is anyone surprised that the New Yorker has not published Hersh's new article?

Hersh reports:

A former senior intelligence official ... said there was immense frustration inside the military and intelligence bureaucracy: ‘The guys are throwing their hands in the air and saying, “How can we help this guy” – Obama – “when he and his cronies in the White House make up the intelligence as they go along?”’

So I have to ask: Is anyone surprised that they do this? How can any "senior intelligence official" NOT know that they do this? It's been happening for a long time, hasn't it?

The same "former senior intelligence official" told Hersh that the "distortion" of the intelligence

reminded him of the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin incident, when the Johnson administration reversed the sequence of National Security Agency intercepts to justify one of the early bombings of North Vietnam.

So he has noticed. But apparently he hasn't caught on yet. And this is a "former senior intelligence official." How much more experience does one need to start understanding what's happening here?

Hersh mentions in closing that the agreement which will see Syria get rid of its chemical weapons will also leave the rebels in possession of all the ingredients they'd need to make more sarin. So who's kidding whom here? And are we surprised?

All of this is very disturbing. But it's hardly surprising. Is it?

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Syrian Imam Assassinated, Coverage Varies

Sheikh Mahmoud Abou al-Qa'qa, also known as Mahmud Gul Aghassi, a radical Syrian imam with thousands of followers, was assassinated in Aleppo, in northern Syria, after Friday prayers.

In this post, various reports of the assassination, detailed and otherwise, with a few comments and a touch of emphasis added.

Pakistan's Dawn, very sketchy:

Imam shot dead at Syrian mosque

DAMASCUS : The imam of a Syrian mosque who repeatedly called for holy war against US forces was shot dead after Friday prayers, witnesses and medical sources said.

A gunman stepped from a car and opened fire with an automatic weapon outside his mosque in the northern city of Aleppo, witnesses said.

The preacher was hit in the head and stomach and died later in hospital.

Al Bawaba identifies the victim:

Syria: Prominent cleric - who supported Iraqi resistance - assassinated

A Syrian cleric who recruited young Muslims to fight U.S.-led forces in Iraq was assassinated in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on Friday, his aides said. Sheikh Mahmoud Abou al-Qa'qa was shot dead after he emerged from Friday prayers, they told Reuters.

"A man fired several bullets into the Sheikh's chest. A crowd chased him and he was eventually caught. He is now with the authorities under custody," said Ahmad Haidar, one of the aides to the young cleric. "Sheikh Qa'qa died in hospital. His killers do not want Muslims to unite."

Syrian sources said the killer was in his 20s.

Qa'qa had thousands of followers and operated from Aleppo. He had called for jihad to counter U.S. policies against Syria.

Qa'qa disappeared from Aleppo last year. He returned this year and became head of a religious school. He led prayers at a mosque in the northern part of the city.

"I challenge anyone to prove that I had ever called for unlawful resistance or indiscriminate violence against any country," Qa'qa once said. "Our hearts are filled with joy when we hear about any resistance operations in Iraq against the American invaders. We ask people to keep praying to God to help achieve victory for Iraq against the US," Qa'qa was quoted as saying late 2003 by The Christian Science Monitor.

He also called for an Islamic state based on sharia law in Syria.

ABC Radio of Australia, cautious:

Cleric shot dead in Syria

A Syrian cleric, Sheikh Mahmoud Abou al-Qaqa, has been shot dead in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo after Friday prayers.

It has been widely reported that he was suspected of recruiting foreign fighters to travel to Iraq.

The cleric was killed as he was leaving Friday prayers in a Mosque in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo.

An unidentified man fired several bullets into his chest.

After a chase the gunman was arrested by the Syrian authorities.

Sheikh Abou al-Qaqa was widely reported to have been involved in the recruitment and training of foreign fighters destined for Iraq.

The cleric always denied any involvement with the insurgency.

The Associated Press, via the International Herald Tribune:

Muslim cleric suspected in smuggling fighters to Iraq shot dead in northern Syria

DAMASCUS, Syria: A Sunni Muslim cleric who in the past has been suspected of recruiting militants to fight in Iraq was shot dead as he left a mosque after Friday prayers in the northern city of Aleppo, aides said.

Mohammed Gul Aghassi, 34, was instantly killed by a gunman who pumped five bullets into his body as he left the Imam Mosque where he regularly preaches after the noon prayers.

The aide, Ahmed Sadeq, told The Associated Press that he pursued the gunman and captured him, handing him over to authorities.

Sadeq accused "terrorists" of killing Aghassi for his "nationalist positions." He did not elaborate.

Sheik Samir Mohammed Ghazal Abu Khashbeh, another aide to the slain cleric, said the gunman fled in a waiting pickup truck and he was chased and arrested along with the driver.

He said two worshippers who happened to be nearby were shot and wounded, one in the leg and one in the pelvis.

Abu Khashbeh said the attacker told him he shot the cleric "because he (Aghassi) was an agent of the Americans."

"The one who carried out the assassination was a prisoner of the American forces in Iraq and has been released some time ago. He is known to us," Abou Khashbeh told AP.

Such attacks are uncommon in Syria, a country where security is generally tight. But Syrian security forces have occasionally clashed with Islamic militants.

Aghassi, also known as Abu Qa'qa', headed a theology school in Aleppo, Syria's second-largest city. Western media in 2005 cited interviews with Sunni insurgents saying that he was a prominent figure in recruiting Arab fighters and helping funnel them into Iraq to fight U.S. and Iraqi troops. Some of the insurgents in the reports raised suspicions he was also informing Syrian security about the movements.

Aghassi denied any links to networks taking insurgents into Iraq.

In June 2006, Syrian anti-terrorism police fought Islamic militants near the Defense Ministry on Friday in a gunbattle that killed five people and wounded four. CD-ROMs of Aghassi's speeches were found on the fighters but the cleric denied then he had any links to that group of extremists.

Syria has been accused by the United States of not doing enough to stem the flow of militants across its desert border with Iraq.

Gulf News (cherry-picking from the AP report):

Radical Syrian cleric shot dead

Aleppo: A Syrian cleric suspected of recruiting militants for Iraq has been shot dead in the northern city of Aleppo, his aides have said.

Shaikh Mahmoud Abu Al Qaqaa was shot to death several times as he left the Imam Mosque after Friday prayers.

The gunman, who tried to flee the scene of the shooting, has been arrested. One of his aides said that "terrorists" killed the cleric for his "nationalist positions".

Al Qaqaa was popular with radical Islamist followers in Syria because of his anti-American sermons.

In June 2006, authorities have found CDs of Al Qaqaa's sermons in which he called for US forces in the Middle East to be slaughtered "like cattle".

Middle East Online, seemingly not taking any chances:

Imam shot dead at Syrian mosque

DAMASCUS - The imam of a Syrian mosque who repeatedly called for holy war against US forces was shot dead after Friday prayers, witnesses and medical sources said.

Mahmud Gul Aghassi, also known as Abu Al-Qaaqaa, was killed by a gunman who stepped from a car and opened fire with an automatic weapon outside his mosque in the northern city of Aleppo, witnesses said.

The preacher was hit in the head and stomach and died some hours later in Aleppo's al Shaaba hospital, according to a medical source at the hospital. Three people with him were wounded in the attack.

Witnesses said one of his attackers was detained by the imam's followers.

Al-Qaaqaa was known for his anti-American views and recordings calling for holy war against US forces, and had set up a group which recruited young men to fight coalition forces in Iraq.

He had recently fallen foul of fellow jihadists, however, for allegedly colluding with the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad, and several extremist websites had called for his assassination.

Reuters via Khaleej Times:

Syrian cleric assassinated in Aleppo

DAMASCUS - A Syrian cleric who recruited insurgents to fight US-led forces in Iraq was assassinated in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on Friday, his aides said.

Sheikh Mahmoud Abou Al QadaSheikh Mahmoud Abou Al Qaqa was shot dead after he emerged from Friday prayers, they told Reuters.

“A man fired several bullets into the Sheikh’s chest. A crowd chased him and he was eventually caught. He is now with the authorities under custody,” said Ahmad Haidar, one of the aides to the young cleric.

“Sheikh Qaqa died in hospital. His killers do not want Muslims to unite.”

There was no immediate comment from the Syrian government.

Qaqa had thousands of followers and operated in the mysterious world of Islamist movements in Aleppo, a once liberal trading hub that has become more religious in recent years.

He had called for jihad, or holy war, to counter US policies against Syria. Experts say he had toned down his rhetoric lately and become less active.

Qaqa disappeared from Aleppo last year. He returned this year and became head of a religious school. He led prayers at a mosque in the northern part of the city.

“I challenge anyone to prove that I had ever called for unlawful resistance or indiscriminate violence against any country,” Qaqa once said.

Syrian writer Shaban Aboud said Qaqa was virtually unknown before the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq that removed Saddam Hussein from power and ushered sectarian strife.

“The invasion and the shock it left among youth made him a star. Thousands began going to the mosque he led to listen to his fiery speeches. Qaqa emphasised he was not against the state,” Aboud wrote last year in the Lebanese An-Nahar daily.

“A handsome man skilful in speech and debate, Qaqa inspired Jihadists who made reaching Iraq and fighting the occupation forces their goal,” he said.

The Syrian government is accused by Washington and the pro-US government in Baghdad of helping foreign fighters behind sectarian killings and attacks on US soldiers.

Damascus denies helping rebels. Syria has been ruled by the Baath Party since 1963 and is a tightly controlled country.

BBC News provides some context:

Radical Syrian cleric 'shot dead'

A Syrian cleric suspected of recruiting foreign militants to fight in Iraq has been shot dead in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, his aides have said.

Sheikh Mahmoud Abu al-Qaqaa was shot several times by a gunman as he left the Imam Mosque after Friday prayers.

The gunman tried to flee the scene of the shooting, but was chased by a crowd and later arrested, the aides said.

Correspondents say Abu al-Qaqaa was a charismatic Sunni cleric with thousands of radical Islamist followers in Syria.

His anti-American sermons attracted a wide audience after the US-led invasion in Iraq in 2003, and his reputation rapidly spread.

The BBC's Kim Ghattas, who has interviewed the sheikh, notes that assassinations are highly unusual in Syria.

She says there are a number of stories concerning why he was killed, some of them contradictory, but adds that he does appear to have been instrumental in channelling jihadis into Iraq.

After the shooting, one aide to the cleric told the Associated Press that "terrorists" had killed the sheikh, whose real name was Mahmoud Qul Aghassi, for his "nationalist positions".

Another aide, Sheikh Samir Abu Khashbeh, said the gunman had told him that he had killed the cleric "because he was an agent of the Americans".

"The one who carried out the assassination was a prisoner of the American forces in Iraq and had been released some time ago," Abu Khashbeh said. "He is known to us."

In June 2006, a group of militants killed while attempting to carry out an attack in the capital, Damascus, were found to be carrying CDs of sermons by Abu al-Qaqaa in which he called for US forces in the Middle East to be slaughtered "like cattle".

Afterwards, the sheikh denied he had called on Syrians to go to war in Iraq.

Others have claimed that Abu al-Qaqaa was an agent of the Syrian government, who was used to appease rising anti-American discontent amongst the country's Muslims and to keep the authorities informed of the activities of his fellow jihadists.

Abu al-Qaqaa is said to have kept a low profile in the last year since he was appointed head of a religious school by the Syrian government and he did not openly criticise the authorities.

The Syrian government has yet to make an official statement about the incident.

The French news service, AFP:

Imam shot dead at Syrian mosque

DAMASCUS (AFP) — The imam of a Syrian mosque who repeatedly called for holy war against US forces was shot dead after Friday prayers, witnesses and medical sources said.

Mahmud Gul Aghassi, also known as Abu Al-Qaaqaa, was killed by a gunman who stepped from a car and opened fire with an automatic weapon outside his mosque in the northern city of Aleppo, witnesses said.

The preacher was hit in the head and stomach and died some hours later in Aleppo's al Shaaba hospital, according to a medical source at the hospital. Three people with him were wounded in the attack.

Witnesses said one of his attackers was detained by the imam's followers.

Al-Qaaqaa was known for his anti-American views and recordings calling for holy war against US forces, and had set up a group which recruited young men to fight coalition forces in Iraq.

He had recently fallen foul of fellow jihadists, however, for allegedly colluding with the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad, and several extremist websites had called for his assassination.

Lebanon's Naharnet, very similar:

Fatah al-Islam's God Father Assassinated in Syria

The Reputed Mentor of Fatah al-Islam and other notorious Islamist terrorists operating in Lebanon and Iraq was gunned down in Syria Friday.

Mahmoud Gul Aghasi, a Kurd who goes by the name of Abu al-Qaaqaa, was killed by a gunman who stepped out of a car and opened fire at him from an automatic weapon as he walked out of a mosque in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo after Friday noon prayers, according to an Agence France Presse report attributed to witnesses and medical sources.

Aghasi was hit in the head and stomach and passed away a few hours later in Aleppo's al Shaaba hospital, according to a medical source at the hospital. Three people with him were wounded in the attack.

Witnesses said one of his attackers was detained by Aghasi's followers.

Al-Qaaqaa was known for his anti-American views and recordings calling for holy war against U.S. forces, and had set up a group which recruited young men to fight coalition forces in Iraq.

He had recently fallen foul of fellow jihadists, however, for allegedly colluding with the Syrian regime of President Bashar Assad, and several extremist websites had called for his assassination.

Al-Qaaqaa, according to reliable sources, was responsible for preaching the radical doctrine to Jihadi recruits at a camp in Syria before dispatching them to fight in Iraq, and most recently in Lebanon.

The sources said al-Qaaqaa was the God Father of Fatah al-Islam militants and their terrorist mastermind Shaker Abssi, who remains at large in north Lebanon after the army finished off his group in a 106-day battle in Nahr a-Bared on Set. 2.

And finally, a report from Iran's Press TV, which is very different:

US, Israeli hands in cleric's murder

Syria's Islamic institute, Qarba al-Sham, has accused the US and the Zionist Regime of assassinating their chief, Sheikh Abou al-Qaqa.

Mahmoud Qul Aghassi, known as Sheikh Abou al-Qaqa, a senior cleric, was shot dead by two assassins in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, after he emerged from the Friday prayers, which he had been leading.

"Aghassi didn't have any enemies. His only enemies were the United States and the Zionist Regime, against whom he called on his followers to assemble," Sheikh Samir Abu Khashbeh, one of the institute's authorities, said.

"The ones who carried out the assassination have been arrested by Syrian security forces, and preliminary research shows them to be connected with foreign states," Abu Khashbeh said. "They are known to us."

However, he did not release any information on the terrorists' identities.

A year ago, al-Arabia, a pro-west Saudi news channel, had accused Aghassi of supporting al-Qaeda and recruiting Syrian youths to travel to Iraq and fight US-led forces.

While pressing charges on al-Arabia for its false claims, the sheikh denied all accusations and stressed that he was against al-Qaeda actions.

Don't ask me.

I just report.

You decide.

Escalation: Secret War Against Iran Now Raging On Three Fronts

[Updated below]

Larisa Alexandrovna's most recent piece for Raw Story contains three connected stories, all on the same general theme, and it's a bit difficult to say which is the most important -- not only for me but apparently for the Raw Story editorial crew as well. This last bit is pure speculation on my part, but it would explain why the headline says "CIA running black propaganda operation against Iran, Syria and Lebanon, officials say" while the sub-head reads "Some intelligence sources more wary of covert Pentagon operations".

On the "covert terror ops being run from the Pentagon" angle, Larisa writes:

The Pentagon is continuing to conduct more aggressive “black” operations, approved by the National Security Council and the Office of the Vice President.

Current and former intelligence officials would not identify new specific covert programs running out of the Pentagon, though sources stressed these are far riskier and more truly covert operational activities against Iran than the activities of the CIA.

These operations started almost immediately after the Iraq war and have continued for several years. Because they can be considered part of a military operation, they are not subjects to the same requirements for Congressional authorization as the activities of the CIA.

The majority of these efforts to destabilize Iran through a covert war of aggression have been carried out by the Department of Defense, largely steered by the Office of the Vice President and by then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

Formerly known as the "crazies in the basement", these career prevaricators are still crazy ... but they have much nicer offices than they once did.

These activities have often been guided by the same individuals whose actions during Iran-Contra were the reason for a 1991 law on covert activities which for the first time clearly defined covert activities and how their oversight should be handled.

During Iran-Contra, the Reagan White House -– via the National Security Council -– sold weapons to Iran, an avowed enemy of the United States, and used the money to fund various terrorist and dissident groups, collectively called the Contras, to fight a proxy war against the government of Nicaragua.

Sources say that MEK has been used for intelligence collection, an activity which has traditionally fallen under the CIA. The administration also appears to be looking the other way as groups such as MEK commit acts of violence.

Intelligence sources interviewed for this article all expressed concern over the lack of attention to the Pentagon’s covert activities. Some believe illegal activities like those of the Iran-Contra days are now being hidden under the loophole of “traditional military activities” to avoid Congressional oversight.

Ain't that a good one? Congress has oversight privileges over the CIA but not over the Pentagon, so now they're running the most violent black ops out of the Pentagon in order to hide them from Congress -- and from us! And the Vice President, whose job technically consists of casting the deciding vote in the event of a tie in the Senate, is running covert terror ops in foreign countries! Wonderful stuff! It makes a fellow proud to be a Merkin!

On the black propaganda front, there's not much detail to be had, but here's some of it:

Iran is being targeted by the CIA's activities with a “pro-democracy” message, sources say, and the agency is supporting overt “pro-democracy” groups.

The program’s particulars are highly classified. Intelligence sources stress, however, that the groups being used are rather mainstream and the operations are almost entirely restricted to information warfare.

Sources would not identify what mechanism was being employed to distribute the propaganda, if it included news media, individuals or organizations, or whether that information was seeping back into domestic news reports.

One former intelligence case officer did explain that the CIA's program is operating largely outside of the Middle East and is aimed at identifying potential allies, as well as using already existing well known groups through whom information can be delivered. The type of “information” and the “groups” and “organizations” involved were not identified.

The third story involves clandestine and overt economic warfare being waged against Iran. Briefly:

The CIA “has been empowered to put economic pressure on Iran,” [a] former intelligence officer stated, but would not elaborate on what the meaning of “pressure” is.
...

Foreign intelligence sources say that economic pressure is aimed at Iran's oil-rich economy, with US efforts serving to “persuade” financial institutions, oil companies, and international investment interests to pull out of Iran and even drop already existing energy projects.

These sources cite the example of an unnamed company that is being denied financing for energy projects inside Iran by international banks, indicating that many more such examples exist.

Other possible forms of pressure would include less subtle activities, such as intercepting supply convoys and confiscating equipment.

And the crux of the matter is this: the USA is now waging a three-pronged mostly-covert war against Iran, none of which we are supposed to know about.

So move along, please ... quietly, now ... straight over to Raw Story for all the details!

UPDATE: Larisa spoke with Scott Horton on Antiwar Radio earlier today, and you can listen here.

Are We Already At War With Syria And Iran? Speculation Mounts

Steve Clemons: Did the President Declare "Secret War" Against Syria and Iran? via Larisa: Unitary Executive Meet High Crimes, High Crimes, Meet Unitary Executive

January 11, 2007

Washington intelligence, military and foreign policy circles are abuzz today with speculation that the President, yesterday or in recent days, sent a secret Executive Order to the Secretary of Defense and to the Director of the CIA to launch military operations against Syria and Iran.

The President may have started a new secret, informal war against Syria and Iran without the consent of Congress or any broad discussion with the country.

The bare outlines of that order may have appeared in President Bush's Address to the Nation last night outlining his new course on Iraq:

Succeeding in Iraq also requires defending its territorial integrity and stabilizing the region in the face of extremist challenges. This begins with addressing Iran and Syria. These two regimes are allowing terrorists and insurgents to use their territory to move in and out of Iraq. Iran is providing material support for attacks on American troops. We will disrupt the attacks on our forces. We'll interrupt the flow of support from Iran and Syria. And we will seek out and destroy the networks providing advanced weaponry and training to our enemies in Iraq.

We're also taking other steps to bolster the security of Iraq and protect American interests in the Middle East. I recently ordered the deployment of an additional carrier strike group to the region. We will expand intelligence-sharing and deploy Patriot air defense systems to reassure our friends and allies. We will work with the governments of Turkey and Iraq to help them resolve problems along their border. And we will work with others to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear weapons and dominating the region.

Adding fuel to the speculation is that U.S. forces today raided an Iranian Consulate in Arbil, Iraq and detained five Iranian staff members. Given that Iran showed little deference to the political sanctity of the US Embassy in Tehran 29 years ago, it would be ironic for Iran to hyperventilate much about the raid.

But what is disconcerting is that some are speculating that Bush has decided to heat up military engagement with Iran and Syria -- taking possible action within their borders, not just within Iraq.

Some are suggesting that the Consulate raid may have been designed to try and prompt a military response from Iran -- to generate a casus belli for further American action.

If this is the case, the debate about adding four brigades to Iraq is pathetic.

Pathetic indeed. What's going on?