Manning US Army like child torturing ants with a magnifying glass’ (FULL LEAKED TESTIMONY)

Source: Russia Today

A speech freedom advocacy group has released audio of Bradley Manning’s testimony about his motives for leaking secret US government documents to WikiLeaks. It marks the first time the public has heard Manning's voice since his 2010 arrest.

Defying the military's ban on making recordings at Manning’s pre-trial tribunal at the military court at Fort Meade, the Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) has released Manning’s February account to the judge explaining why he exposed military secrets.

"We hope this recording will shed light on one of the most secret court trials in recent history, in which the government is putting on trial a concerned government employee whose only stated goal was to bring attention to what he viewed as serious governmental misconduct and criminal activity," the FPF said in a statement.

While unofficial transcripts of the statement are available, this is the first time anyone outside the court has heard Manning’s own explanation of how and why he gave the Apache helicopter video, Afghanistan and Iraq Wars Logs and State Department Diplomatic Cables to WikiLeaks

Freedom of the Press Foundation

Manning justifies his actions with a firm belief that what he identifies as US government wrongdoings need to be exposed in order to “spark a domestic debate on the role of the military and our foreign policy in general as it related to Iraq and Afghanistan.”

In the recording he goes on to accuse the army of “not valu[ing] human life," comparing servicemen "to a child torturing ants with a magnifying glass."

In regards to the “Collateral Murder” video, which shows US Apache helicopters opening fire on and killing civilians, including journalists, Manning said “the most alarming aspect of the video to me, however, was the seemingly delightful bloodlust they appeared to have.”

The attacks footage received worldwide coverage following the release of 39 minutes of classified cockpit gunsight material in 2010, starting the controversy surrounding WikiLeaks and its whistleblowing founder Julian Assange.

Because recording is prohibited at Manning’s hearings, the Pentagon is pursuing measures that would strengthen security and prevent information leaks from the trial.

Military judge Denise Lind, who is trying Manning’s case, has been informed by the Department of Defense that there was "a violation of the rules for the court," a spokesman said in a statement sent to AFP, and that the “US Army is currently reviewing the procedures set in place to safeguard the security and integrity of the legal proceedings and ensure PFC Manning receives a fair and impartial trial.”

Twenty-five-year-old Private First Class Manning has been held in US military custody following his arrest in May 2010. He has pleaded guilty to 10 of the 22 charges set against him. If convicted, he could face 20 years in jail. He is pending trial as the prosecution still intends to pursue the 12 remaining charges.

Collateral Murder - Bradley Manning Leaked Video Clip

US terror drones kill 35 in Yemen, Pakistan

A US Predator drone firing a Hellfire missile (file photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/230868.html

Thirty-five people have been killed in the latest non-UN-sanctioned US assassination drone strikes in Yemen and Pakistan.

On Friday, US drones fired several missiles targeting areas in Yemen's southeastern province of al-Bayda, killing 20 people, while 15 people were killed in attacks in Pakistan's northwestern tribal areas.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a local security official said that the number of casualties announced in the Jabra area of Yemen’s al-Bayda governorate was based on an initial security report from the targeted area.

The official added that more than two US drones were still striking several areas in three villages outside al-Bayda city.

In Pakistan, at least 15 people were killed and three were injured in the Shaktoi area of South Waziristan, which borders Afghanistan.

Some sources said missiles fired from the US aircraft landed on a vehicle, while others said they targeted a house.

Dozens of people have lost their lives in CIA-operated assassination drone attacks in Pakistan since the beginning of 2012.

Washington claims that its airstrikes target militants crossing the Afghanistan border, but local sources say civilians have been the main victims of the non-UN-sanctioned strikes.

Pakistanis have held many demonstrations to condemn the United States’ violations of their national sovereignty.

New bill to allow 30,000 drones to fill American skies by 2020

The US congress has passed a bill which will see 30,000 spy drones to fill US airspace by 2020.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/226010.html

The US Congress has passed a bill which approves government’s deployment of up to 30,000 spy drones in the country’s airspace by 2020, raising serious concerns about the ensuing privacy infringement.

The bill, which facilitates the government use of unmanned spy planes in US airspace, requires the Federal Aviation Administration to rush a plan to get as many drones in the air as possible within nine months.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act, which US President Barack Obama is expected to sign, also orders the FAA to develop regulations for the testing and licensing of commercial drones by 2015, The Washington Times reported.

Privacy advocates have protested that the measure will lead to the widespread use of drones for electronic surveillance by police agencies across the country and eventually by private companies as well.

“There are serious policy questions on the horizon about privacy and surveillance, by both government agencies and commercial entities,” said Steven Aftergood, who heads the Project on Government Secrecy at the Federation of American Scientists.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation also is “concerned about the implications for surveillance by government agencies,” said attorney Jennifer Lynch.

The provision in the legislation is the fruit of “a huge push by lawmakers and the defense sector to expand the use of drones” in American airspace, she added.

According to some estimates, the commercial drone market in the United States could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars once the FAA clears their use.

The US has been using the unmanned vehicles for its spy operations and assassination missions worldwide and the strikes have intensified since Obama took office three years ago.

Iraqi people celebrate US troops withdrawal

Iraqi demonstrators celebrate the withdrawal of the US troops from their country, January 19, 2012.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/225766.html

Iraqi people have held a massive demonstration in Iraq's capital, Baghdad, to celebrate the end of the US-led occupation of their country, Press TV reports.

Millions of Iraqis have gathered in Baghdad to express their joy over the withdrawal of US troops from their country.

At the beginning of the ceremony, influential Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said the West, particularly the United States, were “defeated” in Iraq.

Sadr added that Iraqis will no longer accept foreigners in their country because they can never bring security and stability for Iraq.

The US forces “humiliated people, destroyed homes and desecrated mosques” during their presence in Iraq, Sadr stated.

On January 19, Iraqi people also held a similar demonstration in the city of Najaf, south of Baghdad.

The last US military base was handed over to Iraqi officials on December 16, 2011 and the last convoy of US troops left the country for Kuwait two days later.

In his speech on Thursday, Sadr also called on Sunni and Shia Muslims in the country to stand united.

'No reason for US to retain military bases abroad'

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/224594.html

There is no logical reason for the United States to continue running military bases in foreign countries, a political analyst tells Press TV's US Desk.

Professor Jennifer Loewenstein, associate director of Middle East Studies Program at University of Wisconsin, told our channel on Thursday that she did not think that “the United States has any reason to continue operating 1,100 US military bases” overseas.

The United States is estimated to have from 700 to over 1000 military bases overseas, which range from small drone sites on foreign airfields to vast facilities, according to the Canadian newspaper, National Post.

People imprisoned in these bases “have not ever been rightly convicted,” Loewenstein noted, adding that they “are called terrorists without [people] knowing what their backgrounds are.”

She went on to say that Washington had no right to operate bases in other countries or use them for the purposes of detention, torture, execution, and carrying out covert military operations. “All of the reasons that we are there overseas are questionable.”

Journalists arrested by order of House Republicans

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/usdetail/224378.html

In a stunning break with First Amendment policy, House Republicans directed Capitol Hill police to detain a highly regarded documentary crew that was attempting to film a Wednesday hearing on a controversial natural gas procurement practice.

Republicans also denied the entrance of a credentialed ABC News news team that was attempting to film the event.

Josh Fox, director of the Academy Award-nominated documentary "Gasland" was taken into custody by Capitol Hill police this morning, along with his crew, after Republicans objected to their presence, according to Democratic sources present at the hearing. The meeting of the House Subcommittee on Energy and Environment had been taking place in room 2318 of the Rayburn building.

Approximately 16 officers entered the hearing room and handcuffed Fox amid audible discussions of "disorderly conduct" charges, according to Democratic sources present at the arrest.

"Gasland" received strong critical acclaim and takes a critical eye toward the practice of hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," a process in which several tons of highly pressurized water and chemicals are injected into the ground, allowing valuable natural gas to escape. The practice is decried by ecological experts for destroying ecosystems and polluting groundwater. The energy industry keeps the actual content of fracking chemicals secret.

Fox had hoped to film Wednesday's hearing for a follow-up to "Gasland." A colleague of Fox's at his production company was unable to comment on the morning's events, but HuffPost expects a statement soon.

Fox did not have formal Capitol Hill credentials, but such formalities are rarely enforced against high-profile journalists. Temporary passes are easy to obtain, and if Republicans had objected on procedural grounds, they could have simply sent the crew to the front desk, rather than ordering police to arrest journalists. The right to a free press is protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Documentary crews are almost never denied access to public meetings of elected government officials.

A separate ABC News crew, which did have official Capitol Hill credentials, was also denied access to the public hearing. Huffington Post

FACTS & FIGURES

The targeting of journalists covering the Occupy Wall Street movement has caused the United States to drop precipitously in a leading survey of press freedom. Reporters Without Borders was explicit in its summary of its report, saying that "the United States (47th) also owed its fall of 27 places to the many arrests of journalist covering Occupy Wall Street protests." Huffington Post

At 12:48 pm Wednesday, Sep 28, 2011, while working on a story about citizen journalism at the Occupy Wall Street protests in New York for PBS affiliate WNET Thirteen, John Farley was arrested, along with the demonstrators whose stories he was covering. bongboing.net

A reporter working for the NYT, Natasha Lennard, wrote to editors while covering #OccupyWallSt, "I'm being arrested." Lennard was arrested on the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday, October 1, 2011. storify.com

Kristen Gwynne, a staff member at AlterNet, was also arrested on the Brooklyn Bridge on October 1, 2011. storify.com

In the dark hours of November 15, the NYPD orchestrated a raid on the Occupy Wall Street encampment at Zuccotti Park on the orders of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Journalists soon began reporting on Twitter that they were being 'prevented from reporting about the police actions - and next, reports emerged of police harassment, abuse and even arrests. Ten journalists, some from the NPR, the Associated Press and the New York Daily News, were arrested. One journalist from the New York Post was put in a choke hold. care2.com

30 journalists were arrested at the Occupy Wall Street protests on Dec. 01, 2011 including some at the police raids on Occupy LA and Occupy Philly. The arrests occurred in 10 cities, including Atlanta, Boston, Chapel Hill, New York City, Oakland and Richmond. storify.com

On Dec. 01, 2011, Free Press delivered a petition with more than 40,000 signatures to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa, president of the United States Conference of Mayors. The petition called on U.S. mayors to protect First Amendment rights and to protect journalists covering the Occupy movement. storify.com

Obama concedes use of drones in Iraq

A US Predator unmanned drone armed with a missile sitting on the tarmac of Kandahar military airport on June 13, 2010.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/224060.html

US President Barack Obama has acknowledged Washington's unauthorized surveillance drone operations in Iraq where the un-mandated move has sparked outrage among senior Iraqi officials and the public.

"The truth is we're not engaging in a bunch of drone attacks inside Iraq. There's some surveillance to make sure that our embassy compound is protected," said Obama in a chat with web users on Google+ and YouTube on Monday.

The confirmation came after The New York Times disclosed that the US State Department began operating some drones in Iraq last year on a trial basis to help protect the US embassy and that it stepped up their use after the last US troops left the country in December.

The report has infuriated senior Iraqi officials who say Washington must respect the country's sovereignty and consult with the government in Baghdad before carrying out any operations now that “the war is over.”

"I think that there's this perception that we're just sending in a whole bunch of strikes, willy nilly," Obama said, adding, "It is important for everybody to understand that this is kept on a very tight leash."

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland also claimed that her department uses unmanned aerial vehicles to take pictures of US facilities and personnel abroad.

Meanwhile, The Times said that senior Iraqi officials told the newspaper that the US had not consulted with Iraqi government about the drone operations and that despite the official US withdrawal from Iraq, it maintains a strong presence in the country.

The daily added that since getting the approval for using surveillance drone aircraft over Iraq might be hard, given the political tensions between the two countries, the US continues drone operations in the country without a formal approval from Iraq.

It also said that Washington plans to take bids for the management of drone operations in Iraq over the next five years.

US court challenges Obama's presidency

A US court has tossed out a lawsuit challenging President Barack Hussein Obama's US citizenship and his eligibility to serve as president.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/222996.html

After nearly a full-term in office, US President Barack Obama's eligibility for presidency is being challenged as an Atlanta court has summoned him.

A Georgia judge has ordered President Obama to appear in court on Thursday for a hearing on a complaint that says Obama cannot be president as he is not a natural-born US citizen. It is, however, unclear whether a court could force a sitting president to appear in court.

California attorney Orly Taitz has filed the lawsuit which is challenging the presence of Obama's name on the March presidential primary ballot.

Taitz says she has been working on the case over the last three years.

“This will be 100 times bigger than Watergate,” she said referring to the 1970s political scandal that brought down former US President Richard Nixon adding, “There are high ranking judges and federal officials who are involved in this cover up. The ramifications of this trial will be enormous.”

Although Taitz said that she knew the president's legal team would fight his appearance in the Georgia court, she went on to say that, “If he [Obama] is appealing this decision, then he looks guilty. The whole nation understands this man is a fraud.”

Taitz's lawsuit is one of many such lawsuits filed nationwide against the president. Yet Obama campaign officials say such claims have no merit.

The Georgia judge has denied a motion by Obama's lawyer to nullify a subpoena that requires Obama to show up.

The allegations against Obama come as primaries and caucuses are scheduled to be held over the next few months in every US state to vote on the Republican Party competitors before a final nominee is elected at the party convention in August to challenge President Obama in the 2012 elections.

Obama stresses US allegiance to Israel

US President Barack Obama delivers his State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress on January 24, 2012 in Washington, DC.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/222985.html

US President Barack Obama has stressed Washington's military collaboration with Israel in his State of the Union address.

In his election-year State of the Union address on Tuesday, the US president spoke of the country's alliances across the globe, mentioning its 'oldest alliances in Europe and Asia' and its 'deeper ties to the Americas.'

In his speech to the US congress, Obama also highlighted the US loyalty to Israel, saying “Our ironclad commitment -- and I mean ironclad -- to Israel's security has meant the closest military cooperation between our two countries in history.”

Obama's comments come amid repeated threats from the United States and Israel of the "option" of a military strike against Tehran based on the allegation, championed by Washington, Tel Aviv, and their allies, that Iran's nuclear activities may consist of a covert military agenda.

Iran has refuted the allegations, saying as a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, it has the right to develop and acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

Amid the harshly-toned and increasing Western allegations against Iran, analysts have questioned the West's continued refusal to consider Israel's aggressive military agenda to be a threat against Iran.

Iranian officials have reacted strongly to the American and Israeli war rhetoric, saying that the Islamic Republic will deliver a crushing response to any military strike against the country.

How US Leviathan shrinks freedoms

A view of the White House, the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/221505.html

A major American daily highlighted numerous Washington policies adopted since September 11, 2001 that severely reduce civil liberties in the name of national security.

The article, published in the January 14 edition of the Washington Post blasts the annual US government reports that censure rights abuses in other countries, and lists 10 recent US laws that seriously undermine individual rights and freedoms, most notably the recent National Defense Authorization Act, signed by President Barack Obama on December 31, 2011, allowing for the indefinite detention of citizens.

According to the article, US intelligence and judicial procedures have introduced over the past ten years laws and regulations that grant Washington the authority to openly undermine the very principle of liberty in the country and abuse civil liberties that have long served as America's pretexts to launch human rights publicity campaigns against its perceived foes.

Assassination of US citizens

President Barack Obama has extended former President George W. Bush's order to kill "any citizen considered a terrorist or an abettor of terrorism." The killing of Anwar al-Awlaki last year is the latest example of a US citizen falling victim to the practice.

Indefinite detentions

Earlier, Washington signed a practice into law that allows for the incarceration of 'terrorism suspects' by the military forces or upon a presidential order without a trial. Despite wide criticisms against the practice, the White House insists that it will oppose efforts to challenge such authority in federal courts.

Arbitrary justice

Obama maintains the Bush-initiated practice of deciding whether a person should stand trial in the federal courts or in a military tribunal. This is while the system is being widely 'ridiculed' across the world for its lack of basic due process protections.

Warrantless searches

The US president has acquired a sweeping power to order surveillances without justification, including the authority to order companies and organizations to provide the government with information on citizens and conduct searches of everything from business documents to library records.

Secret evidence

The US government has officially made itself entitled to resort to 'secret evidence' to detain individuals and use such evidence in federal and military courts.

It has also used 'national security' as the pretext to dismiss the cases against the United States, contending that the government cannot reveal classified information even to the affected party.

Secret court

The government has extended the scope of its authority to use the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to bring the individuals deemed to be aiding or abetting hostile foreign governments or organizations to trial.

The powers also allow for secret searches of individuals who are not part of an identifiable terrorist group.

War crimes

The Obama administration has insisted that it would not allow the CIA employees to be investigated or prosecuted for waterboarding terrorism suspects during the Bush administration.

The current administration has also reportedly urged foreign governments not to allow any investigation into the war crimes by Bush officials to proceed in their respective countries.

Immunity from judicial review

Both the Bush and Obama administrations have pushed for immunity for companies that conduct warrantless surveillance of citizens. The efforts have deprived the American citizens of their right to challenge the violation of their privacy.

Continual monitoring of citizens

The White House has succeeded to assert its claim that it is authorized to employ GPS devices to monitor all the activities of targeted citizens without a need for court order or review.

Extraordinary renditions

The US government has made itself authorized to transfer both US citizens and noncitizens to a third party country to avoid the legal consequences of torture on American soil. The practice is called by critics as "torture by proxy."

On September 11, 2001, a series of coordinated attacks were carried out in the United States, leaving almost 3,000 people dead.

Many American individuals and organizations still question the official line on what exactly happened on 9/11. Many of them believe that the attacks were either partly or entirely an inside job.

The US, under the Bush administration, invaded Afghanistan in 2001 after claiming that the 9/11 attacks were carried out by members of al-Qaeda harbored by the then Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

The US also attacked Iraq in 2003 claiming that the Middle Eastern country was in possession of weapons of mass destruction; however, after invading the country, the claim proved to have been baseless.

US deploys 15,000 troops in Kuwait

US troops in Kuwait. (File photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/221028.html

As the United States continues its threats of war against Iran, its Department of Defense has recently dispatched some 15,000 troops to neighboring Kuwait.

Late last year, Marine General James Mattis quietly won the White House's approval for the deployment into the small nation which is separated from Iran by a narrow stretch of the Persian Gulf.

Mattis says the deployment aims to keep Iran in check and keep the US prepared for threats in the region.

The latest deployment adds to the strong presence of US-led troops in the region in countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq.

Although weeks have passed since the US vacated its troops from Iraq, it still has advanced presence in the area through its embassy in Baghdad, where thousands of armed military contractors are still being employed.

Also late last year, the US equipped neighboring United Emirates with advanced weaponry aimed at disrupting underground nuclear activities.

Meanwhile, the Iranian Army downed a US reconnaissance drone which had crossed over into Iran's airspace near its border with neighboring Afghanistan.

The US, Israel and their allies accuse Tehran of pursuing a military nuclear program and have used this allegation as a pretext to sway the UNSC to impose four rounds of sanctions on Iran.

Based on these accusations, they have also repeatedly threatened Tehran with the "option" of a military strike.

US to pull out 7,000 soldiers from Europe

US soldiers in Europe (file photo).

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/220826.html

The United States plans to withdraw about 7,000 US troops as part of its new 10-year defense strategy giving strategic priority to the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions.

US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said two brigade combat teams, roughly 7,000 US troops, of the 81,000 troops based in Europe will be withdrawn from the continent.

"The Secretary and other senior Department officials have consulted closely with our European allies on our new strategic guidance," said Pentagon spokesman George Little, adding that "Our security commitments to Europe and to NATO are unwavering."

The new US defense strategy comes at a time when the US economy is facing a national debt of more than $15 trillion after a decade of costly wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and is preparing for 487 billion dollars in defense cuts over the next 10 years.

On January 5, US President Barack Obama announced the shift in Washington's defense strategy to reduce the expenses. He said reductions will not be arbitrary, linear or unilateral and that the defense budget would be spent in accordance with strategic needs.

Panetta said that the US will continue to maintain its presence “both in the Middle East and Asia."

"Yes, we'll have the Navy and the Air Force, but in my experience, in any conflict you need to have the potential use of ground forces."

The United States is concentrating its military might in Asia as it is alarmed over China's growing navy and arsenal of anti-ship missiles that could threaten America's military supremacy in the Pacific.

Meanwhile Britain has warned that Russia is also not overlooked in the US shift of position to Asia, describing the US as an 'unpredictable force on the global stage'.

US troops defile dead Afghans on camera

Source: Russia Today
http://rt.com/usa/news/us-afghan-urinate-military-571/





An eye-opening video clip that made it online Wednesday may cause a scandal on par with what erupted with the Abu Ghraib photographs of 2004. Now US Marines have been caught on film - urinating on dead Afghans.

A 40-second excerpt of the clip has managed to made its web to the Web and in it viewers can watch four US Marines on patrol in Afghanistan allegedly urinating on the corpses of deceased Afghan men. It is unclear of the victims’ identities in this incident, but according to a note included with the uploaded file, the US servicemen were members of the Marine Scout Sniper Team 4 and the 3rd Battalion 2nd Marines from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The group was dispatched to the northern Helmand Province in Afghanistan during the summer of 2011.



Ten years after beginning military operations in Afghanistan, the US military still maintains an active presence there, making it the longest continuous war in American history. President Obama has vowed to bring back troops in full by 2014, but this event could cause widespread outrage against the military operation, with the latest incident increasing tensions unmatched since the Abu Ghraib scandal of years’ past.

Earlier in the War on Terror, American troops were caught grossly mishandling prisoners at the Abu Ghraib detention facility in Baghdad, Iraq, humiliating, injuring and subjecting them to clearly inhumane conditions that resulted in at least one death. Nearly eight years later, the event and the photographs and videos to come out of it are among the most notorious notches in terms of America’s inability to control its own military in the policing of the world.

In the Abu Ghraib incidents, US troops were revealed to torture and chastise prisoners who were serving as living detainees with the institute’s walls. In the latest clip, however, Americans are shown not just disrespecting the alleged enemy, but failing to honor those that lost their lives in the name of war.

One of the American servicemen is heard in the clip announcing, “Have a great day, buddy,” while he relieves himself on the body of a slain Afghan. “Golden like a shower” snickers another.



Three slain Afghans lay bloodied while American servicemen urinate on their bodies.

According to Camp Lejeune’s official US military website, its mission is “to maintain combat-ready units for expeditionary deployment.” In October 2011, the Marine Corps finished a $20 million investment in Camp Lejeune, in turn transitioning the facility into a 32,000-square-foot recreation of Afghan turf.

"In the Marine Corps, we call this graduate-level training," Col. Dan Lecce, commander of the camp, told the News & Observer back then. Now, however, the US Marine Corps will investigate how the troops got away with this despicable act and try to nip the blowback in the bud before tensions between the US and Afghanistan worsen anymore.

While the exact identities of the victims are not known at this time, the three corpses are clad in civilian clothes, not military uniforms. One man, who seems to be the youngest of the pack, is donned in a blood-soaked shirt. The group is laid out in clear terrain sheltered by bushes an adjacent to a wheelbarrow, which could mean that the men were ambushed while participating in civilian activity.

After the video went viral Wednesday, authorities have responded with a quick rebuttal. "While we have not yet verified the origin or authenticity of this video, the actions portrayed are not consistent with our core values and are not indicative of the character of the Marines in our Corps.”

On YouTube, one viewer of the clip writes, “Thanks fellas, you just pissed away everything me and my boys fought for.”

An early 2010 incident in which a gang of US troops opened fire and killed Afghan civilians landed charges for at least four of them. Although they have admitted guilt in the so-called “thrill kill” massacre, Staff Sergeant Calvin Gibbs could be free in as soon as 10 years despite being found guilty of 15 counts, including three charges of premeditated murder.

Only one month ago, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told troops at the US base in Pakika province that the war in Afghanistan "has been a difficult and complicated relationship . . . but it is an important relationship, and it is one that we have to continue to work at.”

Top ten US military violations

Picture of a US Navy vessel passing the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor (file photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/220563.html

A political analyst says the US is the biggest violator of the self-written treaty that makes war unlawful unless attacked by another nation.

Before enumerating the most unlawful US wars in history, Carl Herman urges the American military and/or law enforcement to arrest the current American war criminals and prevent Washington from launching another war.

“The basis of law provides US military and all with Oaths to defend the US Constitution to refuse unlawful orders and act to arrest those who issue them,” Herman said.

1. The US has regularly violated treaties with Native Americans, as well as manipulating their meaning for the purpose of stealing their land.

2. In 1848, US President James Polk lied to Congress to start a war with Mexico, despite Abraham Lincoln's crystal-clear explanation as a member of Congress that the Adams-Onis Treaty placed the "border dispute" 400 miles within land forever promised to Mexico and forever promised as outside any US claim.

3. The US violated a treaty with Hawaii and stole their country in 1898.

4. The US entered in the First World War I on the basis that nothing should threatens America's national security and imprisoned the 3rd party Presidential candidates for questioning the war.

5. In the covert “Operation Ajax” the CIA overthrew the elected Iranian government led by Dr. Mohammad Mosaddegh and installed a US-friendly brutal dictator. When that dictator was overthrown and Iran refused another, the US aided Iraq to unlawfully attack Iran from 1980-1988, killing up to a million Iranians.

6. The Vietnam War occurred after the US allowed the cancellation of an election to unify the South Vietnam with North Vietnam.

7. The US reneged on promises of freedom after the Spanish American War to impose its rule on the Philippines and install US-friendly dictators in Cuba.

8. The US and NATO promoted the war in Kosovo based on short-term military and casualty reports that were later found highly inaccurate.

9. After the September 11 attacks, the US army with the help of NATO invaded Afghanistan under the pretext of combating terrorism and locating Osama Bin Laden, which is now the longest military conflict in US history.

10. The entire world now knows that all “reasons” for war with Iraq were known to be false as they were told, according to Congressional reports.

Herman says that the "reasons" for war with Iran are as false as the "reasons" for war with Iraq and warns American to beware of another so called “defensive” war under false pretexts.

Arrest US war thugs to stop Iran war

File Photo showing US aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis. The Pentagon said on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2012 that American warships will continue regularly scheduled deployments to the strategic waterway.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/219984.html

A political analyst says the US military and/or law enforcement must arrest the current war criminals to prevent Washington from launching another “lie-started and unlawful war” on Iran.

“The basis of law provides US military and all with Oaths to defend the US Constitution to refuse unlawful orders and act to arrest those who issue them,” Carl Herman wrote on Global Research.

“If not, it will repeat by mass-murdering Iranians, and more ignorant/gullible US soldiers.”

Washington and Tel Aviv have repeatedly threatened Tehran with the "option" of a military strike, based on the allegation that Iran's nuclear work may consist of a covert military aspect.

Iran, however, has refuted the allegations, saying that as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it has the right to develop and acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

Herman said the pretexts that Washington is putting forward to launch a military strike on Iran are “as false as the 'reasons' for war with Iraq,” where the US failed to find any Weapons of Mass Destruction, the cornerstone of its argument for the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

“'All of Iran's nuclear material is fully accounted for peaceful and legal use for energy and medicine,” he stressed.

On December 26, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey said the US military is ready to launch a military strike against Iran, if occasion necessitates.

"We are examining a range of options. I'm satisfied that the options that we are developing are evolving to a point that they would be executable if necessary," Dempsey said.

Dempsey's warmongering tirades came hot on the heels of the equally aggressive remarks by US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta that "no options were off the table" regarding Iran's nuclear program.

Meanwhile, the Israeli officials have also recently stepped up their war rhetoric against Iran. On November 21, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned the "time has come" to deal with Iran.

Israeli President Shimon Peres also threatened on November 6 that an attack against Iran is becoming "more and more likely."

Iranian officials have promised a crushing response to any military strike against the country, warning that any such measure could result in a war that would spread beyond the Middle East.

“Beware a false flag attack by the US or Israel to blame on Iran as pretext for another 'defensive' war,” Herman concluded.

'US rebreeding dogs of war on Iran'

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/220047.html

The US is trying to “recalibrate a comprehensive plan to topple the Islamic government of Iran” as it is to be understood from Washington's efforts to redefine its war in Iraq and its push to disintegrate the Syrian regime, a political expert tells Press TV.

Ismail Salami, author and Middle East expert, wrote in an article published on Press TV on Friday that the recent massacres in Iraq and Syria indicated that “Washington has adamantly trodden on a path” to reengineer its war plan on Iran.

On December 22, 2011, multiple bomb explosions happened simultaneously in Baghdad, claiming the lives of tens of innocent civilians. Another series of explosions targeted Shia Muslim pilgrims across Iraq on January 6, killing at least 71 people.

“Most of the explosions which targeted the Shia Muslims are maliciously meant to inspire the feeling and doubt that it is a matter of sectarian violence, a plot devised by the US and its allies to justify that the Iraqi politicians are intent to provoke a 'communal bloodletting' which is gradually tearing the country asunder,” Salami noted.

He said that, having applied the disingenuous means, Washington was taking advantage of the tension in the country to send a message that the Iraqi government was not capable of maintaining the country's security and stability.

The Iranian author said the US fostering chaos in Iraq was, among other things, motivated by its desire “to devolve the war it lost to the care of the Saudi-backed Wahhabis, al-Qaeda members and Baathists who intensely champion and practice extremism, fanaticism and terrorism to the best interests of Washington. The pernicious trio, who work under the aegis of the CIA and Mossad, help tilt the scale in favor of insecurity, instability and division in the strategic Middle East region.”

He then mentioned two recent terrorist attacks in Syria and said, “In parallel with the same fiendish practice, Washington has hired Saudi-funded mercenaries to orchestrate a selfsame scenario with more devastating consequences in Syria e.g. the toppling of the popular anti-Israeli government, eliminating one of the main Iranian allies and muscularizing the Zionist regime in the region.”

On Friday, January 6, an unknown attacker detonated explosives at a traffic light in the densely-populated neighborhood of al-Midan in the Syrian capital, Damascus, killing at least 25 people, mostly civilians, and injuring dozens of others. Another terrorist attack of this nature had happened about two weeks ago, when two bombings killed at least 44 people outside Syrian intelligence buildings.

The Iranian expert argued that the United States had enough reason to fuel violence in Syria since Arab League observers have announced that there is nothing 'frightening' in the western Syria city of Homs, which had been reported to be the scene of extreme brutality allegedly waged by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's security forces.

He further reminded that the current popular uprisings against US-installed rulers have reduced the influence and power of Washington and Tel Aviv in the region.

“The truth is that the US is already destabilizing the Middle East region single-handedly and conducing to a regional crisis.”

He clarified that Washington was, meanwhile, trying to downplay the “constructive and peaceful role” played by Iran in the region and pin all the blame for the region's insecurity on the Islamic Republic.

Taking into account the United States concurrent and increasing warlike rhetoric against Iran and unrelenting efforts to demonize Tehran, particularly over its civilian nuclear program, it is clear that the hawks in the White House “have no intention other than launching a military strike against the country and consequently turning the Middle East into a graveyard and reaping the benefit of their ill intentions,” Salami asserted.

“Violence breeds violence. With crisis brewing in the region, Washington will be better able to fish in troubled waters, fulfill their long-cherished dream of exercising control over the Middle East by eliminating Iran which still stands tall in the face of threats,” the Iranian political analyst stated.

“Iran is not Afghanistan; nor is it Iraq. Iran is a country with a super powerful military, many aspects of which are not yet known to Washington. So, the US hawks had better think twice before putting their diabolically expansionist plans into practice or else they will soon realize on what miscalculated, misguided, and misinterpreted grounds they had built their presumptions about Iran.”

Obama launches Bureau of Counterterrorism

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/usdetail/219809.html

President Obama's State Department has announced the creation of the Bureau of Counterterrorism, which will coordinate with United States entities such as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and foreign governments to develop civilian counterterrorism strategies and operations.

"The mission of the new bureau will be to lead the [State] Department in the U.S. government's effort to counter terrorism abroad and to secure the United States against foreign terrorist threats," Ambassador Dan Benjamin told reporters.

"The bureau will lead in supporting U.S. counterterrorism diplomacy and seek to strengthen homeland security, countering violent extremism, and build the capacity of partner nations to deal effectively with terrorism." Washington Examiner

HIGHLIGHTS

The bureau is new only in nominal terms, and has essentially been operating as the Office of the Coordinator for Counter-terrorism for awhile now, with Benjamin at the head. Moving from an office to a bureau is generally seen as an upgrade. Antiwar

The bureau will focus on foreign terrorists, but their activities have some bearing on domestic security. It collaborates with "the Department of Homeland Security to work jointly to stop terrorist travel, to improve aviation security," for instance, but will focus more on "the bilateral kind of diplomacy that we do with others on a number of different issues, whether it has to do with how we reduce the space that terrorist groups have to fundraise, [or] to operate," Benjamin explained. Washington Examiner

As part of the State Department the bureau's specific purview would seem to be diplomatic, but when pressed over exactly what the bureau will do Benjamin provided a long but largely content-free description. Antiwar

“The establishment of the bureau in many ways is a confirmation or ratification of the things that we have been doing increasingly in recent years,” Benjamin insisted, adding that the bureau would “fund other agencies of the U.S. government to send their experts out to countries around the world.” Antiwar

FACTS & FIGURES

The U.S. began jailing suspects in 2002, creating an interrogation program from scratch to deal with so-called "high value detainees" of the war on terror.

The CIA operated its detention system under a series of secret legal opinions by CIA and Justice Department lawyers. Those rules provided a legal basis for the harsh interrogation techniques, including waterboarding. NY Times

Rendition began to be used regularly under President Bill Clinton and its use expanded rapidly under President Bush after the terrorist attacks in September 2001. NY Times

Human Rights Watch has stated that the principle of “command responsibility” could make high-ranking officials within the Bush administration guilty of war crimes. hrw.org

Human Rights First has reported that the United States is holding suspects in more than two dozen detention centers around the world. pubrecord.org

Some 27,000 detainees are suspected to have been held by the U.S in secret prisons around the world including in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Island of Diego Garcia (Indian Ocean), Jordan and aboard U.S. amphibious assault ships. ufppc.org

Obama inks controversial defense bill

US President Barack Obama

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/218751.html

US President Barack Obama has signed a bill into law that expands the US military authority over terrorist suspects, denying US citizens their constitutional rights.

The National Defense Authorization Act provides USD 662 billion in funding for military spending, including military pay raises, weapon system and funding for the war in Afghanistan in 2012.

The measure, which passed by wide majority in Congress, says the US military has the power to detain terrorist suspects without trial for as long as the so-called US global anti-terror campaign is waged.

The bill contains several provisions that rights groups and advocates have vehemently opposed, arguing that they could allow indefinite detention and interrogation of US citizens and non-citizens suspected of being linked to terrorism and deny them legal rights protected by the constitution.

In a statement accompanying his signature, the US president expressed “serious reservations” about provisions related to the detention and interrogation of suspected terrorists, saying that he might not strictly follow certain requirements spelled out in the new law.

“My administration will interpret and implement the provisions … in a manner that best preserves the flexibility on which our safety depends and upholds the values on which this country was founded," Obama said.

"I want to clarify that my Administration will not authorize the indefinite military detention without trial of American citizens," Obama said. “Indeed, I believe that doing so would break with our most important traditions and values as a nation.”

The bill also bans the use of government money to transfer Guantanamo Bay detainees to the United States, again in an attempt to force the administration to try them in military rather than civil courts.

The White House initially threatened to veto the legislation, but it dropped the warning after Congress made last-minute changes.

Kenneth Roth, the executive director of Human Rights Watch, said “by signing this defense spending bill, President Obama will go down in history as the president who enshrined indefinite detention without trial in US law.”

Obama signs new Iran sanctions

US President Barak Obama

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/218756.html

US President Barak Obama has signed into law fresh economic sanctions against Iran's Central Bank in an apparent bid to punish foreign companies and banks that do business with the Iranian financial institution.

The bill, signed on Saturday, requires foreign financial firms to make a choice between doing business with Iran's Central Bank and oil sector or with the US financial sector.

The legislation will not go into effect for six months in a bid to provide oil markets with time to adjust.

It also includes a "waiver," allowing the president to suspend the sanctions in case he decides that the anti-Iran attempt will adversely impact national security interests of the US.

The inclusion of the “waiver” in the bill reflects major concerns among American lawmakers that the bullying approach of the US against the Islamic Republic will backfire across the globe.

Meanwhile, energy experts say the sanctions could lead to a major hike in crude oil prices and disrupt the interests of the US and its allies that depend on oil imports from Iran.

The United States has already barred its own banks from dealing with the Iranian Central Bank. Thus, the new US sanctions are intended to dissuade other foreign banks from doing transactions with Iran's Central Bank by threatening to cut off their access to US financial institutions.

Facing major economic troubles, the United States is reportedly the world's largest debtor nation.

The sovereign debts of the US government to foreign states and institutions reached USD 15 trillion at the end of 2011. With the steady accumulation of interest on the huge debt, there is serious skepticism about the US ability to pay it off.

A number of economic experts believe that US government will soon face bankruptcy and American citizens will have to endure more severe financial crisis in the years ahead.

US sanctions, as well as unilateral embargoes imposed on Iran's energy and financial sectors by Britain and Canada came after the International Atomic Energy Agency issued a report on Iranian nuclear program early November, accusing Tehran of seeking to weaponize its nuclear technology.

Despite the widely publicized claims by the US, Israel and some of their European allies that Iran's nuclear program may include a military diversion, Iran steadfastly insists on its civilian nature, arguing that as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it has the right to develop and acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

Iran hails US pullout from Iraq

Iraqis wave their national flag during a celebration marking the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq in Baghdad's Adhamiyah neighborhood on December 30, 2011

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/218755.html

Iran's Foreign Ministry has hailed the end to US military occupation of Iraq as a great political triumph for the Iraqi nation and government.

“Through the years of foreign military presence, Iraq was faced with major political and security challenges,” said Iran's Foreign Ministry in a statement released on Sunday.

The statement added that Iraq was able to safely navigate through a plot to wage civil and tribal war in the Muslim country due to a national resolve and the accurate understanding that Iraqi political and religious leaders maintained about the sensitive nature of regional and international developments.

Iran once again expressed its readiness to continue with the constructive role it has been playing in Iraq by supporting the political process in the country and offering material and technical assistance in the nation's reconstruction effort.

December 31 marked the termination of a nearly nine-year US military invasion and occupation of Iraq in accordance with the Status of Forces Agreement signed by Baghdad and Washington during the administration of former president of the United States, George W. Bush.

“I declare this day, the 31st of December, on which the withdrawal of foreign forces from Iraq is complete, as a national day,” said Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Saturday.

Despite the withdrawal, however, some 8,000 US troops have remained in the country's northern Kurdistan region, reports say.

Along with the American troops, some 14 warplanes, 125 helicopters and 28 US drones continue to remain in the country's northern region.

In addition, US President Barack Obama has vowed to maintain what he has described as a robust diplomatic presence in Iraq that includes a large number of armed security guards.