'Secret US terror army kills enemies'

A US Special Operations Command exercise, Hurlburt Field, Florida (File photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/197167.html

A report says that US military has developed a secret army that is trained to assassinate perceived enemies anywhere in the world, particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The report, published by prominent US daily The Washington Post reveals that the American military has developed an organization called the Joint Special Operations Command, or J-SOC, which is tasked with killing, imprisoning and interrogating suspected terrorists around the world.

J-SOC holds terror suspects in jails under its own control and has reportedly carried out 10 times as many covert military operations as the CIA in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to the Post article published in its Friday edition.

US President Barack Obama has authorized the J-SOC to select individuals on its own terror list, and then to kill, rather than capture them.

Analysts widely believe that many of J-SOC's operations are akin to terror assassinations that are clearly in violation of US laws.

The clandestine organization has claimed responsibility for the assassination of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. It is estimated that the terror force has so far carried out over a thousand such operations.

The US has reportedly spent over USD 1 trillion of its taxpayers funds on the wars in imposed on Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001, using the suspicious September 11, 2001 terrorist incidents in New York and Washington as the pretext.

The US-led war in Afghanistan, with civilian and military casualties at record highs, has become the longest war in US history.

White House sued for 'targeted killings'

US President Barack Obama


Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/140669.html


The United States government faces legal action for ordering the assassination of American citizens, whom it accuses of terrorist links.

On Monday, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Constitutional Rights filed the lawsuit, protesting the death warrants including the one, signed by the country's President Barack Obama, against Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-born cleric, who is identified by the White House as an al-Qaeda leader, Reuters reported.

Al-Awlaki was born in New Mexico and spent years in Virginia, before moving to Yemen, where he is said to be currently staying.

The US recently accused him of being tied to a young Nigerian whom, Washington insisted, had been trained by alleged al-Qaeda militants in Yemen and unsuccessfully tried to bomb a US-bound plane on the Christmas Day. US authorities have also said al-Awlaki is linked to a US army major who killed 13 soldiers at Fort Hood in Texas last year.

Washington has authorized the Central Intelligence Agency, better known as CIA, to assassinate the cleric.

"A program that authorizes killing US citizens, without judicial oversight, due process or disclosed standards is unconstitutional, unlawful and un-American," Anthony Romero, executive director of the ACLU, said in a statement.

In taking the action, the bodies represented Nasser al-Awlaki, the cleric's father.

Citing the alleged militant presence, the US air force is said to have conducted several attacks on the Yemeni soil, reportedly leaving dozens of civilians dead.

In July, the clergyman reportedly painted a glum future for the Obama's efforts to establish a military foothold in Yemen.

"If George W. Bush is remembered as being the president who got America stuck in Afghanistan and Iraq, it's looking like Obama wants to be remembered as the president who got America stuck in Yemen," AP quoted him as saying in an audio message according.

US Rep. Dennis Kucinich has also presented a bill prohibiting the extrajudicial killings of Americans suspected of working with terrorist groups in direct response to the White House's order.

Rigi: US, Israel paid for assassination

Source: PressTV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=126963§ionid=351020101



Captured Jundallah leader Abdolmalek Rigi has said that while in Morocco, suspected Israeli or US agents had given him a list of people to assassinate in Tehran.

In a recent interview, Rigi told Press TV that before his arrest Jundallah had held a series of meetings in Casablanca with a group who had claimed to be NATO contacts.

"When we looked back at all the things that had happened we felt that two things were unclear. First, if they are from NATO why did they not meet with us in Afghanistan where they have bases and where they can contact us in a much more easy and secure manner," said Rigi.

"The second issue was that the first time they informed us that NATO forces wanted to meet with us we thought they were going to speak about eastern parts of Iran, because NATO forces are stationed in Afghanistan."

"But they insisted that we should transfer our operations from the eastern border region to the capital. We thought that this was very strange. When we thought about it we came to the conclusion that they are either Americans acting under NATO cover or Israelis," he added.

Rigi said the Israeli or US agents said they would provide him with a list of names, addresses, and photos of people who they had to assassinate in Tehran as well as any other equipment and explosives they may need to carry out their operations.

He further pointed out that they had promised him very high sums for the overall project as well as specific amounts for each assassination.

Iranian security forces arrested Rigi while he was onboard a flight from Dubai to Kyrgyzstan in late February.

Jundallah, which is based in Pakistan, has carried out numerous bombings, assassination attempts, and terrorist attacks in Iran, one of which killed at least 40 people in the southeastern city of Pishin.

After his arrest, the ringleader confessed that Western intelligence agencies supported his terror activities against Iran.

During the interview, Rigi also said that his activities were undoubtedly the result of "a mix of ignorance and hatred."