Barack Obama deploys US special forces to central Africa

Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens for Legitimate Government
14 Oct 2011 - Late Edition
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Barack Obama deploys US special forces to central Africa 14 Oct 2011 President Barack Obama on Friday announced he was sending 100 combat troops to central Africa to advise forces aiming to hunt down the Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army, which stands accused of gross human rights abuses over the course of two decades. In a letter to Congress, Mr Obama said: "These forces will act as advisers to partner forces that have the goal of removing from the battlefield Joseph Kony and other senior leadership of the LRA." In an attempt to head off criticism from his war-weary country, Mr Obama stressed that the American troops would not act independently and would only fire on LRA forces "in self-defence".

206 NATO troops poisoned in Afghanistan 14 Oct 2011 NATO has confirmed that at least 206 troops working with the US-led military alliance have been poisoned near Mazar Sharif, capital of the northern Afghan province of Balkh, Press TV reports. The NATO-led International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) said the soldiers fell ill after dining in Camp Marmal near Mazar Sharif late Wednesday, a Press TV correspondent reported on Friday. About 138 of the victims are German while the rest are from other NATO countries engaged in the Afghan war.

US drone strike kills 78 in Somalia 14 Oct 2011 An attack by a US unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has killed at least 78 people and injured 64 others in southern Somalia, Press TV reports. The Friday attack took place near Qooqani town located in southern Somalia, a Press TV correspondent reported. In a different incident on Friday, another US drone attack killed 11 civilians and wounded 34 more in Hoosingow district in the south of the country. Somalia is the sixth country where the US military has conducted drone strikes.

FBI Account of "Terror Plot" Suggests Sting Operation By Gareth Porter 13 Oct 2011 While the administration of Barack Obama vows to hold the Iranian government "accountable" for the alleged plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington, the legal document describing evidence in the case provides multiple indications that it was mainly the result of an FBI "sting" operation. Although the legal document, called an amended criminal complaint, implicates Iranian-American Manssor Arbabsiar and his cousin Ali Gholam Shakuri, an officer in the Iranian Quds Force, in a plan to assassinate Saudi Arabian Ambassador Adel al-Jubeir, it also suggests that the idea originated with and was strongly pushed by a undercover DEA informant, at the direction of the FBI. On May 24, when Arbabsiar first met with the DEA informant he thought was part of a Mexican drug cartel, it was not to hire a hit squad to kill the ambassador. Rather, there is reason to believe that the main purpose was to arrange a deal to sell large amounts of opium from Afghanistan .

Washington and Iran: The reckless policy of provocation By Bill Van Auken 14 Oct 2011 At a White House press conference Thursday, President Barack Obama said his administration would make Iran "pay a price" for an alleged plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States... The remarks signaled Washington's decision to utilize this bizarre incident, about which there are far more questions than answers, as a pretext for escalating tension with Iran to the point of saber-rattling threats of war. The more that emerges about the purported Iranian "terrorist plot" to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States, the more it appears to be a crude concoction by elements of the American state apparatus to blackguard Iran and create the pretext for an escalation of US aggression.

U.S. deaths in drone strike due to miscommunication, report says --The Pentagon says Marines in Afghanistan and the crew controlling the drone in Nevada were unaware analysts watching the firefight via live video in Indiana had doubts about the targets' identity. 14 Oct 2011 A Marine and a Navy medic killed by a U.S. drone airstrike were targeted when Marine commanders in Afghanistan mistook them for Taliban fighters, even though analysts watching the Predator's video feed were uncertain whether the men were part of an enemy force. Those are the findings of a Pentagon investigation of the first known case of friendly fire deaths involving an unmanned aircraft, the April 6 attack that killed Marine Staff Sgt. Jeremy Smith, 26, and Navy Hospitalman Benjamin D. Rast, 23.

Jessica Lynch's Rescue Soldier Accused of Sex Assault 14 Oct 2011 A male nurse who helped rescue soldier Jessica Lynch from Iraq in 2003 was arrested and charged with two counts of sexual battery against hospital patients in Florida. Shean Galvin, a former Air Force Reserves captain, was the flight nurse and medical director on the evacuation flight of Lynch, who was captured by Iraqi soldiers in March 2003. On Oct. 12, Galvin was arrested following investigations into his conduct at Osceola Regional Medical Center in Kissimmee, Fla., where he was a nurse.

British defence secretary Liam Fox resigns post 15 Oct 2011 British Prime Minister David Cameron has opted for a limited Cabinet reshuffle following the resignation yesterday of defence secretary Liam Fox, who was embroiled in a controversy over links with a friend who acted as an unofficial adviser. The resignation, though not unexpected, became inevitable after it emerged that Dr Fox's friend, Adam Werrity, had been funded by a collection of companies and individuals with ties to US defence companies.

American Airlines plane diverted to DIA after passengers becomes unruly 14 Oct 2011 An American Airlines flight was diverted to Denver International Airport Thursday night after a passenger became unruly, struck a flight attendant, and then yelled various threats, United States Attorney John Walsh and FBI Special Agent in Charge James Yacone announced today. The passenger, Varoujan Khodjamirian, was arrested after the plane landed safely in Denver. The flight, American Airlines flight 21 was enroute from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York to Los Angeles International Airport.

Protesters arrested in New York, Denver, San Diego 14 Oct 2011 The following [posts] are updates on Occupy Wall Street-style protests in the United States, including those in Denver – where some protesters were detained Friday morning – and New York, where authorities arrested some marchers after city officials canceled a plan to clear demonstrators' encampments at a city park... At least 24 protesters were arrested – many on allegations of criminal misconduct – in Denver, Colorado, on Friday morning as state troopers cleared people from a park where protesters had been encamped, CNN affiliate KMGH reported , citing Denver and state police.

Denver Police in Riot Gear Move Into Wall Street Protest Area 14 Oct 2011 Dozens of police in riot gear pushed Wall Street protesters into retreat outside the state Capitol in Denver on Friday, and the protesters are retreating without resisting. Many of the protesters chanted "Peaceful!" as they backed away from their encampment. Officers placed plastic handcuffs on some protesters. Authorities began taking down dozens of tents before dawn.

NYPD Arrests More Occupy Wall Street Protesters 14 Oct 2011 The anticipated conflict between Occupy Wall Street protesters and city officials happened after all on Friday as NYPD officers arrested at least 14 individuals, leaving a few battered and bruised. Many expected a confrontation early in the morning because Brookfield Properties, which owns the park the protesters' have made their headquarters, planned on cleaning it. Brookfield decided to postpone its cleaning, at which point protesters poured into the streets of lower Manhattan.

Heads up! US to Play 'Very Major Role' In Helping Europe: Geithner 14 Oct 2011 The U.S. plans on being an active partner as efforts intensify to get Europe get back on its feet financially, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told CNBC Friday. With global leaders preparing for next month's Group of 20 nations (G20) summit in Cannes, France, the International Monetary Fund - of which the U.S. is the greatest contributor - is being relied on to help underwrite whatever efforts are needed to backstop toxic European sovereign debt. Geithner said the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has "very substantial" resources to fund a device that could look like the Troubled Asset Relief Program , which helped navigate bail out U.S. [and foreign] financial institutions through the crisis in 2008 and 2009.

EU considering massive cuts to food aid for poor 14 Oct 2011 The European Union is considering a roughly 75 percent cut in funding for a program that helps feed 18 million of its poorest citizens. The cuts, set to take effect after New Year's, would come at a time of rising unemployment and consumer food prices in many parts of Europe, as well as overall economic turmoil on the continent. The looming cuts already have raised fears among people who rely heavily on the program. [Gee, where's Timmy Geithner's TARP for the poor?]

Banks closed in Ga, NC, NJ, Ill; 80 failed in '11 --Regulators shut down small banks in Ga, NC, NJ, Ill; makes 80 US bank failures this year 14 Oct 2011 Regulators have closed small banks in Georgia, North Carolina, New Jersey and Illinois, boosting to 80 the number of U.S. bank failures this year. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on Friday seized Piedmont Community Bank of Gray, Ga., with $201.7 million in assets and $181.4 million in deposits. It also shuttered Blue Ridge Savings Bank, based in Asheville, N.C., with $161 million in assets and $158.7 million in deposits...

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