AMERICAN MERCENARY IN THE UKRAINE

There's speculation in the comments below this clip in YouTube about whether he's American or Brit - seems he could be either - I watched it a few times and figured that guy might be a Brit but his accent seems more American if you ask me. Looks legit . . . S.L.



I also found it funny that to some of the people commenting, "American mercenaries" automatically means "Blackwater". Blackwater was a private military company - in fact they no longer exist as Blackwater - and what they do is legitimate security work, highly regulated and overseen by the US Government.

You've got to figure - we've had almost 15 years of continual war ... before that we had a professional military the likes of which the world has never seen, with a lot of continual experience in places like Grenada, Lebanon, Panama, Kuwait, Iraq, Somalia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Libya and the Mahgreb . . . and so of course it is inevitable these days that guys are "freelancing" - in two places specifically: Ukraine and Iraq.

The American warrior class is firmly established and quite distinct and visible . . . we are also the most misunderstood class of American society . . . and it is an honor to be included as a member of it . . .

STORMBRINGER SENDS

RoKs TO THE RESCUE

South Korean forces storm hijacked ship, free hostages:

South Korean special forces staged a dramatic pre-dawn rescue of 21 seamen who had been hijacked by Somali pirates. Military commandos boarded the vessel owned by Korean chemical carrier Samho Jewelry under the cover of darkness and went through the ship systematically. Pirates shot the ship's captain during the ensuing melee, but his wounds were not life threatening. Commandos killed eight pirates and arrested five. The rescue was good news for South Korean president Lee Myung-bak, who is under fire for his perceived weak responses to two acts of North Korean aggression last year.



There should be more of this sort of thing . . . . . . Saturday Bird HERE


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A CASE FOR MERCENARY ARMIES

Secret Blackwater Tape Exposed
Jeremy Scahill - The Nation - May 3, 2010



Erik Prince, the reclusive owner of the Blackwater empire, rarely gives public speeches and when he does journalists are banned from attending; recording or videotaping of his remarks is verboten.

Despite these attempts to shield himself from public scrutiny, The Nation magazine obtained an audio recording of one of Prince's recent speech delivered in a private venue to a friendly audience. The speech provides a stunning glimpse into his views and future plans and reveals details of previously undisclosed activities of Blackwater.






In earlier posts, I have insisted that private contractors operating within narrow constraints as security personnel are NOT mercenaries per se. In this post there is no fig leaf - we're talking private contractors deployed in full-mission profile; defensive AND offensive operations; employed as snipers, conducting raids and ambushes, the whole enchilada.

Prince proposes armed private soldiers (like Blackwater contractors) be deployed throughout the sand countries to counter Iranian influence and Iranian-supported insurgents, specifically in Nigeria, Yemen, Somalia and Saudi Arabia. There's a lot to be said for this approach.

He expresses disdain for the Geneva Convention and describes Blackwater's secretive operations at four Forward Operating Bases (FOB's) he controls in Afghanistan. He called those fighting the US in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan "barbarians" who "crawled out of the sewer."







Despite the disparaging things I said about Blackwater in the past - and I meant every word I said - I find myself agreeing with Prince here. The United States has employed private armies in every war we've fought, dating right back to the Revolution; they have a role, albeit a specialized one.

As far as the Geneva Convention goes - has it ever occurred to anybody that we are the only ones who abide by this anachronism? And even we don't go by it all the time; if we had lost World War II, Winston Churchill and President Truman would have been sitting in the dock for all those cities we vaporized.

Wars are won by doing what needs being done. In the former Yugoslavia I observed (Allied) Special Forces soldiers operating in civilian clothes, passing themselves off as journalists. By the time I retired I'd been operating in and out of uniform for about half of my career, and I made it all the way to Belgrade.


"War is simple, direct and ruthless." - General Patton's Maxims.


I'm not suggesting we lower ourselves to the degree of savagery displayed by our enemies on a daily basis, but think about it for a minute - if the Post Office could accomplish it's mission, UPS and FedEx wouldn't be able to survive as commercial enterprises. Why should we constrain ourselves in warfighting?

Once we decide to win this Hundred Years War we are currently fighting, necessity will dictate our conduct. To prevail against irregular insurgents and terrorists, we need irregular, unconventional counter-insurgents and counter-terror soldiers, and we should be open-minded and imaginative when the rule book gets in the way.






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STOP SHARIAH NOW

STOP SHARIAH NOW is a special project of ACT! AMERICA


Click here to see the Global Impact of Shariah


1. WHAT IS SHARIAH OR SHARIAH ISLAMIC LAW?

Shariah is Islamic law and represents the traditional or “pure” normative interpretation of the Qur’an and teachings of Mohammed, as developed by Shariah scholars and jurists during Islam’s early centuries. It has remained largely unchanged for over 1200 years and is practiced today in these areas:

o Saudi Arabia, Iran, Sudan
o Recognized as the supreme law of the land in almost all Arab regimes (although not always put into practice)
o Afghanistan and the Swat region of Pakistan, under Taliban control
o Parts of Nigeria, Indonesia, and Somalia
o As of January 2009, Hamas-controlled Gaza strip
o Al-Qaeda radicals practicing terrorism


2. HOW IS SHARIAH RELATED TO RADICAL ISLAM?

Implementing Shariah is the agenda of what is often termed Radical Islam or Political Islam. Shariah-driven Islam is a political movement much like Communism, in that “true” Muslims are required to relinquish all control of personal, business, family, and religious life to the rulings of Shariah “authorities” (the ‘ulema’ who act as legislators, judges, and law enforcement) in the service of this totalitarian political order. The goal is to wage Jihad (cultural, financial, or violent) to create a one world order, united under Islam, where Church and State are one.


3. DO ALL MUSLIMS WANT TO LIVE UNDER SHARIAH LAW?

No. Newspapers report bloody struggles in Turkey, Indonesia, Pakistan, Thailand, Egypt, and Jordan between secular liberty-minded Muslims and theocratic Shariah militants. However, as Shariah Islam expands its reach worldwide, polls suggest increasing support for enforcing strict application of Shariah law in Islamic countries: 65% of Egyptians, 76% of Pakistanis, and 49% of Indonesians - www.worldpublicopinion.org. Yet Shariah law silences nearly 750 million women and children.


4. WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF SHARIAH LAW?

The Reliance of the Traveller, Classic Manual of Islamic Sacred Law is the authoritative Sunni Shariah rulebook (available at Barnes and Noble).





o Offensive, military Jihad is a religious obligation.
o Inferior status for all non-Muslims (“dhimma”).
o Capital punishment for slandering Islam.
o Capital punishment for apostasy (leaving Islam).
o Women may not leave the house without husbands’ permission; beating disobedient women, polygamy, forced child marriage, and stoning of adulterers are permitted.
o Slavery is legal.
o Lying (taqiyya) to infidels is permitted.
o Capital punishment for homosexuals and lesbians.



Pilgrims circumambulating the Kaaba during the Umrah


5. WHO IS THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD?

The Muslim Brotherhood (MB) was formed in the 1920s by Shariah advocates to create a one-world nation-state under Shariah Islamic law. Today, they are in 70+ countries. The Brotherhood works hand-in-hand with the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), a 57-member Muslim-majority block in the UN to implement their 1982 plan to invade and conquer the West.


6. WHAT TACTICS ARE USED TO IMPLEMENT THIS STRATEGY?

Below are some of the tactics recommended in the Muslim Brotherhood’s “Project” (see the English translation in Patrick Poole’s article in www.frontpagemag.com):

o Inflaming violence while appearing ‘moderate’
o Inciting hatred against Jews
o Monitoring western media
o Making alliances with western “progressives”
o Establishing financial networks to fund conversion
o Collecting funds to support global jihad
o Who are these Shariah Authorities or Advisors?

Only Shariah authorities (the ‘ulema’) can issue fatwas or legal rulings and only they can interpret Shariah. As Shariah authorities, they authorize, direct, and condone Jihad actions. The mandate that “true” Muslims carry out their fatwas ensures that these authorities can distance themselves from actual acts of terror. Recent fatwas by Shariah authorities resulted in a) the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, b) rioting following the publication of the Danish Mohammad cartoons, and c) the attacks in New York (Sep. 2001), London (Jul. 2007), Madrid (Mar. 2004), and Mumbai (Jan. 2009).


7. WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF CREEPING SHARIAH?

“Creeping Shariah” refers to the incremental adoption of Shariah, in which a single example seems harmless, but taken together, represents a pattern of intention.

No-Go Zones. 751 no-go zones in France where police have turned over control to “religious enforcement” following threats of violence. Girls without Islamic clothing have reportedly been raped. Non-Muslim citizens are urged to stay out. Zones exist in Denmark, the Netherlands, and the UK.

Shariah Courts. 2008: Official recognition of five courts in the UK and one in Texas, USA, with lobbying to create greater legitimization and authority in Minnesota, New Jersey, and California. The intent is to set up parallel courts, in lieu of secular courts and their judgments, in family and business law.

Assault on Freedom of Speech. Feb. 2009: Dutch Parliamentarian Geert Wilders prosecuted for hate speech for his 15-minute film, Fitna.

Books Destroyed. July 2007: Cambridge University Press destroyed its print run of Alms for Jihad: Charity and Terrorism in the Islamic World in reaction to Saudi threats of a slander lawsuit.

Children’s Rights. Mar. 2008: UK reports epidemic of forced child marriages. 2008: Texas father murders teenage daughters for adopting a Western lifestyle.

Women’s Rights. 2008: Successful lobbying for polygamy in Canada and UK; Holland recognizes polygamous marriages. 2009: Buffalo NY, USA. Muslim leader decapitates his wife after she filed for divorce. Honor killing is justified under Shariah law.

Saudi Hate Curriculum. The Islamic Saudi Academy (ISA) in Virginia, remains open, despite reports of hate-filled curricula, according to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.

A DARING ESCAPE

A French security agent held captive by insurgents in Somalia escaped last Wednesday, 26 August. Although Somali officials alleged that Marc Aubriere escaped by killing three of his captors, French Foreign Ministry officials initially had no comment and could not even confirm the hostage’s escape.

Marc Aubriere and his colleague were kidnapped by Hizbul-Islamin rebellion on 14 July and after a month in captivity, Mr. Aubriere was able to escape and make his way to the presidential palace, where he found solace. "I escaped at midnight last night. The guards were very tired and sleepy. I didn’t kill anyone or injure anyone while escaping," Mr. Aubriere is quoted as saying. “Of course I feel better than one day ago. Yes I feel very well. I’m happy and I will soon see my family,” he added.

French security consultant Marc Aubriere told of how he sneaked past his Somali kidnappers while they slept then walked by night for five hours across Mogadishu, at one point coming under fire, according to RFI radio. "I'm doing OK and, even if my month and a half in detention was horribly long, I was well treated. There was no torture, nor fake execution," Aubriere told Radio France International. "On Tuesday, around midnight, I took advantage of my jailers falling asleep, tired out by Ramadan. I saw that my cell was badly closed and so I was able to make off without any violence," he said, according to a transcript provided by RFI. "In any case, if I'd fired a shot, other guards would have killed me. Then I walked through the night for almost five hours, guided by the stars to get to where I wanted to go," he said. "Mogadishu is deserted at night and the only men I saw were armed. I was shot at. I ran. I hid and by chance they missed me," he said.



French officials have not formally identified the former hostage beyond describing him as a government employee who was part of a two-man advance team in Mogadishu to help set up a Somali presidential security detail. He has identified himself in interviews with several media outlets since his apparent escape as 40-year-old Marc Aubriere, although it is thought possible that he gave a fake name. Official sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that "Aubriere" is an agent with the French overseas intelligence agency, the General Directorate of External Security or DGSE.

An Islamist official in Somalia claimed that a ransom was paid for the freed hostage, but both the French government and the agent himself have denied that and insists he escaped through his own means.


Team STORMBRINGER wishes "Bon Chance" to fellow adventurer Marc and of course our prayers are with his (unnamed) comrade - still missing and understood to be in the hands of a second Islamist group, the Shebab, which on Wednesday said that an Islamic Sharia court would decide his eventual fate.

MEDAL OF HONOR

On this day in 1862 the Medal of Honor, highest military decoration awarded by the United States government, was first authorized by the U.S. Congress.

Medal of Honor Recipients, US Army Special Forces, Vietnam:

Captain Roger Hugh C. Donlon, was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroic actions 6 July 1964, U.S. Army, Detachment A-726, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne, 1st Special Forces, near Nam Dong, Republic of Vietnam.

2d Lt. Charles Q. Williams, was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroic actions 9 to 10 June 1965, U.S. Army, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne, Dong Xoai, Republic of Vietnam.

Captain Humbert Roque "Rocky" Versace (July 2, 1937–September 26, 1965) was awarded the Medal of Honor (posthumous) for heroic actions while a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. He was the first member of the U.S. Army to be awarded the Medal of Honor for actions performed in Southeast Asia while in captivity.

1st Lt. George K. Sisler, was awarded the Medal of Honor (posthumous) for heroic actions 7 February 1967, U.S. Army, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, MACV/SOG Republic of Vietnam.

Master Sergeant Charles Ernest Hoskins, Jr., was awarded the Medal of Honor (posthumous) for heroic actions 21 March 1967, U.S. Army, Company A, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, Phuoc Long Province, Republic of Vietnam.

Sergeant Gordon Douglas Yntema, was awarded the Medal of Honor (posthumous) for heroic actions 16-18 January 1968, U.S. Army, Company D, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) 1st Special Forces, Near Thong Binh, Republic of Vietnam.

Staff Sergeant Drew Dennis Dix, was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroic actions 31 January and 1 February 1968, U.S. Army, U.S. Senior Advisor Group, IV Corps, Military Assistance Command, Chau Doc Province, Republic of Vietnam.

Staff Sergeant Fred William Zabitosky, was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroic actions 19 February 1968, U.S. Army, MACV/SOG, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, Republic of Vietnam.

Master Sergeant Roy P. Benavidez, was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroic actions 2 May 1968, U.S. Army, Detachment B-56, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, west of Loc Ninh, Republic of Vietnam.

Spec 5 John J. Kedenburg, was awarded the Medal of Honor (posthumous) for heroic actions 13 June 1968, U.S. Army, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, Republic of Vietnam.

First Lieutenant Robert L. Howard, was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroic actions 30 December 1968, U.S. Army, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, Republic of Vietnam.

Sergeant First Class William Maud Bryant, was awarded the Medal of Honor (posthumous) for heroic actions 24 March 1969, U.S. Army, Company A, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, Long Khanh Province, Republic of Vietnam.

Sergeant First Class Eugene Ashley, Jr. was awarded the Medal of Honor (posthumous) for heroic actions 5 January 1970, U.S. Army, Company C, 5th Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces, near Lang Vei, Republic of Vietnam.

Staff Sergeant F. "Doug" Miller, was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroic actions 5 January 1970, U.S. Army, MACV/SOG, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, Kontum Province, Republic of Vietnam.

Sergeant Gary B. Beikirch, was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroic actions 5 January 1970, U.S. Army, Company B, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, Knotum Province, Republic of Vietnam.

Sergeant Bryan L. Buker, was awarded the Medal of Honor (posthumous) for heroic actions 5 April 1970, U.S. Army, Detachment B-55, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, Chau Doc Province, Republic of Vietnam.

Staff Sergeant Jon R. Cavaiani, was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroic actions 4 and 5 June 1971, U.S. Army, Vietnam Training Advisory Group, MACV/SOG, Republic of Vietnam.

First Lieutenant Loren D. Hagen, was awarded the Medal of Honor (posthumous) for heroic actions 7 August 1971, U.S. Army, Infantry, U.S. Army Training Advisory Group, Republic of Vietnam.

Medal of Honor Recipients, US Army Special Forces, Somalia:

Master Sergeant Gary I. Gordon, was awarded the Medal of Honor (posthumous) for heroic actions 3 October 1993, SFOD-D, U.S. Army, Mogadishu, Somalia.

Sergeant First Class Randall D. Shughart was awarded the Medal of Honor (posthumous) for heroic actions 3 October 1993, SFOD-D, U.S. Army, Mogadishu, Somalia.


Honor them.

WE OWE THEM NOTHING.

President Obama gave a speech to the 'Muslim World' today at Cairo University. He repeated the same "Blame America First" themes we heard during the "America Apologizes" European tour, predictably enough, and threw in some exaggerations. He compared the Nazi Holocaust against the Jews to the Palestinian refugees' (read: terrorists) situation - they serve as a willing foil to the Arab states against Israel.

Will somebody please remind me; why is it we need to reach out to the Muslim World? Why do they hate us? What are our transgressions against Muslim people?

A little review is in order:

We gave aid, arms & training to the Mujahadeen, gave them the edge required to liberate Afghanistan from the Soviets.

Millions of Muslims were liberated when the Soviet Union collapsed; entire Muslim nations emerged - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan - thanks in no small part to U.S. efforts during the Cold War. Thousands of Americans died in this forty-year endeavor.

In Kuwait we liberated millions from the rape & rampage of Saddam Hussein's forces. We took casualties along the way.

We fed the starving people of Somalia. American soldiers were killed and dragged through the streets.

In Bosnia we halted the brutal slayings of Muslims at the hands of the Serbs and the Croats, when the United Nations proved unable to do anything except accommodate the Serbs in the massacre of Srebrenica.

We liberated the Kosovars from their Serb oppressors. American soldiers came under fire; Americans were captured and brutalized by former Communists in Belgrade.

We liberated millions in Afghanistan, and Iraq, at great cost of American lives and treasure.

The United States is directly responsible for any and all advancement the Palestinians have made toward statehood over the past thirty years. And yet when the Twin Towers crashed to the ground killing thousands of Americans, the Palestinians danced in the streets.

WE OWE THEM NOTHING.