Dempsey: U.S. Must Remain Engaged with Muslim World

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT  – The recent anti-American demonstrations that have occurred in many Muslim countries “demands for us to be more engaged, not less engaged,” the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today during an aircraft flight from Sibiu, Romania, to Ankara, Turkey.

Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey said the situation is the most complex he has seen since becoming chairman.

In Libya, a coordinated attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi resulted in the deaths of four Americans including the U.S. ambassador to the country. There have been anti-American demonstrations in Egypt, Yemen, Tunisia, Pakistan and many others.

While the spark that ignited the demonstrations was a crude video that denigrated Islam, there are several factors that have contributed to rage against the United States, the chairman said.

The chairman wants to learn from the situation. “At some level, I think what we are seeing are societies that have been suppressed,” he said. “They have not had anything like freedom of speech or even the ability to congregate.”

Security forces in these countries are for the first time under civilian rule, and are less likely to intervene unless directed by political leaders, the chairman said.

And, he said, there are often power struggles within the countries.

“Some of those groups are truly anti-American and radical and violent,” Dempsey said. “Certainly you have these groups that are anti-American, who are extreme, who are competing for power in the country.”

These extremist groups often did not accumulate the number of votes they’d thought they would get in free elections, Dempsey said. Such groups that experienced failure at the ballot box, he added, could “now try to gain some traction around the idea of being anti-American in order to gain influence for themselves. These groups are trying to manipulate the population.”

Now is not the time for the United States to withdraw from these countries, the chairman said.

“It demands for us to be more engaged, not less engaged,” he said, “so that we can counter that message of extremism that is being propagated by these violent, extreme organizations.”

DOD Sends Marine Team to U.S. Embassy in Yemen

By Cheryl Pellerin

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 14, 2012 – A Marine Corps fleet antiterrorism security team, called a “FAST team” is now on the ground in Yemen to help with security at the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said today.

This is the second FAST team, consisting of about 50 Marines, authorized by Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta to bolster security at U.S. diplomatic installations in the past two days.   The move comes a day after protesters attacked the U.S. Embassy in the Yemeni capital.

The first team was sent to Libya after the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi that killed four State Department employees, including U.S. Ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stevens.

The FAST platoon was dispatched, Little told reporters here, “partly in response to events over the past two days at our embassy in Yemen, but it’s also in part a precautionary measure.”

Protests began earlier this week in Libya and at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo over what was reportedly an American-produced film posted on the Internet considered insulting to the Prophet Mohammed.   Since then, there have been reports of protests in other countries in the Middle East, including at the U.S. embassy in Tunisia and the German Embassy in Sudan.

Travel alerts posted on the State Department website are advising Americans to exercise caution because of possible demonstrations elsewhere, including in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Jakarta, Indonesia.

About ongoing protests in Cairo at the U.S. Embassy there, Little said “the situation hasn’t to this point necessitated a change in security posture. Naturally, we stand ready to support our State Department colleagues if a request for additional military support comes through.”

In Afghanistan, protests so far have been peaceful, he said.

“We’re gratified based on what we know now,” Little said, “that religious leaders have appealed for nonviolent protests … so for at the moment we have not seen outbursts of violence against our diplomatic installations or military bases in Afghanistan.”

In Libya, he added, “we are continuing to investigate what happened and DOD will do its part, working with our partners across the government, to determine what happened and, if asked, support the president’s call to deliver justice.”

He said the department is in communication with State Department colleagues to discuss military support to embassy and consulate security around the world, but that it is premature to reach final conclusions about the recent violence against U.S. diplomatic posts in Libya, Cairo and elsewhere or about who is responsible.

“I really am asking respectfully for a little bit of patience as we work through this,” Little said. “It’s important to get this answer absolutely correct, and that is the goal of this government -- to make sure that when a call is made that it’s accurate and complete.”

DOD Announces Charges Sworn Against Al Darbi

The Department of Defense announced today that the Office of the Chief Prosecutor for Military Commissions has sworn charges against Guantanamo detainee Ahmed Mohammed Ahmed Haza al Darbi, a Saudi Arabian national.

The charges sworn today allege that the accused committed offenses triable under the Military Commissions Act of 2009, 10 U.S.C. §§ 948a, et seq, including: (1) Conspiracy to Commit Multiple Offenses Triable by Military Commission; (2) Aiding and Abetting the Offense of Attacking Civilian Objects; (3) Aiding and Abetting the Offense of Hazarding a Vessel; (4) Aiding and Abetting the Offense of Terrorism; (5) Multiple Specifications of Attempt; and (6) Aiding the Enemy.  The charges are merely accusations, and the accused is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.  The maximum sentence for these charges is confinement for life.

These sworn charges allege that al Darbi joined a terrorist conspiracy with al Qaeda by the year 1997.  In furtherance of this conspiracy, al Darbi is alleged to have attended the Khalden training camp in Afghanistan, to have received personal permission from Usama bin Laden to train at al Qaeda’s Jihad Wahl training camp, and to have worked as a weapons instructor at al Qaeda’s al Farouq training camp, both in Afghanistan.  From approximately 2000 through 2002, al Darbi is also alleged to have committed multiple overt acts in support of a plot to bomb civilian oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and off the coast of Yemen.  These alleged acts included:  receiving large amounts of money from al Qaeda; purchasing GPS devices and other equipment; purchasing a boat intended to be the attack vessel; registering this boat under the name of an unwitting participant; applying for travel documents that allowed potential attack operatives to travel from Yemen to the UAE; training these potential attack operatives; and sailing the boat he purchased towards Yemen in order to meet with these attack operatives.

In addition to the conspiracy charge, al Darbi is alleged to have aided and abetted the completed terrorist attack against the French oil tanker, the MV Limburg, which severely injured multiple civilians and caused a large oil spill in the Gulf of Aden in 2002.

The Regulation for Trial by Military Commission requires that the chief prosecutor notify the legal advisor to the Convening Authority and the chief defense counsel for Military Commissions within 24 hours of swearing charges.  The accused must also be notified of the charges sworn against him as soon as practicable.  The chief prosecutor will not immediately forward the charges to the Convening Authority for action in this case.  Once the chief prosecutor does so, the Convening Authority makes an independent determination as to whether to refer some, all, or none of the charges for trial by military commission.  If the Convening Authority decides to refer the case to trial, he will designate commission panel members (jurors). The chief trial judge of the Military Commissions Trial Judiciary then assigns a military judge to the case.

The Chief Prosecutor, Brigadier General Mark Martins, said upon the swearing of charges, “Mr. al Darbi’s alleged crimes are serious violations of the law of war that were committed to terrorize and wreak havoc on the world economy.  We will be prepared to proceed toward his trial by reformed military commission if the Convening Authority refers charges.”

Alleged Associate of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula Charged in New York with Providing Material Support and Receiving Military Training in Yemen

NEW YORK, NY—Minh Quang Pham has been indicted in Manhattan federal court on charges of providing material support to, and receiving military training from, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), a designated foreign terrorist organization, as well as possessing and using firearms in furtherance of crimes of violence, and other violations.

The indictment was announced by Preet Bharara, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York; James W. McJunkin, the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the Washington, D.C. Field Office of the FBI; Janice K. Fedarcyk, the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the FBI; and Raymond W. Kelly, the Police Commissioner of the City of New York (NYPD).

U.S. Attorney Bharara said: “The international law enforcement cooperation that lead to today’s arrest of Minh Quang Pham, an alleged associate of a terrorist organization committed to killing Americans both here and abroad, underscores our joint commitment to identifying, prosecuting, and punishing those who would do harm to our country and our people.”

D.C. FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge McJunkin said: “Today, an indictment was unsealed charging Minh Quang Pham with providing material support to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and receiving military-style training while he was in Yemen. Together with our law enforcement partners, the FBI will continue to work both here and abroad to protect the United States and its citizens from terrorism.”

NY FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Fedarcyk said: “The defendant not only allegedly pledged an oath to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and received military training from AQAP, he also helped design and disseminate its propaganda. The investigation that led to this indictment is the result of the kind of cooperation and coordination, domestically and internationally, that is essential in the effort to prevent acts of terrorism.”

NYPD Commissioner Kelly said: “These charges point to the ongoing threat posed by al Qaeda affiliates like AQAP, and the importance of law enforcement collaboration internationally in thwarting them.”

According to the indictment unsealed today in Manhattan federal court:

In December 2010, Pham traveled from the United Kingdom to Yemen, the principal base of operations for AQAP. While in Yemen, Pham took an oath of allegiance to AQAP; carried an automatic assault rifle; obtained training from and on behalf of AQAP; helped AQAP to prepare online propaganda; and worked alongside two U.S. citizens.

Pham returned to the United Kingdom from Yemen in 2011. He was arrested today based on the indictment described above. Prior to his arrest, Pham was held by British authorities in immigration custody.

The indictment charges Pham, 29, with five counts. Counts one and two of the indictment charge Pham with conspiracy to provide and providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Count three charges Pham with conspiracy to receive military-type training from a foreign terrorist organization. Count four charges him with receipt of military-type training from a foreign terrorist organization and count five charges him with use, carrying and possession of firearms (machine guns) in furtherance of crimes of violence.

If convicted on all counts, Pham would face a maximum sentence of life in prison, with a mandatory minimum sentence of 40 years in prison.

Mr. Bharara praised the extraordinary investigative work of the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force—which principally consists of agents from the FBI and detectives from the New York City Police Department—for the critical role they played and continue to play in the investigation of Pham and his co-conspirators. In addition, Mr. Bharara thanked the Department of Justice’s National Security Division and its Office of International Affairs; various other U.S. government agencies; and British authorities, including the Metropolitan Police Service and the Crown Prosecution Service, all of whom provided extraordinary cooperation in the investigation.

This case is being handled by the Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen B. Ritchin, Benjamin Naftalis, Anna M. Skotko, and Sean S. Buckley are in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the Indictment are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Africom Strives to ‘Turn on Lights’ Against Terrorism in Africa

By Donna Miles

American Forces Press Service

STUTTGART, Germany, June 21, 2012 – Eliminating terrorist safe havens and support for terrorist groups in Africa is a top U.S. Africa Command priority, Africom’s top military officer said.

Army Gen. Carter F. Ham told American Forces Press Service he’s committed to working with African partners to confront violent extremists “that have very clearly articulated an intent to attack the United States, its allies, its citizens and its interests both within Africa and also more broadly, in Europe.”

All, he said, want to take advantage of ungoverned or under-governed regions where they can operate without restraint.

Countering this threat is the common denominator that drives Ham’s theater engagement strategy and its broad array of operations, exercises and security cooperation programs. This includes teaching partner nations how to improve their border security, intelligence and tactical capabilities and equipping African nations so they can operate more effectively.

“Ultimately, what we want to do through our activities – not just through Africom, but as a larger whole-of-government and international effort – is to ‘turn the lights on,’” said James Robertson, an Africom strategist. “And when the lights are on, we will find increased security and stability.”

Africa has struggled for decades with civil wars and conflicts, underdevelopment and poverty that make it inviting to terrorists from the Middle East, Robertson said.

“They want what Africa has to offer,” he added. “They want this ungoverned space so they can operate freely, and so our aim is to deter and disrupt them and, ideally, ensure that they don’t gain access.”

Recognizing the extent of the threat, Ham has set East Africa as the No. 1 focus of his commandwide counterterrorism strategy.

“Why East Africa?” said Army Maj. Gen. Charles Hooper, the command’s director of strategy, plans and programs. “It’s because East Africa faces the challenges that we face in Arabia, particularly Yemen, and the al-Qaida elements emanating from Yemen and other areas in the Middle East.” It’s also home to the al-Shabab terror organization in Somalia that formally announced its affiliation with al-Qaida in February.

Hooper also cited other terrorist threats in Africa. In the North African desert, the al-Qaida in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb organization is committed to destabilizing the trans-Sahara region and Northwest Africa. But its pursuits, he said, also threaten European allies across the Mediterranean Sea, as well as the United States.

He also noted concerns in the Gulf of Guinea, a major transit point for illicit trafficking in drugs, weapons and humans bound predominantly for Europe. In addition, a violent group known as Boko Haram has extended its influence to challenge the central government in Nigeria – a major economic power in Africa and a contributor to United Nations peacekeeping missions.

Africa’s vast natural resources compound the region’s strategic importance, Hooper said, particularly oil that’s exported to the United States.

“Access to the global commons, and stability in Western Africa and in those important sea lines of communication that run through the Gulf of Guinea and through Western Africa, remain important,” he said.