Posted on 01/25/2005 6:43:03 PM PST by WmShirerAdmirer
WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 (Xinhuanet) -- A secret intelligence unit created within the US Defense Department after the Sept. 11 attacks helped capture former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in December 2003, news reports said Monday.
The unit, called the Strategic Support Branch, had a hidden hand in interrogations and identifying clues inside Iraq that narrowed the search for Saddam Hussein and led to his capture, the reports said.
The unit's existence was first revealed by The Washington Post on Sunday.
Quoting interviews with participants and documents it obtained,the Post said the Pentagon has created a previously undisclosed organization, called the Strategic Support Branch, which arose from (Defense Secretary Donald) Rumsfeld's written order to end his "near total dependence on CIA" for what it known as human intelligence.
The unit, which was designed to operate without detection and under the defense secretary's direct control, deploys small teams of case officers, linguists, interrogators and technical specialists alongside newly empowered special operations forces and has been operating in secret for two years, in Iraq, Afghanistan and other places, the report said.
The Pentagon issued a statement on Sunday to dispute the Post report.
"There is no unit that is directly reportable to the secretary of defense for clandestine operations as is described in the Washington Post article of January 23, 2005" and the department "is not attempting to 'bend' statutes to fit desired activities," Pentagon spokesman Lawrence DiRita said in the statement.
DiRita acknowledged that the Pentagon was attempting to improve its human intelligence capability, in the Defense Human Intelligence Service, a component of the Defense Intelligence Agency.
He said that before the Sept. 11 commission issued its final report last year concluding that the country's human intelligence capability must be improved, the Defense Human Intelligence Service had taken steps "to make better human intelligence capability available to assist combatant commanders for specific missions involving regular or special operations forces."
I say if it works, do it! War is not pc, and saving American and Iraqi civilian lives shouldn't be subject to pc scrutiny by those comfortably on Capital Hill who don't have to worry about getting blown up while shopping for food, or attending weddings or religious services, or registering to vote.
Terrorism in Iraq is a "clear and present danger" to the the life, liberty and happiness of citizens of Iraq and all her allies, so use whatever intelligence necessary to end the slaughter.
Ah no wonder why the Democrats are up in arms about it... it helped to capture their hero.
I remember that there were articles posted here about that time or a little earlier saying that the CIA was completely useless in Iraq but that they started tracking down Saddam's leading pals after the military developed it's own intelligence.
So, maybe some of the details were secret, but the general fact was widely known.
The military has ALWAYS developed its own intelligence. It's called military intelligence. And why shouldn't they? Talking to people, interrogating prisoners, inviting people to sell information about the enemy are standard parts of the job description.
Only the Washington ComPost could get in a swivet over this, because it's favorite leaking liars at the CIA are being broomed out.
As you write our media elite for some reason feels it is their patroitic duty (to save the Republic from its deceived self) to "out" our intelligence services. I too believe this is treasonous.
Their duty has turned them into "cynical gods of knowledge" who wash their hands in the blood of our soldiers being blown up and maimed everyday. Who are they to point the way.
Thank you for your reply and the knowledge ("military" intelligence) you bring to the forum. Your information added to the argument, rounds it out so it is not one-sided and viewed as an emotional issue (media being treasonous).
this photo you've posted , they should have shot him in the head , right there....same with Zarqawi and bin Laden; Don't bring them in and let the lawyers start to speak for them.
Just do em and go on to the next mega scumbucket .......
The pisture above shows what a KILLER SQUAD looks like in action.
they should have fragged the whole
he resisted......
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