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Airmen discover illegal aliens aboard aircraft

by Keith Pannell 27th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

5/23/2005 - CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (AFPN) -- Attention to detail and great military-civilian cooperation helped local and state officials nab six illegal aliens here May 16.

Air traffic controllers received an emergency call from a civilian pilot who said he was in danger of running out of fuel. The military controllers offered the pilot a choice of landing here or at Clovis Municipal Airport, and the pilot chose to land here.

“A civilian aircraft landing unannounced at a military installation is always cause for concern,” said Special Agent Robert LoMurro, of the Office of Special Investigation here. “Everyone reacted exactly as they should.”

The plane landed safely, and security forces Airmen responded. After making sure the aircraft was secured and the passengers were all alright, security forces Airmen escorted them to the law enforcement center.

There were two adult males, two adult females and two 12 year-old twin sisters, Agent LoMurro said.

The flight plan showed the flight originated in Fullerton, Calif., and was to end in Atlanta.

Once at the law enforcement center, officials learned that only the pilot spoke some broken English. The other five people were questioned through the pilot. While that was happening, other investigators searched the aircraft several times and found nothing out of the ordinary.

However, that was not the case back at the law enforcement center. Security forces investigators said the stories they were getting did not match and called OSI. One of the first things the OSI agents noticed was the Brazilian passports the group had did not look “exactly right.”

“The passports looked sketchy, so we called both (Immigration Customs Enforcement) and the Border Patrol to come check these folks out,” Agent LoMurro said.

Through continuous questioning and the examination of the documents, the Border Patrol concluded everyone on the plane was an illegal alien.

The Border Patrol then took them into custody and brought them to the Border Patrol Detention Facility in Carlsbad, N.M., where the investigation continued.

Agent LoMurro said the pilot could face charges from the Federal Aviation Administration, if he is not deported.

“This was a textbook example of the great cooperation between Cannon personnel and outside agencies,” he said. “From the controllers offering help, to the security forces securing the aircraft and the Border Patrol and INS agents, everything was flawless.”

Iraq's Handling of Oil Sales Criticized

Audit Criticizes Iraq's Handling of Oil Sales After Transfer of Power Last Summer.

By NICK WADHAMS - Associated Press Writer

UNITED NATIONS May 23, 2005 — The board monitoring Iraq's oil revenue said Monday that Iraqi leaders mishandled about $100 million in oil money meant for development in the six months after they took power from the U.S. government.

The International Advisory and Monitoring Board said a new audit also found the now-defunct U.S. Coalition Provisional Authority used questionable accounting practices with money from the Development Fund for Iraq. It also singled out the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for refusing to provide files for contracts that were funded with Iraqi oil revenue.

The audit, conducted by accounting firm KPMG, covered the period from the June 28, 2004, transfer of sovereignty to the new interim government until Dec. 31.

While the audit makes no accusations of fraud or wrongdoing, it notes that Iraqi ministries and U.S. agencies awarded numerous noncompetitive contracts with development money. At one point, U.S. agencies bought armored vehicles with $988,000 that was supposed to be used for Iraq's development. In one case a $6.1 million contract "was advertised on a subscription only Web site and therefore not publicly tendered," the report found. "Only two bids were received for the contract."

Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Barry Venable said he hadn't seen the latest report and couldn't comment on its specifics. But he said the CPA did well in difficult circumstances in Iraq, "implementing hundreds of projects to improve the quality of life for the Iraqi people."

The audit said that during that time, Iraqis violated a U.N. Security Council resolution that was passed to make sure oil profits went to help the country recover from war. For example, the government bartered petroleum products for electricity and other oil products from Syria in transactions worth $461 million. It later deposited $97.7 million from oil sales into its own bank accounts, a direct violation.

Iraqi banks also used the fund as an intermediary to conduct wire transfers for customers, something that could have resulted in "criminals, or associates of criminals, being able to conceal the source of funds transferred and their identity."

The audit was the third to be released since the board was set up by the U.N. Security Council in 2003 to ensure the transparent operation of the fund, which receives Iraq's oil revenue and frozen assets from Saddam Hussein's ousted regime.

The fund was controlled by the United States and Britain, Iraq's occupying powers, until the June 28, 2004 transfer of sovereignty to the new interim government, when it was handed over to Iraq's new leaders.

The audit was a counterpoint to the numerous reports and investigations that have focused on U.N. and Security Council oversight of the 1996-2003 oil-for-food program.

Those reports have claimed that Saddam Hussein bilked oil-for-food of billions of dollars over the course of the program, and have led to intense criticism of the United Nations and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan in particular.

U.S. officials had acknowledged in the past that sometimes contracts in Iraq were awarded without competition given the urgency of the situation.

The audit cited numerous instances where the Iraqi government and U.S. agencies kept poor or incomplete records of contracts awarded with Iraqi development money.

Iraqi ministries still maintain most of their financial records in paper notebooks, the report said. They have only "limited outdated financial software and computer equipment," though that could change by the end of the year, it said.

Haditha Dam, Al Anbar, Iraq -- Scout Sniper and a team leader for Team America, 3/25 Weapons Co., 26-year-old Sgt. Nathaniel S. Rock, a Toronto, Ohio native keeps his keen eyes for suspicious activity as he provides security during a recent mission. Photo by: Cpl. Ken Melton

Team America hits streets in Iraq

Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 200552333422
Story by Cpl. Ken Melton

AL ANBAR, Iraq (May 23, 2005) -- Marines with 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment have a large area of operations and sometimes they need to form new platoons to maintain military presence over the areas.

The result is a platoon called “Team America”, which has Staff NCOs and officers in squad leader positions.

The unit consists of approximately 40 Marines from a variety of combat military occupational specialties to include snipers, anti-armor men, mortar men, machinegunners and infantrymen from different sections of Weapons Company.

Haditha Dam, Al Anbar, Iraq -- Communications Chief Sgt. Jason D. Hornyak, 28 of Ashtabula, Ohio, and others members of Team America, 3/25 Weapons Co., set up perimeter security during a recent mission. Photo by: Cpl. Ken Melton

“Some of the Marines have been in the service as long as I have,” said Maj. Lawrence J. Catalano, Weapons Company commander and Buffalo, N.Y. native. “This gives us years of experience, that’s what makes this team different from other infantry units.”

The team operates on a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week basis conducting counter-indirect fire, information operation, and civil-military operations.

“This is a direct action team with a high operational tempo,” said the 38-year-old Catalano, who is an 8th grade history teacher at Orchard Park Middle School when not serving on active duty. “We were able to put together an entire platoon and complete our first mission within 24 hours.”

Haditha Dam, Al Anbar, Iraq -- Painesville, Ohio native Pfc. Martial E. Rodriguez, a 19-year-old mortaman with Team America, 3/25 Weapons Co. blends in with the enviroment as he provides security for other Marines during a recent mission. Photo by: Cpl. Ken Melton

The team’s first mission was in support of a civil-military operation in South Dam village. The team provided security for a civil affairs officer who visited the local clinic and neighboring school.

“These guys had all their points covered with the greatest precision,” said Catalano. “They secured the area within minutes. The operation went off without a hitch and I’m proud of these guys.”

Team America’s first mission’s success is a sign of things to come within the unit.

“This is the first time we ever tried this and after today’s successful mission we can see that we will apply this planning to other platoons like this if we needed to,” said the 1985 Clarence High School Graduate.

“This team really represents America’s patriotic spirit,” said Catalano, who holds a bachelor’s degree in American History from Canisius Community College and a master’s degree in history and education from Buffalo State University. “This country was suffering before we got here and we are trying to fix that.”

Syria severs military cooperation with U.S. - NYT

May 23, 2005

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Syria has severed military and intelligence cooperation with the United States, its ambassador to Washington told The New York Times in an interview published on its Web site on Monday.

The ambassador, Imad Moustapha, told the newspaper in an interview given last Friday at the Syrian Embassy in Washington, that his country had, in the last 10 days, "severed all links" with the U.S. military and Central Intelligence Agency because of what he called unjust American allegations.

Moustapha said he believed the Bush administration had decided "to escalate the situation with Syria" despite steps the Syrians have taken against insurgents in Iraq, and despite the recent withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon, in response to international demands.

"We thought, why should we continue to cooperate?" he said.

The comments were in response to Bush administration complaints that Syria was not doing enough to halt the flow of men and money to the insurgency in Iraq.

Moustapha said his government had done all it could to respond to American complaints, including taking steps to build barriers and add to border patrols.

Relations between Syria and the United States have been strained for months, and some Bush administration officials said Syria's level of cooperation had been dwindling even before the latest move to halt cooperation.

Bush administration officials said Syria's stance has prompted intense debate at high levels in the administration about new steps that might be taken against the Syrian government, The Times reported.

The officials said options included possible military, diplomatic or economic action. But senior Pentagon and military officials cautioned Monday that if any military action was ordered, it was likely to be limited, the report said.

"There's a lot of discussion about what to do about Syria and what a problem it is," the administration official, who works for an agency involved in the debate, told The Times.