US spies in Afghanistan are clueless, says intelligence chief

US spies in Afghanistan are clueless, says intelligence chief

www.timesonline.co.uk

America's deputy chief of military intelligence in Afghanistan has issued a damning indictment of the work of US spy agencies, calling them clueless and out of touch with the Afghan people.

Major General Michael Flynn described US spies as “ignorant of local economics and landowners, hazy about who the powerbrokers are and how they might be influenced... and disengaged from people in the best position to find answers”.

The bleak assessment of the intelligence community’s role in the eight-year

(visit the link for the full news article)

www.telegraph.co.uk...

www.reuters.com...

[edit on 5-1-2010 by john124]

According to a BBC news analysis I saw around an hour ago this is the official story that has led to this damning report:

Apparently the suicide bomber was a prisoner in Jordan, and the Jordanian authorities claimed to have convinced him to work with them, and the Jordanian intelligence seems to have been trusted going on their reliable track record. He was then sent to work undercover with Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan (or Pakistan?), and then met with the CIA to hand over important information on the day he blew himself up.

And in actual fact this man was an Al-Qaeda operative who managed to get in with an explosive vest without being checked, and blew himself up along with 7 CIA agents and 1 Jordanian agent.

Al Jazeera and the New York Times reported this morning that the bomber who blew up the CIA agents last week was Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi, a 36-year-old doctor from Zarqa in Jordan. He had been recruited by Jordanian intelligence and brought to Afghanistan in an attempt to infiltrate al-Qaeda there and track down Osama bin Laden's chief lieutenant, Ayman al-Zawahiri, according to Western intelligence sources.

The CIA has declined to comment on the reports.

The bombing killed four CIA officers and three contracted security guards working for the spy agency, along with a Jordanian intelligence officer, Ali bin Zaid, who had been the double agent's handler.

www.timesonline.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 5-1-2010 by john124]

I can't believe that we here in the US can get better & more timely info from the overseas press. I typically go the the British papers/media to get the best info (Obama mess, Tiger woods, UFO's, Meredith Kercher etc).

I wish we could have our major media get some backbone/spine and start doing a better job instead of cow-toweling to the elites and/or politics.

I am sure there is A LOT more to this story that we will never know. I am awaiting word now to see if a friend of mine was there (he was not killed, I know that much). I will post what I can IF/WHEN I get a chance to chat w/ him.

Bottom line to this is that THEY are MORE determined than we are-at this time. It will probably take another major event (10's of 1000's of US citizens killed becuase apparently nearly 4000 wasn't enough. Sad becuase this war has become a political tool rather than a war against terroism (strating about, say--- 2007)

the bomber was not a double agent
he was in fact a triple agent
www.guardian.co.uk...

lol

reply to post by ModernAcademia


Is a triple agent somebody who used to be the enemy, pretending to be your friend, but still the enemy? LOL

But if they thought he had converted to the west, then he fooled the Jordanian's, the CIA and the guards on the base entrance. Or was the Jordanian handler who was killed an accomplice, or just a foolish intelligence agent. We'll never know the full truth.

[edit on 5-1-2010 by john124]

Originally posted by john124

US spies in Afghanistan are clueless, says intelligence chief

www.timesonline.co.uk

America's deputy chief of military intelligence in Afghanistan has issued a damning indictment of the work of US spy agencies, calling them clueless and out of touch with the Afghan people.

Major General Michael Flynn described US spies as “ignorant of local economics and landowners, hazy about who the powerbrokers are and how they might be influenced... and disengaged from people in the best position to find answers”.

The bleak assessment of the intelligence community’s role in the eight-year

(visit the link for the full news article)

www.telegraph.co.uk...

www.reuters.com...

[edit on 5-1-2010 by john124]

Its not just them. The whole thing is out of touch. Its like a COol contest our country and the CIA think they are so COOOL.. they have lost all sense of reality. Hell they leave me to die after destroying me n front of all Germany and Europe n the war on terror not even thinking's or caring how many (or on purpose) Americas friends that are making sure hate us and making sure they know they don't care at all about the intel or anything but only making money and no one knowing about the clinton Anderson scam.. my experience and the truth.. Like they shoot America in the head themselves.. out of control out of reality....

Originally posted by zeuseadam
and no one knowing about the clinton Anderson scam.. my experience and the truth..

I know this is off topic a tad so I'll be quick, but that issue is a dangerous one. And if you know anything you better post it all up on ATS right now before they kill you. ASAP. (In case what you are saying is legit and you know what really happened).

About the OP, Yes I agree. They have become completely inept because they view them selves as "secret agents" in the James Bond fashion, however the reality they face at night is that James Bond is a pimp and they are still not him.

What they really need to fix all of these problems are deep thinkers, like the ATS crowd pretty much.

If they came here and started asking for solutions, we would provide ample solutions for them.

The only problem is, they will not LIKE any of our solutions. Therefore they will be left with a huge failure and no where to run to. Essentially.

reply to post by muzzleflash

would think that putting things up s why I am still alive also. shut up and die or stand up scream and maybe live awhile.. the coolness is for sure what ahve seen, no reality or compassion at all on they are soooo cooooollllll!!! while waas getting my sturnum fractured and living with nazis in spain the ral CIA agents where spending huge amounts of money on the vacation of ther e fantasies.. the truth and leon panetta knows it.


[edit on 5-1-2010 by zeuseadam]

Jordanian Bomber of CIA Base Deceived Family

Relatives and friends of the Jordanian suspected as a double agent who killed eight people on a CIA base in Afghanistan say he wanted to die in a holy war, and wrote fiery Internet articles calling for jihad against the U.S. and Israel.

Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi, a 32-year-old physician, struck the base near the Pakistani border last week, killing seven CIA employees and a Jordanian intelligence officer.

His family and friends said Tuesday al-Balawi practiced medicine in a Palestinian refugee camp near Zarqa, also the hometown of slain al-Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

High-school friend Mohammed Yousef said al-Balawi fooled family and friends, telling them in March he was going to Turkey to study.

I would not go so far to say that they are clueless.

The system has become too complex tending toward entropy.

Besides that we simply have a few people who have been briefed time and again concerning the Islamic front but at best the information they receive is mostly rumour.

Even if confirmed many times it is old information.

I would hazard a guess not in defense but in understanding the situation that many in the field simply psychologically judge a situation in a Western context rather than a local context mixed in with a zeitgeist of fight or flight in leu of the war.

Tap in Christmas, missing your children etc and you can somewhat understand the lapse in judgment.

It is true SOP was not followed and even if it was we still would have had at least one loss...the guy who frisked the Doctor would have been blown up.

In regard to the British and American intel comments it is easy to spout nonsense from an ivory tower or from the office of a local tabloid although the CIA would be wise to listen to all of the opinions in order to lessen the chance of another mishap.

Also it is true that we do not have good ground intel...Direction, Collection, Processing and Dissemination is very difficult to say the least.

We are looking for a Lawrence of Arabia when all we have at the moment is R2D2.











[edit on 5-1-2010 by whiteraven]