$700 million for anti-terrorist network of 'friendly' militias.

The Pentagon wants $700 million to fund friendly militias to engage in asymmetrical warfare against terrorists.

smh.com.au
Deputy Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, a key architect of the Iraq war, told the House Armed Services Committee the money would be used "for training and equipping local security forces - not just armies - to counter terrorism and insurgencies".

If approved as part of a larger defence bill, the package would "provide greater internal security in areas that are or could become sanctuaries for terrorists," he said.

No specific beneficiaries of the program were named, but US officials have repeatedly expressed concern about vast tracts of land along the Afghan-Pakistani border, in Iraq, the Caucasus, the Horn of Africa and various islands in the Philippines, where radical Islamic fighters could set up shop.

The strategy has already been used in Afghanistan, where US special forces managed to forge alliances with local warlords, who became instrumental in bringing down the Taliban government in 2001 and keeping its remnants at bay.

"Indeed, our most important allies in the war on terrorism will be Muslims who seek freedom and oppose extremism," Wolfowitz stated.

I really don't like the sound of this.
The talk about funding 'not just armies' but local 'security forces' like they did in Afghanistan to fight the Taliban.
They mention Muslims who seek 'freedom' will be their most important allies .

Although they are saying this is to fight terrorists, this really sounds like it could also be used to fund local militias to overthrow their governments.

Perhaps this will be their plan to deal with Iran rather than sending in US soldiers? Another Operation Ajax?

If they don't plan on doing that, then why give money to militias instead of armies or police forces?

Even if it's not for overthrowing governments, I'm still not sure it's a good idea to fund militias to deal with extremists.

I could see those militias becoming the new problem that will have to be dealt with.

[edit on 11-8-2004 by AceOfBase]

Firstly, what is/was Operation Ajax?

Secondly I agree with you that funding Islamic militias is not a good idea, as has been shown with Afghanistan in the 1980s with Bin Laden, you understand what I mean here. It would be easy for the militias to turn on the US after the have been trained and equiped.

Operation Ajax was the codename given to the plot by the CIA to overthrow Iran's democratically elected secular president and replace him with the Shah, in response to Mossadegh's nationalization of British oil.

-koji K.

This subject has resurfaced in another thread, so I've decided to bump it.