All kinds of interesting things have been coming out, as Libyan rebels have been releasing some of the top secret files from Gaddafi’s intelligence agency. After the Bush regime threatened to invade, and Gaddafi caved in on support for al Qaeda and his nuclear program, Bush and Gaddafi buddied up, shared intelligence data and even worked together in torture.
Documents seized at the Libyan intelligence headquarters have unearthed new insights into the CIA’s "surprisingly close relationship" with their counterparts in the Gadhafi regime.
They highlight the cooperation between Libya and Western intelligence agencies after Libya ended its weapons of mass destruction program in 2004. They also shed light on the West’s controversial rendition program — the questioning of terror suspects in third-party countries.
CNN saw documents in the former office of Libya’s external security agency and received material from Human Rights Watch on Saturday. They are from 2004 and 2005.
CNN found an exchange of information between Libyan intelligence and Western intelligence agencies — such as the CIA, the MI-6 in Britain and Canada’s intelligence service.
For example, the Libyans were interested to learn about alleged Islamic radicals involved in anti-Gadhafi activity in Canada, the United States and Europe. The United States and Britain were interested in any detail Libya could provide about al Qaeda… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <CNN>
I’m not surprised at the close relationship between the Bush and Gaddafi regimes, because they were so similar in their goals and ideology. Sadly, I’m also not surprised that the cooperation included torture.
The flurry of communications about renditions are dated after Libya’s renouncement of its weapons program. In several of the cases, the documents explicitly talked about having a friendly country arrest a suspect, and then suggested aircraft would be sent to pick the suspect up and deliver him to the Libyans for questioning. One document included a list of 89 questions for the Libyans to ask a suspect.
While some of the documents warned Libyan authorities to respect such detainees’ human rights, the C.I.A. nonetheless turned them over for interrogation to a Libyan service with a well-known history of brutality.
One document in the C.I.A. binder said operatives were “in a position to deliver Shaykh Musa to your physical custody, similar to what we have done with other senior L.I.F.G. members in the recent past.” The reference was to the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, which was dedicated to the overthrow of Colonel Qaddafi, and which American officials believed had ties to Al Qaeda.
When Libyans asked to be sent Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq, another member of the group, a case officer wrote back on March 4, 2004, that “we are committed to developing this relationship for ,the benefit of both our services,” and promised to do their best to locate him, according to a document in the C.I.A. binder.
Two days later, an officer faxed the Libyans to say that Mr. Sadiq and his pregnant wife were planning to fly into Malaysia, and the authorities there agreed to put them on a British Airways flight to London that would stop in Bangkok. “We are planning to take control of the pair in Bangkok and place them on our aircraft for a flight to your country,” the case officer wrote.
Mr. Bouckaert of Human Rights Watch said he had learned from the documents that Sadiq was a nom de guerre for Abdel Hakim Belhaj, who is now a military leader for the rebels.
In an interview on Wednesday, Mr. Belhaj gave a detailed description of his incarceration that matched many of those in the documents. He also said that when he was held in Bangkok he was tortured by two people from the C.I.A… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <NY Times>
Note that all the dates involved are during Bush’s reign, because you can be sure that Republicans will try to blame this on Obama.
Under Bush and the Republican Party, torture was not the rare event they make it out to be. It was routine.
12 Responses to “Bush Regime Assisted Gaddafi”
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
This is beyond disturbing and outrageous. Yes, the recent WikiLeaks cables document the “extraordinary” rendition details — hundreds of flights with scores of private-firm contractors used by the CIA and other U.S. Government agencies. A shameful, hopefully prosecutable record of the, as you say, Bush Pogrom. No wonder the world hates and reviles us. And don’t get me started about John Yoo, the White House attorney who wrote the official memo that torture was perfectly legal. Another case of a Bush administration attorney being told what the policy is — legally justify it. The Maddow Show just did a two-part investigative report on the decade after 9/11. These criminals need to be tried and jailed.
For an international reaction to the Libya revelations, see the BBC piece below, along with its readers comments:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-14767943
Makes me physically sick– Why in God’s name are charges not being brought ??
Pelosi promised not to do so in 2006, and Obama, in 2008. Both were wrong.
Ann, I completely agree. Thanks for an excellent link.
Why would this surprise anyone . Nothing he does surprises me. He’s a slime ball and the best the republicans have to offer, so you can imagine what we are facing in 2012 if they get into office. You can forget having any retirement with Social Security. No health care. No womens rights. Look what they did to our country while he was in office. And what they have done since they got in office in 2010. They are ripping our country apart and killing us all with their poison water and air. But the voters keep putting them in charge.
Thanks, Mary. Very well said!
All for that good old oil!
Bush loved getting the oil and making the conquest. He was too incompetent to do either.
In my opinion, nothing justifies torture. Torture destroys the spirit not only of the tortured, but also of the torturer, and for what gain? And sanitising the law to to permit torture under some instances, or by conveniently overlooking certain questionable acts, does nothing to assuage the conscience.
By all accounts, except their own of course, Baby Bush and Cheney were guilty of torture having authorised it. They must stand trial for war crimes and it needs to happen sooner than later. Would this trial be a long one, you bet! And they’ll use all the legal tactics they can to draw it out.
Could the Republicans be accused of being domestic terrorists in their war of support for the millionaires, billionaires and corporations against the rest of the people? They use the torture of inadequate funding of education; of increasing taxes on the poor and middle class; of the reduction or annilation of social security and medicare/medicaide! The mental anguish and stress caused is torture. And what about taking or scapping the EPA so that there are no clean air provisions or clen water provisions? This will feel like torture to those who become ill, having any life savings wiped out paying medical bills, or die as a result of illness brought on by the lack of clean air and water.
Where it stops I don’t know. Where I stop is now to go feed my fur kids and cool my blood pressure. This makes my blood boil. By the way, I have similar issues with my own government.
Lynn, I fully agree with part one.
Although torture is an excellent metaphor for Republican predations on Americans, I’m certain they do not meet the legal definition.
Now that I am cooled down, I did forget one point I noted while reading. In my opinion, Baby Bush and Cheney are like whores ‘in bed with the flavour of the month’, in this case Qaddafi. Throughout history, leaders have made alliances of convenience for as long as it suited them. When it no longer suited, they turned on these allies in one way or another.
TomCat, I know it doesn’t meet the legal definition, but practically it seems like torture.
I know. Republicans also helped Saddam and Osama before they became enemies.