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Obama administration gun-running scheme armed the Islamic State

Nov 30, 2015 9:42 pm By Robert Spencer

Those who have vowed to destroy us are fighting using arms Obama gave them.

USAID tent jihadi

“Benghazi Commission: Obama Admin Gun-Running Scheme Armed Islamic State,” by Edwin Mora, Breitbart, November 30, 2015:

The Obama administration pursued a policy in Libya back in 2011 that ultimately allowed guns to walk into the hands of jihadists linked to the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) and al-Qaeda (AQ) in Syria, according to a former CIA officer who co-authored a report on behalf of the Citizen’s Commission on Benghazi (CCB), detailing the gun running scheme.

In Congress, the then-bipartisan group known as the “Gang of Eight,” at a minimum, knew of the operation to aid and abet America’s jihadist enemies by providing them with material support. So says Clare Lopez, a former CIA officer and the primary author of CCB’s interim report, titled How America Switched Sides in the War on Terror, speaking with Breitbart News.

The ripple effects of the illegal policy to arm America’s enemies continue to be felt as the U.S. military is currently leading a war against ISIS and AQ terrorists in Iraq and Syria, according to Lopez.

In late October, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said that the U.S. would begin “direct action on the ground” against ISIS terrorists in Iraq and Syria who may have reaped the benefits from the gun-running scheme that started in Libya.

“The Obama administration effectively switched sides in what used to be called the Global War on Terror [GWOT] when it decided to overthrow the sovereign government of our Libyan ally, Muammar Qaddafi, who’d been helping in the fight against al-Qaeda, by actually teaming up with and facilitating gun-running to Libyan al-Qaeda and Muslim Brotherhood [MB] elements there in 2011,” explained Lopez. “This U.S. gun-running policy in 2011 during the Libyan revolution was directed by [then] Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and [the late Libya Ambassador] Christopher Stevens, who was her official envoy to the Libyan AQ rebels.”

To avoid having the funds tracked back to the Obama administration, the arms flow to Libya was financed thru the United Arab Emirates, while Qatar served as the logistical and shipping hub, she noted.

“In 2012, the gun-running into Libya turned around and began to flow outward, from Benghazi to the AQ-and-MB-dominated rebels in Syria,” Lopez added. “This time, it was the CIA Base of Operations that was in charge of collecting up and shipping out [surface-to-air missiles] SAMs from Libya on Libyan ships to Turkey for overland delivery to a variety of jihadist militias, some of whose members later coalesced into groups like Jabhat al-Nusra and ISIS [also known as IS].”

Jabhat al-Nusra is al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate.

“The downstream consequences of Obama White House decisions in the Syrian conflict are still playing out, but certainly the U.S. – and particularly CIA – support of identifiable jihadist groups associated with the Muslim Brotherhood, Jabhat al-Nusra, Ahrar al-Sham, the Islamic State and other [jihadists] has only exacerbated what was already a devastating situation,” declared Lopez.

Some of the other weapons that eventually ended up in Syria included thousands of MAN-Portable-Air-Defense-System (MANPADS) missile units, such as shoulder-launched SAMs, from late dictator Muammar Qaddafi’s extensive arms stockpiles that pose a threat to low-flying aircraft, especially helicopters.

“It’s been reported that President Obama signed an Executive Order on Syria in early 2012 [just as he had done for Libya in early 2011], that legally covered the CIA and other U.S. agencies that otherwise would have been in violation of aiding and abetting the enemy in time of war and providing material support to terrorism,” notes Lopez. “Still, such blatant disregard for U.S. national security can only be described as deeply corrosive of core American principles.”…

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Filed Under: Barack Obama, Featured, Islamic State (aka ISIS, ISIL, Daesh), United States, Useful idiots Tagged With: Gang of Eight


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Comments

  1. John C. Barile says

    Nov 30, 2015 at 10:11 pm

    I trust Hillary to build upon her great achievements under Obama and to further American decline, global instability, and Islamic supremacist militancy.

    • Don McKellar says

      Nov 30, 2015 at 11:52 pm

      Well you could look upon the choice you’ll have come election day as one of absolute certainty (Hillary) and semi-uncertainty (GOP candidate). If you want to be absolutely certain of what you’re going to get, vote Hillary — she will do exactly what you say she will. If one values at least a semi-uncertain hope for the world and America, vote for whoever the GOP candidate is! Even Trump! Vote against Hillary, whatever you do!

      • John C. Barile says

        Dec 1, 2015 at 11:21 am

        Agreed.

  2. mortimer says

    Nov 30, 2015 at 10:17 pm

    Any former soldier who has used a US M-16 rifle and sees one in the hands of an ISIS terrorists knows that came courtesy of Hillary. Hillary and her accomplice Obama armed ISIS and now Western nations spend MILLIONS EACH DAY to combat them and care for the refugees that came out of the conflict.

    Hillary and Obama were criminally negligent and still are…they have not bothered to learn political Islam’s basic doctrines: jihad against disbelievers, the doctrine of the Kafir, the doctrine of Islamic apartheid and the doctrine of Islamic misogyny.

    • Baucent says

      Dec 1, 2015 at 2:01 am

      It’s a little more murky than that. Libya under Gaddafi had stock piles of mainly Russian armaments. There is unlikely to have been many M16 rifles sent from Libya to Syria. More likely to be Russian rifles and SAMS. Though I must say I have never heard of clear case of a SAM being used by anti-Assad forces.
      As for the US hardware, most of that in ISIS hands came from Iraq after the early defeat of the US supplied Iraqi army. At Mosul there was a large Iraqi army base that fell to the Jihadists. They captured hundreds of Humvees and presumably hundreds of American rifles as well.

    • Dr. Divinity says

      Dec 1, 2015 at 10:45 pm

      Of course we helped arm isis.and by leaving too soon we have given them more arms.

      • Dr. Divinity says

        Dec 1, 2015 at 10:47 pm

        Error. “In leaving Iraq too soon”

  3. Don McKellar says

    Nov 30, 2015 at 11:57 pm

    If there was any decency or respectability in Obama or Hillary, they would own up to this disaster and their complete foreign policy debacle in general with regards to the Middle East and North Africa. They blew George the Idiot out of the water in the sweepstakes to be the worst modern era administration. And they did it by a HUGE margin.

    I would say that Obama should resign in disgrace and Hillary should withdraw from the race, but that would require nobility in their natures. Which they do not have.

  4. Baucent says

    Dec 1, 2015 at 2:13 am

    While I have no doubt the CIA at Benghazi was buying up loose weapons systems plundered from Libyan army bases, I have my doubts that SAMS were delivered to anti-Assad forces in Syria. If they were, why have they not used them? I have followed the conflict closely and have yet to read a report of a “rebel” group downing a Syrian airforce aircraft with a shoulder held SAM. Where is the evidence that MANPADs were delivered to Syria?
    I suspect even the CIA are no that foolish and the really special toys were not delivered. They may have supplied RPG’s (as in the photo above) but they are not SAMS.

  5. Angemon says

    Dec 1, 2015 at 6:32 am

    This U.S. gun-running policy in 2011 during the Libyan revolution was directed by [then] Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and [the late Libya Ambassador] Christopher Stevens, who was her official envoy to the Libyan AQ rebels.

    This explains Benghazi – getting rid of loose ends.

  6. boakai ngombu says

    Dec 1, 2015 at 8:24 am

    this seems to be “aiding and abetting” and seems to be treasonous

  7. SoCalMike says

    Dec 1, 2015 at 10:21 am

    Obama deserves a firing squad.
    We executed the Rosenbergs for doing what Obama and his fans claim is his foreign policy “legacy.”

    This traitor gets away with his crap because many Democrats are at heart traitors.
    It’s amazing we won the Cold War.
    Obama is doing his best to undo that along with the rest of Western Civilization.

  8. R Cole says

    Dec 1, 2015 at 12:10 pm

    No wonder Obama and Hillary can’t say ~ radical Islam!!

    It looks reprehensible!

    Offers a little bit more insight into the UAE’s move to designate the Muslim Brotherhood and all its affiliates a terrorist organisation.

    ::

    Who are these Syrians – the Obama admin. is in such a hurry to bring over?

    10,000 to 100,000 to 200,000 mostly Sunni Al Qaeda IS loving migrants.

    Their guilt for our security.

    • Christianblood says

      Dec 1, 2015 at 1:49 pm

      This is not a problem created by Obama administration alone because history proves that at least for the past 35 years American governments were backing islamic terrorists in Afghanistan, in Chechnya in the various Arab countries in M.E such as Libya, Egypt, Iraq and now Syria.

  9. JT says

    Dec 1, 2015 at 4:49 pm

    Since When does signing an executive order make TREASON ok???
    Oh yea, since 2008 when we got a radical iSlamist Usurper Ofraud in OUR WH.
    Sure do miss the good ole USA

  10. Kepha says

    Dec 1, 2015 at 6:11 pm

    This creeping Syrian escalation–after the [mal-]administration’s promise of getting us out of Iraq–should scream about how utterly incompetent Shrillary Shroooooo was as SecState. Add this to her fundamental mistrust of the First Amendment (when used by people who aren’t her clients) should warn us all that Shrill should not be POTUS. If she is elected (perhaps because crony Trump splits the GOP), you can be sure of even worse.

  11. Smart Guy says

    Dec 1, 2015 at 8:02 pm

    Support for Islamic terrorists started with Jimmy Carter the so called “Christian” who appointed zero
    Christians to his cabinet. Instead he appointed members from the Counsel of Foreign Relations such as
    Brzezinski. Which is the same thing as selling your soul to the devil himself. The support for Islamic terror
    comes from the likes of Brzezinski. The treason against Christianity started with Carter and continued
    with Reagan etc. Russia is fighting against terrorism, the same country that declared war on Afghanistan,
    Islam is right-wing Fascism based on belief instead of race. Seriously there is nothing left-wing or
    humanitarian about Islam. The Kurds or Marxists are fighting against ISIS, not America because America
    only supports Fascists in their foreign policy. America is a traitor to democracy and anything that is
    “Progressive” Clinton is obviously being paid by Saudi or Qatar money and therefore a traitor to
    America.

  12. guide inside says

    Dec 1, 2015 at 10:10 pm

    The pen quivers in the traitors hand, itching to sign Martial Law as the election approaches. He ponders his hatred of Hillary and his overwhelming desire for revenge for slavery along with his Muslim faith and inches the pen closer to the executive order document. He knows it suspends ALL rights for Americans. His brilliance tells him he can orchestrate all this by his superior intellectual skills. (Hmm, an Achilles heel, perhaps.) He relies on the untold thousands of isis killers his border policies have allowed in. He knows a coordinated attack will demand an exec order and stop all elections. The Agenda 21 plan in place divides every state into 9 “districts” with all the Fema camps and the rail lines to them already in place. He knows his lightening dispersal of special brown shirted troops will scoop up as many guns as they can. With all state borders under control, the urge for patriots to band together will be greatly hindered. His PRIDE and arrogance, being the fatal flaw in him allows the prayers of believers to reach the Throne of God and enact a Divine intervention. Pray now people!

    • ekbano says

      Dec 3, 2015 at 11:20 am

      Amen. Amen Amen.

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