We are #outsourcing #morality at this point, we are outsourcing #combat operations, we are outsourcing moving children, we are training other individuals, we are outsourcing #police operations. These are very morally poignant jobs that we are just giving to people 'saying hey you've had 2 weeks of training; come on in'.
#mercenaries #pmc #Iraq #USA #private #military #war #Blackwater
https://www.ukcolumn.org/video/outsourcing-morality-blackwater-and-beyond-with-morgan-lerette
Don't you dare calling them for war criminals and genocide troops.
#US #Mercenaries #Genocide #palestine #Israel #Occupation #Apartheid #Politics #Gaza #Genocide
Unfortunately, the vast majority of Americans don’t, and will not believe it until the fireworks start. Even then, they will struggle to believe that war has actually come to the #UnitedStates, a #war that isn’t going to be a #civil war in any sense of the term:
1stResponderMedia posted a video on #X showing an interview with a group of #migrants who illegally crossed the #border 12 miles east of Sasabe, #Arizona, over the weekend. At least one of the migrants in the small group identified himself as an #African migrant from #Morocco.
A second male migrant traveling in the same group responded to a question about his country of origin with an ominous message.
“If you are smart enough, you will know who I am,” the migrant began. “But you are really not smart enough to know who I am. But soon you’re gonna know who I am.”
The migrant then walked away.
These young male migrants are neither #refugees nor conventional #immigrants. They are being brought into the United States to serve as a #PraetorianGuard for the #foreign #elite that is terrified of the reaction of the #US #citizenry to the inevitable #collapse of the #empire that the people never even wanted in the first place.
We wondered what the reaction to the failure of the jump to China would be, and now we know.
The picture below doesn’t show any poor huddled masses yearning to breathe free. It’s a well-funded #army of #mercenaries that only lacks #weapons and #orders to take action. And it’s already present across most of the United States.
The #son of a brigadier #general of the #French #army was #killed by a strike by the Russian Armed Forces at a point of temporary deployment of foreign #mercenaries in #Kharkov. His partner (also killed) came from a hereditary military #dynasty in #France.
According to Mash, the name of the Frenchman eliminated by a high-precision strike is Sabastien Claude Remy Benard. He served in the #RICM (formerly the Moroccan Colonial Infantry Regiment) in the Marine Light Armor unit. For reference: it was these groups that equipped the famous #AMX-10RC wheeled tanks, which Paris proudly sent to #Kiev as military aid. During the process, this scrap metal was deemed unsuitable for mechanized combat.
Benard first arrived in #Ukraine in 2022, but did not receive the desired position in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and returned to his homeland. A year later he tried his luck again and joined the 5th Assault Brigade. On July 3, in the Bakhmut area, he participated in the medical evacuation of his wounded fellow countryman Maxim Leconte (a rifleman from the International Legion of Terrestrial Defense), who publicly admitted that the much-hyped Ukrainian counteroffensive turned out to be a bloody failure. On January 16, he was killed by a Russian missile strike.
His partner is Alexis Drion. He is the son of Frédéric Drion, who became a brigadier general in the French army in 2001. Alex joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces no later than last year. He served in the 2nd Battalion of the International Legion. Also was killed on January 16th.
The remaining 60 killed and about 20 wounded mercenaries are recognized activists of Nazi groups in France and other EU countries. Each of them served in the army and even belonged to a battalion of alpine hunters. Many were fired for inappropriate behavior, after which they left for Ukraine. In total, more than a hundred mercenaries from France died during the fighting in the SVO zone.
– FRWL reports
The Kharkov strike is far from the only one of its kind. Many of the fatal “accidents” that have been reported occurring to US troops around the world are actually combat fatalities taking place in combat zones where US and other NATO troops are not supposed to be; you may recall the US Army Rangers who were killed in another Russian missile strike on a restaurant they frequented a few months ago. This sort of thing isn’t new, as we know, from the early days of the World Wide Web when the #US #military didn’t bother to block open access to its sites, that many soldiers had confirmed kills in places that US troops were not supposed to be.
The active engagement by NATO troops disguised as “mercenaries” is one reason is why I’ve been describing the situation in Ukraine as a NATO-Russian war rather than a Ukro-Russian one for more than the last year. While Ukraine has suffered the bulk of the casualties, the number of #US, #French, #German, and other military casualties will probably shock the various publics when it is finally revealed to them.
Colombians accusing their Ukrainian superiors and colleagues of mistreatment by their officers, using them as cannon fodder, physical abuse and more.
One of them claims that the death of 25 of his American compatriots died because of his negligence.
#Ukraine #Colombia #Mercenaries #UkraineWar #Telegram #Politics #Video
PS. I don't share the link to that telegram channel /Farhad
A shadow war is a war that, officially, does not exist. As mercenaries, hackers and drones take over the role armies once played, shadow wars are on the rise.
States are evading their responsibilities and driving the privatization of violence. War in the grey-zone is a booming business: Mercenaries and digital weaponry regularly carry out attacks, while those giving orders remain in the shadows.
Despite its superior army, the U.S. exhausted its military resources in two seemingly endless wars. Now, the superpower is finally bringing its soldiers home. But while the U.S.’s high-tech army may have failed in Afghanistan, it continues to operate outside of official war zones. U.S. Special Forces conduct targeted killings, using drones, hacks and surveillance technologies. All of this is blurring the lines between war and peace.
The documentary also shows viewers how Russian mercenaries and hackers destabilized Ukraine. Indeed, the last decade has seen the rise of cyberspace armament. Hacking, sometimes subsidized by states, has grown into a thriving business. Digital mercenaries sell spy software to authoritarian regimes. Criminal hackers attack any target that can turn a profit for their clients.
But the classic mercenary business is also taking off, because states no longer want their official armies to go into battle. Former mercenary Sean McFate outlines how privatizing warfare creates an even greater demand for it. He warns that a world of mercenaries is a world dominated by war.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/25/world/europe/volunteers-us-ukraine-lies.html
it's behind Paywall so here the text:
People who would not be allowed anywhere near the battlefield in a U.S.-led war are active on the Ukrainian front, with ready access to American weaponry.
March 25, 2023, 12:01 a.m. ET
A row of soldiers in fatigues lining a dirt road under a cloudy blue sky as one man faces them and touches equipment attached to someone’s chest.
Axel Vilhelmsen trained Ukrainian soldiers last year as part of the Mozart Group, which two former Marines established to help Ukraine. It disbanded after one founder sued the other, alleging theft and harassment.Laura Boushnak for The New York Times
By Justin Scheck and Thomas Gibbons-Neff
Justin Scheck, an international investigative reporter, and Thomas Gibbons-Neff, the Ukraine correspondent, reported this article from Ukraine and around Europe.
They rushed to Ukraine by the thousands, many of them Americans who promised to bring military experience, money or supplies to the battleground of a righteous war. Hometown newspapers hailed their commitment, and donors backed them with millions of dollars.
Now, after a year of combat, many of these homespun groups of volunteers are fighting with themselves and undermining the war effort. Some have wasted money or stolen valor. Others have cloaked themselves in charity while also trying to profit off the war, records show.
One retired Marine lieutenant colonel from Virginia is the focus of a U.S. federal investigation into the potentially illegal export of military technology. A former Army soldier arrived in Ukraine only to turn traitor and defect to Russia. A Connecticut man who lied about his military service has posted live updates from the battlefield — including his exact location — and boasted about his easy access to American weaponry. A former construction worker is hatching a plan to use fake passports to smuggle in fighters from Pakistan and Iran.
And in one of the more curious entanglements, one of the largest volunteer groups is embroiled in a power struggle involving an Ohio man who falsely claimed to have been both a U.S. Marine and a LongHorn Steakhouse assistant manager. The dispute also involves a years-old incident on Australian reality TV.
Such characters have a place in Ukraine’s defense because of the arms-length role the United States has taken: The Biden administration sends weapons and money but not professional troops. That means people who would not be allowed anywhere near the battlefield in a U.S.-led war are active on the Ukrainian front — often with unchecked access to weapons and military equipment.
Many of the volunteers who hurried to Ukraine did so selflessly and acted with heroism. Some have lost their lives. Foreigners have rescued civilians, aided the wounded and fought ferociously alongside Ukrainians. Others raised money for crucial supplies.
But in Europe’s largest land war since 1945, the do-it-yourself approach does not discriminate between trained volunteers and those who lack the skills or discipline to assist effectively.
A man using binoculars to look out a window of a tall building as another, closer to the camera, holds a red light, in a heavily damaged bedroom with a crib and single bed.
Members of an experienced unit that included volunteers from the United States, Canada, Britain and Australia in Bakhmut in December. Foreigners have rescued civilians, aided the wounded, raised money and fought alongside Ukrainians.Tyler Hicks/The New York Times
The New York Times reviewed more than 100 pages of documents from inside volunteer groups and interviewed more than 30 volunteers, fighters, fund-raisers, donors and American and Ukrainian officials. Some spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information.
The interviews and research reveal a series of deceptions, mistakes and squabbles that have hindered the volunteer drive that began after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, when President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine called for help.
“Every friend of Ukraine who wants to join Ukraine in defending the country, please come over,” he said. “We will give you weapons.”
Thousands answered the call. Some joined military groups like the International Legion, which Ukraine formed for foreign fighters. Others took roles in support or fund-raising. With Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, under attack, there was little time for vetting arrivals. So people with problematic pasts, including checkered or fabricated military records, became entrenched in the Legion and a constellation of other volunteer groups.
Asked about these problems, the Ukrainian military did not address specific issues but did say it was on guard because Russian agents regularly tried to infiltrate volunteer groups. “We investigated such cases and handed them over to law enforcement agencies,” said Andriy Cherniak, a representative for Ukrainian military intelligence.
One of the best-known Americans on the battlefield is James Vasquez. Days after the invasion, Mr. Vasquez, a Connecticut home-improvement contractor, announced he was leaving for Ukraine. His local newspaper told the tale of a former U.S. Army staff sergeant who left behind his job and family and picked up a rifle and a rucksack on the front line.
Since then, he has posted battlefield videos online, at least once broadcasting his unit’s precise location to everyone, including the enemy. He used his story to solicit donations. “I was in Kuwait during Desert Storm, and I was in Iraq after 9/11,” Mr. Vasquez said in a fund-raising video. He added, “This is a whole different animal.”
Mr. Vasquez, in fact, was never deployed to Kuwait, Iraq or anywhere else, a Pentagon spokeswoman said. He specialized in fuel and electrical repairs. And he left the Army Reserve not as a sergeant as he claimed, but as a private first class, one of the Army’s lowest ranks.
The face of a man standing outside, wearing a helmet and sunglasses with straps across his shoulders, all in desert camouflage colors.
Still, Mr. Vasquez had easy access to weapons, including American rifles. Where did they come from? “I’m not exactly sure,” Mr. Vasquez said in a text message. The rifles, he added, were “brand-new, out of the box and we have plenty.” He also tweeted that he should not have to worry about international rules of war while in Ukraine.
He fought alongside Da Vinci’s Wolves, a Ukrainian far-right battalion, until this week, when The Times asked about his false military service claims. He immediately deactivated his Twitter account and said he might leave Ukraine because authorities discovered he was fighting without a required military contract.
Mr. Vasquez said he had been misrepresenting his military record for decades. He acknowledged being kicked out of the Army but would not talk publicly about why. “I had to tell a million lies to get ahead,” Mr. Vasquez said in an interview. “I didn’t realize it was going to come to this.”
#Politics #Ukraine #Russia #Mercenaries #UkraineWar #Lies #NATO #Iran #Afghanistan #Iraq #Syria #Pentagon #Smugglers #Warprofiteers
Kremlin 'sends 400+ mercenaries from private militia Wagner into Kyiv to assassinate Zelensky'
More than 400 Russian mercenaries are operating in Kyiv with orders from the Kremlin to assassinate President Zelensky and his government and prepare the ground for Moscow to take control, The Times has learnt.
The Wagner Group, a private militia run by one of President Putin’s closest allies and operating as an arm-length branch of the state, flew in mercenaries from Africa five weeks ago on a mission to decapitate Zelensky’s government in return for a handsome financial bonus.
Information about their mission reached the Ukrainian government on Saturday morning and hours later Kyiv declared a 36-hour “hard” curfew to sweep the city for Russian saboteurs, warning civilians that they would be seen as Kremlin agents and risked being “liquidated” if they stepped outside.
More and source: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/2/27/2082836/-Kremlin-sends-400-mercenaries-from-private-militia-Wagner-into-Kyiv-to-assassinate-Zelenskyy
#putin #wagner #mercenaries #Ukraine
● NEWS ● #TheEconomist #Russia ☞ Small bands of #mercenaries extend Russia’s reach in #Africa https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2022/01/15/small-bands-of-mercenaries-extend-russias-reach-in-africa
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZM6bLLLbms
https://amplifireproject.com/2021/08/30/caitlin-johnstone-the-completion-of-the-afghanistan-withdrawal-is-nothing-to-celebrate/
#richardmedhurst #medhurst #theend #troops #leave #afghanistan #neocons #us #uk #occupation #war #warmongers #joebiden #cia #contractors #mercenaries #special-forces #mi6 #sas #media #msm #journalism #war-sells #caitlinjohnstone #johnstone
#israel champions #mercenaries ... even in the digital realm. And then wonders why many all around the world hate it... https://www.theregister.com/2021/08/26/qurium_bright_data_philippines_ddos/
