US Special Forces train in the City of AngelsTG DailyThe Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) teamed up with US Special Forces troops Wednesday evening for a night of "multi-agency" counter-terrorism tactical exercises.
Residents of the sprawling city observed a Black Hawk helicopter and four OH-6 choppers flying over Los Angeles, with the fleet hovering above the US Bank building downtown and flying low over the Staples
Center.
Meanwhile, LA news station CBS KCAL9 managed to identify a Black Hawk making what appeared to be a practice drop off in a local park before flying off.
The LAPD issued an official statement explaining that the training exercises would help ensure the military’s ability to safely and effectively operate within urban environments.
Chief Warrant Officer David Duran told KCAL9 the Los Angeles training exercises could be a dry run for a future mission.
"They do a lot of mockup training... But it’s always best to get the closest terrain layout to what the objective is," he explained.
"If it’s a mountainous terrain, they go to the mountains; if it’s a desert terrain, they use the desert; if they’re in a coastal terrain, they use the coast. If it’s an urban terrain, you know, whatever’s needed."
Similar exercises - which were held in NYC, Miami and Boston - have prompted concern over what appears to be the rapid militarization of local police departments. Indeed, since 9/11, the DHS has shelled out more than $34 billion in federal grants arming precincts with military grade equipment and advanced tech.
For example, the New York Police Department (NYPD) and US Department of Defense (DoD) are currently testing a new system that uses terahertz imaging to detect hidden weapons.
Unsurprisingly, the use of such invasive technology has prompted a slew of concerned statements from privacy advocates who believe the arbitrary use of terahertz imaging violates human rights. To be sure, the system is capable of measuring energy radiating from an individual up to 16-feet away, while detecting anomalies like a firearm.
..[Full Article]
Labels: LAPD, Los Angeles, Special Forces, terahertz imaging
LAPD And Special Forces Conduct Military Maneuvers In The Skies Above Downtown LALOS ANGELES (CBS) — The Los Angeles Police Department teamed with military special operation forces Wednesday evening to conduct multi-agency tactical exercises in the skies above downtown LA.
Many questioned what was going on Wednesday night as a Black Hawk helicopter and four OH-6 choppers – or “Little Birds” – flew over the city, at one point hovering just above the US Bank building downtown and later flying low over the Staples Center as the Lakers played inside.
Someone could be seen sitting inside an open chopper with his legs hanging off the side.
Sky9 spotted the Black Hawk in the dark, making what appeared to be a drop off at a park before quickly ascending back into the air.
Throughout the exercise, the five rotorcrafts were staged at Dodgers Stadium.
The LAPD said the purpose of the training was in part to ensure the military’s ability to operate in urban environments...[Full Article]
Labels: exercises, LAPD, Los Angeles, military drills, Special Forces
SAS troopers help co-ordinate rebel attacks in Libya
London Guardian
The serving soldiers have joined British special forces and have been acting as forward air controllers and advising on tactics
A detail from the badge of the SAS, who have been assisting the rebels in Libya. Photograph: PA
The Guardian has learned that a number of serving British special forces soldiers, as well as former SAS troopers, are advising and training rebel forces, although their presence is officially denied.
The Guardian has previously reported the presence of former British special forces troops, now employed by private security companies and funded by a number of sources, including Qatar. They have been joined by a number of serving SAS soldiers.
They have been acting as forward air controllers – directing pilots to targets – and communicating with Nato operational commanders. They have also been advising rebels on tactics, a task they have not found easy...[Full Article]
Labels: British, Libya, SAS, Special Forces
Report: US Special Forces Arrive In Libya Military overthrow of Gaddafi nears as US war machine backs rebels
Image: Wikimedia Commons
Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet.com
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
US Special Forces have reportedly landed in Libya to train anti-Gaddafi rebels as a western-backed coup d’état in the oil-rich nation nears, with British and French “defense advisors” also arriving to set up training bases in the rebel-controlled eastern region of the country.
According to a report in the Pakistan Observer, hundreds of special forces personnel from the US, Britain and France arrived on February 23 and 24 in “American and French warships and small naval boats off Libyan ports of Benghazi and Tobruk.”
The article states that the report was confirmed by a Libyan diplomat in the region, who said that “The three Western states have landed their special forces troops in Cyrinacia and are now setting up their bases and training centres,” in a bid to bolster rebel forces resisting Gaddafi’s militia in the surrounding region.
“The Western forces are reportedly preparing to set-up training bases for local militias set-up by the rebel forces for an effective control of the oil-rich region and counter any push by pro-Qaddafi forces from Tripoli,” states the report.
In addition, efforts to “neutralize” the Libyan Air Force are underway in a bid to stymie Gaddafi’s ability to rule from Tripoli if he manages to remain in power.
The US Navy has also confirmed that the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, which had previously been on pirate-hunting duty off the coast of Somalia, is now steaming towards Libya as tensions rise.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton publicly admitted for the first time yesterday that the United States was preparing to back anti-government rebels, despite Hafiz Ghoga, the spokesman for the newly formed National Libyan Council in the rebel controlled eastern city of Benghazi, warning that any “foreign intervention” would not be welcome.
“The rest of Libya will be liberated by the people … and Gaddafi’s security forces will be eliminated by the people of Libya,” Ghoga said during a news conference.
Meanwhile, ex-European representative for the Carlyle Group and former British Prime Minister John Major has become the latest to add his voice to the growing chorus of those calling for military intervention to oust Gaddafi.
Major backed, “Other Western leaders who are on the brink of ordering military action against Col Muammar Gaddafi amid fears that the Libyan dictator could use chemical weapons against his own people,” reports the Telegraph.
Current British Prime Minister David Cameron has also been busy setting the stage for a western-backed coup d’état, calling for a no fly zone to be erected over the country.
“If Col Gaddafi uses military force against his own people, the world cannot stand by. That is why we should be looking at a no-fly zone,” Cameron said. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov blasted the idea of a no fly zone as “superfluous,” instead signaling support for UN-backed sanctions.
On Friday, 40 influential neo-conservatives signed a letter to Barack Obama urging the President to “immediately” prepare military action to overthrow Gaddafi.
Any regime change achieved with the assistance of western nations will provide deeper access to a country that holds the largest amount of oil reserves in Africa and the tenth largest in the world, with a reserve to production ratio of around 66 years.
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Paul Joseph Watson is the editor and writer for Prison Planet.com. He is the author of Order Out Of Chaos. Watson is also a fill-in host for The Alex Jones Show. Watson has been interviewed by many publications and radio shows, including Vanity Fair and Coast to Coast AM, America’s most listened to late night talk show.
Labels: Libya, Paul Joseph Watson, Special Forces
