Syria.......
http://news.antiwar.com/2013/07/25/us-vetting-in-syria-boils-down-to-a-handshake/
US ‘Vetting’ in Syria Boils Down to a Handshake
Officials to Use Same Route for Arms as Medical Aid
by Jason Ditz, July 25, 2013
Significant questions among Congressmen about how the Obama Administration intends to “vet” the Syrian rebel factions it plans to arm centered around a lack of specifics on the plan. Today’s report from the State Department is likely to just enhance those concerns.
Officials say that they intend to essentially use the exact same loose process that’s been in place for smuggling US medical and food aid to rebel factions when they begin smuggling in lethal weapons.
“I sign the paperwork, and shake the hands of the FSA official. I wish them well and walk away,” one State Department official noted. In essence, the process is a handshake and hoping for the best.
Small amounts of money and medical aid have been shipped this way, though much of the promised aid never got around to be delivered because the State Department was concerned about the disorganization of the groups involved, primarily the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and the SNC.
It is this same exact flawed process that’s going to be used to throw weapons at the rebellion, and while State Department officials say it seems to have worked in the past, that’s mostly because little worth stealing has been sent.
Egypt....
http://news.antiwar.com/2013/07/25/senators-rebel-against-obama-on-egypt-coup/
Senators Rebel Against Obama on Egypt Coup
State Dept: No Plan to Ever Notice Coup
by Jason Ditz, July 25, 2013
Three weeks into the military junta in Egypt, the Obama Administration still hasn’t officially recognized the coup that took place. This isn’t accidental, but rather an attempt to defy US law which explicitly forbids aid to nations after a military coup.
That’s the policy they’re sticking to as well, with State Department officials today informing Congress that they have no plans to “ever” notice the coup in Egypt, and even though the law is clear in banning aid to juntas, the law doesn’t explicitly require them to notice coups.
For a growing number of Senators, this attempt to redefine the law as simply being whatever the president wants it to be isn’t sitting well, and a large number are calling on the Obama Administration to at least sort of follow the law.
Not that this means the aid will ever actually be cut. Several of the senators say that they would be able to easily pass a waiver making Egypt’s coup a special case that the US supports, which of course is in keeping with the fact that the US actively bankrolled the coup.
Afghanistan ....
http://news.antiwar.com/2013/07/25/blank-check-us-aid-for-afghan-lawyers-another-bottomless-hole/
Blank Check: US Aid for Afghan Lawyers Another Bottomless Hole
Inspector General: Program Lacks Even Basic Oversight
by Jason Ditz, July 25, 2013
The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) is a never-ending job, with programs both new and old seemingly forever popping up with little to no oversight and wasting millions in taxpayer dollars.
Today’s edition is the State Department’s “justice training” program, which will drop $47.4 million on training Afghan judges and lawyers and which, according to SIGAR John Sopko lacks even “basic provisions” for serious oversight.
Sopko noted (pdf) that not only were such provisions not in place, but the contractor who is receiving the money has refused to comply with SIGAR requests for information about the organization of the program.
The State Department condemned SIGAR for the report, saying that the program has “only been in place about six months” and that there hasn’t been any evidence of fraud yet. Of course, the lack of oversight means that there likely never will be such evidence.
Iraq......
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2013/07/25/iraq-coffee-shops-still-targeted-55-killed-89-wounded/
Iraq Coffee Shops Targeted; 55 Killed, 89 Wounded
by Margaret Griffis, July 25, 2013
At least 55 people were killed and 89 more were wounded in today’s attacks. Coffee shops were a focus of the violence.
Sixteen people were killed and 20 more were wounded in a Muqdadiya cafe bombing.
In Baghdad, a blast near a wedding in the Amiriya district killed two people and wounded 16 more. Four people were shot and killed in separate incidents.
A bomb killed eight people and wounded 18 more in a blast at a coffee shop inMadaen.
A car bomb in Kirkuk killed three policemen and wounded four others. As many as 11 more were wounded in this or a separate bombing.
In Mosul, security forces killed two gunmen. Two more gunmen were killed afterkilling a policeman. A police officer was killed and six others were wounded in a bombing. Seven gunmen were killed by security forces in a helicopter. Gunmen killed an employee of the electricity ministry.
Gunmen killed a taxi driver and wounded four people, including three Asayesh agents, in Arbil.
Two Sahwa members were killed and another two were wounded in a blast in al-Qalaa.
Gunmen in Shoura killed a policeman and wounded a civilian.
Two policemen were wounded in a Hammam al-Alil grenade attack.
At a Balad checkpoint, a policeman was gunned down.
A policeman was wounded during a home invasion in Shirqat. A bomb killed two construction workers and wounded four more laboring at a water project.
A sticky bomb in Tikrit killed a married couple and their child.
Maliki: Current Constitution Not Fit for Building State
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