Pentagon Investigation Finds ‘Weaknesses And Flaws’ In ISIS Intelligence Gathering

http://dailycaller.com/2017/02/01/pentagon-investigation-finds-weaknesses-and-flaws-in-isis-intelligence-gathering/?utm_campaign=atdailycaller&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Social

Pentagon Investigation Finds ‘Weaknesses And Flaws’ In ISIS Intelligence Gathering

A Department of Defense Inspector General report has found several “weaknesses and flaws” in the military’s intelligence reporting on the Middle East, specifically the Islamic State.

Iraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF) carry weapons during clashes with Islamic State militants in frontline near university of Mosul, Iraq, January 13, 2017. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2017/02/01/pentagon-investigation-finds-weaknesses-and-flaws-in-isis-intelligence-gathering/#ixzz4Xkoqf3iC

The Pentagon released an unclassified version of its investigation into U.S. Central Command’s intelligence processes Wednesday. The investigation was a response to internal accusations which claimed senior leaders within the command where distorting intelligence reports to portray the Obama administration’s fight against ISIS in a more positive light.

Investigators confirmed that numerous problems existed within the command and that there was an understandable “widespread perception that CCJ2 senior intelligence leaders were distorting intelligence to present a more positive view of the success of the ISF (Iraqi Security Forces) and a more negative view of the success of ISIL (ISIS).” CCJ2 is the acronym which refers to a combat command’s intelligence division.
During the investigation, the IG discovered “several specific weaknesses and flaws in the CCJ2 management processes for creating intelligence products.” Officials believe these problems contributed to the perceptions. Investigators identified “ineffective communication and guidance, lack of adequate feedback, ambiguity and uncertainty” about policies and the “ambiguous status of DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency) analysts assigned to USCENTCOM” impaired effectiveness, efficiency and morale within the analyst community.

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2017/02/01/pentagon-investigation-finds-weaknesses-and-flaws-in-isis-intelligence-gathering/#ixzz4Xko7GcgX

http://www.dodig.mil/pubs/documents/DODIG-2017-049.pdf

Republicans and Democrats Agree: CENTCOM Cooked ISIS War Intel
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/08/11/republicans-and-democrats-agree-centcom-cooked-isis-war-intel.html

Senior officials at U.S. Central Command manipulated intelligence reports, press statements, and congressional testimony to present a more positive outlook on the war against the so-called Islamic State, a House Republican task force concluded in a damning report released Thursday.

The report, written by the members of the House Armed Services and Intelligence committees and the Defense Appropriations subcommittee, confirmed more than a year of reporting by The Daily Beast about problems with CENTCOM analysis of the war against ISIS.
House Democrats, who conducted their own separate investigation, reached a similar conclusion as their Republican colleagues, finding that CENTCOM “insufficiently accommodated dissenting views,” Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said in a statement.

The altering of intelligence reports, which included information that made its way into briefings to President Obama, was systematic, lawmakers found.

Read more here.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/08/11/republicans-and-democrats-agree-centcom-cooked-isis-war-intel.html

Congressional Task Force on CENTCOM Releases Initial Report
http://wenstrup.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=399373
A Congressional joint task force (JTF) investigating allegations of intelligence manipulation at U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) released an initial report today detailing persistent problems in 2014 and 2015 with CENTCOM analysis of U.S. efforts to train the Iraqi Security Forces and combat the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

The JTF found that intelligence products approved by senior CENTCOM leaders typically provided a more positive depiction of U.S. anti-terrorism efforts than was warranted by facts on the ground and were consistently more positive than analysis produced by other elements of the Intelligence Community. It further determined that numerous process changes implemented at CENCTOM as well as leadership deficiencies resulted in widespread dissatisfaction among CENTCOM analysts who felt their superiors were distorting their products.
Created in response to a whistleblower allegation, the JTF was established by the Chairmen of the House Armed Services Committee, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and the Subcommittee on Defense of the House Appropriations Committee. It is led by Reps. Ken Calvert, Mike Pompeo, and Brad Wenstrup.
Rep. Calvert said, “The leadership failures at CENTCOM reach to the very top of the organization. I hope that the new CENTCOM commander and the new Director of Intelligence can turn things around quickly. As for the task force, it is critical that we follow up on the deficiencies highlighted in this initial report. What happened at CENTCOM is unacceptable – our warfighters suffer when bad analysis is presented to senior policymakers. We must continue our efforts until we fix it.”

Read Full Report here.
http://intelligence.house.gov/uploadedfiles/house_jtf_on_centcom_intelligence_initial_report.pdf

'ISIS Is Not the Problem,' Says Christian Convert Tortured and Thrown to Dogs

Full article here. http://www.christianpost.com/news/christian-convert-tortured-thrown-to-dogs-isis-is-not-the-problem-167391/

By Samuel Smith , CP Reporter

August 2, 2016 |4:15 pm

(Photo: Reuters)

ISIS militants in Iraq are seen in this undated photo.

French priest  during a morning mass in Normandy that "ISIS is not the problem."

 (Photo: One Free World International) Majed el-Shafie

In an interview, Shafie, who was the subject of the 2012 documentary "Freedom Fighter," shared the story of how he was imprisoned, heinously tortured and sentenced to death by government actors in Egypt for converting from Islam to Christianity and helping build house churches in 1998.

"They shaved my head, they put my head in freezing cold water and then into boiling hot water," Shafie was quoted as saying. "They burned their cigarettes on me, they electrocuted me.

"They cut me and put salt in my wounds," he added. "I still wake with nightmares about it, even now 20 years on."

Shafie never lost his faith throughout the ordeal, and recalled a "miracle" moment when the guards let a pack of dogs into his cell, expecting them to maul him. 

"Quite honestly many people don't believe in miracles and that's fine, but when they released the dogs I sat in the corner and covered my face to the best of my ability," he explained. "I tried to protect my back and chest. … The dogs came and I prepared for pain and agony but I could not feel any."

"I moved my arms and the dogs were sitting around me. None of them moved toward me. … The dogs just didn't move," he continued. "The prison guards got another set of dogs and the same thing happened, but this time one of the dogs licked my face."

Shafie was eventually hospitalized and placed under house arrest, where, with the help of his friends, he was able to escape Alexandria.

"When I was escaping Alexandria I hid behind the police station, it was the last place they would look," he said. "I made my way to Sinai and there I stole a jet ski and I waited until it was 5:30 p.m. when the sun would be behind me and made my way towards the border with Israel."

Shafie was later granted asylum in Canada and founded his charity, which focuses on the persecution of Christians in the Middle East

ISLAMIC STATE (ISIS) releases (beheadings) photos and video of their takeover over of Palmyra in Syria

In the wake of the capture of the city of Palmyra (known in Arabic as Tadmur), the Islamic State has begun releasing media from the region, including photos of executions and two videos from the area.

Read and see more here at this link. 

http://www.barenakedislam.com/2015/05/24/islamic-state-isis-releases-beheadings-photos-and-video-of-their-takeover-over-of-palmyra-in-syria/

Long War Journal  According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the Islamic State has executed “no less than 17 people in Tadmur city.” Those executed, according to the SOHR, included National Defense Force personnel, Syrian Army soldiers, and locals whom the Islamic State accused of working with the regime.

Photos have emerged that seem to confirm this reporting, The photos show roughly seven beheaded bodies laying in a street in the city.

The Islamic State has also released two videos (below) from the area through its unofficial news agency, ‘Amaq News. The first video shows several Islamic State fighters clearing buildings that were used by Syrian soldiers. The jihadists also showcase captured weapons and desecrate pictures of Hafiz and Bashar al Assad.

In the second video, the Islamic State features footage of the captured prison while other scenes show its fighters driving through the streets of Tadmur. Other footage shows local residents celebrating with Islamic State fighters. 

See more here. 

http://www.barenakedislam.com/2015/05/24/islamic-state-isis-releases-beheadings-photos-and-video-of-their-takeover-over-of-palmyra-in-syria/

 

Islamic State releases media from Palmyra

Video released by ‘Amaq News from Tadmur

In the wake of the capture of the city of Palmyra (known in Arabic as Tadmur), the Islamic State has begun releasing media from the region, including photos of executions in the city and two videos from the area.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the Islamic State has executed “no less than 17 people in Tadmur city.” Those executed, according to the SOHR, included National Defense Force personnel, Syrian Army soldiers, and locals whom the Islamic State accused of working with the regime. Photos have emerged that seem to confirm this reporting, though the images have not been released from official Islamic State channels and cannot be independently verified. The photos show roughly seven beheaded bodies laying in a street in the city and are too graphic to publish.
The Islamic State has also released two videos from the area through its unofficial news agency, ‘Amaq News. The first video shows several Islamic State fighters clearing buildings that were used by Syrian soldiers. The jihadists also showcase captured weapons and desecrate pictures of Hafiz and Bashar al Assad. In the second video, the Islamic State features footage of the captured prison while other scenes show its fighters driving through the streets of Tadmur. Other footage shows local residents celebrating with Islamic State fighters. The first video can be seen above and the second can be seen below.
See more pictures here at this link. 
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2015/05/islamic-state-releases-media-from-palmyra.php
 





Another video released by ‘Amaq News from Tadmur:

https://youtu.be/nuP5cOsyfn8
See more here at this link.
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2015/05/islamic-state-releases-media-from-palmyra.php

 

Islamic State executes and arrests more than 800 members of the regime forces and allied militiamen in the city of Palmyra and its countryside

http://www.syriahr.com/en/2015/05/islamic-state-executes-and-arrests-more-than-800-members-of-the-regime-forces-and-allied-militiamen-in-the-city-of-palmyra-and-its-countryside/  

The number of executions carried out by IS since May 16, until now in the areas that IS has recently seized in the eastern countryside of Homs has risen to 217, including dozens of civilians of women, men and children while the others are from the regime forces and allied militiamen. In addition to, there are more than of 600 detainees of the regime forces, pro- regime militiamen and civilians accused of being “agents for the regime forces”.

SOHR made sure that IS executed 67 civilians, including 14 children and 12 women, in the city of al- Sikhni, village of al- Aamiriyyi, city of Palmyra and on the outskirts of the Officer Housing for “dealing with the regime forces and hiding regime’s members in their houses”. The death toll includes 5 nurses executed in the city of Palmyra in east of Homs.

SOHR also could document execution of 150 members of the regime forces, NDF, people’s committees and other people for being “informer for the regime forces”. The sources confirmed to SOHR that most of them were beheaded.

Read more here. 
http://www.syriahr.com/en/2015/05/islamic-state-executes-and-arrests-more-than-800-members-of-the-regime-forces-and-allied-militiamen-in-the-city-of-palmyra-and-its-countryside/