Murder & Co.

By Néstor García Iturbe

From Servicio Hermes

When talking about assassinations as actions carried out by the government of the United States as part of its policy of state terrorism, we normally think of the Central Intelligence Agency, because it is the most notorious performer of this type of action. However, we cannot overlook the Department of Defense, especially the Defense Intelligence Agency that, on many occasions, has entered that field.

The lethal operation we shall give describe involves some characters who are variously linked to the Pentagon, although, to be truthful, a former official of the CIA also participated in it.

The main actors in the operation are Michael D. Furlong, a high-ranking Pentagon official in the Obama administration, who hired private entrepreneurs to identify Islamic militants in Afghanistan and Pakistan for the purpose of assassinating them.

The other actor is Robert Young Pelton, a writer and journalist who was hired for that duty. The cast is completed by Duane Clarridge, a former CIA official with experience in the Iran Contra scandal, and Eason Jordan, who has worked as an executive in a television network.

The intelligence operation was disguised as a government-run program for the collection of information, developed by the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The real objective of the program was to assassinate any Islamic militants that might be detected.

To this end, the Defense Department functionary, Michael D. Furlong, hired from private companies personnel who came from either the CIA or the Special Forces. The individuals hired had to obtain biographical information about people suspected of being militants and find the location of training camps. That information was sent to military and intelligence units who were assigned to commit the murders.

At no time were these actions intended to reduce the number of the CIA actions, or to replace the incursions of drone aircraft, like the Predator. They were additional activities to try to eliminate the largest possible number of “enemies.”

Surprisingly, it is said that no one knows who authorized and supervised this type of operation. Some venture to say that it was a Furlong initiative they knew nothing about (!!!) because it is generally considered illegal for the Department of Defense to hire civilian personnel for espionage activities. To set up this operation, Furlong had to illegally use funds set aside for other espionage tasks.

 

Furlong is a retired U.S. Army officer who, at the time, was hired as an employee of the Department of Defense, living at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. Col. Kathleen Cook, spokeswoman for the Strategic Air Command, who was in charge of supervising Furlong’s work, declined to make any statements.

One of the people involved in the operation, author Robert Young Pelton, said he had been hired to obtain information about Afghanistan, so that the occupation forces might know better the operative situation in which they were acting. Young said the information was used improperly, to murder people.

Another person involved, Eason Jordan, former executive for the news service of a U.S. television station, was in charge of organizing a Web page called AFPAX, which secured information about people and situations in the various regions. This information was used on several occasions to carry out lethal operations against alleged “terrorists.”

Young said that some of the images he took were placed on that Web page and used to attack the population of southern Waziristan, in Pakistan.

The proposal about setting up the Web page was made by Jordan in person to Gen. David D. McKiernan, who was the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan until 2009. Furlong was present at the time.

The general agreed with the proposal and Furlong stated that he could furnish the financing, so Jordan received orders to begin to work immediately. It should surprise no one if General McKiernan now says that he didn’t know anything about the affair.

Among the companies hired by Furlong is International Media Ventures, which is devoted to the establishment of “strategic communications.” It is owned by a member of the Special Forces.

Another is Boston-based American International Security Corp., owned by Mike Taylor, a former member of the Green Berets. To carry out the contracts established with Furlong, this company hired former CIA official Duane (Dewey) Clarridge, estimating that he had the necessary experience to perform the duties required.

That program was begun in mid-2008, under Furlong’s leadership. Twenty-two million dollars was set aside for the operations; much of it went to International Media Ventures.

In June 2009, Rear Adm. Gregory Smith, director for strategic communications in Afghanistan, stated his opposition to continue financing AFPAX. At that time, about $15 million were still unused, so Furlong proposed using the money in other activities related to the operation. Admiral Smith now says he hasn’t the slightest idea where that money went.

All this shows that the chiefs of the various Pentagon units involved in these operations, who were obligated to supervise what Furlong was doing, knew nothing of what was happening.

As to the money, apparently only $7 million of the total $22 million budgeted are accounted for. As to the rest, nobody knows anything.

This means, and I’m thinking as positively as I can, that an official in one of the agencies of the U.S. government can organize an operation to assassinate persons, carry out a number of assassinations, receive a budget for it, spend part of the money, abscond with the rest, and nobody will be aware of what’s happening.

Please write another type of tale, because this one is much too hard to believe.

Néstor García Iturbe is a Cuban writer.