SECURITY PROTOCOL NOT FOLLOWED IN BENGHAZI ATTACK
Neither U.S. diplomats nor Libyan security followed designated contingency plans during the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, according to Libyan guards and officials interviewed last week. The Libyan guards protecting the embassy, hired and trained by the British security firm Blue Mountain, had prepared for an assault on a single entrance with small arms, not the heavily armed mob which attacked from multiple angles. Nearly three weeks after the attack a Washington Post reporter found a document in the embassy compound outlining specific plans if the consulate were to be attacked. Made up in part by members of the Libyan Martyrs Brigade, the small security body was to contact another outside ultraconservative militia for backup in the event of an emergency. It is unclear whether the outside militia was contacted, though it appears Americans within the compound did not trust the security attaché with Ambassador Stevens’ movements during the firefight. Several of the Libyan guards have since revealed they had met with American officials on the morning of the attack, expressing concern about the size of the security detail. (The Washington Post, October 5, 2012)
SAUDI ARABIA CURBS RELIGIOUS POWERS
After several highly-publicized abuses by Saudi Arabia’s religious police, the head of the organization, Sheikh Abdul Latif Abdul al-Sheikh, announced Wednesday that he would rescind some powers granted to the “mutawa” and transfer others to the country’s regular police force. Tasked with enforcing Islamic law throughout the kindgom, the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice will no longer hold the power to arrest or interrogate people not conforming to sharia law. The group typically polices dress codes, ensures businesses close for prayer, and separates unrelated men and woman from mingling in public. Sheikh Abdul Latif has disallowed searching through shopping centers and malls, where dress codes are not always followed. This comes after a viral video spread across the internet showing religious police harassing and trying to escort a woman out of a mall for wearing nail polish. Saudis have also blamed the mutawa for causing a fatal crash when they pursued a car for playing loud music this summer. (BBC News, October 3, 2012; The Telegraph, October 3, 2012)
IRAN, RUSSIA HELP SYRIA MOVE CHEMICAL WEAPONS STOCKPILES
Leaked documents suggest Syria has moved its chemical weapons stockpiles, despite adamant denials by the Assad regime and its allies. The documents, obtained by the Dubai based al-Arabiya network, implicate Iran in direct involvement in the relocation. According to one highly-classified document provided by Syrian rebels, Qasem Soleimani, commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force and leader of the Republic’s covert operations, wrote to President Assad directly about the movement of the country’s chemical warheads. Before being sent to Assad, the document was relayed through the reported Russia-Iran-Syria joint command. Both countries have long denied involvement in the Syrian conflict, calling for an end to the violence within the fractured state. U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta confirmed the reports last week, saying that Syrian had moved some chemical warheads in order to secure their safety. (Al Arabiya, October 4, 2012)
TAJIKISTAN EXTENDS RUSSIA’S STAY
Tajik President Imomali Rakhmon has extended a military cooperation agreement with Russia, permitting Moscow to operate military base and station Russian troops in the former Soviet republic until 2042. The two countries, having expressed concern over NATO’s upcoming withdrawal from Afghanistan, completed the agreement in October during a visit to Tajikistan by President Vladimir Putin. Russia’s military presence in Tajikistan consists of 6,000 soldiers spread across three towns – Russia’s largest troop deployment outside its borders. In return, Putin will allow more Tajik workers to earn a living in Russia, where 1.1 million already work and send their wages back to the former Soviet republic. Also included in the agreement are plans to construct a hydroelectric power plant in Tajikistan and the removal of duties on Russian light oil products bound for Tajikistan. Rakhmon, seeking Russia’s backing in next year’s election, was gifted a Russian-made sniper rifle by Putin to celebrate his 60th birthday. (Reuters, October 5th, 2012)
YEMEN FOILS AL QAEDA ATTACK ON U.S. DRONE BASE
Al-Qaeda operatives were apprehended trying to attack a jointly operated U.S-Yemeni airbase in October. The Al Anad airbase, located in Yemen’s southern province of Lahj, is used primarily by the United States to launch drone strikes against Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. “This was a planned suicide attack. Once the car was discovered, security forces immediately arrested two men who were inside the vehicle…The car was filled with explosives and anti-tank missiles,” said an Al Anad security official. (Reuters, October 6, 2012)