A U.S. military transport aircraft on a mission in Mozambique. Image source United States Air Force
Comprehensive compilation of Zhang Guiyu
On September 20, 2001, then-U.S. President George W. Bush announced that the United States would begin to engage in a global war on terror that was "unknown in process and determined in the outcome." A few days earlier, the U.S. House of Representatives had approved the Use of Military Force Authorization Act (AUMF) by a vote of 420 to 1 and the Senate 98 to 0, authorizing the government to "use all necessary and appropriate force against countries, organizations, or individuals that planned, authorized, perpetrated, or facilitated the 9/11 terrorist attacks and harbored those organizations or individuals."
As George W. Bush said at the time, "It won't end until every terrorist organization with global reach is discovered, stopped, and defeated." "AUMF is like a check that can fill in the amount at will, allowing the U.S. government to wage war around the world."
20 years have passed. A recent report published by Brown University's "Cost of War" research project pointed out that since 2001, the United States has carried out operations in 22 countries and territories, including ground operations, airstrikes, detentions, and support partners, and AUMF has been used to endorse the legitimacy of these operations. Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Georgia, Kosovo and other places are included in the list.
In those 20 years, the number of "officially certified" terrorist organizations in the United States has more than doubled.
"In some cases, the executive branch has not adequately described the scope of the armed action, often using vague language, unclear logic and weak explanations." Stephanie Savile, the author of the study, wrote, "In other cases, the executive branch has claimed to have sent U.S. forces to 'support counterterrorism operations' without acknowledging that troops have been or may be involved in direct firefights with hostile personnel." ”
Today, the U.S. military still carries out counterterrorism operations in 12 countries on four continents, based on the 2001 AUMF. In the context of the overall shift in the us military's focus to "great power competition", some have called on the Biden administration to reconsider the US counterterrorism strategy. But there is no sign that the war, which began on September 11, 2001, will soon end.
"Supporting friendly forces" became a cover for secret warfare
Recalling the beginning of this protracted war on terror, Business Insider wrote that in 2001, while the AUMF passed by an overwhelming margin, Congress approved a $40 billion emergency spending bill, calling it a "down payment in an effort to find and punish those who have committed horrific acts and support them."
If you want to buy a house, the down payment may be at least 20% of the house price. By contrast, the U.S. government launched a never-ending war on terror that required less than 1 percent of the money as a "down payment" — and today, the cost of the war has ballooned to about $5.8 trillion.
For 20 years, AUMF has often been used to justify the actions of the U.S. government: the mass detentions at the Guantanamo base in Cuba; the establishment of counterterrorism centers in djibouti, the African country, to protect against attacks from Somalia and Yemen; in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Syria, Yemen... Conduct ground combat or air strikes.
Under the bill, the U.S. military has the right to "support" the armed forces of 13 allied nations. The difference between "supporting allies" and "going directly to war" is often small in reality.
In October 2017, the Islamic State ambushed U.S. troops in Niger, killing four U.S. soldiers and wounding two others. The U.S. Africa Command's public claim is that the casualties are only responsible for providing "advice and assistance" to their local counterparts. But the New York Times has since revealed that the U.S. military has been operating jointly with the Niger military for sustained and widespread deployment in northwest Africa. In fact, the ambushed U.S. military intended to support a group of commandos, who targeted an Islamic State commander on the ground. The whole thing was part of the Obsidian Nomads battle plan.
The situation in Niger is just the tip of the iceberg. Whether commanded by the U.S. Special Operations Command or controlled by ordinary "theater special operations forces", U.S. special forces have repeatedly gone deep into the hinterland of the African continent with other armies to carry out operations that are no different from war. U.S. servicemen have carried out similar missions in Mali, code-named "Obsidian Mosaic". As for mali, no U.S. government has taken the initiative to mention the 2001 AUMF, and the public banner is also "providing counterterrorism assistance to partners."
According to a retired general who served in the U.S. Military's Africa Command, Mali is just one of 13 African countries that fought U.S. troops between 2013 and 2017. During the same period, U.S. forces fought in Kenya and suffered casualties. During the administrations of George W. Bush, Obama, Trump and Biden, the country has been covered by the AUMF. In January 2020, militants attacked a U.S. military base in Manda Bay, Kenya, killing 3 Americans, 1 active-duty soldier and 2 contractors.
The Brown University study also reveals many of the U.S. government's inconsistencies. In 2011, during Operation Odyssey Dawn and NATO's Joint Protector Operation, which succeeded the operation, european and American multinational forces carried out a surprise attack on the then Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, resulting in Gaddafi's death and regime change. Hundreds of airstrikes were carried out in Libya, but the then-ruling Obama administration claimed they were not "hostile acts."
According to the US "Interception" website, NATO has carried out a total of about 9,700 attack flights in Libya and dropped more than 7,700 precision-guided munitions. U.S. drones flying from Italy often haunt Libya. Retired U.S. Military Lt. Col. Gary Peppers revealed that "our Predator drones launched 243 missiles in the 6 months that Operation United Protector lasted, accounting for more than 20 percent of the total number of missiles launched in the 14 years since the system was deployed." ”
Twenty years later, the number of terrorist organizations designated by the United States has more than doubled
After the 9/11 incident, the whole United States was excited. Then-Congressman Gerald Nadler said: "We must throw ourselves into this imposed war with determination, tenacity and unity until the evil organization that waged the war is eradicated from the earth." ”
Twenty years later, al-Qaida is still alive, its affiliates are growing, and many more extreme and deadly successors have emerged. Last year, U.S. military operations in Afghanistan came to an abrupt end, and terrorist groups continue to spiral around the world.
U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan transporting supplies. Image source United States Air Force
In late 2021, Biden told Congress that the U.S. military will continue to focus on Africa and the Middle East, deploy troops to carry out counterterrorism missions, and provide advice and assistance to the security forces of select foreign partners. He acknowledged that U.S. forces will continue to detain terrorism suspects at the Guantanamo base in Cuba and support the operations of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in Asia.
At the same time, the United States continues to carry out ground operations and air strikes in Iraq and Syria, and deploys troops in Yemen to protect against al-Qaida and the Islamic State in the Arabian Peninsula. In Turkey and Lebanon, "a small number" of U.S. soldiers are responsible for strengthening the local government's counterterrorism capabilities, with more than 2,100 and more than 3,100 U.S. troops each stationed in Saudi Arabia and Jordan...
In Africa, Biden said, U.S. troops stationed near Somalia continue to fight extremist groups such as Al-Shabaab through airstrikes. U.S. forces are deployed to Djibouti and Kenya to conduct counterterrorism and anti-piracy operations. In the Lake Chad Basin and the Sahel region, U.S. forces conduct air intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations to advise and assist local counterparts.
Not long ago, the U.S. State Department released a report aimed at providing a comprehensive assessment of global counterterrorism operations driven by the AUMF. U.S. Secretary of State Blinken said the Islamic State and al-Qaida affiliates are still spreading around the world. In 2020, the number of deaths from terrorist attacks increased by more than 10% compared to the previous year.
The report notes that the Islamic State affiliate has stepped up its activities in West Africa, the Sahel region, the Lake Chad Basin and northern Mozambique, and that al-Qaida has further strengthened its presence in the Middle East and Africa. "The threat of terrorism is more dispersed around the world, and terrorist organizations remain a global and pervasive threat".
Even more frustrating is a set of data. When the AUMF was adopted in 2001, there were 32 foreign terrorist organizations designated by the U.S. Department of State. After 20 years and four U.S. presidents, nearly $6 trillion and nearly 1 million deaths, the latest data authorized by the U.S. Congress shows that the number of major terrorist organizations around the world has grown to 69.
"The 2001 AUMF was like a blank check that allowed the president of the United States to use force at will anywhere, lacking adequate oversight. That's far from the whole story. In an interview with the U.S. independent investigative website TomDispatch, Stephanie Savile said, "In order to put an end to the war violence carried out in the name of counterterrorism once and for all, the abolition of the AUMF of 2001 is only the first step." After that, more needs to be done to hold the U.S. government accountable for clandestine mandates and military operations. ”
When he got his hands on the $5.8 trillion "blank check, which is still growing, George W. Bush said the outcome of the war on terror was "certain." Twenty years later, no one can say exactly what the outcome of this war was. "TomDispatch" said that in 2022, the Biden administration has a chance to end the mistakes of the past three presidents, and the US Congress can also re-examine the decision of that year. However, this "blank check" remains valid until substantive changes occur, and the loss of life and property caused by the "global counterterrorism" in the United States will continue to grow.
Source: China Youth Daily client