Author Archive for Public Intelligence

Israel, Palestine, United Nations

WHO Report: Health Conditions in the Occupied Palestinian Territory

The continuing crisis in the occupied Palestinian territory, the growing restrictions on the movement of people and goods and the worsening violence continue to affect the social and economic life of Palestinians, with consequences for their health status and access to health services. Deaths and injuries resulting from the occupation and the internal conflict increased during 2007 and continued to rise in the first months of 2008.

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Intelligence Fusion Centers, New Mexico

(U//LES) El Paso Intelligece Center: Blue Methamphetamine Report

A new type of crystal methamphetamine with a blue color tint is surfacing sporadically in the United States, primarily in California, Washington, and Texas. This substance, known as “blue meth” or “blue ice,” is allegedly more potent and more expensive than traditional crystal methamphetamine. Methamphetamine is a synthetic stimulant that is classified as a Schedule II controlled substance and is a widely abused drug. Although it is commonly sold in powder form, it is also distributed as crystals – crystal meth or ice. According to the 2005 Federal Sentencing Guidelines Manual, Chapter 2 Part D, Note (C), “Ice,” for the purposes of this guideline, means a mixture or substance containing dmethamphetamine hydrochloride of at least 80% purity.

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Department of Defense, United States

CNSS Wireless Communications Policy: Protecting National Security Information

The Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS) is issuing this policy to help agencies better safeguard National Security Information (NSI) during wireless transmission and delivery, while stored on mobile systems, and while stored on fixed systems that can be accessed by wireless media. It addresses the use of wireless technologies in areas where NSI is discussed or processed. It also assigns responsibilities for improving the security posture of the Executive Departments and Agencies (D/A), and provides references for a minimum set of security measures required for the use of wireless technologies in a national security environment.

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Iraq, Multi-National Corps Iraq

Classified Coalition Forces List of Iraqi Detainees with Photos

More than 1200 pages listing individual dossiers of detainees currently being held by Coalition Forces inside of Iraq. Each dossier contains a list of reasons for detention, along with the time and place that the individual was detained. The dossiers range in classification level from “For Official Use Only” to “Secret” and are believed to be current as of April 14, 2010. This document was originally made available by the pro-Islamic, Arabic News site al-raeed.net.

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Israel

Israeli Defense Forces Propaganda Justifying Attack on Aid Ships

Early this morning, IDF Naval Forces boarded six ships attempting to break the maritime closure of the Gaza Strip. This happened after numerous warnings from Israel and the Israeli Navy that were issued prior to the action. The Israel Navy requested the ships to redirect toward Ashdod where they would be able to unload their aid supplies which would then be transferred over land after undergoing security inspections.

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U.S. Army

(U//FOUO) Center for Army Lessons Learned “How the Taliban Take a Village”

A current method used by the Taliban in Afghanistan to gain control of an area deemed of strategic interest to the Taliban leadership, which operates from safe havens in Pakistan or within Afghanistan, is to identify and target villages to subvert. The Taliban have recognized the necessity to operate with the cooperation of the local population, with their modus operandi being to gain villagers’ cooperation through indoctrination (preferred) or coercion (when necessary).

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U.S. Navy

(U//FOUO) CNA Report: Patrol Base Armagh Attack, Helmand Province, July-August 2008

In early July 2008, a British infantry company based in Sangin set up a patrol base south of the town, along a major insurgent transit route. Within days, the insurgents attacked the outpost, known as Patrol Base Armagh, and attempted to cut it off from the company headquarters downtown. They laid IEDs along the outpost’s supply routes and harassed its troops by firing small
arms and RPGs from different directions. The insurgents managed to pin British forces down in the outpost and move around the position to the south.

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U.S. Army

(U//FOUO) TACTICOMP/Ku SATCOM Procurement Report

Under DA Authorization, TRADOC and Rapid Equipment Fielding (REF) purchased TACTICOMP and Ku SATCOM systems for the 1-23 IN, 3/2 SBCT for use during a National Training Center (NTC) mission readiness exercise and future deployment. TRADOC Spiral Development Division tasked USAIC Infantry Futures and the SBL to observe the unit and their employment of these systems. The observation team was a compilation of personnel from the SBL Futures Branch, TSM-SB C4ISR, and DCD Battle Command Division.

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White House

National Security Strategy 2010

To prevent acts of terrorism on American soil, we must enlist all of our intelligence, law enforcement, and homeland security capabilities. We will continue to integrate and leverage state and major urban area fusion centers that have the capability to share classified information; establish a nationwide framework for reporting suspicious activity; and implement an integrated approach to our counterterrorism information systems to ensure that the analysts, agents, and officers who protect us have access to all relevant intelligence throughout the government. We are improving information sharing and cooperation by linking networks to facilitate Federal, state, and local capabilities to seamlessly exchange messages and information, conduct searches, and collaborate. We are coordinating better with foreign partners to identify, track, limit access to funding, and prevent terrorist travel. Recognizing the inextricable link between domestic and transnational security, we will collaborate bilaterally, regionally, and through international institutions to promote global efforts to prevent terrorist attacks.

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Congressional Research Service, Kyrgyzstan

April 2010 Coup in Kyrgyzstan: Context and Implications for U.S. Interests

Kyrgyzstan is a small and poor country in Central Asia that gained independence in 1991 with the breakup of the Soviet Union (see Figure A-1). It has developed a notable but fragile civil society. Progress in democratization has been set back by problematic elections (one of which helped precipitate a coup in 2005 that brought Kurmanbek Bakiyev to power), contention over constitutions, and corruption. The April 2010 coup appears to have been triggered by popular discontent over rising utility prices and government repression. After two days of popular unrest in the capital of Bishkek and other cities, opposition politicians ousted the Bakiyev administration on April 8 and declared an interim government pending a new presidential election in six months. Roza Otunbayeva, a former foreign minister and ambassador to the United States, was declared the acting prime minister.

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Congressional Research Service

Latin America and the Caribbean: Illicit Drug Trafficking and U.S. Counterdrug Programs

Drug trafficking is viewed as a primary threat to citizen security and U.S. interests in Latin America and the Caribbean despite decades of anti-drug efforts by the United States and partner governments. The production and trafficking of popular illicit drugs—cocaine, marijuana, opiates, and methamphetamine—generates a multi-billion dollar black market in which Latin American criminal and terrorist organizations thrive. These groups challenge state authority in source and transit countries where governments are often fragile and easily corrupted. Mexican drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) largely control the U.S. illicit drug market and have been identified by the U.S. Department of Justice as the “greatest organized crime threat to the United States.” Drug trafficking-related crime and violence in the region has escalated in recent years, raising the drug issue to the forefront of U.S. foreign policy concerns.

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Afghanistan, U.S. Marine Corps

(U//FOUO) USMC Intelligence: Helmand Provincial Politics and Corruption Report

Helmand Province‟s political scene is perhaps unique in Afghanistan due to several atypical tribal dynamics produced by the unintended consequences of Western development activities. Projects, like the Helmand Valley Development Authority, led to an uneven tribal resettlement process that introduced outsider ethnic groups into the central portion of the province where they had never resided previously. Second, the potential wealth of the illegal opium industry associated with the reclaimed land from the development project and tribal desires to control it has also been a factor in the development of conflict.

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Afghanistan, U.S. Navy

(U//FOUO) Captured Taliban 2009 Mujahideen Rules and Regulations Booklet

The recent capture of the Taliban’s code of conduct manifesto, “Rules and Regulations for Mujahidin,” has offered analysts critical clues into how the Taliban intend to operate as well as how the movement is structured according to the Taliban. Importantly, the new document provides Coalition and Afghan forces a catalog of weak points, vulnerabilities and fears currently entrenched within the Taliban organization and its top echelon of leadership. A thorough examination of the document reveals the Taliban’s attempt to wage a guerrilla campaign implementing a rudimentary population-centric strategy; while calling upon elements of Pashtunwali and Shariat (Islamic) Law into the doctrine as well.

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