[Home] [Headlines] [Latest Articles] [Latest Comments] [Post] [Mail] [Sign-in] [Setup] [Help] [Register]
|
Status: Not Logged In; Sign In
International News Title: ISIS fighter was trained by State Department ISIS fighter was trained by State Department By Dugald McConnell and Brian Todd, CNN Updated 8:30 PM ET, Fri May 29, 2015 Washington (CNN) An ISIS fighter who calls for jihad in a new online video was trained in counterterrorism tactics on American soil, in a program run by the United States, officials tell CNN. The video features a former police commander from Tajikistan named Col. Gulmurod Khalimov. He appears in black ISIS garb with a sniper rifle and a bandolier of ammunition. He says in the video that he participated in programs on U.S. soil three times, at least one of which was in Louisiana. The State Department has confirmed this claim. "From 2003-2014 Colonel Khalimov participated in five counterterrorism training courses in the United States and in Tajikistan, through the Department of State's Diplomatic Security/Anti-Terrorism Assistance program," said spokeswoman Pooja Jhunjhunwala. The program is intended to train candidates from participating countries in the latest counterterrorism tactics, so they can fight the very kind of militants that Khalimov has now joined. A State Department official said Khalimov was trained in crisis response, tactical management of special events, tactical leadership training and related issues. In the video, Khalimov says that what he saw during his training sessions turned him against his sponsors. "Listen, you American pigs: I've been to America three times. I saw how you train soldiers to kill Muslims," he says in Russian. "You taught your soldiers how to surround and attack, in order to exterminate Islam and Muslims." Then, in the most chilling part of the 10-minute video, he looks directly into the camera and says, "God willing, we will find your towns, we will come to your homes, and we will kill you." He then demonstrates his dexterity with a sniper rifle by blowing apart a tomato from a distance of perhaps 25 yards. The scene is played in slow motion. The American program in which Khalimov participated is designed to teach tactics used by police and military units against terrorists by countries that cooperate with the United States on security matters. But now experts are concerned that this defector has brought ISIS not only a propaganda victory, but also an insider's knowledge of the playbook the United States is using in the fight against ISIS. "That is a dangerous capability," said former Army intelligence officer Michael Breen. "It's never a good thing to have senior counterterrorism people become terrorists." "It sounds like he was involved in defending sensitive people and sensitive targets," said Breen, who is now with the Truman Project in Washington. "He knows how to plan counterterrorism operations. So he knows how the people who protect a high-value target will be thinking; he knows how people who protect an embassy would be thinking." Former Army sniper Paul Scharre, now with the Center for a New American Security, said Khalimov could not only help train other ISIS fighters in tactics, but also serve as a recruiter for the group. "They're obviously trying to draw in recruits" with the video, he said. Khalimov was an officer of the primary counterterrorism unit which responds to terrorist threats in Tajikistan, a State Department official said, so he and other members of his unit were recommended for the program by the Tajik government. ISIS fighter was trained by State Department By Dugald McConnell and Brian Todd, CNN Updated 8:30 PM ET, Fri May 29, 2015 Source: CNN nr damon isis rocket fire_00005025.jpg CNN crew forced to run amid ISIS rocket fire Sharky Jama Australian model dies fighting for ISIS pkg damon iraq isis captives_00011027.jpg Family recounts horrors of ISIS captivity ISIS tries to gain foothold in Afganistan isis the power of terror tom foreman orig jtb_00013720.jpg ISIS and the power of terror isis destroys iraq mosul artifacts_00002019.jpg ISIS escalates cultural annihilation ISIS throws gay men off buildings ac dnt the rise of ISIS_00010804.jpg How ISIS rose to power ac pkg kaye why women join jihad_00003425.jpg Why do women join jihad? isis threat video american defector tsr dnt todd_00003007.jpg Commander trained to fight terrorism joins ISIS Now Playing FBI investigating possible ISIS plot in U.S. An ISIS militant stands guard at a checkpoint captured from the Iraqi Army outside Beiji refinery, 155 miles north of Baghdad, on June 19. ISIS' surprisingly advanced bureaucracy isis destroys iraq mosul artifacts_00002819.jpg Why does ISIS destroy antiquities? erin dnt griffin isis money trail _00004712.jpg Why is ISIS so wealthy? name ISIS hates orig_00001103.jpg The name ISIS hates to be called ISIS targets U.S. consulate in bomb attack ISIS claims responsibility for Irbil blast nr damon isis rocket fire_00005025.jpg CNN crew forced to run amid ISIS rocket fire Sharky Jama Australian model dies fighting for ISIS pkg damon iraq isis captives_00011027.jpg Family recounts horrors of ISIS captivity ISIS tries to gain foothold in Afganistan isis the power of terror tom foreman orig jtb_00013720.jpg ISIS and the power of terror isis destroys iraq mosul artifacts_00002019.jpg ISIS escalates cultural annihilation ISIS throws gay men off buildings ac dnt the rise of ISIS_00010804.jpg How ISIS rose to power ac pkg kaye why women join jihad_00003425.jpg Why do women join jihad? isis threat video american defector tsr dnt todd_00003007.jpg Commander trained to fight terrorism joins ISIS FBI investigating possible ISIS plot in U.S. An ISIS militant stands guard at a checkpoint captured from the Iraqi Army outside Beiji refinery, 155 miles north of Baghdad, on June 19. ISIS' surprisingly advanced bureaucracy isis destroys iraq mosul artifacts_00002819.jpg Why does ISIS destroy antiquities? erin dnt griffin isis money trail _00004712.jpg Why is ISIS so wealthy? name ISIS hates orig_00001103.jpg The name ISIS hates to be called ISIS targets U.S. consulate in bomb attack ISIS claims responsibility for Irbil blast nr damon isis rocket fire_00005025.jpg CNN crew forced to run amid ISIS rocket fire Washington (CNN) An ISIS fighter who calls for jihad in a new online video was trained in counterterrorism tactics on American soil, in a program run by the United States, officials tell CNN. The video features a former police commander from Tajikistan named Col. Gulmurod Khalimov. He appears in black ISIS garb with a sniper rifle and a bandolier of ammunition. He says in the video that he participated in programs on U.S. soil three times, at least one of which was in Louisiana. The State Department has confirmed this claim. "From 2003-2014 Colonel Khalimov participated in five counterterrorism training courses in the United States and in Tajikistan, through the Department of State's Diplomatic Security/Anti-Terrorism Assistance program," said spokeswoman Pooja Jhunjhunwala. The program is intended to train candidates from participating countries in the latest counterterrorism tactics, so they can fight the very kind of militants that Khalimov has now joined. A State Department official said Khalimov was trained in crisis response, tactical management of special events, tactical leadership training and related issues. In the video, Khalimov says that what he saw during his training sessions turned him against his sponsors. "Listen, you American pigs: I've been to America three times. I saw how you train soldiers to kill Muslims," he says in Russian. "You taught your soldiers how to surround and attack, in order to exterminate Islam and Muslims." Then, in the most chilling part of the 10-minute video, he looks directly into the camera and says, "God willing, we will find your towns, we will come to your homes, and we will kill you." He then demonstrates his dexterity with a sniper rifle by blowing apart a tomato from a distance of perhaps 25 yards. The scene is played in slow motion. The American program in which Khalimov participated is designed to teach tactics used by police and military units against terrorists by countries that cooperate with the United States on security matters. But now experts are concerned that this defector has brought ISIS not only a propaganda victory, but also an insider's knowledge of the playbook the United States is using in the fight against ISIS. "That is a dangerous capability," said former Army intelligence officer Michael Breen. "It's never a good thing to have senior counterterrorism people become terrorists." "It sounds like he was involved in defending sensitive people and sensitive targets," said Breen, who is now with the Truman Project in Washington. "He knows how to plan counterterrorism operations. So he knows how the people who protect a high-value target will be thinking; he knows how people who protect an embassy would be thinking." Former Army sniper Paul Scharre, now with the Center for a New American Security, said Khalimov could not only help train other ISIS fighters in tactics, but also serve as a recruiter for the group. "They're obviously trying to draw in recruits" with the video, he said. Khalimov was an officer of the primary counterterrorism unit which responds to terrorist threats in Tajikistan, a State Department official said, so he and other members of his unit were recommended for the program by the Tajik government. "All appropriate Leahy vetting was undertaken in advance of this training," said spokeswoman Jhunjhunwala. Scharre, who has served as a trainer of Afghan soldiers in Afghanistan, says there is always a risk that a trainee will turn against their American instructors. But Breen, who has also participated in training sessions overseas, said building counterterrorism partners requires a necessary leap of faith. "There's absolutely no way to beat an opponent like the Islamic State, without training a lot of people," he said. "That's a core of our strategy." CNN's Elise Labott and Bruce Conover contributed to this report
Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
#1. To: All (#0)
It is possible he is a double agent also. Just saying - I hope ISIS is not reading that.
If he was trained by our government to the level we are now training our soldiers, he'll be a detriment to ISIS.
|
|
[Home] [Headlines] [Latest Articles] [Latest Comments] [Post] [Mail] [Sign-in] [Setup] [Help] [Register]
|