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Monday, August 28, 2006
Spys in blue helmets If information is power, then in a war zone it's king. Battles are turned, almost without exception, on intelligence gathered. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon [UNIFIL] has been on a peace-keeping mission along the Israeli/Lebanon border since 1978. Their effectiveness at keeping the peace has often come into question. During the recent hostilities between the Israeli Defense Forces [IDF] and Hezbollah, UNIFIL played a greater role than anyone could have imagined. The surprising resistance that Hezbollah offered to Israeli forces seems to have been accomplished with some unexpected international aid. UNIFIL has a website [doesn't everyone these days], and on this site, available at the click of a mouse to anyone with an internet connection, they posted real time United Nations intelligence regarding the movement of IDF troops. Real time, straight up, as in "this is what they're doing now". The information made available can't be blamed on the news media, at least not in this instance. Although television reporters and print jounalists scrambled to get the next scoop, the information posted on the UNIFIL website could only have been gleaned from U.N. resources. The intelligence was that specific. IDF troop positions and weapon types were often online within 30 minutes of a given units movement. Consider the posting of July 25th, uncovered by the Weekly Standard. Yesterday and during last night, the IDF moved significant reinforcements, including a number of tanks, armored personnel carriers, bulldozers and infantry, to the area of Marun Al Ras inside Lebanese territory. The IDF advanced from that area north toward Bint Jubayl, and south towards Yarun. An isolated incident? A misguided communique? Try this from the day before, July 24th. The IDF stationed between Marun Al Ras and Bint Jubayl were significantly reinforced during the night and this morning with a number of tanks and armored personnel carriers. While on a daily basis UNIFIL revealed where and when the IDF entered Lebanon, which towns were occupied by Israeli soldiers, the location and armament of firing positions, it was far less specific when reporting on Hezbollah. They did, of course, report on Hezbollah, so don't get the idea that this was all one sided. Here's a quote - Hezbollah fired rockets in large numbers from various locations. And here's another, from a different report - Hezbollah's rockets were fired in significantly larger numbers from various locations. Son of a gun, I saw that much on the evening news. I'll bet they saw it in Tel Aviv too. You've heard the old expression "There's something rotten in Denmark", well there's a hell of a smell in downtown Manhatten, right around that plaza where the U.N. building sits. Maybe it's time Kofi and the boys found themselves new digs. I'm thinking someplace real neutral, like Iran... Republished from Exit 4 Blogger News Network is advertiser-supported, and your visits to our advertisers help BNN to meet its expenses. Help keep us afloat! posted by John Pangia at 8:19 PM |
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2 Comments:
John
As a professional intelligence analyst and someone who works in the region, let me reassure you that Hezobollah knew about these movements long before they were posted on the UN website.
They are local. They are dug in. they have sources. The only people who thought that was timely intelligence were people not in the region.
Second, as someone who has worked for the UN and inside a peacekeeping operation, let me reassure you that the lack of intelligence meaning timely and accurate is one of the UN's problems.
So when did they start being a great source.
I am not negating your concept that they are spys in blue helmets.
Both the US and France feeds info back to their intel services from any UN staff they can get their hands on.
Good concept but not necessarily true in this case.
Thanks for the input, and as a former S2 officer I agree that locals provide the best info, but this still did seem strange to me.
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