A Secret Weapon on that Lake Victoria Plane?

Sources familiar with military operations now suspect that Russian-built cargo plane that crashed in Lake Victoria could have been transporting a deadly weapon possibly intended for use against a pirate haven on the Somali coast.

These sources note that U.S. officials have confirmed the American dive team sent to recover the wreckage of the plane included explosives specialists, an unusual move in an already unusual American recovery operation for a non-American aircraft in a foreign country.

They argue the mission could only have been ordered if the cargo on the aircraft was of American origin and of a highly sensitive nature. They say this could mean the presence of some extremely dangerous weapon.

The sources discount the possibility such a weapon could have been nuclear or chemical but speculate it was more likely a powerful conventional weapon.

One such weapon is a so-called fuel-air explosive which disperses an aerosol cloud of fuel which is ignited by an embedded detonator to produce a massive explosion that flattens all objects within close proximity of the epicenter and produces severe damage well beyond the flattened area.

Such a weapon could wipe out one of the Somali pirate centers along the Somali coast, they say.

Sources yesterday disclosed that the plane that went down in Lake Victoria could have been shot down by a surface-to-air missile fired from aboard a submarine operating clandestinely in the Lake by Somali pirates.

Note: Fantasyland again. No known truth in this.

Shocking Revelations About Lake Victoria Plane Crash, Secret Submarines and Somali Pirates!

That chartered Ilyushin cargo plane en route to Somalia that crashed in Lake Victoria in early March may have been shot down by a surface-to-air missile launched from a stolen submarine operated clandestinely by Somali pirates. The plane was said to be carrying supplies for African peackeepers in Somalia.

Sources suggest the submarine, possibly stolen late last year from a Kisumu-based Kenyan drug dealer, may have surfaced briefly and a crewmember could have emerged to use a short-range man-portable air defense missile identified as a Russian SA-18 “Grouse” to down the aircraft.

Secretly-taken photos show the submarine that could have been involved cruising and at its covert shore base, possibly located in a remote part of the Tanzanian shoreline along the lake.

The plane, an IL-76, was carrying tents and water purification units to Mogadishu in support of the African Union Mission in Somalia. All 11 people on-board died after the freighter crashed shortly after takeoff from Entebbe International Airport on March 9.

Airplane crashes are not unusual in Africa, especially crashes involving aging Soviet-era cargo planes.

However the March 9 crash drew extraordinary attention after U.S. military officials dispatched a special dive team to Lake Victoria. The team included personnel and equipment from Bahrain, Italy and Djibouti. The equipment included sonar systems, SCUBA gear, surface-supply diving equipment, a hyperbaric chamber for emergencies and three boats.

The U.S. is not believed to have dispatched such a highly-trained team of specialists to other air crashes in Africa before, raising questions about why the action was taken this time.

One source speculated that among those on board the plane might have been a former al-Qaida detainee from a secret CIA prison being returned to Somalia covertly.

The U.S. divers located portions of the fuselage, both wings, landing gear with four tires and what they believed to be one of the engines.

One U.S. official described the recovery as very difficult:

"Most of the heavy stuff is underneath the silt. We found parts of the tail that are sunk and the divers had to dig five feet under. This is very difficult diving and potentially very hazardous. Probably some of the most difficult I've seen in 19 years of service. There is no visibility, especially once you touch the bottom; a powder, like talcum powder, floats up everywhere and you can't see at all. Because of the wreckage, there are very sharp medal objects pointing everywhere and we have fishing nets to deal with."

Lake Victoria is the second largest fresh water lake in the world. The wreckage is 80 feet under water, buried in approximately 15 feet of silt and 6.8 miles from the closest pier.

The Government of Uganda requested U.S. assistance in recovering the victims, retrieving black boxes and flight data information, if possible, and support in providing advisory and technical services to the accident investigation.

It is not clear how pirates would have received advance word of the plane's planned take-off time. However sources said they could have informants in Kampala who monitor U.N. peacekeeping missions.

Note: I apologize to regular readers for doing this. Nothing above, save the details of the dive team, is true nor fact-based. It is speculative, as I hope I made clear by references to "possibly" or "may have." Here is how it came about: some of the things I see in the blogosphere truly irritate me. What set me off this time was one of those blog reports that picks selected facts and links them together to get readers to fear yet another conspiracy. Given the popularity of rumors in and about Africa, it is understandable wild stories can proliferate. For the record, I did in fact interview people in Burundi in the 1990's who spoke of knowing the CIA was operating a submarine in Lake Tanganyika.

Recalling the Rwandan Genocide on TV

I had a chance to recall some of the experiences reported here from during the Rwandan genocide while appearing as a guest on the VOA TV news show to Africa called In Focus. Visit their website and watch.

Obama Statement on Rwanda Genocide Anniversary

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary
________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release April 7, 2009

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT ON THE 15th ANNIVERSARY OF THE GENOCIDE IN RWANDA

This week marks the 15th commemoration of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. It is a somber occasion that causes us to reflect upon the deaths of the more than 800,000 men, women, and children who were killed simply because of their ethnicity or their political beliefs. The memory of these events also deepens our commitment to act when faced with genocide and to work with partners around the world to prevent future atrocities. The figure of 800,000 is so enormous, so daunting, that it runs the risk of becoming a statistic. Today, we must remember that each of the 800,000 individuals who died in 1994 had their own story, their own family, and their own dreams. As we mourn their senseless passing, we must also acknowledge the courageous men and women who survived the genocide and have since demonstrated remarkable strength and generosity in forgiving those who committed these heinous acts. These individuals inspire us daily by working to restore trust and rebuild hope in Rwanda. The United States is committed to its partnership with Rwanda and will continue to support efforts to promote sustainable development, respect for human rights, and lasting peace in Rwanda.

Exclusive Details of AFRICOM's InfoOps In Africa!

AFRICOM has deployed Military Information Support Teams in several African countries and has conducted additional information operations in other nations on the African continent.

An AFRICOM official, responding to an inquiry by this blog (and AFRICOMWatch.Blogspot.com) , was providing the first-ever public details of OPERATION OBJECTIVE VOICE (OOV), known previously as OPERATION ASSURED VOICE - AFRICA (OAV-A).

The operation has been described by AFRICOM as "an operation that strikes at the heart of violent extremist ideology... where multiple agencies partner with African governments to broadcast messages to counter extremist propaganda." The operation also involves the deployment of Military Information Support Teams, known as MISTs.

According to the AFRICOM official, the aim of these information activities is "to influence the information environment in a way that reduces the effect and influence of Violent Extremist Organizations and their ideology."

The official says U.S. Africa Command, through OOV, has conducted survey research in Nigeria and Mali, which supports the U.S. government program called the Trans-Sahara Counter Terrorism Partnership (TSCTP) and its military component, Operation ENDURING FREEDOM Trans-Sahara (OEF-TS). The official says AFRICOM has not done such research in Kenya, which is not part of OEF-TS.

The official says Africa Command has Military Information Support Teams (MIST) deployed in Nigeria, Mali and Kenya. He says those teams have undertaken several programs. He says these include Ethnic and Religious Tolerance programs, Anti-Smuggling/Anti-Trafficking programs, Conflict Resolution training or broad-based radio programming. In Kenya, for example, the official says the MIST team has conducted Peace and Reconciliation programs. These efforts are closely coordinated with U.S. Embassy programs.

The official discloses AFRICOM has also conducted OOV-sponsored surveys in Chad, Niger, Senegal, and Algeria. "We have sponsored an Embassy program in Niger. We are working on OOV programming initiatives in Senegal and Burkina Faso. We also have MISTs deployed to Mauritania, Niger, and Ethiopia," the official reveals.

Although not specifically conceived as part of OOV, the official confirms AFRICOM sponsors a news and information website, www.magharebia.com. He says AFRICOM also has Civil Affairs teams conducting small-scale Humanitarian Assistance projects in several countries; and "while these are not funded or overseen by OOV, they also contribute to the achievement of the command's OOV Effects," the official says.

The AFRICOM official says the MISTs deployed in Africa did not deploy with radio, television or other equipment of their own. He says they will use capabilities already in existence in the countries where they work.

He says, "Typically (though not always), they will employ TV, radio, newspapers, billboards and posters, and what we call 'Durable Messaging Goods' (the things you give to people, such as shirts, hats, soccer balls, etc.). TV may include buying ad time or sponsoring documentaries; radio may include buying ad time, sponsoring live discussions or call-in shows, or producing radio dramas/series."

Asked by AFRICOMWatch if the U.S. military was considering the deployment of Commando Solo airborne broadcasting platforms, the official says it is an option. "While we may seek to deploy it, it would likely be a temporary measure in support of a specific operation, such as Counter Piracy operations. It would likely NOT be deployed in support of OOV; because OOV is a long-term effort in several countries, and the temporary employment of an airborne broadcast platform is not well-suited to long-term OOV needs."

Iranian Arms Smuggling in Africa

VOA Nairobi correspondent Alisha Ryu has filed an illuminating report on that apparent Israeli air attack on an Iranian weapons convoy in the Sudanese desert, saying it has drawn attention to an alleged Iranian arms smuggling network in Africa. Sudan is believed to be playing a key role in Iranian efforts to deliver weapons to militant Hamas fighters in Gaza.

She reports Israeli officials have refused to confirm or deny reports that their fighter bombers, backed by unmanned drones, carried out the attack in Sudan in January as Israeli forces and Hamas engaged in pitch battles in Gaza.

U.S. news reports, quoting unnamed U.S. and Israeli sources, say the air strikes targeted a convoy of arms-laden trucks traveling in the eastern part of Sudan near the Egyptian border. The remote, underdeveloped area is home to nomadic Bedouins and is a well known route for smugglers.

She quotes Reva Bhalla, Director of Analysis at Stratfor Global Intelligence Company in the United States, says it is not clear whether Israel has targeted such convoys before in Sudan. But she says Iran has been smuggling weapons from Sudan into Egypt for quite some time.

"It is a very practical supply route for the Iranians to use. The arms market in Sudan is thriving and acts as a very easy way for Iran to send agents, mainly through Hezbollah, to come under false passports into Sudan, buy those arms, and transport them primarily via trucks across Sudan and into the Sinai Peninsula, where they can pay off local Bedouins with all sorts of things to get those arms into the Hamas underground tunnel network into Gaza."

Arms researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Pieter Wezeman, says Sudan is awash in arms from Iran.

"For example, weapons have been sighted during military parades. They clearly are Iranian-produced weapons. The quantities involved and also the time involved are very difficult to find information about. But it seems over the past 10 years, Iran has supplied a constant supply of weapons to Sudan."

Another report released by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy last month says Iran may also be sending arms overland to Egypt through a variety of routes in Yemen, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and South Africa. The authors say the shipments are gathered in Sudan and then moved through the Sinai Peninsula into Gaza.

Ms Ryu quotes Helmoed Heitman with Jane's Defence Weekly magazine as saying he believes the Israeli air strike on Sudanese soil may cause the government in Khartoum to move even closer to Tehran. Heitman says there are rumors circulating in Sudan that intelligence sources in Egypt had leaked the information about the weapons convoy to Israel.

"I suspect it is going to make them paranoid about who leaked the movement of the stuff through their territory and possibly trigger greater hostility between Sudan and Egypt."