dBSPL
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Some initial thoughts on @Disclose_ngo exposé of Operation #Sirli In no particular order:
egypt-papers.disclose.ngo
- Confirms the main effort of Egyptian military border operations is focused on the lethal targeting of non-terror related civilian smuggling and irregular migration activity. Suspicions analysts, rights workers, and Egypt watchers have had for quite some time.
- Continued willingness to use deadly force against non-combatant Egyptian nationals without judicial process, legal backing, oversight, or transparency. Last August MoD release claimed 200 vehicles had been destroyed in the western border region.
- Permissive environment and militarised response to long-standing governance and policing issues has led to the killing of civilians outside the scope of ops.
- Border smuggling-irregular migration activity is not a post-2011 phenomenon nor are the socio-economic drivers.
- Egyptian air force inability to properly verify targets and liaise/de-conflict with other branches and security forces once again on display. Operation Sirli appears to have been in the works months after EAF Apache gunships struck a tourist convoy in the Western Desert.
- Deliberate misuse by Egypt of French Counter-Terror support diverting it away from intelligence gathering towards the targeting of civilian smuggling activity.
Had they stuck with the CT mission then far less criticism would be levelled at both Fra-Egypt/Sirli.
- Egypt's use of US-supplied weapons systems to target non-combatants in concert with Sirli opens up questions on American knowledge and involvement. Armed Cessna is (potentially) a new catch for Egypt defence watchers.
- This level of operational integration with a foreign nation is something we haven't really seen since the expulsion of the Soviets from Egypt.
Not only tolerating foreign presence (as it always has to some degree) but welcoming foreign mil/int ops in country. Where else?
- Despite EAF spending something north of 15 billion dollars on 'modernisation' (mostly fighter jets) over the past six years capability gaps remain. ISR chronic weakness both over western border and Sinai. Sirli something EAF should have been able to do on its own.
- According to Disclose French soldiers remain in the Egyptian desert. Is Sirli still running? Has it gone back to an Int focus or is still targeting? Will the revelations kill Sirli and other instances of French covert support?
To me, this seems like an embarrassment entirely of Egypt's and France's making. One for not ignoring the urge to divert the support away from actual terror threats (scale often exaggerated but real) and the other for prioritising the gravy train instead of the mission.
Source - Egypt Defence Review
Les mémos de la terreur
- Confirms the main effort of Egyptian military border operations is focused on the lethal targeting of non-terror related civilian smuggling and irregular migration activity. Suspicions analysts, rights workers, and Egypt watchers have had for quite some time.
- Continued willingness to use deadly force against non-combatant Egyptian nationals without judicial process, legal backing, oversight, or transparency. Last August MoD release claimed 200 vehicles had been destroyed in the western border region.
- Permissive environment and militarised response to long-standing governance and policing issues has led to the killing of civilians outside the scope of ops.
- Border smuggling-irregular migration activity is not a post-2011 phenomenon nor are the socio-economic drivers.
- Egyptian air force inability to properly verify targets and liaise/de-conflict with other branches and security forces once again on display. Operation Sirli appears to have been in the works months after EAF Apache gunships struck a tourist convoy in the Western Desert.
- Deliberate misuse by Egypt of French Counter-Terror support diverting it away from intelligence gathering towards the targeting of civilian smuggling activity.
Had they stuck with the CT mission then far less criticism would be levelled at both Fra-Egypt/Sirli.
- Egypt's use of US-supplied weapons systems to target non-combatants in concert with Sirli opens up questions on American knowledge and involvement. Armed Cessna is (potentially) a new catch for Egypt defence watchers.
- This level of operational integration with a foreign nation is something we haven't really seen since the expulsion of the Soviets from Egypt.
Not only tolerating foreign presence (as it always has to some degree) but welcoming foreign mil/int ops in country. Where else?
- Despite EAF spending something north of 15 billion dollars on 'modernisation' (mostly fighter jets) over the past six years capability gaps remain. ISR chronic weakness both over western border and Sinai. Sirli something EAF should have been able to do on its own.
- According to Disclose French soldiers remain in the Egyptian desert. Is Sirli still running? Has it gone back to an Int focus or is still targeting? Will the revelations kill Sirli and other instances of French covert support?
To me, this seems like an embarrassment entirely of Egypt's and France's making. One for not ignoring the urge to divert the support away from actual terror threats (scale often exaggerated but real) and the other for prioritising the gravy train instead of the mission.
Source - Egypt Defence Review
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