More Sordid Aspects of America’s So-Called 'War on Terror'

Illegal renditions

Details are emerging of the more sordid aspects of America’s so-called war on terror

Sep 2, 2011 - Part of the US response to the enormity of 9/11 was, in the context of a country that prides itself on its respect for the rule of law, hardly less reprehensible than the depravity of the terrorists. The inoffensive words “extraordinary rendition”, concealed American crimes of kidnap, false imprisonment and torture.

Now it seems that the CIA which led this illegality with encouragement from the Bush White House, not only broke US and international law but it also failed to pay one of the companies from whom it chartered planes and crew to fly Al-Qaeda suspects to secret prisons in Eastern Europe.

This has emerged because two US charter companies, Richmor Aviation and Sportsflight have had to sue the US authorities for settlement of $1.6 million in fees still outstanding from the flights. Documents submitted to the court in support of the claim have provided details of just some of what are believed to be over a thousand flights. The trips detailed for the court coincide with known disappearances.

The companies that supplied the executive jets claim that they hardly knew how many passengers they were carrying on each flight, though there was occasionally a breakdown between the number of US government employees and their “invitees.” This may not be the full truth. All these flights were given diplomatic clearance by the State Department, meaning that local officials where the planes landed and took off normally had no right to search them. Likewise Al-Qaeda suspects were bundled to and from aircraft in US vehicles with diplomatic plates. read more>>>