Josh Marshall - with interesting info on mercenary story from S. A.

[salin]

As always - gives some interesting insight into the developing story.

His post: http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/002687.html

Refers to these items:


Where was flight N4610 heading?

March 10 2004 at 08:11AM

They were 64 "heavily built men", mostly white. No, they were all black. No, only 40 of them were black.

--snip--

Some sources say the drama began in November 2003 or December when the company Logo Logistics acquired a fishing concession in Equatorial Guinea and bought or hired fishing trawlers.

"Those guys have never caught a fish in their lives," one source said.

The trawlers were really to be used first to reconnoitre and then to transport mercenaries to oust the government of unpopular President Obiang Nguema Mbasogo in a coup, the sources said. Though part of Equatorial Guinea is on the African mainland, its capital Malabo is on the island of Bioko, and it appears that a seaborne coup was planned, though it is not clear from what staging post it would happen.

Equatorial Guinea and its immediate neighbouring island state of Sao Tome and Principe have become ripe for coups since oil was recently discovered in their waters. That has made them big prizes for greedy politicians and those who help them to acquire power. Sao Tome experienced a coup in 2003, which was reversed by African Union intervention.

more: http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=84&art_id=vn20040310081125342C951468&set_id=1

and this story


Equatorial Guinea Thanks Mbeki for Tip-Off On Coup Bid

March 11, 2004
Posted to the web March 11, 2004

Tim Cohen, Editor At Large With Sapa-AP
Johannesburg

THE arrest of 15, mostly South African, alleged coup plotters in Equatorial Guinea at the weekend came just hours after a tip-off from SA's intelligence services that trouble was brewing, senior government spokesmen confirmed yesterday.

The arrests were followed shortly by the detention in Zimbabwe late on Sunday of 64 people, including 20 South Africans, believed to have been on their way to Equatorial Guinea as part of the coup group.

more: http://allafrica.com/stories/200403110035.html

[drthais]

1. I read today

that the flight originiated
from a base in North Carolina
and refueled in the Carribean
before heading to Africa

[salin]

2. The story keeps getting more and more convoluted

but clearly some info is out there - or South Africa wouldn't have had the info to tip the other countries off.

Have to wonder - where are their colleagues... who else is there...? I read earlier today reports that in the group were individuals believed to be linked to the cia and brit and spanish intelligence.

[JohnyCanuck]

4. Barbados Newspaper claims flight originated at a USAF base and

refueled in Barbados before heading to Africa. Barbados is the Easternmost of the Caribbean islands and therefore it makes a convenient refuelling stop for any flights heading across the atlantic to Africa. The newspaper claims that the air base where the flight originated was "Hope" AFB in North Carolina. There is no "Hope" AFB but there is a "Pope" AFB. Here is the thread I posted about this in the LBN forum.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x416078#416189

Here's the link to the article in Today's Barbados Daily Nation.

http://www.nationnews.com/StoryView.cfm?Record=48033&Section=Local&Current=2004%2D03%2D11%2000%3A00%3A00

What's also intriguing they claim that the flight as well as originating at a US air base was operated by the "American Air Force."

Informed sources told the DAILY NATION yesterday that the aircraft, a Boeing 727 (100 series), with registration number N4610, landed in Barbados shortly after midnight for refuelling before leaving around 6:30 a.m.

Sources also indicated that the aircraft, which Zimbabwean officials alleged also carried military equipment, had arrived from the Hope Air Force Base in North Carolina, United States, before its stop-over in Barbados.

Further reports stated that the plane, originally a commercial PanAm Airways aircraft up until a week ago, was being operated by the American Air Force, but international Press reports stated it had been sold to a South African company.

[salin]

6. Combine that with this story... zim: intell service - us brit and spanish

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=103&topic_id=39291

group connected to out intel... flying out of a US military base...

[Beetwasher]

3. Oil

'nuff said.

This will be an interesting one to watch develop.

[salin]

5. check out the thread that is up in GD on chad

a reference overheard on lou dobbs - but no context. Now scroll down to thinkingwoman's post. It may be about oil... but something bigger than five dozen mercenaries is being set up... something that was supposed to be completely under the radar... but what...

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

7. Have they executed them yet?

[salin]

8. haven't heard as such.

did you see the chad story? wtf is going on? Too many moving parts to these pictures for it to be a singular ... private enterprise operation.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

9. Haven't seen it

PMRI is a huge company..go back and read Making a Killing...they were detailed in that report....plus when you add up all the mercinary companies.....they are larger than the armed forces of some countries.

Can you link the Chad story to this thread and I will read it later?

[salin]

11. starts off as comment on something heard - have to scroll down

for a link to the story... http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=1220047&mesg_id=1220047

[keithyboy]

10. Here is what is going on in my opinion.

It looks like Bush will bite the dust come next election. The PNACers are trying to "pre-empt" as much as they can now, while Bush and the neocons are in power in the government. The jig is up now, most people are on to their games, they only have a little time left to take over as many African and ME resources as possible while America is in a war mood and the media has a tight hold on the propaganda.

[salin]

12. Welcome to DU, keithyboy

:hi:

It sure dos feel like escalation.

But folks (private and govt) have been doing quiet little actions for a long time... it is interesting that suddenly more things are going wrong and there is more indication of some of the activity.