Mugged in Buenos Aires: Obama’s Argentine Imbroglio
Ray Walser /
On February 10, a U.S., military C-17 touched down in Buenos Aires. On board were eight special forces soldiers and a medic en route to provide a hostage rescue training course for the police of Buenos Aires. Little did they know they would be stepping into a diplomatic ambush.
In the aircraft’s cargo hold were items to be used for training purposes. Argentine customs and law enforcement officials charged that many items on the aircraft did not correspond to the manifest submitted by our embassy in Buenos Aires.
Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman, a former journalist and ambassador to the U.S., spent a day at the airport examining the seized U.S. materials. He was quick to direct an accusatory finger at the U.S. Over Twitter and in the press, Timerman hinted darkly that the U.S. was knowingly importing illegal items such as communications gear, dangerous arms, and psychotropic drugs for sinister purposes. On earlier occasions, Timerman has claimed that the U.S. teaches torture and coups in police training courses in El Salvador. Other Argentine officials claimed that the U.S. was sneaking in equipment to eavesdrop on senior Argentine officials. (more…)