Timber Sycamore, Training and Arms Provision Program (Central Intelligence Agency)
Tracking # |
F-2019-00966 2019-00966 |
Multi Request | Timber Sycamore, Training and Arms Provision Program |
Submitted | Jan. 24, 2019 |
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Communications
From: Jefferson Morley
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:
All records related to Timber Sycamore, code name for a CIA program in Syria, launched in 2012 or 2013 and phased out in 2017.
The existence of Timber Sycamore was reported in the New York Times in 2016
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/27/world/middleeast/cia-arms-for-syrian-rebels-supplied-black-market-officials-say.html
All communications about Timber Sycamore with the multinational Military Operations Command (MOC) in Amman, Jordan.
All communications with Tayser Al Sharif, aka Abu Malik, a Jordanian businessman. Mr. Sharif's died in April 2016, according to press reports.
https://www.thenational.ae/world/death-of-a-syrian-arms-salesman-1.144999
All records related to the assessment of Timber Sycamore by your agency's Office of the Inspector General
The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Jefferson Morley
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 24, 2019. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Central Intelligence Agency
An acknowledgement letter, stating the request is being processed.
From: Central Intelligence Agency
The request has been rejected, with the agency stating that it can neither confirm nor deny the existence of the requested documents.
From: Jefferson Morley
Dear CIA FOIA
"I am appealing the Glomar rejection in its entirety, as the agency is not entitled to refuse to confirm or deny publicly known and acknowledged events that have happened and were referenced in the following articles:
Timber Sycamore was reported in the New York Times in January 2016
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/24/world/middleeast/us-relies-heavily-on-saudi-money-to-support-syrian-rebels.html?module=inline
The article quotes "current and former administration officials" saying "the Saudis contribute both weapons and large sums of money, and the C.I.A takes the lead in training the rebels on AK-47 assault rifles and tank-destroying missiles."
The existence of Timber Sycamore was reported again in June 2016
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/27/world/middleeast/cia-arms-for-syrian-rebels-supplied-black-market-officials-say.html
The demise of the program was reported by the Washington Post in July 2017.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/what-the-demise-of-the-cias-anti-assad-program-means/2017/07/20/f6467240-6d87-11e7-b9e2-2056e768a7e5_story.html?utm_term=.2ccc4fbbebfa
The Post article provides details about the program.
"Run from secret operations centers in Turkey and Jordan, the program pumped many hundreds of millions of dollars to many dozens of militia groups. One knowledgeable official estimates that the CIA-backed fighters may have killed or wounded 100,000 Syrian soldiers and their allies over the past four years. "
The program was reported a fourth time, with another mention of Timber Sycamore, in August 2017
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/02/world/middleeast/cia-syria-rebel-arm-train-trump.html
The article states:
During a White House briefing early last month, the C.I.A. director, Mike Pompeo, recommended to President Trump that he shut down a four-year-old effort to arm and train Syrian rebels. The president swiftly ended the program.
All of these articles could not have been published without confirmation from CIA officials.
As a matter of law, the Agency is prohibited from refusing to confirm or deny the existence of records relating to things it has already explicitly
and publicly confirmed. These articles show that the agency has confirmed the name of the program, the budget, the scope, the participants, and the results.
Please search your files again for documents responsive to a request for all Timber Sycamore records.
Thanks you for your consideration
Jefferson Morley.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 24, 2019. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #F-2019-00966.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 24, 2019. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #F-2019-00966.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Central Intelligence Agency
A letter stating that the request appeal has been received and is being processed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 24, 2019. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #F-2019-00966.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Central Intelligence Agency
An interim response, stating the request has been delayed
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 24, 2019. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on April 13, 2020. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date. You had assigned it reference number #F-2019-00966.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 24, 2019. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on April 13, 2020. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date. You had assigned it reference number #F-2019-00966.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 24, 2019. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on April 13, 2020. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date. You had assigned it reference number #F-2019-00966.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 24, 2019. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on April 13, 2020. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date. You had assigned it reference number #F-2019-00966.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 24, 2019. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on April 13, 2020. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date. You had assigned it reference number #F-2019-00966.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 24, 2019. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on April 13, 2020. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date. You had assigned it reference number #F-2019-00966.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 24, 2019. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on April 13, 2020. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date. You had assigned it reference number #F-2019-00966.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 24, 2019. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on April 13, 2020. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date. You had assigned it reference number #F-2019-00966.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 24, 2019. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on April 13, 2020. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date. You had assigned it reference number #F-2019-00966.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 24, 2019. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on April 13, 2020. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date. You had assigned it reference number #F-2019-00966.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 24, 2019. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on April 13, 2020. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date. You had assigned it reference number #F-2019-00966.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 24, 2019. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on April 13, 2020. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date. You had assigned it reference number #F-2019-00966.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 24, 2019. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on April 13, 2020. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date. You had assigned it reference number #F-2019-00966.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 24, 2019. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on April 13, 2020. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date. You had assigned it reference number #F-2019-00966.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 24, 2019. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on April 13, 2020. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date. You had assigned it reference number #F-2019-00966.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 24, 2019. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on April 13, 2020. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date. You had assigned it reference number #F-2019-00966.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 24, 2019. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on April 13, 2020. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date. You had assigned it reference number #F-2019-00966.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm following up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 24, 2019. You had previously indicated that it would be completed on April 13, 2020. I wanted to check on the status of my request, and to see if there was a new estimated completion date. You had assigned it reference number #F-2019-00966.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Central Intelligence Agency
A letter stating that the request appeal has been rejected.
From: Central Intelligence Agency
Dear Requester:
On 16 March 2021, this office received your status request dated 12 November 2020, regarding the above-referenced Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) appeal. Our records indicate that we provided a final appellate response on 21 January 2021. As you do not appear to have received our response, we have attached a copy to this email. Please review the attachment, and should you have any questions, please call this office at (703) 613-1287.
Regards,
Public Access Requests Branch
Central Intelligence Agency
_________________________________________________________________________________
Warning - Please DO NOT REPLY to this e-mail. This e-mail is used solely to provide a response to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and is not a means of communicating with CIA regarding your request. As a result, the account from which this message originated is not routinely monitored. Should you have any questions or concerns about our response, please call the CIA FOIA Hotline at +1 (703) 613-1287.
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