The Intercept exposed private and exclusive documents about the pentagon secretive program to wage proxy wars, mentioning that US Special Operations forces are involved in a low-profile proxy war program on a far greater scale than previously known.

'While The Intercept and other outlets have previously reported on the Pentagon’s use of the secretive 127e authority in multiple African countries, a new document obtained through the Freedom of Information Act offers the first official confirmation that at least 14 127e programs were also active in the greater Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region as recently as 2020.

In total, between 2017 and 2020, US commandos conducted at least 23 separate 127e programs across the world.' 'Separately, Joseph Votel, a retired four-star Army general who headed both Special Operations Command and Central Command, which oversees US military efforts in the Middle East, confirmed the existence of previously unrevealed 127e “counterterrorism” efforts in Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen.' The documents and interviews provide the most detailed picture yet of an obscure funding authority that allows American commandos to conduct 'counterterrorism' operations “by, with, and through” foreign and irregular partner forces around the world, according to the Intercept.

'Critics of 127e warn that in addition to the risk of unanticipated military escalation and the potential costs of engaging in up to a dozen conflicts around the world, some operations may amount to an unlawful use of force'