Skip to main content

Is British intelligence pushing a new war in Kosovo?

No one in British parliament has been more aggressive in inciting ethnic tensions in Kosovo than Alicia Kearns. A closer look at her record reveals intelligence ties and “probably illegal” regime change activities.
 
by Kit Klarenberg 

Part 3 - Alicia Kearns’ record of Syria spook work ‘probably illegal’

Throughout the decade-long Syrian crisis, British intelligence ran a variety of elaborate, covert information warfare campaigns at a cost of millions annually. The objective was to destabilize the government of Bashar Assad, convince Syrians, international bodies and Western publics that genocidal CIA and MI6-backed militant groups pillaging the country were a “moderate” alternative, and to deluge media the world over with pro-opposition propaganda.

These efforts were delivered by a constellation of shadowy contractors. Leaked documents reviewed by The Grayzone show that between 2014 and 2016, their work was overseen and directed by Kearns under the auspices of Whitehall’s Counter Daesh Communications Cell.

Kearns’ work for the Cell variously included devising a “Prime Minister-approved communications strategy to defeat Daesh and support Syria,” leading the Foreign Office’s psychological warfare response to “Russian military activity” in Damascus, and representing London “at one-to-one meetings with Foreign Ministers, the most senior religious leaders of countries, NGOs, and foreign militaries for 15 countries.” Accordingly, her team delivered “overt and discreet communications campaigns” within Britain, and West Asia.

During this time, Kearns received three bonuses for “exceptional” work, and was nominated for the Foreign Office’s “exceptional policy delivery award.A scathing internal review of the Cell’s activities, not intended for public consumption, was much less flattering. It concluded that these covert propaganda programs “were poorly planned, probably illegal and cost lives.

The contractors Kearns supervised typically consisted of high-ranking military and intelligence veterans. Whether the spooks within these firms ever resigned their formal agency posts is unknown. Take for example InCoStrat, a shadowy cutout founded by former members of the British Army and Emma Le Mesurier, the wife of the late Syrian White Helmets founder and ex-military-intelligence officer James Le Mesurier. Emma Le Mesurier has admitted to being an MI6 officer, and acknowledged that her company conducted “covert influence ops.

As head of the Cell, Kearns would meet with “former” MI6 representatives posted at these front groups every week, and “had the last say in everything.” It would be highly unusual for a civilian to be entrusted by British intelligence agencies to oversee the work of its operatives. This alone strongly suggests she was no ordinary Foreign Office employee during this time, but in fact, an MI6 officer.

After presiding over the spook-infested anti-ISIS Cell, Kearns moved on to Torchlight Group – yet another British intelligence front. From 2017 to 2019, Kearns held a position with Torchlight as a “freelance consultant” on “violent extremism, counter-disinformation, hybrid warfare and behaviour change programmes for governments, militaries and NGOs.

Unsurprisingly, the company was and remains staffed by former high ranking spies and soldiers specialized in tasks such as training repressive governments in GCHQ’s dirty tricks, spying on Palestinian refugees, and infiltrating foreign security and intelligence services on London’s behalf.

It is unknown when and how Kearns crossed paths with White Helmets chief James Le Mesurier, but she stated she was “proud” to have worked with him. She described the highly controversial, supposedly humanitarian group’s founder as “incredible”, in the wake of his mysterious death in November 2019. 

Given their evident kinship, Kearns authorship of an op-ed for Huffington Post in April 2018, days after the alleged chemical weapons attack in Douma, Syria takes on a deeply suspect character. Like her recent speech on Kosovo, Kearns’ op-ed amounted to a thunderous call for Western intervention, hyping now-discredited allegations about chemical attacks and denouncing “conspiracy theories” by skeptics of the official story.

Subsequently leaked Organization for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons documents amply confirm the Douma incident was a false flag carried out by armed opposition groups desperate to stave off defeat. Independent investigations indicate Le Mesurier was central to sabotaging the official probe into the incident, personally supplying Organisation scientists with mocked up soil samples and coached witnesses.

This was far from an isolated incident. The Grayzone has documented how an incestuous web of MI6-linked operatives staged and marketed every alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria with the specific aim of precipitating a US boots-on-the-ground scenario.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Jeremy Corbyn: Gaza, Nuclear War & Why Movements Must Rise Now

Empire Files   Abby Martin sits down with MP Jeremy Corbyn in Bogotá during The Hague Group summit on Gaza. They discuss the limits of electoral politics, the danger of nuclear weapons, the central role of the US and UK in the Gaza genocide, and more.  

How China & Russia help Global South countries defend against US imperialism: Nicaragua explains

Geopolitical Economy Report   China and Russia help formerly colonized countries in the Global South defend their sovereignty amid constant US meddling and aggression, argues Daniel Ortega, President of Nicaragua, a Latin American country that has been invaded and militarily occupied by the USA multiple times. Ben Norton reports on the history of the Sandinista Revolution, and the struggle against Western imperialism.  

GAME OVER, Trump: Putin, China & BRICS Just CRUSHED US Dollar

Danny Haiphong   Donald Trump's war on BRICS is backfiring as the Russia & China-led Global South moves to dump the US dollar and build a new order independent of its dictates. Journalist and geopolitical analyst Ben Norton breaks it all down.    Related: Trump's tariffs: A unique opportunity for BRICS and the Global South to fully escape from dollar tyranny

Rule by the rich: Western governments are oligarchies, not democracies

Geopolitical Economy Report   Western governments claim to be models of democracy, and demonize their geopolitical adversaries as "authoritarian", but empirical evidence shows that the USA and European countries are oligarchies dominated by economic elites and large corporations. Billionaire Donald Trump is the perfect symbol of this, but he's by no means the only one. Ben Norton explains. 

Israel's DARK SECRET Genocide Economy EXPOSED

Double Down News   The REAL Reason US Sanctioned UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese. 

New Corbyn Party Could Already TIE With Labour - Bombshell Poll

Owen Jones  

Several states vow to take six 'concrete' steps against Israel at Bogota summit

Colombia says 'we will no longer allow international law to be treated as optional' as nations pledge to prevent arms transfers to Israel for Gaza atrocities   by Laura Gamba in Bogota  A coalition of states from around the world gathering in Bogota on Wednesday agreed to implement six measures to stop Israel's onslaught on Gaza and prevent violations of international law. The announcement came as part of an "emergency summit" in the Colombian capital, co-hosted by the governments of Colombia and South Africa as co-chairs of The Hague Group, to coordinate diplomatic and legal action to counter what they describe as "a climate of impunity" enabled by Israel and its powerful allies. The Hague Group is currently a bloc of eight states, launched on 31 January in the eponymous Dutch city, with the stated goal of holding Israel accountable under international law. The conference brought together more than 30 states, including Algeria; Bolivia; Botswana; Brazil...

X of the day

In just over 5 hours, more than 80,000 people have signed up to help build a new kind of political party. We believe in democracy — and the establishment are running scared. We’re offering people something very precious: hope. Sign up at https://t.co/0bhBHhWvVa . pic.twitter.com/12Rkg6pEMr — Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) July 24, 2025

Media finally admits: Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, as US corporations profit

Geopolitical Economy Report   The New York Times finally admitted Israel is carrying out a genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza, in an article by an Israeli scholar who studies the Holocaust. A United Nations report detailed how US corporations are profiting from these crimes, although the Trump administration responded by imposing sanctions on the UN expert who exposed it, Francesca Albanese. Ben Norton explains.