Because it would compromise this nation’s national security, the Canadian military has asked a U.S. podcaster to take down portions of an interview with a former JTF2 commando and a classified video of a long-range sniper shot in Iraq.
Dallas Alexander, a former member of JTF2, appeared on the Shawn Ryan program last week to talk about his experiences in the Ottawa-based counterterrorism team and the 2017 execution of an Islamic State shooter. Additionally, there was restricted JTF2 video of that murder in the American podcast.
The military acknowledged that it never approved the publication of the footage and said it was investigating how JTF2 imagery ended up in the public realm.
The video having already been duplicated and circulated on other social media platforms, Ryan, who is in Tennessee, then tweeted that he had removed it.
Alexander discussed his interaction with Josh, a fellow JTF2 member who was a part of his sniper unit in Iraq, in the podcast. He explained to Ryan that the bullet traveled for almost 10 seconds before striking the shooter. When the victim was shot, JTF2 commandos were seen rejoicing in the footage.
The Canadian Forces have already admitted that a sniper from the special forces fired the shot from a distance of more than 3,500 meters, but they have reluctant to provide any other details. The shot is regarded as a sniper world record. JTF2 persistently refuses to disclose various facets of its activities and tools, arguing that disclosing such information might aid adversarial forces.
Alexander claimed in a separate video posted to social media that the requests to have the content taken down amounted to censorship and that he had discussed appearing on the podcast with other members of the special forces. I seem to be in some trouble, Alexander said.
However, he also asserted that military troops broadly endorsed his course of action.
A spokesperson for the Canadian Special Operations Command, or CANSOFCOM, Lt. Cmdr. Jordan Holder, stated in an email to this newspaper that the command had contacted the podcast firm regarding its concerns with the content. Holder continued, “At this moment, there is nothing more we can say.
Ryan published a copy of a letter he received from a military attorney working for CANSOFCOM on February 10. The podcast “contains information or material that has been duly classified and safeguarded, and is sensitive information such that its distribution is detrimental to Canadian national security, national defense, and foreign relations,” according to the warning.
The letter further said that any images or information supplied by Alexander were taken while he was serving in the military and belonged to the Canadian government.
In response, Ryan’s attorney wrote to CANSOFCOM stating that as a citizen of the United States, the Canadian government had no control over Ryan’s conduct. The letter also mentioned that Alexander’s second podcast was modified to omit references to military actions.
Agreements forbidding them from revealing sensitive material are required of both current and retired personnel of the Canadian special forces.
Ryan asserted on Twitter that the CANSOFCOM letter was related to a “effort by the Canadian government to stop Dallas from stating that he quit the command because he refused the COVID vaccine.”
Despite claiming he was not an anti-vaxxer, Alexander explains in a subsequent podcast why he disagrees with the Canadian government’s vaccination requirements. He said that while serving in JTF2, he resisted receiving the COVID-19 vaccine and refusing to wear a mask. He described his experience in JTF2: “I’m starting to get into administrative difficulty because I’m not playing the mask charade.”
The two guys discussed how the COVID-19 death toll was allegedly exaggerated and how the government was allegedly exploiting the epidemic to try to frighten the populace throughout the podcast.
Alexander also discussed his worries on alleged plans by governments all around the world to establish a global digital identity system for individuals.
He further stated that JTF2 and the military as a whole had adopted a woke agenda and that this had made him subject to “sensitivity” training. In an effort to lessen the numerous sexual assaults and harassment incidents that have hampered its recruitment efforts, the Canadian Forces has started conducting training.
Alexander added that efforts to combat climate change would be the government’s next priority.
According to Alexander, he requested and was granted a medical discharge from the Canadian Forces. However, according to the podcast, he was “fired” from the service.
Alexander tweeted out several images of JTF2 members, including several of himself on international missions, last year. With the hashtag “Trudeau Must Go,” he wrote, “Justin Trudeau thinks I have undesirable beliefs and am a sexist and racist.”
Last year, this publication revealed that two active JTF2 members were being looked into after participating in convoy protests in downtown Ottawa.
While some demonstrators in Ottawa demanded the overthrow of the Canadian government and the murder of Trudeau, others demanded that the government abolish the regulations designed to stop the spread of COVID-19.
The JTF2 squad is used to deal with terrorism and occasionally provide protection for dignitaries like the prime minister.
A third member of the Canadian Forces, who had previously served with JTF2 but is now working in the procurement division of the Department of National Defence, was also under fire last year for his participation in the convoy protest.
The findings of the investigations have not been made public by CANSOFCOM. Although it withheld the names of JTF2 members who took part in the convoy demonstrations, it was active-duty and retired members of the Canadian Forces who first raised suspicions about the participation of JTF2 members.
They claimed that while employed at the Dwyer Hill counterterrorism training facility, some active JTF2 members had publicly expressed their opposition to vaccinations and to the government. They claim that some of these anti-government sentiments were directed explicitly at Trudeau and focused on the Liberal government’s gun control initiatives.
About ten members of CANSOFCOM chose to leave the service after refusing to get immunized.