Russia Begins Operations in Syria: End Game for the US Empire?

[Ca.]

Weapons stolen from arms room on US military base in Stuttgart
http://www.stripes.com/news/weapons-stolen-from-arms-room-on-us-military-base-in-stuttgart-1.421510

2nd Lt. Michael R. Parros, left, and Spc. Matthew R. Hester are two of three soldiers who died this past week during training. An unidentified soldier at Fort Jackson collapsed Thursday following a two-mile run and later died at the hospital.

3 soldiers die in training this week
http://www.stripes.com/3-soldiers-die-in-training-this-week-1.421564


Officials at the Army’s Combat Readiness Center at Fort Rucker, Ala., launched a team to lead the investigation of Parros’s death, said Michael J. Negard, a spokesman with the center. The center provides investigative resources to determine how accidents resulting in deaths or heavy financial or equipment losses have occurred. The findings occasionally are sent up to the Pentagon for review of force-wide changes, Negard said.

As of Friday, the center had not received requests from commanders at Fort Carson or Fort Jackson to activate a team to look into recent deaths there, he said.

Way Back 2007

Missing Nukes: Treason of the Highest Order
http://www.globalresearch.ca/missing-nukes-treason-of-the-highest-order/7158
By Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya Global Research, October 29, 2007

Mysterious Deaths in the United States Air Force: Whitewash and Cover-up
Several military personnel died under mysterious circumstances shortly before and after the incident. There are now questions regarding the fate of these individuals in the U.S. Air Force who could have had relationships in one way or another to the incident or possibly have been directly involved. It is also necessary to state that there is no proof that these deaths are linked to the August flight from Minot to Barksdale in question.

Citizens for Legitimate Government has pointed towards the involvement of the U.S. Air Force in a cover-up and has linked several deaths of U.S. servicemen to the incident. Lori Price has also stated for Citizens for a Legitimate Government that “you need about fourteen signatures to get an armed nuke on a B-52.”

Based on several news sources, including the U.S. military, we provide below a detailed review of these mysterious and untimely deaths of U.S. servicemen.

Todd Blue

Airman 1st Class Todd Blue went on leave days after the nuclear weapons were “lost.” Blue died under questionable timing while on leave, visiting his family in Wytheville, Virginia at the age of 20 on September 10, 2007. He was a response force member assigned to the 5th Security Forces Squadron. What does this mean?

Airman Todd Blue occupied a key position in weapons systems security at Minot. [14] At Minot U.S.A.F. Base the 5th Security Forces Squadron to which he belonged was responsible for base entry requirements and a particular section, the Weapons System Security section, was responsible for preventing the unauthorized removal of military property. The latter is responsible for security of all priority resources, meaning the security of nuclear weapons. In other words not only did the 5th Security Forces Squadron keep eyes on what entered and left Minot, but they kept an eye on and monitored the nuclear weapons.

John Frueh

U.S. Air Force Captain John Frueh is another serviceman who could have been indirectly connected to the “lost” nuclear weapons. He was reported as being last seen with a GPS device, camera, and camcorder being carried with him in a backpack. Local police in Oregon and the F.B.I. seemed to be looking for him for days. His family also felt that something bad had happened to him.

On September 8, 2007 Captain Frueh was found dead in Washington State, near his abandoned rental car, after the Portland Police Department contacted the Skamania County Sheriff’s Officer. [15] The last time he spoke with his family was August 30, 2007. He had arrived from Florida to attend a wedding that he never showed up at. The Oregonian reported that “Authorities in Portland found no activity on his credit or bank cards since [Frueh] was last seen (…) [and that] the last call from his cell phone was made at 12:28 p.m. [August 30, 2007] from Mill Plain Boulevard and Interstate 205 in Vancouver [Washington State].” [16]

His background was in meteorology and the study of the atmosphere and weather. He was also reported to be a U.S. Air Force pararescue officer. [17] He was also a major-select candidate, which means he was selected for a promotion as a U.S. Air Force major, but was not officially promoted.

Captain Frueh belonged to the U.S.A.F. Special Operations Command. U.S.A.F. Special Operations Command has its headquarters in Hurlburt Field, Florida and is one of nine major Air Force commands. It is also the U.S. Air Force’s component of U.S. Special Operations Command, a unified command located at MacDill Air Force Base, which is also in Florida. The force provides special operations forces for worldwide deployment and assignment to regional unified commands, such as CENTCOM. Its missions include conduct of global special operations. These operations — and this is where careful attention should be paid — range from “precision application of firepower, such as nuclear weapons,” to infiltration, exfiltration (the removal of “devices,” supplies, spies, special agents, or units from enemy territory), re-supply and refuelling of special operational elements.

In Captain Frueh’s case his death is questionable too. The U.S. Air Force would not let a missing persons’ investigation go forward by the police without conducting its own investigation. Usually the different service branches of the U.S. military would investigate for missing servicemen, to see if these individuals are Absent Without Authorized Leave (AWAL) or have deserted, before an individual’s case is handed over to the police.

Clint Huff, Linda Huff, and Weston Kissel

Another military weatherman, along with his wife, also died after August 30, 2007. Senior Airman Clint Huff, belonging to the 26th Operational Weather Squadron and his wife Linda Huff died in a motorcycle accident on September 15, 2007. [18] The husband and wife fatality happened on Shreveport-Blanchard Highway, near U.S.A.F. Base Barksdale, when according to the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Officer a Pontiac Aztec, a medium-sized SUV, initiated a left turn at the same time that the couple attempted to pass on a no passing zone and collided. [19]

First-Lieutenant Weston Kissel, a B-52H Stratofortress Bomber pilot, also died in a reported Tennessee motorcycle accident. This was while he was on leave in, less than two months from the nuclear B-52 flights, on July 17, 2007. [20] His death came after another single-vehicle accident by another Minot serviceman, Senior Airman Adam Barrs. [21]

Adam Barrs and Stephen Garrett

Senior Airman Barrs died as a passenger in a vehicle being driven by Airman 1st Class Stephen Garrett, also from Minot. Garrett, also belongs to the 5th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.

The death of Barrs was reported as being part of a single-vehicle car accident. Associated Press reports state that “[Minot] Base officials say 20-year-old Barrs was a passenger in a vehicle that failed to negotiate a curve, hit an approach, hit a tree and started on fire late Tuesday [July 3, 2007] night.” [22] Barrs was pronounced dead on the scene of the accident, while Garrett was taken the hospital with no updates released by the U.S. Air Force. Adam Barrs also belonged to the 5th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, where he was responsible for the maintenance and securing of the electronic communicational and navigation mission systems aboard the B-52H Stratofortresses on base. The 5th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron is also one of the units that are responsible for loading and unloading weaponry onto the B-52H Stratofortresses.

The deaths of Kissel and Barrs could be dismissed as irrelevant because they occurred prior to the incident. However, Barrs and Kissel could have been in one way or another connected to the advanced planning of the special operation, prior to the incident (special operations are not planned in a few days and may take months and even longer). There is, of course, no proof and only an independent investigation will be able to reveal whether these deaths are connected to the incident.

If there was an internal and secretive operation bypassing most military personnel, a few men in key positions would have to have been involved over a period of time prior to the August 29/30, 2007 flight. Senior Airman Barrs, due to his expertise in communication and navigational systems, could potentially have been involved in the preparations that would have allowed the nuclear weapons to escape detection by military surveillance and be ready for takeoff.

Reprimands, Replacements and Reassignments in the U.S.A.F. Chain of Command

Senior officers, including three colonels and a lieutenant-colonel, are among seventy personnel that will reportedly be disciplined for negligence and for allowing a B-52H Stratofortress Bomber to fly across the U.S. carrying six nuclear-armed cruise missiles that should never have been loaded under its wings. [23]

According to the Military Times, George W. Bush Jr. had been swiftly informed. This is a lockstep procedure. This illustrates the importance tied to the authorization needed for handling nuclear weapons. This is part of a two-way process in regards to authorization from the White House.

The commander of the 5th Munitions Squadron and the commander of the 5th Bomb Wing, Colonel Bruce Emig, have been replaced along with a series of other senior officers. This implies that the U.S. Air Force chain of command is directly involved in this event. None of these senior officers have been authorized to speak or make statements, according to U.S. military sources. Will any of these officers receive lucrative departure packages? Have they been reassigned?

More generally, the nature of the reprimands directed against senior officers involved has not been fully disclosed.

The “memory” of the incident is being erased through a reorganization of the ranks and a purge at U.S.A.F. Base Minot. The streamlining of the chain of command as well as the mysterious deaths of personnel who could have been involved in the incident, raise a series of far-reaching questions.

There are several important issues regarding the senior officers’ chain of command at Minot, which will be addressed in this article. Once again, the most important questions in regards to the missing nukes are: Who gave the orders and authorization for the operation and what where the underlying objectives of loading armed nuclear missiles?

Other Mysterious Deaths: Was the Missing Nukes Incident connected to US War Plans directed against Iran?
Charles D. Riechers

A U.S. Air Force official, Charles D. Riechers, has been found dead on October 14, 2007. [24] Riechers was a retired Air Force officer and master navigator specializing in electronic warfare. He was a member of the Senior Executive Service of the U.S. Air Force, and was the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition and Management. A description of his duties includes “providing sound expert advice and guidance on acquisition and procurement policies, as well as formulating, reviewing and, as assigned, execution of plans, programs and policies relating to organization, function, operation and improvement of the Air Force’s acquisition system.”

He apparently killed himself by running his car’s engine inside his suburban garage in Virginia. The death of Charles D. Riechers has been casually linked by The Washington Post to his involvement in fraudulent activities and embezzlement. [25] The Washington Post reported that the Air Force had asked defense contractor, Commonwealth Research Institute (C.R.I.), to give him a job with no known duties while he waited for official clearance for his promoted rank in the Pentagon. Riechers is quoted as saying: “I really didn’t do anything for C.R.I.,” and “I [still] got a paycheck from them.” The question, of course, was whether the contractor might expect favours in return upon his assignment to the Pentagon last January. [26] A mysterious suicide letter expressing shame was subsequently reported; the letter was reportedly from a man who had already admitted without shame that he was receiving money for doing nothing. This was known to the U.S. Senate, which had approved his promotion.

In a report featured by Pravda, Russian Intelligence analysts have said that the reported suicide of Charles D. Riechers was a cover-up and that he was murdered because of his involvement in the controversial flight of nuclear weapons over the continental United States.

Pravda reports that “Russian Intelligence Analysts are reporting today that American War Leaders have ‘suicided’ [sic] one of their Top U.S. Air Force Officials Charles D. Riechers as the rift growing between the U.S. War Leaders and their Top Military Officers over a nuclear attack on Iran appears to be nearing open warfare.” [27]

According to the Pravda report, the incident was linked to an operation to smuggle nuclear weapons away from the U.S. military in connection to launching a war against Iran.

The Commonwealth Research Institute (CRI), a registered non-profit organization is a subsidiary of Concurrent Technologies, which is registered with the IRS as a tax-exempt charity, which is run by Daniel Richard DeVos. Devos is also an associate of John P. Murtha, who was investigated by the F.B.I. for his Saudi links.

Certainly the ties of the Commonwealth Research Institute (CRI), a non-profit organization working for the Pentagon, are questionable and the organization could be a front for internal operations that bypass most military personnel. The case appears to be part of an internal operation that was being kept a secret from most of the U.S. military, but what for?

Russell E. Dougherty

More than a month before the death of Riechers, General Russell Elliot Dougherty, a retired flag officer, was also reported to have died on September 7, 2007 at his home in Falcon Landing military retirement community in Potomac Falls located in Arlington, Virginia. [28] He once was one of the most senior individuals responsible for the nuclear arsenal of the U.S. military and also the former commander of Strategic Air Command (SAC) and director of the Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff, which identified nuclear targets worldwide amongst its responsibilities. At Minot next to his obituary was a military information notice on suicide, telling servicepersons what the signs of suicide are. [29]

Russell Dougherty in the course of his military career in the U.S. Air Force had dealt with the issues pertaining to Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD), full spectrum dominance, how to defeat the enemy and avoid a nuclear war, other uses for nuclear weaponry, Nuclear Primacy for the U.S., and tackling the effects of the wind and weather — due to their unpredictable natures — on the use of nuclear weapons.

The fact that the nuclear warheads were attached to the nuclear cruise missiles could mean that someone wanted to take the weapons in one step or to use them right away.

Timely Appointments at U.S.A.F. Base Minot

Several of the commanding officers at Minot were freshly appointed in June, 2007. This may have been part of standard procedures, but the timing should not be ignored.

Colonel Robert D. Critchlow was transferred, just before the incident, from the Pentagon to Minot and appointed commanding officer for the 91st Operations Group, a missileer unit and the operational backbone of the 91st Space Wing. In Washington, D.C. he was involved in research for the Congressional Research Services and later posted into Air Force Nuclear Response and Homeland Defence.

Colonel Myron L. Freeman was transferred from Japan to Minot in June, 2007. Colonel Freeman was appointed as the commander of the 91st Security Forces Group, which is responsible for securing Minot’s nuclear arsenal.

Colonel Gregory S. Tims was also appointed as deputy commander or vice-commander of the 91st Space Wing in June, 2007. However, Colonel Tims was transfered to Minot from California almost a year before.

One of the most senior non-commissioned officers (NCOs) or non-commissioned members (NCMs), Chief Master Sergeant Mark R. Clark, was also transferred to U.S.A.F. Base Minot from Nebraska in July, 2007.

Colonel Roosevelt Allen was also transferred to Minot from Washington, D.C. to become commander of the 5th Medical Group.

Colonel Bruce Emig, the now-former commander of the 5th Bomb Wing, was also transferred to Minot from U.S.A.F. Base Ellsworth in South Dakota in June, 2007. Colonel Emig was also the base commander of Minot.

Colonel Cynthia M. Lundell, the now-former group commander for the 5th Maintenance Group, the unit responsible for loading and unloading weaponry onto the B-52H Stratofortresses was also freshly transferred from a NATO post in Western Europe in June, 2007. Were these appointments temporary? Were any of these appointments related to the six “lost” nuclear missiles?

Prior to the Missing Nukes Incident, Minot Airmen Meet with the President and the U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff

On June 15, 2007, George W. Bush Jr. met senior officers from U.S.A.F. Base Minot at U.S.A.F. Base McConnell in Wichita, Kansas during a visit to Boeing’s Integrated Defense Systems facility. Amongst them was Major Daniel Giacomazza of the 5th Operational Support Squadron.

Senator Patrick Roberts of Kansas was also present. “While he chaired the Senate Intelligence Committe from 2002 to 2007, [Senator] Roberts stonewalled attempts to investigate everything from the manipulation of intelligence in the rush to war in Iraq, President Bush’s warrantless wiretaps, and even allegations of the use of torture by the CIA,” according to Associated Press (AP) reports. [30] The same report also indicates that the U.S. President was in Wichita for a political fundraiser, and stopped at a new Boys and Girls Club of America to defray the costs of getting to Wichita via Air Force One for Senator Roberts’ campaign.

Military sources have reported that a B-52H Stratofortress was flown to Wichita so that Boeing’s engineers could take a look in order to make adjustments to the war planes for a new military program. [31] Nothing has been reported about any private meetings between President Bush Jr. or any of his presidential staff and the personnel from Minot. However, reports have been made of meetings between military families and the U.S. President in his office on Air Force One.

General Moseley, the Air Force Chief of Staff, had previously visited Minot on March 14-15, 2007, a month before Minot airmen went to Wichita. [32] If a secret mission was being prepared, these events could have played a role in the recruiting phases for an important internal special operation. Following their recruitment, Minot servicemen could have symbolically met General Moseley or White House officials to understand that the mission was being sanctioned by the highest ranks and offices in the United States.

Orders had to Come from the Top: Treason of the Highest Order

Orders had to come from higher up.

The operation would not have been possible without the involvement of more than one individual in the highest ranks of the U.S. Air Force command structure and the Pentagon.

The only way to bypass these separate chains of command is “to be above them” (from higher up), as well as to have the possibility of directly overseeing their implementation.

These orders would then have been communicated to lower levels in the U.S. Air Force command chain in different locations, to allow for so-called “oversight” to proceed. The alternative to this is “an alternative chain of command,” although this also needs someone in the highest ranks of office to organize and oversee.

The post given to Riechers was politically motivated, given his track record in the U.S. Air Force. Riechers had been in a position of responsibility in the U.S. Air Force special operational support activities; something he had in common with Russell Dougherty, the former SAC commander. He would have been one of the best suited individuals for making arrangements in the case of an alternative command structure for a secretive nuclear operation. Moreover, he already had a record of corrupt behaviour through his involvement with the Commonwealth Research Institute. The possible involvement of U.S. Air Force weathermen and special operatives raises many questions as to what exactly was the objective of making the nuclear weapons disappear. [33]

The Investigation

The U.S. Air Force has publicly stated that it has made a “mistake,” which is very unusual and almost unprecedented for a military organization that tries to continually assure the American public of their safety.

The fact that seventy or more military personnel have been punished in the case of the “lost” nuclear weapons does not mean, however, that the senior commanding officers responsible for having carried out the special operation will be identified and punished.

Quite the opposite. The investigation could indeed result in a camouflage of the chain of command, where lower-ranking military personnel are accused and court-martialed, with a view to ultimately protecting those in high office who have committed an act of treason.

The series of deaths mentioned above, may have no ties whatsoever with the the August flight in question from Minot to Barksdale, but the issues of command, monitoring, and authorization cannot be overlooked or ignored. The American people have before them a case of treason that involves the highest offices of government and most probably the offices of the President and the Vice-President.

Once again, the “C2” process involves the Office of the President and Commander-in-Chief. It is an established line of command, without which nuclear weapons could not have been deployed or armed as they were in U.S.A.F. Base Minot. It is this command element that establishes the basis of authorization through which “absolute control of nuclear weapons” is maintained “at all times.”

With time it is possible that military servicemen and servicewomen may come forward with more information.

However, in the meantime, there has been a streamlining of military personnel at U.S.A.F. Base Minot. Base personnel have become dispersed and reassigned to other locations.

If they on the grounds of loyalty to their country, the United States of America, come forward and reveal what has taken place, they are to be saluted with full honour by all ranks. As George Orwell said, “In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act,” and indeed these are deceitful times.

The fact that U.S. Air Force officers came forward and reported this incident is contrary to U.S. military procedures, regulations, and laws. The U.S. military will never release any information that will risk or damage its reputation. Any information in regards to nuclear weapons can not be released without prior consultations with and authorization by the White House.

The nuclear weapons were armed and moved deliberately. Orders had to have come from the highest echelons of the U.S. government.

The question is what exactly were they meant for? Were they part of a war agenda or something else?

Bush Threatens Iran with Nuclear Weapons

What adds intrigue to an understanding of the missing nukes, are the international events and war games taking place just after the “lost” nuclear weapons incident, not to mention the President’s ongoing threats to attack Iran with nuclear weapons and Vice President Cheney’s repeated warnings that a second large scale terrorist attack on America is under preparation, with the support of Iran.

In the U.S., under the Vigilant Shield 2008 war games (initiated in September, 2007) and the TOPOFF anti-terrorism exercises, some form of nuclear terrorist attack on American soil had been envisaged. The roles of Russia and China had also been contemplated. The latter would be “a likely scenario” had the U.S. attacked Iran and as a result Russia and China had decided to intervene. [34] Under Vigilant Shield 2007, held in 2006, the possibility of a nuclear war with Iran’s allies, Russia and China, had been contemplated in the war games scenario.

The Kremlin has responded by holding its own war games.[35]

An unveiled threat to trigger World War Three has been the response of George W. Bush Jr. to Russia’s statements warning that a U.S. sponsored war with Iran, could result in an escalating World War III scenario.

The six nuclear warheads were not meant for use in theatre operations against Iran. This is obvious because if they were then they would have been deployed via the proper procedural routes without the need to hide anything. Besides, there are already theatre-level nuclear weapons ready and armed in Europe and the Middle East for any possible Middle Eastern mission. There was something more to the incident.

It is also worth noting that the Israelis launched an attack on an alleged Syrian nuclear facility that both Tel Aviv and the White House claim was constructed with the assistance of North Korea. This event has been used, through official statements and media disinformation, to draw a Syria-Iran-North Korea nuclear proliferation axis. [36]

In regards to the case of the missing nuclear weapons, weathermen and military personnel with an expertise in space and missile components were involved. The incident took place during a time when the U.S. missile shield projects in Eastern Europe and Eastern Asia, directed against Russia and China, were raising international tensions and alarms. On October 23, 2007, President Bush Jr. stated: “The need for missile defence in Europe is real and I believe it’s urgent.” [37]

Nuclear warfare, the militarization of space, and “the missile shield” are interrelated military processes. The overtones of Nuclear Primacy are hanging in the air. One of the goals of the U.S. military has been to effectively shield itself from a potential Russian or potential Russian and Chinese nuclear response to a nuclear “First Strike” from the U.S. military. [38] The militarization of space is also deeply linked to this military project. Like their advanced knowledge about the U.S. missile shield project, Russian and Chinese officials have got wind of these ambitions and are fully aware of what the U.S. intends to do.

Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya is an independent writer based in Ottawa specializing in Middle Eastern affairs. He is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG).
NOTES
The original source of this article is Global Research
Copyright © Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya, Global Research, 2007

The Recovery of Steve Fossett Oct 16, 2008

http://<iframe width="420" height="...sY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Steve Fossett
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Fossett
Disappearance and search
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Fossett#Disappearance_and_search

 

[angelburst29]

Syrian armed forces have managed to successfully repel a massive offensive by the besieged Nusra Front terrorists, which began early Sunday, capturing a warehouse of US-made weapons in process.

Syrian Forces Repel al-Nusra in a Major Offensive Marred by Suicide Attacks (Video)
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160801/1043815124/syrian-forces-repel-attack-aleppo.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v80ZLvWJw8A

A fierce battle sparked today at the Southern and South-Western outskirts of Aleppo, some 223 miles (360 km) from Damascus, as several units of Jabhat Fath ash-Sham (former Al-Nusra Front) terrorist group tried to attack parts of city that are under government control. The offensive has been concentrated around Ramouseh district, on the South-Western part of the city.

If the militants succeeded in their attack, they would have breached the Syrian armed forces lines and likely would have established a supply route for militants trapped inside.

Conflict News reported two major suicide attacks that blew up massive columns of dust and smoke which could have been seen from a long distance.

In a desperate attempt to shield themselves from Russian airstrikes, militants resorted to burning tires to create a smokescreen over the city.

According to Russian Ministry of Defense, the Syrian armed forces managed to capture a weapons warehouse. The warehouse, which belonged to the Daesh and Nusra Front militants, contained a significant amount of US-made weapons. A video, released by Anna News, shows US-made ammunition, mortars and even TOW-2 anti-tank guided missile.

A Russian-Syrian humanitarian operation began on Thursday in Aleppo, with three humanitarian corridors opened in the city to allow the trapped civilians and surrendered militants to reach safety. Four more corridors are set to be established in a near future. According to Lieutenant-General Sergey Chvarkov, the head Russian reconciliation center in Syria, 169 civilians and 69 militants who chose to lay down arms have already fled the besieged city.

 

[angelburst29]

A Russian helicopter delivering humanitarian aid to the Syrian city of Aleppo has been shot down in Idlib province, with reports suggesting the five people on board are killed.

Russia helicopter shot down over Syria’s Idlib, five on board believed dead
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/08/01/477943/Russia-Syria-helicopter-Idlib

Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Monday that the Mi-8 helicopter was shot down while returning to Russia’s air base on the Mediterranean coast from a mission for delivering humanitarian goods to the war-wracked city of Aleppo in north.

The statement added that three crew members and two officers were on board the chopper, saying their exact fate is still unknown.

A later statement by the Kremlin said the five are believed to have died.

“As far as we know from the information we've had from the Defense Ministry, those in the helicopter died, they died heroically, because they were trying to move the aircraft away to minimize victims on the ground,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists, expressing condolences over the deaths of the five Russians.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the downing of the helicopter. Militants from various terrorist groups are present in Idlib.

This is not the first case in which Russian forces have lost aircraft in Syria.

According to a report by The Associated Press, two Russian pilots were killed in the central Homs province in July when their Mi-25 helicopter was shot down by what the Defense Ministry said were Daesh terrorists.

An Mi-28N helicopter gunship also crashed near Homs in April, killing both crew members.

A Russian bomber plane was shot down by a Turkish jet along the Syrian border in November 2015, and one of the two pilots was shot and killed from the ground after ejecting.

The attack on the Russian copter comes as the Syrian army, backed by Russia and other allies on the ground, has managed to tighten its grip on militants in various parts of Aleppo.

Earlier on Monday, Syria said the militants had started massive attacks to repel government forces from their positions around the terrorist-held areas.

The downing of the copter marked the deadliest incident on a single mission for the Russian servicemen since Moscow began its air campaign against terrorists in Syria in September 2015. According to official data, 18 Russians have been killed since the air campaign started at the official request of the Damascus government.

The Russian military says it has assisted the Syrian army in an operation that has killed around 800 militants who were trying to break the siege of the northern city of Aleppo.

800 militants killed in joint Syria-Russia operation in Aleppo
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/08/01/477996/Russia-Syria-Aleppo-siege

Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoy, head of the main operational department of the Russian military's General Staff, said Monday that the Syrian army, backed by Russian air cover, managed to fend off a massive offensive by militants in Aleppo to rupture the government's blockade of the militant-held part of the city.

Rudskoy said the militants, which numbered around 5,000, also lost some 14 tanks, 10 other armored vehicles and over 60 gun trucks during the operation.

The Russian general described as effective Syria’s siege on the militants in Aleppo, saying that more than 300 civilians have managed to escape the grip of militants through corridors set up by the government. He said 82 militants have also surrendered to the Syrian army.

Rudskoy noted that Russian planes were supporting the Damascus government by delivering “selective” air strikes at militant positions near Aleppo.

The massive Russian-Syrian operation came hours after Moscow announced that one of its helicopters delivering humanitarian aid to the Syrian city of Aleppo was shot down in Idlib province. It said five people on board the copter were killed.

 

[Ocean]

Russian helicopter shot down, delivering humanitarian aid

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/08/01/middleeast/syria-aleppo/

Very upsetting

 

[angelburst29]

Earlier Poland’s Defense Ministry said F-16 Air Force planes intercepted a light Russian plane for violating the country’s airspace.

Polish prosecutor gives no comment on detention of Russian light plane
http://tass.ru/en/world/891866

WARSAW, August 1. /TASS/. A Polish prosecutor has declined to comment on the affair of the Russian air pilot whose light plane was intercepted by Polish F-16 fighters and handed over to the police of the city of Radom last weekend.

"We will make no comment on the affair, at least until tomorrow. Some coordination is in progress," the prosecutor of the Radom District Prosecutor’s Office Angieszka Dusik told TASS. Earlier, the Radom police force advised TASS to put questions to the prosecutor’s office.

Plane’s interception Poland’s Defense Ministry on Sunday said F-16 Air Force planes intercepted a light Russian plane for violating the country’s airspace. According to Defense Ministry spokesman Bartholomew Misiewicz the incident occurred on Friday, July 29.

"A Russian aerobatics plane violated closed airspace. Its pilot was heading for Krakow. As soon as there was evidence it had entered a no-fly zone without special permission, our F-16s were ordered into the air," Misiewicz said on Polish television.

The Russian pilot received radio instructions confirmed by gestures.

"He obeyed the orders," Misiewicz said, adding that after the plane landed at Radom the pilot was detained by police. According to the available information, the Russian pilot was on the way to Radom for an international aerobatics competition due to begin on August 5.

The head of the Radom aerobatics club Stanislaw Szczepankowski has said the Russian was set free after checks and is now getting ready for the world aerobatics championships scheduled to begin in Radom on August 5.

"All is well. All is settled. He (the pilot) is already flying with us," Szczepankowski told local media.

Embassy is making inquiries In the meantime the Russian embassy in Warsaw is looking into the affair, the embassy’s spokeswoman Valeria Perzhinskaya has told TASS.

"The embassy in Warsaw has received no messages from the Russian citizen or official notifications from the Polish side. The embassy is clearing up the situation," Perzhinskaya said.

Poland on July 24 - August 1 imposed restrictions on all flights by light planes for the period of World Youth Days attended by the Pope. All entertainment and training flights were prohibited inside an area of 100 kilometers around Krakow. The ban applied to drones, too. The one who uses them in violation of the introduced restrictions may face a prison term of up to five years.

Terrorist groups have been looting machinery and production lines of over 1,000 factories and workshops in al-Lairamoun industrial zone since 2012 and have transferred them to Turkey, the Head of Aleppo chamber of commerce said.

Terrorists Loot Facilities of over 1,000 Industrial Units in Northern Aleppo
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950511001105

"Terrorist group invaded al-Lairamoun industrial zone in 2012 and started to disassemble their equipment and transferd them to Turkey. Now al-Lairamoun industrial zone, which once was the second largest industrial site in Aleppo after Sheikh Najjar, is nothing but a ruin," Fares al-Shahabi said.

Last month, the Syrian Justice Ministry filed a complaint against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan before international courts accusing his government of looting properties of at least 37 large factories and workshops in al-Lairamoun with the total value of over $5bln," he further added.

On Thursday, Syria's state-run TV announced that all plants and buildings located in Lairamoun industrial zone in Northern Aleppo were retaken from the terrorist groups.

"All building blocks, firms and factories in al-Lairamoun industrial zone in Northern Aleppo province have come under the Syrian government forces' control," the al-Akhbariya TV quoted a military source as saying on Thursday.

"The Syrian army completed its military operations to establish security in Aleppo and could retake control of Afrin and Youth Housing areas as well as all buildings and workshops of Lairamoun," he added.

Syrian fighter jets targeted and destroyed the terrorists' aid convoys that were moving from Idlib to Aleppo.

Syrian Air Force Destroys Terrorists' Military Aid Convoys in Idlib-Aleppo Road
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950511001055

The Syrian warplanes heavily struck the Idlib-Aleppo supply lines of Fath Idlib on Monday, destroying their vehicles and cargos, battlefield sources announced.

At least 12 pick-up vans of the terrorists were destroyed in the Syrian army's attacks near the town of al-Dana.

11 civilians were killed and 53 others were injured due to terrorist attacks with rocket shells on al-Hamadanieh neighborhood in Aleppo city, as at least one killed and several more injured in similar attacks in Dara’a, Idlib, and Hama provinces.

12 Civilians Killed, Scores Injured in Terrorist Attacks across Syria
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950511001251

A source at Aleppo Police Command said in a statement that terrorist groups targeted al-Hamadanieh neighborhood with a number of rocket shells which fell in Project 1070 area and al-Ruwad housing association, killing four civilians including a child and a girl and injuring 6 others, adding that the terrorist attack caused material damage to residential buildings and properties, SANA reported.

Later, the source said that rocket shells fired by terrorists fell at Project 1070, al-Assad suburb, and al-Ruwad housing association in al-Hamadanieh, killing 7 people including women and children, injuring 47 others, and damaging homes and infrastructure in the area.

Also in Dara’a southern province, a civilian was killed and 5 others were injured due to terrorist mortar attack targeted hundreds of people in Mothabin town.

When you hear US government officials criticising calls for civilians to evacuate the besieged city of Aleppo in Syria through humanitarian corridors, it’s not that they want to save lives; they want a continued conflict so they could live the good life.

Aleppos of Mideast May Be Bleeding, But American Arms Firms Are Cashing in
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950511001491

In much the same way, the warmongers don't like to hear their agents of disintegration (moderate terrorists) active within Eastern Aleppo and other places in Syria agree to surrender to the Syrian Army under the terms of an offer by the government, which promises pardons to those that willingly disarm and surrender. It’s not good for their regional designs at all, more specifically for their arms exports and transfers worth more than $70 billion a year – including the disastrous dispensation of weaponry to “moderate” allies in Syria.

Here, Aleppo may be bleeding under foreign-backed terror and occupation, but it’s not for International Law and International Humanitarian Law to decide. For Official Washington, it is the American arms traders, the politics that drive it, and the companies that profit from it that should have the final say in the running conflict. They never want to discuss peace, much less analyse the devastating impacts of arms transfers to their “moderate” agents and favoured allies.

What else can you expect from a country that each year is credited with more than half the value of all global arms transfer agreements? Thanks largely to the running wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Libya, the US share has fluctuated between one-half and more of the global market for the past two decades, peaking at an almost monopolistic 70 percent of all weapons in recent years. According to Vice Admiral Joe Rixey, who heads the Pentagon’s arms sales agency, known as the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, arms deals facilitated “only by the Pentagon” topped $40 billion in 2015, and are on track to hit $46 billion in 2016!

To be completely accurate, there is one group of people who pay remarkably close attention to the running wars in the Middle East - executives of the defense contractors that are cashing in on this growth market. No doubt these people are not peace advocates. They want the regional conflicts to continue as their major source of revenue. If Aleppos of the Middle East are fully retaken by national armed forces, it would undermine their strategy of increasing arms exports and transfers to the entire region.

As long as the region stays at war, US profits won’t suffer. Arm deals and transfers are a way of life for the War Party in Washington and its enabler the Pentagon. Not surprisingly, it is also the bright side of the Endless War on Terror. American officials who regularly act as salespeople for the arms firms are intent on ensuring that the bogus War on Terror will continue and that American arms will flood Syria for a foreseeable future.

In essence, when Aleppo is fully retaken by the Syrian Army, don’t expect the world’s largest arms dealer to become a good friend of liberators, much less peace and reconstruction efforts. This is not good news for the War Party and its weapons contractors, exporters, front companies, arms smugglers, smuggling networks and human rights abusers, which have been pressing for terrorism and bloodshed in Syria for years with great success.

When it comes to the arms business, they only want to hear the good news from Syria and the rest of the region: War, Terrorism and Volatility. It’s a monster policy and it’s official.

 

[angelburst29]

No group has claimed responsibility for downing a Russian Mi-8 helicopter on a humanitarian mission to aid the embattled Syrian city of Aleppo, but the crash site is controlled by a rebel alliance, comprising al-Nusra Front, Ahrar al-Sham and several other radical groups. Interestingly, the US views some of them as moderate.

US-Backed Syrian Rebels Shoot Down Russian Helicopter, Abuse Crew Bodies
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160801/1043837719/syria-rebels-helicopter-crash.html

Several gruesome videos that Sputnik will not publish for ethical reasons have appeared online following the attack that claimed the lives of three crew members and two officers. Their authenticity has not been verified.

Footage shows a crowd looking at the burning wreckage of what appears to be a Russian helicopter with several bodies nearby. Some bystanders can be heard shouting Allahu Akbar, or God is great in Arabic. One of the videos shows a rebel standing on a naked body, while another one depicts a mob dragging the body of what is said to be a Russian pilot through the dirt.

Images allegedly showing scorched Russian passports and other belongings of those on board have been circulating on social media.

The Russian Defense Ministry has confirmed that the incident took place in northern Idlib province that has been controlled by the Army of Conquest (Jaish al-Fatah). The Army of Conquest is an umbrella organization that includes al-Nusra Front, Ahrar al-Sham and other Syrian rebels who are fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad.

This alliance has received support from Saudi Arabia and Qatar. It is also said to be allied with the US-backed Free Syrian Army.

Al-Nusra Front has long been viewed as a terrorist organization by Russia, the United States and the UN. But Washington blocked Moscow's initiative to add al-Nusra Front's occasional partners, Ahrar al-Sham, to the UN Security Council's terrorist list, claiming that they are in fact moderate rebels and should be treated as a legitimate opposition to the government in Damascus.

Ahrar al-Sham and other members of Jaish al-Fatah might claim that they are indeed part of the moderate opposition but their actions tell a different story. Not only do they share radical ideology, they are also responsible for countless atrocities. For instance, in May, al-Nusra Front and Ahrar al-Sham killed 19 civilians in a joint attack on the Alawite village of Zara, located in the Hama province.

Russia and the US recently agreed to step up their efforts to tackle al-Nusra Front that was founded as al-Qaeda's branch in Syria but cut ties with the international terrorist organization last week. This deal does not cover other local radical groups working with al-Nusra Front, including Ahrar al-Sham.

The Russian helicopter was en route to the Hmeymim air base when it was shot down. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that those on board "died heroically" because they were trying to avert mass casualties on the ground.

Also:
Russian helicopter on Aleppo aid mission shot down, all 5 aboard dead (VIDEO)
https://www.rt.com/news/354128-russian-helicopter-syria-down/


Body of Russian pilot is dragged through the dirt and stamped on after helicopter is shot down by Syrian rebels
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3717939/Russian-helicopter-delivering-aid-shot-Syria-rebels.html

 

[angelburst29]

A Russian daily said Moscow might launch massive airstrikes on the terrorists in areas controlled by Fatah al-Sham Front (the newly formed al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group previously known as al-Nusra Front) if the militants don’t give back the bodies of the slain helicopter crew that was shot down on Monday.

Russian Media: Moscow May Launch Massive Airstrikes to Take Back Bodies of Helicopter Crew
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950512001098

According to Moskovskij Komsomolets newspaper, Russia is to warn the terrorists to return the bodies of the crew killed in the Monday helicopter downing in Idlib or wait for massive airstrikes on their positions.

The daily added that the operations to transfer the bodies of the Russian pilots to Hmeimim air base in Lattakia will be complicated and the Russian forces should launch intensive attacks against the terrorist-held regions to make them withdraw and then advance in that area to return the corpses.

[...] It is the third Russian helicopter lost in action in Syria this year. In July, an Mi-25 attack chopper was shot down near Palmyra, killing two Russian pilots. The aircraft had been engaging the advancing Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) militants at the Syrian Army's request when it was taken down, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

In April, an Mi-28N attack helicopter crashed while performing a flight near the city of Homs, with the Defense Ministry stressing it was not shot down. The crash left both pilots dead, with technical failure cited by Moscow as the likely cause of the accident.

Last October, another Mi-8 helicopter was badly damaged and then destroyed by IS fighters after an emergency landing in the middle of search and rescue operation to extract a surviving co-pilot of a Su-24M bomber jet shot which was down by a Turkish Air Force F-16.

The number of Russian servicemen who lost their lives since the start of the country’s anti-terror operation in Syria on September 30 last year stands at 19 people after the downing of the helicopter.

Terrorist commanders disappointed at the Syrian army's advances in Aleppo province have resorted to hiding the number of the militants killed in the clashes with the government forces, opposition sources disclosed.

Opposition Source: Disappointed Terrorist Commanders Trying to Hide Number of Casualties in Aleppo Province
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950512000872

"After the number of the terrorists killed in clashes with the Syrian army exceeded 90 and the number of wounded reached hundreds, their commanders ordered that the high number of casualties should not to be disclosed in a move to avoid the loss of morale among militants," the Arabic-language Damascus-based al-Watan newspaper quoted opposition sources as saying on Tuesday.

The sources aid that the wounded terrorists have been transferred to Turkey from Bab al-Hawa border crossing.

On Monday, the Syrian armed forces, backed up by Russian strikers, repelled a terrorist offensive near the city of Aleppo, killing over 800 militants and destroying 14 tanks.

Around 1,000 rebels in the Southern province of Dara'a laid down their arms on Tuesday and turned themselves in to the Syrian officials amid the terrorist groups' threats against those who surrender to the government.

1,000 Militants Surrender to Syrian Army in Dara'a
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950512000744

The militants formerly fighting in the Southern battlefields of the country as well as the wanted persons (some of them going AWOL) surrendered to the Syrian government in Dara'a as the forces loyal to the Syrian President Bashar Assad continue gaining ground across the country.

A source in Dara'a province told the Syrian SANA news agency that the wanted persons in Azra', al-Sanamin and al-Moslemiya town had their files settled and pardoned.

He added that the files of 5 terrorists who had surrendered themselves and their weapons to the Syrian authorities were also settled.

This is while the terrorist groups had warned to confront anyone who accepts reconciliation with the Syrian government.

The U.S. backed terrorist group al-Qaeda affiliated Nusra Front has launched a massive offensive in and around the north Syrian city of Aleppo today, aiming to break the ongoing siege with a push from without, as well as with a series of artillery strikes against the government-held half of the city.

U.S. Backed Terrorist Groups Trying To Break Siege At Aleppo Syria, Launch Massive Offensive Killing 28 Civilians
http://novorossia.today/u-s-backed-terrorist-groups/

Nusra has secured the support of other rebels within Aleppo, including the US-backed Nour al-Din al-Zinki force, which reported “fast and quick progress” in the offensive around the Ramousah Air Force artillery base. The Syrian state media claimed the offensive was repelled, but indications are that the fighting is ongoing.

Casualties, as are so often the case in fighting around Aleppo, appear to be overwhelmingly civilian in nature, with the Nusra artillery strikes killing at least 28 civilians in government-held districts, and wounding dozens of others. The rebel neighborhoods are already cut off from supply routes, and reports are that some government districts have their own supply routes at risk now too.

Before the civil war, Aleppo was Syria’s industrial and financial capital, and it was believed when fighting began there, several years ago, that the battle for Aleppo would decide the war. That’s proven eerily prophetic so far, as Aleppo has remained contested and heavily destroyed, with no resolution in sight, just like the rest of the disastrous war.

 

[angelburst29]

Allegations have surfaced, that after the downed Russian helicopter incident that killed five, that in retaliation, the Syrian Government Forces and the Russian Military, shelled the area with barrels containing chlorine gas. Russia states that the allegations are "media fabrications".

Kremlin: Allegations of using chlorine gas in Idleb are media fabrications
http://sana.sy/en/?p=84232

The Kremlin refuted the claims by some mass media outlets about the use of chlorine gas in Idleb countryside in response to the downing of a Russian helicopter by terrorists on Monday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in response to allegations that Saraqeb city in Idleb countryside was shelled last night with barrels containing chlorine that these claims are fabricated by the media, wondering about the sources that generated these claims.

Terrorists shot down with anti-air weapons a Russian Mi-8 transport helicopter in Idleb countryside as it was returning to Hmeimim airbase after delivering humanitarian aid to Aleppo, killing the five Russian soldiers on board.

Aleppo Health Director Mohamad Hazouri to SANA: Five civilians were killed and eight others suffered suffocation due to a terrorist attack with shells containing poisonous gas fired by terrorist groups on the Old City in Aleppo. http://sana.sy/en/?p=84271

- Seven civilians were killed and 25 others were injured due to terrorists attacks with rocket shells on residential neighborhoods in Aleppo, including one attack which used shells containing toxic gas.

Seven civilians killed as terrorists attack Aleppo with rocket shells, including shells containing toxic gas
http://sana.sy/en/?p=84234

A source at Aleppo Police Command said in a statement to SANA reporter that terrorist groups fired on Tuesday afternoon rocket shells on al-Hamadaniyeh neighborhood, injuring six civilians.

The source added that other rocket shells fired by terrorists fell on Saadallah al-Jabiri square and the surroundings of the municipal palace, causing material damage to public properties.

Later, the source said that 2 civilians were killed and 11 others were injured when a rocket shell fired by terrorist groups fell on Salah-Eddin neighborhood in the city.

Meanwhile, Aleppo Health Director Mohamad Hazouri told SANA that 5 civilians were killed and 8 others suffered suffocation due to a terrorist attack with shells containing toxic gas fired by terrorist groups on the Old City in Aleppo.

List of sites that are blaming the Syrian Government and the Russians for releasing "the toxic gas" in retaliation for the downed Russia helicopter.

Syria war: ‘Toxic gas’ dropped on town where Russian helicopter was shot down
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syria-war-russia-helicopter-toxic-gas-chemical-weapon-vladimir-putin-assad-a7167836.html

Containers of toxic gas have been dropped on a Syrian town overnight close to where a Russian military helicopter was shot down, a rescue service within the country ahs claimed.

Up to 33 people, mostly women and children, were affected by the suspected gas attack in Saraqeb, a spokesman for Syria Civil Defence told Reuters.

Syria Civil Defence workers, who went to the scene of the attack, said they suspected it was chlorine but could not verify the type of gas used.

“Medium-sized barrels fell containing toxic gasses. The Syrian Civil Defence was not able to determine the type of the gas,” the spokesman said.

Western powers have said the Syrian government has been responsible for chlorine and other chemical attacks, while the government and Russia have accused rebel forces of using poison gas.

Both government and opposition forces have denied using chemical weapons during the five-year civil war.

But that did not stop the accusations from flying on Tuesday – with the opposition Syrian National Coalition (SNC) accusing President Bashar al-Assad of being behind the attack.

Later, state news agency SANA said rebels had fired rockets armed with toxic gas on the government-held old quarter of Aleppo city, killing five people and causing eight breathing difficulties. It gave no further details.

The SNC said of the reported use of poison gas in Saraqeb: “After shelling, besieging and killing civilians and perpetrating war crimes on them, the Assad regime has resorted once again, and in breach of UN resolutions 2118 and 2235, to using chemical substances and toxic gases.

Monitors at the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said barrel bombs fell on Saraqeb late on Monday, injuring a large number of civilians.


Toxic gas in the darkness: Assad regime drops chemical weapons on Syrian town 'in revenge for shot down Russian helicopter'
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/08/02/toxic-gas-in-the-darkness-assad-regime-drops-chemical-weapons-on/


Syria's civil war: 'Chlorine gas dropped on Idlib town'
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/08/syria-civil-war-chlorine-gas-dropped-idlib-town-160802083551947.html

Helicopters dropped containers of toxic gas overnight on a town in Syria's Idlib province, a rescue service operating in rebel-held territory said on Tuesday.

"Just before midnight, helicopters dropped five explosive barrels containing cylinders of chlorine and shards of metal on neighbourhoods in Saraqeb," he said.

"We suspect it was chlorine because of the smell and the nature of the injuries - suffocation and burning, red eyes. Members of the civil defense brought them all to the nearby hospital."

The group, a network of volunteer search and rescue workers also known as the White Helmets that operates exclusively in rebel-held areas, posted a video on YouTube purportedly showing a number of men struggling to breathe and being given oxygen masks by rescue workers.

Saraqeb is located approximately 15km from where a Russian helicopter was shot down on Monday, killing all five people on board, in the biggest officially acknowledged loss of life for Russian forces since they started operations in Syria in October 2015.

"Several activists are wondering if this [the alleged chlorine gas attack] is a retaliatory attack for the downing of the helicopter," Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Jamjoom, reporting from Gaziantep on the Turkish side of the Syria-Turkey border, said.

Yet, Russia on Tuesday rejected reports that the chemical attack had happened and said they were full of false information.

"The Kremlin had denied that this incident took place at all," Al Jazeera's Rory Challands, reporting from Moscow, said.

"It said that reports of chemical barrel bombs amount to an unfounded information attack, lies essentially," he added.


Syria conflict: Government accused of chlorine attack
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-31930181

Syrian activists have accused government forces of using chlorine in an attack in the north-western province of Idlib late on Monday.

The Syrian military has denied the claim, describing it as propaganda.

An opposition official in the Sarmin area told the Associated Press that chlorine-filled barrel bombs were dropped on two locations by government helicopters on Monday night. The first targeted rebel fighters and injured 20 people, while the second hit a residential area, he said.

 

[Ca.]

Moderate" terrorists using Guided Missiles ( ATGM's) | Syria (clips -July 25th to August 2nd 2016 (unused clips) (Graphic Content)
R&U Videos II
_https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWVJH0ayteM

Russian/Syrian air force obliterate Jihadists in south Aleppo
Al-Masdar News Aug 2, 2016

http://<iframe width="560" height="...vA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Days after name change Nusra already on CNN | August 1st 2016 |
R&U Videos II

http://<iframe width="560" height="...FM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Syrian War Report – August 2, 2016: Syrian Army Advancing in Aleppo City

http://<iframe width="560" height="...WI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Первый этап международного конкурса «Снайперский рубеж»
Aug 2, 2016

http://<iframe width="560" height="...SQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[angelburst29]

Russian Media Release Images of Pilots' Mutilators (Photo)
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950513000331

The Russian Live channel disclosed the identity of a person who mutilated the corpses of the Russian military transport Mi-8 helicopter.

The news channel reported that the person is named Abolqa'ta and he was possibly one of the first terrorists who found the crashed helicopter and bodies of the Russian crew.

A Russian Mi-8 helicopter was shot down in Idlib by ground fire following the delivery of humanitarian supplies to Aleppo, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday. Three crew and two officers from Russia's Reconciliation Center died, according to a Kremlin statement.

The Russian military transport Mi-8 helicopter was shot down in Syria on Monday over an area controlled by Fatah al-Sham Front (the newly formed al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group previously known as al-Nusra Front), Russia’s General Staff said.

 

[angelburst29]

Harakat Nour al-Din al-Zenki militans, considered to be "moderate opposition" by Washington, launched a toxic gas attack in the Syrian city of Aleppo on Tuesday killing seven and injuring 23 people, the Russian center for reconciliation said Wednesday.

US-Backed 'Moderate Rebels' Launched Toxic Gas Attack in Aleppo August 2
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160803/1043910358/moderate-rebels-gas-aleppo.html

"On August 2, a residential district was attacked with poisonous substances from the area controlled by Harakat Nour al-Din al-Zenki militants, considered by the US to be so-called 'moderate opposition'," the center's chief Lt. Gen. Sergei Chvarkov said.

As a result of this terrorist attack, seven people died and 23 were hospitalized with symptoms of suffocation and inhalation burns.

The Russian Center for Syrian reconciliation has informed the American side about the militants' attack, Chvarkov said.

Jeish al-Fatah gathered over 9,000 terrorists to prevail over the Syrian Army positions and open a way into the militant-held districts in the Eastern parts of Aleppo city but failed and pulled its forces back after sustaining scores of casualties.

Syria: 9,000 Terrorists Take Part in 3rd Phase of Breaking Gov't Siege on Aleppo
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950513001233

Jeish al-Fatah suffered a heavy death toll after its forces failed to break through the army strongholds in New Aleppo district.

Jeish al-Fatah also stormed government defense lines in al-Hamdaniyeh and box-making plant in the Western side of Aleppo and al-Ramousiyeh Southwest of the city.

At the same time, a large number of terrorists of Ahrar al-Sham, Fatah al-Sham Front and Abu Ammarah, trapped inside Aleppo in Ameriyeh and al-Sadkoub districts and stormed army positions in al-Ramousiyeh by detonating a long tunnel.

The Syrian Armed Forces have dispatched a large number of fresh forces to the entire battlefields across Aleppo and beat the terrorists back.

"In the end, the third phase of Jeish al-Fatah's operation to save their comrades in Eastern districts of Aleppo was completely unsuccessful," several army and Hezbollah commanders confirmed in Eastern Aleppo on Wednesday afternoon.

Reports said earlier today that Syrian Army troops and popular forces repelled offensives of Jeish al-Fatah in al-Ramousiyeh in the Southern parts of Aleppo city, army sources said, adding that the clashes left 74 terrorists dead and 41other injured.

Terrorists' assaults to cut off pro-government forces' supply lines in Southern districts of Aleppo city were unsuccessful and they retreated from the battlefield after leaving behind at least 115 members dead or wounded.

Jeish al-Fatah's third phase of large-scale offensives to lift government forces' siege on militant-held districts of Aleppo city ended in nothing but inflicting more losses on militants, including losing four spy drones, nine tanks, six heavy artilleries and several PMP vehicles.

Syrian Army Downs Jeish Al-Fatah Terrorists' Reconnaissance Drones in Aleppo
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950513001137

Syrian Army repelled Jeish al-Fatah' attacks in Southern and Western flanks of Aleppo city, and in a rapid counter-attack the army men captured al-Baragi factory, Zahra al-Hawz and surroundings of the village of al-Sharafeh.

The Syrian fighter jets, for their part, targeted terrorists' defense lines, destroying nine tanks near journalists' council near Khan al-Asal.

Nouralddeen al-Zinki terrorists also were defeated by the Army troops in Southern parts of Aleppo city.

The army also destroyed two operation rooms of terrorists in Southwestern side of Aleppo.

Earlier today, the Ahrar al-Sham terrorist group confirmed that two commanders of its affiliated group of Jeish al-Iman were killed in clashes with the Syrian Army troops and their popular allies in Southwestern Aleppo.

The US-led coalition's fighter jets launched indiscriminate airstrikes on Manbij city in Northeastern Aleppo, killing 24 civilians and wounding tens of others.

US-Led Coalition Airstrikes in Manbij Kill 24 Civilians
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950513000990

The coalition warplanes attacked the Tariq al-Jrablus and Shar'e al-Barid districts in Manbij that is home to several hundred families in a completely residential area.

This is the third time in the past two weeks that the US-led forces are attacking the residential areas in Manbij region.

The coalition airstrikes on Toukhar al-Kabir and al-Nawajah villages near Manbij killed over 260 civilians and wounded hundreds of others.

Late in July, Syria lashed out at the US-led coalition for killing 45 civilians and injuring 50 others in airstrikes near the city of Manbij in Aleppo, calling on the UN to take rapid action to stop the massacre.

Hundreds of Syrian civilians left for safe places in Afrin region from areas under ISIL's control.

1,200 Civilians Leave ISIL-Controlled Areas for Safe Places in Aleppo Province
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950513000852

At least 1,200 Syrians left some parts of the city of Aleppo and al-Shahba region for Afrin region through a safe corridor opened in the village of Qatma in Shara region by the Syrian army.

In a relevant development last Wednesday, the Syrian army in text messages to all residents in the Eastern part of Aleppo city ensured them that it would open a safe passage for their exit from the city.

The army also called on the terrorist groups to lay down their arms and surrender.

Syrian Armed Forces' Command Center announced that it has completed the siege of Aleppo city in the East after cutting off all the supply routes of the terrorists in the region.

"The joint operations of the Syria army and popular forces have managed to cut off all the supply lines and passages used by the terrorists to move from the North to the Eastern neighborhoods of Aleppo city," the command center said in an official statement.

Leadership of the Syrian Kurdish group of People’s Protection Units (YPG) announced the death of two foreign fighters, a British and a Slovenian, who have been engaged in recent clashes with ISIL terrorists in Syria’s border city of Manbij.

Briton and Slovenian Killed Fighting ISIL in Syria
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950513000747

The British volunteer, Dean Carl Evans and Slovenian volunteer, Martin Gruen were reported dead while fighting as part of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) against ISIL in Manbij, ARA News reported.

“Many international fighters joined our forces. Two men came with the noblest of intentions and planted a seed of love into the hearts of our friends and all the peoples of Syria’s Kurdish region,” the YPG leadership said in a statement.

“We remember all of our martyrs and want to show our deepest respect for their families and especially for the families and loved ones of the volunteers,” the YPG said.

Speaking to ARA News, Kurdish leader Salih Muslim said that foreign volunteers join the YPG forces to protect humanitarian values, and to fight ISIL terrorists, “who are a danger to all humanity,” he said.

 

[angelburst29]

On Tuesday, US and British media published new claims of Syrian government use of chemical weapons in the rebel-held northern city of Saraqeb, in Idlib province. The story, put forward by the antigovernment Idlib Civil Defense or “White Helmets” group, alleges that 30 civilians experienced breathing troubles after chlorine gas canisters were dropped from a helicopter in a residential part of the city. No deaths were reported.

New Chemical Weapons Claims Pose Threat of US Escalation of Syrian War
http://www.globalresearch.ca/new-chemical-weapons-claims-pose-threat-of-us-escalation-of-syrian-war/5539401

The claim was first reported on the Idlib Civil Defence Facebook page. The group posted a YouTube video that purported to show area residents wearing oxygen masks.

Saraqeb is located in the same region that saw a Russian helicopter downed a day earlier, killing all five servicemen on board. Moscow strongly denied that any chemical weapon attack had taken place. In a statement, Kremlin representative Dmitry Peskov said that the Idlib Civil Defense claims were fabricated.

Meanwhile, Syrian government claims that rebel groups had killed five people in a chemical weapon attack on the government-held portion of Aleppo were virtually ignored by Western media. This deadly attack was verified by Aleppo’s health director, Mohamad Hazouri. “Five civilians were killed and eight others suffered suffocation due to a terrorist attack with shells containing poisonous gas,” he told the state-run news agency, SANA.

[...] The new claims come amid a rapid erosion in the position of the US-backed Islamist rebels in Syria. Government forces, backed by Russian air power, have made consistent gains over the past year, culminating in the current siege on the rebel-held city of Aleppo. Western portions of the city are already in government hands.

In an attempt to break the siege, rebel forces led by the Al Nusra Front—recently rebranded as Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (Front for the Conquest of Syria)—have launched a last-ditch offensive, attacking Aleppo on its southwestern outskirts.

[...] Iranian forces and the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah are also reportedly involved in the fighting against Jabhat Fateh al-Sham.

“[T]his is really their last stand,” Middle East analyst Firas Maksad told Al Jazeera of the Islamist rebels.
“If they lose Aleppo, which they’ve held a major portion of now for about four-odd years, they might as well have lost all the battle for Syria.”

The Islamists’ position is further threatened by the rapprochement between the Turkish government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and both Russia and Syria. Erdogan narrowly survived a US-backed coup on July 15, after he signaled his intention of normalizing relations with Damascus and Moscow.

Erdogan, who was reportedly alerted to the coup by Russian intelligence, has responded to US machinations by taking further steps toward cooperation with Russia. He will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on August 9 to discuss greater economic cooperation, including a proposed natural gas pipeline, dubbed Turkstream, that would bypass the US client state in Ukraine.

Turkey has been the main staging base for both Islamist fighters and weapons supplied by the US, Saudi Arabia and Qatar to fuel the fighting in Syria.

The US and its proxy fighters are clinging to sections of Aleppo, a city that had served as the major supply route for weapons distributed to Islamists across Syria—and where 250,000 people are believed to still reside. The US has sought to scuttle Russian proposals to evacuate the city through humanitarian corridors. US ambassador to the United Nations called the proposal “chilling,” and Secretary of State John Kerry has claimed that it is a “ruse.” For its part, Russia claims that Islamist militias are preventing residents from evacuating.

The US has opposed every serious effort at a negotiated settlement to the war, insisting that there can be no peace discussions without the removal of Bashar al-Assad. That is, Washington insists that the bloodletting must continue until regime change is achieved and Syria is reduced to a vassal state of the US.

Turkish politicians and activists based in the Adana province, home to the Incirlik air base, told Sputnik that they want Ankara to close the facility or at least ban the US and other NATO countries from using it because Washington has utilized it to carry out its destabilizing strategy in the Middle East.

US Established Incirlik Air Base in Turkey to 'Redraw Middle East' Borders
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160803/1043911870/us-turkey-incirlik-coup.html

Hayri Akgun, chairman of the Freedom and Solidarity Party's (ÖDP) regional branch, maintained that Incirlik "is a major stumbling block on [Turkey's] way to independence" since the United States has used it to carry out its plans in the region. "The main goal of creating the base was to redraw the entire [map of] the Middle East," he added.

The ÖDP has been a staunch opponent of the base, built by the US Army Corps of Engineers in 1951, and has repeatedly held protest rallies, urging the authorities to close it.

"Dagger in the heart of the Middle East"

Selver Kaplan, who heads the local office of the Patriotic Party (Vatan), is convinced that the US was behind the unsuccessful attempt to overthrow Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "Coup plans were devised at the Incirlik Air Base," she said. "We received this information from the people working there."

On July 15, a group of midlevel military officers staged a coup, but failed to come to power. The Turkish commander of the air base was arrested in the purges that followed.

The politician did not demand that the military facility be closed, but she urged the Turkish leadership to prevent the US and other foreign nations from using it. "Incirlik must only be made available to the Turkish military," he said.

Kaplan also accused the US of playing a destabilizing role in the region.

"If the air base remains open for the US and other countries, terrorist attacks will continue to take place. Assaults on our police and military officers, as well as the people will not stop. Incirlik is the hotbed of all terror acts. It is the command center of the game that is being played in the Middle East," she said. "Incirlik is a dagger in the heart of the Middle East."

 

[angelburst29]

Russian Mi-8 helicopter crew bodies are held by the terrorist group in southeastern Aleppo region, a source close to the Aleppo militia command said Friday.

Russian Mi-8 Crew Bodies Held by Jabhat Fatah al Sham Terrorist Group in Aleppo
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160805/1043961873/russia-mi8-damascus-syria.html

The bodies of the crew from the Russian Mi-8 helicopter downed in Syria are held by the Jabhat Fatah al Sham group (previously known as Nusra Front, banned in Russia) in southeastern Aleppo region, a source close to the Aleppo militia command said Friday.

"The Russians' bodies are with the Nusra Front…two or three bodies are held by the terrorists," the source told RIA Novosti.

A senior Iranian lawmaker says the recent advances of the Syrian army and its allies in the northwestern city of Aleppo are a “turning point” in the settlement of the crisis in the Arab country.

Syria gains in Aleppo ‘turning point’ in resolving crisis: Iran MP
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/08/05/478584/Iran-Syria-Alaeddin-Boroujerdi-Imad-Khamis-Walid-alMuallem

A senior Iranian lawmaker says the recent advances of the Syrian army and its allies in the northwestern city of Aleppo are a “turning point” in the settlement of the crisis in the Arab country.

Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the chairman of the Iranian parliament's Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy, made the remarks in a meeting with Syrian Prime Minister Imad Khamis in Damascus on Thursday.

He also said Iran and Syria have “strategic and historical” relations, and the Islamic Republic is assisting the Syrian people in their fight against terrorism.

Russians have called for the resignation of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev over his remarks about an under-paid university professor.

170k Russians sign online petition against Medvedev
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/08/05/478583/Russia-Medvedev-petition

Until Friday, more than 170,000 Russians had signed an online petition on Change.org regarding the matter.

Medvedev was asked by a university lecturer at a conference on youth education on August 2 why teachers’ salaries were as little as 15,000 rubles (about USD 230) per month.

“If you want to earn money, there are a bunch of great places where you can do that quicker and better,” Medvedev replied. He also told the unsatisfied teachers to take on a second job and venture into “business.”

His comments were widely seen by his compatriots as inappropriate, out of touch with reality, and uncaring about the plight of the educated working class.

“The cabinet should be led by a person who is competent, educated and cares about the country,” Alexander Li, who launched the anti-Medvedev petition, wrote on social media. “We are seeing the opposite right now.”

The lower house of parliament is obliged to take into consideration any petition that gets 100,000 signatures.

In May, Medvedev caused public outrage over his twisted remarks about a group of cash-strapped pensioners. “There's no money, but hang in there,” he said to the group.

“Have a good day, and good health,” he added, before turning around and leaving.

(Note: change.org is a US based NGO funded by Soro's.)

On Monday, the US National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announced the final development phase of the upgraded airborne nuclear bomb B61-12 prior to production, the first version of which is to be completed by 2020; earlier reports suggested that 20 of these modernized bombs are destined for Europe as a possible deterrent against Russia.

Guess Where the US Will House Its New Modernized Nuclear Arsenal?
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160805/1043972646/us-europe-nuclear-bomb.html

NNSA, the agency responsible for the military use of nuclear technology, has given the go ahead for the production of the upgraded B61-12 thermonuclear aircraft bomb.

It said production of the first upgraded B61-12 nuclear bombs will begin in fiscal year 2020. All remaining bombs will be adapted by 2024.

Authorizing the B61-12 warhead life-extension program (LEP) is the final development phase prior to actual production.

According to reports, unlike the free-fall gravity bombs it will replace, the B61-12 is a guided nuclear bomb. A new tail kit assembly, made by Boeing, enables the bomb to hit targets far more precisely than its predecessors.

Using “Dial-a-yield” technology, the bomb's explosive force can be adjusted before launch from a high of 50,000 tons of TNT equivalent to a low of 300 tons.

The B61-12 will have both air- and ground-burst capability. The capability to penetrate below the surface has significant implications for the types of targets within the bomb’s reach.

The B61-12 will initially be integrated with B-2, F-15E, F-16, and Tornado aircraft. From the 2020s, the weapon will also be integrated with, first, the F-35A bomber-fighter F-35 and later the LRS-B next-generation long-range bomber.

The B61-12 will replace the existing B61-3, —4, —7, and —10 bomb designs. It is thought that approximately 480 B61-12s will be produced through the mid-2020s.

Currently around 200 B61 bombs are deployed in underground vaults inside around 90 protective aircraft shelters at six bases in five NATO countries (Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey).

Two of which would utilize US aircraft (one air base in Incirlik, Turkey and one in Aviano, Italy).

Non-US aircraft are assigned to other bases (Kleine Brogel, Belgium; Büchel, Germany; Ghedi Torre, Italy; and Volkel, The Netherlands).

In September last year German television station ZDF cited a Pentagon budget document saying that the US Air Force would deploy modernized B61 nuclear bombs to Germany’s Buchel air force base replacing the 20 weapons already at the site.

“In other words, the American modernized thermonuclear aircraft bomb has been primarily, and for the nearest quarter of a century, destined to Europe. Washington however does not specify how and from whom the modernized nuclear bombs are going to defend the continent,” says an analytical article on the RIA Novosti website.

“However it is easy to guess that the thermonuclear bombs will be first of all used for the ‘deterrence” of Russia and the rest of Europe will fall hostage to the circumstances orchestrated from across the ocean,” the website adds.

Back in September 2015, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov characterized the move as a potential “violation of the strategic balance in Europe,” that would demand a Russian response.

“This could alter the balance of power in Europe,” Peskov then said.

“And without a doubt it would demand that Russia take necessary countermeasures to restore the strategic balance and parity.”

Also:

Amid renewed discussion about America’s nuclear weapons policy, a top ranking Air Force official has expressed skepticism over formalizing the no-first-use policy.

Not So Fast: USAF Secretary Prefers Leaving Offensive Nuke Option on Table
http://sputniknews.com/us/20160805/1043955218/nuclear-first-use-policy.html

Washington will not succeed in pulling Moscow back into an arms race through the modernization of the US nuclear arsenal, a senior Russian lawmaker said Tuesday.

Russia Not to Be Pulled Into an Arms Race Amid US Nuclear Arsenal Modernization
http://sputniknews.com/military/20160802/1043860172/russia-arms-race-us-nuclear-modernization.html

 

[angelburst29]

Differences between the Ansar (Syrian members of ISIL), and Mohajereen (foreign nationals of the terrorist group) have increased after the Takfiri group's leadership granted more advantages to Mohajereen and their families in Raqqa, opposition source confirmed.

Rift Widens between Syrian, Non-Syrian Members of ISIL in Raqqa
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950515000236

"ISIL security units refused to deliver the body of Ansar fighters to their families to bury them in their birth place and even in so many cases the security forces did not inform the families about the death of their sons, but instead ISIL transferred the bodies of non-Syrian fighters to cities and buried them there," the sources said.

Similar cases of difference between Mohajereen and Ansar have been reported from across Syria. These rifts usually lead to serious infightings.

Late in July, many cases of arguments between Ansar and Mohajereen occurred in the ISIL-held al-Bab region in Northern Aleppo, that sparked and escalated infighting between the two groups and faced local residents of the region with serious problems.

"The ISIL does not allow the civilians to leave al-Bab and the people will face harsh response of the ISIL if try to leave the region," sources said.

"Al-Bab region's civilians suffer from ISIL's vast wave of arrests. ISIL is frequently calling on al-Bab region's local residents to join the Takfiri group. If the people refuse to join ISIL they will be executed in front of people's eyes," they went on to say.

The failure of terrorist groups stationed in Southern Syria in decreasing pressure on their comrades in Aleppo has upset them so much that they launched an internal coup.

Terrorists Launch Coup in Southern Syria, Defeated Commander Escapes to Jordan
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950514000648

Field sources in Syria said that the military coup was organized by the Sunni Youth terrorist group's members in Basri al-Sham city in Dara'a province, Southern Syria, but they failed to reach their desired objectives and were split in two groups of supporters of Ahmad al-Audah, the commander who was the subject of the coup, and Mohammad Tomah, the commander of coup plotters.

The sources added that if the severe clashes continue between the two sides, there will be a possibility for Fatah al-Sham (the newly formed al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group previously known as al-Nusra Front) militants' interference, specially after Tomah called himself as the commander of the Sunni Youth group.

According to the sources, the terrorists who supported al-Tomah surrounded the caches of weapons and ammunitions and tried to reach al-Audah's residence but he fled to Jordan.

The coup plotters accused al-Audah of corruption and relations with the ISIL and called for decisions to remove him from power. The pro-coup forces also demanded intensive operations to distract the Syrian army attention from Northern to Southern Syria, but failed to make a considerable move.

The coup was staged as positions of terrorist groups in farms near Dara'a al-Balad district were badly destroyed in the Syrian army troops' attacks earlier this week.

The Syrian soldiers stormed terrorist groups' gathering centers in al-Nakhleh farms, killing and wounding several militants and destroying their machinegun-equipped vehicles on Wednesday.

Also, on Tuesday the Syrian army launched several attacks on the terrorists' military positions and gathering centers in the city of Dara'a and destroyed their command centers.

The terrorists sustained heavy losses in the Syrian army attacks on Dara'a al-Balad district in Dara'a city.

The strikes resulted in destroying two command sites in al-Arbaeen neighborhood, and many terrorists were killed and injured to the North of the Post Office, to the West of al-Omari Mosque, and to the East of al-Hamza region and al-Abbas Mosque.

The Lebanese Defense Ministry announced that the country's soldiers captured two terror masterminds of the ISIL in Arsal region in Beqaa province.

ISIL Terror Masterminds Arrested by Lebanese Army near Border with Syria
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950515000323

"Samih Breidi and Tariq Fleiti, after a brief but heavy fighting, were arrested by the Lebanese army men," the ministry said.

"Both terrorists were wounded in the clash; however, Samih Breidi reportedly succumbed to his wounds," the ministry added.

Also on Tuesday, the Lebanese Army’s carried out a special operation to destroy a base of Fatah al-Sham Front (newly formed al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group previously known as al-Nusra Front) near the Syrian border-crossing in Jarod ‘Arsal.

The Lebanese Army’s assault proved successful, as their forces overwhelmed the Fatah al-Sham Front militants their base inside the town of Dahr al-Safa.

Russia’s Defense Ministry has offered NATO the chance to discuss terms for open interaction in the Baltic region to avoid any further security incidents in the area, but only on a quid-pro-quo basis.

Russia Invites NATO to ‘Play Open’ in Baltics, but Only on Quid-Pro-Quo Basis
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160805/1043978691/russia-nato-baltics-interaction.html

Russian Defense Ministry has offered NATO to discuss the ways of easing tensions in the Baltic region.

Russia suggested notifying its neighbors of the scheduled military drills in the region and discussing the obligatory use of transponders, devices which emit an identifying signal in response to an interrogating received signal.

Russian military experts believe that the proposed moves will considerably ease the tensions in the skies above the Baltics which has recently witnessed considerable increase of combat aviation activities from both NATO and Russia.

Russia is ready to ensure transparency of its activities in the Baltic air but it asks for the same transparency from NATO, Sweden and Finland, whose Air Force has been increasingly active in the region since the start of the Ukrainian crisis, according to Russian newspaper Izvestiya.

Moscow has been increasingly wary of the British and American RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft flights over the Baltics with the turned off transponders.

Back in April an American RC-135U reconnaissance aircraft was buzzed by a Russian Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jet over the Baltic Sea near Russia’s Kaliningrad Region.

Pentagon then accused the Russian pilot of "coming dangerously close" to the US aircraft.

“When the flights are conducted with the turned on transponders, the systems of control over the airspace will constantly monitor the flight operation mode of any aircraft. This is our amicable suggestion and now it is up to NATO,” former Russian air force chief Petr Deinekin told the newspaper.

"Aside from the issue of transponders, the Russian Defense Ministry is proposing to discuss a wide range of issues, from interaction with NATO to the joint response to common challenges and threats,"Head of the Defense Ministry’s Main Directorate for International Military Cooperation Sergei Koshelev said on Friday.

 

[angelburst29]

Behold, a Pale Horse and its Rider’s Name Was Death — Paul Craig Roberts
http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2016/08/05/behold-a-pale-horse-and-its-riders-name-was-death-paul-craig-roberts/

I just listened to Obama give Washington’s account of the situation with ISIL in Iraq and Syria.

In Obama’s account, Washington is defeating ISIL in Iraq, but Russia and Assad are defeating the Syrian people in Syria. Obama denounced Russia and the Syrian government—but not ISIL—as barbaric. The message was clear: Washington still intends to overthrow Assad and turn Syria into another Libya and another Iraq, formerly stable and prosperous countries where war now rages continually.

It sickens me to hear the President of the United States lie and construct a false reality, so I turned off the broadcast. I believe it was a press conference, and I am confident that no meaningful questions were asked.

If Helen Thomas were still there, she would ask the Liar-in-Chief what went wrong with Washington’s policy in Iraq. We were promised that a low-cost “cakewalk” war of three or six weeks duration would bring “freedom and democracy” to Iraq. Why is it that 13 years later Iraq is a hellhole of war and destruction?

What happened to the “freedom and democracy?” And the “Cakewalk”?

You can bet your life that no presstitute asked Obama this question.

No one asked the Liar-in-Chief why the Russians and Syrians could clear ISIL out of most of Syria in a couple of months, but Washington has been struggling for several years to clear ISIL out of Iraq. Is it possible that Washington did not want to clear ISIL out of Iraq because Washington intended to use ISIL to clear Assad out of Syria?

No one asked the Liar-in-Chief why Washington sent ISIL to Syria and Iraq in the first place, or why the Syrians and Russians keep finding US weapons In ISIL’s military depots, or why Washington’s allies were funding ISIL by purchasing the oil ISIL is stealing from Iraq.

It seems to be the case that ISIL originated in the mercenaries that Washington organized to overthrow Gaddafi in Libya and were sent to Syria to overthrow Assad when the UK Parliament refused to participate in Washington’s invasion of Syria and the Russians put a stop to it.

All of the violence in the Middle East, violence that has consumed countless lives and produced millions of war refugees now overrunning Washington’s NATO vassals in Europe, is 100 percent the fault of Washington, not the fault of ISIL, or Assad, or Russia. Washington and only Washington is to blame.

Washington produced this violence. Where is the question: “Why, Mr. President, did Washington introduce 15 years of massive and ongoing violence into the Middle East and then expect us to believe that it was the fault of someone else?”

If Helen Thomas were there, she would ask the relevent questions. But the pussies that comprise the American press corps are merely an audience that validates the false reality spun by Washington by accepting it without question.

Meanwhile, Moscow and Beijing have understood the message. Washington intends war. The purpose of Washington’s lies is to prepare the insouciant Western peoples for war against the two countries that Washington cannot subjugate except by victory in war.

By faithful vassalage to Washington, Europe is bringing death and destruction to the world.


Remarks by the President on Progress in the Fight Against ISIL
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/07/06/remarks-president-progress-fight-against-isil

As with any military effort, there will be periods of progress, but there are also going to be some setbacks -- as we’ve seen with ISIL’s gains in Ramadi in Iraq and central and southern Syria. But today, it’s also important for us to recognize the progress that's been made.

[...] As with any military effort, there will be periods of progress, but there are also going to be some setbacks -- as we’ve seen with ISIL’s gains in Ramadi in Iraq and central and southern Syria. But today, it’s also important for us to recognize the progress that's been made.

Our coalition has now hit ISIL with more than 5,000 airstrikes. We’ve taken out thousands of fighting positions, tanks, vehicles, bomb factories, and training camps. We’ve eliminated thousands of fighters, including senior ISIL commanders. And over the past year, we’ve seen that when we have an effective partner on the ground, ISIL can be pushed back.

In Iraq, ISIL lost at the Mosul Dam. ISIL lost at Mount Sinjar. ISIL has lost repeatedly across Kirkuk Province. ISIL lost at Tikrit. Altogether, ISIL has lost more than a quarter of the populated areas that it had seized in Iraq. In Syria, ISIL lost at Kobani. It’s recently endured losses across northern Syria, including the key city of Tal Abyad, denying ISIL a vital supply route to Raqqa, its base of operations in Syria.

So these are reminders that ISIL’s strategic weaknesses are real. ISIL is surrounded by countries and communities committed to its destruction. It has no air force; our coalition owns the skies. ISIL is backed by no nation. It relies on fear, sometimes executing its own disillusioned fighters. Its unrestrained brutality often alienates those under its rule, creating new enemies. In short, ISIL’s recent losses in both Syria and Iraq prove that ISIL can and will be defeated.

Our airstrikes will continue to target the oil and gas facilities that fund so much of their operations. We’re going after the ISIL leadership and infrastructure in Syria -- the heart of ISIL that pumps funds and propaganda to people around the world. Partnering with other countries -- sharing more information, strengthening laws and border security -- allows us to work to stem the flow of foreign fighters to Syria as well as Iraq, and to stem, obviously, the flow of those fighters back into our own countries. This continues to be a challenge, and, working together, all our nations are going to need to do more, but we're starting to see some progress.

[...] In Syria, the only way that the civil war will end -- and in a way so that the Syrian people can unite against ISIL -- is an inclusive political transition to a new government, without Bashar Assad -- a government that serves all Syrians. I discussed this with our Gulf Cooperation Council partners at Camp David and during my recent call with President Putin. I made it clear the United States will continue to work for such a transition.

And a glimmer of good news is I think an increasing recognition on the part of all the players in the region that given the extraordinary threat that ISIL poses it is important for us to work together, as opposed to at cross-purposes, to make sure that an inclusive Syrian government exists. (Speech continues.)