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

[angelburst29]

_https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160921/1045551904/syria-russia-us-air-strike.html

'Stab in the Back': What Awaits Syria After American 'Friendly' Fire

< snip >

So in the Turkish newspaper they claim that at least 3 Russian intelligence officers were killed in Deir Ezzor. This makes it just a tad more likely that the report of a Russian missile strike targeting 30 Foreign intelligence officers is true. As a way of saying: If you go after our intelligence officers, then we will respond in kind.

The targeted killing of 80 plus Military Officers and the wounding of at least a 100 or more, due to White Phosphorus bombs had to be a horrific ordeal. The Israeli Military are famous for their use of Phosphorus Bombs on the Palestinians. Trust me - when I say - you don't want to view the videos of the aftermath of it's destruction on the civilians - that "survive" the attacks.

The fact, that there were 4 planes bombing for at least 20 minutes, in a concentrated area was "no accident!" Nor what they targeted. I can envision make shift burn units being set up - everywhere - to try to save the lives of victims with body parts missing and still burning into the flesh, down to the bone?

Now, tell Putin - it was an accident?

Common sense would dictate, focus would then be directed, at the intelligence and operators on the ground - who planned and ordered the Mission? To do anything less, would be an active role in "weakness and defeat"?

White Phosphorus Exposure
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/833585-overview#showall

Quotes:
White (or yellow) phosphorus is the most common and most reactive of the three allotropic forms of phosphorus. Because of its reactivity, white phosphorus has been used as an incendiary agent by the military or as an igniter for munitions.

Munitions-quality white phosphorus is generally found as a waxy, yellow, transparent solid. When exposed to air, it spontaneously ignites and is oxidized rapidly to phosphorus pentoxide. Such heat is produced by this reaction that the element bursts into a yellow flame and produces a dense white smoke. Phosphorus also becomes luminous in the dark, and this property is conveyed to "tracer bullets." This chemical reaction continues until either all the material is consumed or the element is deprived of oxygen.

White phosphorus can cause significant injury and death, and its use by the military has been highly criticized. Morbidity and mortality can occur by exposure to soft tissue, through inhalation, and by ingestion.

White phosphorus skin exposure results in painful chemical burn injuries. The resultant burn typically appears as a necrotic area with a yellowish color and characteristic garlic-like odor. These burns carry a high risk of morbidity and mortality. White phosphorus is highly lipid soluble and, as such, is believed to have rapid dermal penetration once particles are embedded under the skin. This deep absorption can result in heart, liver, and kidney damage. It has also been postulated that, because of its enhanced lipid solubility, these injuries result in delayed wound healing.

Morbidity and mortality are related directly to trauma and burns sustained from exposure or to intentional or accidental ingestion.

Burns usually are limited to areas of exposed skin (eg, upper extremities, face). Burns frequently are second and third degree because of the rapid ignition and highly lipophilic properties of white phosphorus.

Trauma usually is a combination of blunt and penetrating. Blunt trauma results from the percussion and force of the blast, and penetrating trauma results from projectiles produced from the explosion.

 

[angelburst29]

Video evidence obtained by Sputnik proves that Syrian militant groups did violate the latest ceasefire agreement by sporadically shelling the government forces.

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Syrian Militants Caught Violating Ceasefire Agreement
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160921/1045546655/syria-ceasefire-violation-proof.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcn12XPovlA

The Syrian army and its allies continue to maintain control along the eastern border of Latakia province, keeping their forces out of reach of the militants’ heavy artillery.

Sputnik news agency was able to capture on video the numerous violations of the ceasefire agreement perpetrated by militant groups which sporadically fired mines and rockets at Syrian army positions long before the truce was officially declared over. These shellings took place in the vicinity of the town of Kabani located in the Latakia province.

A commander of one of the Syrian army units, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to safety concerns, told Sputnik that surveillance systems used by the military to track enemy movements were able to confirm the militants deploying mortars and rocket launchers and using them to shell the government forces.

"Over the course of the last few days the militants in the vicinity of Kabani fired 12 rockets at army forces. And while none of these rockets caused any damage or loss of life, it was a clear provocation," the source said. The video, filmed from the forward positions of the Syrian army, clearly shows the aftermath of a rocket attack perpetrated by the militants.

Paris city authorities have decided to dispossess Rifaat el-Assad, the uncle of current President Bashar Assad, and turn his home into social housing, Sputnik Francais reported.

Paris Dispossesses Assad Family of €90mln Property to Build Social Housing
https://sputniknews.com/europe/20160921/1045566618/paris-assad-property-social-housing.html

The Paris city authorities have expropriated the property of the Assad family to build social housing, Sputnik Francais reported on Tuesday.

The house belongs to Rifaat Assad, the uncle of President Bashar and brother of the late Hafez Assad, who was Syrian President from 1971-2000.

It is located in the 16th arrondissement (administrative district) of Paris, on a 780 square meter plot of land, which has an estimated value of 90 million euros ($100 million).

The city of Paris has already disbursed 9.5 million euros for the land's purchase. The money has not yet been transferred to Assad, and is rather being held by France's Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, the investment arm of the French state.

After taking control of the property, the city authorities plan to construct 29 affordable apartments, a nursery and 14 parking spaces.

Ian Brossat, Director of Housing at Paris City Hall told French newspaper Le Figaro that he is delighted with the decision.

"This is the cherry on the cake. To create social housing in the 16th arrondissement is satisfying. To do it on land that belongs to such a person, increases the pleasure tenfold," Brossat said.

The family of France’s former President Jacques Chirac have dismissed rumors in the media about his death, saying he is still receiving treatment in the hospital for lung infection.

France’s Chirac not dead, still in hospital: Family
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/09/21/485726/France-Chirac-health

Chirac's son-in-law, Frederic Salat-Baroux, said on Wednesday that the former French president was being treated under the supervision of medical teams with “exceptional quality,” adding that the 83-year-old had not died.

Salat-Baroux, who is the husband of Chirac's daughter, Claude, called on the media to stop circulating rumors about Chirac's death and respect the "tranquility" of the former president’s family.

Early on Wednesday, former housing minister, Christine Boutin, tweeted "Mort de #Chirac" (death of #Chirac), sparking rumors that he had died following a visit to Morocco. The veteran politician reportedly cut short his holiday trip to the North African country after he reportedly fell ill and returned to Paris on board two jets provided by Moroccan King Mohammed VI. He was admitted to Pitie-Salpetriere hospital on Sunday.

An official source told RIA Novosti that a helicopter of the Russian Emergencies Ministry crashed outside Moscow on Wednesday.

Russian EMERCOM Helicopter Crashes Near Moscow, 3 People Feared Dead
https://sputniknews.com/russia/20160921/1045567848/russian-emercom-helicopter-crashes-dead.html

A helicopter of the Russian Emergencies Ministry crashed outside Moscow on Wednesday, an official source told RIA Novosti, adding that three people were feared dead.

"Three people are believed to have died…According to preliminary data, the Mil Mi-8 helicopter disintegrated on impact and cannot be restored," the source with emergency services said. The source added that the chopper had been carrying out a training mission when it came down four miles southeast of Moscow. A blaze reportedly erupted at the crash site.

An American U-2 Dragon Lay spy aircraft has crashed near Sacramento, California, killing one of its two pilots.

1 killed, 1 injured as U-2 spy plane goes down in California
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/09/21/485777/Lockheed-U2-spy-plane-Beale-California

The 1950s era aircraft went down during a training flight in Sutter County, 48 miles from Sacramento, on Tuesday.

Beale Air Force Base officials said that a seasoned instructor and a “fairly junior” pilot were on board the single-jet engine plane that belonged to the 9th Reconnaissance Wing stationed at the base.

According to initial reports, one of the airmen died and the other one was injured upon using the aircraft’s ejection mechanism.

Veteran German politician Willy Wimmer says that the US military bases in his country are long overdue for closure. Speaking to Sputnik, Wimmer emphasized that US bases installed during the Cold War no longer protect Europe; instead, they serve as a logistics hub for NATO's wars of aggression.

Auf Wiedersehen America: Germany Has Every Right to Bulldoze Ramstein Airbase
https://sputniknews.com/europe/20160921/1045564660/germany-ramstein-right-closure-wimmer-interview.html

Speaking to Sputnik Deutschland, Wimmer, a veteran member of the Christian Democratic Union with over thirty years of experience in the Bundestag under his belt, explained that if it found the political will, the German government could force the US to vacate the base at Ramstein within a two year period.

The politician and former State Secretary of the German Defense Ministry emphasized that instead of continuing to serve as a key logistics point for the coordination of US drone attacks in Africa and the Middle East, the base should be shuttered, with the space used to build housing and industry. All that is necessary is the political will.

A close friend of former Chancellor Helmut Kohl, who presided over the end of the Cold War and the reunification of Germany, Wimmer emphasized that the legal basis for the continued US military presence in country ran out right about the time that the Berlin Wall came down.

Formally, he noted, the British forces stationed in Germany have committed themselves to withdrawing from the country by 2020. As for the US, "the legal basis for the presence of US troops in Germany is NATO. However, after Germany's reunification, and in view of the absence of a threat from the east, the very need for NATO's existence came under question."

Wimmer recalled that "when the agreements [on NATO] were signed, the alliance was thousands of kilometers from the Russian border. Since then, NATO has transformed its essence from a defensive alliance – intentionally and without the consent of its member states' parliaments – into a machine of aggression," in accordance with its new military doctrine approved in 1999.

"Now, NATO, in this modified form, stands on Russia's borders. In this new environment, American bases in Germany are not justified – not from the perspective of international law, nor from that of [German] state law." Unfortunately, Wimmer noted, unlike the British, the Americans never announced any intention to voluntarily withdraw at the end of the Cold War. "Instead, directly prior to Germany's reunification, they said – and the federal government took it for granted – that they consider their presence on German territory not in the context of NATO's defensive function, but in the context of their claim to global leadership."

Wimmer suggested that the shift in NATO doctrine came with the 1999 bombing of Yugoslavia; it was at this moment that the alliance ceased to be defensive in nature.

Germany, he noted, has officers stationed at the base formally charged with keeping tabs on what's going on. "The [US] drone killings are carried out with the help of the Ramstein base. The federal government knows about it, but hides [this fact] from people. This is shameful."

Asked whether Ramstein would validate itself in the event of a hypothetical Russian attack, Wimmer emphasized that "fortunately for us, we can be certain that Russia does not have such plans. On the contrary, Russia is acting confidently and independently, but only with respect to its own territory. It is the US, our ally, which has been behaving aggressively for the last 25 years."

NATO, the politician noted, has been searching for a raison d'etre for decades, starting with the bombing of Yugoslavia, and continuing with its mission in Afghanistan. With the latest escalation with Moscow, "people here are starting to say 'maybe it's good that American bases are still here'. But all this really shows is that we are a punching bag for US interests."

Ultimately, Wimmer noted that in accordance with the agreements which made during the period of Germany's reunification, "foreign military presence on German territory may be terminated after a two year period. And if today's escalation is aimed an armed conflict with Russia, then at least out of our own interest, we should take advantage of this period."

 

[angelburst29]

When a Russian military officer tried to notify the U.S. this weekend that its coalition was hitting Syrian forces, the American point of contact was not available immediately, a U.S. military spokesman said Tuesday.

US official wasn't there to answer Russian call on Syria strike
http://thehill.com/policy/defense/296830-us-official-not-there-to-take-russian-call-on-syria-strike

"There was a call from the Russians that was I think a little bit cryptic. We weren't exactly sure what they were saying. We did start to look into it," said Air Force Col. J.T. Thomas, the coalition spokesman for the war against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

"They called back and they got more specific, that said, 'Hey, you're hitting regime forces,' and at that point it was about minutes — less than five minutes — that the [U.S.] call to knock it off had been put in place, and the attack ceased," Thomas said.

The first call from the Russians was to their point of contact in the U.S. combined air operations center (CAOC) coordinating coalition airstrikes in Syria, but that person was not available at the time, Thomas said.

"They asked to speak to their contact, and that individual wasn't next to the phone," he said. "They weren't expecting a call."

"So there's a designated person in the CAOC to take those calls each day and they had to go and fetch the person on our side to get it," he said.

After the Russians called back, "the message became more specific when they got to speak to that person they were not just literally sitting by the phone at that moment," Thomas said.

The revelation sheds some light on the struggle for clear communication between the U.S.-led coalition and Russian forces, who are both conducting air wars in Syria.

The U.S. and Russia suspended their military relationship but have opened a channel to make sure their air forces don't collide over Syria.

However, that communication was tested after U.S. and coalition aircraft struck what Russia and Syria claim was a Syrian military site, killing 62 and wounding about a 100 more.

The U.S. said it was appointing a one-star general to investigate the incident.


Deir Ezzor Attack Enables The "Salafist Principality" As Foreseen In The 2012 DIA Analysis
http://www.moonofalabama.org/

Two recent attacks against the Syrian Arab Army in east-Syria point to a U.S. plan to eliminate all Syrian government presence east of Palmyra. This would enable the U.S. and its allies to create "Sunni entity" in east-Syria and west-Iraq which would be a permanent thorn in side of Syria and its allies.

A 2012 analysis by the Defense Intelligence Agency said:

THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY OF ESTABLISHING A DECLARED OR UNDECLARED SALAFIST PRINCIPALITY IN EASTERN SYRIA (HASAKA AND DER ZOR), AND THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT THE SUPPORTING POWERS TO THE OPPOSITION WANT, IN ORDER TO ISOLATE THE SYRIAN REGIME ...

Note that the described plan mentions exactly two cities - Hasakah and Deir Ezzor.

On August 18 Kurdish YPK units suddenly attacked Syrian government positions in the center of Hasakah in the north-east of Syria. Before this incident the relations between the two entities had been decent despite some earlier, small clashes. The attacking Kurds were under advice from U.S. special operators. When the Syrian air force intervened the U.S. threatened to down its planes. The Syrian forces had to eventually retreat from populated areas in Hasakah and are now confined to an airport next to the city. They are cut of from supplies and will eventually have to give up.

(For the Kurds these attacks proved to be a political catastrophe. Not only did they lose all support from the Syrian government and Russian side, but Turkey used these clashes to justify its invasion into Syria. This ended the Kurdish national dream of a continues area from Iraq to the Mediterranean.)

On Saturday U.S. airplanes attacked the most important Syrian government position in Deir Ezzor. Nearly a hundred Syrian soldiers were killed and most of the heavy equipment the Deir Ezzor garrison had left was destroyed. Immediately after the attack fighters of the Islamic State occupied the bombed out government positions. These Islamic States fighters now own the heights above the Deir Ezzor airport. A day later the Islamic State shot down a Syrian government plane near Deir Ezzor.

The city and its 150,000+ inhabitants are surrounded by the Islamic State. They had been supplied from Damascus by nightly flights to the airport. As the Islamic State now has fire-control over the airport as well as anti-air weapons those supply flights are no longer possible. The U.S. air attack practically closed down the Syrian government ability to supply the city. If this situation continues the city will fall to the Islamic State.

The U.S. plan is to eventually take Raqqa by using Turkish or Kurdish proxies. It also plans to let the Iraqi army retake Mosul in Iraq. The only major city in Islamic State territory left between those two is Deir Ezzor. Should IS be able to take it away from the isolated Syrian army garrison it has at least a decent base to survive. (Conveniently there are also rich oil wells nearby.) No one, but the hampered Syrian state, would have an immediate interest to remove it from there.

North of that entity would be a Kurdish area with no ambition to expand south. North-west of the Deir Ezzor entity would be the friendly Turkish controlled "Safe Zone" that Erdogan plans to create.

The two recent moves by U.S. forces in east-Syria are consistent with the plan for a "Sunni entity" or "Salafist principality" described in the 2012 DIA document. Such an entity blocks the land connection of the "Shia crescent" which connects Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. This is the "isolation" of Syria foreseen in the DIA analysis. A "Sunni entity" in east-Syria also provides a path for the gas pipeline from Qatar via Turkey to Europe. The Syrian government had rejected the construction of such a line which goes against the fundamental interests of its ally Russia.

At first glance this U.S. policy seems to be shortsighted, There is no way the envisioned "Sunni entity" would ever become stable. Instead it would continue to be a source of terrorism which would hit far beyond the borders of Syria and the surrounding states. But it is exactly the instability of this construct that will allow for further U.S. presence in the area. A source of insecurity that can be activated, or shut down, whenever convenient.

 

[Voyageur]

This article on SoTT from FARS News - 30 Israeli, foreign intelligence officers killed in Russia's Caliber missile attack in Aleppo does not seem to have been confirmed according to South Front (SF):https://southfront.org/30-foreign-intelligence-officers-israeli-us-turkish-killed-in-missile-attack-in-aleppo-unconfirmed/ SF put it this way:

While there are no doubts that various ‘opposition’ and terrorist groups in Syria are trained, supplied and managed by foreign intelligence services (mostly US, Turkish and Saudi), the pro-government sources have not provided video or photo evidences in order to confirm this report. The Russian Ministry of Defense has not commented on the issue.

Otherwise, the MSN is quite about this and SF's article is 15 hours old.

 

[Aeneas]

A poster to an article on SouthFront included a video of what he said was a "Empire of Chaos' attempted takeover of Syria for Dummies by Max Igan".

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

 

[bjorb]

Didn't took long for other European officials to follow up the American narrative. (No fly zone) Will they ever take a risk for humanity and stop pushing the US-Imperial agenda? They are a bunch of cowards, opportunists, and psychopaths. Choose your pick, because nothing positive can come out of European leaders.

Anyhow, the only No Fly Zone that might ever happen is a Russian one, against NATO. US has been pushing relentlessly this past few days that Assad or even Russia bombed this convoy without any evidence. Not that the Western press cares about details such as that. They just keep repeating Kerry, and now they can repeat this German foreign minister. As if it actually happened.


German Foreign Minister Calls for Temporary No-Fly Zone Over Syria
https://sputniknews.com/europe/20160922/1045582727/germeny-syria-ceasefire-steinmeier.html

German Foreign Minister proposed to introduce a no-fly zone over Syria, as quoted by the ministerial press service on Thursday.

BERLIN (Sputnik) — German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier proposed to introduce a no-fly zone over Syria in order to make the ceasefire regime in the war-torn country last, as quoted by the ministerial press service on Thursday.

"If the [Syrian] ceasefire has at least a chance at all, it can be realized only trough temporary but complete cessation of all military aircraft activities over Syria — at least for three, better for seven days," Steinmeier said Wednesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

On September 9, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov brokered a cessation of hostilities in Syria that took effect three days later. The agreement called for unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid and stipulated that only designated terror groups be targeted in military strikes.

Within a week of the ceasefire’s implementation, US-led coalition airstrikes hit Syrian Army positions in the eastern part of the country, and on Tuesday, a UN humanitarian-aid convoy was destroyed under circumstances that remain unclear. On Monday, the Syrian army declared the end of ceasefire regime blaming militants for numerous violations that made the cessation of hostilities unreasonable.

 

[Aeneas]

Joaquin Flores argues that this time Russia is winning the information war. This article also has a chronology of how the story unfolded:
http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/09/russias-counter-blow-info-war-victory.html

RUSSIA'S COUNTER-BLOW: Info War victory and the destroyed Aid Convoy

In a surprising turn of events, Russia struck back at the US and the western media disinformation campaign, causing NATO to back off from claiming that Russia or Syria was responsible for the attack on the Red Crescent aid convoy destroyed earlier this week. This became evident after the public statement of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday, September 21, in comments to media following an ad-hoc meeting with Russian FM Sergei Lavrov.

Western media outlets previously reported, both through AP and Reuters distributors like the New York Times, LA Times, etc., as well as the UK's Guardian and BBC, that US officials laid the blame on Russia for the attack on the Red Crescent aid convoy in Syria. The attack destroyed nearly twenty of the thirty-one trucks scheduled to arrive in Uram Al-Kubra.

Reuters apparently broke the US version of events, duplicitously citing two conveniently anonymous military sources, claiming that:

"Two Russian Sukhoi SU-24 warplanes were in the skies above an aid convoy in Syria at the precise time it was struck on Monday, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Tuesday, citing U.S. intelligence that has led them to conclude Russia was to blame." - Reuters, September 19th, 2016.

The same article went on to claim in conclusion that: "The strike appeared to deal a fatal blow to Syria's fragile week-old ceasefire."

On September 20th, the Guardian ran with the headline "Russian planes dropped bombs that destroyed UN aid convoy, US officials say".

These indicate an intention on the part of the US to spin this event, placing blame on Russia both for the attack on the aid convoy and also for the collapsed ceasefire, in the first hours and days after the convoy attack, as part of a public disinformation campaign to create that ever-important first impression in the public mind's eye.

As a matter of record, it was the planned US and ISIS joint attack on the Syrian Arab Army forces at Deir ez-Zor on September 17th, 2016, that led to the Syrian government unilaterally calling off the ceasefire hours before the attack on the Red Crescent convoy. The diplomatic crisis was compounded by the 'heavy handed' and 'unprofessional' ( in the words of Russia's UN rep, Churkin,) approach of the US's UN representative Samantha Power at an emergency session of the UN Security Council.

Therefore, the western media focus on the aid caravan attack seems to aimed at deflecting blame on the collapsed ceasefire away from the US, and diverting public attention onto a more recent news story - this is in line with the use of the 'recency effect' in psychology. Human memories are not recording devices, and the public is prone to remember things based cues and references independent of reality.

Several narratives and events, in the chronological order below, are important to understand as the story unfolded.
*
1. The Reuters and AP, pieces set the Atlanticist media tone and gave all derivative media their talking points with a clear angle to follow. In this version, media reported that US officials 'knew' who carried out the attack: Russia. The Guardian was a degree more cautious, both citing the Reuters piece which 'cited' the anonymous US military sources but also included their own follow up with the White House and found that: "The White House and state department said they could not confirm the allegations, while the Russian foreign ministry rejected them with “resentment and indignation”."

2. The UN's initial statement that the destruction of the convoy was a result of 'air strikes' seemed to all but confirm that Russian or Syrian air forces were responsible, within the context of the publicly pronounced presumption that there were no US air forces present at the time.

3. The UN then suddenly reversed its official statement, and withdrew its assessment that the destruction was caused by 'air strikes' and deferred the matter to pending investigation. One can only speculate what caused this sudden reversal, but it appears likely this was a diplomatic success on the part of Russia, which at any rate could have only led to great confusion on the part of the US as to what Russia's coming prepared response was going to be.

4. Russia released aerial footage of the aid caravan, also showing an off-road vehicle towing a large caliber mortar. This was an interesting twist, and laid the potential for Russia to deny attacking the convoy while publicly presenting an understandable reason why it would be legitimate to attack it. Aid caravans have long been suspected by all sides as a way to cloak the transport or import of military equipment. Russia has publicly stated that its position is that the Caravan 'caught fire', using the passive tense in textual construction, and not indicating necessarily 'who', if anyone 'set' this fire, or if it was a random accident caused by heat, or even possibly the existence of munitions being smuggled in to aid US backed enemy combatants.

5. Public analysts and watchdog journalists across the internet, such as 21Wire, noticed that several of the released photographs of the damaged trucks indicated evidence of small weapons fire, and noted a lack of the sort of craters or blast marks that would be consistent with either shelling or an aerial attack. While this sort of 'remote forensics by photography' is useful in the public discourse, and even critical in some cases such as MH17, it is not conclusive in cases of a larger area of attack, because photographs in circulation were not taken with the intention of documenting the entire scene from several angles with the aim of seeking out conclusive evidence. Nevertheless, the possibilities raised are still present, and independent journalism surrounding this stands as an important contribution to public awareness

6. Russia went public with its intel, providing back up evidence to confirm, that a US predator drone was overhead in the skies at the same time as the attack. At the same time, it says that the cause of the loss of about 2/3rds of the aid caravan (18 of 31 trucks) was the result of 'fire'.

7. Lavrov met with Stoltenberg, in an ad-hoc meeting at the sidelines of the UN's 71st General Assembly, the details of which are presently unknown to the public. Based upon the following, it would appear that the exchange of data entailed more than what Russia went public with. We of course can only speculate that there may have been some direct evidence of the predator drone making the attack. Or perhaps there is aerial footage of a shelling from the direction of rebel held areas. The release of several perhaps conflicting narratives from Russia and the independent media sphere have created the likelihood that any one of these versions may be correct.

8. Stoltenberg, a named source, in his position as the result of what is effectively a US appointment, publicly stated that he will "not speculate on who carried out the attack", which is a decisively different position than what was expressed through Western media, in an original Reuters story citing unnamed sources from the US military. The meaning of this is tremendous in terms of the public discourse. In an RT story in connection with this, they included the following:


"Moscow, however, strongly denied it had played any part in the atrocity, while calling it “another unacceptable provocation.”

"On Wednesday, Lavrov confirmed that Russia had provided all data related to the incident for investigation, and pointed out that the timing of the attack coincided with the large militant offensive in the 1070 district of Aleppo."

"Lavrov and his American counterpart, John Kerry, are expected to meet face-to-face for the second time since the start of the UN General Assembly session on Wednesday evening, a Russian delegation source told RIA Novosti."


9. Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov today has just said that there was an explosion at the caravan, and that the US's use of a predator drone is documented, which it is prepared to reveal to the public. But it is critical, very critical, to note here that the spokesman does not exactly connect the dots explicitly, which leaves upon some important openings listed below.

10. As a result, a number of possibly contradictory public and official theories have surfaced, all however which tend to shift blame away from the Russian or Syrian forces. This is a compelling development, as both sides seek dominance in the information war.
*


As a result of this carefully planned and well-timed chain of events, Russia has several moves, and one or some combination of the following will show the public that,

a. munitions or fuel being transported in and packed in unsafe conditions caught fire,
b. the caravan was shelled by enemy combatants and then caught fire
c. small arms fire made the munitions or fuel catch fire
d. the US predator drone dropped a non-shell based incendiary device
e. the US predator drones cam data was intercepted (hacked) showing what happened
f. Russian drones caught the whole event, showing what happened
g. Russia attacked the convoy once it was (or will be) revealed that these carried munitions and weaponry for enemy combatants

Right now Russia is indicating that they are going with the 'US dropped an incendiary device from a predator drone', and is going to allow this version to run a certain course until other developments indicate the promotion of an alter or counter narrative. This puts Russia in the position of now having taken control of messaging, while maintaining a high degree of flexibility in any necessary counter-move after the US's response.

So far, western media has not paid attention to Stoltenberg's big statement, as this runs counter to the dissimulation story citing two unnamed sources via Reuters. Reuters has run the story of Russia's claim of US drones in the sky, but MSM outlets have not yet made any breaking story of this.

Instead the Atlanticist MSM are running their own two counter-factual, but mutually exclusive, narratives side-by-side - that there is a cease-fire still in effect, and that resumption of the (now dead, Russia's fault) cease-fire talks are 'ongoing', which Russia's increased bombing of Aleppo is 'endangering'. This is based on Kerry's apparent media holography attempt that there is still a 'truce' that can be 'salvaged' if Russia stops bombing US's Al Nusra or ISIS terrorists in critical parts of Aleppo.

This, again, runs contrary to the fact that the SAA which leads Russian official military rules of engagement on Syria, has ended the truce and that neither side is acting now (the US side the whole while never abiding, according to the leaked parts of the 'secret agreement') as if that truce is in effect, because it is not, neither de facto nor de jure.

All of these developments, as confusing and multifaceted as they are - and indeed because they as such - grant to Russia the strategic advantage at this stage. The US's media campaign reflects a clearly defensive posture and a position of messaging uncertainty. At this point it can only speak to the ever shrinking western audience which relies on the MSM as its sole source of information. It is relying on the Reuters/AP model as stenographers of western institutional power, which now has fewer total readers among westerners than the so-called 'alternative media', which in fact has a larger combined market-share. What complicates this further, is that this demographic is nevertheless war-weary and unwilling to support an increase of military action, 'kinetic' or otherwise.

Russia has several media/evidentiary counter-moves ready to deploy that will effectively neutralize the US's coming claims, regardless of which track the US takes.

Russia's media counter-offensive surrounding this week's stunning series of events will no doubt be one of the many case studies for media/military strategy students for a generation to come.

 

[Aeneas]

It appears as if Russia finally has had enough of unilateral ceasefires. It also appears as if they knew all along that the Americans would not honor it, but that they had to make these ceasefires so as to show the rest of the world what the REAL situation is.

http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/09/lavrov-makes-history-ceasefires-were.html

September 22nd, 2016 - Fort Russ News -
- Nasteva Twitter and RT - text by J. Flores
LAVROV MAKES HISTORY: 'Ceasefires' were bogus, nixes future 'unilateral measures' [VIDEO]

Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov made history today at the UN's meeting of the Security Council, declaring that future unilateral pauses couched as 'ceasefire agreements' are off the table. He has skillfully referred to the mounting factual evidence of the US's continued flagrant violations on any number of points of agreement over the course of this conflict.

These include primarily the violations of the ceasefire itself, in conjunction with officially leaked elements of the 'secret text' of the recent ceasefire which evidence that the US has been unable to reign in a number of groups signing onto previous ceasefires, let alone those groups the US claims to be moderates but did not sign onto the ceasefire, both of which continue to work closely with either ISIS or Jabat Al-Nusra. Russia has no doubt pointed out successfully that several of these groups are fictional entities, and are but operational synonyms of Al-Nusra (formerly called Al-Qaeda of the Levant), itself.

The impossible to ignore context here naturally is the ceasefire ending US joint attack alongside ISIS upon the Syrian Arab Army position at Deir ez-Zor which was sustained and lasted over an hour, despite calls from the Russian coordinating hotline which existed pursuant to standing agreements on deconfliction.

The other defining circumstances included the response of the US State Department at the emergency session of the UN Security Council a few nights ago, in particular the behaviour and callously undiplomatic remarks of representative Power, and the US's following attempts to blame Russia for the attack on the Red Crescent aid convoy several days later, which increasingly appears as the result of either Al-Nusra militants on the ground or a US predator drone attack using an incendiary device.

Analysts and activists have long debated the utility of the ceasefire agreements. It had been noted, at times passionately, that the ceasefires were observed unilaterally by Russia and had the effect of allowing the US backed terrorist groups, whether organized under the 'moderate' banner or not, to rearm and regroup. Aid convoys had long been used as a backdoor to smuggle in needed dual-use basic supplies for repairing weapons, such as nuts, bolts, wiring - and even munitions and new weapons. It had long been documented that first aid and medicines intended for affected civilian populations generally wound up used by terrorist fighting groups inside of occupied parts of Aleppo.

Now this chapter comes to end, and it is revealed that Russia understood clearly all along that this was precisely the case. What was needed was a pretext, a consensus building show-and-tell to the security which provides Russia and its allies on the Security Council and in the international community that 'we tried Ceasefires - and this is what happened.

This set up the footwork for the final proverbial 'flying mare' that launched US foreign policy and its media hologram over the Russian bear's shoulder and onto its back.

A real corner has been turned. We invite our readers to watch twitter user Navsteva's several minute long clip, below, which was truly the highlight of the longer Russian presentation and today's historic Security Council meeting.

These are truly interesting times, fraught with danger, as the chance of total war looms overhead. We ask our readers to be especially vigilant as events are escalating, and help our important mission and work here by sharing these articles across your social networking platforms.

 

[goyacobol]

I agree with bjorn's idea:

Anyhow, the only No Fly Zone that might ever happen is a Russian one, against NATO.

Russia and Syria should create the "No-Fly Zone". Turn about is fair play they say.

If that doesn't seem feasible then just continue to get intelligence for the attack co-ordinates and launch the attack by sea:

Russian warships launch 3 sub-caliber rockets at jihadist defenses in Aleppo
By Leith Fadel - 20/09/2016

ALEPPO, SYRIA (11:50 P.M.) - A Russian warship off the coast of Latakia reportedly fired three sub-caliber rockets at the jihadist rebel defenses in western Aleppo on Monday, striking a Jaysh Al-Fateh (Army of Conquest) command center.

"Russian warships fired caliber rockets onto the command posts of the terrorists in western Aleppo, where Turkish, Saudi, Israeli, UK, and US officers are deployed to aid their operations," Sputnik News Agency reported on Tuesday.

No footage was released of this rocket attack; however, several activists from Aleppo reported this alleged assault from the Mediterranean.

The Russian Navy does not usually fire rockets or missiles into Syria unless they have direct coordinates of the enemy's positions.

This would be one way to enforce a "Cease Fire" on the terrorists I think. ;D

 

[sToRmR1dR]

President al-Assad’s interview given to Associated Press

http://sana.sy/en/?p=88686

http://<iframe width="560" height="...4c" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Also on SOTT:

https://www.sott.net/article/328982-Assad-tells-AP-US-doesnt-have-the-will-to-fight-terrorism-strikes-on-Syrian-troops-were-intentional

 

[sToRmR1dR]

See below, UN didn't took the US word on it that Russia, Syria or Santa Claus bombed the humanitarian convoy. In fact they are not that convinced that an actually bombing run took place.

But that doesn't stop Kerry from demanding: ''Kerry also urged that Syrian government forces should be banned from flying over territories held by the opposition forces.''

In short, The US wants to render the Syrian airforce useless, which is not going to happen. Problem is that when the US start downing Syrian jets. Russia has to respond, so again, another provocation designed for total war.


Russia presented all evidence on aid convoy attack, now wants impartial investigation – Lavrov
https://www.rt.com/news/360146-lavrov-unsc-syria-aid-convoy/



US 'Predator' Attack Drone Was Spotted Around at the Time of UN Convoy Attack

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160921/1045559448/us-predator-drone-syria-russia.html

Russian defense ministry confirms US drone was present in area of attack on UN convoy

http://tass.com/world/901591?_ga=1.16225909.231830454.1474178806

The Russian Defense Ministry also has proof the drone took off from Turkey’s Incirlik air base

Facts available to the Russian Defense Ministry prove unambiguously a US Predator drone from Turkey's Incirlik airbase was present in the zone of attack on the UN humanitarian convoy in Syria, Gen Igor Konashenkov said on Thursday.

He said it in a comment on the claim by the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen Joseph Dunford who told members of a Senate committee the US military did not have proof to support the suppositions that the convoy had been bombed by Russian warplanes.

"This hasn’t been concluded but my judgment would be they did it," Gen Dunford said.

"Unlike the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, we do have facts or the information from air data recorders on the situation in the Aleppo zone on September 19," he said. "And this information proves very unambiguously a US attack drone Predator from Incirlik airbase was present in the zone of location of the humanitarian convoy near the town of Urum al-Kurba."

"What the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff and the U.S. Secretary of Defense have at their disposal - and it’s clear to everyone now - is their personal opinions and fear for a yet another error or a purported provocation," Gen Konashenkov said.

"Generally speaking, if the US Army plans its combat operations and makes reports to the President on the basis of personal opinions instead of verified intelligence data, is it a surprise then that the US military regularly make the blunders, which claim the lives of hundreds of innocent people around the world?" he said.

 

[angelburst29]

This "Exclusive" was just published by Associated Press about an hour ago. I have NOT verified it with another source or checked if RT, Sputnik or any other website has published the same. I wanted to Post it first and then "go hunting" which usually takes time. (No screen copy or photo for verification - shown).

AP EXCLUSIVE: Text of Syria cease-fire deal
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/f5428d60326c4394a1c95efcefad8d77/ap-exclusive-text-syria-cease-fire-deal

By The Associated Press
Sep. 22, 2016 2:16 PM EDT

The following is the text of the Syria cease-fire agreement reached by the United States and Russia on Sept. 9, 2016.

While the truce appears to have all but collapsed amid Syrian government and rebel violations, Washington and Moscow say they're committed to trying to revive the deal.

When the agreement was struck, the former Cold War foes decided to keep it confidential. Other powers, such as France, have complained about the secrecy.

Both the U.S. and Russia in recent days have spoken of making the document public. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the agreement. The document is time-stamped Sept. 9 at 10 p.m.

Reducing Violence, Restoring Access and Establishing the JIC

The Russian Federation and the United States (hereafter - "the Sides") intend to undertake joint efforts to stabilize the situation in Syria, with special measures for the Aleppo region. Delineation of territories controlled by ISIL, "Jabhat Al-Nusra," and moderate armed opposition forces remains a key priority, as does separating moderate opposition forces from Nusra.

The Sides will designate a date and time at which the following measures will go into effect (designated as Day "D'').

1. On Day "D," all parties to the cessation of hostilities (CoH) in Syria will recommit to the CoH and honor its terms in full, as set forth in the February 22, 2016 Joint Declaration of the Russian Federation and the United States, for a 48 hour period. In particular, these terms include: ceasing all attacks with any weapons, including aerial bombardments, rockets, mortars, and anti-tank guided missiles; refraining from acquiring or seeking to acquire territory from other parties to the CoH; allowing humanitarian agencies rapid, safe, unhindered and sustained access throughout areas under their operational control and allowing immediate humanitarian assistance to reach all people in need; employing proportionate use of force (i.e. no greater than required to address an immediate threat) if and when responding in self-defense. The Sides will agree and inform all parties as to the date and time for "Day D."

2. On D+2, if the CoH in Syria has continued to hold to the mutual satisfaction of the Sides, they will extend it for a mutually agreed upon period of time. Subsequently, the Sides may decide to extend the CoH indefinitely, under the same terms. The Sides will use their influence with the parties to fully honor the terms of the CoH.

3. Special measures will also go into effect for the Castello Road area in Aleppo (as defined by mutually determined coordinates), specifically:

a. Beginning Day D, and even prior to the establishment of checkpoints on the Castello road, humanitarian assistance will be delivered consistent with the terms of the CoH and established UN procedures, and in coordination with relevant UN representatives. At the Turkish border, the UN Monitoring Mission (UNMM) will continue to inspect and seal the trucks designated for delivery of humanitarian assistance via Castello Road to Eastern Aleppo. The seals will not be broken and the trucks will not be opened by any authority between the point of their review and sealing in Turkey and the point of their unloading at UN and its partners' warehouses in east and west Aleppo.

b. The Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) (or another agreed upon third party) will operate as soon as possible two checkpoints (at agreed upon locations) to verify that, until the UNOPS (or another agreed upon third party) checkpoints are established as clearly described below in this paragraph, only trucks inspected by the UNMM are transiting the road, and that the seals have not been broken. A small detachment of no more than twenty armed personnel per shift provided by, and mutually acceptable to, the government and opposition forces, will provide security for the SARC personnel at the checkpoints on the western and eastern ends of the Castello Road, respectively. The UN will monitor (by physical presence or remotely) the activities of all personnel at the checkpoints. These SARC-manned checkpoints and physical security for them will be handed over to independent, international personnel under the direction of UNOPS (or another agreed upon third party), as soon as they can be deployed. These internationally-managed checkpoints will provide for the phased-in unrestricted movement of all humanitarian, commercial and civilian traffic on Castello Road, as well as the non-use of the road for the transport of weapons (in accordance with procedures to be developed). Phasing will proceed as quickly as possible, when those managing the checkpoints assess, in consultation with the UN and the Sides, that they have the capabilities to accommodate the traffic in a safe and orderly manner.

c. Simultaneous with the establishment of the SARC (or another agreed upon third party) checkpoints indicated in 3(b), pro-government forces and opposition units will pull back simultaneously from Castello Road, and the vacated area will be considered a "demilitarized zone."

Specifically, pro-government forces will:

—Pull back heavy weapons such as armored fighting vehicles and infantry fighting vehicles (other than BTR-60 and BMP-1 without ATGM), tanks, artillery, and mortars, to a distance of 3,500m north of the road;

—Pull back crew-served machine guns, BTR-60 and BMP-1 without ATGM to a distance of 2,500m north of the road;

—Pull back all personnel, other than those present at two observation posts, to a distance of 1,000m north of the road armed with only small arms or light machine guns;

—On the south side of the road, pull back all personnel, weapons and equipment to a distance of 500m from the road;

—Establish up to two observation posts no less than 500m north of Castello road. The locations will be mutually agreed upon, depending on terrain, with a staff of up to 15 persons equipped with small arms only for self-defense and observation equipment;

—Not impede any humanitarian, civilian and commercial traffic transiting Castello Road; and

—Not occupy areas that opposition groups vacate or set up positions in the demilitarized zone, other than the observation posts.

Opposition forces will simultaneously undertake the following actions:

—On the eastern end of Castello Road on the agreed-upon map (to be determined), the opposition will operate depending on the actions of the Kurdish militia units: if the Kurds are present north of Castello Road, the opposition will remain in place; if the Kurds pull back 500m south of Castello Road, the vacated area will be considered to be demilitarized and the opposition groups will pull back 500m north of the road;

—On the western end of Castello Road (on the line of contact extending north from the Castello shopping complex), the opposition pullback will be conducted analogous to the withdrawal of pro-government forces enumerated above.

—Opposition groups located in the 31/15 quadrant of the Russian-provided map, to the north of the Castello shopping complex, will:

—Pull back heavy weapons such as armored fighting vehicles and infantry fighting vehicles (other than BTR-60 and BMP-1 without ATGM), tanks, artillery, and mortars, to a distance of 3,000m north;

—Pull back crew-served machine guns, BTR-60 and BMP-1 without ATGM to a distance of 2,500m north;

—Pull back all personnel to a distance of 1,000m north with only small arms or light machine guns;

—Along the portion of the road that runs from the Castello shopping complex to near the Layramoun Circle, the opposition groups will pull back personnel and weapons to 500m north of Castello Road. This mirrors the pullback of pro-regime forces to 500m south of the Castello Road between those points;

—Not impede any humanitarian, civilian and commercial traffic transiting Castello Road;

—Will not occupy areas that pro-regime forces vacate or set up positions in the demilitarized zone, other than the observation posts; and

—The opposition will make every effort to prevent Nusra forces from advancing into the demilitarized zone from opposition-held areas adjacent to it.

d. Any Syrians can leave Aleppo via Castello Road, including armed opposition forces with their weapons, with the understanding that no harm will come to them and they can choose their destination. Opposition forces leaving Aleppo with weapons must coordinate ahead of time with UN representatives as to the time they will be using Castello Road and the number of personnel and weapons and military equipment departing. It is also understood that no harm will come to civilians or to opposition forces who abide by the CoH and who choose to remain in Aleppo.

e. Any reported violations of the demilitarized zone by any party will be addressed by the United States and Russia. In the event of a penetration of the demilitarized zone by fighters from Nusra after the JIC has been established, the United States and Russia will act in accordance with the provisions of the JIC Terms of Reference (ToR).

f. On Day D, both pro-government forces and opposition groups in the Ramouseh gap will provide safe, unhindered and sustainable humanitarian access to eastern and western Aleppo. They will also facilitate unrestricted movement of all commercial and civilian traffic on the Khan Tuman Road in the Ramouseh Gap in coordination with the UN and establish a monitoring mechanism to be agreed to by the Sides and the UN as soon as possible to ensure access is unimpeded. For this purpose, technical teams from the Sides and the UN will convene by D+4. The delivery of humanitarian assistance will be consistent with the terms of the CoH and established UN procedures, and in coordination with relevant UN representatives. Neither the opposition groups nor pro-government forces will launch attacks within the area indicated in the attached map, and according to the corresponding geo-coordinates (hereinafter referred to as the "area"). Neither the opposition groups nor pro-government forces will attempt to acquire new territory from the other in the "area."

4. The Sides will confirm to each other that the Syrian government and opposition have agreed to adhere to the applicable obligations in the JIC's ToR, including with respect to the Designated Areas (per geo-coordinates agreed upon by the Sides) where Syrian military aircraft cannot operate, except for agreed non-combat flights, and where the Sides will develop targets for action against Nusra.

5. The Sides will announce the establishment of the JIC, on the basis of the ToR and Designated Areas agreed by the Sides, once measures in paragraphs 1-4 above (with exception of the deployment of UNOPS checkpoints and associated movement of commercial and civilian traffic on the Castello Road and the implementation of the monitoring mechanism referenced in paragraph 3(f)) have been implemented to their mutual satisfaction, including at least seven continuous days of adherence to the CoH.

Ref A - Annex

—The Sides will commence preparatory work for the JIC, beginning Day D. These preparations will include initial discussion and sharing of information necessary for the delineation of territories controlled by Nusra and opposition groups in the areas of active hostilities for the purpose of the ultimate operation of the JIC. The more comprehensive process of delineation will be conducted by experts once the JIC is established. Preparations for the JIC will also include: identifying suitable interim and long-term premises; determining necessary working procedures, consistent with the already agreed Terms of Reference (TOR); and determining if there are mutually agreeable adjustments that should be made, consistent with changes on the ground, to the already agreed map of the Designated Areas, so that the JIC can be fully functional as soon as there are seven continuous days of adherence to the CoH and access to Aleppo as per the terms of this understanding.

—In the period between Day D and the establishment of the JIC, the Sides will each develop actionable Nusrah and Daesh (ISIL) targets so as to be in a position to share them in a way that allows strikes to commence on the day the JIC is established. Simultaneous with U.S. or Russian strikes on targets agreed to within the JIC, all Syrian military air activities - fixed and rotary wing - will be halted in the agreed designated areas pursuant to the agreed ToR.

—On Day D, the government and opposition groups that are parties to the CoH shall confirm to the Sides their commitment to the CoH. Any violation of the CoH before or after the JIC is established will be dealt with in accordance with the terms for the CoH agreed to in the Joint Statement of February 22, 2016 and the Standard Operating Procedures to Support the Cessation of Hostilities of March 28, 2016.

—The Sides commit to expedite the deployment of UNOPS on Costello Road as agreed in paragraph 3(b).

—Day D will commence at 19:00 Damascus time on Monday, 12 September, 2016.

—Each Side reserves the right to withdraw from this arrangement if they believe the terms have not been fulfilled.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

This "Exclusive" was just published by Associated Press about an hour ago. I have NOT verified it with another source or checked if RT, Sputnik or any other website has published the same. I wanted to Post it first and then "go hunting" which usually takes time. (No screen copy or photo for verification - shown).

AP EXCLUSIVE: Text of Syria cease-fire deal
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/f5428d60326c4394a1c95efcefad8d77/ap-exclusive-text-syria-cease-fire-deal

By The Associated Press
Sep. 22, 2016 2:16 PM EDT

The following is the text of the Syria cease-fire agreement reached by the United States and Russia on Sept. 9, 2016.

While the truce appears to have all but collapsed amid Syrian government and rebel violations, Washington and Moscow say they're committed to trying to revive the deal.

When the agreement was struck, the former Cold War foes decided to keep it confidential. Other powers, such as France, have complained about the secrecy.

Both the U.S. and Russia in recent days have spoken of making the document public. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the agreement. The document is time-stamped Sept. 9 at 10 p.m.

AP leaks one of the 5 Syria ceasefire docs, Moscow says always wanted them public

https://www.rt.com/news/360313-ap-leakes-syria-ceasefire-doc/

AP news agency has published a leaked document from the Russia-US brokered Syria ceasefire deal, one of five such documents. Moscow says it has always called on Washington to make the ceasefire documents public.

The text leaked by AP represents part of the ceasefire agreement signed between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his US counterpart, John Kerry, on September 9 in Geneva.

Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said on Thursday that Russia had always called for the documents to be made public.

“We believe that the publishing of these documents will contribute directly to their implementation and the way towards the Syrian settlement," the diplomat went on to say.

Zakharova though added that she is surprised that the documents have been leaked instead of publishing them “on the official website of the State Department”.
“But that represents the style of our American colleagues,” she noted.

The document in question includes the details of the initial two-day ceasefire, which came into effect on the September 12. Both Russia and the US agree to use their influence on the western-backed rebels and the Syrian government to stick to the truce.

Humanitarian aid deliveries are also described in detail by the document.

 

[angelburst29]

This "Exclusive" was just published by Associated Press about an hour ago. I have NOT verified it with another source or checked if RT, Sputnik or any other website has published the same. I wanted to Post it first and then "go hunting" which usually takes time. (No screen copy or photo for verification - shown).

AP EXCLUSIVE: Text of Syria cease-fire deal
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/f5428d60326c4394a1c95efcefad8d77/ap-exclusive-text-syria-cease-fire-deal

By The Associated Press
Sep. 22, 2016 2:16 PM EDT

The following is the text of the Syria cease-fire agreement reached by the United States and Russia on Sept. 9, 2016.

AP leaks one of the 5 Syria ceasefire docs, Moscow says always wanted them public

https://www.rt.com/news/360313-ap-leakes-syria-ceasefire-doc/

AP news agency has published a leaked document from the Russia-US brokered Syria ceasefire deal, one of five such documents. Moscow says it has always called on Washington to make the ceasefire documents public.

The text leaked by AP represents part of the ceasefire agreement signed between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his US counterpart, John Kerry, on September 9 in Geneva.

Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said on Thursday that Russia had always called for the documents to be made public.

“We believe that the publishing of these documents will contribute directly to their implementation and the way towards the Syrian settlement," the diplomat went on to say.

Zakharova though added that she is surprised that the documents have been leaked instead of publishing them “on the official website of the State Department”.
“But that represents the style of our American colleagues,” she noted.

The document in question includes the details of the initial two-day ceasefire, which came into effect on the September 12. Both Russia and the US agree to use their influence on the western-backed rebels and the Syrian government to stick to the truce.

Humanitarian aid deliveries are also described in detail by the document.

WOW! That's amazing, StoRmR1dR! .... and only in a few minutes time - like "grease lightning!!!
It was still "Hot-off-the-Press" from RT!

I didn't have much luck, so far. Just the Daily Mail uk which probably got it from AP News Wire. It will be interesting to see who else publishes the article from AP? As noted above, RT states, the contents are only "one of five such documents" which AP left out.

Text of Syria cease-fire deal
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-3802741/Text-Syria-cease-fire-deal.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490
_________

Hawks in the US foreign policy establishment appear to have succeeded in their effort to rip the Russian-US Syrian ceasefire agreement to shreds. However, according to independent political observer Albert Naryshkin, the 'war party' should remember the proverb 'be careful what you wish for...', because Moscow and Damascus aren't backing down.

US 'Betrayal' in Syria Lead Moscow and Damascus to Develop New Strategy
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160922/1045605892/russia-syria-new-strategy-post-deir-ez-zor.html

Last Saturday, just over a week after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry succeeded in hammering out a comprehensive Syrian ceasefire agreement, US-led coalition jets struck Deir ez-Zor, a government-controlled city in eastern Syria which has been besieged by Daesh terrorists for nearly two years. The attack left over 60 Syrian servicemen dead, and wounded over 100 more.

More than anything, Syrian and Russian officials were incensed by the fact that immediately after the airstrikes took place, Daesh began an offensive. Lavrov made sure to highlight this amazing 'coincidence' in his speech before the UN Security Council on Wednesday.

"And here an amazing thing happened," Naryshkin noted, in his analysis for PolitRussia. "The US, which never apologizes for anything or to anyone, suddenly expressed regret, and apologized for the death of Syrian troops."

Soon afterward, US media began buzzing that the Pentagon was "furious over the fact that someone was apologizing and officially calling its actions mistaken or regrettable." But at that moment, the journalist added, the situation evolved further, widening the rift between Washington on one side and Moscow and Damascus on the other.

"On the one hand," Naryshkin recalled, "after the meeting between Lavrov and Kerry at the UN General Assembly, we didn't hear anything to the effect the truce agreement was ruined, or that the US would abandon its commitments. However, other events allow us to characterize the current status of the treaty as nothing more than a 'phantom'."

This comes down to three facts, according to the journalist. First and foremost, it stems from the brazen attack on Deir ez-Zor, which was not only a violation of the truce, but proof that there are at least elements in the US political establishment who are "ready to revive the idea of direct military operations against Assad's forces."

Secondly, there is fact that some militants, including Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly known as al-Nusra) never had any intention of halting the fighting. Finally, Naryshkin noted, there was the Syrian Army's decision to withdraw from the ceasefire, which its high command justified by pointing out that militants had violated the truce over 300 times in a single week. The Russian General Staff soon declared it support for the decision, stating Monday that it made no sense for the Syrian Army to observe the ceasefire if militants were not willing to reciprocate.

In other words, "the Pentagon seems to have achieved its goal, and dealt serious damage to the agreement reached at Geneva. Even if it has not been formally announced, the agreement has already been violated and is not being adhered to, and its future looks tenuous. But this was the Pentagon's step – how will Moscow and Damascus respond?"

The answer, Naryshkin noted, is quite simple: the two countries aren't going to give up to US military pressure. "Damascus began its response with a show of force. The Syrian Army and allied militias launched a massive offensive in northern Hama province, where militants [from the Jund al-Aqsa, a subunit of al-Nusra] are holding on to a small enclave. Knocking them out of the suburbs of Homs, the Syrian Army would be able to ensure safety in three major urban settlements: Damascus, Homs and Hama."

Fighting is now taking place near the village of Koukab, with advance units moving toward Taibat al-Imam…Before that, the Syrian Army returned to the positions from which it had previously withdrawn to respond to attacks by the terrorist forces that had refused to comply with the truce."

Moscow, for its part, "decided to raise the stakes, and to send the Admiral Kuznetsov carrier cruiser to the Mediterranean Sea. The ship will join the group of Russian ships in the eastern Mediterranean."

"Currently, the Russian naval group in the eastern Mediterranean comprises six warships and three to four support vessels from all of Russia's fleets. In order to strengthen the combat capabilities of the group, we plan to include a naval aircraft carrier group with the Admiral Kuznetsov cruiser in its composition," Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu explained.

Aircraft aboard the Admiral Kuznetsov will carry out strikes against the jihadists between October and January. In effect, Naryshkin noted, the Syrian and Russian military response to the Pentagon's provocation means failure for the hawks' attempt to squeeze Moscow and Damascus into submission. But at the same time, the journalist emphasized that waiting for an even 'tougher' response, absent another provocation from Washington, is not worth it, either. "Moscow will continue calmly supporting Syrian troops as they finish squeezing [militants in] Aleppo, and cleaning out the suburbs of Hama and Homs," but will not escalate.

In this way, Russia demonstrates that it will not reject peace initiatives — nor will it close the door for the implementation of the signed agreements, which can always be returned to; at the same time, Moscow shows that every provocation will be met with a serious operation inside Syria itself. And this will very quickly deplete the Pentagon's 'arsenal', since it will force it to make a choice about whether to engage directly in an open military confrontation with Assad and Russia – something they vowed not to do, and wouldn't be allowed to do."

This is especially true given the fact that President Obama's term is almost up, and lame duck presidents generally can't afford to risk launching major new military operations.

Ultimately, Naryshkin suggested that even if individuals like Secretary of State Kerry could be counted on for having the good sense to stick to agreements signed with Moscow, Russia cannot sit back and hope that the president and the Pentagon will have the same wisdom. Moscow requires a 'new strategy' in Syria – one which it has been implementing in recent days.

According to the journalist, that strategy consists of always leaving the door open to peace negotiations, while demonstrating the will "to clear the terrorists out of Syria entirely…Washington only made concessions and agreed to talks because the opposition was beginning to run out of steam. And if the US does not want to or cannot participate in a peaceful solution, the conflict will continue to be resolved as it has over the past year, when consistently, one after another, hundreds of settlements and militia groups signed on to our proposal for a truce, while the government liberated large areas of territory, and surrounded Aleppo in a ring."

As the Russia-US brokered ceasefire agreement in Syria comes under threat after recent attacks on the humanitarian convoy and the Syrian army positions, Russian experts analyze what are the chances for the UN Security Council resolution to support the deal; meanwhile President Assad says that the US "has no will" to join Russia in Syria.

The War of Nerves and Worlds: US Has 'No Will' to Join Russia in Syria
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160922/1045596256/russia-us-syria-cooperation.html

Commenting on the recent attacks on the humanitarian convoy on Monday and the Syrian army positions at Deir ez-Zor on September 16, Vladimir Sotnikov, an expert in International Affairs at the Institute of the World Economy and Foreign Relations and the Institute of Oriental Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) draws a direct line between the assault and the US' unwillingness to reveal the terms of the ceasefire agreement between the US and Russia.

It is most likely that during his negotiations with Sergei Lavrov, US Secretary of State John Kerry made serious concessions on behalf of the US administration, which were not welcomed by Pentagon generals," Sotnikov said in his interview with RT news channel.

"It was practically immediately followed by the US aircraft attack on the Syrian army positions at Deir ez-Zor," he added, explaining that it only proves that the left hand in Washington has no idea what the right one is doing at the moment.

"I think that in the light of the recent developments, there will be no UN resolution in support of a vote for the Lavrov-Kerry agreements and Russia will not insist on one," the expert suggested. He further explained that an issue is taken off the agenda when the members of the UN Security Council do not understand what the document is all about. In this particular case, the US is reluctant to reveal the details of the agreement.

Sergei Balmasov, Senior Analyst of the Centre for Crisis Society Studies, Expert of the Middle East Institute of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) explained to RT that there are several decision-making centers within the US military command.

"The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff might have his own take on the situation, while US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter has his, as well as the US Central Command in Qatar," he said.

"Throughout the first week of the Syrian ceasefire the opposition group in Aleppo has strengthened and attempted to launch an assault which immediately resulted in the failure of the agreements reached in Geneva," the expert said.

Balmasov however warned against any possible delusions, explaining that Washington is far from orchestrating and controlling the processes which are taking place on the territories not controlled by Damascus.

"The revealing of some particular details of the ceasefire agreement may drive a deeper wedge between the Americans and their allies in the region, first of all, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey," he explained.

Meanwhile in his recent interview with Associated Press, Syrian President Assad said that the US "has no will" to join Russia in its fight against terrorists in Syria.

The ceasefire agreement, he said, is "not about Syria or Russia; it's about the United States and the terrorist groups that have been affiliated to ISIS (Daesh) and al-Nusra and al-Qaida, and to the United States and to Turkey and to Saudi Arabia.

"If they attack al-Nusra or ISIS, they will lose a very important card regarding the situation in Syria. So, I don't believe the United States will be ready to join Russia in fighting terrorists in Syria," Bashar Assad stated.

Syrian Social Nationalist Party representative Tarek Ahmad says that the war in Syria has reached a dead end, with the intervention of foreign powers turning the situation into a chaotic mess. Moreover, the politician says that Syria is just one front in a Third World War being waged by Washington and its allies.

Syrian Politician to Sputnik: 'WWIII Has Begun, and It's Being Fought in Syria
https://sputniknews.com/politics/20160922/1045602725/wwiii-in-syria.html

The Social Nationalist Party is one of Syria's oldest and largest parties. Up to 8,000 members of its armed branch, known as 'the Eagles of the Whirlwind', have successfully fought alongside the Syrian Army against Islamist militants, including Daesh. At the same time, the party has remained a key member of the Popular Front for Change and Liberation, a bloc of opposition parties in the country's parliament.

Speaking to Sputnik, party representative Tarek Ahmad said that the military situation in the country has come to an impasse, with the political crisis only fueled and intensified due to the intervention of multiple uninvited regional and global powers.

Commenting on the intensification of the conflict between Damascus, its allies, and the United States, following the US-led coalition's attack on Syrian forces in Deir ez-Zor last week, Ahmad warned that it's important to understand that the US position in Syria is tactical – not strategic.

"The US's goal is not limited to Syria," the politician emphasized. "The Syrian front is not the goal in and of itself. We need to look at this issue objectively, and to admit that a Third World War is taking place in Syria, one which is led by the US and its allies – even if these allies are simultaneously victims as well."

"America's main objective," according to Ahmad, "is to bring any world power that threatens them under control. Consequently, [Washington] is waging a war with these powers; and these powers include China and Russia."

Ultimately, Ahmad suggested that "the lies told by President Obama at the UN General Assembly are merely the continuation of the American 'television show', whose plot consists of the US desire to continue this war. Every US action takes place with the aim of continuing this war for control of the world."

With regard to the recently agreed-upon Russian-US ceasefire agreement, which is now looking less and less likely to be restored, the politician suggested that "Russia always understood that the US-Russian agreement on Syria would mean a US defeat in this conflict…if the agreement was adhered to."

Accordingly, it's only natural that the US struck Syrian forces in Deir ez-Zor, and then (baselessly) blamed Moscow and Damascus for hitting a humanitarian convoy in Aleppo. They could not afford to lose their position on the 'Syrian front' of their global conflict against the proponents of a multipolar world.

 

[angelburst29]

I'm getting the odd feeling, that this UN-Aid Convoy situation, was some type of pre-set up - to drown out and mask the U.S. led Coalition air strikes against the Syrian Army in Deir Ezzur? There is so much media hype on who is responsible, who did it or if it was a plane, drone, a bomb or something within one of the trucks that blew up because of the heat/temperature, etc. The numbers even vary on the amount of deaths and wounded? Is it possible that no one really got hurt and the destruction shown in photos is only due to fire? Yet, what happened at Deir Ezzur is buried to the back page of current news.

On September 17th, while the U.S. Coalition was bombing the Syrian Army, a film praising the White Helmets was premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and is now trending on Netflix. The Washington Post, New York Times and Wall Street Journal are praising the “Angels on the Front Line.”

‘White Helmets’ — pawns for U.S. militarism
http://www.workers.org/2016/09/21/white-helmets-pawns-for-u-s-militarism/#.V-Rz_WyQK1u

The dangerous U.S. military escalation of its 5-year war to overturn Syria’s government can be seen in the Sept. 17 bombing, which killed 62 Syrian Army soldiers and aided the position of the Islamic State group. The attack sabotaged a U.S.-Russian brokered ceasefire and led Russia to call for an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting.

At the same time, there has been a heavy barrage of U.S. war propaganda. “White Helmets,” a new film, is part of the sophisticated disinformation campaign.

War propaganda is always more insidious on the home front, but it is an essential ingredient of imperialist wars. Charging the enemy with genocide, baby killing, mass rapes, mass graves and weapons of mass destruction have all been debunked after a U.S. war. But they saturate the media before a war and seem indisputable.

Samantha Powers, U.S. ambassador to the U.N., has denounced both Russia and Syria. She labels U.S. wars “humanitarian interventions,” and has used unsubstantiated war propaganda to justify wars in West Asia, North Africa and the Balkans that have decimated countries, killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions.

Social media hype

The film praising White Helmets, a U.S.-British-funded group embedded with U.S.-funded reactionary opposition forces, is trending on Netflix. The documentary’s well-publicized launch is calculated to help it win awards and convey the call for deeper U.S. military involvement in Syria. It premiered the Sept. 17-18 weekend at the Toronto International Film Festival.

NBC News praised the featured group as “Angels on the Front Line.” The Washington Post, New York Times and Wall Street Journal sang the movie’s praises and White Helmets’ “selfless, humanitarian role.”

The White Helmets defines itself as unpaid, unarmed first responders in Syria, claims 3,000 members and alleges it is a Syrian Civil Defense group. It claims to have saved 40,000, even 60,000 lives in Syria, by rescuing survivors from bombsites.

Most claims about the White Helmets are unverified self-promotion on social media. Interviews with and media coverage of the grouping show desperate appeals for an increase in U.S./NATO military action in Syria — not peace and reconciliation. New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof and other journalists have quoted its calls for a no-fly zone as a “humanitarian” option.

The much-hyped White Helmets is not a Syrian organization, nor was it created by Syrians, nor is it educational. It is a U.S.-British creation. Former British Army officer James Le Mesurier, self-described as a British “security” specialist, founded it. He previously worked for Blackwater, the mercenary organization universally condemned for its murderous brutality in Iraq.

U.S. AID funding The White Helmets’ website declares the group is “unfunded, independent and neutral.” At an April 27 press conference, U.S. State Department Deputy Spokesperson Mark Toner acknowledged the organization has received $23 million from the U.S. Agency for International Development. That agency’s website explains, “Our work … advances U.S. foreign policy objectives.”

Additionally, the White Helmets receives millions of dollars from billionaire financier George Soros, the Netherlands and the British Foreign Office. Equipment and vehicles come through Turkey.

The White Helmets has never functioned as a neutral force. While attacking the Syrian government and calling for more U.S., British and NATO bombing, the group functions exclusively in Syrian areas held by the Nusra Front, a terrorist organization linked to al-Qaida. This well-funded group operates on the ground with U.S.-, British-, Israeli- and Saudi-funded militias committed to destroying Syria’s government.

While claiming to be “unarmed,” the White Helmets appears in videos with weapons, surrounded by armed militias.

The U.S. brought White Helmets’ leader Raed Saleh to the U.N. Security Council in 2014 to testify against the Syrian government and to lobby for a U.N. resolution approving a U.S.-enforced no-fly zone — meaning direct U.S. intervention. Saleh promotes bombing to “save” the people of Syria and is hardly “neutral.”

Washington later barred Saleh from the U.S. when he tried to attend a gala dinner honoring White Helmets with a keynote speech from USAID. The State Department deported him, citing his connections to “extremist organizations.”

The White Helmets is the latest of a series of front groups, designed to give a “humanitarian” gloss to Washington’s latest war of regime change in the Middle East.

White Helmets was established as a social media presence of the Syria Campaign, AVAAZ and Purpose — interlinked campaigns that push for U.S. destruction of Syria. They quote each others’ material and create the illusion of a democratic, independent opposition in Syria.

These forces are also pushing for a Nobel Peace Prize nomination for White Helmets to further legitimatize their calls for an expanded war. They also campaigned for Washington to bomb Libya under the guise of a “humanitarian” no-fly zone.

Resources that tell the truth While the corporate media and TV entertainment channels seem to be taken in by this slick film, it takes little effort to expose who White Helmets is and reveal its role in the ugly U.S.-funded war in Syria. Information is available online in various formats. But this has not stopped the constant, orchestrated promotion of White Helmet.

“The White Helmets — al Qaeda with a Facelift” is a 4-minute video on Youtube which reveals the truth about the grouping. (link) The Syria Solidarity Movement, including Eva Bartlett, Vanessa Beeley, Ken Stone and Hands Off Syria, which made the video, has extensively researched White Helmets’ funding and role.

Change.org’s petition opposes the Nobel Peace Prize nomination, concluding that the White Helmets is “terrorism and neocolonialism under the umbrella of Humanitarianism.” (link)

A hideous murder of a rising star in UK politics, Jo Cox MP, has just sent shock waves across the world. Within hours of her death, a special fund was established in her name to raise money for 3 causes. One of those causes is the Syrian White Helmets.

WHO ARE SYRIA’S WHITE HELMETS?
http://21stcenturywire.com/2016/06/21/who-are-the-syria-white-helmets/

Are we seeing a cynical and obscene exploitation of Jo Cox’s murder to revive the flagging credibility of a US State Department & UK Foreign Office asset on the ground in Syria, created and sustained as first responders for the US and NATO Al Nusra/Al Qaeda forces?

If this is the case, and I fear it is, the depravity of our government, the US government, the state led media and associated Syria Campaign support groups have reached a new level of perversion of Humanity. The White Helmets have been demonstrated to be a primarily US and NATO funded organization embedded in Al Nusra and ISIS held areas exclusively.

This is an alleged “non-governmental” organisation, the definition of an NGO, that thus far has received funding from at least three major NATO governments, including $23 million from the US Government and $29 million (£19.7 million) from the UK Government, $4.5 million (€4 million) from the Dutch Government. In addition, it receives material assistance and training funded and run by a variety of other EU Nations.

[...] So we come back to the initial question. Why is the tragic death of a passionate and ambitious politician being exploited? Why are all political parties in the UK endorsing the Jo Cox fund to provide financial assistance for an organisation the UK Government is already funding and training?

Why are the public once more being used as political pawns to further our government’s imperialist objectives inside Syria and their covert, illegal, proxy intervention of a sovereign nation via both terrorist forces and phony humanitarian first responders?

The White Helmets are perhaps being demonstrated to be the most crucial component of the US and NATO shadow state building inside Syria. Led by the US and UK this group is essential to the propaganda stream that facilitates the continued media and political campaign against the elected Syrian government and permits the US and NATO to justify their regime of crippling economic and humanitarian sanctions against the Syrian people.

If this latest mechanised ‘NGO’ blueprint is successful then we could see it being re-deployed as key to future neo-colonialist projects. The White Helmets are a direct intra-venus line into the terrorist enclaves within Syria, acting as a conduit for information, equipment and medical support to maintain the US NATO forces.

Is this the future of warfare, is this the “swarming” outlined in a 2000 report produced by the RAND Corporation and entitled: Swarming and the Future of Conflict.

“The emergence of a military doctrine based on swarming pods and clusters requires that defense policymakers develop new approaches to connectivity and control and achieve a new balance between the two. Far more than traditional approachesto battle, swarming clearly depends upon robust information flows. Securing these flows, therefore, can be seen as a necessary condition for successful swarming.”

[...] To condense our research on the Syria White Helmets, we have collated all relevant articles and interviews below. (List and videos).