Russia Begins Operations in Syria: End Game for the US Empire?
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- Start date
Lots of revelations in the article below, The Kurds have no intention of fighting Assad. So whetever they take Raqqa or not, it will remain Syrian and not become part of some Kurdish state. So another plan B goes down the drain.
They still flirt with their No Fly Zone. Something they admit means war with Russia. But to them apparently only US planes should be allowed to fly over Syria. I wonder how that is going to work out when their airforce get's bugsmashed by the S400.
Lastly, facts about Russia striking the convoy don't exist, they openly admit that. But who needs facts anyway when you are selling WW3.
No-fly zone would ‘require war with Syria and Russia’ – top US general
https://www.rt.com/usa/360317-carter-dunford-syria-russia-senate/
Speaking to the US Senate, the Pentagon’s leaders blamed Russia for the Aleppo aid convoy attack, but admitted they “had no facts.” Only US coalition planes should be allowed over Syria, they said, though that would require war against both Syria and Russia.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter and General Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, faced the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday to report on the ongoing military operations and “national security challenges” faced by the US. They also asked the senators for more reliable funding, saying the uncertainty was hurting the defense industry.
“Not only our people – our defense industry partners, too, need stability and longer-term plans to be as efficient and cutting-edge as we need them to be,” Carter told the senators.
The lawmakers were far less interested in the war against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) than about the future of the Syrian government, Iran’s “malign influence,” and “aggression” by China and Russia – all ranked far ahead of terrorism on Carter and Dunford’s list of security challenges.
The Pentagon had “no intention” of sharing intelligence with Russia when it came to Syria, Dunford told the lawmakers unequivocally. Secretary Carter explained that the joint implementation councils envisioned by the ceasefire proposal negotiated in Geneva wouldn’t share intelligence, just coordinate efforts – but that they were a moot point anyway, since the ceasefire was effectively dead.
Both the lawmakers and the Pentagon chiefs blamed that development on Russia, focusing on the alleged airstrike against the humanitarian convoy in east Aleppo while the US-led airstrike against the Syrian Army fighting IS in Deir ez-Zor went unmentioned.
“I don’t have the facts,” Dunford said, when asked about the convoy attack by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut). “It was either the Russians or the regime,” he added.
“There is no doubt in my mind that the Russians are responsible,” whether directly or because they backed the government in Damascus, Dunford said, describing the attack as “an unacceptable atrocity.”
Carter explained Dunford’s logic in a response to Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), saying that “the Russians are responsible for this strike whether they conducted it or not, because they took responsibility for the conduct of the Syrians by associating themselves with the Syrian regime.”
The latest proposal by Secretary of State John Kerry involves grounding only Syrian and Russian airplanes, Carter told Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire).
“There can be no question of grounding US aircraft” over Syria, he said, adding that US jets conduct their strikes “with exceptional precision… that no other country can match.”
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi) asked about what it would take for the US to impose a no-fly zone over Syria, using the phrase “control the airspace.”
“Right now… for us to control all of the airspace in Syria would require us to go to war against Syria and Russia,” Dunford replied, drawing a rebuke from committee chairman John McCain (R-Arizona), who argued a no-fly zone was possible without war.
Asked about the video of US-backed Syrian rebels insulting US Special Forces in Al-Rai and running them out of the northern Syrian town, Carter and Dunford shrugged it off.
A “very small minority took verbal action” against US troops, said Dunford, who admitted he did not watch the video but had discussed it with US commanders. He said the incident was “irrelevant” because the US-backed forces and Turkey were making “great progress” along Syria’s northern border.
In their exchange with Graham, Carter and Dunford confirmed there is a plan to arm the Kurdish militia in Syria, over Turkish objections, as a way of advancing on the IS stronghold of Raqqa. Once Raqqa is taken, however, an Arab force would be required to hold it. “We have a plan,” Dunford said, but described it as “not resourced.”
Dunford agreed with Graham’s assertion that the US had two objectives – to destroy IS and to “remove Assad,” referring to the Syrian president – but admitted the Kurds were not interested in the latter.
“If the main fighting force inside of Syria is not signed up to take Assad out, where does that force come from?” Graham asked. Neither Dunford nor Carter had an answer to that.
Both the Pentagon heads and the lawmakers agreed throughout the hearing that caps on military spending mandated by sequestration were harmful and needed to be repealed. Lack of funding posed a significant threat to readiness and maintenance, Carter and Dunford argued, before pointing out that the US military was still the strongest, most powerful and most competent in the world.
They still flirt with their No Fly Zone. Something they admit means war with Russia. But to them apparently only US planes should be allowed to fly over Syria. I wonder how that is going to work out when their airforce get's bugsmashed by the S400.
Lastly, facts about Russia striking the convoy don't exist, they openly admit that. But who needs facts anyway when you are selling WW3.
No-fly zone would ‘require war with Syria and Russia’ – top US general
https://www.rt.com/usa/360317-carter-dunford-syria-russia-senate/
Speaking to the US Senate, the Pentagon’s leaders blamed Russia for the Aleppo aid convoy attack, but admitted they “had no facts.” Only US coalition planes should be allowed over Syria, they said, though that would require war against both Syria and Russia.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter and General Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, faced the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday to report on the ongoing military operations and “national security challenges” faced by the US. They also asked the senators for more reliable funding, saying the uncertainty was hurting the defense industry.
“Not only our people – our defense industry partners, too, need stability and longer-term plans to be as efficient and cutting-edge as we need them to be,” Carter told the senators.
The lawmakers were far less interested in the war against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) than about the future of the Syrian government, Iran’s “malign influence,” and “aggression” by China and Russia – all ranked far ahead of terrorism on Carter and Dunford’s list of security challenges.
The Pentagon had “no intention” of sharing intelligence with Russia when it came to Syria, Dunford told the lawmakers unequivocally. Secretary Carter explained that the joint implementation councils envisioned by the ceasefire proposal negotiated in Geneva wouldn’t share intelligence, just coordinate efforts – but that they were a moot point anyway, since the ceasefire was effectively dead.
Both the lawmakers and the Pentagon chiefs blamed that development on Russia, focusing on the alleged airstrike against the humanitarian convoy in east Aleppo while the US-led airstrike against the Syrian Army fighting IS in Deir ez-Zor went unmentioned.
“I don’t have the facts,” Dunford said, when asked about the convoy attack by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut). “It was either the Russians or the regime,” he added.
“There is no doubt in my mind that the Russians are responsible,” whether directly or because they backed the government in Damascus, Dunford said, describing the attack as “an unacceptable atrocity.”
Carter explained Dunford’s logic in a response to Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), saying that “the Russians are responsible for this strike whether they conducted it or not, because they took responsibility for the conduct of the Syrians by associating themselves with the Syrian regime.”
The latest proposal by Secretary of State John Kerry involves grounding only Syrian and Russian airplanes, Carter told Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire).
“There can be no question of grounding US aircraft” over Syria, he said, adding that US jets conduct their strikes “with exceptional precision… that no other country can match.”
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi) asked about what it would take for the US to impose a no-fly zone over Syria, using the phrase “control the airspace.”
“Right now… for us to control all of the airspace in Syria would require us to go to war against Syria and Russia,” Dunford replied, drawing a rebuke from committee chairman John McCain (R-Arizona), who argued a no-fly zone was possible without war.
Asked about the video of US-backed Syrian rebels insulting US Special Forces in Al-Rai and running them out of the northern Syrian town, Carter and Dunford shrugged it off.
A “very small minority took verbal action” against US troops, said Dunford, who admitted he did not watch the video but had discussed it with US commanders. He said the incident was “irrelevant” because the US-backed forces and Turkey were making “great progress” along Syria’s northern border.
In their exchange with Graham, Carter and Dunford confirmed there is a plan to arm the Kurdish militia in Syria, over Turkish objections, as a way of advancing on the IS stronghold of Raqqa. Once Raqqa is taken, however, an Arab force would be required to hold it. “We have a plan,” Dunford said, but described it as “not resourced.”
Dunford agreed with Graham’s assertion that the US had two objectives – to destroy IS and to “remove Assad,” referring to the Syrian president – but admitted the Kurds were not interested in the latter.
“If the main fighting force inside of Syria is not signed up to take Assad out, where does that force come from?” Graham asked. Neither Dunford nor Carter had an answer to that.
Both the Pentagon heads and the lawmakers agreed throughout the hearing that caps on military spending mandated by sequestration were harmful and needed to be repealed. Lack of funding posed a significant threat to readiness and maintenance, Carter and Dunford argued, before pointing out that the US military was still the strongest, most powerful and most competent in the world.
They are indeed comedians of top quality in this circus. To be able to say the above without cracking up, howling on the floor in spasm of laughter, shows that these are truly trained professionals.bjorn said:
All the more reason to document their "mistake" airstrikes so that after their freak performances in the circus, they can be hauled off and tried at the International War Crimes Tribunal a la Nürnberg.
[quote author= Aeneas]They are indeed comedians of top quality in this circus. To be able to say the above without cracking up, howling on the floor in spasm of laughter, shows that these are truly trained professionals.[/quote]
They had to remind the US Senate how 'superior' they are while mentioning that imposing a No Fly Zone means war with Russia.
It should tell us that they are willing to proceed with their provocations. And while they do the US will keep exposing themselves as the aggressors.
I think it should be clear by now that they can't sell this war without Russia responding. So what can we expect, I think they will try to down Syrian jets under the guise of protecting the civilian population, hoping Russia will shoot down coalition air planes in return.
They had to remind the US Senate how 'superior' they are while mentioning that imposing a No Fly Zone means war with Russia.
It should tell us that they are willing to proceed with their provocations. And while they do the US will keep exposing themselves as the aggressors.
I think it should be clear by now that they can't sell this war without Russia responding. So what can we expect, I think they will try to down Syrian jets under the guise of protecting the civilian population, hoping Russia will shoot down coalition air planes in return.
Here's some pretty good commentary from JP Farrell on the recent US and Russia bombings:
angelburst29
The Living Force
A short interview with a surviving Soldier on the attack at Deir Ezzor.
A Syrian survivor soldier from Deir Ezzour attack: “The U.S.-coalition warplanes were finishing the wounded [Syrian soldiers] by machine gun” ~ [Eng/Fra] ~ EXCLUSIVE
https://syrianfreepress.wordpress.com/2016/09/22/deirezzour-saa-survivor/
A survivor of the attack by the planes of the international coalition led by the United States doubt that it was an error: the planes acted barbarically, breaking down with machine guns the wounded Syrian soldiers.
A reconnaissance aircraft flew first over the positions of the Syrian army, and shortly after warplanes attacked, told the Syrian military site ‘Life.ru’.
““We thought the planes were leading the recognition of the Daesh positions. But soon after we were attacked by coalition fighters that hit our tanks, armored vehicles and artillery pieces.
They were finishing with machine guns our soldiers who tried to take refuge in the streets. Each fighter jet fired at least three missiles at us.
I saw with my own eyes the death of about 100 soldiers. They shelled our soldiers in retreat. Many of them perished because injured and could not move”, he said.
“Immediately after the air raid, the jihadists went to attack the Syrian military positions. Daech attacked our positions, our soldiers were captured. I had the impression that there was an agreement between the United States units and Daesh. The terrorists were jubilant, they fired shots into the air as if they were celebrating something”, said the soldier.”
Let us recall that Saturday [September 17] warplanes of the international coalition led by the United States bombed some positions of the Syrian government army [in Deir Ezzour]. At least 80 Syrian soldiers were killed and about 100 others were injured in the attack.
The Pentagon said the attack was carried out “by mistake”. The Syrian Defense Ministry condemned the incident, described as aggression against Syria.
_________
(FRA)
Un survivant du massacre à Deir Ezzor: “Les chasseurs américains ont poussé la barbarie jusqu’à abattre les soldats syriens blessés avec des mitrailleuses”
“Les avions de la coalition achevaient les blessés à la mitrailleuse”
Un survivant de l’attaque menée par les avions de la coalition internationale conduite par les Etats-Unis doute fort que ce fût une erreur : les avions ont poussé la barbarie jusqu’à abattre les soldats syriens blessés avec des mitrailleuses.
Un avion de reconnaissance a d’abord survolé les positions de l’armée syrienne, peu après des chasseurs ont lancé une attaque, a raconté ce militaire syrien au site Life.ru.
“Nous avons pensé que l’avion menait la reconnaissance des positions de Daech. Mais peu après nous avons été attaqués par les chasseurs de la coalition qui ont frappé nos chars, véhicules blindés et pièces d’artillerie. Ils achevaient avec les mitrailleuses nos soldats qui tentaient de se réfugier dans les ruelles. Chaque chasseur a tiré sur nous au moins trois missiles. J’ai vu de mes propres yeux la mort d’environ 100 soldats. Ils ont pilonné nos soldats battant en retraite. Beaucoup ont péri. De nombreux blessés ne pouvaient pas bouger”, a-t-il précisé.
Aussitôt après le raid aérien, les djihadistes sont partis à l’assaut des positions des militaires syriens.
“Daech a attaqué nos positions, nos soldats ont été capturés. J’ai eu l’impression qu’il y avait un accord entre les Etats-Unis et Daech. Les terroristes étaient en liesse, ils tiraient des coups de feu en l’air comme s’ils fêtaient quelque chose”, a ajouté le militaire.
Rappelons que samedi 17 septembre, des avions de la coalition internationale conduite par les Etats-Unis ont bombardé les positions de l’armée gouvernementale syrienne. Au moins 62 militaires syriens ont été tués et environ 100 autres ont été blessés dans cette attaque.
Le Pentagone a déclaré que l’attaque avait été menée « par erreur ». Cependant le ministère syrien de la Défense a condamné cet incident, qualifié d’agression contre la Syrie.
A Syrian survivor soldier from Deir Ezzour attack: “The U.S.-coalition warplanes were finishing the wounded [Syrian soldiers] by machine gun” ~ [Eng/Fra] ~ EXCLUSIVE
https://syrianfreepress.wordpress.com/2016/09/22/deirezzour-saa-survivor/
A survivor of the attack by the planes of the international coalition led by the United States doubt that it was an error: the planes acted barbarically, breaking down with machine guns the wounded Syrian soldiers.
A reconnaissance aircraft flew first over the positions of the Syrian army, and shortly after warplanes attacked, told the Syrian military site ‘Life.ru’.
““We thought the planes were leading the recognition of the Daesh positions. But soon after we were attacked by coalition fighters that hit our tanks, armored vehicles and artillery pieces.
They were finishing with machine guns our soldiers who tried to take refuge in the streets. Each fighter jet fired at least three missiles at us.
I saw with my own eyes the death of about 100 soldiers. They shelled our soldiers in retreat. Many of them perished because injured and could not move”, he said.
“Immediately after the air raid, the jihadists went to attack the Syrian military positions. Daech attacked our positions, our soldiers were captured. I had the impression that there was an agreement between the United States units and Daesh. The terrorists were jubilant, they fired shots into the air as if they were celebrating something”, said the soldier.”
Let us recall that Saturday [September 17] warplanes of the international coalition led by the United States bombed some positions of the Syrian government army [in Deir Ezzour]. At least 80 Syrian soldiers were killed and about 100 others were injured in the attack.
The Pentagon said the attack was carried out “by mistake”. The Syrian Defense Ministry condemned the incident, described as aggression against Syria.
_________
(FRA)
Un survivant du massacre à Deir Ezzor: “Les chasseurs américains ont poussé la barbarie jusqu’à abattre les soldats syriens blessés avec des mitrailleuses”
“Les avions de la coalition achevaient les blessés à la mitrailleuse”
Un survivant de l’attaque menée par les avions de la coalition internationale conduite par les Etats-Unis doute fort que ce fût une erreur : les avions ont poussé la barbarie jusqu’à abattre les soldats syriens blessés avec des mitrailleuses.
Un avion de reconnaissance a d’abord survolé les positions de l’armée syrienne, peu après des chasseurs ont lancé une attaque, a raconté ce militaire syrien au site Life.ru.
“Nous avons pensé que l’avion menait la reconnaissance des positions de Daech. Mais peu après nous avons été attaqués par les chasseurs de la coalition qui ont frappé nos chars, véhicules blindés et pièces d’artillerie. Ils achevaient avec les mitrailleuses nos soldats qui tentaient de se réfugier dans les ruelles. Chaque chasseur a tiré sur nous au moins trois missiles. J’ai vu de mes propres yeux la mort d’environ 100 soldats. Ils ont pilonné nos soldats battant en retraite. Beaucoup ont péri. De nombreux blessés ne pouvaient pas bouger”, a-t-il précisé.
Aussitôt après le raid aérien, les djihadistes sont partis à l’assaut des positions des militaires syriens.
“Daech a attaqué nos positions, nos soldats ont été capturés. J’ai eu l’impression qu’il y avait un accord entre les Etats-Unis et Daech. Les terroristes étaient en liesse, ils tiraient des coups de feu en l’air comme s’ils fêtaient quelque chose”, a ajouté le militaire.
Rappelons que samedi 17 septembre, des avions de la coalition internationale conduite par les Etats-Unis ont bombardé les positions de l’armée gouvernementale syrienne. Au moins 62 militaires syriens ont été tués et environ 100 autres ont été blessés dans cette attaque.
Le Pentagone a déclaré que l’attaque avait été menée « par erreur ». Cependant le ministère syrien de la Défense a condamné cet incident, qualifié d’agression contre la Syrie.
angelburst29
The Living Force
As top diplomats from Russia and the US are set to meet again on Friday for further Syria ceasefire talks, experts analyze the prospects of a cessation of hostilities in the country and what a bilateral agreement between Sergei Lavrov and John Kerry might entail.
Lavrov-Kerry Talks: 'Diplomatic Dancing on Syrian Minefield'
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160923/1045618837/lavrov-kerry-syria-deal.html
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry intend to meet again on Friday to discuss a cessation of hostilities in Syria.
Following the second meeting of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Thursday, Sergei Lavrov noted that its major outcome is that the sides have agreed to continue working on ceasefire in Syria. Russia's top diplomat however noted that the armed opposition must reciprocate Syrian government peace efforts and not let terrorists benefit from the stalled ceasefire.
"Some of our partners made attempts to force the Syrian government to undertake unilateral steps. We insist, and are being supported in this, that the opposition should make reciprocate steps," Sergei Lavrov told journalists after the meeting.
"They should do it to prevent ISIS (Daesh) and Al-Nusra to exploit lack of ceasefire in Syria. I think we have such common understanding but the details are still needed to be worked out," he added.
Meanwhile, the US Secretary of State also made a statement after the meeting where he claimed that he and his team "have exchanged ideas with the Russians and plan to consult on Friday with respect to those ideas."
The Washington's foreign policy on Syria seems to look like "if the Russians come back to us with constructive proposals, we will listen."
"If Russia demonstrates that it is serious, we will work with the opposition to reciprocate and to pull back from this cycle of escalation, because the opposition also has a responsibility to observe the cessation of hostilities if the government does and to disassociate from al-Nusra."
In his statement however John Kerry attempted once again to push for what amounts to a 'no-fly zone' — the grounding of all Russian and Syrian aircraft. "The only way to achieve that [cessation of hostilities and violence] is if the ones who have the air power in this part of the conflict simply stop using it – not for one day or two, but for as long as possible so that everyone can see that they are serious."
Commenting on the above push, Jim Jatras, a former US diplomat and foreign policy adviser to the Senate GOP leadership called it opportunism.
He referred to Kerry's words that “we all agree that ISIS (Daesh) and Al-Qaeda are our common enemy.”
"How does grounding the Syrian Air Force and Russian Air Force…defeat ISIS, defeat Al-Qaeda? It doesn’t. In effect, they would be the beneficiaries of these policies," Jatras said in his interview with RT. The former diplomat also commented on the recent attack of the humanitarian convoy in Syria. "This is the kind of thing we’ve seen so many times before, not only in Syria but in Bosnia, in Kosovo, Libya and other places," he told RT.
An Invisible Ship's Obvious Problems: High-Tech US Stealth Destroyer Breaks Down
https://sputniknews.com/us/20160923/1045637808/united-states-destroyer-breakdown.html
It will take at least ten days to repair the US stealth robotic destroyer Zumwalt, which broke down while undergoing sea trials, less than a month before it is slated to be commissioned on October 15, the website USNI News reported.
The website quoted a US Naval Surface Forces statement which explained that "the crew discovered the casualty after detecting a seawater leak in the propulsion motor drive lube oil auxiliary system for one of the ship's shafts."
"The built-in redundancy of the ship's propulsion plant allows this first-in-class ship to operate with multiple engine configurations. However, it was determined that the repairs should be completed in port prior to the ship transiting to sea," the statement said.
The ship is currently being repaired at US naval station Norfolk, according to USNI News.
The 610-foot (183-meter)-long warship has an almost nonexistent radar signature due to its innovative angular design.
The $4.4bn vessel is armed with various missiles and torpedoes, including the Tomahawk, Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile, and Vertical Launch Anti-Submarine Rockets. All in all, the ship is outfitted with 80 missile launch tubes spread throughout the hull, and all have yet to be tested.
The ship not only looks smaller than other ships on radar despite its massive size, but it also makes less sound, making it nearly impossible to detect and ultimately attack, giving it the potential to compel opposition naval forces to feel that they are fighting a ghost.
However, the Russian newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta recalled in response to this that "the Russian and Chinese military radars operate at frequencies which will never let the Zumwalt destroyer remain invisible at sea.
Washington Holds Russia Responsible for Syrian Government Offensive in Aleppo
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160923/1045611404/usa-russia-responsible-aleppo-syria-offensive.html
The United States holds Russia ultimately responsible for the Syrian government’s military operations in Aleppo, a senior US administration official told reporters.
"Given the fact that this sort of offensive [in Aleppo] is not supposed to take place under a cessation of hostilities, whether or not Russia was involved… we hold them responsible for these types of actions that even if they are simply by the regime," the official stated on Thursday.
Lavrov-Kerry Talks: 'Diplomatic Dancing on Syrian Minefield'
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160923/1045618837/lavrov-kerry-syria-deal.html
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry intend to meet again on Friday to discuss a cessation of hostilities in Syria.
Following the second meeting of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Thursday, Sergei Lavrov noted that its major outcome is that the sides have agreed to continue working on ceasefire in Syria. Russia's top diplomat however noted that the armed opposition must reciprocate Syrian government peace efforts and not let terrorists benefit from the stalled ceasefire.
"Some of our partners made attempts to force the Syrian government to undertake unilateral steps. We insist, and are being supported in this, that the opposition should make reciprocate steps," Sergei Lavrov told journalists after the meeting.
"They should do it to prevent ISIS (Daesh) and Al-Nusra to exploit lack of ceasefire in Syria. I think we have such common understanding but the details are still needed to be worked out," he added.
Meanwhile, the US Secretary of State also made a statement after the meeting where he claimed that he and his team "have exchanged ideas with the Russians and plan to consult on Friday with respect to those ideas."
The Washington's foreign policy on Syria seems to look like "if the Russians come back to us with constructive proposals, we will listen."
"If Russia demonstrates that it is serious, we will work with the opposition to reciprocate and to pull back from this cycle of escalation, because the opposition also has a responsibility to observe the cessation of hostilities if the government does and to disassociate from al-Nusra."
In his statement however John Kerry attempted once again to push for what amounts to a 'no-fly zone' — the grounding of all Russian and Syrian aircraft. "The only way to achieve that [cessation of hostilities and violence] is if the ones who have the air power in this part of the conflict simply stop using it – not for one day or two, but for as long as possible so that everyone can see that they are serious."
Commenting on the above push, Jim Jatras, a former US diplomat and foreign policy adviser to the Senate GOP leadership called it opportunism.
He referred to Kerry's words that “we all agree that ISIS (Daesh) and Al-Qaeda are our common enemy.”
"How does grounding the Syrian Air Force and Russian Air Force…defeat ISIS, defeat Al-Qaeda? It doesn’t. In effect, they would be the beneficiaries of these policies," Jatras said in his interview with RT. The former diplomat also commented on the recent attack of the humanitarian convoy in Syria. "This is the kind of thing we’ve seen so many times before, not only in Syria but in Bosnia, in Kosovo, Libya and other places," he told RT.
An Invisible Ship's Obvious Problems: High-Tech US Stealth Destroyer Breaks Down
https://sputniknews.com/us/20160923/1045637808/united-states-destroyer-breakdown.html
It will take at least ten days to repair the US stealth robotic destroyer Zumwalt, which broke down while undergoing sea trials, less than a month before it is slated to be commissioned on October 15, the website USNI News reported.
The website quoted a US Naval Surface Forces statement which explained that "the crew discovered the casualty after detecting a seawater leak in the propulsion motor drive lube oil auxiliary system for one of the ship's shafts."
"The built-in redundancy of the ship's propulsion plant allows this first-in-class ship to operate with multiple engine configurations. However, it was determined that the repairs should be completed in port prior to the ship transiting to sea," the statement said.
The ship is currently being repaired at US naval station Norfolk, according to USNI News.
The 610-foot (183-meter)-long warship has an almost nonexistent radar signature due to its innovative angular design.
The $4.4bn vessel is armed with various missiles and torpedoes, including the Tomahawk, Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile, and Vertical Launch Anti-Submarine Rockets. All in all, the ship is outfitted with 80 missile launch tubes spread throughout the hull, and all have yet to be tested.
The ship not only looks smaller than other ships on radar despite its massive size, but it also makes less sound, making it nearly impossible to detect and ultimately attack, giving it the potential to compel opposition naval forces to feel that they are fighting a ghost.
However, the Russian newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta recalled in response to this that "the Russian and Chinese military radars operate at frequencies which will never let the Zumwalt destroyer remain invisible at sea.
Washington Holds Russia Responsible for Syrian Government Offensive in Aleppo
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160923/1045611404/usa-russia-responsible-aleppo-syria-offensive.html
The United States holds Russia ultimately responsible for the Syrian government’s military operations in Aleppo, a senior US administration official told reporters.
"Given the fact that this sort of offensive [in Aleppo] is not supposed to take place under a cessation of hostilities, whether or not Russia was involved… we hold them responsible for these types of actions that even if they are simply by the regime," the official stated on Thursday.
Sergei Lavrov's UN General Assembly Address LIVE
https://sputniknews.com/world/20160923/1045559883/unga-tusk-address.html
Lavrov: Russia wants to avoid shooting down US planes over the Baltic
http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/09/lavrov-russia-wants-to-avoid-shooting.html
Syria: Terrorist Groups Use US-Made Weapons in Infighting in Eastern Damascus
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950702000317
https://sputniknews.com/world/20160923/1045559883/unga-tusk-address.html
Lavrov: Russia wants to avoid shooting down US planes over the Baltic
http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/09/lavrov-russia-wants-to-avoid-shooting.html
Syria: Terrorist Groups Use US-Made Weapons in Infighting in Eastern Damascus
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950702000317
angelburst29
The Living Force
The Syrian government has launched a major new offensive against the Nusra Front-held half of the city of Aleppo, urging locals to avoid eastern areas where terrorists are located and announcing a number of areas through which civilians can leave.
A Dangerous Mistake: America’s Oft-Repeated Insistence on Syria Escalation, No-Fly Zones
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950702000906
The offensive was announced after the latest efforts to revive the already collapsed ceasefire failed. Syrian officials withdrew from the ceasefire, citing widespread violations by the United States and its “moderate” creatures, who used it to attack Syrian troops, resupply, and regroup.
Once the industrial and financial capital of the country, it is clear how valuable Aleppo really is to the Syrian Army. By some extent, it is the key to winning the war – just like Mosul is to the Iraqi Army.
Into the argument, direct and indirect dangers from the war and its blowback are so grave that the issue – helping Syrian government win this war, including the recapture of Aleppo - should be near the top of the United Nations security agenda, instead of being downplayed and denied through obstructionism.
After five years and a half, the dirty war on Syria is still the greatest threat facing the world. It will have severe and long-lasting consequences for the region and the world if America’s next president escalates the conflict. The problem is, both Democratic and Republican presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump say regime change is still a top issue. When it comes to escalating the conflict, Clinton increasingly welcomes the topic, and Trump characteristically says he is fine with it, but “America’s allies will have to pay for it.”
Even today the war is wreaking havoc all across the Middle East. Pundits after pundits admit that the war has played a very clear and quantifiable role in causing the disaster that is increased terror attacks in the Global West.
Syrian Military Planes Drop Surrender-Now Leaflets over Aleppo Districts
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950702000694
The sources said that the Syrian army has warned the terrorists in the Eastern districts of Aleppo city of eventual defeat in the ongoing war.
"The Syrian army has called on the militants not to miss this opportunity and surrender themselves to the army soldiers as soon as possible," the sources added.
Syrian Army Dispatches More Fresh Forces to Golan Heights Region
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950702000512
"A large contingent of the fourth mechanized divisions, comprised of recent graduates from the Syrian Arab Army's Special Forces school in Deir Attiyah, have joined the 90th Brigade's headquarters in Golan Heights, where they will await orders to launch a large-scale offensive," the sources said.
"The Syrian army soldiers, in their upcoming operation, are to capture the key terrorist-controlled town of Jabata al-Khashab, which has been under the control of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and Fatah Al-Sham (the newly formed al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group previously known as the al-Nusra Front) for over two years.
Syria: Turkish Army Opens Heavy Fire at Kurdish Fighters North of Raqqa
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950702000599
The Turkish artillery units targeted the headquarters of the Kurdish YPG forces near the Syrian border city of Tal Abyadh.
Turkish military forces also targeted YPG security checkpoints in the town of Munbateh in Tel Abyad suburb, leaving at least four YPG fighters wounded.
This is not the first time for Turkey to target Syrian Kurds. The Turkish army has earlier launched more than 20 attacks on Kurdish positions in Northern Syria, according to military sources. Most of the attacks targeted YPG-held areas in Aleppo, Kobani, and Northern Raqqa.
US-Turkey Wrangling Over Kurds Throws Raqqa Operation Into Doubt
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160923/1045644508/us-turkey-raqqa-operation.html
Earlier this week sources in the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) told Sputnik that US forces have set up a coordination center in the Kurdish-controlled Syrian town of Tell Abyad, ahead of an operation to liberate Raqqa from the Daesh terrorist group.
The report indicates that the US is preparing an offensive on Raqqa in tandem with the Kurdish forces which helped to liberate Manbij from Daesh last month. Although Turkey is engaged in its own military operation in northern Syria, on Thursday Turkish Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told TRT television that if Kurdish fighters take part in the Raqqa operation, Turkey will refuse involvement.
"Negotiations are still ongoing, there is nothing certain yet. Our principled stance is the same as it was with Manbij and Jarablus. It is out of the question for us to take part in an operation in which the PYD/YPG are present," Kalin said.
Political analyst Serhat Erkmen, director of the Center of Middle Eastern Strategic Studies (ORSAM) at Istanbul-based 21st Century Turkey Institute, told Sputnik Turkiye that the conflict between the US and Turkey on the Kurdish issue threatens to undermine the operation.
"The Americans have been trying for a long time to persuade Turkey to work with Kurdish forces in the operation to liberate Raqqa. However, it's impossible. Turkey won't agree to that, given that Ankara regularly calls the Syrian Kurdish PYD 'an offshoot of the PKK,'" Erkmen said.
Turkey considers the PYD and the YPG to be terrorist organizations, the Syrian wing of the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK), a terror group operating in Turkey. However, it has failed to persuade its allies against cooperating with the Kurds in Syria.
Erkmen said that the US and Turkish differences on the Kurdish question have been particularly evident since Turkey launched its own military operation in northern Syria, called "Euphrates Shield," on August 24. In his opinion, such disagreements make a joint operation in Raqqa unlikely in the near future.
ISIL, Fatah Al-Sham Front Shell Residential Districts in Cities across Syria
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950701000857
"The formations of terrorist organizations of Fatah al Sham Front and ISIL continue to hinder the establishment of the ceasefire regime in Syria," said the statement published by the Hmeimim Center, Ria Novosti reported.
Russian Air Force Planning to Hit Positions of Ahrar Al-Sham, Jeish Al-Islam across Syria
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950702000411
"Ending Syria's crisis through diplomacy is the first priority of Russia," Riyabkov said.
"We believe that Jeish al-Islam and Ahrar al-Sham have been merged with terrorist groups," he underlined, and added that hitting positions of Jeish al-Islam and Ahrar al-Sham by Russian warplanes can also be a choice in the country's anti-terrorism campaign in Syria.
Meantime on Monday, Russian Chief of the General Staff's Main Operational Directorate Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi said that neither Russia's nor Syria's forces had any role in last week’s alleged airstrikes in Syria.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday that the Syrian government had been bombing US-backed militants in the country and demanded that Russia stop these violations of the September 9 truce, Rossiya Segodnya reported.
"I feel we must respond to State Secretary John Kerry’s ungrounded accusations concerning ‘indiscriminate bombing’ by the Syrian air force. Neither Russian nor Syrian air force carried out airstrikes in the past week against areas identified in the Geneva agreement," Lt. Gen. Rudskoi said.
There is no point in unilaterally abiding by the ceasefire regime for the Syrian government as the truce is regularly violated by militant groups, Rudskoi added.
"Given the fact that militants do not abide by the ceasefire regime, we believe that there is no sense in unilateral compliance with the ceasefire by the Syrian government forces," Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi said at a briefing.
On September 9, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry announced a new peace plan to address the conflict in Syria that called for a ceasefire and anti-terrorism cooperation among other clauses of the treaty.
Walkout at Saudi Hospital over Unpaid Wages Enters 5th Day
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950701000893
More than 1,200 employees at the Sa'ad Specialist Hospital in the eastern Saudi city of Khobar have walked out of their jobs for not being paid since May, Middle East Eye reported.
The industrial action, which involves both Saudi nationals as well as expat employees, comes despite a strict ban by the Saudi regime on all industrial and trade union activities.
“It’s very unusual for Saudis not to be paid.… I have been here six years and it’s the first time I have heard of it,” said a British doctor, who spoke on condition of anonymity over fear of losing the job.
“It’s either pay up, or we’re not going back to work,” said an American doctor, on condition of anonymity.
A Jordanian nurse also said, “Surgeons, management, doctors, and nurses … Westerners, Asians, and Saudis, are all taking action together.”
She said the strike has no leader and was simply organized in social media groups, including WhatsApp, Twitter, and Facebook. “All of us talked together and decided to go on strike,” she added.
The hospital is part of the Sa'ad Group which is owned by Saudi billionaire Maan al-Sanea.
In the past months, due to lack of cash, expats have been moved to company-owned compounds where the living conditions are poor and maintenance workers have been on strike for several months over unpaid wages.
Expat women are confined to stay inside the compounds as they have no money to hire a man-driver to take them out, and Saudi law does not allow women to drive.
However, the low-ranking expat maintenance workers, mostly from south Asian countries, are said to be suffering the most.
A British doctor said he had witnessed violence being used against the striking workers from Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan.
“Maintenance workers live like prisoners… They get by on food parcels from their embassies who also give them healthcare visits,” he said.
A Saudi nurse said expats “do not have enough money for their children to pay for their food or take them to school,” adding, “I am Saudi and I live with my family but what about the foreign staff?”
This is while Saudi Arabia is in the midst of a financial crisis.
High-profile Saudi companies, including Saudi Oger and the Binladin Group, have not paid wages to tens of thousands of their workers for periods of up to two years.
Analysts attribute the kingdom’s money shortage to a sharp drop in the price of oil, the country’s main source of income.
Another reason cited by analysts for the cash shortage in Saudi Arabia is the costly war against Yemen.
A Dangerous Mistake: America’s Oft-Repeated Insistence on Syria Escalation, No-Fly Zones
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950702000906
The offensive was announced after the latest efforts to revive the already collapsed ceasefire failed. Syrian officials withdrew from the ceasefire, citing widespread violations by the United States and its “moderate” creatures, who used it to attack Syrian troops, resupply, and regroup.
Once the industrial and financial capital of the country, it is clear how valuable Aleppo really is to the Syrian Army. By some extent, it is the key to winning the war – just like Mosul is to the Iraqi Army.
Into the argument, direct and indirect dangers from the war and its blowback are so grave that the issue – helping Syrian government win this war, including the recapture of Aleppo - should be near the top of the United Nations security agenda, instead of being downplayed and denied through obstructionism.
After five years and a half, the dirty war on Syria is still the greatest threat facing the world. It will have severe and long-lasting consequences for the region and the world if America’s next president escalates the conflict. The problem is, both Democratic and Republican presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump say regime change is still a top issue. When it comes to escalating the conflict, Clinton increasingly welcomes the topic, and Trump characteristically says he is fine with it, but “America’s allies will have to pay for it.”
Even today the war is wreaking havoc all across the Middle East. Pundits after pundits admit that the war has played a very clear and quantifiable role in causing the disaster that is increased terror attacks in the Global West.
Syrian Military Planes Drop Surrender-Now Leaflets over Aleppo Districts
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950702000694
The sources said that the Syrian army has warned the terrorists in the Eastern districts of Aleppo city of eventual defeat in the ongoing war.
"The Syrian army has called on the militants not to miss this opportunity and surrender themselves to the army soldiers as soon as possible," the sources added.
Syrian Army Dispatches More Fresh Forces to Golan Heights Region
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950702000512
"A large contingent of the fourth mechanized divisions, comprised of recent graduates from the Syrian Arab Army's Special Forces school in Deir Attiyah, have joined the 90th Brigade's headquarters in Golan Heights, where they will await orders to launch a large-scale offensive," the sources said.
"The Syrian army soldiers, in their upcoming operation, are to capture the key terrorist-controlled town of Jabata al-Khashab, which has been under the control of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and Fatah Al-Sham (the newly formed al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group previously known as the al-Nusra Front) for over two years.
Syria: Turkish Army Opens Heavy Fire at Kurdish Fighters North of Raqqa
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950702000599
The Turkish artillery units targeted the headquarters of the Kurdish YPG forces near the Syrian border city of Tal Abyadh.
Turkish military forces also targeted YPG security checkpoints in the town of Munbateh in Tel Abyad suburb, leaving at least four YPG fighters wounded.
This is not the first time for Turkey to target Syrian Kurds. The Turkish army has earlier launched more than 20 attacks on Kurdish positions in Northern Syria, according to military sources. Most of the attacks targeted YPG-held areas in Aleppo, Kobani, and Northern Raqqa.
US-Turkey Wrangling Over Kurds Throws Raqqa Operation Into Doubt
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160923/1045644508/us-turkey-raqqa-operation.html
Earlier this week sources in the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) told Sputnik that US forces have set up a coordination center in the Kurdish-controlled Syrian town of Tell Abyad, ahead of an operation to liberate Raqqa from the Daesh terrorist group.
The report indicates that the US is preparing an offensive on Raqqa in tandem with the Kurdish forces which helped to liberate Manbij from Daesh last month. Although Turkey is engaged in its own military operation in northern Syria, on Thursday Turkish Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told TRT television that if Kurdish fighters take part in the Raqqa operation, Turkey will refuse involvement.
"Negotiations are still ongoing, there is nothing certain yet. Our principled stance is the same as it was with Manbij and Jarablus. It is out of the question for us to take part in an operation in which the PYD/YPG are present," Kalin said.
Political analyst Serhat Erkmen, director of the Center of Middle Eastern Strategic Studies (ORSAM) at Istanbul-based 21st Century Turkey Institute, told Sputnik Turkiye that the conflict between the US and Turkey on the Kurdish issue threatens to undermine the operation.
"The Americans have been trying for a long time to persuade Turkey to work with Kurdish forces in the operation to liberate Raqqa. However, it's impossible. Turkey won't agree to that, given that Ankara regularly calls the Syrian Kurdish PYD 'an offshoot of the PKK,'" Erkmen said.
Turkey considers the PYD and the YPG to be terrorist organizations, the Syrian wing of the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK), a terror group operating in Turkey. However, it has failed to persuade its allies against cooperating with the Kurds in Syria.
Erkmen said that the US and Turkish differences on the Kurdish question have been particularly evident since Turkey launched its own military operation in northern Syria, called "Euphrates Shield," on August 24. In his opinion, such disagreements make a joint operation in Raqqa unlikely in the near future.
ISIL, Fatah Al-Sham Front Shell Residential Districts in Cities across Syria
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950701000857
"The formations of terrorist organizations of Fatah al Sham Front and ISIL continue to hinder the establishment of the ceasefire regime in Syria," said the statement published by the Hmeimim Center, Ria Novosti reported.
Russian Air Force Planning to Hit Positions of Ahrar Al-Sham, Jeish Al-Islam across Syria
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950702000411
"Ending Syria's crisis through diplomacy is the first priority of Russia," Riyabkov said.
"We believe that Jeish al-Islam and Ahrar al-Sham have been merged with terrorist groups," he underlined, and added that hitting positions of Jeish al-Islam and Ahrar al-Sham by Russian warplanes can also be a choice in the country's anti-terrorism campaign in Syria.
Meantime on Monday, Russian Chief of the General Staff's Main Operational Directorate Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi said that neither Russia's nor Syria's forces had any role in last week’s alleged airstrikes in Syria.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday that the Syrian government had been bombing US-backed militants in the country and demanded that Russia stop these violations of the September 9 truce, Rossiya Segodnya reported.
"I feel we must respond to State Secretary John Kerry’s ungrounded accusations concerning ‘indiscriminate bombing’ by the Syrian air force. Neither Russian nor Syrian air force carried out airstrikes in the past week against areas identified in the Geneva agreement," Lt. Gen. Rudskoi said.
There is no point in unilaterally abiding by the ceasefire regime for the Syrian government as the truce is regularly violated by militant groups, Rudskoi added.
"Given the fact that militants do not abide by the ceasefire regime, we believe that there is no sense in unilateral compliance with the ceasefire by the Syrian government forces," Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi said at a briefing.
On September 9, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry announced a new peace plan to address the conflict in Syria that called for a ceasefire and anti-terrorism cooperation among other clauses of the treaty.
Walkout at Saudi Hospital over Unpaid Wages Enters 5th Day
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950701000893
More than 1,200 employees at the Sa'ad Specialist Hospital in the eastern Saudi city of Khobar have walked out of their jobs for not being paid since May, Middle East Eye reported.
The industrial action, which involves both Saudi nationals as well as expat employees, comes despite a strict ban by the Saudi regime on all industrial and trade union activities.
“It’s very unusual for Saudis not to be paid.… I have been here six years and it’s the first time I have heard of it,” said a British doctor, who spoke on condition of anonymity over fear of losing the job.
“It’s either pay up, or we’re not going back to work,” said an American doctor, on condition of anonymity.
A Jordanian nurse also said, “Surgeons, management, doctors, and nurses … Westerners, Asians, and Saudis, are all taking action together.”
She said the strike has no leader and was simply organized in social media groups, including WhatsApp, Twitter, and Facebook. “All of us talked together and decided to go on strike,” she added.
The hospital is part of the Sa'ad Group which is owned by Saudi billionaire Maan al-Sanea.
In the past months, due to lack of cash, expats have been moved to company-owned compounds where the living conditions are poor and maintenance workers have been on strike for several months over unpaid wages.
Expat women are confined to stay inside the compounds as they have no money to hire a man-driver to take them out, and Saudi law does not allow women to drive.
However, the low-ranking expat maintenance workers, mostly from south Asian countries, are said to be suffering the most.
A British doctor said he had witnessed violence being used against the striking workers from Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan.
“Maintenance workers live like prisoners… They get by on food parcels from their embassies who also give them healthcare visits,” he said.
A Saudi nurse said expats “do not have enough money for their children to pay for their food or take them to school,” adding, “I am Saudi and I live with my family but what about the foreign staff?”
This is while Saudi Arabia is in the midst of a financial crisis.
High-profile Saudi companies, including Saudi Oger and the Binladin Group, have not paid wages to tens of thousands of their workers for periods of up to two years.
Analysts attribute the kingdom’s money shortage to a sharp drop in the price of oil, the country’s main source of income.
Another reason cited by analysts for the cash shortage in Saudi Arabia is the costly war against Yemen.
Pashalis said:
Starting at 14:30, Lavrov starts to talk about the recent happenings in Syria regarding the UN Convoy and the bombing of the syrian army by US and Co and connecting it with other such incidences in the past.
Lavrov is simply an outstanding politician and diplomat!
Very refreshing to hear him speak, since he uses a pretty straight forward way of speaking, without much diplomatic beating around the bush, as almost everyone else usually does in that diplomatic sphere.
Im at awe about the way Lavrov and Putin show, again and again, such a high level of patience and sanity in the face of such colossal psychopathic insanity. I'm pretty certain that they realize that their parters are at least completly greedy insane people, who simply can say and do anything, thus they are extra careful how to play and approach them.
I guess a good way to handle people like Kerry, is to make fun of them. Notice how Putin had a very hard time to not laugh out loud and Lavrov couldn't just had to laugh. Almost looks and sounds like there is also an inside joke involved there, that only Putin and co, and maybe russians understand:
Also notice Lavrovs and Putins body language when they speak to people like Kerry and Putins piercing eyes looking at Kerry while delivering his "jokes".
Here is what Putin said right at the beginning of that talk, back then, to Kerry:
Also notice Lavrovs and Putins body language when they speak to people like Kerry and Putins piercing eyes looking at Kerry while delivering his "jokes".
Here is what Putin said right at the beginning of that talk, back then, to Kerry:
Pashalis said:
angelburst29
The Living Force
There are several sound reasons for concluding that the US-led air strike on the Syrian army base near Deir Ezzor last weekend was a deliberate act of murderous sabotage. One compelling reason is that the Pentagon and CIA knew they had to act in order to kill the ceasefire plan worked out by US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Why US Had to Kill the Syrian Ceasefire
http://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2016/09/20/why-us-had-kill-syrian-ceasefire.html
The compulsion to wreck the already shaky truce was due to the unbearable exposure that the ceasefire plan was shedding on American systematic involvement in the terrorist proxy war on Syria.
Not only that, but the tentative ceasefire was also exposing the elements within the US government responsible for driving the war effort. US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter – the head of the Pentagon – reportedly fought tooth and nail with Obama’s top diplomat John Kerry while the latter was trying to finalize the ceasefire plan with Russia’s Lavrov on the previous weekend of September 9 in Geneva.
While Sergey Lavrov and media reporters were reportedly kept waiting several hours for Kerry to finally emerge to sign off on the deal, the American foreign secretary was delayed by intense haggling in conference calls with Carter and other military chiefs back in Washington. Even days before Kerry’s diplomatic shuttle to Geneva, Carter was disparaging any prospective deal with Russia on a Syrian ceasefire.
It is well documented that both the Pentagon and the Central Intelligence Agency have been running clandestine programs for arming and training anti-government militants in Syria since the outset of the war in March 2011. Officially, Washington claims to be only supporting «moderate, vetted opposition». However, on occasion, Western media reports allude to the deeper sinister connections between the US military and terrorist groups when it has been reported that American weaponry «accidentally» finds its way into the hands of extremist jihadist networks.
This pretense by the US – and its other NATO and Arab allies – of supporting «moderate rebels» and of having no involvement with recognized terror groups like Al Nusra and Daesh (ISIS) was being exposed by the latest ceasefire.
It is conceivable that the diplomatic corps of the Obama administration, including President Barack Obama and his foreign emissary John Kerry, may be benighted about the full extent of America’s dirty war in Syria and its systematic connections to the terrorist brigades. Perhaps, this Obama flank is gullible and venal enough to believe in Washington’s propaganda of a dichotomy between «moderate rebels» and «terrorists».
Thus, when Kerry announced the ceasefire plan with Lavrov in Geneva on September 9, the American diplomat’s calls for the US-backed «moderate rebels» to separate themselves from the terror groups may have been made out a naive notion that such a distinction might exist. How else could we explain such a futile public appeal?
Not so, though, the Pentagon and CIA. The covert warmongers in the Pentagon and at Langley know the vile truth all along. That is, that all the militant groups in Syria are integrated into a terrorist front, albeit with a plethora of different names and seeming differences in commitment to al Qaeda Wahhabi ideology. The masters of war know that Washington is a sponsor of this terrorist front, along with its NATO and Arab allies.
This perspective reasonably explains why Carter. and the US military generally, were making conspicuous objections to Kerry’s ceasefire plan with Russia. They knew the ceasefire was not only infeasible because of the systematic links between the US and the terror groups, but also that a failing ceasefire would furthermore expose these systematic connections, and create wider public awareness about American complicity in the Syrian war.
And, as it transpired, the apprehensions of the Pentagon and the CIA terrorist handlers were indeed founded. Within days of the Kerry-Lavrov ceasefire being implemented on September 12, the following was undeniable: there was no separation of «moderates» and «terrorists». All militant groups were continuing to violate the nominal truce in the northern battleground city of Aleppo and in other locations across Syria.
The US and Western media then began venting about the Syrian «regime» and its Russian ally not delivering on giving humanitarian aid access to insurgent-held areas of eastern Aleppo. But that rhetorical gaming could not disguise the fact that the ceasefire was being breached by all the militant groups, which made it impossible for humanitarian aid convoys to enter Aleppo. Another factor played down by the Western media was that the Turkish government refused to coordinate with the Syrian authorities in the routing of UN truck convoys from the Turkish border into Aleppo. Given Turkey’s past documented involvement in using «humanitarian aid» as a cover for supplying weapons to insurgents, the vigilance demanded by Damascus is understandable.
The floundering ceasefire was thereby providing a withering world exposure of American terrorist complicity in Syria. The US lie about backing «moderates» as opposed to «terrorists» was being shown once and for all to be a cynical delusion. Evidently, US claims of supporting a «legitimate» opposition were seen for what they are – an utter sham. That leads to an even more damning conclusion that the US government is a sponsor of a terrorist proxy army in Syria for its criminal objective of regime change in that country. In theory at least, this disclosure warrants legal prosecution of Washington and its allies for the commission of war crimes against the state of Syria.
Given the grave stakes for American international standing that the ceasefire was endangering, it is reasonable to posit that a decision was taken by the Pentagon to sabotage. Hence, on September 17, American, British and Australian warplanes struck the Syrian Arab Army elite forces’ base near Deir Ezzor, in eastern Syria, killing over 60 personnel and wounding nearly 100 more.
The US, Britain and Australia have since claimed that it was an accident, and that their aircraft were intending to attack Daesh militants in the area. The US-led coalition claims it will carry out an investigation into the air strike. As with many times before, such as when the US devastated a hospital in Afghanistan’s Kunduz killing more than 30 people last year, we can expect a cover-up.
Briefly, a few factors for doubting the US coalition’s claim of an accident are: why did the Daesh militants reportedly launch an offensive operation on the Syrian army base less than 10 minutes after it was struck by F-16s and A-10s? That suggests coordination between the coalition air forces and the terrorists on the ground.
Secondly, it defies credibility that sophisticated air power and surveillance could mistake an army base and adjacent air field containing hundreds of troops for ragtag guerrilla units.
Thirdly, as Russian military sources point out, the US coalition had previously not been active in that area over the past two years of flying operations. The Syrian army was known to be recently waging an effective campaign against Daesh around Deir Ezzor. That suggests that the US air power was being deployed to defend the terrorist units, as the Syrian and Russian governments were quick to claim after the US-led air strike on Deir Ezzor. That is consistent with the broader analysis of why and how the entire Syrian war has been fomented by Washington for regime change.
But perhaps the most telling factor in concluding that the US and its allies carried out the massacre at Deir Ezzor deliberately is the foregoing argument that the Pentagon and CIA war planners knew that the flawed ceasefire was exposing their terror tentacles in Syria. And certainly, if any US-Russian joint anti-Daesh operations were to take place as envisaged by the Kerry-Lavrov plan, then the charade would definitely be blown apart.
In that case, only one thing had to be done as a matter of necessity. The unwieldy, discomfiting ceasefire had to be killed off. And so the Pentagon decided to make a «mistake» at Deir Ezzor – a «mistake» that has gutted any minimal trust between the US and Russia, unleashing recriminations and a surge in ceasefire violations.
The American and Western media respond in the usual servile way to aid the cover-up. The massacre at Deir Ezzor is being largely ignored as a news story, with much more prominence given to a relatively minor bombing incident in New York City on the same weekend in which no-one was killed. Or, when reported on, the US media in particular have automatically accepted without question that the air strike was an accident. CNN also dismissed out of hand Syrian government claims of it being proof of American collusion with terrorists as «absurd». A claim that would otherwise seem fairly logical.
The New York Times had this gloss to paint over the air strike:
«The United States’ accidental bombing of Syrian troops over the weekend has put it on the defensive, undercutting American efforts to reduce violence in the civil war and open paths for humanitarian relief».
The American so-called newspaper-of-record then adds:
«The United States had thought that if a deal to ease hostilities in Syria, struck by Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart in Geneva nine days ago, fell apart, it would reveal Russia’s duplicity in the war, in which Moscow has supported the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad».
How ironic. According to The New York Times, the Americans anticipated that the ceasefire deal would reveal «Russia’s duplicity in the war». Maybe, they calculated that Russia and Syria would not abide by the cessation, which they very much did during the first week, showing discipline and commitment to finding a peaceful settlement.
Far from revealing Russia’s «duplicity», it is Washington that emerged as the culprit, as the Pentagon and CIA had feared all along because of their deep complicity with the terrorist proxies.
Killing the Syrian ceasefire was like the necessity to extinguish a spotlight that had suddenly come on and begun exposing the putrefaction and bloodied hands in America’s dirty war.
Why US Had to Kill the Syrian Ceasefire
http://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2016/09/20/why-us-had-kill-syrian-ceasefire.html
The compulsion to wreck the already shaky truce was due to the unbearable exposure that the ceasefire plan was shedding on American systematic involvement in the terrorist proxy war on Syria.
Not only that, but the tentative ceasefire was also exposing the elements within the US government responsible for driving the war effort. US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter – the head of the Pentagon – reportedly fought tooth and nail with Obama’s top diplomat John Kerry while the latter was trying to finalize the ceasefire plan with Russia’s Lavrov on the previous weekend of September 9 in Geneva.
While Sergey Lavrov and media reporters were reportedly kept waiting several hours for Kerry to finally emerge to sign off on the deal, the American foreign secretary was delayed by intense haggling in conference calls with Carter and other military chiefs back in Washington. Even days before Kerry’s diplomatic shuttle to Geneva, Carter was disparaging any prospective deal with Russia on a Syrian ceasefire.
It is well documented that both the Pentagon and the Central Intelligence Agency have been running clandestine programs for arming and training anti-government militants in Syria since the outset of the war in March 2011. Officially, Washington claims to be only supporting «moderate, vetted opposition». However, on occasion, Western media reports allude to the deeper sinister connections between the US military and terrorist groups when it has been reported that American weaponry «accidentally» finds its way into the hands of extremist jihadist networks.
This pretense by the US – and its other NATO and Arab allies – of supporting «moderate rebels» and of having no involvement with recognized terror groups like Al Nusra and Daesh (ISIS) was being exposed by the latest ceasefire.
It is conceivable that the diplomatic corps of the Obama administration, including President Barack Obama and his foreign emissary John Kerry, may be benighted about the full extent of America’s dirty war in Syria and its systematic connections to the terrorist brigades. Perhaps, this Obama flank is gullible and venal enough to believe in Washington’s propaganda of a dichotomy between «moderate rebels» and «terrorists».
Thus, when Kerry announced the ceasefire plan with Lavrov in Geneva on September 9, the American diplomat’s calls for the US-backed «moderate rebels» to separate themselves from the terror groups may have been made out a naive notion that such a distinction might exist. How else could we explain such a futile public appeal?
Not so, though, the Pentagon and CIA. The covert warmongers in the Pentagon and at Langley know the vile truth all along. That is, that all the militant groups in Syria are integrated into a terrorist front, albeit with a plethora of different names and seeming differences in commitment to al Qaeda Wahhabi ideology. The masters of war know that Washington is a sponsor of this terrorist front, along with its NATO and Arab allies.
This perspective reasonably explains why Carter. and the US military generally, were making conspicuous objections to Kerry’s ceasefire plan with Russia. They knew the ceasefire was not only infeasible because of the systematic links between the US and the terror groups, but also that a failing ceasefire would furthermore expose these systematic connections, and create wider public awareness about American complicity in the Syrian war.
And, as it transpired, the apprehensions of the Pentagon and the CIA terrorist handlers were indeed founded. Within days of the Kerry-Lavrov ceasefire being implemented on September 12, the following was undeniable: there was no separation of «moderates» and «terrorists». All militant groups were continuing to violate the nominal truce in the northern battleground city of Aleppo and in other locations across Syria.
The US and Western media then began venting about the Syrian «regime» and its Russian ally not delivering on giving humanitarian aid access to insurgent-held areas of eastern Aleppo. But that rhetorical gaming could not disguise the fact that the ceasefire was being breached by all the militant groups, which made it impossible for humanitarian aid convoys to enter Aleppo. Another factor played down by the Western media was that the Turkish government refused to coordinate with the Syrian authorities in the routing of UN truck convoys from the Turkish border into Aleppo. Given Turkey’s past documented involvement in using «humanitarian aid» as a cover for supplying weapons to insurgents, the vigilance demanded by Damascus is understandable.
The floundering ceasefire was thereby providing a withering world exposure of American terrorist complicity in Syria. The US lie about backing «moderates» as opposed to «terrorists» was being shown once and for all to be a cynical delusion. Evidently, US claims of supporting a «legitimate» opposition were seen for what they are – an utter sham. That leads to an even more damning conclusion that the US government is a sponsor of a terrorist proxy army in Syria for its criminal objective of regime change in that country. In theory at least, this disclosure warrants legal prosecution of Washington and its allies for the commission of war crimes against the state of Syria.
Given the grave stakes for American international standing that the ceasefire was endangering, it is reasonable to posit that a decision was taken by the Pentagon to sabotage. Hence, on September 17, American, British and Australian warplanes struck the Syrian Arab Army elite forces’ base near Deir Ezzor, in eastern Syria, killing over 60 personnel and wounding nearly 100 more.
The US, Britain and Australia have since claimed that it was an accident, and that their aircraft were intending to attack Daesh militants in the area. The US-led coalition claims it will carry out an investigation into the air strike. As with many times before, such as when the US devastated a hospital in Afghanistan’s Kunduz killing more than 30 people last year, we can expect a cover-up.
Briefly, a few factors for doubting the US coalition’s claim of an accident are: why did the Daesh militants reportedly launch an offensive operation on the Syrian army base less than 10 minutes after it was struck by F-16s and A-10s? That suggests coordination between the coalition air forces and the terrorists on the ground.
Secondly, it defies credibility that sophisticated air power and surveillance could mistake an army base and adjacent air field containing hundreds of troops for ragtag guerrilla units.
Thirdly, as Russian military sources point out, the US coalition had previously not been active in that area over the past two years of flying operations. The Syrian army was known to be recently waging an effective campaign against Daesh around Deir Ezzor. That suggests that the US air power was being deployed to defend the terrorist units, as the Syrian and Russian governments were quick to claim after the US-led air strike on Deir Ezzor. That is consistent with the broader analysis of why and how the entire Syrian war has been fomented by Washington for regime change.
But perhaps the most telling factor in concluding that the US and its allies carried out the massacre at Deir Ezzor deliberately is the foregoing argument that the Pentagon and CIA war planners knew that the flawed ceasefire was exposing their terror tentacles in Syria. And certainly, if any US-Russian joint anti-Daesh operations were to take place as envisaged by the Kerry-Lavrov plan, then the charade would definitely be blown apart.
In that case, only one thing had to be done as a matter of necessity. The unwieldy, discomfiting ceasefire had to be killed off. And so the Pentagon decided to make a «mistake» at Deir Ezzor – a «mistake» that has gutted any minimal trust between the US and Russia, unleashing recriminations and a surge in ceasefire violations.
The American and Western media respond in the usual servile way to aid the cover-up. The massacre at Deir Ezzor is being largely ignored as a news story, with much more prominence given to a relatively minor bombing incident in New York City on the same weekend in which no-one was killed. Or, when reported on, the US media in particular have automatically accepted without question that the air strike was an accident. CNN also dismissed out of hand Syrian government claims of it being proof of American collusion with terrorists as «absurd». A claim that would otherwise seem fairly logical.
The New York Times had this gloss to paint over the air strike:
«The United States’ accidental bombing of Syrian troops over the weekend has put it on the defensive, undercutting American efforts to reduce violence in the civil war and open paths for humanitarian relief».
The American so-called newspaper-of-record then adds:
«The United States had thought that if a deal to ease hostilities in Syria, struck by Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart in Geneva nine days ago, fell apart, it would reveal Russia’s duplicity in the war, in which Moscow has supported the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad».
How ironic. According to The New York Times, the Americans anticipated that the ceasefire deal would reveal «Russia’s duplicity in the war». Maybe, they calculated that Russia and Syria would not abide by the cessation, which they very much did during the first week, showing discipline and commitment to finding a peaceful settlement.
Far from revealing Russia’s «duplicity», it is Washington that emerged as the culprit, as the Pentagon and CIA had feared all along because of their deep complicity with the terrorist proxies.
Killing the Syrian ceasefire was like the necessity to extinguish a spotlight that had suddenly come on and begun exposing the putrefaction and bloodied hands in America’s dirty war.
voyageur said:
We still don't know for sure if the FARS News report is correct. However, it is interesting that the Times of Israel is reproducing it:
_http://www.timesofisrael.com/russia-mossad-other-foreign-agents-killed-in-aleppo-strike/
