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

[angelburst29]

US military uses drones every single day
http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/10/us-military-uses-drones-every-single.html

October 10th, 2016 - Fort Russ News -
RT- translated by Inessa Sinchougova

Putin on the use of drones by the USA. Note, that Putin is in no hurry to accuse the US of deliberate targeting of civilians using drones – where-ever that might be, over their 800 military base spread. This is a favour never returned to Russia, on behalf of Western mainstream media and US State Department spokespeople.

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Officially, they aren’t admitting anything.

Unofficially, the possibility that Russia or some independent hacking group caused the failure is clear to most observers, and a great worry to the military leaders and politicians running the system.

It wasn’t just some glitch, and it wasn’t an insignificant system that went offline.

Cyber Warfare? Air Force Kept Silent on Possible Russian Attack Against “Secret Drone Support Network”
http://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/cyber-warfare-air-force-kept-silent-on-possible-russian-attack-against-secret-drone-support-network_10142016

The DoD’s secret computer network, SIPRNet, which serves as a support network for classified intelligence on drone targets, as well as target location data, was interrupted. And during the time period when the system interference occurred, a number of drone strikes went wrong.

The problem was only noticed after-the-fact, but was later attributed as a possible source of the operational failures throughout the Middle East region – including Syria. But nothing is proven.

via RT:

The US Air Force is reportedly looking into a computer system outage at a base it uses to operate armed drones over Afghanistan, Pakistan and Syria. The failure could be linked to a number of fatal battlefield incidents days after it was revealed.

However, the Air Force has kept silent, refusing to publicly elaborate on either the outage or the possible impact it had.

[…]

The system failure dates back to September 9, but was only discovered nearly a month later from a contractor notice from the government.

The Air Force posted a bid on FedBizOpps, the government’s primary tender market, on October 7, saying that “the SIPRNet system currently in operation at Creech AFB failed and critical services were impacted.”

[…]

SIPRNet stands for the Secret Internet Protocol Router Network, a “hidden” intranet that lets the Department of Defense exchange classified information, intelligence, data on strategic targets and more.

The network is essential for Nevada-located Creech Air Force Base, a “launch pad” for America’s armed drones, such as Predators and Reapers, which the US military operates over Syria, Pakistan, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

[…]

The notice read that the services were “somewhat restored” and stabilized via “multiple less powerful devices,” but help was need to upgrade the system.

As SHTF just reported in an exclusive, the Navy has been soliciting major upgrades and investing in new protocols to protect its electronic communications on board SSBN nuclear submarines and other classes of subs.

Solicitation notices on FedBizOpps.gov reveals that there is considerable effort going into upgrading, fortifying and securing communications technology– particularly for SSBNs, one of the most important pieces on the chess board.

Nuclear submarines must be in constant communication around the world, in any waters, and be able to avoid detection. However, compromised communications could cutoff communications or render subs ineffective when they are needed most.

Here’s a list of just some of the very recent solicitation notices for some serious electronic warfare defense upgrades (click to enlarge): (list)

There is obviously a major problem, and it appears that the U.S. military is working feverishly to cover the gaps in its network security. But vulnerabilities will always appear.

The coming age of warfare will be deadly and unpredictable.

Both Russia and China now possess immense powers in electronic and cyber warfare, and have been gearing up for a 21st Century world war on all fronts.

Now, there is a real world incident (not just hypothetical). A drone base was effectively taken offline; and drones have become an essential part of the Obama Administration’s strategy in the region. It seems that the U.S. was caught with its pants down – not that they have admitted it to the public.

If this is indeed what took place, it is a potent and chilling demonstration of the new factors in warfare that will come into play in a huge way, especially if two or more world powers were to clash in warfare.

Electronic Over-Dependence in a Collapsing Empire?

The big problem that United States faces is not an issue of military superiority directly; obviously, more money is poured into wars and weapons than anything else. It is part and parcel to why foreign policy is so aggressive.

The problem is one of empire strain, of fatigue in the American public’s support for war and a depletion of the strength and numbers of its service men and women.

After 14 long years in Afghanistan, bitter blowback in Iraq and a problem with radical Islam that keeps cropping up like the hydra, the United States is in danger of being sapped in the long game. If it is compensating through leverage in the cyber war, then it has even greater vulnerabilities.

This problem of fatigue contributed significantly to the long, painful and confusing military loss in the quagmire of Vietnam.

And it was mirrored in Russian’s futile Afghanistan adventure in the 80s – the effect was intentional. This tactic was claimed by elite strategist of the grand chessboard, Zbigniew Brzezinski, who was Carter’s National Security Advisor; it was Brzezinski who directed Operation Cyclone and other secret programs to arm and fund the Mujahideen as a proxy against the Soviets.

In the end, Brzezinski attributes this to the collapse of the Soviet Union. As Counterpunch reported:

Brzezinski: Regret what? That secret operation was an excellent idea. It had the effect of drawing the Russians into the Afghan trap and you want me to regret it? The day that the Soviets officially crossed the border, I wrote to President Carter: We now have the opportunity of giving to the USSR its Vietnam war. Indeed, for almost 10 years, Moscow had to carry on a war unsupportable by the government, a conflict that brought about the demoralization and finally the breakup of the Soviet empire.

Afghanistan has gained a reputation as the graveyard of empires over the decades, centuries and millenia of human wars and conquests. The U.S. has now been actively engaged in the region for even longer than the Russians were, and the economic pressures on the dollar are bringing things to a head.

Yet, with this knowledge clear and present, the Americans continue to be drawn into a deeply flawed and unwinnable struggle in the middle east to inflame, then control, radical Islamic terrorists in the form of ISIS, al Nusra, al Qaeda and other sponsored groups (who are given Western arms, funds, training, air cover and proxy support, etc.).

Even as this dangerous and ill-advised path to regime change continues, the U.S. intentionally prods for war against Russia and Iran, among others.

The remaking of world order is going to be nasty and brutal indeed. Prepare accordingly.

Russia Showcases Its New Class of Electromagnetic Weapons
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bx5VJ12QVxA (7:14 min.)

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Two Terrorist-Linked Criminals Killed in Russia’s Dagestan

https://sputniknews.com/russia/201610171046398692-dagestan-terrorists-killing/

Two criminals with links to terrorist organizations were killed in Russia’s Dagestan, the National Antiterrorism Committee (NAC) said on Monday.

Dagestan is a hotbed of Islamist insurgency in the North Caucasus. Multiple violent attacks have plagued the region over the past decade.

“Two criminals were killed during a counterterror operation in Dagestan’s Derbent. The criminals killed in Dagestan were involved in terrorist crimes,” NAC said in a statement.

Putin: US’ official agencies ‘spying on and eavesdropping all’

http://tass.com/politics/906764?_ga=1.241873666.1857272677.1476511993

Russian President also said the sanctions only have the goal of containing Russia rather than of solving real problems

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday it was no news for him to hear that the United States’ official agencies are "spying on and eavesdropping all."

"We can expect anything from our American friends. There is nothing new in what he [U.S. Vice President Joe Biden] said. We know it perfectly well that the United States’ official agencies are spying on and eavesdropping all," Putin told journalists, adding that "it has long been a secret to no one " that the United States is doing such things.

When asked to comment on U.S. Vice President Joe Biden’s threats of hacker attacks against Russia, Putin said smilingly, "We know how to give up on each other."

He said there is a lot of proof that the United States is "spying on all." "Billions of dollars are spent on that. NBA, CIA and other agencies are working, there is proof, there are leaks," Putin said, adding that they are "spying on not only their potential opponents, those whom they deem to be such but also on their allies, including closes allies.".

US portrays Russia as enemy to distract attention from domestic problems

By portraying Moscow as an enemy the United States wants to distract attention from its domestic problems, Vladimir Putin said.

"There are many problems (in US), in these conditions many resort to the tried and tested system of distracting attention of voters from their own problems, in this case, in my opinion, we observe this," Putin told reporters after the BRICS summit.

NBC News reported on Friday citing US intelligence officials that the Obama administration "is contemplating an unprecedented cyber covert action against Russia in retaliation for alleged Russian interference in the American presidential election."

Commenting on the US threats, Putin said it is possible to distract attention from domestic problems by creating an enemy image and "uniting the nation in the fight against this enemy."

"The enemy image of Iran and the Iranian nuclear threat was not very efficient, in case of Russia this is more interesting…In my opinion, this card is being actively played now."

US won’t be able to contain Russia by using sanctions

Russian President also said the sanctions only have the goal of containing Russia rather than to solve real problems, but this policy won’t bring any results, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

Answering a question on the possible sanctions against Moscow over its position on Syria, Putin said: "The goal of these sanctions is not in solving anything but to contain Russia’s strengthening as a full-fledged participant of international activity."

"This goal won’t be achieved," he stressed.

Putin reiterated his position that the sanctions policy is "counterproductive, harmful and never achieves the goal set by those who introduce these sanctions."

"As for sanctions against Russia, whatever pretext is cited - either the events in Ukraine or in Syria - the goals of those who formulate this policy do not solve a particular problem," the president stressed. "The goal is to simply formulate the policy of containing Russia," he said. "If there had been no (problem in) Ukraine they would have invented something else."

Putin said for solving issues in global politics there is the need to reach compromise, but not all countries are ready for this, and first of all the US. "There is apparently no wish to make a compromise, they want to dictate. Such a style has been in the US over the past 15 or 20 years and they cannot withdraw from this style."

US threats of hacker attacks contradict international communication standards

The threats of carrying out hacker attacks coming from the US are against the norms of international communication and show that Washington is nervous, also noticed Vladimir Putin.

"The only new thing (in these threats) is that for the first time the US acknowledges at such a high level that it is involved in this and threatens to a certain degree what is of course against the norms of international communication," he said.

"It seems that they are nervous," Putin said, adding that during the election campaign any authorities seek to build tactics and have many unsolved issues. "They have to show and explain to their population and voters why this or that was not done."

NBC News reported on Friday citing US intelligence officials that the Obama administration "is contemplating an unprecedented cyber covert action against Russia in retaliation for alleged Russian interference in the American presidential election.".

Situation in Aleppo seen in UN as ‘planetary-scale’ crisis - Russian envoy

http://tass.com/politics/906789?_ga=1.234093470.1857272677.1476511993

However, he stressed, Russia still hopes the Syrian crisis will be settled by political and diplomatic instruments

The Syrian crisis, and the situation in eastern Aleppo in particular, is seen in the United Nations as a "planetary-scale" problem, Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin said in an interview with the Voskresnoye Vremya weekly news roundup on Russian television Channel One on Sunday.

"Regrettably, the Syrian problem will be among the most pressing ones in the immediate future. Thus, what is going on around eastern Aleppo has acquired a character of the planetary-scale crisis here, in the United Nations," he said.

However, he stressed, Russia still hopes the Syrian crisis will be settled by political and diplomatic instruments used by the Russian side and the bloodshed in that country will be ultimately stopped.

"Of course, we would like the efforts taken by Russian diplomacy to yield a result so that it would be possible to make progress in the political settlement of the crisis and stop violence in Syria," the Russian diplomat said.

On Saturday, foreign ministers from Russia, the United States, seven Middle East countries, namely Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, and United Nations Secretary Generals’ Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura met in Switzerland’s Lausanne to discuss the Syrian problem. However they failed to reach any concrete agreements. Consultations on Syria are continued at talks in London on Sunday.

EU Foreign Affairs Ministers to Meet on Monday to Discuss Syria

https://sputniknews.com/europe/201610171046399096-eu-syria-ministers-meeting/

EU foreign ministers are set to gather on Monday in Luxembourg to discuss Syrian settlement.

Foreign ministers of the European Union are set to gather on Monday in Luxembourg to discuss Syrian settlement.

"EU foreign affairs ministers will discuss the situation in Syria in light of recent developments on the ground. The Council is expected to adopt conclusions," the Council of the European Union said in a press release.

Two international meetings on Syrian settlement took place over the weekend, one in Swiss Lausanne on Saturday with another one in London on Sunday but to no avail.

On September 9, Russia and the United States reached an agreement for a peace process in Syria, where a civil war has been ongoing since 2011. A ceasefire stipulated by the deal entered into force on September 12, but quickly collapsed into violence. The Syrian army launched a major offensive on the rebel-held districts of Aleppo, blaming militants for numerous violations. The Syria government has been accused of hitting civilians with its airstrikes, while the country's military denied bombing civilian areas.

 

[RedFox]

Looks like retaliation to me

https://www.rt.com/news/363013-rt-uk-accounts-blocked/

RT bank accounts blocked in UK – editor-in-chief

RT UK’s bank accounts have been blocked, RT’s editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan reported. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova reacted, saying it seems that in leaving the EU, London also left any freedom of speech obligations behind there.

“Our accounts in Britain have been blocked. All of them. ‘Decision not to be discussed’. Hail to freedom of speech!” RT's editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan said on her Twitter account.

The National Westminster Bank has informed RT UK that it will no longer have the broadcaster among its clients. The bank provided no explanation for the decision.

“We have recently undertaken a review of your banking arrangements with us and reached the conclusion that we will no longer provide these facilities,” NatWest said in a letter to RT’s London office.

The bank said that the entire Royal Bank of Scotland Group, of which NatWest is part, would refuse to service RT.

The letter said the decision was final and that it is “not prepared to enter into any discussion in relation to it.”

“We have no idea why it happened, because neither yesterday nor the day before yesterday, nor a month ago, nothing special happened to us, nobody threatened us in any way. Hypothetically, this may have something to do with new British and American sanctions against Russia, which may be announced soon. It may not. Our legal department is dealing with the issue now,” Margarita Simonyan told RBK business news website.

Commenting on the development, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said it indicated that “Britain on its way out of the EU abandoned all its commitments to protect the freedom of speech.”

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Russia's newly-built Admiral Makarov frigate will undergo testing in Barents Sea

http://tass.com/defense/906865?_ga=1.241956738.1857272677.1476511993

Project 11356 frigates are armed with Kalibr-NK missiles, self-defense missile complex Shtil-1, 100-mm artillery piece A-190, air defense artillery, an anti-submarine warfare mortar and torpedoes

Russia’s newly-built frigate The Admiral Makarov has left the Baltic Sea for the Northern Fleet, where in it will undergo government certification tests in the Barents Sea, the press-secretary of the Baltic shipbuilding plant Yantar, Sergey Mikhailov has told TASS.

"The Admiral Makarov is currently on the way from the Baltic Sea to the Arctic. Its weapon systems will undergo testing at the Northern Fleet’s testing ranges," Mikhailov said. The Admiral Makarov left the port of Baltiisk on Sunday, October 16. Starting from October 7 it underwent trials in the Baltic Sea.

The frigate will return to the Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad in the middle of November to be handed over to the Russian Navy later the same month.

The Admiral Makarov is a third ship of project 11356 the Yantar shipyards will hand over to the customer in 2016. The first two ships in that series - The Admiral Grigorovich and The Admiral Essen - were commissioned on March 11 and June 7 respectively.

Both ships tested there weapons and some technical systems in the Barents Sea, too.

The Admiral Makarov construction began at the Yantar shipyards on February 29, 2012 and was launched on September 2, 2015. Project 11356 frigates have a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, speed of 30 knots and sea endurance of 30 days. They are armed with Kalibr-NK cruise missiles, self-defense missile complex Shtil-1, 100-mm artillery piece A-190, air defense artillery, an anti-submarine warfare mortar and torpedoes and can carry one deck helicopter K-27 or Ka-31.

Russian Northern Fleet sub launches cruise missile at target in Novaya Zemlya

http://tass.com/defense/906870?_ga=1.229815068.1857272677.1476511993

The Smolensk nuclear-powered submarine of Russia’s Northern Fleet has launched a cruise missile at a target in the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, in the Arctic, the Northern Fleet’s spokesman Vadim Serga has said.

"The missile was launched on October 16 against a combined coastal target. The Granit cruise missile was fired from a surface position in high latitudes of the Barents Sea. For the first time ever the missile was used against a combination of targets deep inside the Severny (Northern) island of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago," he said.

The missile launch was part of the final series of combat training exercises due in 2016, Serga said, adding that the crew displayed "professionalism and high level of training."

All in all Russia has built eleven submarines of project 949A Antey. At the moment eight are on active duty. The Antey’s displacement is 24,000 tonnes. Each carries 24 launchers for Granit cruise missiles and six torpedo tubes.

Russia's Arms Export Orders Total $52Bln - FSMTC Director

https://sputniknews.com/russia/201610171046414082-russia-arms-export/

Director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation said that Russia's portfolio of arms export orders currently totals $52 billion.

Russia's portfolio of arms export orders currently totals $52 billion, Alexander Fomin, director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, said Monday.

"Despite the sanctions, we are fulfilling our commitments before foreign partners," Fomin told reporters in Moscow.

According to Fomin, Russia is expected to sell about $15 billion worth in weaponry, both in 2016 and 2017.

Operation in Syria boosts interest in Russian ships carrying Kalibr missiles — official

http://tass.com/defense/906835?_ga=1.241956738.1857272677.1476511993

Foreign customers of Russia's arms exporter take special interest in Project 636 submarines and Project 21632 Tornado missile ships

The Russian Navy’s participation in the operation in Syria has boosted foreign customers’ interest towards Russian ships armed with the missile complex Club - the export configuration of Kalibr cruise missiles, the chief delegate of Russia’s arms exporter Rosoboronexport, Yevgeny Odintsov, told TASS at the Euronaval-2016 show.

"The Russian Navy’s participation in the operation in Syria has boosted potential foreign customers’ interest in Russian ships capable of dealing effective, high accuracy strikes against targets deep inside enemy territory," Odintsov said.

In particular, he mentioned project 636 submarines. One Russian submarine of this type, Rostov-on-Don last December launched Kalibr missiles at facilities of the Islamic State (terrorist organization outlawed in Russia) from the Mediterranean.

"At the beginning of the 2000s the Club-S system (export configuration of the Kalibr system for submarines - TASS) lent a new quality to the Varshavyanka class submarines and confirmed the unique capabilities of that project in the context of its modernization. Project 636 and 877EKM submarines armed with the Club system are now organic to the naval forces of many countries," Odintsov said.

"Alongside this foreign customers have displayed interest in the missile-carrying ship of project 216332 Tornado. Upgraded ships of that project (the Russian Navy uses project 21631 ships; Tornado is the project’s export version - TASS) used Kalibr missiles to deliver strikes from the Caspian Sea," Odintsov said.

He pointed out that small surface ships armed with Kalibr missiles (export configuration called Club-N) "are of the greatest interest to the countries which are implementing large-scale naval programs or have considerable national interests in land-locked seas, large bays and insular areas. Among such countries there are some countries in the Persian Gulf, the Mediterranean, Southeast Asia and South America," he said.

The Russian Navy launched cruise missiles against terrorists in Syria in 2015 and 2016 from ships of project 21631 in the Caspian and Mediterranean seas.

Russian diplomat says de Mistura’s initiative is main pattern of action on Syria

http://tass.com/politics/906911?_ga=1.231338783.1857272677.1476511993

Unilateral decisions on Syria are impossible, a comprehensive approach is needed, says a diplomat

The initiative of UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura is the main pattern for action in Syria, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Monday.

"The main pattern (on Syria) that can be used after a certain update, and probably used with results - is the pattern basing on de Mistura’s initiative on creating humanitarian corridors, on certain parameters of aid delivery," he said.

"This issue was discussed in Lausanne," Ryabkov said.

"Unilateral decisions are impossible. Russia has never proposed anything unilateral," he stressed. "As for the crisis settlement, only a comprehensive approach, only agreements between the conflicting parties, only political dialogue are needed," he said.

"It is impossible to have those responsible for the settlement of humanitarian problems de-facto supporting the opposition to the legitimate authorities in power in Damascus," Ryabkov said.

"The point is not what scheme to invent, how long the pause will continue, although this is also important, because as long the pause continues, the more possibilities terrorists have for regrouping, receiving reinforcements, treating the wounded," he said.

"The question is to make those, who see no further than their own concept of how the world should be organized, realize at last that the decision can come only through the process of agreements. It cannot be dictated and imposed," Ryabkov added.

Lausanne format

According to Ryabkov, Russia is prepared to work on the settlement in Syria in the "Lausanne format" and doesn’t reject any other formats.

"I believe this is not just possible, we need to carry on in this format," he noted. "I want to say that the bilateral dialogue with the US continues as well. In fact, such exchanges continue on a daily basis."

"We ourselves do not reject any formats and urge others to use all opportunities," Ryabkov added.

On October 15, Lausanne hosted a meeting of the top diplomats of Russia, the US, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura. The participants failed to reach any specific agreements. However, the parties expressed the intention to continue work.

Terrorists in Syria Continue Receiving Modern Weaponry, Including US-Made

https://sputniknews.com/politics/201610171046421053-syria-terrorists-weapons/

Rebels in the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo are being supplied with modern weaponry, including the US-made Tow anti-tank missiles systems, the Russian General Staff said Monday.

"On September 14, terrorists launched attacks on the Syrian government forces' positions in directions of Al-Nasr, al-Ansari, Khan Tuman and Er-Ramusi," Chief of the Russian general Staff's Main Operational Directorate," Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoy said. But they met with resistance and retreated to their prior positions.

"According to the information received from various sources, terrorists in Aleppo continue receiving modern weaponry, including US-made TOW anti-tank missile systems," Rudskoy told reporters in Moscow.

According to Rudskoy, the Russian combat planes based in Syria are constantly delivering airstrikes on militants' reinforcement routes and weapons convoys in Aleppo outskirts.

US Army Field Commander Shot Dead in Northern Syria

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950726001096

"The commander of the US Special Forces in Tal Abyadh was shot in the head and killed by unknown assailants," the Arabic-language Sham Times said.

The Arab media outlet said the death of the unnamed commander is leading to chaos among the US-backed Kurdish forces.

"The Command Center of the US military forces in Northern Raqqa and the Kurdish forces of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) have launched joint probe into the incident," they added.

Kurdish sources said Saturday that the US Army has deployed nearly 300 fresh forces in Northern Raqqa near the border with Turkey.

"120 US army soldiers have been deployed in North of Tal Abyadh. Also 60 other soldiers have been dispatched to a base near the village of Shabadeq close to a road towards the town of Salouk," the sources said.

"The Shabadeq base is a camp to train the Kurdish fighters for war against the ISIL terrorists in the Eastern battlefields of Raqqa up to the Northern banks of the Euphrates River," the sources added.

"In the meantime, over 100 US soldiers have entered Ein Issa via an illegally-established US army base in the village of Kharab Isq to coordinate Kurdish fighters' operations and meanwhile guard the US political officials who have been dispatched to Syria to form a new coalition, allegedly for the capture of Raqqa," the sources said.

Syrian Army Obliterates Wahhabis in Grand Hama Offensive (PHOTOS+VIDEO)

http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/10/syrian-army-obliterates-wahhabis-in.html

October 17, 2016 - Fort Russ News -
RusVesna - translated by J. Arnoldski -

Syrian troops, with the active support of the Russian Air Force, are continuing their successful offensive in the north of Hama province, inflicting one defeat after another on militants.

The elite Tiger Force brigade has just taken control of Maardes, thus liberating another small town captured by terrorists a few weeks ago. The army beat the bandits out after occupying several strategic heights and agricultural lands south and southeast of the city. This has been reported by the Tiger Force’s press service.

The offensive was successful largely thanks to the support of Russian and Syrian air forces, who launched massive airstrikes in addition to powerful artillery preparation by government troops. Terrorist groups and their supply routes in the residential areas of Suran, Morek, Atshan, Suqayq, and Al-Latamina came under heavy fire.

On the night of Saturday-Sunday, army brigades began a massive offensive in northern Hama, attacking Maardes after the liberation of the all-Abbad countryside.

Under the leadership of General Suheil al-Hassan, the Tiger Force and Syrian Arab Army stormed the city from the eastern entrance, where they engaged in fierce firefights with numerous armed terrorist gangs such as Jund al-Aqsa and Jebat ash-Sham (formerl Jebat al-Nusra).

The Tiger Force entered the town and took its eastern suburbs over the course of fierce fighting.

According to AMN Agency, the Syrian Army also destroyed a suicide “Jihad mobile” before it could reach the army’s positions.

It has been reported that many dozens of militants were killed and their military equipment destroyed during the Tigers’ offensive.

Government forces are also reportedly laying down heavy artillery fire on the outskirts of Suran in preparation of an assault on the positions of Jund al-Aqsa.

 

[bjorb]

Looks like retaliation to me

https://www.rt.com/news/363013-rt-uk-accounts-blocked/

RT bank accounts blocked in UK – editor-in-chief

RT UK’s bank accounts have been blocked, RT’s editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan reported. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova reacted, saying it seems that in leaving the EU, London also left any freedom of speech obligations behind there.

“Our accounts in Britain have been blocked. All of them. ‘Decision not to be discussed’. Hail to freedom of speech!” RT's editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan said on her Twitter account.

The National Westminster Bank has informed RT UK that it will no longer have the broadcaster among its clients. The bank provided no explanation for the decision.

“We have recently undertaken a review of your banking arrangements with us and reached the conclusion that we will no longer provide these facilities,” NatWest said in a letter to RT’s London office.

The bank said that the entire Royal Bank of Scotland Group, of which NatWest is part, would refuse to service RT.

The letter said the decision was final and that it is “not prepared to enter into any discussion in relation to it.”

“We have no idea why it happened, because neither yesterday nor the day before yesterday, nor a month ago, nothing special happened to us, nobody threatened us in any way. Hypothetically, this may have something to do with new British and American sanctions against Russia, which may be announced soon. It may not. Our legal department is dealing with the issue now,” Margarita Simonyan told RBK business news website.

Commenting on the development, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said it indicated that “Britain on its way out of the EU abandoned all its commitments to protect the freedom of speech.”

It is a weakness to get all totalitarian. If everything fails, resort to directly attacking those who tell the Truth. It means they are losing the information war ;)


Like stated in the article:

“This reflects the extent to which the West is losing the information war. RT plays a key role in challenging the narrative of the West and Western media when it comes to events in Ukraine, Syria and the Middle East.”

“RT has a lot of viewers in Britain. Many British people now tune in to RT to receive information on major topics around the world, including in Britain. And many British people believe that the alternative accounts that RT puts forward and covers are more truthful than what they’re hearing from, for example, Sky News.

 

[angelburst29]

Looks like retaliation to me

https://www.rt.com/news/363013-rt-uk-accounts-blocked/

RT bank accounts blocked in UK – editor-in-chief

RT UK’s bank accounts have been blocked, RT’s editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan reported. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova reacted, saying it seems that in leaving the EU, London also left any freedom of speech obligations behind there.

“Our accounts in Britain have been blocked. All of them. ‘Decision not to be discussed’. Hail to freedom of speech!” RT's editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan said on her Twitter account.

The National Westminster Bank has informed RT UK that it will no longer have the broadcaster among its clients. The bank provided no explanation for the decision.

“We have recently undertaken a review of your banking arrangements with us and reached the conclusion that we will no longer provide these facilities,” NatWest said in a letter to RT’s London office.

The bank said that the entire Royal Bank of Scotland Group, of which NatWest is part, would refuse to service RT.

No different - then what Eutelsat pulled off on Press TV and other Iranian channels, in early June of 2012.

'Zionism fears truthful Iranian Media'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4nwC_eyZ70&t=0s (3:18 min.)

An analyst says that the Zionists are afraid of the truth being told by Press TV and other Iranian channels, so they are desperately trying to silence them in order to keep spreading lies to the world.

The comments come as reports indicate that the Franco-Israeli head of Eutelsat, Michel de Rosen, has begun a new wave of attacks against Iranian TV channels. In a letter to Asian and European satellite companies, de Rosen has threatened the companies to drop Iranian entertainment and news channels. In the letter obtained by Press TV, the Franco-Israeli Eutelsat chief has warned satellite companies to remove Iranian channels or prepare to face the consequences of defying his order. He stated the sanctions imposed by the European Union (EU) and the United States against the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) chief, Ezzatollah Zarqami, as the reason for the push to stop broadcasting Iranian channels.

Press TV has conducted an interview with James Fetzer, American philosopher from Madison to shed more light on the topic of the program.

Published on Oct 11, 2016 - Revelations by Whistle-blower website Wiki-leaks show that officials under former U-S Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed great joy over Eutelsat Communications’ decision to stop broadcasting Iranian channels.

US officials "Satisfied" with ban on Iran broadcaster
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wrE6lxEK6w (6:20 min.)

The revelations pertain to parts of Clinton’s leaked emails which were published in late February 2016. In a letter sent to Clinton in in June 2012, senior State Department officials described Eutelsat Communications’ move as great news. The European satellite provider pulled 19 Iranian television and radio channels off the air in that year. Eutelsat said the move was in line with European sanctions and a French regulatory decision. The IRIB condemned the ban saying it was imposed due to political pressure from the U-S and Israel to block the truth about Islamic movements in the Middle East.

The Obama administration is contemplating an unprecedented cyber covert action against Russia in retaliation for alleged Russian interference in the American presidential election, U.S. intelligence officials told NBC News.

CIA Prepping for Possible Cyber Strike Against Russia
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/cia-prepping-possible-cyber-strike-against-russia-n666636

Current and former officials with direct knowledge of the situation say the CIA has been asked to deliver options to the White House for a wide-ranging “clandestine” cyber operation designed to harass and “embarrass” the Kremlin leadership.

Just as the Obama administration announced plans to provoke a cyber war with Russia over their alleged ties to the hack of Hillary's emails, Europe is launching the biggest "cyber wargame" in history to prepare for emergency responses to power cuts, banking outages etc. According to a press release posted by the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA), the war games will include various scenarios including power outages and attacks on various national and governmental agencies.

Europe Launches Largest "Cyber Wargame" In History As Threat Of Cyber Terrorism Looms
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-10-15/europe-launches-largest-cyber-wargame-history-threat-cyber-terrorism-looms

Saturday October 15, 2016 - Today marks the climax of this realistic scenario which thousands of experts from all 28 EU Member States, Switzerland and Norway are facing in Cyber Europe 2016 – a flagship activity organized every two years by ENISA, the EU Agency for Network and Information Security.

Cyber Europe 2016 (CE2016) is the largest and most comprehensive EU cyber-security exercise to date. This large-scale distributed technical and operational exercise started in April 2016, offering the opportunity for cybersecurity professionals across Europe to analyze complex, innovative and realistic cybersecurity incidents. On 13th and 14th of October ICT and IT security industry experts from more than 300 organizations, including but not limited to: national and governmental cybersecurity agencies, ministries, EU institutions as well as internet and cloud service providers and cybersecurity software and service providers will be called upon to mitigate the apex of this six-month long cyber crisis, to ensure business continuity and, ultimately, to safeguard the European Digital Single Market.

Cyber Europe 2016 paints a very dark scenario, inspired by events such as the blackout in an European Country over Christmas period and the dependence on technologies manufactured outside the jurisdiction of the European Union. It also features the Internet of Things, drones, cloud computing, innovative exfiltration vectors, mobile malware, ransomware, etc. The exercise will focus on political and economic policies closely related to cybersecurity. This also takes into account new processes and cooperation mechanisms contained in the Network and Information Security (NIS) Directive. For the first time, a full scenario was developed with actors, media coverage, simulated companies and social media, bringing in the public affairs dimension associated with cyber crises, so as to increase realism to a level never seen before in cybersecurity exercises.

***
Per ZD Net, the cyber war games were launched back in April and have been building up to a "major cyber security crisis with a series of fictional attacks on European digital networks."

More than 700 security experts are battling a fictional cyber crisis featuring power cuts, drones and ransomware as part of the European Union's biggest cyber defense exercise to date.

Cyber Europe 2016 kicked off back in April, as since then has been simulating the build up to a major cyber security crisis with a series of fictional attacks on European digital networks, culminating in this week's finale, where security industry experts from more than 300 organizations work together "to ensure business continuity and, ultimately, to safeguard the European Digital Single Market."

"Computer security attacks are increasingly used to perform industrial reconnaissance, lead disinformation campaigns, manipulate stock markets, leak sensitive information, tamper with customer data, sabotage critical infrastructures," warns the scenario.

For the first time ever the European cyber war games will include a full suite of actors simulating media coverage as well as company and social media reactions.

ENISA said the exercise features the Internet of Things, drones, cloud computing, innovative exfiltration vectors, mobile malware and ransomware. For the first time, it said, a fully fledged story was developed with actors, media coverage, simulated companies and social media, so as to make the scenario as realistic as possible to those participating.

Because cyber defense is seen as an pressing international issue there are now a number of these large-scale exercises: NATO runs 'Locked Shields', which involves around 550 people across 26 nationalities, and is based in Tallinn. The US runs the 'Cyber Guard' event every year, which this year saw around 1,000 players dealing with a fictional attack on an oil refinery, power grids, and ports.

Depending on how far the Obama administration is willing to go with threats to launch a cyber attack against Russia we could have some very real data for ENISA to analyze in the not so distant future about how a country actually responds to a "cyber war."

Sunday October 16, 2016 - In what security experts say is either a one-of-a-kind breach or an elaborate hoax, an anonymous group has published what it claims are sophisticated software tools belonging to an elite team of hackers tied to the US National Security Agency.

The DNC Was Hacked Using Sophisticated U.S. Intelligence Tools
http://www.cyberdurden.com/the-dnc-was-hacked-using-sophisticated-u-s-intelligence-tools/

US government whistleblower William Binney threw his hat into the DNC hack ring by stating that the Democratic National Committee’s server was not hacked by Russia but by a disgruntled U.S. intelligence worker. What a good excuse to go to war with Russia.

Julian Assange's internet link has been intentionally severed by a state party. We have activated the appropriate contingency plans.

One Day BIDEN Declares CYBER WAR – Next Day ASSANGE Is Cut Off From The INTERNET
http://investmentwatchblog.com/one-day-biden-declares-cyber-war-next-day-assange-is-cut-off-from-the-internet/

Also here:
Assange's internet link intentionally severed by state party - WikiLeaks
https://www.rt.com/news/362985-julian-assange-internet-link/

CNN tells viewers it is illegal to read the wikileaks emails so they must only learn about them through the lens of the media.

Watch CNN tells viewers it is illegal to read the Wikileaks Hillary emails
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_X16_KzX1vE (0:22 min.)

 

[goyacobol]

Looks like retaliation to me

<snip>

to the 4th Reich...

Knowledge not only protects, it is now the very obvious enemy.



Admin note: it is not considerate to quote an entire lengthy post to make a one line comment. Post snipped.

 

[goyacobol]

I am now "illegal" I went to WikiLeaks to see if it is still available and it is. I read a couple of Podesta emails just to see if it works.

If you need the link it is _https://wikileaks.org

Maybe it's just a scare tactic. I don't know. "Time" will tell I guess.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Over 20,000 troops on alert in Russia's Siberia for combat readiness checks

http://tass.com/defense/907032?_ga=1.4325299.1857272677.1476511993

The checks, involving motorized infantry, tank and artillery units, divisions of S-300 and S-400 air defense systems, will last for five days

Formations and military units in Russia’s Central Military District deployed in Western and Southern Siberia have been placed on alert for this year’s control checks, Colonel Yaroslav Roschupkin, assistant to the commander, told TASS.

During the control checks, more than 20,000 troops will practice all types of combat actions from maneuvers to defense and offensive. The troops "have marched to the firing grounds where they have started complex fire tactical training," Roschupkin said.

The checks involve motorized infantry, tank and artillery units, crews of Tolmachevo airbase, divisions of S-300 and S-400 air defense systems, task forces and specialists of all kinds of support.

The checks controlled by the forces’ commander Colonel General Vladimir Zarudnitsky will last for five days.

More than 1,500 peacekeepers take part in snap check in Central Russia

http://tass.com/defense/907055?_ga=1.268481393.1857272677.1476511993

The peacekeeping brigade’s main objective is tackling peacekeeping tasks on the territory of the CIS member states

Over 1,500 military servicemen from the peacekeeping brigade of Russia’s Central Military District have been put on alert in the Samara region as a snap check begins, the local military press service reported.

"The troops have carried out a march to the specific areas at the Roshchinsky military shooting range. The peacekeepers will train in fighting provocations and tricks of the conflicting parties aimed at destabilizing any situation. The drills involve more than 1,500 military servicemen and 400 units of military hardware," the press service said in a statement.

During the drills, the peacekeepers will guard the most important facilities in a simulated settlement, containing a municipality building, a school, a kindergarten, hospitals and a railway station.

They will also ensure the safe movement of the humanitarian aid convoys and the aid’s distribution between the simulated ‘residents’. In addition, the troops will be checking documents and baggage, and spot checking ‘civilians’ vehicles.

The first Russian peacekeeper brigade was formed in the Samara region in 2005. This is the only unit of this kind in Russia’s land forces.

The brigade’s chief objective is tackling peacekeeping tasks on the territory of the CIS member states, but if necessary it can act according to the UN’s mandate beyond CIS borders.

Russia has unilaterally announced 8-hour pause in Aleppo

http://tass.com/politics/907018?_ga=1.243376005.1857272677.1476511993

A longer "humanitarian pause" will require some "mutual agreements," Russia’s ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin said

Russia has unilaterally announced a 8-hour ceasefire in the Syrian city of Aleppo on October 20, but a longer "humanitarian pause" will require some "mutual agreements," Russia’s ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin said after a closed-door meeting of the UN Security Council.

"We announced the 8-hour (ceasefire) unilaterally. I think that a longer pause, for instance a 48-hour or 72-hour (truce), will require some mutual agreements," the diplomat said.

On Monday, Chief of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of Russia’s Armed Forces Sergey Rudskoy said that on October 20, the Russian and Syrian military would impose humanitarian pause in fighting in Aleppo for the passage of civilians and the withdrawal of militants to the district of Idlib. For this purpose eight humanitarian corridors will be formed, including six ones for civilians.

The Russia s General Staff also said that together with the UN and countries which have influence on the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group (banned in Russia), it is working on the withdrawal of militants from Aleppo.

According to Rudskoy, coordination between Russia and Syria may take a long time, so Russia’s Defense Ministry decided to hold "humanitarian pauses" "for the free passage of civilians, evacuation of the wounded and sick, as well as the withdrawal of militants."

Russia, Syria Halt Airstrikes in Aleppo 07:00 GMT Tuesday - Defense Minister

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201610181046439382-aleppo-humanitarian-pause/

The Russian Defense Minister said the halted airstrikes would ensure the safe passage of civilians from eastern Aleppo along six corridors, and the evacuation of the sick and the wounded, to prepare for the so-called humanitarian pause on October 20.

Russian Aerospace Forces and the Syrian air force halted strikes over Aleppo at 07:00 GMT, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday.

"Russian Aerospace Forces and Syrian Arab Air Force stop air strikes in the area of Aleppo today from 10 a.m. [07;00 GMT]," Shoigu told reporters.

Earlier, the Russian General Staff has announced a humanitarian pause around Syria's besieged city of Aleppo from 08:00 to 16:00 local time.

"Russian combat planes and Syrian government forces will not carry strikes during this period," Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoy, chief of the Russian General Staff's Main Operational Directorate, told reporters on October 16.

According to Rudskoy, the militants could use two secure corridors to leave eastern Aleppo heading to Idlib.

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that Russia appeals to countries with influence over rebels in the eastern part of the Syrian city of Aleppo to persuade them to leave.

"We appeal to the leadership of countries that have influence on the armed groups in eastern Aleppo with a proposal to persuade their leaders to cease hostilities and to leave the city," Shoigu said at the ministry's select session.

All those interested in stabilizing the crisis in the Syrian city of Aleppo need to engage politically instead of dragging their feet, Shoigu added.

"Anyone who is really interested in the early stabilization of the situation in the city of Aleppo need to embark on real political steps without continuing with political red tape," Shoigu told reporters at a select Defense Ministry session.

Syrian foreign minister to visit Moscow in late October — diplomat

http://tass.com/politics/907051?_ga=1.36434080.1857272677.1476511993

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem will pay a three-day visit to Moscow at the end of October

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem will pay a three-day visit to Moscow at the end of October, Syria’s ambassador to Russia Riyad Haddad told TASS.

"We have sealed an agreement on that. In late October, Muallem will come to Moscow on a three-day visit," the diplomat said. "He is expected to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov."

Russia Considers New Zealand Draft Resolution on Syria ‘Interesting Effort’

https://sputniknews.com/politics/201610181046434263-russia-new-zealand-syria-draft/

Russia's Ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin said that the draft resolution on Syria provided by New Zealand is an interesting effort and Russia is ready to take a closer look at it.

The draft resolution on Syria provided by New Zealand is an interesting proposal and Russia is ready to take a closer look at it, Russia's Ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin said after a UN Security Council meeting on Syria.

"It’s an interesting effort, we will definitely look into it," Churkin stated on Monday.

The New Zealand mission to the United Nations told RIA Novosti that the draft resolution calls for an end to attacks that could lead to civilian casualties and infrastructure damage in Syria, particularly in the city of Aleppo.

Last week, the Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations Matthew Rycroft said the UN Security Council was working on the producing a draft resolution on Syria.

New Zealand approves first visit by U.S. warship in decades

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-newzealand-usa-idUSKBN12I054?il=0

The U.S. destroyer Sampson has been cleared to dock next month in New Zealand, the first visit by a U.S. warship since the Pacific nation passed anti-nuclear legislation 30 years ago.

The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer is expected to attend the Royal New Zealand Navy's 75th anniversary celebrations from Nov. 17 to 22, after Prime Minister John Key approved the visit.

Under New Zealand's nuclear-free legislation, the prime minister can only grant approval if he is satisfied any foreign military ship entering New Zealand is not nuclear-armed.

"I have granted this approval after careful consideration of the advice provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade," Key said on Tuesday.

The government extended an invitation during U.S. Vice President Joe Biden's July visit to New Zealand.

In the mid-1980s, the Labour government of the time announced its decision to ban ships that were either nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed.

The United States would not say if its ships had nuclear capability, leading to a stalemate between the two nations.

The United States and Australia viewed the move as a breach of the three-way ANZUS treaty, which dates back to 1951. In 1986 the United States suspended treaty obligations to New Zealand.

Despite the rift, the nations have remained close allies. New Zealand supported the U.S.-led war on terror in Afghanistan and has sent soldiers to help train Iraq's armed forces.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Moscow says Nusra Front will face 'unpleasant consequences' if they do not leave Aleppo

http://tass.com/politics/907273?_ga=1.208641938.1857272677.1476511993

Churkin said that it was very important for the states, which could influence the armed opposition, to step up efforts in a bid to separate moderate armed units from terrorist groups

Russia has urged the United Nations Security Council to adopt a press statement on the need to separate terrorists from moderate opposition units in Syria, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin told journalists on Tuesday.

He said that on Tuesday Russia announced that the Russian and Syrian Air Forces would suspend all air strikes at Aleppo. Churkin said that under the current circumstances it was very important for the states, which could influence the armed opposition, to step up efforts in a bid to separate moderate armed units from terrorist groups, which are on the United Nations Security Council sanctions list.

"We firmly insist that all the parties in conflict stop fighting together with them. They should separate themselves from them and officially put their signatures under a ceasefire document. We have prepared a draft statement to this effect. Hopefully, it will be adopted by the Council’s members," the diplomat said noting that some countries could need additional time for considering the Russian initiative.

Churkin also warned that militants from the Jabhat al-Nusra Front (a terrorist group, which is banned in Russia) would face "unpleasant consequences" if they did not leave East Aleppo.

Russian Foreign Ministry Expects US to Condemn Airstrikes on Syrian Village

https://sputniknews.com/politics/201610191046480967-belgium-hassajek-airstrikes-russia/

The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman is waiting for Washington to condemn the alleged airstrike by Belgian F-16 jets on a Syrian village that killed at least six people.

Moscow expects the United States to condemn the airstrike on a village of Hassajek near Aleppo, where Belgian F-16 fighter jets had been detected, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Wednesday.

“We are waiting for the statements from the US Department of State condemning the attacks on civilian objects and killing of civilians. I think, it will be easy to find photographs of those who died [in the incident] to launch a corresponding campaign on CNN [broadcaster]," Zakharova posted on her Facebook account.

The Russian center for Syrian reconciliation said Tuesday it had received local reports of an airstrike on Hassajek resulting in killing of six people and at least four wounded.

According to the bulletin, Russian or Syrian aircraft did not operate in the area at the time of the strike while air traffic control systems detected two F-16 fighter jets of the Air Force of the Kingdom of Belgium at the specified time and area.

Belgian F-16 fighter jets are part of the US-led international coalition fighting against terrorists in Syria and Iraq.

Satellite imagery reveals reconstructed Russian airfield in eastern Syria

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/satellite-imagery-reveals-reconstructed-russian-airfield-eastern-syria/

Earlier today, Al-Masdar News learned of the Russian Air Force's plans to use the T-4 Military Airport to launch attacks against the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) in eastern Syria.

With help from geo-location expert, Aldin Abazovic (@Ald_Aba), Al-Masdar was able to obtain the exact location of this runway at the T-4 Military Airport in east Homs.

The Russian Air Force was unable to use this airfield for several months due to the threat posed by the Islamic State terrorists near the Al-Sha'er region.

This reconstructed airfield will play an integral role in the Russian Air Force's campaign against the Islamic State terrorists in the weeks to come, as the latter's combatants flee Mosul for Syria.

US Construction Company Wins Over $64Mln US Army Contract for Project in Israel

https://sputniknews.com/military/201610191046479058-usa-construction-wins-israel-contract/

The US construction company Conti Federal Services has received a $64.5 million US Army foreign military sales contract to carry out construction on an unspecified project in Israel.

The US construction company Conti Federal Services has received a $64.5 million US Army foreign military sales contract to carry out construction on an unspecified project in Israel, the Department of Defense said in an announcement.

"Conti Federal Services [of] Edison, New Jersey, was awarded a $64.5 million… foreign military sales contract (Israel) for site 13414," the announcement stated on Tuesday.

The announcement did not specify the nature of the project, which is scheduled to be completed by November 28, 2018, the Defense Department added.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Russian Foreign Ministry Expects US to Condemn Airstrikes on Syrian Village

https://sputniknews.com/politics/201610191046480967-belgium-hassajek-airstrikes-russia/

Moscow Expects US-Led Coalition to Decry Deadly Belgian Strike on Syrian Village

https://sputniknews.com/politics/201610191046484303-belgium-airstrike-syria-russia/

The Russian Foreign Ministry expects an "adequate" reaction of the US-led coalition to the airstrikes on a Syrian village committed by the Belgian air force.

Russia expects the US-led counterterrorist coalition to condemn the latest deadly airstrike in Syria by one of its allies, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Wednesday.

"We are waiting for an adequate response from the coalition, of course from Belgium, from all international institutions that are so concerned about attacks on Aleppo carried out by the Russian Aerospace Forces, including the attributed civilian casualties," Zakharova told reporters.

The Russian center for Syrian reconciliation said Tuesday it had received local reports of an airstrike on the village of Hassajek near Aleppo that killed six people and wounded at least four. Two Belgian Air Force F-16 jets had been detected in the area at the time of the strike.

Zakharova stressed that she fails to see how "this fact could go unnoticed."

"If we do not have direct condemnation of the coalition's actions, particularly that of the Belgian Air Force, we will have no other option than to consider what is happening now as an attempt to keep the militants in Syria," Zakharova said.

Unacceptable Not to Use Humanitarian Pause in Syria for Intended Purpose

It is unacceptable not to take advantage of an announced humanitarian pause in Syria to ease the plight of the local population, Zakharova said.

"The situation in which this pause will not be used for its intended purpose, namely to facilitate the solution of the humanitarian situation, is unacceptable," she told reporters.

The announcement on the humanitarian pause for Aleppo was made on Monday by chief of the Russian General Staff's Main Operational Directorate Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoy. On Tuesday, Russian Defense Minister Shoigu said the Russian Aerospace Forces and the Syrian Arab Air Force stopped airstrikes in the vicinity of Aleppo starting 07:00 GMT ahead of the humanitarian pause.

"If there is no action on the part of the coalition and all those who have expressed concern about the humanitarian situation [and] its resolution, then the aim was not at all the humanitarian situation in Aleppo. This will be direct and unequivocal evidence of support for militants," Zakharova stressed.

Putin goes to Berlin for Normandy Four meeting with Merkel, Hollande and Poroshenko

http://tass.com/politics/907271?_ga=1.201520017.1857272677.1476511993

A possibility of holding new direct negotiations between the leaders of Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine has been questionable until the last moment

Russian President Vladimir Putin is going to Berlin on Wednesday for the Normandy Four meeting to discuss ways of peaceful settlement in Donbass. A possibility of holding new direct negotiations between the leaders of Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine has been questionable until the last moment. The four leaders reached an agreement on holding the meeting only on the summit’s eve.

Moscow’s ready to synchronize watches

On October 17, Russian President’s Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said the chances for holding the Berlin summit were slim. But 24 hours later he confirmed that the Russian president would visit Berlin for the "Normandy Four" talks on October 19. According to him, the Russian leader had several meetings behind the closed doors ahead of the Berlin summit.

"A year has passed since the presidents of Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine met in the "Normandy Four" format in Paris last year. In fact, it was the aides’ work, which showed the need to synchronize the watches," Peskov explained.

He added that Moscow was convinced that there was no alternative to the Minsk agreements, which should be carried out by all the countries, which undertook commitments under the document. Despite Kiev’s unwillingness to carry out the Minsk agreements, Russian President Vladimir Putin is open and ready for talks. He does what is possible and necessary for promoting the Minsk process within the "Normandy Four" framework.

However, in Peskov’s view, it is still too early to talk about any concrete agreements. In this connection, Peskov reminded the Kiev government of the need to carry out the political part of the Minsk agreements. "We know that the situation here leaves much to be desired. Kiev has met none of its commitments so far. The Kremlin believes that Kiev’s recent calls for forcing Moscow to implement the Minsk agreements only confirm the complexity of the situation ahead of the "Normandy Four" talks.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the other day that Kiev was actually trying to shift the responsibility to justify its own refusal to carry out the political part of the Minsk agreements. The Russian head of state said the solution of security problems should be accompanied by political steps necessary for the settlement on the whole and in a long-term perspective.
"No settlement will be possible without that," Putin said.

In this connection, Putin remembered Kiev’s commitments to pass the laws on amnesty and the Donbass special status and amend the country’s constitution.

"We talked about that in Minsk the whole night (the Normandy Four talks on February 11-12 2015 - TASS). If that is not done, it will mean that the incumbent authorities (in Kiev) are not ready to resolve problems in the southeast of their own country," Putin stressed.

"NORMANDY FORMAT": KIEV WANTS WAR, PARIS AND BERLIN ARE CONFUSED

http://katehon.com/agenda/normandy-format-kiev-wants-war-paris-and-berlin-are-confused

The meeting of"Normandy format" is scheduled for October 19th in Berlin. The member countries of Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine will discuss the implementation of the Minsk agreements.

Without illusions

Moscow still considers the execution of the Minsk agreements as ultimate condition to achieve stability in the Donbass. But it doesn't have any illusions about Kiev's desire to observe them: the situation on the front line is constantly heating up. For the last 24 hours Ukrainian army violated ceasefire 253 times. They even used mortars for shelling.

Berlin collusion

It is remarkable that the leaders of Germany, France and Ukraine are planning to hold a separate meeting in Berlin before the "Norman format" in order to coordinate their positions and "engage Russia in meaningful dialogue." It is also important to note that Kiev's position clearly shows that Ukraine does not intend to comply with the terms of the Minsk agreements, according to which there must be elections in the People's Republic, and only after then Ukraine will have control over the border. This statement was published on the website of Peter Poroshenko: "They want elections, but these elections will be played by the Crimean scenario and with the same results when we have the presence of Russian troops in Donbass. We can't agree with it, so everything now depends on Russia..." It is important to note that many of the OSCE observers stated that there are no Russian military in the Donbass.

Clear position

Some experts argues that Berlin and Paris are intended to use this meeting in order to discuss issues related to the Syrian crisis. However, a spokesman for the Russian president dismissed this possibility.

"The President is open for discussion of Syria, as he told it in India, but tomorrow's meeting has a "Normandy format" purpose — said Dmitry Peskov.

THE US STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON LEAVES MINSK

http://katehon.com/agenda/us-state-department-spokesperson-leaves-minsk

After a two-day visit the deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs of the US State Department Bridget Brink leaves Belarus.

Mission

The official purpose of the State Department's special representative has been monitoring of the situation in Belarus. Bridget Brink has held several meetings, some of them with country's officials. It is reported that these meetings were aimed to help the US government to improve relations with Minsk.

However, it is clear that the real purpose of such monitoring was to prepare the next protests on the territory of the Union State. This is indirectly confirmed by the fact that the first Brink's meeting was with local opposition.

Role of sanctions

October, 31 is the deadline of the sanctions imposed on Belarus by the USA. It is believed that the results of her visit will depend on the fate of sanctions: their extension, continuation of suspension or elimination.

Minsk, Unlike Moscow, believes that the sanctions damages the economy and is trying to seek their removal. This, of course, gives an advantage to the White House to put more pressure on Lukashenko and his government.

Results

Bridget Brinks is leaving with a sense of accomplishment. She called her visit very successful, as well as many officials of Belarus. Among other things, she noted the transparency during the elections, which resulted with the first two parliamentary seats for opposition, and the lack of the "hand of Moscow".

It has become known that the suspension of the sanctions regime will probably be extended - for at least six months. There will be no lifting of the sanctions.This shows that Washington needs a leverage over Minsk.

However, "the State Department expects the further improvement of relations," and therefore, we must be ready for new provocations.

Assad: It is Our Mission to Save Aleppo Residents From Terrorists

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201610191046486310-assad-aleppo-syria-terrorists/

Syrian President Bashar Assad underscored that it was the government's duty to protect citizens from terrorists.

The Syrian government needs to rid the city of Aleppo of terrorists to protect the local population, Syrian President Bashar Assad said in an interview with Swiss television Wednesday.

"Our mission, according to the Constitution, according to the law, is that we have to protect the people, that we have to get rid of those terrorists from Aleppo. This is where we can protect the civilians. How can we protect them while they are under the control of the terrorists? They've been killed by them and they've been controlled fully by the terrorists. Is this our role, to sit aside and watch? We need to attack the terrorists, that's self-evident," Assad told SRF in a published excerpt.

Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to President Assad fighting numerous opposition groups and terrorist organizations.

Jihadi rehab: Swedish city plans free driver’s license, housing & tax perks for returning fighters

https://www.rt.com/news/363256-sweden-returning-terrorists-benefits/

A Swedish city is considering giving jihadists returning from Syria and Iraq free housing, a driver’s license, and tax benefits to ease their reintegration, but social media users have slammed the proposal, saying it ignores the terrorists’ victims.

The support for extremists was proposed by Anna Sjöstrand, a municipal coordinator against violent extremism in the city of Lund in southern Sweden.

“There may be criticism, but [I think] that you should get the same help as others who seek help from us. We can’t say that because you made a wrong choice, you have no rights to come back and live in our society,” Sjöstrand said on Swedish Sveriges Radio.

Sjöstrand’s proposal was based on a report written by author and criminologist Christoffer Carlsson, who says that it is difficult for people to abandon extremism and reintegrate into society without support.

“It’s a straight social, economic and material question. You need to be able to reintegrate into the job market, you may need to have a driving license, debt settlement and shelter,” he said.

According to Carlsson, “the risk is great that they [Islamist extremists] are unable to leave the extremist environment” without support, so “they might make an attempt and fail because they have nothing to keep them out, and there is always something to return to, namely the organization they left.”

The proposal has been eviscerated on social media, however, with users saying that Sweden is forgetting about the terrorists’ victims.

“Lund wants to help terrorists with housing, driver’s license and job, but forgets the victims,” one user wrote on Twitter, while another added: “Rapists, child murderers, terrorists. Everyone should be treated equally.”

Some users were calling for Sjöstrand’s resignation.

“Anna Sjöstrand, of course you should say ‘You have made a choice and are never welcome back,’” added @I_was_Sweden.

According to Sveriges Radio, a similar ‘welcoming’ approach is also being considered in the Swedish cities of Malmö, Borlänge, and Örebro.

Örebro was severely criticized in January after two IS terrorists – Liban Qadar, 23, and Mahamed Farah Osman, 24 – were offered internships in the municipality, but chose to return to Syria, where they were later killed in battle.

The incident has been classified as a clear failure for Thomas Gustafsson, Orebro’s head of partnership.

Research from the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT) shows that at least 300 Swedish citizens had traveled to Iraq and Syria to join IS extremists as of April of this year.

Meanwhile, some 140 terrorists had already returned to Sweden as of October of this year, local media reported.

Also an April, a report appearing in the Swedish media claimed that Islamists have successfully infiltrated Sweden’s Green Party. Lars Nicander from the Swedish National Defense University said there is “a very similar effect today, in which people close to the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist party, are apparently gaining large footholds in the Green Party.”

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Putin goes to Berlin for Normandy Four meeting with Merkel, Hollande and Poroshenko

http://tass.com/politics/907271?_ga=1.201520017.1857272677.1476511993

Putin Arrives in Berlin for Normandy Four Talks

https://sputniknews.com/politics/201610191046510396-talks-putin-normandy/

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in the German capital of Berlin to participate in the Normandy Four format talks on the Ukrainian reconciliation.

The Normandy Four summit was expected to take place in October but until recently, officials were unable to confirm the date. On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the time was running out for the meeting initially scheduled for October 19, adding that the chances for the gathering to take place were low.

The Normandy Four, which comprises Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany, was created in 2014 to secure a peaceful settlement to the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

The group has held several rounds of talks on Ukrainian reconciliation, most notably in February when the quartet's leaders brokered a ceasefire agreement in Minsk, Belarus, signed by Kiev and the Donbas militia in February 2015.

The sides failed to fulfill the agreements' conditions by the end of 2015, as initially intended, and the deadline was extended into 2016, with the sides continuing to blame each other for the failure to abide by the Minsk deal. The last meeting of the Normandy Four took place roughly a year ago, on October 2, 2015.

President al-Assad receives phone call from Russian President

http://sana.sy/en/?p=91022

President Bashar al-Assad received on Wednesday a phone call from the Russian President Vladimir Putin, discussing with him latest developments related to combating terrorism in Syria and the exerted political efforts to resolve the crisis in it.

The Russian President stressed, during the call, that the Russian stance towards Syria has not changed as it remains committed to continuing the fight against terrorism and to preserving the unity of the Syrian territory.

In turn, President al-Assad thanked the Russian President for Russia’s efforts on the international arena despite pressure on it by some countries to discourage it from continuing to adhere to the rules of international law and respect the sovereignty of states.

President al-Assad stressed Syria’s determination to fight terrorism in parallel with achieving reconciliation and continuing work towards activating the political track to resolve the crisis in Syria.

Russia and Syria won't extend Aleppo humanitarian pause unilaterally

http://tass.com/politics/907355?_ga=1.233807646.1857272677.1476511993

According to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, Unilateral prolongation would be tantamount to retreat"

Unilateral prolongation of the humanitarian pause in Aleppo by Russia and the Syrian government will be impossible, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told the media on Wednesday.

"I rule out the possibility Russia and the Syrian government will jointly prolong the humanitarian pause," Ryabkov said. "A decision may follow only on the basis of agreements."

He explained that Russia was perfectly aware of double dealing by those who were trying to score points on Aleppo’s humanitarian problems and put Damascus and Moscow in a situation where they would have to ask for excuse.

"In the meantime, it is they [such double-dealers - TASS], who are obliged to provide explanations, because Nusra’s separation from the moderate opposition has not taken place to this day," Ryabkov said.

"These and other circumstances show that the policy of this group of states has a false bottom."

"Unilateral prolongation would be tantamount to retreat. We will not agree to it," he added.

The Russian delegation is ready to continue participating in the experts' meeting on Syria in Geneva as long as needed.

"There is a possibility that the meeting will continue tomorrow," the diplomat said. "Our delegation is ready to stay there for as long as needed in order to achieve positive results," the deputy minister stressed.

No Lavrov-Kerry meeting planned any time soon

Negotiations between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry are not scheduled for the foreseeable future, Ryabkov noted:

"I cannot see that our minister is going to initiate such a meeting," Ryabkov said. "One has already been held. Last Saturday there were talks with Kerry, including bilateral negotiations."

The senior diplomat reiterated that on Tuesday, Lavrov said that experts "with maps in their hands, but not the military, should work" to resolve the Syria crisis.

"The foreign ministers will meet when it is necessary," Ryabkov emphasized. "They are maintaining contact, by phone as well."

"As of now, the top priority is to resume effective military cooperation," he said.

Russia-proposed statement on humanitarian pause in Aleppo blocked in UN Security Council

http://tass.com/world/907415?_ga=1.238280448.1857272677.1476511993

Great Britain, the United States, France and Ukraine have blocked the statement

Great Britain, the United States, France and Ukraine have blocked in the United Nations Security Council a Russia-proposed draft statement in support of an 8-hour humanitarian pause in Aleppo and efforts to dissociate terrorists and opposition in Syria, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Vitaly Churkin said Wednesday.

"Some of our friends have again showed their true face. Three [Western] permanent members, which have of course been joined by Ukraine. They don’t know what they really want, it’s impossible to please them," Churkin said.

He said he does not know what exactly the delegations of the four countries found to be wrong in the Russian draft statement.

"I have no idea. They disliked it," Churkin said.

The Russia-proposed draft statement "welcomes the announced halt in air strikes by Russia’s Aerospace Forces and Syria’s Air Force in the vicinity of Aleppo", starting from 08:00 a.m. Moscow Time October 18.

Besides, the document contains a call on states having influence upon armed opposition groups in eastern Aleppo to boost their efforts to dissociate as soon as possible all moderate formations from terrorist groups on the UN Security Council’s lists.

Russia, Syria to extend October 20 humanitarian pause in Aleppo — General Staff

http://tass.com/world/907427?_ga=1.33732769.1857272677.1476511993

Evacuation from Aleppo will be tracked with web cameras and drones, broadcast on Russian Defense Ministry website

The Russian and Syrian militaries have decided to extend the October 20 humanitarian pause in Aleppo for three hours, Head of the Main Operations Department at Russia’s General Staff Lieutenant-General Sergey Rudskoy said on Wednesday.

According to Rudskoy, the pause will begin at 08:00 Moscow Time on October 20.

"Due to numerous requests from representatives of international organizations, it was decided to extend a humanitarian pause for another three hours - until 19:00. This will make it possible for representatives of the UN and the Syrian Red Crescent Society to implement all measures to let the sick and injured and the persons accompanying them, as well as the civilian population, leave the city," he said.

Rudskoy recalled that eight corridors would be opened in Aleppo, two of them - for the armed units leaving the city.

He added that the same corridors will be used to evacuate the sick and wounded. "If they wish, they can be delivered to hospitals in eastern Aleppo, which are prepared to accommodate them," Rudskoy said.

He noted that the command of the Syrian government troops had already given all necessary instructions on the pullback of Syrian army units to a distance allowing militants to leave Aleppo.

Video recording

Russia’s military will video record the course of evacuation of residents and militants from Aleppo with the help of web cameras and drones, which will transport images to the Russian Defense Ministry website.

"The course of the evacuation will be tracked in real time with the help of web cameras mounted near humanitarian corridors, and unmanned aerial vehicles, with images transported to the Russian Defense Ministry’s website," Sergey Rudskoy said.

Russian, Syrian warplanes refrain from approaching more than ten kilometers to Aleppo, he added. "Air raids by the Russian Aerospace Forces and the Syrian Air Force have been halted as of 10:00 local time (7 am GMT) on Tuesday. Russian and Syrian planes are not approaching more than ten kilometers to Aleppo," he said.

Aleppo civilians, militants notified of areas for exit corridors

Rudskoy went on to say that militants and civilians in the Syrian city of Aleppo have been notified of the areas where six humanitarian corridors are due to be opened.

"Civilians and militants in the eastern party of Aleppo have been duly notified where the humanitarian corridors are located and how to use them. This information was released through Syria’s media, the Internet and text messages. Loudspeakers were used for the purpose as well. Besides, over 150,000 leaflets were airdropped on Aleppo," the general said, noting over 300,000 more leaflets would be airdropped on the city by day’s end.

For evacuation of the sick and wounded people, nine buses and seven ambulances were readied for a northern route and eight buses and eight ambulances - for a southern route. Two more buses and eight more ambulances were put on stand-by.

"These vehicles are to be concentrated at control checkpoints by 8.00 am Moscow Standard Time (5.00 am GMT) on October 20," Rudskoy said.

The UN mission staff members and volunteers of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) are expected to help the evacuees board the vehicles and will accompany them along the entire route across the areas controlled by government forces.

Russia urges US to ensure evacuation of sick, wounded

According to Rudskoy, Russia calls on the United States to exert influence on the militant leaders active in Syria's Aleppo in order to ensure the evacuation of the sick and wounded people from the city.

"We hope that the US and other interested parties will influence the armed groups’ leaders and ensure the evacuation of the sick and wounded, as well as the exit of the civilians and combatants," he said.

The general pointed out that Russia and Syria had fulfilled all their obligations concerning the implementation of the humanitarian pause in eastern Aleppo.

Russian lawmaker believes US wants to keep Jabhat al-Nusra to overthrow Assad

http://tass.com/politics/907312?_ga=1.200390446.1857272677.1476511993

According to the lawmaker, Russia has been fed with promises since February that the US will shortly separate al-Nusra terrorist organization from the so-called moderate opposition in Aleppo

Head of the State Duma Committee for International Affairs Leonid Slutsky presumed on Wednesday that the United States specially wants to preserve Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist organization to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Assad.

"With regard to very strange calls to us against bombing Jabhat al-Nusra because, as they say, representatives of the moderate opposition may suffer, a systemic impression is created that the United States wants to keep Jabhat al-Nusra to use it in the imminent future to implement the obsessive idea and overthrow Assad," the lawmaker said.

According to Slutsky, "Russia has been fed with promises since February" that the United States will shortly separate al-Nusra terrorist organization from the so-called moderate opposition in Aleppo.

However, this is not taking place, the parliamentarian said.

"The Castello Road is not being unblocked and when the government troops recede by 1.5 km at our request, the oppositionists do not withdraw. The United States claims that it allegedly has no influence on them," the lawmaker said.

Terrorist Centers in Lattakia, Idlib Receive Sever Blow in Syrian Air Attacks

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950728001136

Syrian fighter jets targeted the positions of Fatah al-Sham and al-Turkistani terrorists near the villages of Zohra Katab Sandou and Tardin in Northeastern Lattakia, leaving several militants dead and destroying their bases and machinegun-equipped vehicles.

The Syrian warplanes also bombed Jeish al-Fatah's defense lines in the two villages of Hallouz and Um al-Qar in Jisr al-Shughour in Southwestern Idlib, destroying the militants' arms depot, and bases.

A number of militants were also killed or wounded in the air raids.

In relevant developments in the coastal province on Tuesday, the Syrian Air Force carried out several rounds of air raids on terrorists' positions in Northern Lattakia, inflicting major losses and casualties on the militants.

The Syrian fighter jets bombed terrorists' positions in Kabani, Jabal Kafr Sandou and Ba'arbaya in the mountainous regions of the province, inflicting dozens of casualties on the militants.

Terrorists' bases and military vehicles were also badly damaged in the assault.

Exclusive: Hundreds of Terrorists Ready to Leave Aleppo Tomorrow

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950728001234

Syrian security officials said 30 buses are most likely to evacuate on Thursday around 900 terrorists, who have turned down the offer to join the peace agreement with the government but agreed to leave Aleppo.

"The militants, who have applied to leave Aleppo, will not face any problem by the security forces," Abdul Hamid Seirafi, a Syrian judiciary official, told FNA.

Russian and Syrian military forces, in a joint exercise on Wednesday, reviewed the process of evacuating terrorists from the Eastern districts of Aleppo city.

"In the presence of a large number of journalists, the Russian and Syrian military, religious and judicial officials, the Russian and Syrian soldiers reviewed and drilled A to Z of the evacuation plan in Aleppo city to relocate the militants to Idlib province," FNA correspondent from Northern Syria said.

"Terrorists are to leave Aleppo via two corridors in Castello and Bostan al-Pasha. Several buses hoisting flags of Syria and Russia will carry them to the specified locations," FNA added.

The terrorists, who want to leave Aleppo, will be accompanied by security forces up to al-Lairamoun square and will be delivered to the Red Crescent.

Those militants, who want to return to normal life, will be pardoned by the government and the rest will be relocated to Idlib.

Several government, religious, security, police and Red Crescent officials in addition to the Syrian and Russian military forces will monitor the evacuation of the terrorists from Aleppo, according to our correspondent.

 

[angelburst29]

LOL! HuffPo Has Syrian Kids Read Script Calling for U.S. Military Intervention, Hillary's No-Fly Zone
http://www.informationliberation.com/?id=55707

Oct. 19, 2016 - The shameless propaganda is real.

In this hilariously disgusting new video from Huffington Post, they have a bunch of small Syrian children allegedly from Aleppo read from a script "their" questions for our presidential candidates.

"When will you come and stop Bashar [al-Assad]?" one boy asks, implying he wants the US government to overthrow their government so ISIS can take over as happened in Libya.

"When will you start protecting us from the planes?" another girl asks, implying she wants the US to institute a no-fly zone over their nation -- which is Hillary Clinton's official stated policy and which people on the left and right all agree is completely insane and could trigger a nuclear war with Russia.

Hilariously, even though it's blatant as hell the kids are reading from a script and are being coached, Huffington Post "national reporter" Christopher Mathias claims the kids aren't being coached and the questions are their own:

The Huffington Post worked with freelance journalists in Aleppo to let children answer this question on camera: “If you could ask the US presidential candidates one question, what would it be?” The kids weren’t coached, and filmed their answers only during daylight hours, when it was safe to go outside.

Here's a picture of Mathias from his Twitter, where he spends all his time whining about "Islamophobia."

Currently, their video only has some 548 views on YouTube and it's being massively down voted.

Children In War-Torn Aleppo Ask The Presidential Candidates A Question
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eneiggPqTe4 (2:01 min.)

New information about the Syria proxy war continues show that actions by the United States have helped Al Qaeda and the Islamic State gain power in the country, with the goal of allowing the terrorists to overthrow the Syrian government. Evidence for this claim has been reported in small anecdotes by many international media outlets during the violent proxy war which has lasted almost six years, but American reporter Serena Shim dedicated her professional career to proving the United States and allies were purposely helping Al Qaeda and the Islamic State.

2 Years After This American Journalist Was Killed, Her ‘Conspiracy Theories’ on Syria are Proven as Facts

http://thefreethoughtproject.com/serena-shim-killed-syria-war-conspiracy/

Serena Shim is an American citizen of Lebanese descent who was born near Detroit. Shim worked for Iranian broadcaster Press TV as a foreign correspondent covering wars, legitimate protests and fake uprisings in multiple countries. She reported live from Syria, Iraq, Turkey, and Lebanon during the conflict since 2011, including in the critical region of Daraa during the beginning of protests, which are misrepresented by American media as the reasons for the fake civil war.

Serena Shim was killed two years ago on October 19, 2014, in Turkey while reporting on the intense battle for the Syrian border city of Kobani which was the focus of international media attention. She was 29 when she died.

The city of Kobani, which has one of Turkey’s major border crossings with Syria, because it was under threat of being completely captured by the Islamic State. The US was forced to respond because Islamic State grew out of control and threatened the border stability of Turkey, and it became the first major area bombed during the US campaign in Syria.

The US and Turkey were also arguing over Washington’s plan to arm Kurdish fighters on the Syrian side of the border and how to allow Kurds from Iraq to support the effort by crossing through Turkey. On the day she was killed, the US began operations to airdrop weapons to the Kurds. Less than two days later, Islamic State fighters released a video showing the capture of an American weapons cache airdropped near the city. The video received international media attention which led the Pentagon to admit the weapons mistakenly reached ISIL terrorists.

It is claimed she was killed in a car accident with a cement truck. However, physical details about the case raise questions about the official explanation by Turkish officials. There are also conflicting stories about the timeline after her death and before the family received her body, which indicate actions by the government of Turkey and possibly the United States.

Two days before her death, Serena Shim reported on live international television that Turkish intelligence services were planning to arrest her for questioning on the suspicion her being a spy. The day after her death, US officials denied releasing any information it had about whether the US government was aware of Turkey’s plans. State Department officials told WTF News it would be December 2017 before a Freedom of Information Act request could be completed for information on what actions were taken by them to assist her as a US citizen.

Serena Shim conducted an undercover investigation in Turkey and Syria lasting multiple months during 2012 as she spoke fluent Arabic. Her report aired on Press TV beginning in December 2012. The issues listed below are topics she reported on first or experienced in person before they were reported by major media outlets. US officials continue to hide her death and not a single major media outlet in America reported on her death at the time despite the fact that she was popular in America and the Middle East.

(Note) The article goes on to list 10 subjects/topics that Serena Shim covered in her investigations and were later verified by other sources.

UK arms firm QinetiQ has been contracted to crash civilian drones into things so that the government can accurately quantify the danger the technology poses to flights and infrastructure.

British arms firm to crash drones into military planes... just to see what happens (Video)
https://www.rt.com/uk/363187-military-drone-crash-tests/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmJLbDstFDs (0:38 min.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEPR72IWOMI (4:24 min.)

The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) will provide technical support for the tests, which will examine the damage a drone can cause when it comes into collision with an airframe.

“The testing of potential collision impacts between a drone and a fixed-wing aircraft is currently being carried out on behalf of the UK Ministry of Defense,” a CAA spokesperson told the Verge website on Tuesday.

Neither of the government departments thought to be involved – the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Ministry of Transport – has commented on the plan. The location of the tests and the specific aims of the exercise have also not been announced.

In April, fears over drone collisions led to rumors of military-grade drone-killing ‘death rays’ that can destroy unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from up to 6 miles (9.6km) away being installed around UK airports.

The move followed a collision at Heathrow Airport which led to a drone ban over London during US President Barack Obama’s UK visit and forced authorities to consider more aggressive countermeasures.

The AUDS Anti-UAV Defence System would be high on any list of potential defenses, reports suggest. Made by a collection of UK arms firms working under the project name Blighter, the new weapon can detect, track and bring down a hostile UAV.

Military experts say the city of Aleppo in Northern Syria is on the verge of falling to the Syrian army as militants are under not just the full, but tightening siege of the government troops.

Military Experts: Disappointed Terrorists Facing Collapse in Aleppo City
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950728001484

The besieged terrorists in Aleppo are on the verge of complete collapse as hundreds of them are ready to leave the city on Thursday," military experts said.

Defense analysts said that the terrorists needed the ceasefire because they have been weakened under the siege and have lost many of their comrades during the fighting, adding, "And more importantly their ammunition is running out."

The experts said the terrorists have lost many of the areas under their control in recent military operations and this has damaged their morale.

They underlined that if the present pressures continue and no serious measure is taken for their separation from Fatah al-Sham (formerly al-Nusra Front), "they will be definitely buried along with Fatah al-Sham terrorists".

It was reported earlier on Wednesday that some 900 terrorists are preparing to be evacuated from the Eastern districts of Aleppo on Thursday.

Syrian security officials said 30 buses are most likely to evacuate on Thursday around 900 terrorists, who have turned down the offer to join the peace agreement with the government but agreed to leave Aleppo.

"The militants, who have applied to leave Aleppo, will not face any problem by the security forces," Abdul Hamid Seirafi, a Syrian judiciary official, told FNA.

Russian and Syrian military forces, in a joint exercise on Wednesday, reviewed the process of evacuating terrorists from the Eastern districts of Aleppo city.

"In the presence of a large number of journalists, the Russian and Syrian military, religious and judicial officials, the Russian and Syrian soldiers reviewed and drilled A to Z of the evacuation plan in Aleppo city to relocate the militants to Idlib province," FNA correspondent from Northern Syria said.

"Terrorists are to leave Aleppo via two corridors in Castello and Bostan al-Pasha. Several buses hoisting flags of Syria and Russia will carry them to the specified locations," FNA added.

The terrorists, who want to leave Aleppo, will be accompanied by security forces up to al-Lairamoun square and will be delivered to the Red Crescent.

Those militants, who want to return to normal life, will be pardoned by the government and the rest will be relocated to Idlib.

Several government, religious, security, police and Red Crescent officials in addition to the Syrian and Russian military forces will monitor the evacuation of the terrorists from Aleppo, according to our correspondent.

The Syrian government needs to rid the city of Aleppo of terrorists to protect the local population, Syrian President Bashar Assad said in an interview with Swiss television Wednesday.

Assad: Syria Needs to Rid Aleppo of Terrorists to Protect People
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950728001171

"Our mission, according to the Constitution, according to the law, is that we have to protect the people that we have to get rid of those terrorists from Aleppo. This is where we can protect the civilians," Assad told SRF television network, RIA Novosti reported.

"How can we protect people while they are under the control of the terrorists? They've been killed by them and they've been controlled fully by the terrorists. Is this our role, to sit aside and watch? We need to attack the terrorist, that's self-evident," the Syrian President said.

Syrian government has been engaged in war against several militant groups since 2011, with government forces loyal to President Bashar Assad fighting numerous foreign-backed militants, as well as terrorist groups.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Iskander-M Missile System Units Conduct Drills in Russia's West

https://sputniknews.com/military/201610201046525960-russian-Iskander-missiles-conduct-drills/

Military units operating Iskander-M mobile missile systems conducted fire exercises in Russia's Western Military District.

Military units operating Iskander-M mobile missile systems conducted fire exercises in Russia's Western Military District, the district's press service said Thursday.

"The units operating Iskander-M mobile missile systems held training sessions on targeting missile launches at the Luzhsky range of the Western Military District. Tactical drills were held as part of the 2016 checks," the press service said.

The district's commanders evaluated the servicemen's skills in firing at targets simulating command centers and radar stations at the distance of several hundred kilometers.

About 100 servicemen took part in the exercise, with over 20 equipment units.

Tough talks: Putin vows to extend Aleppo ceasefire as Merkel, Hollande accuse Russia of ‘war crimes’

https://www.rt.com/news/363369-normandy-four-putin-merkel-hollande/

Following tense Normandy Four talks, Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters he had expressed Moscow’s readiness to extend the humanitarian ceasefire in Aleppo for as long as needed. Meanwhile, his EU counterparts accused Russia and Syria of “war crimes.”

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande chose to focus on Russia’s role in the Syrian conflict, claiming that Moscow bears “responsibility” for the start of the political process in Syria.

Merkel alleged that the separation of terrorists from “moderate” rebels in Aleppo – something Russia and Syria have been demanding – is an impossible task without a complete ceasefire.

“It will not be possible to separate terrorists from civilians under bombardments,” Merkel said at the briefing.

Hollande in turn called what is happening in Aleppo “a real war crime,” calling for “maximum” pressure to be exerted on Russia. The Western powers also expect that Moscow will put more pressure on Syrian President Bashar Assad to stop the bombing of rebel forces controlling eastern Aleppo, which comprise Al-Nusra terrorists and the groups the West considers moderate, such as the Free Syrian Army.

Merkel went as far as calling Russian and Syrian air strikes on terrorist hideouts in eastern Aleppo “inhumane.”

“This is a severe blow to the people of Aleppo, and we are sure that it is impossible to separate terrorists and civilians when such bombardments are taking place,” she said.

While Hollande admitted that “of course, there are terrorists in Aleppo” he stressed that “bombardments should be out of question.”

Both German and French leaders did not exclude that they may discuss new sanctions against Russia during the upcoming EU summit.

“We should not exclude this possibility,” Merkel said, calling the Berlin negotiations on Syria “tough” and “difficult.”

Putin held a separate news conference, reiterating the Russian position on Syria and lamenting that little progress achieved in talks on the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

The Russian leader said he had talked “about the Russian side's plans to extend the pause in delivering airstrikes [in Aleppo] for as long as possible, depending on the developments in this territory.”

Putin stressed that Moscow has been calling for the reinvigoration of work on a new Syrian constitution, which would be the first step toward a political transition in the war-torn country.

“I once again reminded our colleagues that Russia proposes to step up work in this sphere on devising and adopting a new constitution, on the basis of which preliminary election may be held and positions of all conflicting parties may be preliminarily coordinated,” Putin said.

The leaders of Normandy Four have not made any breakthrough on Wednesday when it comes to the conflict in eastern Ukraine. However, they agreed to work out a road map on a Donbass settlement by November, based on the Minsk agreements of February 2015.

All parties to the Berlin talks “confirmed their commitment to these agreements,” Putin noted, saying that Minsk Accords continue to serve as a basis for the peace process in eastern Ukraine.

While no new documents have been signed during more than 5-hour long talks in Berlin on Wednesday, the leaders of Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine, the four states that comprise Normandy Four group, have discussed several key points to be included in the next agreement to be thrashed out by the countries’ foreign ministries.

One of the main obstacles in the way of the conflict resolution is the refusal of Kiev to approve legislation for local elections to be held in the self-proclaimed Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk.

Putin said that Russia is “ready to broaden the OSCE [Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe] mission” in the zones of withdrawal and storage of heavy machinery.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko earlier said Russia greenlighted “an attempt now to deploy an armed OSCE mission, which we call a police mission, which will ensure security during elections, as well as during the transitional period.”

Merkel confirmed that the agreement on granting OSCE observers better access to border regions has been reached, but was cautious about prospects of sending an armed or any other extra OSCE mission to the area.

The deployment of any additional OSCE mission depends on the approval of legislation on local elections, which so far has not been passed by Kiev, the Chancellor pointed out.

“If there is an election process, if there are election rules, then we can also talk about an OSCE mission, including armed missions. But at the moment it is not an urgent issue,” she said, adding that that “meetings should be regular for the peace process not to lose momentum.”

Hollande sided with Merkel and described the arrangement of Donbass elections as the “main task” of the political process in Ukraine.

Other unresolved issues remained, such as the definition of contact lines, with Poroshenko insisting that Debaltsevo, currently under control of the eastern Ukrainian rebels, should be handed over to Kiev.

The parties aim to continue working together on settlement in eastern Ukraine, in particular, in reaching “final agreements on the framework of implementation and enforcement of the agreement on special status of certain areas in Luhansk and Donetsk regions,” Putin said.

The Normandy Group will meet in November at the level of foreign ministers who are expected to thrash out the details of the roadmap.

Pause in Aleppo Bombings Comes Into Force in Syria

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201610201046526277-aleppo-bombing-pause/

A planned 11-hour pause in airstrikes on terrorist positions came into effect early Thursday in the stricken Syrian city of Aleppo.

The ceasefire was due to start at 8:00 a.m. local time (5:00GMT) and last until 7:00 p.m. (16:00GMT). It was extended from eight hours to eleven on Wednesday after request from international organizations.

Russian Defense Minister Shoigu said on Tuesday that Russian and Syrian air forces had halted attacks around the besieged city in preparation to Thursday’s humanitarian pause.

Russia's Ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, did not rule out extending the ceasefire in Aleppo, but stressed it had to be agreed on multilaterally.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) in Syria told Sputnik they were ready to bring in lifesaving aid and evacuate the sick and wounded from the eastern part of the city.

Heavy fighting continuing in and around Aleppo since Syrian government forces began a major offensive on the rebel-held eastern districts after the collapse of the ceasefire brokered by Russia and the United States in early September.

BREAKING:

Terrorists shell humanitarian corridor with mortars as civilians near Aleppo try to flee – reports

https://www.rt.com/news/363458-shelling-humanitarian-corridor-alepp%D0%BE/

Islamist militants have shelled a ‘humanitarian corridor’ set up to allow civilians to escape from the eastern Aleppo, RIA Novosti reported. The shelling came amid a ceasefire declared the by Syrian military and Russian Air Force.

At least six mortar shells were fired into the ‘humanitarian corridor’ by militants in the Bustan al-Qasr neighborhood of eastern Aleppo. Small arms fire was also directed at a Syrian army checkpoint, RIA Novosti reported on Thursday.

The exit from the corridor is approximately 200 meters from Islamist positions and apparently within reach of their small arms and mortar fire, according to the report.

Reports on civilian casualties were not immediately available. The Aleppo residents, some sick and wounded, were trying to flee Islamist-controlled eastern Aleppo with an escort from UN and Syrian Red Crescent personnel.

Meanwhile, other ‘humanitarian corridors’ on Aleppo’s Castello Road remain safe, and the evacuation of civilians is expected to begin shortly, with buses and ambulances on standby ready to go, RIA Novosti reported.

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BREAKING:

Terrorists shell humanitarian corridor with mortars as civilians near Aleppo try to flee – reports

https://www.rt.com/news/363458-shelling-humanitarian-corridor-alepp%D0%BE/

BREAKING:

Militants Attack Syrian Army Positions Near Castello Road in Aleppo

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201610201046556130-militants-castello-aleppo/

A RIA Novosti correspondent reported that militants have shelled Syrian army positions near the Castello road in Aleppo.

Castello Road is one of the exits that should be used for evacuation of civilians and militants who want to leave eastern Aleppo controlled by terrorists.

Currently, fire of small arms and heavy machine guns has been heard. The Syrian soldiers responded with machine guns' fire, the correspondent reported.

The attack began several minutes before the humanitarian pause ended.

A humanitarian pause in Russian and Syrian airstrikes on terrorist positions came into force in Aleppo earlier today. It will last until 7:00 p.m. local time (16:00 GMT). Civilians are encouraged to leave the war zone through six corridors, while two others are reserved for militants willing to lay down their arms.

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BREAKING: ISIS shoots down US aircraft in northeastern Syria

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/breaking-isis-shoots-us-aircraft-northeastern-syria/

ISIS militants have reportedly shot down a US A-10 Thunderbolt jet aircraft in Markadah town, located nearly 100 km to the south of Al-Hasakah.

According to the group's social media account, Aamaq Agency, US fighter jets pounded the wreckage of the plane where it was downed.

The fate of the pilot is still unknown.

The United States is helping the Kurdish militia in northern Syria fight the terror organization.

In neighboring Iraq, US forces are taking part along with Iraqi Army and paramilitary fighters in the battle to oust ISIS outside the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.