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

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Damascus Reveals The Location Of The Main Turkish Base Inside Syria
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/02/damascus-reveals-location-of-main.html

Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has renewed calls to the UN Security Council for an immediate end of the violations of The Syrian sovereignty by the Turkish Armed Forces.

The Ministry also published a list of all violations that occurred since last December.

The letter, which was addressed to the UN Secretary General and the President of the UN Security Council, mentions illegal incursions into Syrian territory, building a wall within the so-called Turkish buffer zones (which exist on the sovereign Syrian territory), destruction of the property belonging to the Syrian citizens such as uprooting of hundreds of olive trees in order to build roads for the tanks of the Turkish army (as recently seen in the village of Qljabreen in the Azaz area of Aleppo province) and illegal backing of the terrorist groups which are loyal to the regime in Ankara.

The letter further states that the Turkish authorities recently established a military base inside Syrian territory, more precisely in the village of Jtrar, North of the town of Tal Rifaat, located in the province of Aleppo. The base includes the headquarters for the Turkish army personnel and their allies who are stationed on the Syrian soil and are allegedly involved in the so-called “Operation Euphrates Shield”. Ammunition depots are also being mentioned.


The letter reads: “The Syrian Government renews calls to the UN Security Council to hold to its responsibilities and act in accordance with the International Law and to pressure Turkey in order to stop the violations of the Syrian Arab Republic’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. ”

A prominent Syrian analyst warned that Ankara still has strong ties with the leaders of the terrorist groups in Syria, including the ISIL and al-Nusra (Fatah al-Sham) Front.

Analyst: Turkey Still Supports Terrorists in Syria
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13951130001260

"Ankara has sent the terrorists from different parts of Aleppo, Idlib and Hama to the Northeastern parts of Aleppo to fight in the Euphrates Shield Operation," Rizzan Haddu told FNA on Saturday.

"Meantime, Ankara has some relations with the ISIL and al-Nusra too," he added.

Haddu underlined that if Turkey, supported by the NATO, were serious about the establishment of peace in Syria, it would not implement special plots in Syria and there would be no need to holding Geneva talks and negotiations with the militants.

Ankara has backed militants fighting against President Bashar al-Assad since the conflict began with anti-government protests in March 2011.

Turkey declared on August 24 that its Army has launched 'Euphrates Shield' military operation in Syria, as Ankara claims that it has begun to cleanse the ISIL terrorists from its border with the Arab country.

But, despite Ankara's allegation, Turkish military forces support militant groups in Northern Syria, and fight against Kurdish forces in the region.

Turkish officials have frequently stressed that operation 'Euphrates Shield' will continue to create a safe zone in Northern Syria, as demanded by US President Donald Trump.

Damascus had condemned Ankara's military operation and entry of Turkish special forces and tanks into Syria, while Moscow expressed deep concern about what is happening in the Syrian-Turkish border area.

A prominent Syrian analyst underlined that Russia has displayed its lack of trust in Ankara by hosting a recent meeting with the Kurds in Moscow.

Syrian Analyst: Russia's Distrust of Turkey Revealed by Meeting with Kurds
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13951130000899

"The meeting in Moscow with the participation of leaders of different Iraqi, Syrian and Turkish Kurd leaders indicated lack of trust between Ankara and Moscow," Khurshid Deli told FNA on Saturday.

"Moscow believes that Ankara has changed its rapprochement policy towards Russia, specially after the empowerment of Trump (the US president)," he added.

Deli said that Moscow has felt that Ankara is not serious about resolving the regional crises, specially in Syria, and it is still committed to its goal of overthrowing the Syrian government and imposing its options to rule Syria.

Moscow hosted a Kurdish conference on Feb. 15 that drew Kurdish political figures from neighboring Kurdish-populated countries.

The conference came to the agenda after a meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and representatives of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) on Syria on Jan. 27 in Moscow. That meeting was followed by Turkey’s blocking of the PYD’s participation in a conference on a cease-fire on Syria in Astana on Jan. 23-24.

Turkey did not want the PYD to take part in cease-fire talks, despite being a fighting party, because the PYD is the sister organization of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been fighting against Turkey for more than three decades in a war in which more than 40,000 people have been killed. The PKK is also designated as a terrorist organization by the US.

According to Turkey's Hurriyet newspaper, Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan is waiting for a clear signal from US President Donald Trump about his Syria strategy to revise his own.

Just as the next round of the UN-brokered intra-Syria talks kick on in Geneva on February 23, US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be meeting at the White House for their second face-to-face encounter since Trump’s inauguration on January 20.

How Territorial Dispute With Israel Could 'Kill the Peace Process in Syria'
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201702181050817788-israel-golans-dispute/

The Syrian crisis and the disputed Golan Heights both Israel and Syria claim as their own are expected to loom high on the agenda of the Washington meeting.

In an interview with Sputnik Arabic, the General Secretary of the opposition of Syrian Forces Union, Fajr Zeidan, said that Benjamin Netanyahu hopes to secure the US leader’s support for Israel’s claim to the strategic Golan Heights, a Syrian territory Israel has occupied since 1967.

If Trump throws his weight behind Israel’s claim, this would effectively kill the peace process in Syria.

Russia fully supports international efforts to implement provisions of US Resolution 2254, which calls for a ceasefire and political settlement in Syria.

The United States recently joined the search for an early end to the crisis, but if it recognizes Israel’s claim to the Golan Heights, this process would inevitably grind to a halt.

The Golan Heights, internationally recognized as Syrian territory, was seized by Israel during the Six-Day War in 1967. In 1981, the Israeli parliament voted to annex two-thirds of the region.

Syria insists that Israel should fully withdraw to the pre-1967 border, however, Israel is unwilling to accept such terms as it would give Syria access to the Sea of Galilee, which is Israel's main source of fresh water.

Al Qaeda militants, battling another armed faction, were rounded up, detained, and summarily executed by Daesh terrorists operating under the banner of Jund al-Aqsa in Syria.

Daesh Terrorists Conduct Mass Execution of Up to 200 Prisoners in Syria
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201702171050803535-daesh-terrorists-mass-execution-syria/

Both rebel factions, Al Qaeda (Nusra Front) and a group aligned with the Free Syrian Army (FSA), were engaged in deadly skirmishes in the Idlib and Hama provinces, when the fighting suddenly ground to a halt. Jund al-Aqsa fighters swarmed in a large offensive and captured an estimated 150 to 200 fighters.

The question of what to do with the prisoners after six days of detainment was solved when Jund al-Aqsa decided to "liquidate" all the prisoners "at the same time," according to Abdul Hakim al-Rahmon, a commander from the FSA-aligned Jaish al-Nasr faction.

Al Qaeda and Daesh are seen as arch-rivals in the quest to be the dominant jihadist group in the region.

The Jaish al-Nasr commander said that 160 of those killed were affiliated with the FSA, while 43 were from Al Qaeda. A separate war-monitoring service reported that 150 fighters had been slaughtered during the mass execution.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) had another productive day in the northern Deir Ezzor countryside as their forces took control of three new villages following other significant gains on Thursday and Friday.

US Airforce propels the Syrian Democratic Forces to capture three villages from ISIS
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/us-airforce-propels-the-syrian-democratic-forces-to-capture-three-villages-from-isis/

Effectively, the predominately Kurdish SDF imposed full control over Balash, Bir Adman, and Jarwan. These villages are located about 95 kilometers southwest of Hasakah city.

In support of the offensive, the U.S. Airforce conducted a total of 15 sorties across Islamic State territory in Syria on Saturday. Specially, airstrikes targeted Raqqa, Al-Bab, Deir Ezzor, Abu Kamal, and the aforementioned villages.

Meanwhile, the Euphrates Wrath offensive has seen Kurdish forces reach the outskirts of Raqqa after several facilities northeast of ISIS’ capital were captured earlier today.

According to one military source, SDF troops now overlook Division 17, a site adjacent to Raqqa which was captured by ISIS after a prolonged siege ultimately saw the Islamic State take control of the Syrian Army base in July 2014 and subsequently execute all captured soldiers.

Israel has established a medical corridor from the Northern part of the occupied Golan to its territories to transfer injured terrorists to its hospitals after terrorists sustained heavy casualties in their failed attacks on Syrian Army positions across Dara'a city in recent days, reports said.

Israel Backing Terrorists' Anti-Syria Operations via Setting up Medical Corridor
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13951130001070

The terrorist groups have been using a medical-logistical corridor set up by Israel to transfer their wounded members to Israeli hospitals after Ahrar al-Sham and Al-Nusra Front (recently renamed to Fatah al-Sham Front) sustained heavy casualties in their fresh round of operation codenamed al-Mowt Va La al-Mazelah in the neighborhood of al-Manshiyeh in the Western part of Dara'a city.

The Israeli regime in full coordination with terrorist groups has established a medical-logistical corridor near the Quneitra border in Northern occupied Golan to pave the ground for the easier transfer of injured militants in Syria to Israeli hospital and medical centers in the Northern part of occupied Palestinian territories, including Zeif medical center in Safad and Rambam hospital in Haifa.

Terrorist commanders in Dara'a have allowed all patients even those militants that have not been injured in battlefield to be transferred to Israel to be treated there free of charge.

In the meantime, Israeli soldiers deployed along the medical-logistical corridor have started criticizing their commanders due to Israel's unprecedented logistical back up for terrorist groups in Syria.

A military source disclosed earlier today that the Al-Nusra Front has received almost $100,000 from some western countries, Arab States of the Persian Gulf and Israel to stage massive attacks on the Syrian Army in Dara'a.

The source said that a meeting was held amongst representatives of the security bodies of some western states, Arab countries in the Persian Gulf and Israel in one of the residential areas in Dara'a with the commanders of terrorist groups on February 13-14.

The source went on to say that commanders of the terrorist groups received $100,000 in the meeting to intensify attacks on government forces' positions in Dara'a.

The source said that terrorist groups knew that they would suffer heavy defeat in battle with the Syrian army but conducted the attack in order not to lose the financial supports of their foreign backers for future operations in Dara'a.

He underlined the terrorist groups' heavy defeat in the battle with the army men, saying the terrorist front has collapsed and the terrorists only try to save their credit in the eyes of their foreign backers.

 

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US Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to counter Daesh thinks that Russia tried to resolve Syrian crisis, however the issue still remains.

Russia Tries to Deescalate Syrian Crisis, but Questions Remain - Coalition Envoy
https://sputniknews.com/world/201702191050840654-russia-syria-deescalation-envoy/

Russia tried to deescalate situation Syria, but questions on its ability to influence remain, US Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to counter Daesh, Brett McGurk, said Sunday at the Munich Security Conference.

actually think Russia did really try to do something to deescalate violence in a critical period… but as the US and Russia begin to join up and find a potential way forward that Russia's ability to actually deliver on the ground is a question mark in our eyes," McGurk said.

The Syrian army, supported by the Russian air force, continued military operations in Eastern Homs and won back control of several points in the Western parts of the ancient city of Tadmur (Palmyra).

Syrian Army Inches Closer to Palmyra
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13951201001204

After fierce clashes with the ISIL terrorists and leaving tens of dead and wounded militants, the army forces regained full control of the two regions of al-Majbal and al-Ramal on the road linking Homs and Tadmur cities.

Concurrent with the operations, the Russian fighter jets heavily bombed ISIL's positions in the two regions and their nearby areas, inflicting casualties on the terrorists.

A military source said that the Syrian army forces are now 8km away from the Western gates of Tadmur city near al-Sawaqah school after liberating al-Ramal region and they are now able to lay siege on ISIL militants in certain districts from the three Northern, Western and Southern directions.

A prominent Russian military analyst underlined that a major battle will start against the terrorist groups in Raqqa in the near future, adding that the massive military operations will prevent the Turkey-backed forces' further advance and disintegration of Syria.

Russian Military Expert: Syria to Start Major Anti-Terrorism Battle in Raqqa Soon
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13951201000667

"The major battle in Syria will start within one month or a little time more than one month with the aim of liberating Raqqa city as the ISIL's main base in Syria, and other regions occupied by the terrorist group," Yuri Larogov said in an interview with Gazeta.ru newspaper.

He also said that given the current complicated situation in peace talks in Astana, every one should remember that the truce doesn’t include the terrorist groups like the ISIL and al-Nusra (Fatah al-Sham) Front that the international community has legitimized fighting against them.

A squadron of Tu-95MS strategic bombers equipped with advanced missiles struck repeatedly ISIL's positions in Raqqa in Northeastern Syria on Friday, using the airspace of Iran and Iraq to reach the targets, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The Russian ministry announced in a statement on Friday that the country's fighter jets targeted training and command centers of a large terrorist group affiliated to ISIL in Raqqa's countryside.

The statement said that the Russian bombers left their bases and flew over Iran and Iraq, targeting ISIL's positions in Raqqa by Kh-101-air-to-surface cruise missiles.

The statement further added that several Sukhoi-30 SM and Sukhoi-33 fighter jets took off from Humeimim airbase in Lattakia and backed up the Russian squadron in the Raqqa operation.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said that Ankara will be part of an operation to kick the ISIL terror group out of the Syrian city of Raqqa, though not directly, if a deal with US-led coalition can be reached.

Turkish PM: Turkey Not to Involve Directly in Raqqa Operation
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13951201000825

"We will not be directly inside an operation on Raqqa, we will provide tactical support, of course if we agree in principle,” Yildirim said in Germany, where he went to attend the Munich Security Conference, Anadolu reported.

“The opportunities and capabilities are being reviewed,” he said.

Yildirim said that “... Free Syrian Army (FSA) and other groups” would go in the forefront as one group and “we will be in the back,” adding that the US and Turkey would have military presence at the Raqqa operation.

Media sources privy to the terrorist groups disclosed that Liwa al-Aqsa militants, a branch of Jund al-Aqsa that is an ally of Ahrar al-Sham, have executed tens of their rival Jeish al-Nasr terrorists in Idlib province, adding that 400 al-Nusra-affiliated terrorists have already been killed in the clashes.

Idlib: Liwa Al-Aqsa Executes 70 Rival Jeish Al-Nasr Terrorists, Commanders
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13951201001067

Liwa al-Aqsa has executed at least 70 members of the Jeish al-Nasr terrorists who had been captured in Northern Hama," sources said. They said that 11 commanders and 3 media people of Jeish al-Nasr terrorist group were among the 70 executed by Liwa al-Aqsa.

The sources also said that around 400 terrorists of Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at (the Levant Liberation Board) - that is mainly formed of Al-Nusra terrorists - were also killed in clashes with Jund al-Aqsa.

Earlier in February, media sources privy to the terrorist groups disclosed that the newly-formed Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at (the Levant Liberation Board) has declared war on Jund al-Aqsa after the latter managed to take control of several towns in Southern Idlib.

The sources said that Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at has declared war against Liwa al-Aqsa, a branch of Jund al-Aqsa in Hama province.

They added that one of Abu Abdul Malek al-Shami, a commander of Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at, has underlined his forces' firm will to annihilate Liwa al-Aqsa.

The sources said that combatants of Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at have driven Liwa al-Aqsa forces out of the town of al-Tamanna in Southern Idlib.

The Hay'at's decision to open war on Jund al-Aqsa came after the Liwa al-Aqsa took control of the town of Kafr Sajneh in Southern Idlib.

The ISIL terrorist group executed one of its own senior commanders as he was trying to flee with a large amount of cash from areas under the terrorist group's control in the countryside of Hasaka in Northern Syria.

ISIL Executes Senior Commander in Hasaka
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13951201001221

Abu Mohammad was captured as he was trying to flee the town of Merkedeh with $150,000 of cash, local sources in Hasaka province disclosed. The ISIL executed Abu Mohammad after accusing him of spying for the coalition forces.

In a relevant development in late October, the ISIL executed eight of its own senior militants, including two Saudi nationals, in the Southern part of Hasaka city as they were trying to flee to the neighboring provinces.

"Six top ISIL security chiefs were executed in the town of Merkedeh while they were trying to escape to Deir Ezzur province," an informed source said.

The source also noted that the ISIL also executed two of its own Saudi militants in Merkedeh city.

There have been frequent reports that ISIL has executed fighters and civilians for attempting to flee its territory in Syria and Iraq, or for alleged spying.

Europeans are becoming less and less likely to grant Washington the role of world leader. In addition, four NATO member countries would prefer to ally themselves with Russia if their country was attacked, such are the results of a recent survey conducted in 66 countries.

In four NATO countries, people would prefer the protection of Russia
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/02/in-four-nato-countries-people-would.html

The population of four NATO member states would prefer to have a military alliance with Russia if their country was attacked, in the results of a survey carried out by the sociologists of WIN / Gallup International.

As the results of the survey show, Russia was chosen by Bulgarians, Greeks, Slovenes and Turks.

Further as to the main threat, the Greeks and Bulgarians cite Turkey, a NATO member country that they should nevertheless perceive as their ally. However, the Turkish occupation of northern Cyprus in 1974 demonstrated that the inhabitants of these countries cannot count on the protection of the Alliance, which means that they choose Russia, explains the Bloomberg agency.

Most respondents would prefer to have the United States as an ally. However, experts note that people are reacting actively to changes in the structure of international security since the end of the Cold War.

Thus, the Chinese chose Russia, the Russians China. According to WIN / Gallup International Vice-President Kancho Stoychev, this shows that the policy pursued by Washington over the past 20 years has led to a rapprochement between Moscow and Beijing.

James Davis, Dean of the School of Economics and Science at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland, said that the results of the inquiry also testify to a religious schism in Europe: the Greeks And the Bulgarians choose Orthodox Russia, Ukrainian and Bosnian societies are divided. However, Romania, predominantly Orthodox, chose the United States, but Slovenia, Catholic, opted for Russia.

Moreover, following the American operation in Iraq, Europeans are less and less considering that Washington must play a leading role in the world. The study was conducted with more than 1,000 people in each of the 66 countries surveyed. The statistical margin of error is between 3.5 and 5%.

The United States will send about 1,000 military personnel to Poland in April, German Spiegel magazine wrote, referring to a statement by US Army Europe.

US to Deploy 1,000 Soldiers to Poland to Deter Alleged 'Russian Aggression'
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201702191050841466-us-soldiers-poland/

According to the report, US military will head toward Europe at the end of March and will be deployed in the town of Orzysz in the northeastern part of the country.

At the last summit of the military alliance in Warsaw, NATO decided to deploy multinational battalions in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland as part of its mission to deter alleged Russian aggression. The battalions are expected to be deployed on a rotating basis, with Canada stationing its troops in Latvia, Germany, Lithuania, Great Britain, Estonia and the United States stationing its troops in Poland.

NATO is pursuing a double strategy against Russia. On the one hand, it wants to show off its military strength by means of the deployment of troops and military maneuvers on the territory of its eastern allies. On the other hand, it does not want to break the dialogue with Moscow," the magazine wrote.

At least 30 people were injured and one policeman killed in an explosion in the Colombian capital of Bogota on Sunday.

Explosion Rocks Colombian Capital: Over 30 Injured
https://sputniknews.com/latam/201702191050845434-bogota-explosion-casualties/

"31 are wounded, two are in a critical condition as a result of a blast… that occurred in the morning," local authorities said earlier in the day.

According to Caracol, 20 of those injured are police officers.

Media reports suggested that a high-capacity explosive device damaged several buildings nearby.

Previously, RCN agency reported that 10 police officers and one civilian were injured in the blast. According to preliminary data, an object rigged with explosives detonated in front of a police convoy in the center of Bogota. The site the explosion was cordoned off by the police for investigation.

Those injured have been transported to the hospital. Two have been reportedly detained in connection with the explosion.

 

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Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin Dies
https://sputniknews.com/russia/201702201050877665-russian-ambassador-churkin-dies/

Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin died at the age of 64, just a day before his 65th birthday, in New York on Monday.

Four Russian servicemen were killed and two wounded when a car bomb was detonated on February 16, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday.

Four Russian Servicemen Killed, Two Wounded in Car Blast in Syria
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201702201050865341-russia-syria-car-blast-casualties/

"Russian military medics are fighting to save their lives," the ministry said in a statement.

The vehicle was part of a motorcade transporting Syrian troops with the Russian military advisers from the Tiyas airbase to the city of Homs, when the mine detonated 2.5 miles away from the point of departure.

At least four people were injured after terrorist groups shelled residential neighborhoods of the Syrian city of Aleppo.

Terrorist Shelling Wounds Four Civilians in Syria's Aleppo
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201702201050871355-shelling-aleppo-syria-civilians/

According to the SANA news agency, terrorists targeted the Halap al-Jadideh neighborhood in the western countryside of Aleppo.

Last week, the Syrian army liberated eight settlements located near the Kuweires airbase and the Aleppo-Raqqa road in the Aleppo province, northern Syria, as part of their offensive to create a safe zone around the base to ensure its stable operations.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has ordered to provide assistance to the families of Russian medics killed during an attack by militants on a hospital in Syria's Aleppo, the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

Russian Defense Minister Orders to Help Families of Medics Killed in Aleppo
https://sputniknews.com/russia/201612061048221823-aleppo-medics-assistance/

Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Monday militants of the so-called Syrian opposition attacked a Russian mobile military hospital in Aleppo, killing two Russian military medics and wounding one. Local residents also sustained wounds.

"Russian Defense Minister General of the Army Sergei Shoigu has given instructions to provide all required aid to the families of military medics… Nadezhda Durachenko and Galina Mikhailova, killed during an attack on the hospital in Aleppo, as well as seriously wounded professor… Vadim Arsentyev," the ministry said.

Russian doctor Vadim Arsentyev, seriously wounded in Aleppo, has been delivered to Hmeimim airbase and get operated, his condition is stable, Russia's Defense Ministry also said.

Israeli bulldozers demolished a pipeline in the Jordan Valley region, which provided at least 47 Palestinian families with water, according to local media.

Israeli Forces Destroy UNICEF-Funded Water Pipeline in West Bank
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201702201050876139-israel-west-bank-settlements/

Israeli forces destroyed a water pipeline in the occupied West Bank on Monday, media reported, citing local officials.

Israeli bulldozers demolished a pipeline in the Jordan Valley region, which provided at least 47 Palestinian families with water, the Ma’an news agency reported.

The pipeline was funded by the United Nations Children’s Funds (UNICEF) with a construction cost worth 12,500 euros ($13,270), the news agency specified.

Earlier in February, Israeli forces demolished structures owned by Palestinians in the village of Kardala in the northeastern part of the West Bank, according to media reports.

About 500,000 Israeli settlers are estimated to be living in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, which Israel partially captured during the the Six-Day War in 1967. The settlements are considered illegal by the United Nations.

France is withdrawing its military from the Central African Republic in order to fight Daesh terrorists in the Middle East. Portuguese soldiers will replace them, joining the UN mission to stabilize the civil war-ravaged republic. Sputnik Brazil spoke with Lieutenant Colonel Hélder António da Silva Perdigão, about the mission.

Portuguese Step in to Help UN Tackle Humanitarian Catastrophe in Central Africa
https://sputniknews.com/africa/201702201050869655-portuguese-soldiers-in-central-africa/

Recently Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa visited Portuguese soldiers in the Central African Republic (CAR) who'd been sent there to participate in a UN peacekeeping operation. The Minister paid a visit to the capital of the Republic, Bangui, where Portuguese soldiers are based at an airport.

On the ground, the Minister confirmed that the Portuguese soldiers were participating in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).

[...] During his visit to CAR, the minister further noted that the Portuguese will replace the French units being redeployed to fight Daesh due to the large number of terrorist attacks that have occurred in France.

Although the French military is leaving CAR in order to fight Daesh elsewhere, the United Nations is looking at a number of reports suggesting that the French military sexually assaulted many of the local citizens while stationed in the republic.

There is a reference to a case where in the province of Kemo, the French commander paid girls to have sexual relations with a dog. There have been reports saying that the commander paid at least four girls 10 euros, tied them up, stripped them naked and forced them to have sex with a canine.

One of them, a younger girl, later died due to an unknown disease.

 

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Russian ambassador to UN Vitaly Churkin dies day before turning 65 (Video)
https://www.rt.com/news/377988-russian-ambassador-churkin-un-dies/


20 Feb, 2017 - Vitaly Churkin, who served as Russia's permanent representative to the United Nations since 2006, "died suddenly" in New York, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced.

Churkin would have turned 65 on Tuesday.

The announcement "of the untimely passing away of Ambassador Vitaly Churkin this morning" was met with shock when it was delivered during a session at the UN headquarters.

"He was a dear colleague of all of us, a deeply committed diplomat of his country and one of the finest people we have known," a UN official who delivered the news to her colleagues said.

The moment of silence in Churkin's memory was announced at the UN.

"He was an outstanding person. He was brilliant, bright, a great diplomat of our age," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told RT, adding that the news of Churkin's death was "completely shocking."

President Putin has expressed his condolences to Churkin's family and to all Russian diplomats.

Churkin fell ill in his office at Russia's UN mission and was taken to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, where he died Monday, AP reported, citing Russia's deputy UN ambassador, Vladimir Safronkov. The cause of death wasn't immediately known, the agency reported.

RUSSIA'S ambassador to the United Nations has died after being rushed to hospital this morning suffering heart problems.

Russian ambassador to UN dies after being rushed to hospital in New York (Photos - Video)
http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/769785/Vitaly-Churkin-dies-Russia-ambassador-United-Nations

Vitaly Churkin has served as Russia’s permanent representative to the UN since 2006.

The 64-year-old was at the Russian embassy in Manhattan when he became sick with a “cardiac condition” around 9.00am this morning.

He was unconscious and needed CPR when he was rushed to New York Presbyterian Hospital.

But the diplomat has died in hospital, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday.

The ministry gave no details on the circumstances of his death but offered condolences to his relatives and said the diplomat had died one day before his 65th birthday.

He is survived by his wife and two children. (Article continues.)

 

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Russia's envoy to the UN Office in Geneva Aleksey Borodavkin said that he is going to meet with the head of Damascus delegation to the intra-Syria talks in Geneva, Bashar Jaafari.

Russia's Envoy to UN Geneva Office to Meet Head of Damascus Delegation
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201702221050946057-russia-geneva-un-syria-talks/

Russia's envoy to the UN Office in Geneva Aleksey Borodavkin told Sputnik on Wednesday he would meet with the head of Damascus delegation to the intra-Syria talks in Geneva, Bashar Jaafari, later in the day.

"Yes," Borodavkin said, asked whether he was going to meet with Jaafari later on Wednesday before the official beginning of the talks in Geneva on Thursday.

First deputy chairman of Russia's Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security Franz Klintsevich called US Army Lt. Gen. Herbert Raymond McMaster who was appointed as the US president's national security adviser "a 100-percent threat to Russia."

Russian Lawmaker Calls US National Security Adviser McMaster ‘100% Threat’
https://sputniknews.com/world/201702211050905014-russia-us-mcmaster-security-threat/

The appointment of US Army Lt. Gen. Herbert Raymond McMaster as the US president's national security adviser poses a 100-percent danger to Russia, first deputy chairman of Russia's Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security Franz Klintsevich told Sputnik on Tuesday.

McMaster's appointment was announced on Monday by US President Donald Trump.

"McMaster is… a 100-percent threat to Russia from the US, and it's not getting weaker or smaller. Defense and intelligence wing of Washington will carry out a Russophobic policy," Klintsevich said.

The former administration’s trend in US way of treating Russia remains unchanged, Klintsevich said.

Earlier in the day, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia was patiently waiting for Washington to form its position toward Moscow.

McMaster is known to be supportive of necessity of ready army forces to "prevent the aggressor from doing what Russia has in Ukraine," according to his report entitled "Continuity and Change. The Army Operating Concept and Clear Thinking About Future War," published in 2015.

The appointment of McMaster comes after Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn resigned over information that he inadvertently briefed Vice President Michael Pence and other White House officials with incomplete information about his phone conversations with the Russian ambassador to the United States before Trump's inauguration.

Commenting on the recent appointment of US Army Lt. Gen. Herbert Raymond McMaster as the next US president's national security adviser after the resignation of Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, RIA Novosti political analyst Alexander Khrolenko provides his reasons why it should be viewed as a "worrying signal to Russia and the world."

Why New US National Security Adviser is a Worrying Signal to Russia, World
https://sputniknews.com/world/201702221050939862-us-mcmaster-worrying-signal/

How useful for the US Herbert McMaster will be in the role of the national security adviser remains to be seen. However his reputation of a commander has already been engraved in stone," Khrolenko writes in his article for RIA Novosti.

He calls the appointment of McMaster, whom the US media describes as "the US Army’s leading warrior-intellectual," a "worrying signal to Russia and the world."

Khrolenko points to an article written by Politico's national security correspondent Bryan Bender on the "secret US army study that targets Moscow," which at the time was overseen by Army Lt. Gen. McMaster.

"Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster has a shaved head and a gung-ho manner that only add to his reputation as the US Army’s leading warrior-intellectual, one who often quotes famed Prussian general and military theorist Carl Von Clausewitz. A decade ago, McMaster fought a pitched battle inside the Pentagon for a new concept of warfare to address the threat from Islamist terrorists and insurgents in Afghanistan, Iraq and other trouble spots. Now, his new mission is more focused. Target: Moscow," Bender wrote for Politico back in April.

It was McMaster, the author noted, who was the first to tell the Senate Armed Services Committee that "it is clear that while our Army was engaged in Afghanistan and Iraq, Russia studied US capabilities and vulnerabilities and embarked on an ambitious and largely successful modernization effort."

McMaster, the author said, was not just simply critical of his colleagues, but put together a manual on the Ukrainian war theater entitled Russia New Generation Warfare Study.

"The high-level but low-profile effort is intended to ignite a wholesale rethinking — and possibly even a redesign — of the Army in the event it has to confront the Russians in Eastern Europe," he further said.

"It is expected to have a profound impact on what the US Army will look like in the coming years, the types of equipment it buys and how its units train," he suggested.

McMaster, as head of the Army Capabilities Integration Center at Fort Eustis, Virginia therefore "is responsible for figuring out what the Army should look like in 2025 and beyond."

His effort is expected to become "the most dramatic rethinking since the collapse of the Soviet Union."

"These are the kind of issues the US Army hasn’t worked since the end of the Cold War 25 years ago," the author quotes retired General Wesley Clark, who served as NATO commander from 1997 to 2000, as saying.

While addressing the Senate Armed Services Committee, McMaster then said that "Russia possesses a variety of rocket, missile and cannon artillery systems that outrange and are more lethal than US Army artillery systems and munitions."

Meanwhile, Bender quoted retired General Wesley Clark as saying that Russia's tanks "are so improved that they are "largely invulnerable to anti-tank missiles."

Bender also noted that US military and intelligence officials worry that "Moscow now has the advantage in key areas. Lighter armored vehicles like those the Army relied on heavily in Iraq and Afghanistan are highly vulnerable to its new weapons. And main battle tanks like Russia’s T-90 —thought to be an anachronism in recent conflicts — are still decisive."

As well as about "the combination of unmanned aerial systems and offensive cyber and advanced electronic warfare capabilities," which "depict a high degree of technological sophistication.”

"Eloquent comparison," Khrolenko says, taken that Russia and US had never met as adversaries on a battlefield.

"Those in Pentagon now think that Russia's efforts on modernization of its nuclear forces and the conflicts in eastern Ukraine and in Syria will lead to serious changes in the US ground troops. And the new US president's national security adviser is able to seriously boost the militarization of US," RIA Novosti correspondent says.

In his analysis of the new US national security adviser, Khrolenko also refers to the article of Defense One on McMaster's Russia New Generation Warfare Study.

"Speaking recently at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., McMaster said that the two-year-old conflict [in eastern Ukraine] had revealed that the Russians have superior artillery firepower, better combat vehicles, and have learned sophisticated use of UAVs for tactical effect. Should US forces find themselves in a land war with Russia, he said, they would be in for a rude, cold awakening," the outlet quotes him as saying.

“We spend a long time talking about winning long-range missile duels,” said McMaster. But long-range missiles only get you through the front door. The question then becomes what will you do when you get there.

“Look at the enemy countermeasures,” he said, noting Russia’s use of nominally semi-professional forces who are capable of “dispersion, concealment, intermingling with civilian populations…the ability to disrupt our network strike capability, precision navigation and timing capabilities.” All of that means “you’re probably going to have a close fight… Increasingly, close combat overmatch is an area we’ve neglected, because we’ve taken it for granted.”

Commenting on the above remarks, Khrolenko therefore notes that "Ukrainian realities bring McMaster back to military concepts and anti-guerilla strategies on a qualitatively new level, a level of foreign policy decisions." The Aim of such decisions will be direct and indirect containment of Russia without drawing the US into the Third World War.

If we extrapolate the longstanding experience of the new US national security advisor and his views on the US' foreign policy, we could foretell high probability of new military conflicts in various parts of the planet in the nearest future. I also suggest that the new Pentagon's chief, James Mattis will be eager to support hybrid concepts and military solutions of his co-thinker," he finally stated.

Commenting on the recent appointment of US Army Lt. Gen. Herbert Raymond McMaster as the US president's national security adviser after the resignation of Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, former senior security policy analyst to the US secretary of defense Michael Maloof told Radio Sputnik why it might mean more US troops in Iraq and Syria.

General McMaster's Appointment Might Mean 'More US Forces in Iraq and Syria'
https://sputniknews.com/world/201702221050953017-mcmaste-troops-iraq-syria/

US Army Lt. Gen. Herbert Raymond McMaster is a highly accomplished officer, who has served twice in Iraq and in Afghanistan. He is a known strategic thinker and he has got a reputation for standing up to authority," he told Sputnik.

Michael Maloof further noted that US Army Lt. Gen McMaster is well-known for his famous book Dereliction of Duty which explored the military's role in the policies of the Vietnam War and harshly criticized high-ranking officers of that era for their failure to provide a successful plan of action.

"Nobody actually criticized then President Lyndon Johnson and Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara for their strategy of the Vietnam war," Michael Maloof told Sputnik.

"That book today is a must read for all military officers and as a consequence he brings to the office that ability to stand up to the president if he thinks that he is wrong," he added.

The former senior security policy analyst then elaborated on the role of the national security adviser, which is, he said, is to bring together the opinions of the secretary of defense, the secretary of state, the leadership and the intelligence community on a particular issue. Then the adviser presents options to the president to choose from.

"Therefore, you need someone with leadership capabilities to be able to do it. And he has it," he said, referring to McMaster.

He further recalled that during the war in Iraq, McMaster helped to develop the initial strategy, and was against the withdrawal of troops, an issue which he not changed his mind on since.

"His notion is let's send in the troops and get the job done and hold it. And it suggests to me that we may be seeing a strategy recommendation to the president where we might be introducing more troops into Iraq and potentially Syria if they can get all the arrangements made," he then stated.

Department of Defense spokesperson Jeff Davis said that United States is currently not looking to boost cooperation with Russia in Syria beyond the existing de-confliction channel.

US Not Looking for Greater Cooperation With Russia in Syria - Pentagon
https://sputniknews.com/world/201702211050917884-us-russia-syria/

The United States is currently not looking to boost cooperation with Russia in Syria beyond the existing de-confliction channel, US Department of Defense spokesperson Jeff Davis told Sputnik on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said the two countries could establish cooperation with joint actions against terrorists in Syria's Raqqa.

We have a good process right now with the de-confliction with Russia. We are able to talk and make sure our air operations don't interfere with each other, but we are not looking at any greater cooperation at the moment," Davis said.

Russia, Turkey and Iran are key players in Syrian conflict settlement, the US special presidential envoy for the US-led coalition against Daesh, Brett McGurk, said Sunday at the Munich Security Conference.

US Coalition Envoy Considers Russia, Iran, Turkey 'Main Influencers' in Syria
https://sputniknews.com/politics/201702191050840899-coalition-syria-russia-iran-turkey/

The first round of the intra-Syrian peace talks in Kazakhstan's capital of Astana were held on January 23-24, resulting in Moscow-Tehran-Ankara agreement on establishment of a trilateral mechanism to monitor the ceasefire in Syria.

The talks brokered by Russia, Iran and Turkey brought together the representatives of the Syrian government and the armed opposition groups for the first time since the beginning of the Syrian war in 2011.

I think, the Astana track having Russia, Turkey and Iran is very important, because in many parts of Syria, where the civil war is raging those are the main influencers on the ground," McGurk said.

McGurk's comment came in response to UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura’s remark on the role of the White House in tackling the Syrian crisis, made at the Munich Security Conference panel on Syria.

De Mistura said the new US administration was revising its operations in Syria. "Potential inclusion of a new type of development between Russia and the US on the Syrian file and how to expand the ceasefire into something much more concrete plus fighting Daesh depends on knowing where the US is," he said.

McGurk, who represents the White House at the coalition, argued the UN should not expect that Washington would come up with a one-size-fits-all solution.

The de-escalation in Syria might lead to Syrian conflict resolution, but it should be reinforced, he said. "There might be some opportunities simply because of the de-escalatory cycle that we have seen, but we really would after reinforce this."

Central Command commander Gen. Joseph Votel said that United States may need to send more troops to fight the Daesh in Syria.

US May Need Additional Troops to Fight Daesh in Syria - Central Command
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201702221050944020-us-syria-daesh/

The United States may need to send more troops to fight the Daesh in Syria, Central Command commander Gen. Joseph Votel said on Wednesday.

"I am very concerned about maintaining momentum," The New York Times quoted Votel as telling reporters. "It could be that we take on a larger burden ourselves."

On Friday, US Department of Defense spokesman Jeff Davis said the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) was close to fully isolating Raqqa as part of the operation to liberate the city from the Daesh.

But Turkey, which views the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) as an arm of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), has opposed US efforts to directly arm the Kurdish forces.

Votel said one option to maintain momentum against the Daesh would be for the Pentagon to "bring more of our assets to bear" instead of relying on partners on the ground, or bringing other forces to the fight for Raqqa.

However, he would not necessarily advocate for large numbers of Special Operations troops.

The United States currently has about 500 Special Operations forces on the ground in Syria.

The newspaper reported that US troops in Syria could expand their advise and assist mission to including firing artillery and mortars in support of local forces, similar to the role US troops play in Iraq.

 

[angelburst29]

The Russian Armed Forces have inflicted major damage on terrorists in Syria, which helped facilitate talks between Damascus and opposition, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.

Putin: Russia Inflicts Major Damage on Terrorists in Syria, It Helps Start Talks
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201702231050980514-putin-russia-syria-operation-talks/

"[You] caused significant damage to international terrorist groups, their bases, their arms and munitions depots, the equipment and infrastructure. And of course, this facilitated the positive results of all countries which are fighting international terrorism in this case in Syria, and promoted the creation of conditions to continue the peace talks between the Syrian government and the armed opposition," Putin said speaking to Russian servicemen on the Defender of the Fatherland Day.

Thousands of militants from Russia and former Soviet republics are presently in Syria, Putin said. (Article continues.)

U.S. Senator (R) John McCain illegally crossed into Syria last week while visiting U.S troops advising Kurdish forces in the northern part of the country.

US Congressman John McCain illegally enters Syria to meet with Kurds
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/us-congressman-john-mccain-illegally-enters-syria-meet-kurds/

23/02/2017 - On Wednesday, Julie Tarallo, a spokeswoman for McCain, confirmed that he’d made the trip, calling it a “valuable opportunity to assess dynamic conditions on the ground in Syria and Iraq.”“ valuable opportunity to assess dynamic conditions on the ground in Syria and Iraq.”

McCain has illegally crossed into Syria before, visiting Islamist rebels in northern Syria during the third year of this conflict.

Known as a war hawk in congress, McCain has repeatedly called for the U.S. to directly intervene in Syria on behalf of the Islamist rebels fighting the Syrian Government.

McCain travelled to Syria this week to visit US forces present there and discuss the campaign against Daesh.

US Senator McCain Visits Syria to Assess ‘Dynamic Conditions’ on Ground
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201702231050962663-mccain-visit-syria/

US Senator John McCain travelled to Syria this week to visit US forces present there and discuss the campaign against Daesh terror group, McCain’s spokesperson said in a release.

"Senator McCain’s visit was a valuable opportunity to assess dynamic conditions on the ground in Syria and Iraq," the release stated on Wednesday.

The spokesperson also said President Donald Trump was right to order a 30-day review of US strategy against Daesh.

"Senator McCain looks forward to working with the administration and military leaders to optimize our approach for accomplishing ISIL’s lasting defeat," the release said.

On Tuesday, US Defense Department spokesperson Jeff Davis said in a briefing that the 30-day policy review will address the threat posed by Daesh globally.

Syria's Minister for National Reconciliation Ali Haidar told Sputnik that Damascus has not changed its stance on the presence of Turkish troops and considers it to be occupation of the country.

Damascus Hopes to Resolve Issue of Turkish Troops' Presence in Syria Politically
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201702231050971243-syria-turkey-troops-ali-haidar/

The Syrian government hopes that the issue of Turkey's military presence in Syria will be handled by political means and will not result in direct confrontation, Syria's Minister for National Reconciliation Ali Haidar told Sputnik.

It would be desirable to settle [the issue of Turkish military presence] in its early stage by political means, without letting it evolve into direct military confrontation," the minister said.

Haidar added that Ankara is creating preconditions for a conflict situation by its military presence in Syria.

Our stance on the presence of Turkish military forces has not changed. This is the violation of the sovereignty and occupation of Syria," the minister said.

Haidar also posed the question whether it would be possible for Russia to prevent the situation from growing into military confrontation and persuade Turkey to give up the idea of continuing military presence in Syria for a long-term period.

On Friday, local media reported that the Syrian Foreign Ministry sent letters to UN secretary general and UN Security Council’s chairman, urging to exert influence on Ankara to put an end to continued Turkish aggression against Syrian sovereignty and its territorial integrity.

At least 11 civilians were killed in the northern Syrian town of al-Bab over 24 hours, as a result of shelling by the Turkish artillery, Syria's SANA reported Tuesday, citing local sources.

Turkish Shelling Kills at Least 11 Civilians in North Syria's al-Bab
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201702211050903153-turkish-shelling-civilians-al-bab/

According to the SANA news agency, there were three children and four women among those killed. The shelling reportedly heavily damaged residential buildings and infrastructure in the town.

Daesh terrorists are leaving the Syrian city of Al-Bab as the Free Syrian Army (FSA), backed by the Turkish armed forces, regained control of the city, reports the news agency Anadolu.

Daesh Terrorists Flee Al-Bab as FSA, Turkish Soldiers Seize the City Center
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201702231050976751-daesh-leave-al-bab/

Sputnik Turkey correspondent Hikmet Dorgun confirmed the information. According to a source in the FSA, Daesh terrorists who were trapped in the eastern part of the city began to withdraw their units and weapons from the region.

According to information received from Anadolu Agency reporters in Al-Bab, the FSA is currently clearing the city center of mines laid by Daesh.

"The city center is under FSA control now. We're moving forward, considering mines and explosives around," Ahmed al-Shahabi, the FSA field commander, said as cited by Anadolu.

Al-Bab is one of Daesh’s last remaining strongholds near the Turkish border. Capturing the city is of strategic importance to Turkey in order to prevent the Syrian Kurds taking it and unifying their own territories.

Earlier, it was reported that the Turkish military operation in Syria's al-Bab has entered the final stage. Turkey's units entered central al-Bab, the operation is being conducted in coordination with Russia to prevent clashes with Syrian government forces.

The Turkish forces have reportedly killed 385 civilians inside the city of Al-Bab since launching their operations in Fall 2016, the Islamic State’s media wing, Al-‘Amaq, alleged on Wednesday.

Almost 400 civilians massacred by Turkish forces in Al-Bab: Al-Amaq
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/almost-400-civilians-massacred-turkish-forces-al-bab-al-amaq/

23/02/2017 - The Turkish forces have reportedly killed 385 civilians inside the city of Al-Bab since launching their operations in Fall 2016, the Islamic State’s media wing, Al-‘Amaq, alleged on Wednesday.

This claim from the Islamic State comes just one week after the Turkish Air Force reportedly bombed Al-Bab City, killing two dozen civilians and destroying several homes.

While ISIS is undoubtedly guilty of many crimes in Syria and Iraq, the people living inside Al-Bab City have been forced to live under three different groups over the last five years, making them the target for every attacking force.

The Turkish forces have repeatedly attempted to capture the city from the Islamic State; however, every time they make a big push, they are forced to retreat on a later date due to the terrorist group’s counter-attacks.

Russian servicemen have delivered 2 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Syrian residents.

Russia Delivers Aid, Children’s Toys to Syria
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201702231050965274-russia-delivers-aid-syria/

Russian servicemen have delivered 2 tonnes (metric tons) of humanitarian aid to Syrian residents, including toys and crafting supplies for children, the Russian center for Syrian reconciliation announced in its daily bulletin.

"The Russian center for the reconciliation of the conflicting sides has carried out seven humanitarian operations in the cities of Aleppo (six), Homs (one)," the statement says, adding that a total of 2 tonnes of humanitarian cargo were delivered to 3,460 civilians as a result of the operations.

Russian planes have also delivered 20.5 tonnes of aid to the Deir ez-Zor area. The aid was passed to the Syrian authorities through UN channels.

 

[angelburst29]

Local sources said that a senior commander of ISIL terrorists who had come from the US has been killed by unknown assailants in Southern Hasaka.

American Emir of ISIL Terrorists Killed by Unidentified Raiders in Northeastern Syria
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13951204001039

The sources said that ISIL found the body of Abu Fariq al-Ameriki, a US-national senior commander of the group, in a bazaar in the town of Merkedeh.

The sources pointed out that a number of ISIL members and commanders have been recently killed by unknown attackers or by the terrorist group itself on charges of escaping the battlefields in Merkedeh.

ISIL has kept its forces on red alert in the region after it found the body of al-Ameriki.

On Sunday, the ISIL terrorist group executed one of its own senior commanders as he was trying to flee with a large amount of cash from areas under the terrorist group's control in the countryside of Hasaka in Northern Syria.

Abu Mohammad was captured as he was trying to flee the town of Merkedeh with $150,000 of cash, local sources in Hasaka province disclosed.

The ISIL executed Abu Mohammad after accusing him of spying for the coalition forces.

Informed sources in the United Nations disclosed on Wednesday that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres intends to remove UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura from his post, Arab media said.

Arab Media Reports: Guterres to Oust De Mistura
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13951204001435

The Arabic language Al-Mayadeen tv channel reported that UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Sigrid Kaag will probably replace de Mistura, while it also named another nominee, former UN envoy to Yemen Jamal Benomar, for the same post.

The channel added that appointment of a new envoy for Syria depends on the endorsement of both Damascus and Moscow, stressing that the issue may take time.

The former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed on July 2014 de Mistura as the new special envoy tasked with seeking a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Syria.

The former Portuguese Prime Minister Guterres was sworn as Secretary-General of the United Nations last December, becoming the ninth UN chief in the body’s 71-year history, while Ban served two five-year terms.

The former UN refugee chief was elected to the top job by acclamation in the General Assembly in October 2016.

Guterres assumed the reins of the United Nations on January 1, became the first onetime head of government to lead the UN, succeeding Ban for a five-year term.

The latest reports from Syria said that tens of terrorists have been killed and tens of others have been injured in fierce clashes between the Turkey-backed militants and two other rival groups near the town of Azaz in Northern Aleppo on Thursday.

Tens of Terrorists Killed, Wounded in Intensified Clashes amongst Rival Groups in Northern Syria
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13951205000681

Informed sources in the region said that clashes have intensified between the Ankara-backed militants of Sultan Murad group with Ahrar al-Sham and al-Shamiyeh Front near the Sajou camp three kilometers North of Azaz.

The sources added that a number of militants have been killed and wounded from both sides, while a large number of people have fled the camp to save their lives.

Media sources close to the terrorist groups disclosed on Wednesday that Turkey ordered its affiliated militants that operate under Ankara's Euphrates Shield Operation to leave the key town of Azaz in Northern Aleppo to be replaced by the Turkish army soldiers.

The sources said that Ankara was paving the ground for deploying dozens of Turkish army units in Azaz, adding that Turkey gave two weeks to its affiliated militants in the Euphrates Shield operation to evacuate Azaz.

The sources confirmed that Turkey urged its affiliated militant groups to pull out all troops from Azaz and hand it over to the Turkish army.

Opposition groups kept mum about the Turkey's plan to occupy Azaz.

Late in January, Al-Nusra Front (recently renamed to Fatah al-Sham Front) and several militant groups declared forming a new coalition under the name of Tahrir Al-Sham Hay'at to narrow down widening rifts amongst their commanders and members.

The Al-Nusra Front, Nouralddeen al-Zinki Movement, Jeish al-Sonah, Jabhat Ansaraldeen and Liwa al-Haq announced that they would act under a united coalition named the Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at.

The five merged terrorist groups act under the command of Abu Jaber Hashem al-Sheikh, who was one of the commanders of Ahrar al-Sham. The new coalition led by al-Sheikh is now fighting against Ahrar al-Sham, a rival terrorist group operating mainly in Northwestern Syria.

Al-Sheikh resigned from his post in Ahrar al-Sham after he was appointed as the commander of Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at.

A number of Ahrar al-Sham's commanders, including the groups' spokesman Abu Yusuf al-Mohajer, Hesam Salameh and Abu al-Fatah al-Farqali Mesri also joined the new coalition.

Terrorist groups' websites claimed that Al-Nusra Commander Abu Mohammad al-Joulani will be the top commander of Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at.

Ahrar al-Sham rejected its affiliation to the new coalition, but websites close to the terrorist groups have disclosed that Ahrar al-Sham, Faylaq al-Sham, Jeish al-Izzah, Turkistani party and Liwa al-Tamkin will soon start a new front called Tahrir al-Syria Front.

The Syrian army and air force pounded and destroyed several command centers and arms depot of al-Nusra Front (recently renamed to Fatah al-Sham Front) in the Northern part of Homs province, killing a number of the terrorists group's foreign commanders.

Homs: Al-Nusra Command Centers, Arms Depot Destroyed, Foreign Terrorist Commanders Killed in Syrian Army, Air Raids
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13951205000927

The Syrian army units targeted the al-Nusra Front's concentration centers in Northern Homs province destroying several command posts and centers and an ammunition depot of the terrorists in Tir Ma'ala region.

Several foreign commanders of al-Nusra Front were killed in the Syrian army offensives.

The Syrian fighter jets also pounded the concentration centers and movements of the terrorists in Um Sharshouh, al-Qajar, al-Sa'an and the surrounding farms of Talbiseh in Northern Homs, killing and injuring several terrorists.

 

[angelburst29]

At least 4,000 Russian nationals are fighting beside militants in Syria, President Vladimir Putin said.

Putin: 4,000 Russians Fighting Along with Militants in Syria
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13951206000301

"It is no less important for us that, unfortunately, a large number of militants, who came from former Soviet republics and from Russia itself, have accumulated in Syria," Putin said on Thursday, addressing a meeting with officers of Russia's Northern Fleet, Tass reported.

"According to our preliminary information, there are thousands of them, approximately nearly 4,000 Russians and about 5,000 nationals from republics of the former Soviet Union, according to the information of the General Staff’s GRU Main Intelligence Administration, FSB (Federal Security Service) and other our special services," he added.

Putin pointed out that due to visa-free travel across almost entire post-Soviet space, one should realize what a huge threat is hidden "in that hotbed of terrorism, specially for us, for Russia".

By performing combat tasks in remote frontiers, the military directly helps ensure Russia’s security, he said.

"I really want to thank you very much for this," Putin said, noting that the combat experiences gained in Syria would be studied and applied by all sailors.

Since 2011, Syria has been engaged in war against terrorism, with government forces fighting against numerous militant and terrorist groups, including al-Nusra Front (also known as Fatah al-Sham front) and ISIL.

Russian has helped Syria in fighting against the terrorist groups militarily and by sending advisors.

The ISIL terrorist group began systematic destruction of another Syrian gas field in Western Palmyra (Tadmur) after coming under march by the army troops in the region, local sources said on Friday.

ISIL Sets Fire to Jazal Gas Fields as Syrian Army Units Approach
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13951206000563

The ISIL terrorists blew up gas wells in Jazal Mountains in the Eastern parts of Homs.

Jazal Mountains were captured by the ISIL in early December 2016 when the terrorist group launched a wide-scale offensive to seize the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra.

The ISIL occupation of some of Syria’s largest gas fields has created a fuel crisis across the country during the cold days of winter. The army and its allies are fighting to regain control of these gas fields.

Syrian army troops, backed up by the country's fighter jets, continued to attack ISIL's defense lines in Eastern Homs on Thursday, taking control over more territories in the Western countryside of the terrorist-held city of Palmyra.

The Turkish General Staff has confirmed that Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebels gained full control over al-Bab previously controlled by Daesh.

Turkey-Backed Syrian Rebels Fully Control Al-Bab
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201702241051012291-al-bab-turkey-syria/

Earlier in the day, Anadolu news agency reported that the FSA fighters, backed by the Turkish forces, celebrated the liberation of the Syrian town of al-Bab from Daesh terrorist group that had seized the city in 2013.

Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik said Thursday that most of the city was under Syrian opposition's control after the fighters had entered the city's center.

A second explosion on Friday occurred near the Syrian city of al-Bab as Turkey-led forces established full control of the city.

Second Explosion in One Day Occurs Near Al-Bab Amid Turkish-Led Op Victory
https://sputniknews.com/asia/201702241051017048-explosion-al-bab/

According to Al Jazeera, eight people died as a result of the blast.

Earlier in the day, 60 people died in Daesh's car bomb explosion in al-Bab's suburb. A suicide bomber has detonated his car near a security office, Anadolu reports. Most of the victims were civilians who had gathered at the scene.

The news come as the Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters have established full control over al-Bab.

Earlier in the day, Anadolu news agency reported that the FSA fighters, backed by the Turkish forces, celebrated the liberation of the Syrian town of al-Bab from Daesh terrorist group that had seized the city in 2013.

According to ISIS’s Amaq agency, Turkey-backed FSA forces lost more than 400 fighters during their operation to capture the strategic town of Al-Bab from ISIS militants.

Amaq: Turkey-backed FSA lost 400+ fighters in battle of Al-Bab, Aleppo
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/amaq-turkey-backed-fsa-lost-400-fighters-battle-al-bab-aleppo/

Amaq also reported that the Turkish military, and allied FSA fighters lost more than 30 tanks, and dozens of other vehicles. The battle lasted for 104 days, and nearly 400 civilians were killed by Turkish shelling on the town.

An Islamic State (ISIS) suicide bomber reportedly detonated his explosives inside the village of Sousiyan in eastern Aleppo today, killing over 50 Turkish-backed rebels and wounding 70 of their comrades.

[Graphic content 18+] Over 50 Turkish-backed forces killed in east Aleppo
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/graphic-content-18-50-turkish-backed-forces-killed-east-aleppo/

Gruesome images were released on Friday afternoon showing the aftermath of the terrorist attack and dozens of rebel corpses spread across the village of Sousiyan near the recently captured town of Al-Bab.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has ordered launch of airstrikes against Daesh in Syria.

Iraqi PM Orders Launch of Airstrikes on Daesh in Syria - Reports
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201702241051007966-iraq-strikes-syria/

We have sent the [Iraqi] Air Force to carry out strikes on Daesh positions… inside the Syrian territory," Abadi was quoted as saying by Alsumaria TV network.

Abadi said that airstrikes on Daesh will be conducted in Hosaiba and Albu Kamal. He said that the targets are linked to recent attacks in the Iraqi capital.

"We are determined to chase terrorism that tries to kill our sons and citizens wherever it is found," he added.

According to Abadi, the aerial operation has already been carried out.

It is yet unclear whether or not the move was discussed with Syrian authorities, however, media report suggested that the operation has been coordinated with Damascus. No official confirmation has appeared so far.

Albu Kamal is a city on the Euphrates river in the Deir ez-Zor province in Syria, while Hosaiba is located near the border with Iraq.

The Iraqi Ministry of Defense released footage of the Iraqi Air Force bombing the Islamic State’s positions inside the Deir Ezzor Governorate of Syria on Friday.

Video footage of Iraqi Air Force bombing ISIS in Syria
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/video-footage-iraqi-air-force-bombing-isis-syria/

UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura's office refrains from comments on Bashar Jaafari's delegation paper, a representative of the office told Sputnik.

De Mistura's Office Refrains From Comments on UN Paper by Damascus Delegation
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201702241051013556-un-mistura-damascus-paper/

The office of UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura refrains from commenting on the statement made by Damascus delegation head Bashar Jaafari, who said that he had received a paper from de Mistura during their bilateral meeting Thursday, a representative of the office told Sputnik.

"We refrain from commenting on behalf of our invitees," the representative said asked about what the content of the paper was.

Earlier in the day, Jaafari said he met with de Mistura to discuss the format of this round of intra-Syrian talks in Geneva and received a paper from him which he would consider and comment on at the upcoming meetings.

Back-dated 08.12.2016.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday called on UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura to abandon attempts to obstruct negotiations on Syrian settlement and to fulfill his responsibilities.

Lavrov Urges de Mistura to Stop Derailing Intra-Syrian Talks
https://sputniknews.com/politics/201612081048340356-lavrov-de-mistura-syrian-talks/

According to Lavrov, De Mistura has been promising to convene another round of inter-Syrian talks since May, although nothing has happened so far.

"The third direction is political process. It seems to me I've already strained my voice, calling on Staffan de Mistura to stop sabotaging political negotiations," Lavrov told reporters on the sidelines of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Ministerial Council, stressing that de Mistura has been "entrusted with" the sole responsibility to assist peaceful settlement.

The Russian foreign minister explained that the Riyadh-formed opposition High Negotiation Committee (HNC) was blamed both by the EU and US representatives, though unofficially, for freezing the negotiations process, as they refuse to enter talks without receiving guarantees of President Bashar Assad’s resignation, although he noted that the UN Security Council had included the Moscow-Cairo group in the list of opposition groups.

Lavrov stressed that it was necessary to set the date for the talks and let those who would attend them to come to an agreement.

Russian military brought 1.5 tonnes of food to Syrians camping in southern Homs after fleeing the Islamist-controlled city of Palmyra, a spokesperson for the Russian reconciliation center said Friday.

Russian Military Brings 1.5 Tonnes of Food to Displaced Palmyra Residents
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201702241051001031-russia-syria-fugitives-camp/

"Some 1.5 tonnes of food – flour, rice, sugar and canned meat – were delivered to the refugee camp," the spokesperson told reporters in Homs.

The western Syrian city of Homs hosts 30 camps for internally displaced people. The camp visited on Friday by Russian aid workers is located in the Baba Amr district and accommodates around 130 Palmyra fugitives.

The Russian center for Syrian reconciliation has provided 5.6 tonnes of humanitarian aid to over 3,000 Syrian citizens in the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said Wednesday.

Russia Delivers Over 5 Tonnes of Humanitarian Aid to Syrians in 24 Hours
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201702221050927229-russia-delivers-syria-humanitarian-aid/

"In 24 hours, 3,040 citizens have received humanitarian aid. A total amount of humanitarian cargoes given to the residents is 5.6 tonnes," the ministry said in a daily bulletin posted on its website.

According to the bulletin, the Russian center for Syrian reconciliation conducted seven humanitarian campaigns in Aleppo and in one of Damascus provinces.

The residents of Aleppo received 3.8 tonnes of bread and 500 portions of hot meals.

Besides, the Russian aircraft delivered 20.3 tonnes of food provided by the United Nations to the city of Deir ez-Zor.

 

[angelburst29]

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is said to have put on hold its assistance program for the Free Syrian Army. Retired CIA intelligence officer and State Department official Larry Johnson told Radio Sputnik that the move could be linked to the fact that this umbrella organization has not been an efficient military force.

CIA Freezes Rebel Aid in 'Recognition of How Inept' Syrian Opposition Has Been
https://sputniknews.com/military/201702251051038039-cia-rebel-aid-syria/

I think what we are really seeing is the recognition of how inept these opposition forces have been," he said.

Johnson referred to the FSA as a virtually "non-existent organization," saying that it has never really been "an effective military force in the battlefield" and has largely served as "a propaganda tool" to justify the agenda the United States and its allies pursued in Syria.

Hardly any fight has been carried out by them," he added, referring to the FSA.

These comments came in response to reports that the CIA decided to withhold military assistance, including training and ammunition, after al-Nusra Front fighters attacked rebels affiliated with the FSA, prompting them to join forces with Ahrar al-Sham. Russia, Syria, Iran, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates consider Ahrar al-Sham to be a terrorist organization.

Johnson said that the CIA was supposed to be providing support to "non-sectarian forces."

"But the reality has been for over four years the forces actually doing the fighting against the government of Bashar al-Assad and his army have been radical Islamists. So the United States in a de facto manner has actually been supplying weapons and training to individuals that are at a minimum aligned with radical Islam if not fighting alongside or being members of radical Islamic groups," he said.

Johnson further described Washington's policy in Syria as "chaotic."

The United States has really been pursuing a fool's mission" in the war-torn Arab country, he said. "We ended up supporting terrorists."

The top US military commander for the Middle East made a secret trip to Northern Syria on Friday to meet a US-backed alliance fighting the ISIL group.

Top US Commander for Middle East in Secret Syria Trip
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13951207000677

General Joseph Votel, who heads US Central Command (Centcom), met with leaders from the Syrian Democratic Forces in the first such trip under the new US administration, Middle East Eye reported.

In an online statement, SDF spokesman Talal Sello said Votel "visited areas under our control today (Friday) and met with several SDF commanders".

"The results were positive. We discussed the developments in the Euphrates Rage campaign and shared military matters," he added.

The SDF started the 'Euphrates Rage' Operation to capture ISIL's de facto capital of Raqqa in November 2016. The Kurds enjoys air support from the US-led coalition, which has been conducting airstrikes in Syria since 2014.

Votel has also discussed the situation in Raqqa with Turkish officials, who are unhappy with Washington’s ties with the SDF and have reportedly offered alternative plans to capture the militant-riddled city without the group’s involvement.

Turkey declared in August 2016 that its army has launched 'Euphrates Shield' military operation in Syria, as Ankara claims that it has begun to cleanse the ISIL terrorists from its border with the Arab country. But, despite Ankara's allegation, Turkish military forces support militant groups in Northern Syria, and fight against Kurdish forces in the region.

US commander had told journalists travelling with him in the Middle East that more US troops might be needed in Syria.

Votel made a similar trip to Syria in May 2016, meeting with SDF commanders as well as US military advisers working alongside them.

Gen. Votel’s trip comes days after a similar visit to Syria by Republican Senator John McCain, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee.

McCain made a secret trip to a Kurdish-held region in Northern Syria last weekend to speak with US military officials, rebel fighters and leaders in the region.

On Wednesday, Julie Tarallo, a spokeswoman for McCain, confirmed that he’d made the trip, calling it a “valuable opportunity to assess dynamic conditions on the ground in Syria and Iraq.”

US Defense Secretary James Mattis also recently made a trip to Iraq to refine the plan ordered by Donald Trump.

Bashar Jaafari, the head of the Syrian government delegation to the intra-Syrian talks in Geneva, held a meeting with UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura on Saturday and asked him to issue a statement condemning the recent terrorist attack in Homs.

Damascus Delegation Head Asks de Mistura to Condemn Homs Terrorist Attack
https://sputniknews.com/politics/201702251051043291-damascus-asks-mistura-condemn-homs-attack/

"I have just met with Mr Staffan de Mistura. The meeting lasted 2.5 hours. The issue was combating terrorism. We requested de Mistura to issue a statement to condemn terrorist suicide attack by al-Nusra Front [terrorist organization] and partners in Homs today… We also requested de Mistura to ask other groups (at the talks), opposition platforms, to do the same," Jaafari told reporters.

"What happened today casts shadow on Geneva process. It was also a political attack," Jaafari said.

Jaafari also said that the Damascus delegation to Geneva talks has not yet discussed a procedural paper of UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura containing suggestions on the format of the current round of talks.

"We have not yet reached that paper, we have not discussed it, because we are now discussing terrorism," Jaafari told reporters after a meeting with de Mistura.

On Friday, Michael Contet, the acting chief of staff of the Office of the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, said that de Mistura was waiting for Syrian government and opposition delegations to look into and reply on procedural documents for the Geneva settlement talks.

The UN special envoy expresses his support for direct talks and also suggests focusing on three main topics — governance, constitution and elections — and devoting at least one day of the talks to each of these topics, according to Sputnik's source.

De Mistura also proposes the formula "nothing is agreed until everything is agreed" for the talks in his procedural paper, the source added.

As for the issues of fight against terrorism and ceasefire, the envoy proposed to leave it for the Astana format.

The head of the Syrian government delegation to the intra-Syrian talks in Geneva also said that the next meeting with UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura is scheduled for February 28.

"The meeting has been scheduled by de Mistura and will take place next Tuesday," Jaafari told reporters after talks with the UN special envoy for Syria.

Two suicide bombers blew themselves up near military facilities in the Syrian city of Homs.

Suicide Bombers Attack Military Facilities in Syrian Homs: More Than 15 Killed
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201702251051030783-homs-syria-suicide-bombers/

Over 35 people are dead and multiple injured, RIA Novosti source reported from the scene.

The head of the military security department in the Syrian province of Homs is reported dead as a result of the attack.

"The number of casualties has reached 35 people, dozens injured. More than six suicide bombers blew themselves up near only two objects belonging to the security forces. General Hassan Daabul, the head of the military security department for the province of Homs is among the dead," the source told the agency.

"From what is known so far, two suicide bombers blew themselves up in the city of Homs. One — near the building of the state security department, the second — near the department of military intelligence. It is impossible to say exactly how many people were killed or wounded at the moment" the source told the agency.

According to preliminary data, more than 15 people were killed near the [bombed] military intelligence department building, there are multiple wounded. We do not know about [a number of] casualties near the building of the state security department yet," the source said.

The al-Nusra Front terror group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, Libyan TV channel Al Mayadeen reported.

Talal Barazi, governor of the Homs Province confirmed that 32 have been killed and 24 injured as a result of terrorist attacks.

"The two terrorist attacks have claimed lives of 32 people and injured 24 others," Barazi said as quoted by the Syrian national TV channel.

Media sources said that Turkey has cut off the Euphrates River flow to Northern Syria, forcing the Tishrin dam and its hydropower plant in Eastern Aleppo to stop operation .

Turkey Closes off Euphrates River Flow to Syria, Tishrin Hydropower Plant Stops
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13951207001070

Jahineh news reported that Turkey has closed off the flow of water in the Euphrates River that runs from its Southern territories to Northern Syria. The Euphrates River is the main source of water reservoir behind the Tishrin Dam, and The news website said the shortage of water in the Dam has stopped its Hydropower plant's power generation for Aleppo city.

Jahineh added that water in Assad Lake and behind the Tishrin Dam is at its lowest level and insufficient for pumping into the turbines of the Tishrin hydropower plant.

"So electricity has been cut off in the towns of Manbij and Ein al-Arab," it added.

On Thursday, Syrian National Reconciliation Minister Ali Heidar strongly criticized Turkish army's invasion of his country's territory and underlined that the top political and military brass in Damascus were to make a decision about confronting the Turkish aggression.

Ali Heidar blasted Turkey for their interference and invasion of parts of Northern Syria, saying Ankara was trying to impose its presence in the Syrian crisis.

He further added that the Syrian government's stance against the Turkish Army's presence in the Northern part of the country was not changed and Damascus considered the move as an aggression and violation of its sovereignty rights.

"Specifying the place, time and mechanism for direct confrontation (with Turkish occupiers) is the responsibility of the country's top political-military brass. It might be better to deal with this issue first through diplomatic channels in order to evade direct confrontation," the Syrian minister said regarding the possibility of direct military confrontation between Damascus and Ankara.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Saturday that Ankara intends to continue its advance into Syria to drive militants out of their Raqqa stronghold after securing Al-Bab in Northern Syria.

Turkish FM: Ankara Ready to Press Deeper into Syria after Al-Bab Victory
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13951207001006

"We discussed Raqqa with French, British and German representatives. With due planning and help from locals, we will easily free the Syrian territory," Cavusoglu was quoted as saying by Anadolu agency.

The Turkish army’s chief of staff announced on Friday that Ankara-backed militants had taken full control of al-Bab in Aleppo province after months of fighting.

The Syrian Army's missile and artillery units targeted the gatherings and positions of Al-Nusra Front (recently renamed to Fatah al-Sham Front) in Northern Quneitra on Saturday, killing several terrorists including Al-Nusra's major agent responsible for contacts with Israeli forces.

Terrorists' Main Liaison with Israel Killed in Syrian Army Attack in Quneitra
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13951207000610

The army's artillery and missile units shelled heavily Al-Nusra's concentration centers in Taloul a-Hamr (Red Hills) in Eastern Hadher town, killing three terrorists, including Commander of Tajamo al-Haramoun Eyad Kamal nom de guerre Morou.

The Arabic language desk of Russia Today news agency also said that Morou was one of the main contact agents between al-Nusra Front and Israeli officials.

The Syrian Army targeted the movements of ISIL in Northeastern Sweida, destroying a long convoy of their military vehicles and a large fuel tanker.

Sweida: ISIL's Convoy of Vehicles, Fuel Tanker Destroyed in Army Attack
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13951207000876

Several vehicles of ISIL terrorists, including a fuel tanker, were destroyed in a heavy attack of army soldiers on the terrorists' convoy in Northeastern Sweida.

According to army reports, the ISIL has lost a number of forces in the attack on its convoy.

The report further added that the army men also hit the main center of ISIL terrorists in Tal Ashhib al-Janoubi, killing the entire terrorists in the position.

 

[angelburst29]

The U.S. Carried Out Regime Change In Syria In 1949 … and Tried Again In 1957, 1986, 1991 and 2011-Today
http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2017/02/u-s-carried-regime-change-syria-1949-tried-numerous-times-since.html

The CIA backed a right-wing coup in Syria in 1949. Douglas Little, Professor, Department of Clark University History professor Douglas Little notes:

Recently declassified records… confirm that beginning on November 30, 1948, [CIA operative Stephen] Meade met secretly with Colonel Zaim at least six times to discuss the “possibility [of an] army supported dictatorship.” [“Cold War and Covert Action: The United States and Syria, 1945-1958,” Middle East Journal, Winter 1990, p. 55]

***
As early as 1949, this newly independent Arab republic was an important staging ground for the CIA’s earliest experiments in covert action.

The CIA secretly encouraged a right-wing military coup in 1949.

The reason the U.S. initiated the coup? Little explains:

In late 1945, the Arabian American Oil Company (ARAMCO) announced plans to construct the Trans-Arabian Pipe Line (TAPLINE) from Saudi Arabia to the Mediterranean. With U.S. help, ARAMCO secured rights-of-way from Lebanon, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. The Syrian right-of-way was stalled in parliament.

In other words, Syria was the sole holdout for the lucrative oil pipeline. (Indeed, the CIA has carried out this type of covert action right from the start.)

In 1957, the American president and British prime minister agreed to launch regime change again in Syria. Historian Little notes that the coup plot was discovered and stopped:

On August 12, 1957, the Syrian army surrounded the U.S. embassy in Damascus. Claiming to have aborted a CIA plot to overthrow neutralist President Shukri Quwatly and install a pro-Western regime, Syrian chief of counterintelligence Abdul Hamid Sarraj expelled three U.S. diplomats ….

Syrian counterintelligence chief Sarraj reacted swiftly on August 12, expelling Stone and other CIA agents, arresting their accomplices and placing the U.S. embassy under surveillance.

***
More importantly, Syria also had control of one of the main oil arteries of the Middle East, the pipeline which connected pro-western Iraq’s oilfields to Turkey.

***
The report said that once the necessary degree of fear had been created, frontier incidents and border clashes would be staged to provide a pretext for Iraqi and Jordanian military intervention. Syria had to be “made to appear as the sponsor of plots, sabotage and violence directed against neighbouring governments,” the report says. “CIA and SIS should use their capabilities in both the psychological and action fields to augment tension.”

***
The plan called for funding of a “Free Syria Committee” [hmmm … sounds vaguely familiar], and the arming of “political factions with paramilitary or other actionist capabilities” within Syria. The CIA and MI6 would instigate internal uprisings, for instance by the Druze [a Shia Muslim sect] in the south, help to free political prisoners held in the Mezze prison, and stir up the Muslim Brotherhood in Damascus.

Newly-declassified CIA documents show that in 1986, the CIA drew up plans to overthrow Syria by provoking sectarian tensions.

Neoconservatives planned regime change in Syria once again in 1991.
http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/11/neoconservatives-planned-regime-change-throughout-the-middle-east-and-northern-africa-20-years-ago.html

And as Nafeez Ahmed notes:

According to former French foreign minister Roland Dumas, Britain had planned covert action in Syria as early as 2009: “I was in England two years before the violence in Syria on other business,” he told French television: “I met with top British officials, who confessed to me that they were preparing something in Syria. This was in Britain not in America. Britain was preparing gunmen to invade Syria.”

Leaked emails from the private intelligence firm Stratfor, including notes from a meeting with Pentagon officials, confirmed that as of 2011, US and UK special forces training of Syrian opposition forces was well underway. The goal was to elicit the “collapse” of Assad’s regime “from within.”
https://www.channel4.com/news/by/alex-thomson/blogs/syria-spooks-wikileaks-military

Indeed.

Indeed, the U.S. has carried out regime change in the Middle East and North Africa for six decades.
http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2016/07/59354.html

 

[angelburst29]

RAND Corporation's plan for dicing up Syria (Map)
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/02/rand-corporations-plan-for-dicing-up.html

US plan for the division of Syria may set off a new wave of refugees.

The think tank of the Pentagon wants to divide Syria according to the model of Bosnia. The result would be ethnic cleansing and new, massive flood of immigrants.

The RAND Corporation, a leading US think tank close to the Pentagon, has published a report proposing a "Bosnian model" to resolve the Syrian conflict.

"In this sense, as in Bosnia in the mid-1990s, peace will be facilitated by demographic changes on the ground, external approval for such changes, and exhaustion of the combat parties. Unlike in Bosnia, however, peace would not arise from a detailed formal agreement but from a set of local and international understandings. In order to achieve the various understandings, the cease-fire agreement between Russia, Turkey and Iran is a good starting point, but it is insufficient. Sustainable long-term agreements will be most effective if they involve the consent of other key stakeholders, including the US, its golf partners and other supporters of the opposition to Assad."

The RAND Corporation calls for a decentralization of the country in control zones. The area from the west coast to Deir Ezzor with the exclusion of Rakka is to be controlled by the government in Damascus and the Russians. The area liberated by Turkey under Operation Euphrates Shield and the province of Idlib would be under Turkish control. The southern area of Daraa, on the border with Israel, would also be controlled by an "opposition" not described in detail by the RAND Corporation. A large part of Northern Syria would be controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), consisting of Kurdish militia and led by the US.

It is particularly noteworthy that the RAND Corporation is proposing to place the ISIS strongholds and oil centers Rakka and Deir Ezzor under an "international administration." "We therefore recommend that the United States place the Rakka province, after its liberation, under an international transitional administration, creating a neutral territory that is not held by either the regime or the opposition until the final solution of the civil war." The area should be controlled by the UN, which in turn uses provincial councils. RAND Corporation, on the other hand, argues against sending a purely UN peacekeeping force to the international zone. Instead, the US and Russia would have to organize the deployment of a "coalition force," which is given a UN mandate. Such a solution would not only tolerate the US and Russia, but also Turkey and other regional US allies, which would not leave Rakka and Deir Ezzor either under the control of the ISIS terrorist militia or control by the Kurdish militia, according to RAND Corporation.

On the Syrian map, it is noticeable that the city of Manbij is placed in the Turkish zone in northern Syria. The Turkish army has not yet taken Manbij, and the Kurdish militants of the YPG are against the city being occupied by the Turks. However, the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said at the beginning of the week that after the liberation of Al-Bab, Turkey would move to take Manbij.

Last year, Manbij was taken by the Kurdish militia. There are currently numerous associations of the Kurdish militia in Manbij, but the majority of the population is Arab and Turkmen.

The plans for the division of Syria are highly problematic: already in the Syrian war, massive ethnic cleansings have already taken place. These were carried out based on the planned petroleum pipelines. A territorial breakdown by ethnicity would greatly accelerate the trend towards expulsion. New escape movements would be the result. These would then come to Europe - which is desperately trying to shut itself off.

Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad urged US President Donald Trump on Sunday to stop interfere in the internal affairs of foreign states.

Ahmadinejad Calls on US to Stop Meddling in Foreign States' Affairs
https://sputniknews.com/world/201702261051054438-iran-us-ahmadinejad-trump/

Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wrote an open letter to US President Donald Trump on Sunday calling on Washington to stop meddling in the internal affairs of foreign states.

"What outcome has meddling in other’s affairs and military deployments to other regions and imposing thousands of US military, security and intelligence bases across the globe had, except for insecurity, war, division, killing and displacement of nations? Have the measures brought about anything beyond hatred and animosity toward US leaders, notoriety for the US people and imposition of military expenditures?" Ahmadinejad wrote in the letter, published by the Tasnim news agency.

Ahmadinejad also condemned the "dominance of the consecutive US administrations" over the United Nations, which led to obstructing the organization’s work.

Time has come for the center for manifestation of collective- and- free will of nations to be set free from the destructive dominance," Ahmadinejad wrote, adding that the United Nations "is the shared human heritage and the result of man’s hope for building a better world".

​Speaking of the immigration ban imposed by Trump, Ahmadinejad underlined that "it is necessary that the spirit of the policies ruling the US, value respect toward the diversity of nations and races", adding that the modern United States belongs to all nations, as the country was built by immigrants from various countries.

This is not the first time Ahmadinejad writes a letter to a US president. While still in office, he wrote a letter to then-US President George W. Bush, and in 2016 he addressed Barack Obama.

Saudi Arabia conducted over 340 airstrikes against the targets of Daesh terrorist group in Syria since the establishment of the US-led international coalition, Brig. Gen. Ahmad Asiri, a military adviser to Saudi Arabia's Defense Ministry, said Sunday.

Saudi Arabia Reveals Number of Airstrikes Against Daesh in Syria
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201702261051052159-saudi-arabia-daesh-syria/

The international coalition, comprising 68 countries, was created in 2014.

"Saudi fighter aircraft carried out 341 strikes since the beginning of the international campaign against Daesh, and all of them were directed against Daesh targets in Syria," Asiri said in an interview with Makkah newspaper.

In January, Riyadh hosted a meeting of general staff chiefs from 14 members of the US-led coalition.

The representatives of Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Turkey, the UAE and the United States discussed possible ways to boost coalition efforts aimed at destroying Daesh.

Saudi Arabia, as well as the US-led coalition, is conducting an aerial operation in Syria without the UN Security Council's approval or Syrian authorities' request.

Media sources said that the Syrian Army troops are about to move towards al-Khafseh region near Assad Lake East of Aleppo province to block the Turkish army move in the direction of Raqqa.

Syrian Army Advances in Eastern Aleppo Means End of Turkey's Raqqa Dreams
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13951208001431

The Arabic language al-Ahd daily quoted opposition sources as saying that the ISIL withdrew from the al-Bab town via the road connecting the town of Tadif to al-Khafseh region and moved its forces from there to al-Tabaqh in Western Raqqa after ferrying across the Assad Lake on Thursday.

The daily further added that the Turkish army and Ankara-backed militants of the Euphrates Shield operation entered al-Bab after ISIL's withdrawal.

Al-Ahd went on to say that the ISIL was afraid of the Syrian Army advance from the Eastern direction of Kuweires airbase towards al-Khafseh as such a move could lay siege on ISIL terrorists in al-Bab.

The daily further pointed out that once the Syrian soldiers start their march from their positions in Kuweires airbase and go to a 15km distance from al-Khafseh, they will reach al-Babiri pumping station and foil the Turkish army's planned road to Raqqa.

Al-Ahd reported that Turkey has called on the US to provide air cover and ground backup for its forces to reach Raqqa via two roads that run along the Euphrates River's banks and go through the regions under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in Tal Abyadh in the East and Jarabulus in the West.

A senior Syrian legislator disclosed on Tuesday that Damascus troops were about to launch a massive operation to capture the SIL-held town of al-Bab East of Aleppo province within the next few days after Turkey sustained a major defeat and withdrew forces from the strategic town.

"The army will capture and impose full control over al-Bab in coming days," Mohanad al-Haj told FNA.

Noting that liberation of al-Bab would defuse Turkish and US plots to create a safe zone in Northern Syria and would be a new winning card for Damascus in peace talks, he said, "The al-Bab battle will certainly cut the link between terrorists and their backers in Syria and will be a second decisive battle before declaring Syria's full victory in the war."

Al-Haj stated that Turkey and its affiliated militant troops failed to push ISIL back in al-Bab after their recent losses and defeats, and said liberation of al-Bab by the army would push Turkey, Europe and the US into a status of confusion because they will be faced with a flood of defeated foreign terrorists seeking to return to their homelands.

Governor-general of Homs province underlined the Syrian army's crushing response to the terrorists who have violated the ceasefire, and said the recent terrorist operations in Eastern Homs was supervised and led by the western and Arab spy agencies.

Governor-General: Western, Arab Spy Agencies Supervising Terrorist Operations in Homs
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13951208001278

Talal al-Barazi referred to the terrorists' attacks on two gas refineries in Eastern Homs, and said they attacked the South and Ibella refineries in al-Farqalas region of Homs with 20 rockets which brought to a halt operation of the facilities.

Stressing that the army and its allies pounded the positions of the terrorists who have targeted the refineries in al-Farqalas region, he said, "The Syrian army confronts any violation of the ceasefire by the terrorists directly and immediately."

"The recent terrorist operations in Homs were conducted under the supervision of the western and Arab intelligence agencies which are trying to find influence on militants' front in Homs," al-Barazi said.

Syrian Army troops stormed ISIL's defense lines in Eastern Homs on Monday and beat the terrorists back from al-Maher oil and gas field with the back up of the country's fighter jets and artillery fire.

The army soldiers, backed up by warplanes and artillery units' heavy fire, managed to advance against ISIL and captured al-Maher energy field, killing and wounding a number of terrorists.

A field source said that the army aircraft's heavy bombardments and artillery units' fire inflicted major losses on the ISIL.

Elsewhere in the same province, the Syrian fighter jets pounded terrorists' positions and gatherings in al-Waer district in the Northeastern outskirts of Homs city in retaliation for the terrorists' suicide attack.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Sunday that the recent deadly bombings in the Syrian city of Homs are barbaric and aim to disrupt peace talks in Astana and Geneva.

Russia Condemns 'Barbaric' Attack in Syrian Homs Aimed to Disrupt Peace Process
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13951208001051

"Moscow strongly condemns barbaric actions of extremists in Homs… The terrorists should not succeed in their attempts to disrupt efforts made by the international community in Astana and Geneva to secure a lasting ceasefire and initiate political settlement in Syria through a broad intra-Syrian dialogue," the statement read, Sputnik reported.

The ministry stressed that those behind the attack must be brought to justice.

On Saturday, security sources told Sputnik that six suicide attackers had targeted two buildings belonging to Syrian government’s security agencies.

At least 35 people had been killed, including the military security chief of the Homs province. Al-Nusra Front terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Bashar Jaafari, the head of the Syrian government delegation to the intra-Syrian talks in Geneva, and UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura called the Homs attack a message for the Geneva peace talks.

The Russian Syrian reconciliation center has delivered humanitarian aid to Latakia, a representative of the center said Sunday.

Russia's Syria Reconciliation Center Delivers Aid to Village in Latakia - Rep
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201702261051047704-russia-syria-aid-humanitarian/

The Russian center for Syrian reconciliation has delivered humanitarian aid to the Bsera village in Latakia after the local peace agreement between government and opposition forces was reached, a representative of the center said Sunday.

"This village signed a peace agreement with the participation of the elders and the administration head, and peaceful life is being restored. Some 500 kilograms [0.5 tonnes] of humanitarian cargo have been handed out. A medical station was also set up," Vitaliy Ilkov said.

The aid packages included flour, sugar, rice and canned food, according to Ilkov.

The reconciliation center's officers are constantly monitoring the situation, finding those in need and carrying out targeted humanitarian missions. The situation is difficult here, there are poor villages, there are many of those in need. We are constantly helping people," he added.

Earlier in the day, the center stated a total of 17 tonnes of humanitarian cargo had been delivered to the Hmeimim airbase in Latakia. Further UN aid was en route to the besieged city of Deir ez-Zor on board Russian planes. Russia has been carrying out regular humanitarian aid deliveries to various parts of Syria and has been facilitating the distribution of UN aid in Syria where a civil war has been ongoing since 2011.

The reconciliation center has been monitoring local ceasefire and peace deals reached by armed groups and government forces across Syria.

 

[angelburst29]

War at Any Cost: Israeli Special Forces Enter Syrian Territory to 'Monitor' Extremist Groups Fighting Assad (Video)
http://russia-insider.com/en/politics/war-any-cost-israeli-special-forces-enter-syrian-territory-monitor-groups-fighting-assad
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUxX90AvvRs (8:56 min.)

Israel's decision on Wednesday to fly over ISIS strongholds in Lebanon, and then drop bombs on Syrian Army positions in Syria, was a real stroke of genius — especially considering that the airstrikes came just before peace talks in Geneva were scheduled to begin.

A real class act.

Now Israel is sending "elite intelligence units" to "monitor" fighting between Syrian forces and "moderate" rebels. Our friends at Al Masdar News report:

A video published by Channel 2 showed reporter Dani Kashmaru accompanying the soldiers in a night mission. According to the reporter, similar operations have been carried out several times in the past, stating that he, along with the Israeli soldiers, ‘could hear and see everything.’

The report disclosed that the elite unit made use of advanced and sophisticated eavesdropping devices to monitor the battles fought between the Syrian Army and hardline groups in the area.

Israel has been providing logistic support and medical assistance to opposition forces – including Jabhet al-Nusra terror organization – fighting President Bashar Assad.

Israeli warplanes have repeatedly targeted Syrian Army positions under the pretext of preventing sophisticated weapons from reaching the Lebanese Hezbollah group.

They're not even trying to hide their open support for extremist groups in Syria anymore.

Why isn't this front page news? You know why.

An Israeli military unit has reportedly sneaked inside a bordering area near Syria’s northern borders, Israeli Channel 2 reported.

In Video: Israeli military infiltrates into Syria’s territories
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/video-israeli-military-infiltrates-syrias-territories/
(Same video - as above)

The unit, called “Eagle” which is part of the Israeli elite intelligence force, infiltrated for some 500 into the southern Syrian territories on a mission for gathering intelligence info.

The exact location where the infiltration took place hasn’t been released for security considerations.

The Syrian Army resumed it military campaign in Aleppo eastern countryside, recapturing three more villages from the Islamic State terror group.

Field Report: Syrian Army, Turkish-backed forces vie for control in northern Syria. Map Update
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/field-report-syrian-army-turkish-backed-forces-vie-control-northern-syria-map-update/
https://i.imgur.com/7IyAOsP.jpg?__hstc=143095274.3b36e7fec1f19c7637989414906ba327.1480474473965.1488071035542.1488212556197.59&__hssc=143095274.5.1488212556197&__hsfp=2255609385 (Map)

The recent advance comes a few hours after the government troops sized a batch of villages early morning, thus reaching out to the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the far north and besieging ISIS militants in a small geographical area.

Meanwhile, Euphrates Shield forces expelled Islamic State fighters from several villages located to the east of the northern Syrian city of Al Bab.

Up to five villages have been captured today by the Turkish-backed rebels following fierce clashes with the already-encircled ISIS jihadists.

Unformed reports claimed that light firefights erupted between the advancing Syrian troop and the Kurdish forces without further details. AMN hasn’t been able to verify this claim.

A train carrying military vehicles of the Turkish Armed Forces on Monday arrived to the southeastern Turkish province of Gaziantep near the border with Syria, Anadolu news agency reported citing an anonymous military source.

Turkey Sends Troops, Armored Personnel Carriers to Syrian Border – Reports
https://sputniknews.com/asia/201702271051086364-turkey-troops-syria/

Military personnel and 22 armored personnel carriers were transported by train to be used in the Operation Euphrates Shield in northern Syria.

Turkey began the Operation Euphrates Shield on August 24, 2016. Together with the Syrian opposition Turkey took over the cities of Jarabulus and al-Bab in northern Syria.

On Friday, the Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters backed by the Turkish forces celebrated the liberation of the Syrian town of al-Bab from Daesh terrorist group that had seized the city in 2013. Al-Bab is one of Daesh’s last remaining strongholds near the Turkish border. Capturing the city is of strategic importance to Turkey in order to prevent the Syrian Kurds taking it and unifying their own territories.

After the victory in al-Bab, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that that Ankara intends to continue its advance into Syria to drive Islamists out of their Raqqa stronghold after securing a strategic town in Syria’s north.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the aim of the operation was to clear the territory of 5,000 square kilometers (1,930 square miles) of Daesh terrorists and create a safe zone for refugees there.

The Syrian government forces continued their advances against the ISIL terrorists in Eastern Aleppo and deployed in regions controlled by the Kurdish fighters, cutting off the only way left for the Turkey-backed Euphrates Shield Operation militants to the town of Manbij.

Aleppo: Syrian Soldiers Block Turkey-Backed Militants' Only Pathway to Manbij
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13951209001547

The army forces drove ISIL out of the town of Jubb al-Khafa and expanded their presence to the regions under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the towns of Um Khazreh and Houteh.

Military sources said the Syrian army's control over Jubb al-Khafa has sealed off the road to Manbij, preventing the Euphrates Shield Operation force from expanding to the town in Northeastern Aleppo.

The sources said that arrival of the Syrian army at borders with the SDF-controlled regions will possibly open new safe corridors for transferring civilians from East Aleppo province to Aleppo city and other regions that are controlled by the Kurdish forces.

Military sources had informed earlier today that the Syrian Army troops' advances against ISIL in Eastern Aleppo would soon end up in not just pushing the terrorist group back from the Northern parts of the country, but laying a full siege on the Turkish forces and the Ankara-backed militants that are operating under the Euphrates Shield Operation.

The sources who requested anonymity, said that the army soldiers' control over the town of Tadif South of al-Bab has established another contact line with the forces of the Turkey-backed Euphrates Shield forces.

They added that if the Syrian government troops continued their advances against ISIL in Eastern Aleppo towards the SDF, the Euphrates Shield forces would be trapped in a circle of the army men in the towns of al-Bab and Baza'a.

The sources went on to say that if the Syrian army forces managed to reach the SDF positions, the Manbij road would be cut off and the Euphrates Shield forces would have no way out to march in Northern Syrian any further, but to engage in clashes with the Syrian soldiers or Kurdish fighters.

The sources said that the Syrian soldiers are now in areas only 13km away from SDF positions after their recent advances in lands Southeast of Tadif and their control over Khan Qayar and Abu Jabbar.

"The Syrian army has reached areas 26km in distance from the Assad Lake after taking control over the strategic Salim Mountain and its advances in Shahnaseh, al-Shami and Roweideh al-Bab."

"In the meantime, the Syrian soldiers are just 4km away from the town of Deir Hafer that will be the government troops' platform for a fresh operation towards Maskana that is considered as the entrance of Raqqa province," the sources underscored.

 

[angelburst29]

The Free Syrian Army (FSA) and Syrian government forces clashed in northern Syria near al-Bab for the second time in 30 days. And for the second time, Moscow emerged as the peace mediator to resolve the conflict.

Russia Stops the Fighting Between Syrian Army, Turkish-Backed Rebels
https://sputniknews.com/military/201702271051092493-russia-stops-fighting-syria-fsa/

FSA forces, supported by Turkey and some Gulf states, recently claimed the city of al-Bab, despite the CIA’s move to freeze military aid to the group. Al-Bab had previously been held by Daesh militants before FSA reclaimed the city. Just four kilometers south of al-Bab, Syrian government forces seized the nearby town of Tadef. Between the two towns is where the violence is thought to have occurred.

Sources from the FSA and the Syrian armed forces confirmed the fighting, with a Syrian official telling Reuters that Russia’s intervention proved to be definitive in ending the clash. A rebel militant open fire on government forces after it was determined that Syrian troops were moving too close to al-Bab. The rebels further violated the ceasefire accord after having “targeted our forces in Tadef with artillery and machine guns,” a Syrian military official said. The official described the militants as “terrorist groups that belong to Turkey.” According to a statement from the FSA communications army, 22 troops loyal to the Syrian government were killed during the skirmish.

Officials from Moscow, Tehran, and Ankara previously agreed to serve as guarantors of a ceasefire agreement, however, according to the Syrian army official, only Moscow was involved in bringing peace during the latest violent outbreak between loyalist and rebel forces. Turkish forces were not present to ensure the ceasefire agreement, a Syrian armed forces official said. The “main aim” of rebels, according to the official, is not fighting Daesh, but realizing other goals, including an attempt to obstruct the Syrian army’s operation confronting Daesh. The source from the Syrian military did not provide an official death count.

Daesh previously retreated from 23 positions in villages east of al-Bab. One of the towns abandoned by Daesh, Tadef, was supposed to serve as a line in the sand between Syrian troops and military factions receiving Turkish support, a senior Russian official said.

The Admiral Grigorovich departed a Sevastopol, Crimea, port to join the Russian fleet stationed in the Mediterranean Sea, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense. The frigate was deployed in November 2016 to launch Kalibr cruise missiles on terror cells operating within Syrian borders.

Russia Sends Its Cutting-Edge Frigate to Syrian Shores (Video)
https://sputniknews.com/military/201702271051091162-russia-sends-frigate-syrian-shores/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nYINKXdgLs (RT - 1:58 min.)

One military official said that the frigate will set out for the Syrian coast, which it plans to reach by the end of Tuesday, according to RT.

"Under the plan of combat training, the cutting-edge frigate Admiral Grigorovich has left Sevastopol and set a course for the Black Sea straits," connecting the Black Sea with the Mediterranean Sea, Russian Navy Captain 1st-Class Vyacheslav Trukhachyov said on Monday. "The military vessel, under the command of Captain 3rd-Class Anatoly Velichko, has embarked on its third long-distance mission," Trukhachyov added, since first being commissioned on March 16, 2016.

The mission objective of the Admiral Grigorovich will be to join and "carry out tasks as part of the Russian Navy’s permanent task force in the Mediterranean," Trukhachyov said. The commander did not specify the exact role the frigate would play in Syrian operations.

The Kremlin plans to scale back its naval presence near Syria per orders from Russian President Vladimir Putin. This decision prompted the return of the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov and the nuclear-powered missile cruiser Peter the Great to the main northern Russian Navy base, Severomorsk, earlier this month.

The Admiral Grigorovich displaces some 3,850 tons and is one of six frigates Moscow plans to roll out. Moscow will sell Admiral Grigorovich-class frigates to India, as the country has announced its intention to acquire three of the naval vessels. The Kashtan close-in weapons system (CIWS) mounted on Admiral Grigorovich-class frigates has been dubbed the world’s deadliest, according to Foxtrot Alpha, which has called the Kashtan system "the mother of all CIWS systems."

The US Department of Defense is carrying out three separate investigations into late January's raid in Yemen that resulted in the death of Navy SEAL Ryan Owens, Pentagon spokesperson Capt. Jeff Davis said in a briefing on Monday.

Pentagon Conducting Three Probes Into First Raid Approved by Trump
https://sputniknews.com/us/201702271051091408-pentagpm-yemen-raid-probe/

On Sunday, Owens' father William said he wanted a more in-depth investigation into his son's mission.

"There already are multiple investigations going on about this. There is a 15-6 [death investigation] being done by the chain of command, there is an aircraft mishap investigation being done by the chain of command. There is a civilian casualty assessment being done through CENTCOM. These are all still in progress," Davis told reporters.

On January 29, President Donald Trump’s administration ordered its first military raid against the al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula terror group in Yemen.

During the operation, US special operations forces killed 14 militants. The raid reportedly resulted in deaths of over a dozen civilians. They US military also experienced an aircraft crash-landing.

The White House has officially called the raid a "successful operation."

The father of a Navy SEAL killed during a US raid in Yemen has refused an invitation to meet with President Donald Trump, who authorized the strike. The dead soldier’s father criticized the raid as unnecessary and 'stupid,' and is demanding a military investigation.

Father of Killed Navy SEAL Demands Investigation, Refuses Trump Meeting
https://sputniknews.com/military/201702271051092241-seal-yemen-raid-father-investigation/

Chief Petty Officer William "Ryan" Owens, a 19-year Navy veteran and father of three, was the sole US casualty in a January 29 attack on the village of Yakla, in Yemen. The raid targeted an influential tribe in the region that was believed to have been sympathetic to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), and also to gather intelligence on future AQAP movements, as well as, according to speculation, to kill or capture AQAP leader Qasim al-Raymi.

The night raid became into a bloody gunfight as US ground and air forces found themselves engaged with AQAP fighters and local tribesmen. Pentagon figures place the casualties at 14 AQAP militants and 16 civilians, but these figures are disputed. Al-Raymi was not among those killed, nor was he captured.

Owens was wounded during the battle, later dying from his injuries. His father, Navy veteran Bill Owens, told the Miami Herald that the President offered a meeting but he refused to go. "I'm sorry, I don't want to see him," Owens said to a chaplain who informed him that Trump would be there for the return of Owen's body to US soil. "I told them I don't want to meet the President."

The elder Owens, a Navy veteran and retired Fort Lauderdale detective, has publicly questioned the wisdom of the raid. "I told them I didn't want to make a scene about it, but my conscience wouldn't let me talk to him," Owens told the Herald. "Why at this time did there have to be this stupid mission when it wasn't even barely a week into his administration? Why?"

"For two years prior, there were no boots on the ground in Yemen — everything was missiles and drones — because there was not a target worth one American life. Now, all of a sudden we had to make this grand display?"

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders responded to Owen's statements on ABC's "This Week." "As a parent, I can't imagine what this father is going through," she said, "I think every American owes his son a great deal of gratitude. We are forever in his son's debt. I know that he paid the ultimate sacrifice when he went on that mission."

Sanders added that Trump would most likely support an investigation into the raid. She also defended the raid as necessary. "The mission has a lot of different critics, but it did yield a substantial amount of very important intel and resources that helped save American lives and other lives," she said.

Shortly after the raid, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said that Trump had a "somber and lengthy" conversation with unidentified relatives of Owens. "My deepest thoughts and humblest prayers are with the family of this fallen service member," Trump said, in a statement.

The White House stirred controversy, however, after Arizona Senator John McCain criticized the mission as a failure. responding to McCain's comments, Spicer said, "[the mission was] absolutely a success, and I think anyone who would suggest it's not a success does disservice to the life of Chief Ryan Owens. He fought knowing what was at stake in that mission. And anybody who would suggest otherwise doesn't fully appreciate how successful that mission was."

"Don't hide behind my son's death to prevent an investigation," said the elder Owens, in response to Spicer's comments. "I want an investigation. The government owes my son an investigation."

Rear Admiral Tim Szymanski, who commands the SEALS, issued a statement describing the younger Owens as an "exceptional SEAL — an experienced warrior and a highly respected teammate who served silently, nobly and bravely through several combat deployments. Ryan's legacy strengthens our own resolve and commitment to this crucial fight."

Following a recent pledge from US President Donald Trump to “totally obliterate” Daesh, new US military strategy may require more boots on the ground in Syria, a considerable change from the non-military tactics elsewhere in the region.

Will Trump’s New Syria Strategy Call for US ‘Boots on the Ground’?
https://sputniknews.com/military/201702271051092603-us-military-strategy-troops-syria/

On Monday the White House will receive recommendations regarding a Syrian campaign, which may include countering Daesh propaganda, limiting their recruitment, and cutting off the group’s money.

The strategy will include fighting al-Qaeda and other militant groups in the Middle East as well as Daesh, according to Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who said on Thursday that, "This is a political-military plan…It is not a military plan."

Dunford’s comments appeared more tempered than Trump’s pronouncements of wiping the extremists out, and the military commander cautioned that Washington must take care to not create new problems in the Middle East in its efforts to neutralize Daesh.

Pentagon head James Mattis will be presenting a broad framework for US military strategy based on suggestions from the CIA, the State Department and other federal agencies. According to officials, many of these recommendations will leave key elements of the Obama administration’s strategy intact, including avoiding the placement of American troops in the region, in favor of supporting local forces.

While in Baghdad last week Mattis remarked, "I would just tell you that by, with and through our allies is the way this coalition is going against Daesh…We're going to continue to go after them until we destroy them and any kind of belief in the inevitability of their message."

Mattis was ordered to deliver a "preliminary draft" in 30 days, according to a Trump executive order issued in late January. The President wanted a plan that would not only "isolate and delegitimize" the terrorist group but guarantee victory.

As it pertains to arming Syrian Kurds, or increasing the number of US troops in the country, the Defense Secretary said he would "accommodate any request" from field commanders.

"I think there will be a shift from the Obama administration," said Alexander Mercouris, editor-in-chief of The Duran, to Radio Sputnik’s Loud & Clear program, "The problem is, that the details of what the Trump administration is going to do and what General Mattis is going to advise is, at the moment, far from clear."

Mercouris noted that, "We’ve had all these references to safe zones, to more troops being sent to the area…My guess is that we’re going to see quite an escalation of US effort in the area. That unfortunately means a greater US presence in the area, which could have all kinds of consequences."

​Even though Trump has expressed interest in collaborating with Russia to address Daesh, the Pentagon is treading lightly on Moscow’s involvement in Syria. As such, Mattis and other military officials appear to be keener on developments in Iraq, indicating that a stronger focus on Syria could follow.

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director Mike Pompeo had contacts with reporters from influential news outlets in order to confute the media reports about alleged contacts between Russia and campaign staff of US President Donald Trump.

CIA Chief Contacted Reporters to Refute Claims of Trump's Ties With Russia
https://sputniknews.com/us/201702271051085907-cia-trump-russia/

On February 15, The New York Times reported, citing phone records and intercepted calls, members of Trump’s presidential campaign team and several associates allegedly contacted Russian intelligence and government officials prior to the 2016 US elections. Both Washington and Moscow have repeatedly refuted the allegations.

Following the publication of the news outlet, several members of the Democratic Party, called for an investigation of the reported contacts.

US presidential press secretary Sean Spicer has connected Pompeo with reporters from The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal to convince them that the story of The New York Times was not true, the Axios news website reported citing an official in the presidential administration.

The media outlet added that Pompeo was not the only official, who had contacted with the reporters as Senate Select Intelligence Committee Chair Richard Burr and House Intelligence Committee Chair Devin Nunes had also been involved in the talks.

According to the website, Pompeo and Burr told reporters that the story of the NYT was not true, however they had not provided the journalists with specific details in support of their statements.

The tensions between Trump and a number of US news outlets has intensified since the inauguration of the politician in January. Earlier in the month, the president slammed "fake news" reports that kept citing anonymous White House sources alleging chaos in his administration as well as contacts with Russian intelligence services.

 

[angelburst29]

Reading over this interview regarding Erdogan's "intensions" and what is expected from Operation Euphrates Shield in Syria, I get the distinct impression -
Erdogan's main intent in capturing control of the triangle of cities Jarabulus – Choban Bey – al-Bab, and now working his way to take over complete control of Raqqa, and then setting up a 30 kilometer logistic route towards Turkey, which de facto implies the city of Kobani falls under the control of Turkey - Erdogan is carving out a piece of Syria for himself, expanding the Turkish Border? Erdogan's pressure on the U.S. - to call for "safe zones" is meant to further "divide" Syria up - to weaken Assad's control? Don't think Putin will allow Erdogan to succeed in his grandiose plan?

In a follow-up to the recent announcement by Chief of the Turkish General Staff Hulusi Akar that the Syrian city of al-Bab was under control and the goals of the Euphrates Shield operation in Syria had been achieved, Sputnik Turkiye sat down with Turkish security analyst Metin Gurcan to discuss the future of the Turkish operation in Syria.

Developments in North Syria Likely to Gain Steam as Pentagon Plays Its Cards
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201702281051108559-turkey-operation-syria-north/

On Friday, Chief of the Turkish General Staff Hulusi Akar said that the Syrian city of al-Bab, which is located 40 km northeast of Aleppo and 30 km south of the Turkish border, was under control and that the goals of the Turkish Euphrates Shield operation in Syria had been achieved.

However later on Monday, Ilnur Cevik, Chief Adviser to the Turkish president, said that Turkey plans to end its operation in Syria after capturing the northern city of Manbij from Kurdish militants. Speaking at a conference on Russian-Turkish relations, he pointed out that around 85 percent of Manbij and its outskirts are controlled by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), viewed by Ankara as a terrorist organization.

Sputnik Turkiye sat down with Istanbul-based security analyst Metin Gurcan to discuss the future of the Turkish operation in Syria and the further developments in the north of Syria.

"After the incident on November 24, 2015, when the Russian SU-24 attack aircraft was shot down by a Turkish fighter jet, Turkey was left out of the processes going in on the Syrian territory. However thanks to the Euphrates Shield operation, it was able to get back into the fold," he told Sputnik.

"Thanks to the operation and its involvement in the developments in the country, Turkey was able to play a more serious role at the negotiation table, and other players in the region entered into a dialogue with it," he added.

The security analyst further explained that due to the operation in the north of Syria, particularly after the Turkish army was able to take under its control the triangle of the cities Jarabulus – Choban Bey – al-Bab, Turkey has been able to gain more importance and raise its profile in talks with such players as the US, President Assad and Kurdish groups in Syria and Iran.

According to Gurcan, the developments in the north of Syria will considerably speed up in the beginning of March, as President Trump has ordered the Pentagon to devise a plan A and plan B on its further actions in Syria by February 28. Therefore, in the first two weeks of March we should expect increased activity from the US leadership, the analyst suggested.

Commenting on the operation to liberate the Syrian city of Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Daesh militants, Metin Gurcan pointed out that there is a serious need for the tank troops, motorized armored vehicles, missiles and grenade launchers for the operation.

"Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) do not have this type of equipment in their possession. They have only armored vehicles," he told Sputnik.

He further said that he often reads through the comments of various experts who compare the upcoming operation on the liberation of Raqqa with that of liberation of Kobani in the Aleppo Governorate. These comparisons are erroneous, he said. The Kurdish YPG forces then were acting on the defensive and were comprised of only small numbers.

Now we are talking about Raqqa, he said, the population of which is ten times more than that of Kobani, with the size of the city itself being 20-25 times larger than that of Kobani.

The YPG forces now are on the offensive in the front line, he said. In such conditions Daesh will be able to eliminate their light armored vehicles within three days and destroy their line of offense, he said.

Metin Gurcan further suggested that the Raqqa offensive might therefore be delayed.

"In its negotiations with the US, Turkey is insisting on the exclusion of the Kurdish YPG forces from the operation and on taking under control the Arab forces of the Syrian Democratic Forces," he told Sputnik.

He further explained that Ankara is trying to carry out this operation with the support of the Free Syrian Army. However the US, he said, is not that eager to agree as it has serious concerns over the combat ability and reliability of the Free Syrian Army fighters.

Moreover, he noted, they don't have enough infantry fighters. And the question is how to make up for this shortfall. It might be solved either by Turkey sending special forces into Raqqa, which will take a minimum of one year, rising to up to 3.5 years, or by Kurdish Peshmerga forces relocating there from the north of Iraq.

Gurcan also noted that Turkey is trying to make as much of an impact in the north of Syria with as few losses as possible. It is not an easy strategy, he said, which requires much balancing between the key players in the regions, which are Syria, Russia and the US, those, who face each other off on the ground.

"It is very important with whom and how Ankara will cooperate with in future, how it will structure its relations with the Syrian Kurds and the Democratic Union Party (PYD), how it will further proceed with its Euphrates Shield operation," he told Sputnik.

He further explained, that with regards to the operation on the liberation of Raqqa, Turkey suggests advancing from the town of Tell Abyad to the east of the Euphrates, through Kobani and further towards Raqqa. It also means setting up a 30 kilometer logistic route towards Turkey, which de facto implies the city of Kobani de falls under the control of Turkey.

While the US is not in favor of such a scenario, he said, it is the most rational plan. The US, in its turn, suggests advancing towards Raqqa from al-Bab, the analyst said, adding that this was a difficult route due to the terrain.

"Turkey is trying to get the maximum advantage at the minimum expense. However such a strategy is fraught with considerable risks," he therefore concluded.

Turkish troops will clear the Syrian city of Raqqa occupied by the Daesh terrorist group if Ankara reaches agreement with Washington as well as with the US-led anti-Daesh coalition on the issue, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday.

Turkey to Drive Daesh Out of Raqqa If Deal With US Reached - Erdogan
https://sputniknews.com/politics/201702191050841942-turkey-daesh-raqqa-us/

Ankara has been engaged in the so-called Euphrates Shield operation aimed at fighting Daesh in northern Syria since August 2016. Currently the Turkish troops are fighting against the jihadists in al-Bab, occupied in 2013.

"We will also clear Raqqa of the herd of killers called Daesh if we come to terms with the United States and the coalition," Erdogan said, as quoted by the Hurriyet Daily News.

He added that the Turkish troops in cooperation with the Syrian opposition groups supported by Ankara were engaged in a successful battle against Daesh militants in the town of al-Bab.

At the moment, the jihadists control vast territories of Syria's Raqqa province, including the regional capital itself, which has been announced the capital of their self-proclaimed caliphate.

On February 13, representative to Russia of Northern Syria’s Rojava Kurdish region Rodi Osman told Sputnik that the Syrian Kurds were capable of liberating Raqqa on their own. Anwar Muslim, the chairman of the Kobani provincial government, said the following day that Syrian Kurds were conducting an offensive allowing them to come closer to Raqqa.

​Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus has said that Kurdish forces, such as the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the Popular Defense Units (YPG), seizing Raqqa after driving out Daesh could be a threat to Turkey. (Comment - And Erdogan's plans for control and claiming Syrian land?)

 

[angelburst29]

The Syrian army, which continues its advance on the northern city of al-Bab, approached Manbij, another city in northern Syria where the Syrian Democratic Forces have positions in a move designed to block Turkey's offensive on Raqqa, unnamed sources told Sputnik Turkey.

Road to Nowhere: Syrian Army Blocks Turkey's Assault on Raqqa
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201702281051122529-syria-army-turkey-raqqa-daesh/

In an interview with Sputnik Turkey, unnamed sources pointed to the Syrian army's current efforts to prevent the Turkish forces advance on Raqqa, known as the so-called capital of the Daesh (ISIL/ISIS) terrorist group.

The Syrian army, which is advancing on the northern city of al-Bab, approached Manbij, another city in northern Syria where positions of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are located.

The SDF troops, for their part, are moving towards Raqqa as part of Operation Euphrates Wrath only to find that the al-Bab-Raqqa and the al-Bab-Tabqa roads have completely been blocked.

Speaking to Sputnik Turkey, one of the SDF representatives said that "the Syrian government forces took control of a large number of villages south of al-Bab."

"This step was on the one hand taken to prevent the possible advance of Turkish troops on Raqqa, and on the other — to stop Free Syrian Army militants from attacking the city of Aleppo from al-Bab's southern areas," the representative said.

The source added that after the Syrian army liberated more than ten villages to the south of al-Bab from Daesh terrorists, the al-Bab-Raqqa road was blocked for Turkey.

The source also said that with the Syrian army advancing on Manbij, a road to Afrin Canton of the Aleppo Governorate has been opened.

The Syrian army has approached the Manbij border from the south and the west. We see the opening of the Manbij-Afrin road controlled by the Syrian army as an important event, because it has in turn helped open the road linking Cantons of Afrin and Kobani," he concluded.

The Turkish army established a temporary military base in the Syrian town of Al Bab, the base is used as depot to repair armored vehicles taking part in the Euphrates Shield operation, according to local media.

Turkey Establishes Temporary Base in Freshly Captured Syrian Al Bab
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201702281051125144-turkey-syria-al-bab/

The Turkish army established a temporary military base in the Syrian town of Al Bab it has recently liberated from the Islamic State [Daesh] terrorist group (banned in Russia), media reported Tuesday citing military sources.

The sources told the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet that the base is located on the hilltop of Akil overlooking the northern Syrian town. The base is also used as depot to repair armored vehicles taking part in the Euphrates Shield operation.

Turkish military move against the Kurdish forces in the Syrian city of Manbij could interfere with the US-led coalition campaign against the Daesh terror group (banned in Russia), US Central Command head Gen. Joseph Votel said on Tuesday.

Turkey's Move Against Kurds in Manbij to Impact Coalition Campaign - Commander
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201702281051121146-turkey-kurds-manbij-coalition/

Earlier in the day, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the country’s armed forces would advance toward Manbij after completing operation in al-Bab.

The move could "have an impact on the coalition campaign plan," Votel said in an interview with Foreign Policy.

The commander noted that the United States is "fully engaged" with Turkey and is trying to work out a solution for northern Syria to make sure that US-backed and Turkish forces do not fight each other.

Safe Zones in Syria 'Viable Concept' in Secured Areas

Safe zones in Syria could operate successfully in the areas that have already been taken under control, Votel said.

The idea of creating safe zones in Syria is "a viable concept," Votel said as quoted by Foreign Policy.

The commander noted that the safe zones could operate successfully in "areas that have already been secured where we already have humanitarian and stabilization activities ongoing."

Votel underscored, however, that creation of safe zones would not be easy, according to the magazine.

The US general explained that it would demand "all of the resources" in place, including ground troops which would be used to hold the area.

On February 16, Syrian National Council Co-chair Ilham Ehmed said in an interview with Firat News Agency that the safe zones proposed by the Trump administration would be created in areas under control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG).

Turkish chief presidential adviser Ilnur Cevik told Sputnik on Tuesday that Ankara would be against the creation of safe zones in Kurdish areas in Syria because they might be used by Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), considered a terrorist organization in Turkey.

The US Department of Defense has sent civil affairs teams to Syria to assess humanitarian situation in the country, Votel said.

US military teams are assessing the needs on the humanitarian front, but a "broader international effort" is needed to resolve the problem, he added.

Russia would not object if Washington decided to join Moscow's efficient actions in Syria, a senior lawmaker said.

Russia Not to Object to US Joining Moscow's Efficient Actions in Syria
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201702281051124473-russia-us-syria/

Moscow would not object if the United States joined the efficient actions of Russia and its partners in Syria, a senior lawmaker from the upper house of Russia's parliament told Sputnik Tuesday.

"If the Americans are ready to join the actions of Russia and its partners, which have proven their efficiency… there are no questions," Federation Council foreign affairs committee chairman Konstantin Kosachev said.

Donald Trump has repeatedly advocated establishing a political dialogue with Moscow, particularly in regards to the fight against terrorism, and expressed readiness to build positive relations with Russia. Moscow has long been promoting the idea of fruitful cooperation with Washington.

After the leaders' phone talks on January 28, the Kremlin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the presidents had noted the importance of respect in relations.

Retaking the height will allow the Syrian Army to establish control over the strategic road conjunction near Palmyra, a source told Sputnik.

Palmyra in Sight: Syrian Army Fighting for Strategic Height al-Tar Near the City
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201702281051118062-palmyra-al-tar-syrian-army/

The Syrian Army and its allies are engaged in fierce fighting over the al-Tar strategic height near the city of Palmyra, a source told Sputnik on Tuesday.

"The government troops and their allies managed to regain control over the quarry and came close to the al-Tar height where fierce fighting takes place," the source said.

According to the source, retaking the height will allow the Syrian Army to establish control over the strategic road conjunction near Palmyra.

On Monday, local media reported that the Syrian army and pro-government militias took control over the height 939.5, the top strategic point of the al-Hayal range near Palmyra.

Russian military brought 1.5 tonnes of food to Syrians camping in southern Homs after fleeing the Islamist-controlled city of Palmyra, a spokesperson for the Russian reconciliation center said Friday.

Russian Military Brings 1.5 Tonnes of Food to Displaced Palmyra Residents
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201702241051001031-russia-syria-fugitives-camp/

The historic city was recaptured last December by militants from the Daesh terrorist group, outlawed in Syria, Russia and other nations.

"Some 1.5 tonnes of food – flour, rice, sugar and canned meat – were delivered to the refugee camp," the spokesperson told reporters in Homs.

The western Syrian city of Homs hosts 30 camps for internally displaced people. The camp visited on Friday by Russian aid workers is located in the Baba Amr district and accommodates around 130 Palmyra fugitives.