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

[angelburst29]

Syrian War Report – May 19, 2017: US-Led Forces Fights With Syrian Army For Iraqi Border
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-may-19-2017-us-led-forces-fights-with-syrian-army-for-iraqi-border/

Warplanes operating under the US-led coalition carried out airstrikes against a Syrian Arab Army (SAA) convoy advancing along the Al-Tanf-Damascus-Baghdad international road. The airstrikes targeted Syrian forces in Al-Shuhaimi area, 50 km from the town of Al-Tanf located at the Syrian-Iraqi border.

The airstrikes destroyed two battle tanks, and damaged a Shilka vehicle, several pickups and trucks. Six SAA fighters lost their life and 3 were injured.

The US-led coalition said that the airstrikes were “warning shots” against Shiite militias. However, Shiite militias operation at the Al-Tanf road don’t have tanks or Shilka vehicles and there were many pictures and videos showing the presence of elements of the SAA in the area.

The US airstrikes on government forces are a clear signal that Washington are seeking prevent the Syrian government from taking control over the border and to build a buffer zone between Syria and Iraq that could establish an alliance in the near future.

Meanwhile, Jaysh al-Thuwar, a US-backed Free Syrian Army group, claimed that its militants have attacked the SAA and prevented it from approaching the Al-Tanf area. Earlier this week, a representative of Jaysh al-Thuwar, said that the target of the Free Syrian Army and the US-led coalition is to capture the city of Deir Ezzor.

Recently, Jaysh al-Thuwar received 20 technical vehicles as well as some TOW missiles and mortars from the US-led coalition, claiming that it will be used in the battle for capturing Al Bukamal.

From its side, the SAA transferred significant forces from Homs and Damascus to Suweida including tanks and 130 mm artillery pieces. It was also announced that the National Defense Forces in Suweida will participate in the operation.

Government forces, led by the Syrian Arab Army’s Tiger Forces, have been advancing against ISIS terrorists in the eastern part of the province of Aleppo. Following the previous advances, the Tiger Forces got control over the villages of Wadi Muwayih, Jub al-Ali, Tal Hasan, Nafiyah, Atirah and Mazyuna. In coming days, government forces will continue their operation against ISIS in the area aiming to isolate the ISIS stronghold of Maskanah.

248 men from the province of Raqqah have received training and joined the US-backed Syrian Democratic Fores (SDF). These fighters will participate in an operation aimed at capturing Raqqa city from ISIS terrorists.

The SDF has also trained more than 50 men from the province of Raqqah as security forces. The task of this force will be to secure the province of Raqqa after capturing it.

Meanwhile, the SDF has the captured villages of Thoul Nail, Hamrat Ghanam, Annadah and Tall Zaidan and advanced on the villages of Hamrat Buwaytiyah and Raqqah as Samra in the Raqqah countryside.

The US-led coalition airstrike on a pro-government convoy in Syria is unacceptable and violates the sovereignty of the country, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said Friday.

Russia: US Airstrike against Syrian Forces Absolutely Unacceptable
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960229000919

“Any military actions leading to the aggravation of the situation in Syria definitely affect the political process. Especially if such actions are committed against the Syrian armed forces… This is totally unacceptable; it is a violation of Syrian sovereignty. Of course, it does not help the political process,” Gatilov told RT.

Senior Russian senator Konstantin Kosachev also condemned the strike, questioning whether it was a deliberate attack.

“You cannot consider the US-led coalition airstrike against pro-government forces on Thursday an accident or a mistake anymore. This is a deliberate action and its consequences are yet to be estimated,” Kosachev wrote on his Facebook page.

“This is not only an attack in Syria and against Syria, but also against Geneva (negotiations). The US is irritated that the Geneva process is not under its control and, what is worse, it can be successful.”

On Thursday evening, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) sent over a dozen technicals to the Damascus-Baghdad highway to reinforce contingents bombed by the United States Air Force earlier in the day.

In pictures: Syrian Army reinforcements pour into the Syrian desert despite US airstrikes
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/pictures-syrian-army-reinforcements-pour-syrian-desert-despite-us-airstrikes/

The newly arrived SAA reinforcements will spearhead a drive towards the Al-Tanf border crossing with Iraq alongside the National Defence Forces (NDF), Hezbollah (Lebanese paramilitary), Imam Al-Ali Battalions (Iraqi paramilitary) and the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (Syrian paramilitary).

However, government forces must stiffen their salient east of Damascus and deploy anti-aircraft units if they are to avoid renewed attacks from US jets and US-trained Free Syrian Army proxies lurking in the vast Syrian desert.

Meanwhile, SAA units are also advancing against FSA rebels in eastern Sweida, capturing a large swath of rural territory on Thursday.

Over 100 SAA soldiers have been killed by US airstrikes, mostly at Deir Ezzor, over the 12 months. Nevertheless, the SAA is yet to conduct a single direct hostility against US troops whom are present in both northern and southern Syria despite vocal objections from Damascus.

US special operations forces are conducting nearly 100 operations at any time throughout Africa, according to a Special Operations Command Africa (SOCAFRICA) strategic planning report made public on Thursday.

US Military Conducting Nearly 100 Special Ops in Africa at Any Time - Report
https://sputniknews.com/africa/201705181053747463-us-military-africa-ops/

The October 2016 report was obtained by Vice News under the US Freedom of Information Act and released on Thursday.

At any given time, you will find SOCAFRICA conducting approximately 96 activities in 20 countries," SOCAFRICA commander Brig. Gen. Donald Bolduc stated in the report.

2010, 3 percent of all US special operations forces deployed abroad were located in Africa, up from just 1 percent four years earlier. By 2016, the number had increased to 17 percent, according to Special Operations Command.

In total, there are about 1,700 US commandos deployed throughout Africa and most of them are engaged in counter-terrorism operations with US partner nations.

Vice News noted that Bolduc said in the 2016 report the United States is not at war in Africa, but the report lists seven terror groups that are the focus of US attention on the continent: al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, Daesh, Ansar al-Sharia, al-Murabitun, al-Shabaab, Boko Haram and the Lord's Resistance Army (all outlawed in Russia).

On May 4, a US service member was killed in an operation against al-Shabaab near the Somali capital of Mogadishu. The service member, identified as Navy SEAL Kyle Milliken, was reportedly fighting alongside Somali forces.

The US Africa Command had said earlier that US forces were conducting an advise-and-assist mission alongside members of the Somali National Army.

China’s first non-domestic military outpost is slated to be finished by the end of the summer, according to Marine General Thomas Waldhauser, who said the base presents security concerns to the US.

New Chinese Military Base in Africa Presents Security Concerns for US
https://sputniknews.com/military/201703151051623494-new-base-africa-us-concerns/

The 90-acre naval base is located a mere four miles from the headquarters of US African Command, Camp Lemonnier, in Djibouti, where some 3,000 to 4,000 US personnel are stationed at any given time.

Under Waldhauser’s watch, the US hopes to keep tabs on what China does and does not do at the new base. Waldhauser recently requested an audience with Djibouti President Ismail Omar, to whom he "expressed [US] concerns about some of the things that are important to us about what the Chinese should not do at that location."

The US uses Camp Lemonnier base as a hub for highly secretive operations, Defense Tech reported. For instance, the camp was involved in the January 29 raid in Yemen that killed Navy Seal Team 6 member William “Ryan” Owens, as well as 14 Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula militants and at least 25 civilians.

Both the Chinese and US military in the region will likely seek to address the issue of Somali pirates. The marauders have been virtually absent from the Horn of Africa since 2013, according to data from Office of Naval Intelligence, but popped back up on the radar Monday after buccaneers raided an oil tanker and its Sri Lankan crew.

The question wasn’t really if an attack was going to happen, the question was when," John Stee, head of the Horn of Africa desk at the Oceans Beyond Piracy non-governmental organization, said. "The one thing that’s not really been addressed is the real root cause of this, which is poverty."

Chinese investors have poured $400 million into Djibouti to build a trading port and to develop a free trade zone in the region. In addition to bolstering China’s naval presence in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea, the base will likely serve as headquarters for roughly 2,200 Chinese soldiers stationed in Africa as part of peacekeeping operations, Waldhauser noted.

The center also detected more than 10 launches of domestic and foreign ballistic missiles

Russian Space Forces track launches of over 280 satellites in six months
http://tass.com/defense/946612

The Russian Space Forces have tracked down the launch of more than 280 satellites in the period between November 2016 and April 2017, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"Specialists of the Main Space Intelligence Center of the Russian Space Forces have monitored the orbiting of over 280 spacecraft and deorbiting of about 70 spacecraft. They also issued three warnings about the dangerous approach of space objects to spacecraft of the Russian orbital grouping,"
the ministry said.

"Specialists of the Main Space Intelligence Center paid special attention to make-up and condition of foreign space groupings and orbital experiments involving foreign spacecraft," the ministry added.

According to earlier reports, the center detected more than 10 launches of domestic and foreign ballistic missiles.

 

[angelburst29]

At least 45 people were killed and 30 wounded by suicide bombing in Syria's Idlib province.

Suicide Blast Near Ahrar al-Sham Militants' HQ in Syria Leaves 45 Dead
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201705211053838945-ahrar-ash-sham-suicide-blast-idlib/

A suicide blast near the headquarters of Ahrar al-Sham military group in the Syrian Idlib province left on Sunday at least 45 people dead and about 30 injured, a local source told Sputnik.

At least 45 people were killed and 30 were injured in the blast against the headquarters of 'Lions of Islam Brigade,' which belongs to Ahrar ash-Sham in Idlib's eastern neighborhood of Seraqeb," the source said.

The source did not specify, whether there were civilians among the victims, however, noted that a commander of the group had been killed.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.

The people in al-Bab city in the Northern parts of Aleppo rallied to protest at the Turkish army and its allies' deployment in the region.

Aleppo: People in Al-Bab Rally against Turkish Army, Allies
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960231001320

Local sources in al-Bab reported that people held protest rallies in Sheikh Aqil district of al-Bab which has been occupied by the Turkish army and Ankara-backed militants.

They added that tens of people in the region carried placards to protest at Ankara and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's policies.

They also chanted slogans including "Erdogan listen! We don’t obey your cruel army. This place belongs to us".

The rally was held after Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak said the country is considering establishing a base near the Syrian city of al-Bab.

Kaynak said location of the base currently being considered by the Turkish General Staff is Aqil Hill, West of al-Bab.

The Turkish military established a temporary base at the strategic site after capturing it in February and has been considering turning it into something more permanent since.

Speaking after a trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kaynak added that Turkish military presence in the area has been reduced from 8,000 at the peak of the Operation Euphrates Shield to 1,500.

The Turkish military officials announced formation of a 'new free army' in Northern Syria as Ankara is preparing to launch an attack in Idlib province

Turkey to Set Up New Militant Army in Northern Syria
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960231001403

The military sources revealed that the Turkish army has been strenuously training the Free Syrian Army (FSA) forces after ending the Turkish-led Euphrates Shield operations in Aleppo province in Northern Syria and has established a training base in Northern Syria near the border with Turkey.

Meantime the Turkish military officials deployed in the training field said that a "new free army" will be formed with new capabilities for future operations in Syria. Earlier, the media sources in Idlib had revealed that Turkey has formed an army named 'al-Faylaq al-Awwal'.

Also, sources close to militants in Idlib said that certain terrorist commanders in the region have called for Turkey's military intervention and occupation of Idlib to make al-Nusra Front (also known as Fatah al-Sham Front or the Levant Liberation Board) withdraw from the region.

The report came after Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak said the country is considering establishing a base near the Syrian city of al-Bab.

Kaynak said location of the base currently being considered by the Turkish General Staff is Aqil Hill, West of al-Bab.

At least nine militants, supported by the Turkish army, were killed or wounded in a fresh round of clashes with the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in Northern Aleppo, informed sources said Sunday.

More Turkey-Backed Militants Killed in Clashes with Kurdish Fighters in Northern Syria
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960231001291

The sources said that the Ankara-backed militants stormed the defense lines of the YPG in the village of Iska near the town of Afrin from two Southern directions, starting heavy exchange of fire.

The sources further said that three Turkey-backed militants were killed and six more were wounded, while a large volume of weapons and ammunition were seized by the YPG fighters.

In the meantime, the Ankara-backed mercenaries attacked the positions of the predominately Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the villages of Hasiyeh, Samouqeh, Qowsrouj and Tal Shayeer, the sources said, adding clashes between the SDF and the Ankara-backed militants spread towards the surroundings of the villages of Harbal and Tal Madhiq.

The US' top officials have recently announced that the US is changing tactics in Syria and is working on the possible de-confliction of operations in Syria with Russia. Russian media suggested what might be behind the revised US' policies.

About Turn: What's Really Behind the US' New Approach to Syria
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201705211053835649-us-syria-tactics/

This week, Defense Secretary James Mattis said that the US has changed its tactics in Syria following the order by President Trump to increase the pressure on the Islamic State (ISIS, Daesh) in Iraq and Syria, and leave the beleaguered fighters with no avenue of escape.

"He directed a tactical shift from shoving ISIS out of safe locations in an attrition fight to surrounding the enemy in their strongholds so we can annihilate ISIS," Mattis said Friday during a Pentagon briefing on the counter-ISIS campaign.

He added that by making sure foreign fighters can't get away, or return to their home countries, "We don't simply transplant this problem from one place to another."

Meanwhile, General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff pointed to two other changes that came as a result of the president's direction to accelerate the defeat of ISIS, including allowing US advisers to accompany partner forces closer to the front lines, and the decision to arm Syrian Kurds to facilitate the liberation of Raqqa, the Islamic State's self-proclaimed capital in Syria.

The Trump administration is giving more leeway to field commanders and focusing on annihilating Islamic State forces, top US officials said. A proposal is also in the works to “de-conflict” operations in Syria with Russia.

US forces are legally precluded from coordinating with the Russians, Dunford told reporters at the Pentagon on Friday.
However, the US and Russian militaries have been maintaining multiple communication channels to “de-conflict” operations in Syria.

"We have a proposal that we’re working on with the Russians right now," Dunford added, declining to offer any details. He did say that it would address the presence of a Syrian government pocket in Deir ez-Zor, halfway down the Euphrates River between the Daesh stronghold of Raqqa and the Iraqi border.

"The Russians are as enthusiastic as we are to de-conflict operations" and focus on fighting Daesh, Dunford said.

Russian online newspaper Gazeta.ru pointed out that the comments came after Moscow condemned the US airstrike against Syrian government-allied force near the Jordanian border as "illegitimate and unlawful."

It also reminded that the US claimed Syrian pro-government forces posed a threat to US-backed forces in the country's south near the Jordan border.

The outlet also pointed out that the strike of the US-led coalition came amid ongoing negotiations on the setup of four so-called safe or de-escalation zones in Syria backed by Russia, Turkey and Iran.

It recalled that the initiative was supported by President Trump during his telephone conversation with President Putin.

However later, it said, Acting Assistant Secretary Stuart Jones, who represented the US at the Astana talks said that the US "has certain reasons to be cautious" about the agreement, including the involvement of Iran as a guarantor of the process.

The Pentagon overbilled the US Army, Navy, Air Force, and the Marines for fuel, pocketing the massive price differences to fill a “slush fund” used for inefficient or mismanaged defense programs, according to the Washington Post.

Pentagon overbills US military for fuel to pour surplus into ‘slush fund’ – report
https://www.rt.com/usa/389108-pentagon-overbills-us-military/

The Department of Defense amassed $6 billion over the past seven years by billing the US armed forces excessive prices for fuel, the newspaper reports, citing official documents. The rates were often much higher than those paid by commercial airlines for jet fuel.

Since World War II, the Department of Defense, which is the largest single consumer of fuel in the world, purchases all of its fuel – around 100 million barrels of refined petroleum annually – and resells it at fixed prices to the Air Force, Navy, Army, and Marine Corps. To procure fuel, each branch of the US military pays for it out of their own budgets.

The military’s standard fuel price is set by the Pentagon’s comptroller in consultation with the Defense Logistics Agency and the White House’s Office of Management and Budget. But the Pentagon raised the fixed fuel price even at times when energy markets were in decline, the newspaper reported.

“We’ve been complaining about this,” Ray Mabus, a former Navy secretary, told the Washington Post. “But if we do it too loudly, oh man, they come back on us really hard.” Other Navy officials, who vocally opposed the Pentagon’s scheme, said the surplus fund is known as a “bishop’s fund,” and is controlled by the office of the defense secretary.

“Another word for it is ‘slush fund,’” said Mabus, who served as a Navy secretary for eight years under the Obama administration.

In one case, in April 2013, John P. Roth, the Pentagon’s acting comptroller and chief financial officer, informed the armed forces that the standard fuel price would go up next month by 27 percent, from $3.73 to $4.72 per gallon.

At that time, fuel prices on the open market had been going down, and commercial airlines were paying $3.05 per gallon at the time, according to data from the Bureau for Transportation Statistics cited by the newspaper.

In 2015, when petroleum prices were plunging, the Pentagon managed to make an even bigger surplus, transferring an extra $1.2 billion to other military accounts.

Around $80 million were allocated to the Pentagon’s program to train and equip Syrian rebels fighting Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL), records show. The program, designed to train 5,400 fighters, produced little results, as only 150 militants were trained. Others were killed or captured by Islamists or deserted.

In all, the Pentagon has withdrawn $5.9 billion from the ‘slush fund’ since 2011, according to Defense Department figures. Almost all of the surplus was generated from fuel savings, defense officials told the newspaper.

Roth, the Pentagon’s acting comptroller, defended the practice, saying it is normal to “balance out manageable shortfalls and surpluses” that invariably arise each fiscal year. Congress “expects us to solve most of our problems ourselves without coming back and asking them for more money,” he said.

He refused to admit that the Pentagon was capitalizing on fuel prices to fill the ‘slush fund.’

“It’s not a bishop’s fund and we don’t keep a bishop’s fund,” he said, noting that if it was indeed the case, he personally would make “a hell of a lot more money.”

Since 2015, some $60 million from the Pentagon fuel funds were spent on training of Syrian armed opposition and some $1.4 billion – on "unanticipated expenses" in Afghanistan, according to media reports.

Pentagon Spending Extra Fuel Money on Training of Syrian Opposition, Afghan War
https://sputniknews.com/us/201705211053830714-us-pentagon-ful-money/

Pentagon has been spending extra money from the agency’s fuel budget to train the Syrian armed opposition and cover the Afghan war expenses,
the Washington Post newspaper reported, citing military accounting records.

According to the media, the agency has generated some $6 billion since 2010, charging the country’s armed forces excessive prices for fuel. Since 2015, some $60 million from these funds were spent on training of Syrian armed opposition and some $1.4 billion – on "unanticipated expenses" in Afghanistan.

Another $450 million were spent on the drug-prescription program for the military personnel, reportedly heavily exploited by insurance scammers, the media added.

The US Department of Defense is the world’s largest single fuel consumer, the media stressed, noting that the agency buys some 100 million barrels of refined petroleum per year. The DoD then resells the fuel to its military departments – US Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and others – at a fixed price, which is considerably higher than the prices on the open market.

In March 2017, US President Donald Trump requested $639 billion for the DoD for the fiscal year 2018, which is $52 billion more than in 2017.

The president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, took to his Twitter platform, saying that unilateral military interventions by the US are "'the worst disgrace to humanity' to befall a nation."

US Interventions Worst Disgrace to Humanity: Bolivia's Morales
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960231001212

Evo, in a second tweet, noted that 'the worst disgrace to humanity' is to build military bases and launch interventions to steal natural resources, violating human rights", TeleSur reported.

The tweets from the Indigenous leader and Bolivian head of state were meant to address the ongoing intervention in Syria by the United States and a campaign of sabre-rattling aggression against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Morales has long been outspoken in his denunciations of US imperialism, recently airing his “fear and concern” over the US aggressive campaign in the Korean peninsula and its attack on a Syrian air field.

Last month, he remarked in an interview with teleSUR on the unprecedented diplomatic pressure spearheaded by the US against Venezuela through the Organization of American, reminding viewers of late Cuban President Fidel Castro's characterization of the OAS as “the US Ministry of Colonies.”

The Bolivian president also has said that imperialism “constantly conspires and what we are seeing now economic aggression, economic wars have resulted in imperialism being able to again have geopolitical control in our region.”

"I can't understand this attitude, any authority must give more thought to humanity, any authority must respect the equality of peoples," Morales remarked in an interview with RT in April.

 

[bjorb]

I found this interesting, it's an interview of a Dutch ex-soldier who joined the Kurds so he could fight IS. (the interview stems from 2015)

http://www.volkskrant.nl/buitenland/-de-koerden-zeiden-daar-is-de-vijand-ga-je-gang~a4174743/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_content=free&utm_campaign=shared+content&hash=5822f3dad714959303ba56b7fcc6c3d399588e70

This stood out the most:

Akse says in the interview that the United States is not at all interested in fighting IS:

"United States Air Support? 'Minimal', says Akse. 'worthless.' The US claims they want to finish IS, but Akse says he noticed very little of that. "Usually they hit empty buildings. The American airstrikes are for fake, they do not want to lose Daesh at all. "

 

[angelburst29]

The chairman of the Syrian Democratic Council, Rezan Hiddo, told Sputnik that it was awaiting for Damascus' and Moscow's reaction to Turkey's alleged training of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), which is reportedly being done to conduct an operation in the northern Syrian city of Afrin, in the wake of the US' decision to arms the Syrian Kurds.

Syrian Opposition Awaits Damascus, Moscow Reaction to Ankara's Training of FSA
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201705231053905998-syria-fsa-training-turkey/

Earlier this week, local media reported that Turkey would intensify its training of the FSA to counter the Kurdish forces backed by the United States.

"According to the received data, Turkey is training FSA forces in order to carry out an operation in Afrin. Turkey decided to conduct the operation after the United States made the decision to supply weapons to the People's Protection Units [YPG]. Turkey cannot conduct ground operation in Kobani and Qamishli, as there are US troops, but there are none in Afrin, that is why Turkey plans to carry out the operation here… We are waiting for the reaction of the Syrian and Russian governments in response to the Turkish plans," Hiddo said.

Hiddo added that Turkey also sought to gain control over Azaz, Marea and Idlib, as well as over the areas to the west of the Jarabulus-Aleppo line.

An explosion hit a southern Shiite-majority suburb of the Syrian capital of Damascus.

Blast Rocks Southern Damascus Suburb
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201705231053883914-blast-damascus-suburb/

A suicide attacker in an explosives-laden car caused a blast in a southern Shiite-majority suburb of the Syrian capital of Damascus, a local security service source told Sputnik on Tuesday.

"The explosion most likely occurred at the army checkpoint at the entrance to Sayyidah-Zaynab from the road to the airport," the witness said, noting that it is not yet known whether there were casualties.

"The cause of the explosion was a suicide bomber in a mined car. He blew himself up at the checkpoint at the entrance to Sayyidah-Zaynab," the source said, noting that there are likely casualties.

The source military and security service officials were able to detain the second mined car that managed to cross the checkpoint.

The Syrian conflict must be solved through political means with the country’s unity and territorial integrity maintained, the US and Saudi Arabia has said in a joint statement released by the White House on Tuesday.

US & Saudi Arabia say it's necessary to maintain Syria whole & united – White House
https://www.rt.com/news/389484-us-saudi-syria-territorial-integrity/#.WSSyehEL-jo.email

Washington and Riyadh “emphasized the importance of reaching a permanent solution to the conflict in Syria based on the Geneva declaration and Security Council resolution 2254, in order to maintain the unity and integrity of Syrian territory,” the statement read.

The announcement, which summed up the discussions of US President Donald Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia last weekend, said that after the end of hostilities, Syria must become “a country that represents the entire spectrum of the Syrian community and free from sectarian discrimination.”

The Geneva II Communique (2014) and UNSC resolution 2254 (2015) envisages a roadmap for a political solution of the Syrian conflict, urging a ceasefire, transitional government and free elections in the country.

Militants affiliated with Islamic State are vying for control of the city of Marawi in the Philippines. President Rodrigo Duterte put the island of Mindanao under martial law, ordered in special forces and cut short his state visit to Russia.

Philippines crisis: Duterte declares martial law on Mindanao in face of ISIS-linked onslaught (Video)
https://www.rt.com/news/389452-duterte-isis-philippines-martial-law/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghvTYmeQ-BU (0:33 min.)

Islamist-extremist insurgents from the Maute group are engaging government forces in firefights and the area, which boasts a population of 200,000, is now on lockdown, according to Philippines authorities.

Local reports indicate the militants have established checkpoints in the city.

Facebook posts by Marawi residents depict photos of fighters, clad in black, moving through streets while heavily armed. Local media reports the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) flag flies over a medical center while other residents are tweeting that buildings have been set ablaze and roads blocked.

President Duterte declared martial law for a 60-day period. Authorities have asked the public not to share any information which could “compromise operational security.”

A government official said in a press conference Tuesday that the whole of Marawi city has been blacked out with snipers patrolling the streets as government troops continue to engage with the insurgents.

Duterte is cutting short his state visit to Moscow to return to the Philippines.

Eyewitnesses have reported that the Maute group,who are also known as the Islamic State of Lanao, have set fire to a jail and a college in the city.

Earlier on Tuesday Reuters reported that five Philippine soldiers were wounded when they raided an apartment housing militants.

Army spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Jo-ar Herrera, said the military was acting on information that Isnilon Hapilon, a leader of the Abu Sayyaf rebel group, was among the militants hiding in the apartment.

The US State Department has a bounty of up to $5 million for Hapilon's arrest.

Late last month Philippines security forces claimed they killed 36 Maute fighters and captured the rebels’ base during a three-day operation.

'They want me to fight China. It’s gonna be a massacre!' - Duterte to RT (FULL INTERVIEW)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHjlCmdyesY&feature=em-uploademail (23:40 min.)

Published on May 22, 2017
The Philippines should have stronger ties with Russia and China, as Western nations are only interested in double talk and disregard Philippines interests, President Rodrigo Duterte told RT and other Russian media ahead of his visit to Moscow.

The city of Marawi is under ISIS control. The city is located in southern Philippines.

Why is nobody talking about this?! Philippine city fallen to ISIS! (Tweets - Facebook links)
http://investmentwatchblog.com/why-is-nobody-talking-about-this-philippine-city-fallen-to-isis/

CNN Philippines’ Chief Correspondent Pia Hontiveros gives us live updates on the clash between government forces and Maute group in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Wednesday that martial law that he imposed in the southern province of Mindanao could last up to a year.

President Duterte Says Martial Law in Philippines’ Mindanao May Last a Year
https://sputniknews.com/asia/201705241053920536-duterte-mindanao-martial-law-year/

Martial law declared on the southern island of Mindanao in Philippines may last for a year if needed, Duterte said.

"How long? Well, if it would take a year to do, then we'll do it. If it's over in a month, I'd be happy," Duterte said on a plane on his way back to the Philippines from Russia.

On Tuesday, Duterte declared martial law in Mindanao following the deadly firefight between government security forces and Islamists. Duterte also cut his visit to Russia and rescheduled the meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin for late Tuesday.

Among the terrorist groups that are active on the island of Mindanao are Maute, Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and Abu Sayyaf militant groups, linked with the Islamic State terrorist group, outlawed in Russia and other countries.

 

[Laura]

The liberal snowflake on this video is priceless. What a freaking idiot. Is he really that clueless and brainwashed???

They start off with Carlson asking who is the greatest threat to America, ISIS or Russia. Seeing how this guy tries to spin the Russian threat is just amazing.

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

 

[thorbiorn]

The liberal snowflake on this video is priceless. What a freaking idiot. Is he really that clueless and brainwashed???

They start off with Carlson asking who is the greatest threat to America, ISIS or Russia. Seeing how this guy tries to spin the Russian threat is just amazing.

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

Perhaps they speak about two different things. One, Carlson, associates US National Security mainly with the US proper. For the other the US really implicitly means the Empire. The hysteria he is blowing up is like a commodity to be sold, an advertisement for political insanity, a mind byte trojan to be distributed and infect. On the one hand it is a hilarious interview, but personally it was also a toebending experience. Unfortunately many Europeans buy into the nonsense. Where is this all going to end?

 

[angelburst29]

Syria - Truth Slips Through In The New York Times - NATO Preps to Fight Iran And Russia
http://www.moonofalabama.org/2017/05/syria-truth-slips-through-in-the-new-york-times-nato-preps-to-fight-iran-and-russia.html

The New York Times Magazine has an interesting piece about east Aleppo. Robert Worth visited it recently and talked to people there. The NYT editors/censors inserted many of their standard slander against the Syrian government, but the can not drown out the realities described therein.

Thus the piece is headline: Aleppo After the Fall but one of the key sentences in it says just the opposite:

Yasser said he was one of the first people to come back [to east-Aleppo], right after what he — like everyone else I met — called the liberation.

Jihadi propaganda claims of government bombing of random hospitals without reason "verified" by a Skype call to some al-Qaeda propagandist in Idleb- are mixed with reality based on-the-ground reporting:

On my second day in the city, I went to see the Aleppo Eye Hospital, a sprawling compound that the rebels had used as a military headquarters. As we walked through the burned and shattered building, my government minder and the soldiers guarding the place kept picking up markers of the rebels’ Islamist leanings. They weren’t hard to find. A fire-blackened car out front still had the Qaeda logo on its hood. ...

Unfortunately the piece also includes factual errors:

The reporter, an Aleppan named Rida al-Basha, described the neighborhoods where [looting] had taken place and named the militias, including the notorious Tiger Forces, whose leaders include well-known thugs.

I do not doubt that looting has taken place after the liberation of east-Aleppo. Those who supported the "rebel" invasion of their city will have lost everything. But looting by the Tiger Force "militia"? The Tiger Force are the Special Operations Division of the Syrian Arab Army, not a "militia". It is led by highly professional officers, not by "thugs". Its leader, General Suheil al-Hassan, has been in the army for over 26 years. The division is armed with Russian T-90 tanks and other heavy assault equipment. It is an offensive unit which has been very busy on various fronts. It is not a mopping up or occupation force for urban areas that would have time for organized looting in Aleppo. The quoted claim is inconsistent with those facts.

But still - the Magazine piece is filled with detailed story of real people who factually tell what the "rebels" have done to their city. How they looted every factory and house down to the copper electricity wire and sold everything off to Turkey. Wherever the story is based on real reporting it confirms the view and position of the anti-Islamist Syrian majority which supports its government. After years of claiming the opposite in its hundreds of anti-Syrian propaganda pieces one wonder how the NYT editors let this pass.

One anecdote even reveals who the Syrians will choose as their future leader:

My Syrian businessman friend told me that he twice gathered about a dozen people for dinner and offered them a hypothetical in strict confidence. It is up to you to name the next president of Syria, he said. Whom would you choose? The guests were all Syrians, and none supported the regime. To his surprise, almost all of them named Assad.

And that, dear reader, is why the U.S. and its proxies are against truly democratic elections in Syria. Their nemesis would easily win and prevent the planned neo-liberal looting of what is left of the Syrian state.

The Islamic proxy forces of the "west", al-Qaeda under its various disguises, Ahar al-Sham and even ISIS are mostly done. The latest especially is no longer a capable military force but is reverting to guerilla levels of operation. Its final defeat will take a long time but it must and will be achieved by local forces.

Despite that the U.S. pressed on NATO members to let the NATO organization join its "fight against ISIS". The single NATO members were already part of the U.S. coalition. But NATO as an organization brings large scale command and control capabilities as well as additional resources. (All under U.S. control.)

Make no mistake - "fighting ISIS" is not the real purpose of the move. The U.S. wants NATO support to invade Syria from the north in Idleb as well as from the south near Deraa and from the south-east starting at the al-Tanf border station to Iraq. Syria and its allies will now be fought under the disguise of "fighting ISIS" which factually can no longer be the purpose. Thus NATO, together with Wahhabi Gulf forces, will now be engaged in an expanded war not only against the Syria government but especially against its Russian and Iranian allies. Trump's endorsement of anti-Iranian rhetoric on his visit in Saudi Arabia served a similar purpose.

Syria and its allies will try to prevent a further invasion by cutting off al-Tanf and holding on to Deraa city - thereby blocking any wider military moves. But those measures will probably be in vain. Unless some sane voices intervene we are now at the beginning of a far wider and more dangerous war that can easily slip out of anyone's control.

US President Donald Trump stated that many NATO countries have agreed to step up payments under North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) obligations.

Trump Claims Money 'Beginning to Pour in' From NATO Allies
https://sputniknews.com/world/201705271054048546-nato-defense-us/

"Many" member states agreed to raise their payments under North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) obligations which will strengthen the alliance, US President Donald Trump said Saturday.

Many NATO countries have agreed to step up payments considerably, as they should. Money is beginning to pour in — NATO will be much stronger," Trump wrote on Twitter.

During Thursday's NATO Summit in Belgium's capital of Brussels, Trump called on the alliance's member states to "contribute their fair share" and meet the financial obligations imposed by the membership.

The issue of NATO’s funding has been raised repeatedly by Trump’s administration, which stressed all the alliance's members should respect their NATO budget responsibilities. According to the NATO 2014 Wales Summit Declaration, the alliance member states should pursue the target of spending 2 percent of their GDP to funding NATO within a decade.

Only five countries — Estonia, Greece, Poland, the United States and the United Kingdom — currently meet the standard.

In an interview with Sputnik, Russian military expert Igor Korotchenko praised NATO's desire not to seek confrontation with Russia, but expressed doubts over its actual goals.

Practice What You Preach: What Prompted NATO Chief's Latest Remarks on Russia
https://sputniknews.com/world/201705271054047736-russia-nato-stoltenberg-statement-goals/

During a NATO summit in Brussels on Thursday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance will join the US-led coalition to defeat the Daesh terrorist group but not deploy ground troops. He also said that NATO is not seeking a confrontation with Russia.

Speaking to Sputnik, Russian military expert and chief editor of the National Defense magazine Igor Korotchenko stressed the political importance of NATO's statement on Russia, but said that it's unclear why Stoltenberg decided to say so.

"Another question is whether this measure is aimed at catching Russia off guard in respect to the actions that the alliance is taking in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland to build up its combat capabilities and create the appropriate infrastructure," he said.

Korotchenko added that "Russia welcomes positive statements, but NATO's practical steps do not yet give grounds to draw conclusions about the alliance's friendly attitude towards our country."

He also suggested that it was US President Donald Trump's pre-election statement about Daesh and international terrorism that influenced the opinion of NATO members during the summit.

Obviously, Washington's stance prompted NATO to make a statement on its efforts now being focused on organizational and technical measures to support the actions by the US-led coalition in Syria and Iraq," Korotchenko said.

He described NATO's decision to join the anti-Daesh coalition as a positive yet "symbolic" step.

Stoltenberg, for his part, said at a press briefing on Thursday that NATO member countries have reiterated that the alliance will continue its dual-track approach to Russia which will combine defense and dialogue.

"NATO’s relationship with Russia was another topic of discussion. Today we reaffirmed our dual-track approach – strong defense combined with meaningful dialogue," Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels.

NATO-Russia relations have gone downhill after Crimea's reunification with Russia and the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. In 2014, NATO suspended practical military and civilian cooperation projects with Moscow, but still keeps political channels open.

Earlier this month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that NATO sent relations with Moscow into a deep freeze after its plans aimed at severing ties between Russia and Ukraine failed.

"NATO became bitter that its project aimed at bringing the entire Ukraine into its sphere of influence, making Ukraine part of the North Atlantic Alliance and using Crimea to encircle Russia fell through," he explained in an interview with the Mir channel.

As a result, the US-led military alliance suspended cooperation in all areas of mutual interest, including counterterrorism efforts, Russia's top diplomat said. However, the bloc has tried to restart dialogue despite "the resistance from an aggressive minority."

The Kremlin has always maintained that Moscow is ready to discuss issues of mutual concern with NATO on equal terms and without preconditions.

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has barred a dozen of companies and individuals from working with the US government over their involvement in bid-rigging and multiple kickback schemes related to Syrian humanitarian aid awards.

USAID Debars 12 Companies, Individuals Over Syria Aid Fraud Scheme
https://sputniknews.com/us/201705271054034271-usaid-swbars-twelve-companies-fraud-scheme/

Twelve companies and individuals have been barred from working with the US government for five years over their role in a fraud scheme in which they profited from humanitarian aid to Syria, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) Office of Inspector General said in a statement.

The companies and individuals were identified as Senkardes Gida San ve Tic Lt.d., Forvet, Selkas, Yigit Motorlu, Orhan Senkardes, Luan Meraku, Selcuk Benli, Ismet Kalin, Hecran Kalin, Zerrin Nalbanoglu, Erol Senkardes and Erdal Senkardes.

"To date, OIG’s investigations in Syria and the surrounding region have identified a network of commercial vendors and nongovernmental organizations employees who colluded to engage in bid-rigging and multiple kickback schemes related to Syrian humanitarian aid awards," the statement said.

USAID's debarment applies to all US government departments, agencies and contractors.

 

[angelburst29]

An Israeli combat drone was downed on Friday in southwestern Syria after killing three Syrian soldiers, local media reported Saturday.

Syrian Army Shoots Down Armed Israeli Drone After Attack on Soldiers - Reports
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201705271054034995-syrian-army-downs-israeli-drone/

Troops loyal to the Syrian government shot down a drone overnight suspected of killing three soldiers on Friday in southwestern Syria, according to the reports.

The armed drone was struck down by anti-aircraft units of the Syrian ground forces operating in the Quneitra province, the Al-Masdar newspaper said.

According to the outlet, Syrian troops were attacked in the area between the towns of Al Hamidiyah and Abu Shabta as they made in-roads into territories held by militant forces.

Syrian armed forces reportedly shot down two suspected Israeli drones in the past couple of months.

The Syrian Army forces' heavy attacks on ISIL's defense lines in Eastern Aleppo forced the terrorists to retreat from 10 villages after leaving behind a large number of fighters dead.

Syria: ISIL Continues Vast Withdrawal of Forces from Eastern Aleppo
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960306001088

The army soldiers launched a massive attack on ISIL's positions and drove them out of the villages of Mawaleh Saqir, Mawaleh Kabir, Mastriheh, Batoushiyeh, Ramazaniyeh, Ta'aousat, Khirbet al-Zib, Kirbet Hasoun, Shiheh, al-Abas and Wadi al-Mawaleh.

Early battlefield reports said the ISIL has lost tens of fighters in the attack.

Reports said earlier today that the army units engaged in another tough battle with ISIL North of the town of Maskana and managed to liberate the town of al-Sukriyeh, killing and wounding a number of terrorists.

The Syrian Army troops discovered a large number of US and Israeli missiles and a large volume of ammunition while carrying out cleansing operation in al-Wa'er district North-West of Homs city, media sources reported.

Syrian Army Discovers US, Israeli Missiles, Munitions in Terrorists' Positions in Homs
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960306000436

The Syrian state news agency reported that the army's engineering units found a large number of B10, US-made (light anti-tank weapon) LAW, Cobra, Katyusha and RPG missiles and rockets in their cleansing operation in one of the positons of the terrorists in al-Wa'er.

In the meantime, the army men discovered a large volume of Israeli bombs, mortars, missile launchers, protection masks, sniper rifles, binoculars and other munitions in the terrorists' position in al-Wa'er.

Media sources said in April that the Syrian Air Force in a crushing response to the US missile attack on Shayrat airbase in Southwestern Homs launched massive airstrikes on terrorists' depot of US-made arms and ammunition in Idlib.

The Arabic language al-Hadath news website reported that as a first massive response to the missile strikes, the Syrian warplanes took off from Shayrat airbase and targeted a huge depot of American arms and munitions of the Al-Nusra Front (also known as Fatah al-Sham Front or the Levant Liberation Board) in al-Qasaniyeh settlement in Jisr al-Shughour region in Southern Idlib, destroying the entire weapons stocked in there and killing a number of militants at and around the depot.

A number of terrorists affiliated to the Turkish army were killed or wounded in several cases of clashes with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Northern Aleppo.

Several Turkey-Backed Terrorists Killed in Clashes with Kurdish Fighters in Northern Syria
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960306001015

The SDF fighters deployed in Afrin region engaged in fierce clashes with the Ankara-backed militants that tried to prevail over the Kurdish fighters from the village of Iska, killing one of the terrorists and forcing the rest of them to escape.

In the meantime, the Turkey-backed militants, deployed in the town of Marea and the villages of Tobes and Tal Maled, attacked the villages of al-Shahba dam region, including Qoul Sarouj, Samouqeh, Hasiyeh and Sheikh Isa, a local source said, adding that heavy fighting erupted between the Kurdish fighters deployed in the villages and the militants, inflicting a number of casualties on both sides.

Informed sources said last week that at least nine militants, supported by the Turkish army, were killed or wounded in a fresh round of clashes with the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in Northern Aleppo.

The sources said that the Ankara-backed militants stormed the defense lines of the YPG in the village of Iska near the town of Afrin from two Southern directions, starting heavy exchange of fire.

Sources in the Russian Defense Ministry disclosed that the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and ISIL terrorist group have come to an agreement for withdrawing gunmen from Raqqa towards Palmyra (Tadmur) in Homs province .

Syria: ISIL, Kurdish Fighters Agree on Withdrawing Gunmen from Raqqa
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960306000640

Based on reliable information from independent sources in Raqqa, the SDF and ISIL commanders have agree on establishing a safe corridor in the Southern direction of Raqqa to move the gunmen in the city towards Palmyra in Eastern Homs," the Arabic-language desk of RT quoted the sources in Russian ministry as saying.

The sources also told RT that the Russian forces in Syria are considering some measures to prevent implementation of the agreement, adding, The Russian fighter jets pounded a 39-vehicle convoy of ISIL carrying weapons along the road from Raqqa to Palmyra, destroying 32 heavy-machinegun equipped vehicles and killing over 120 terrorists."

Local sources said on Thursday that the ISIL fully withdrew its members from certain regions and districts of Raqqa.

The Arabic website of Sputnik news agency quoted the sources as saying that the ISIL evacuated the districts of al-Dari'eyeh, Mafraq al-Jazra, al-Hasiweh and al-Hawayej as well as Bain al-Jisrin region.

They added that the Central parts of Raqqa city also become empty of ISIL members and their families. According to the sources, the ISIL did not declare the reason for this measure.

Commanders of the Russian group of forces in Syria have taken measures to avert the withdrawal of the Islamic State militants from Raqqa towards Palmyra, which is located to the south, a source at the Russian Defense Ministry said.

Russian military will prevent ISIL’s retreat from Raqqa to Palmyra
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/russian-military-will-prevent-isils-retreat-raqqa-palmyra/

“The data confirmed via several independent channels suggests that the commanders of Kurdish units affiliated with the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces and the leaders of the Islamic State detachments operating in the area reached an agreement on the opening of the so-called secure southern corridor,” the source said
.
“The terrorists have received an opportunity for unimpeded withdrawal on the condition they will head towards Palmyra,” he said.

Upon receiving the data, the command of the Russian forces in Syria took steps to prevent the militants’ withdrawal southwards, the source said.

ISIL went on alert after four members of the terrorist group were killed by unknown assailants inside their positions in Eastern Syria, local sources said.

Deir Ezzur: Several ISIL Members Killed by Unknown Attackers, Tensions Intensified in Terrorist Front
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960306000564

The sources said that a number of unknown raiders attacked a positon of ISIL in the village of al-Tayaneh, and killed four members of the group. The sources said that ISIL terrorists that were surprised by the terror attack started arresting a number of the youths and men in the region, establishing more checkpoints in the entrances of the village.

Reports said on Friday that the army aircraft bombed heavily ISIL's concentration centers and movements in Badiyeh (desert) 37, Panorama farms and al-Hajif region, killing and wounding a number of militants and destroying their equipment.

In the meantime, sources in Homs province said that after the army's eye-catching advances from Eastern Homs to Eastern Qalamoun and taking control over 5,000 sq/km of land, the ISIL faced collapse of its front in the region and started to set fire at its military vehicles and equipment before pulling back its forces from the battlefield.

Local sources in the Eastern city of Deir Ezzur confirmed that a large number of ISIL terrorists were killed and several others were wounded after a long tunnel of the militants was discovered and detonated by the Syrian Army Forces.

Syrian Army Destroys ISIL's Long Tunnel in Deir Ezzur City, Heavy Casualties Reported
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960305000240

The army men discovered a 25-meter long and 1m-wide tunnel of ISIL in al-Movazafin neighborhood of Deir Ezzur city and detonated it, killing a large number of terrorists and destroying one of their gathering centers.

Relevant reports said on Thursday that the army units attacked ISIL movements and positions during an operation to break the siege of Deir Ezzur, inflicting heavy casualties on the terrorists.

The Syrian missile and artillery units targeted ISIL bases and supply routes in the Eastern parts of Deir Ezzur airbase and West of Tal al-Sanouf as well as the two districts of the old airport and al-Arafi and areas near al-Maqaber region, Panorama bridge and the village of al-Baqaliyeh.

On Friday afternoon, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP) shot down seven US-manufactured drones on the provincial border between Sweida and Homs, footage obtained by Al-Masdar News reveals.

Syrian Army shoots down seven US-manufactured drones in eastern Sweida (Video blank?)
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/video-syrian-army-shoots-seven-us-manufactured-drones-eastern-sweida/

The SAA and SSNP downed and captured seven Switchblade drones at the Al-Qalaa castle area east of the newly liberated Zuluf Dam. The fragile drones are launched from a tube and can fly up to 10 kilometers in surviellance missions.

According to a military source close to Al-Masdar News, the drones were launched by Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebels trained and equipped by US special forces in Jordan, then subsequently funelled across the border.

Meanwhile, reports emerged that over half of US-led coalition ground forces had withdrawn from southern Syria with the SAA and allied paramilitary contingents advancing ever closer to the Al-Tanf border crossing from both Sweida province and the Damascus-Baghdad highway.

Last week, the SAA downed the same type of drones over the Christian border town of Kesab in northern Latakia, suggest the United States to be carrying out extensive surveillance operations on areas under SAA control.

On Friday evening, Al-Masdar News was informed that the Islamic State had lost one its top military commanders in Syria due to a pinpoint Russian airstrike in eastern Homs.

Russian Air Force wipes out high-ranking Chechen ISIS warlord in eastern Homs
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/russian-air-force-wipes-high-ranking-chechen-isis-warlord-eastern-homs/

Abu Ayoub Al-Shishani, not to be confused with the late Abu Omar Al-Shishani, was killed by a Russian Sukhoi Su-34 bomber jet during the Islamic State’s large-scale withdrawal from central Homs on Thursday.

Abu Ayoub Al-Shishani, a man of Chechen origin who also fought the Russian Army back home, drew up the military plans for the first ISIS assault on Palmyra back in March 2016 which led to the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) retreating from the ancient city at the time.

The now deceased ISIS commander was also involved in a number of battles in neighboring Iraq, specializing in desert warfare around the provinces of Anbar and Nineveh.

His death represents a major blow to the caliphate’s forces which must now find a replacement if they are to fend off an expected eastern SAA thrust from Palmyra, ultimately looking to relieve the besieged city and airport of Deir Ezzor.

Russian and Syrian warplanes have played an instrumental role in driving back ISIS from the Syrian desert. A rare video emerged on Friday showing airstrikes pounding a large Islamic State convoy which tried to retreat from the region without success.

 

[goyacobol]

The liberal snowflake on this video is priceless. What a freaking idiot. Is he really that clueless and brainwashed???

They start off with Carlson asking who is the greatest threat to America, ISIS or Russia. Seeing how this guy tries to spin the Russian threat is just amazing.

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

Perhaps they speak about two different things. One, Carlson, associates US National Security mainly with the US proper. For the other the US really implicitly means the Empire. The hysteria he is blowing up is like a commodity to be sold, an advertisement for political insanity, a mind byte trojan to be distributed and infect. On the one hand it is a hilarious interview, but personally it was also a toebending experience. Unfortunately many Europeans buy into the nonsense. Where is this all going to end?

Is the glass half full or half empty?

associates US National Security mainly with the US proper.

I prefer half full on this one. Maybe if you lived in the US with MSM barely allowing any light to shine through you might have a different opinion. If this reporter continues in the same vein he probably won't last very long.

I am just thankful for any scrap of truth allowed to bleed through the MSM. I really don't think Fox News will allow much more of this type rebuttal. Tucker would be fired before that could happen I think.

Tucker is also very moderated in his exchange with David Tafuri on the Russian part being played in Ukraine and Syria. He sticks to a very narrow expression of disbelief in his answers but that for me is at least refreshing to see. He doesn't let the idiot repeat the propaganda without any resistance.

The reporting as a whole is not a great victory and your points are understandable if you see isolationism just as evil as hegemony.

If Carlson Tucker would continue to develop his "disbelief" he probably would go the route of CBS News Ben Swann does a "Reality Check" on Pizzagate.

After reporting on the Pizzagate conspiracy theory, Swann closed his social media accounts. Ben Swann still appears to be missing from any media footprint.

Where is Ben Swann?

I’m happy he’s safe, but I’m disappointed with the answer of Where is Ben Swann? America’s star journalist is working at a local television station, reporting on local problems, with no voice to speak on potentially paramount national issues.

If Carlson Tucker continues he will probably end up like Ben Swann.

 

[angelburst29]

The Syrian authorities submitted letters to the UN Secretary General (UNSG) and the UN Security Council (UNSC) to end the US-led coalition strikes because they cause massive loss of lives among the civilians.

Damascus Calls on UN to Stop US-Led Coalition Airstrikes Due to Civilian Deaths
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201705281054055474-damascus-us-led-coalition-strikes-cessation/

Damascus sent letters to the UN Secretary General (UNSG) and the UN Security Council (UNSC), calling for the cessation of the US-led coalition airstrikes in Syria as it causes numerous deaths among civilians and violates international law, local media reported.

The 69-member US-led coalition is conducting airstrikes, ground-based and rocket-propelled artillery fire against Daesh terrorist group (outlawed in Russia) on the territory of Syria and Iraq. The strikes in Iraq are conducted in support of the Iraqi government, but those in Syria are not authorized by the UN Security Council or the government of President Bashar Assad.

In the letters, the Syrian foreign ministry strongly condemned the coalition’s airstrike on Friday in the eastern province of Deir ez-Zor, when the residential quarter of the Mayadin city came under attack and 35 civilians were killed by the strike, the Sana news agency reported Saturday.

Damascus urged the United Nations to halt the airstrikes as it violates the UNSC resolutions and the international law, while causing an enormous damage to the infrastructure and integrity of the country, according to the agency.

The foreign ministry stressed that the US-led coalition’s actions do not facilitate the fight against terrorism as the strikes cause chaos in the country, benefiting the activities of the terrorist groups.

Al-Nusra Front forces launched a surprise attack against Daesh (ISIS/ISIL) forces at the border between Syria and Lebanon, slaying scores of terrorists.

Dog Against Dog: Al-Nusra Front Clashes With Daesh Forces in Syria
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201705271054052843-terrorist-groups-fighting/

The attack occurred in the border area between Syria and Lebanon’s Arsal region, as al-Nusra Front forces mounted an assault against Daesh elements entrenched there.

According to RIA Novosti citing Syrian government sources, Daesh forces lost at least 33 militants killed as a result of this engagement.

The mountainous areas along the Syrian-Lebanese border have long been utilized by various terrorist and extremist groups to smuggle weapons and new recruits into Syria.

However, as the Syrian government forces managed to reestablish control over vast swathes of the border, the terrorist groups quickly turned on one another in a desperate fight for control over the few remaining illegal border crossings.

The Chinese Defense Ministry urged Washington to halt its military maneuvers near China’s borders as it violates the national security and sovereignty in the light of the recent incidents, when Beijing intercepted a US military plane and a warship.

China’s Defense Ministry Urges US to Respect its Borders After Intercepting Jet
https://sputniknews.com/world/201705281054057494-china-us-military-activities/

On Thursday, the Chinese defense ministry accused Washington of militarizing the South China Sea region, following the sailing of the US Navy destroyer near the disputed Spratly Islands chain, while later media reported that Chinese fighter jets came within 100 feet of US anti-submarine and maritime surveillance P-3 Orion aircraft over the South China Sea.

“Once again we are calling on the American side to take effective actions in order to avoid such incidents in the future. The Chinese military forces will responsibly fulfill their duties and strongly defend the national sovereignty and security, ” the ministry said Saturday.

The defense ministry added that the US aircraft was carrying out reconnaissance activities on Thursday near the Hong Kong’s airspace.

“Chinese Air Force conducted a friend or foe identification checking in accordance with the rules, the operation was carried out professionally and safely,” the ministry added.

According to the ministry, the increasing presence of the US military forces in the South China Sea is a threat to Beijing's sovereignty.

Russia's Northern Fleet divers have recovered a US Sherman tank with a 76-mm gun from the transport ship Thomas Donaldson, sunk by Nazi sub in Barents Sea in 1945, Russia's Defense Ministry reported on Saturday. This hardware was supplied to the Soviet Union during the Second World War under the Lend-Lease agreement with the US and allies.

Russian Military ‘Captures’ US Sherman Tank, Saves It From Watery Grave
https://sputniknews.com/russia/201705281054064259-russia-recovers-us-tank/

Russia's Defense Ministry has posted photos of the US Sherman tank it recovered from the transport ship USS Thomas Donaldson, torpedoed by a Nazi sub in the Barents Sea in 1945.

The M4 Sherman tank, so-named by the British after the American Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman, was supplied to the Soviet Union under the Lend-Lease program in the years of the Second World War. The tank was officially called the Medium Tank M4.

​Much equipment, armored vehicles, warships and warplanes, tanks, food, oil and other materials were delivered to the northern ports of the Soviet Union, primarily Arkhangelsk and Murmansk, by the so-called Arctic convoys to aid Russia’s fight against Nazi Germany.

Although there were two gaps with no sailings between July and September 1942, and March and November 1943, there were 78 convoys between August 1941 and May 1945, sailing via several seas of the Atlantic and Arctic oceans.

About 1,400 merchant ships delivered essential supplies to the Soviet Union. Of these, 85 merchant vessels and 16 Royal Navy warships (two cruisers, six destroyers and another eight escort ships) were lost.

The USS Thomas Donaldson was part of the JW-65 Arctic convoy when it was torpedoed by Nazi U-Boat U968 near the shore of then-Soviet, now Russian Kildin Island in the Barents Sea, off the Russian shore and about 120 km from Norway, on March 20, 1945.

​A torpedo then hit the engine room, killing one officer and two crewmen who were on watch below and destroying the engines.

The site of the wreckage was discovered 12 years ago. The vessel was found lying 55 meters deep in Russian territorial waters near Kildin Island, allowing access to divers in light equipment.

It was also planned use the next generation remotely operated submersibles Pantera Plus and Tiger, capable of operating to depths of up to 1,000 meters. They are equipped with mechanical manipulators that can operate cable cutters and a circular saw for cutting underwater steel structures up to 90 mm thick.

​In addition to its tanks, the Thomas Donaldson was carrying 7,679 tons of general cargo including 6,000 tons of ammunition, foodstuffs and other vehicles.

​In the first year of their surveying work, the divers have already been able to retrieve several road rollers, a 100-ton freight locomotive, two US Sherman tanks, an M2 90mm anti-aircraft gun, a 102mm gun, an anti-aircraft machinegun and some small items — artillery shell casings and projectiles.

​All this military hardware was given to The Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineers and Signal Corps, also known simply as the Artillery Museum, in Saint Petersburg, Northern Maritime Museum in Archangelsk and The Museum of the Air Forces of the Northern Fleet.

A US Navy SEAL was killed in a parachuting accident during the annual Fleet Week festival in New York Harbor.

US Navy SEAL Skydiver Dies During Exhibition in New York (Video)
https://sputniknews.com/us/201705281054075050-navy-seal-dies-skydiving-accident/

The SEAL, whose identity has not been released, was performing with a Navy SEAL skydiving team when his parachute failed to open and he plunged into the water. He was recovered by the Coast Guard from the Hudson River shortly after noon and rushed to a New Jersey hospital, but was pronounced dead, Rear Admiral Jack Scorby announced to media at the hospital. The Navy says his parachute malfunctioned.

Video shows what is reported to be a piece of the malfunctioning parachute floating to the ground.

Fleet Week is an annual event celebrating the US Navy, Marines and Coast Guard in major US cities, and sees dozens of ships and thousands of spectators crowd waterways where it is held.

The festivities in New York included a performance by the Leap Frogs, a US Navy skydiving team that the SEAL apparently belonged to.

Bjoern Kils, 37, of Jersey City, described the accident for AM New York. He said he saw three Leap Frogs jump from a helicopter (Note - not four?)
and perform aerial tricks before landing safely.

"Almost the same time that they touched down in Liberty State Park, we heard a splash and turned around very quick. I saw the water splash, and apparently there was a fourth parachutist," said Kils.

"We're not sure where he came from. We didn't see him exit the same helicopter and apparently the chute did not deploy."

Kils also saw emergency responders pull a man out of the water and begin CPR. "He was just limp in the water," he said.

 

[angelburst29]

BREAKING NEWS: SEAL TEAM 6 POSSIBLY LIQUIDATED IN NORTH KOREA, ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT OF DEAR LEADER KIM JONG-UN
http://novorossia.today/breaking-news-seal-team-6-possibly-liquidated-north-korea-assassination-attempt-dear-leader-kim-jong-un/

Sunday May 28, 2017 - Russian military experts are indicating the Americans may have a problem with a SEAL team operating inside North Korea on a recon mission, gone horribly wrong.

South Korean news had previously reported that the USS Michigan, a submarine that moves special forces like US Navy SEALs, had joined the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier strike group off of North Korea’s coast after a secret mission.

The USS Michigan, a guided-missile, nuclear-powered submarine, appeared in Busan, South Korea. But even earlier, Chinese intelligence reported that SEAL Team 6 was training alongside South Korea’s version of the SEALs for “incapacitating” North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-Un.

The US Navy has refused to comment on the movements of SEAL Team 6, the group of Navy SEALs who took out Osama bin Laden in 2011, to News Front, and it normally doesn’t advertise the whereabouts of its submarines, as its missions are meant to be secretive.

Signals intelligence recieved by Russian Far Eastern command, seemed to indicate a patrol had been inserted on a ground recon mission inside North Korean territory and that a chance encounter with a dog patrol had led to casualties among the American forces who broke radio silence to ask for help.

The Pentagon told News Front that the US does not train for decapitation strikes of any kind, but it would not confirm or deny the presence of the SEALs inside North Korea, “at this time.”

There has been a flurry of activity on the peninsula recently, with US training operations, naval maneuvers and now late word of the SEAL team misadventure.

The USS Michigan adds a stealth element and an extra set of eyes and ears to the already potent carrier strike group in operation on North Korea’s coast, but it doesn’t add much firepower. The US Navy destroyers accompanying the Vinson already have the kind of Tomahawk missiles the Michigan has. This is what originally set off the alert Americans were on the ground, as there was no need for the submarine there, except to insert special forces.

U.S. military officials say a soldier from Georgia has been killed in a vehicle crash in Syria.

U.S. soldier killed in northeastern Syria: Pentagon
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/u-s-soldier-killed-northeastern-syria-pentagon/

The Department of Defense on Saturday said 22-year-old Spc. Etienne J. Murphy died of injuries sustained in a “vehicle rollover related incident” in Al-Hasakah, Syria, on Friday. No details were given.

The statement said Murphy was from Loganville, Georgia, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) east of Atlanta.

Murphy was assigned to 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment at Hunter Army Airfield near the Georgia coast.

 

[angelburst29]

The United States is sending a third aircraft carrier strike force to the western Pacific region in an apparent warning to North Korea to deter its ballistic missile and nuclear programs, two sources have told VOA.

Sources: 3rd US Naval Strike Force Deployed to Deter North Korea
https://www.voanews.com/a/third-naval-strike-force-deployed-north-korea/3873637.html

Sat. May 27, 2017 - The USS Nimitz, one of the world’s largest warships, will join two other supercarriers, the USS Carl Vinson and the USS Ronald Reagan, in the western Pacific, the sources told VOA's Steve Herman.

The U.S. military has rarely simultaneously deployed three aircraft carriers to the same region.

But North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile threat is seen as a major security challenge for President Donald Trump, who has vowed to prevent the country from being able to strike the U.S. with a nuclear missile, a capability experts say Pyongyang could have some time after 2020.

Sitting alongside Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Trump said Friday just before the start of Group of Seven (G-7) meetings in Sicily that G-7 leaders would have a “particular focus on the North Korea problem.”

A White House statement issued Friday said the two leaders have agreed to “enhance sanctions on North Korea” in an attempt to prevent the further development of North Korea’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs.

US tests missile defense system - The U.S. military, meanwhile, will test a system to shoot down an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) for the first time next week.It is intended to simulate a North Korean ICBM aimed at the U.S.

The Missile Defense Agency said it will test an existing missile defense system on Tuesday to try to intercept an ICBM. The Pentagon has used the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system to intercept other types of missiles, but never an ICBM.

The GMD has been inconsistent, succeeding in nine of 17 attempts against missiles without intercontinental range capability since 1999.

The most recent test, in June 2014, was successful -- but three straight subsequent tests were failures.

One month ago, when we first discussed that in addition to the CVN-70 Carl Vinson aircraft carrier group, the US was deploying two more carriers toward the Korean peninsula, some took the Yonhap-sourced report skeptically: after all, what's the incremental symbolic impact of having three, or even two aircraft carriers next to North Korea when just one would more than suffice. Then, two weeks ago, the report was proven half right when US officials announced that in addition to the first US carrier already on location, the US Navy is moving the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier to the Korean Peninsula, where it would conduct dual-carrier training exercises with the USS Carl Vinson.

US Deploys Third Aircraft Carrier Toward North Korea
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-05-27/us-deploys-third-aircraft-carrier-toward-north-korea

[...] While it is rare for the U.S. military to deploy two carriers in the same region at the same time, it is almost unheard of to have three aircraft carriers in close proximity to each other absent current or imminent military action. Which may be the case soon: as VOA notes, North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile threat is seen as a major security challenge for Trump, who has vowed to prevent the country from being able to strike the U.S. with a nuclear missile.

Meanwhile, as reported on Friday, the U.S. military will test a system to shoot down an ICBM for the first time next week. It is intended to simulate a North Korean ICBM aimed at the U.S. The Missile Defense Agency said it will test an existing missile defense system on Tuesday to try to intercept an ICBM. The Pentagon has used the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system to intercept other types of missiles, but never an ICBM. The GMD has been inconsistent, succeeding in nine of 17 attempts against missiles without intercontinental range capability since 1999.

So, perhaps as a contingency plan, the US will soon have not one, not two, but three aircraft carriers in the proximity of the Korean peninsula "just in case." The trip from Naval Station Everett is expected to take several weeks. Meanwhile, here is the latest deployment of US naval forces around the globe as of May 25, courtesy of Stratfor.

 

[angelburst29]

ISIS propaganda alive and kicking, as Amaq publishes new images from frontlines (Photos)
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/isis-propaganda-alive-kicking-amaq-publishes-new-images-frontlines/

Despite desperate situation on several fronts in Syria and Iraq, media wing of the so-called “Islamic State” (IS, formerly ISIL/ISIS), Amaq agency, keeps regularly publishing images and video materials intended to demonstrate military victories of the designated terror group, no matter how much significance these victories bear.

For the last few days, Amaq has published a series of photos from Raqqa front, where IS jihadists confront Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and from East Aleppo front, where militants are being methodically pushed back by Syrian Arab Army (SAA).

The first photo depicts IS pickup truck mounted with ZSU-23-2 anti-aircraft gun targeting a Russian fighter jet flying in the sky above. The image was taken at Maskanah front in eastern Aleppo countryside five or six days ago:

Next batch of photos shows IS armed drone targeting a convoy of SDF fighters in Raqqa countryside. As it can be seen on the pictures, the attack was somewhat successful, taking into consideration two blood stains left on the ground in the aftermath of attack:

Finally, another pair of images was taken at Maskanah front on Saturday, where IS jihadists managed to hit an SAA tank with anti-tank guided missile (ATGM). It remains unclear whether the tank was destroyed or survived the impact:

Meanwhile, situation on various frontlines both in Syria and Iraq is far from being good for IS. In Iraq, jihadists are literally pinned down in the last three districts of West Mosul, while constantly being pushed back by Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) in Tal Afar countryside.

In Raqqa, IS militants are about to face a direct assault on their de-facto Syrian capital by Syrian Democratic Forces and their U.S. allies.

In eastern Aleppo countryside, in central Homs and in eastern Hama, the terror group is under growing pressure of Syrian government forces and their Russian allies.

A dozen delivery and supply companies and affiliates based in Turkey are banned from doing business with the U.S. government due to their roles in profiteering from humanitarian aid intended for Syria, U.S. officials said on Friday.

U.S. to cut ties with 12 Syria-related companies over fraud and bribery charges
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/u-s-cut-ties-12-syria-related-companies-fraud-bribery-charges/

A corrupt network of bribery, fraud, bid-rigging and kickbacks involving aid to Syria has been the subject of a two-year investigation, said the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Office of Inspector General (OIG).

With the barring of Turkey’s Senkardes Co., its owner Orhan Senkardes and 10 affiliates, the probe has resulted in 35 suspensions and debarments,
the OIG said in a statement.

The debarments announced on Friday will be in place for five years, officials said. The companies provided food kits, humanitarian items and delivery services related to USAID humanitarian programs in Syria.

The OIG disclosed last year that it had unearthed a corrupt network of commercial vendors, employees of nongovernmental organizations and others operating out of Turkey. The most common fraud involved collusion between companies selling humanitarian supplies and staff of USAID local partners who accepted bribes or kickbacks in exchange for help in winning a contract.

There were also cases of aid items being substituted for cheaper alternatives and of inspection failures.

U.S. officials said the investigation found Orhan Senkardes, Senkardes Co and others participated in a procurement fraud scheme with corrupt NGO staff.

Four companies under Senkardes’ control also illegally bid against each other for U.S.-funded procurements, it said. Collusion in bidding violates federal regulations.

 

[angelburst29]

Newsweek just put out a dramatic and hyped-up article and 11 minute video - claiming Assad ordered a gas program to gas his own people?

Bashar Al-Assad Personally Ordered Nerve Gas Program For Use Against His People: Scientists
http://www.newsweek.com/bashar-al-assad-personally-ordered-nerve-gas-development-use-against-his-619525?piano_t=1

Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad ordered the development of chemical agents, including sarin, to use against opponents years before the outbreak of the country’s six-year civil war, according to exiled Syrian scientists.

Scientists involved in the country’s chemical weapons programme told French investigative news site Mediapart that the Assad regime ordered the equipping of seven military bases with storage facilities for chemicals needed to create sarin gas.

The nerve gas was later added to modified munitions that could be fired from helicopters, the report says.

The site also obtained smuggled documents from the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center (CERS) that Assad directly controls.

French intelligence verified the evidence and it was the center of France’s statement at the U.N. Security Council that accused Damascus of using chemical agent in the April bombing of Khan Sheikhoun, a rebel-held town in the northwestern province of Idlib.

In 2011, when Syrian soldiers began to desert to rebel forces, Assad told a CERS unit known as Department 3000, to modify shells and grenades to contain nerve gas to use against opponents of the regime.

A former director of the unit who oversaw research into chemical weapons use told Mediapart he was loyal to the program because he was told it was the only way to pressure Israel into returning the Golan Heights, a territory that Israel captured from Syria in the Six-Day War.

“I’m not an Alawite; I have no clan attachment,” he said, according to Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz, which obtained the Mediapart investigation ahead of its official release.

“I knew a war wouldn’t permit us to obtain this objective,” he said, viewing the chemical weapons as a deterrent against Israel, rather than to be used against civilians.

The former officials said that Department 3000 developed a nerve gas based on sarin—a colorless, odorless gas—with methenamine, a catalyst for the nerve agent, that would kill its victims.

French intelligence is now in possession of a grenade that failed to explode in an April 2013 attack, the scientist says, and which contained 100 millimeters of sarin at a purity of 60 percent, as well as methenamine. The grenade’s contents corroborate the officials’ accounts.

The United Nations and Western nations have accused Assad of using chemical weapons against civilian populations in opposition-held areas on several occasions throughout the civil war that broke out in March 2011. Damascus denies ever using chemical weapons.

In 2013, the regime admitted possessing more than 1,000 tons of chemical material that could be used in weapons. Later that year, Syria joined the Chemical Weapons Convention and agreed to the removal of its chemical stockpile from the country.

The removal came in the aftermath of the regime’s infamous sarin gas attack on the rebel-held Damascus suburb of Ghouta in August 2013. The U.S. government estimated that the attack killed 1,429 people, including at least 426 children. The United Nations, the U.S., which supports the Syrian opposition, and Russia, a key ally of the Assad regime, facilitated the deal.

But according to a report from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the Syrian regime is continuing to produce chemical weapons in contravention of the deal to hand over all of its stockpile for destruction.

 

[angelburst29]

The Russian Navy announced that the Black Sea Fleet’s task force group operating in Eastern Mediterranean Sea off Syria comprises 15 vessels, including two frigates and a submarine, accompanied by various landing and auxiliary ships.

Navy: Russia’s Black Sea Fleet to Maintain 15-Ship Task Force in Eastern Mediterranean
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960313001315

The task force’s strike assets are the navy’s newest frigates ‘Admiral Grigorovich’ and ‘Admiral Essen’, as well as corvette ‘Smetlivy’ and submarine ‘Krasnodar’, a spokesman for the Black Sea Fleet said, RT reported.

Three large landing ships – ‘Caesar Kunikov’, ‘Nikolay Filchenkov’ and ‘Azov’ – as well as mine-sweepers, counter-insurgency craft and a tanker, are other auxiliary ships assigned to the Mediterranean task force, he added.

Sister ships ‘Admiral Grigorovich’ and ‘Admiral Essen’ are armed with Kalibr-NK anti-ship and coastal missiles, Shtil-1 missile system, 100mm cannon, anti-aircraft equipment and torpedo tubes. The cutting-edge frigates are also capable of carrying a Ka-27 or Ka-31 helicopter and can reach speeds of up to 30 knots (55kph).

The Russian Navy’s task group operates in the Eastern Mediterranean since 2012 and has seen a number of rotations, with reinforcements coming from different fleets.

Last November, the group reached its peak in terms of combat capabilities when the Russian aircraft carrier ‘Admiral Kuznetsov’ arrived in the region after a weeks-long journey from its Northern Fleet’s base to the Mediterranean waters.

The ‘Kuznetsov’, the Russian Navy’s sole aircraft carrier, was escorted by the heavy missile cruiser ‘Pyotr Veliky’ (Peter the Great), the largest ship of her class in the world.

The naval group is taking an active part in combating ISIL in Syria. On Wednesday, the ‘Admiral Essen’ and submarine ‘Krasnodar’ fired four Kalibr missiles, targeting ISIL positions near Palmyra (Tadmur) in Homs province.

Throughout 2016, the navy conducted numerous missile launches, destroying the terrorists’ manpower and materiel. In 2015, four Caspian Sea Fleet corvettes fired 26 cruise missiles on ISIL targets in Aleppo and Raqqa provinces.

The most spectacular launch so far involved negotiations with Iran and Iraq as the missiles had to travel through those countries’ airspaces, covering 1,500km (932 miles) before hitting their targets.

This map provides a general look at the military situation in Syria and Iraq on June 3, 2017. Syrian and Iraqi government forces as well as the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces are actively gaining ground against ISIS terrorists.

Military Situation In Syria And Iraq On June 3, 2017 (Map Update)
https://southfront.org/military-situation-syria-iraq-june-3-2017-map-update/

Syrian President Bashar Assad said that the situation in Syria has improved dramatically from the military point of view as the terrorist groups are retreating but the spread of their ideology remains one of the key challenges facing the country and the Middle East region in general.

Assad: Situation in Syria 'Dramatically' Improved as Terrorist Groups Retreating
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201706031054284476-syria-terror-retreating/

The situation in Syria has improved dramatically from the military point of view as the terrorist groups are retreating but the spread of their ideology remains one of the key challenges facing the country and the Middle East region in general, Syrian President Bashar Assad told India's WION television broadcaster in an interview published on Saturday.

"The situation has improved dramatically, let’s say, because the terrorist groups, mainly ISIS and al-Nusra and like-minded groups in Syria who are Wahhabi terrorist extremist groups, are retreating, or let’s say the area under their control has been shrinking. So, the situation on the ground, from a military point of view, is much better than before," Assad said.

The president noted, however, that this was not "the whole picture" of the situation in Syria.

"It’s not only about military conflict, it’s about different things, about the ideology that they [terrorists] try to spread in our region, which is the most dangerous challenge that we may face in the near and long term," Assad noted.

According to the Syrian leader, such regional countries as Qatar, Turkey and Saudi Arabia as well as several Western states, including the United States, France and the United Kingdom, were providing support for terrorists, which "marked a new era" when terrorism could be used for political ends.

The Syrian civil war has been raging for six years, with government forces fighting against both Syrian opposition groups who strive to overthrow Assad's government, and numerous extremist and terrorist groups such as the Islamic State (Daesh) and Jabhat Fatah al Sham.

The Syrian Army's recent advances in Eastern Aleppo to capture Maskana have left the ISIL with no other option but to pull the remaining pockets of its forces back towards Raqqa province, well-informed sources said.

Terrorists Run Away toward Raqqa as ISIL's Full Collapse in Aleppo Becomes Imminent
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960313000603

The sources said that the army soldiers continued their tough battle against ISIL in Eastern Aleppo and recaptured the villages and towns of al-Na'eimiyeh, al-Feisaliyeh, al-Ramedhaniyeh, al-Masoudiyeh, Jubab al-Eislan, al-Sawaniyeh, Khliyat, the bridges of Feisal and Kawas and the region of Kawas.

The sources further said that the army opened a new front along the Khanasser-Maskana road to liberate more villages and towns in the region.

According to a military source, as the Syrian Army reached the Raqqa-Maskana Road, the ISIL militants were forced to abandon the group's positions and retreat from the region.

If the pro-government forces make it to the Euphrates River to the South of Maskana, ISIL will be completely encircled with no way out as the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are deployed on the Western bank of the Euphrates.

The Syrian Army troops are now advancing against the ISIL in Eastern Aleppo, encircling the last bastion of Takfiri terrorist group, Maskana.

By recapturing Maskana, the pro-government forces will be able to deploy in the Western countryside of Raqqa for the first time since 2014.

News websites affiliated to the terrorist groups disclosed that civilians in a town in Southern Idlib forced Abdullah Muhammad al-Muhaysini, the commander and Mufti (religious leader) of Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at (the Levant Liberation Board), to leave their town.

People Drive Terrorists' Top Mufti out of Town in Northwestern Syria
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960313000761

The websites reported that people in the town of Jarjnaz did not allow al-Muhaysini to preach the Friday prayers' sermon and fired him from their town.

In early January, social media pages affiliated to the opposition groups started trending Hashtag (#) against Abdullah Muhammad al-Muhaysini, accusing him of promoting ISIL's ideology among other militants.

The social media activists accused him as a promoter of ISIL thoughts under #Al-Muhaysini Did Enough to Destroy Our Revolution.

The activists said al-Muhaysini financed Fatah al-Sham Front (previously known as the al-Nusra Front), but ignored the groups' continued aggressions against militant groups affiliated to the Free Syrian Army.

They also accused al-Muhaysini of keeping mum on Jund al-Aqsa's brutal crimes.

Media sources disclosed in mid-December that the ISIL terrorist group offered a half-a-million dollar reward for any one that could assassinate Abdullah Muhammad al-Muhaysini.

Media sources disclosed in mid-December that the ISIL terrorist group offered a half-a-million dollar reward for any one that could assassinate Abdullah Muhammad al-Muhaysini.

The Arabic language al-Nashra news agency quoted sources privy to ISIL as saying that the Takfiri terrorist group in a statement offered a sum of $ 500,000 reward for the killer of Muhaysini, the Saudi national Mufti of Jeish al-Fatah.

The ISIL released Muhaysini's photo and his full name, Abdullah Bin Muhammad Bin Suleiman al-Muhaysini, underling in the statement that Muhaysini was in Idlib.

In August, al Muhaysini once again acknowledged alarming widening rifts among the militants in Aleppo. "The differences have gone to the extremes," Muhaysini was quoted as saying by Oqat al-Sham news agency at the time.

He called for banishing the terrorist groups which were sowing differences among militants in Aleppo, and said, "We are not under such conditions to be envied by others given the growing rifts."

Local officials confirmed that tens of gunmen that laid down arms and applied for government pardoning have received amnesty and returned to normal life in Barzeh district.

Syria: Tens of Ex-Militants Receive Gov't Amnesty in Northeastern Damascus
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960313000507

The officials said that in line with implementation of the peace agreement in Barzeh district over 150 militants that had handed over their weapons to the Syrian Army received government amnesty.

The officials added that application forms of the remaining pockets of militants in Barzeh will be studied in the next few days.

The officials further added that 500 gunmen that refused to join the peace plan in Barzeh are to leave the district along with their family members on 20 buses for other militant-held regions.

A military source confirmed on Friday that tens of abducted citizens, who were held by the terrorist groups in Barzeh district, were released.

“34 kidnapped civilians, including two women, who were detained by the terrorist groups have been released,” the source said, adding that the abductees had been held hostage from 6 months to 3 years.

He also said that initial medical tests proved that the abductees were in healthy conditions although injuries, bruises and fractures are readily observed in their bodies as they sustained much suffering for being tortured by the terrorists.

The phases of settlement in Barzeh were completed on Tuesday as the last batch of gunmen and some of their family members left the region.

Political analyst and expert on Middle East Selim Sezer said the United States has used the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to advance its interests in Syria which entails taking several zones across the country under Washington's control.

Analyst: Washington Using Kurds to Carry Out Its Anti-Damascus Plans in Syria
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960313001212

"The United States intends to create several security zones across the country. These areas would be beyond the control of the central government.
For instance, the province of Dara'a located on the border with Jordan is part of this plan. The province of Idlib located close to Turkey is also under discussion. In addition, attempts have been made to take control over Northern Syria populated largely by the Kurds, as well as territories stretching to Raqqa and Deir Ezzur," he told Sputnik.

Sezer added that the Syrian Democratic Forces, Washington's primary ally on the ground in the war-torn country, are part of a "multi-stage game of chess."

"We can say that the SDF is currently the key player. This force is the means that the United States uses to carry out its plans in Syria," the analyst noted, adding that ambitions of both Washington and the Kurds have evolved in the years since the war broke out in the Arab country in early 2011.

The Kurds initially focused on protecting areas with a predominantly Kurdish population from Daesh (ISIL) and other terrorist groups. They have since decided to "expand their influence in the region," he said.

"It should also be noted that the changing balance of power in Syria forced Washington to readjust its policy toward the country. The US initially wanted to change the regime in Syria, using all available means to achieve this goal. However, once it became apparent that Washington could not do this, it turned to plan B," the analyst added.

Sezer insisted that anyone genuinely intent on tackling extremist groups in Syria has to coordinate counterterrorism efforts with Damascus.

"However, the SDF has worked together with the United States instead of looking for a common solution with the Syrian government," he said, adding that "those who think that destroying Daesh is a critical priority have to devise an approach that would see all stakeholders discuss Syria's political future both at the time of an anti-Daesh operation and beyond. The SDF has blatantly refused to do this, which points to a difference in priorities."

Turkish media outlets revealed in Saturday reports that the ISIL terrorist group is endeavoring to recruit fresh fighters in the Turkish society to send them to battlefields in Syria.

ISIL Recruiting Fresh Fighters in Turkey
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960313001144

Zaman daily reported that ISIL has a secret mosque in Istanbul that is used by the terrorist group for recruiting fighters.

Zaman went on to say that a probe carried out by the general prosecutor of Sakarya city in Western Turkey disclosed that a man named Eywa Najouk nom de guerre Abu Hanzalah has embarked on setting up a secret mosque for ISIL in the town of Ada Bazari in Sakarya province East of Istanbul.

The Turkish paper also disclosed that after the arrest of Abu Hanzalah that was the leader of ISIL in Turkey, eight others were arrested while preparing to move to Syria via Abu Hanzala, adding that the detainees have already acknowledged that they have joined ISIL via Abu Hanzala.

Zaman also said that the secret mosque, established by Abu Hanzalah, was used for holding secret meetings and attracting fresh forces for ISIL.

Security sources also said that Abu Hanzalah had been arrested in 2008, 2011, 2014 and 2015 on charges of commanding al-Qaeda in Turkey, but was freed in 2016.

Social networks, meantime, embarked on releasing voice files of Abu Hanzalah, saying, "After the conquest of Syria, we will go to Turkey and conquest Istanbul."

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said last month that the terrorist groups of ISIL and Al-Nusra Front (also known as Fatah al-Sham Front or the Levant Liberation Board) and the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan were following the same path in Syria,

In fact, we cannot separate all these groups. ISIL and Al-Nusra have the same Wahhabi ideology and the same terrorist doctrine. ISIL, Al-Nusra and Erdogan that is affiliated with the Muslims Brotherhood, al Saud, and al Thani in Qatar, uphold the same doctrine,” the Syrian President told ONT news agency.

“All these groups have something in common which is the extremist Wahhabi ideology. And all of them are instruments in the hands of the United States,” Assad added.

“I’m not saying that they are instruments in the hands of the West, because Western Europe doesn’t practically exist on the political map. Europe implements what America wants, without any objection. All of these groups operate under the American leadership. So, whether we say that they are foreign powers, ISIL and Al-Nusra, or others, the director and financier is the same. They are all one group but with different names and different tactics,” Assad concluded.

In the past, Assad had accused Erdogan of being a Muslim Brotherhood sympathizer, adding that the Turkish President has facilitated the growth of ISIL and Al-Nusra in Syria.

Media outlets said in May that the Turkish army and militants supported by Ankara forced the young people who left al-Wa'er district in Homs for Northern Syria to fight for them.

Hawar news quoted a local source in al-Ra'i district of al-Shahba region that the Turkish army deprived the residents of food and forced them, specially the under-18-year-old children, to fight and work for them.

The source added that al-Wa'er residents immigrated to the region based on the Turkey-backed militants' fake promises and then were treated awfully in a way that if the conditions continue, they would die of hunger.

Noting that the militants were under the direct command of the Turkish spy agency, he said that the Turkish army promised to give them a monthly salary of $300 but did not pay anything to them after they came to Northern Syria.

A video revealed by Sputnik Arabic shows the damage inflicted on Syrian phosphate mines in the deserted part of Homs province in the Khneifees district by Daesh. The area was liberated from militants a day earlier.

Watch: Footage Shows the Devastating Damage Daesh Inflicted on Mines in Homs
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201706031054283010-watch-footage-of-damaged-mines-in-homs/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuPUQ2ioPUc (0:57 min.)

Currently, the Syrian government is making every effort to restore the mining infrastructure as soon as possible.

Phosphate production has suffered significantly at the hands of the terrorists. The local agriculture needs fertilizers that are made from these minerals.

However, at present, priority is given to the repair of oil-producing refineries, which the militants also deliberately destroyed. The country is severely lacking oil products and electricity and is in dire need of fast repairs of its oil refineries.

The damage to the oil-producing industry has amounted to $66 billion. This figure includes the destruction and total shortage in production caused by the disruptions.