Russia Begins Operations in Syria: End Game for the US Empire?
- Thread starter Ocean
- Start date
goyacobol said:
I guess we're lucky the USS John McCain didn't live up to the expectations one may have of its name and didn't just bomb the merchant ship.
There are injured and missing sailors but no oil spills: https://www.rt.com/usa/400332-destroyer-collides-vessel-singapore/
Russian air force destroys 200+ ISIS terrorists heading for Deir ez-Zor, Syria – MoD
https://www.rt.com/news/400335-isis-reinforcements-deir-ezzor-destroyed/
No role for West & allies in Syria until they cut support to terrorists – Assad
https://www.rt.com/news/400337-assad-syria-terrorism-deescalation-zones/
https://www.rt.com/news/400335-isis-reinforcements-deir-ezzor-destroyed/
No role for West & allies in Syria until they cut support to terrorists – Assad
https://www.rt.com/news/400337-assad-syria-terrorism-deescalation-zones/
[quote author= Ant22]Russian air force destroys 200+ ISIS terrorists heading for Deir ez-Zor, Syria – MoD
https://www.rt.com/news/400335-isis-reinforcements-deir-ezzor-destroyed/[/quote]
The Russian airforce provided the following video:
Seems the following below ain't happening anymore since Russia entered the fray.
https://www.rt.com/news/400335-isis-reinforcements-deir-ezzor-destroyed/[/quote]
The Russian airforce provided the following video:
Seems the following below ain't happening anymore since Russia entered the fray.
angelburst29
The Living Force
The drills are opposed by China, Russia, North Korea and many citizens of South Korea
CONFIRMED: US and South Korea begin massive joint military drills
http://theduran.com/confirmed-us-south-korea-begin-massive-joint-military-drills/
The United States has begun its annual military drills in South Korea with an allied contingent of 17,500 troops. The move has been slammed by North Korea as a needless provocation that could have “catastrophic” consequences for the region.
The move is also opposed by peace activists in South Korea who have taken to the streets to protest against the large scale military exercises.
The moves are also opposed by the only states which border the Korean peninsula, Russia and China. Russia and China have both stated in their joint peace plan that North Korea must stop its missile tests and so too must the United States and South Korea stop their missile tests and joint military exercises in the region.
China and Russia have also both stated that the US should stop delivering the powerful weapons of mass destruction, the THAAD missile systems to South Korea, a request the US has refused to accept.
The current South Koran President Moon Jae-in had campaigned on a pledge to halt deliveries of THAAD to South Korea, but thus far he has not be able to deliver on his promise.
While China, Russia, North Korea and a growing number of ordinary South Koreans are opposed to the drills, the government in Seoul has issued the following statement in an attempt to alleviate tensions,
“The Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) drills are the allies’ annual and defensive exercises. We are urging North Korea to stop its provocations and return to the negotiation table as soon as possible”.
While the official South Korean position states that the drills are defensive in nature, many Koreans on both sides of the 38th parallel disagree and are calling for peace talks between Washington and Pyongyang.
‘Operational Pause’: Second US Navy Accident Disrupts Ballistic Missile Defenses
https://sputniknews.com/military/201708221056664553-pause-navy-accident-missile-defense/
The USS John McCain crashed over the weekend near the Straits of Malacca. Ten sailors have been reported missing. In June, the USS Fitzgerald was struck by the bow of a Philippine cargo ship that caused the warship to take on water in the rooms where sailors slept. Seven sailors were killed in the June tragedy.
In addition to the damage done to US military equipment and personnel, new limitations in the US Navy’s ballistic missile defense must also be considered. Each guided-missile destroyer carries, well, guided missiles, for use against incoming ballistic missiles. Especially with North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un’s consideration of launching an ICBM into the waters near Guam, these ships are essential for guarding and protecting US civilians, military service members, and strategic assets.
Things have gotten so severe for the US Navy that on Monday, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson ordered “an operational pause” for every US Navy fleet around the globe.
US Warships... That Sinking Feeling
https://sputniknews.com/columnists/201708211056656667-us-navy-collision-korea/
If the US Navy can't control its own vessels in normal civilian maritime situations, what does that say about the competence, or lack of, in nail-biting war scenarios?
In the latest incident, the guided-missile destroyer USS John S McCain collided with an oil tanker near Singapore. This was the fourth major accident involving the US Navy this year — and all were in Asia-Pacific. Ten American sailors are missing and, from the extensive damage to the ship, presumed dead.
As one flabbergasted US military pundit told CNN: "How does a state-of-the-art navy destroyer equipped with multiple radar systems and communications gear with a full-bridge watch not see, detect and evade a 30,000 ton slow-moving (10 knots) behemoth?"
The US destroyer in question is fitted with the Aegis anti-missile system, which is supposed to be the apex of American technology for this kind of weaponry. There are reportedly 14 such vessels operated by the US 7th Fleet in the Asia-Pacific. The ships are purported to be a key part of the defense system for the US and its allies against North Korean ballistic weapons.
If these elite warships can't avoid running into oil tankers, it doesn't say much about their ability to detect and zap supersonic enemy ballistic missiles hurtling across the stratosphere. The incompetence of US forces only adds to the uncertain tensions that have gripped the region in the nuclear stand-off between Washington and North Korea.
“We Burned Down Every Town in North Korea” August 21, 2017
https://www.counterpunch.org/2017/08/21/we-burned-down-every-town-in-north-korea/
The US public wants to know why North Korea is so paranoid, militarily hostile and boastful. And why do the leaders in the capital city Pyongyang point their fingers at the US every time they test another rocket or bomb? Sixty-five years after the US burned down every town in North Korea, the US military is now simultaneously bombing or rocketing seven different non-nuclear countries. The US conducts military exercises with South Korea off the North’s coastline twice a year.
The US regularly tests Minuteman-3 long-range nuclear missiles ¾ from Vandenberg Air Base in California ¾ that can reach and obliterate Pyongyang. Several presidential administrations have called North Korea “evil,” a “state sponsor of terrorism,” and “threatening.” US military officials have called North Korea’s tiny, backward, nearly failed state the “principle threat” to the US security. North Korea may have reason to worry.
North Korea’s rocket tests mostly fail but are nevertheless called “provocative” and “destabilizing” by the State Dept., the Council of Foreign Relations, and the White House. This is regardless of which party is in power. Bill Clinton said in 1994: “If North Korea ever used a nuclear weapon, it would no longer continue to exist.” Likewise today, Defense Secretary Jim “Mad Dog” Mattis used similarly bombastic language discussing North Korea August 8. John Walcott reported for Reuters that Mattis said the North must stop any action that would “lead to the end of its regime and the destruction of its people.”
Consider living memory - In Robert Neer’s 2013 book “Napalm,” the author reports that General Lemay wrote, “We burned down just about every city in North and South Korea both … we killed off over a million civilian Koreans…” Eighth Army chemical officer Donald Bode is quoted as saying, on an “average good day” … pilots in the Korean War “dropped 70,000 gallons of napalm: 45,000 from the U.S. Air Force, 10,000-20,000 by its navy, and 4,000-5,000 by marines” ¾ marines who nicknamed the burning jellied gasoline “cooking oil.”
Neer found that a total of 32,357 tons of napalm were used on Korea, “about double that dropped on Japan in 1945.” More bombs were dropped on Korea than in the whole of the Pacific theater during World War II ¾ 635,000 tons, versus 503,000 tons. “Pyongyang, a city of half a million people before 1950, was said to have had only two buildings left intact,” Neer wrote. This is still living memory in North Korea.
Howard Zinn’s “A People’s History of the United States” says, “Perhaps 2 million Koreans, North and South, were killed in the Korean war, all in the name of opposing ‘the rule of force. Bruce Coming’s 2010 history “The Korean War” says, “of more than 4 million casualties … at least 2 million were civilians. … Estimated North Korean casualties numbered 2 million including about 1 million civilians… An estimated 900,000 Chinese soldiers lost their lives in combat.”
After Truman fired Gen. MacArthur in May 1951, the former supreme commander testified to Congress, “The war in Korea has already almost destroyed that nation of 20 million people. I have never seen such devastation. I have seen, I guess, as much blood and disaster as any living man, and it just curdled my stomach, the last time I was there. After I looked at that wreckage and those thousands of women and children … I vomited.”
The World Remembers 64th Anniversary of the West-Sponsored Coup in Iran August 21, 2017
https://www.counterpunch.org/2017/08/21/the-world-remembers-64th-anniversary-of-the-west-sponsored-coup-in-iran/
In the 1950’s, the world was rapidly changing, and there was suddenly hope that the countries which were oppressed and pillaged for decades and centuries by first the European and then North American geopolitical and business interests, would finally break their shackles and stand proudly on their own feet.
Several Communist countries in Eastern Europe, but also newly liberated China, were actively helping with rapid de-colonizing process in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and other parts of the world.
Those developments were exactly what the West in general and both the U.K. and the U.S. in particular, were not ready or willing to accept. ‘Ancient’ belief in some sort of ‘inherited right’ to colonize, to loot and to control entire non-white world, was deeply engraved in the psyche of the rulers in both Europe and North America.
Peaceful, tolerant and socially oriented Islam was seen as a tremendous threat, at least in London, Washington, and Paris. It had to be stopped, even destroyed – resolutely and by all available means. Only the pre-approved Wahhabism, which was collaborative with the West and from the onset at least partially ‘co-produced’ by the British Empire, was singled-out and allowed to ‘bloom and succeed’.
Iran fell first, in 1953. Actually, it did not fall; it was brutally destroyed.
According to the logic of the Empire, Iran had to be derailed and ruined, in order to prevent so-called ‘domino effect’.
As written by Irfan Ahmad, an Associate Professor of Political Anthropology at Australian Catholic University, Melbourne and author of “Islamism and Democracy in India”: “…Major theatre of de-democratization was Iran, whose elected government was overthrown, in 1953, by a US-UK alliance. Mohammad Mosaddeq was Iran’s elected prime minister. He enjoyed the approval of Iran’s parliament for his nationalization program. The US and UK organized a CIA-led coup to oust Mosaddeq – because Iran refused make oil concessions to the West. During World War II, the UK had taken control of Iran to prevent oil from being passed to its ally, the Soviet Union. Through the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, the UK continued to control Iran’s oil after the war. The French-educated Mosaddeq was highly critical of Iran’s draining of resources to the West. Soon after getting elected as prime minister in March 1951, Mosaddeq and his National Front alliance had moved to nationalize Iranian oil and throw out foreign control of oil fields. One such was the Abadan refinery, then the largest in the world. The UK retaliated by imposing economic sanctions, backed by its heavy naval presence in the region. Mosaddeq, however, was undeterred; his popularity only increased among the Iranian people. Faced with Mosaddeq’s resistance, the UK-US alliance staged a coup to over throw Mosaddeq’s government.”
France, the U.K. and Israel attacked it, in 1956, during so-called “Suez Canal Crises”. Although the invasion eventually ended and Canal stayed in the hands of Egypt, the country never fully recovered. There were further Israeli attacks and invasions, and after President Gamal Abdel Nasser passed away in 1970, gross meddling in Egypt’s internal affairs by the Western countries. Gradually, Egypt was turned into an impoverished client state.
In Indonesia, a progressive and religiously tolerant President Ahmed Sukarno was overthrown more than a decade after Mohammad Mosaddeq in Iran. The coup took place in 1965, with direct involvement of the United States. Between 1 and 3 million people were brutally slaughtered.
Sukarno’s main ‘sins’, at least in the eyes of the Western Empire, consisted of strong left wing, patriotic stands, which included nationalization of almost all natural resources. Sukarno was also one of the founding fathers of non-aligned movement.
By the end of the 1960’s, socialism in the Muslim countries had been almost thoroughly demolished. Dark era of collaboration, particularly in the [Persian] Gulf region, arrived.
The 1953 coup in Iran was later replicated in various parts of the world, even as far as Latin America. For years it is has been no secret that the U.S and the U.K. planned and executed this deadly event.
In its article, CIA admits role in 1953 Iranian coup, published on 19 August 2013, The Guardian reported:
“The CIA has publicly admitted for the first time that it was behind the notorious 1953 coup against Iran’s democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq, in documents that also show how the British government tried to block the release of information about its own involvement in his overthrow.
On the 60th anniversary of an event often invoked by Iranians as evidence of western meddling, the US national security archive at George Washington University published a series of declassified CIA documents.
“The military coup that overthrew Mosaddeq and his National Front cabinet was carried out under CIA direction as an act of US foreign policy, conceived and approved at the highest levels of government,” reads a previously excised section of an internal CIA history titled The Battle for Iran.”
Declassified, U.S Department of State “Top Secret” documents from 1952, also clearly demonstrated great appetite of the U.K. to perform the coup in Iran:
“Subject: Proposal to Organize a Coup d’etat in Iran
Problem: “The British foreign Office has informed us that it would be disposed to attempt to bring about a coup d’état in Iran, replacing the Mosadeq Government by one which would be more “reliable”, if the American government agreed to cooperate…”
Although the U.S. government was originally hesitant about supporting the U.K. in planning to overthrow Prime Minister Mohammad Mosadeq, it soon changed its mind and allowed the CIA to plot and execute the coup.
What followed was 26 years of perversely brutal rule of Shah Reza Pahlavi, as well as of the British-US control over almost all great natural resources of Iran.
In brief: the West performed an experiment on Iran and on its people: how would the country react to a bloodbath, to overthrowing of its popular leader, to a theft of its resources?
As it did for centuries, the U.K. ‘scored’: it correctly predicted that it would be able to ‘get away with murder’. It managed to convince its offspring, the United States, that huge international crimes pay, as long as they are committed barefaced.
And the US industrialized these crimes, as it earlier did production of automobiles or radio sets. Crimes got mass-produced. One ‘inappropriate’ government after another got overthrown, destroyed; all over the world: Congo, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Chile, Brazil, Indonesia, Vietnam… Crimes were piling up, and still are.
1953 in Iran marked the beginning of a ‘new chapter’ in the world history – a terrible and brutal chapter.
Iranian people and Iranian leadership are well aware of it. The country that suffered so much, the country which lost hundreds of thousands of its sons and daughters to Western imperialism, geopolitical games as well as naked greed, is now standing tall and strong, unwilling to surrender or to even budge.
It wants to go forward, it is going forward, but in its own direction, at its own pace, for the benefit of its people.
Iran is not alone. There is now an entire powerful alliance in place, consisting of countries from all over the world: an alliance of those who are not afraid to confront deadly expansionism and consequent terror. From Bolivia to China, from South Africa to Russia, Syria, Venezuela and the Philippines, people are remembering Iran of 1953, determined to defend their countries and the world against the greatest evil, which is imperialism!
CONFIRMED: US and South Korea begin massive joint military drills
http://theduran.com/confirmed-us-south-korea-begin-massive-joint-military-drills/
The United States has begun its annual military drills in South Korea with an allied contingent of 17,500 troops. The move has been slammed by North Korea as a needless provocation that could have “catastrophic” consequences for the region.
The move is also opposed by peace activists in South Korea who have taken to the streets to protest against the large scale military exercises.
The moves are also opposed by the only states which border the Korean peninsula, Russia and China. Russia and China have both stated in their joint peace plan that North Korea must stop its missile tests and so too must the United States and South Korea stop their missile tests and joint military exercises in the region.
China and Russia have also both stated that the US should stop delivering the powerful weapons of mass destruction, the THAAD missile systems to South Korea, a request the US has refused to accept.
The current South Koran President Moon Jae-in had campaigned on a pledge to halt deliveries of THAAD to South Korea, but thus far he has not be able to deliver on his promise.
While China, Russia, North Korea and a growing number of ordinary South Koreans are opposed to the drills, the government in Seoul has issued the following statement in an attempt to alleviate tensions,
“The Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) drills are the allies’ annual and defensive exercises. We are urging North Korea to stop its provocations and return to the negotiation table as soon as possible”.
While the official South Korean position states that the drills are defensive in nature, many Koreans on both sides of the 38th parallel disagree and are calling for peace talks between Washington and Pyongyang.
‘Operational Pause’: Second US Navy Accident Disrupts Ballistic Missile Defenses
https://sputniknews.com/military/201708221056664553-pause-navy-accident-missile-defense/
The USS John McCain crashed over the weekend near the Straits of Malacca. Ten sailors have been reported missing. In June, the USS Fitzgerald was struck by the bow of a Philippine cargo ship that caused the warship to take on water in the rooms where sailors slept. Seven sailors were killed in the June tragedy.
In addition to the damage done to US military equipment and personnel, new limitations in the US Navy’s ballistic missile defense must also be considered. Each guided-missile destroyer carries, well, guided missiles, for use against incoming ballistic missiles. Especially with North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un’s consideration of launching an ICBM into the waters near Guam, these ships are essential for guarding and protecting US civilians, military service members, and strategic assets.
Things have gotten so severe for the US Navy that on Monday, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson ordered “an operational pause” for every US Navy fleet around the globe.
US Warships... That Sinking Feeling
https://sputniknews.com/columnists/201708211056656667-us-navy-collision-korea/
If the US Navy can't control its own vessels in normal civilian maritime situations, what does that say about the competence, or lack of, in nail-biting war scenarios?
In the latest incident, the guided-missile destroyer USS John S McCain collided with an oil tanker near Singapore. This was the fourth major accident involving the US Navy this year — and all were in Asia-Pacific. Ten American sailors are missing and, from the extensive damage to the ship, presumed dead.
As one flabbergasted US military pundit told CNN: "How does a state-of-the-art navy destroyer equipped with multiple radar systems and communications gear with a full-bridge watch not see, detect and evade a 30,000 ton slow-moving (10 knots) behemoth?"
The US destroyer in question is fitted with the Aegis anti-missile system, which is supposed to be the apex of American technology for this kind of weaponry. There are reportedly 14 such vessels operated by the US 7th Fleet in the Asia-Pacific. The ships are purported to be a key part of the defense system for the US and its allies against North Korean ballistic weapons.
If these elite warships can't avoid running into oil tankers, it doesn't say much about their ability to detect and zap supersonic enemy ballistic missiles hurtling across the stratosphere. The incompetence of US forces only adds to the uncertain tensions that have gripped the region in the nuclear stand-off between Washington and North Korea.
“We Burned Down Every Town in North Korea” August 21, 2017
https://www.counterpunch.org/2017/08/21/we-burned-down-every-town-in-north-korea/
The US public wants to know why North Korea is so paranoid, militarily hostile and boastful. And why do the leaders in the capital city Pyongyang point their fingers at the US every time they test another rocket or bomb? Sixty-five years after the US burned down every town in North Korea, the US military is now simultaneously bombing or rocketing seven different non-nuclear countries. The US conducts military exercises with South Korea off the North’s coastline twice a year.
The US regularly tests Minuteman-3 long-range nuclear missiles ¾ from Vandenberg Air Base in California ¾ that can reach and obliterate Pyongyang. Several presidential administrations have called North Korea “evil,” a “state sponsor of terrorism,” and “threatening.” US military officials have called North Korea’s tiny, backward, nearly failed state the “principle threat” to the US security. North Korea may have reason to worry.
North Korea’s rocket tests mostly fail but are nevertheless called “provocative” and “destabilizing” by the State Dept., the Council of Foreign Relations, and the White House. This is regardless of which party is in power. Bill Clinton said in 1994: “If North Korea ever used a nuclear weapon, it would no longer continue to exist.” Likewise today, Defense Secretary Jim “Mad Dog” Mattis used similarly bombastic language discussing North Korea August 8. John Walcott reported for Reuters that Mattis said the North must stop any action that would “lead to the end of its regime and the destruction of its people.”
Consider living memory - In Robert Neer’s 2013 book “Napalm,” the author reports that General Lemay wrote, “We burned down just about every city in North and South Korea both … we killed off over a million civilian Koreans…” Eighth Army chemical officer Donald Bode is quoted as saying, on an “average good day” … pilots in the Korean War “dropped 70,000 gallons of napalm: 45,000 from the U.S. Air Force, 10,000-20,000 by its navy, and 4,000-5,000 by marines” ¾ marines who nicknamed the burning jellied gasoline “cooking oil.”
Neer found that a total of 32,357 tons of napalm were used on Korea, “about double that dropped on Japan in 1945.” More bombs were dropped on Korea than in the whole of the Pacific theater during World War II ¾ 635,000 tons, versus 503,000 tons. “Pyongyang, a city of half a million people before 1950, was said to have had only two buildings left intact,” Neer wrote. This is still living memory in North Korea.
Howard Zinn’s “A People’s History of the United States” says, “Perhaps 2 million Koreans, North and South, were killed in the Korean war, all in the name of opposing ‘the rule of force. Bruce Coming’s 2010 history “The Korean War” says, “of more than 4 million casualties … at least 2 million were civilians. … Estimated North Korean casualties numbered 2 million including about 1 million civilians… An estimated 900,000 Chinese soldiers lost their lives in combat.”
After Truman fired Gen. MacArthur in May 1951, the former supreme commander testified to Congress, “The war in Korea has already almost destroyed that nation of 20 million people. I have never seen such devastation. I have seen, I guess, as much blood and disaster as any living man, and it just curdled my stomach, the last time I was there. After I looked at that wreckage and those thousands of women and children … I vomited.”
The World Remembers 64th Anniversary of the West-Sponsored Coup in Iran August 21, 2017
https://www.counterpunch.org/2017/08/21/the-world-remembers-64th-anniversary-of-the-west-sponsored-coup-in-iran/
In the 1950’s, the world was rapidly changing, and there was suddenly hope that the countries which were oppressed and pillaged for decades and centuries by first the European and then North American geopolitical and business interests, would finally break their shackles and stand proudly on their own feet.
Several Communist countries in Eastern Europe, but also newly liberated China, were actively helping with rapid de-colonizing process in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and other parts of the world.
Those developments were exactly what the West in general and both the U.K. and the U.S. in particular, were not ready or willing to accept. ‘Ancient’ belief in some sort of ‘inherited right’ to colonize, to loot and to control entire non-white world, was deeply engraved in the psyche of the rulers in both Europe and North America.
Peaceful, tolerant and socially oriented Islam was seen as a tremendous threat, at least in London, Washington, and Paris. It had to be stopped, even destroyed – resolutely and by all available means. Only the pre-approved Wahhabism, which was collaborative with the West and from the onset at least partially ‘co-produced’ by the British Empire, was singled-out and allowed to ‘bloom and succeed’.
Iran fell first, in 1953. Actually, it did not fall; it was brutally destroyed.
According to the logic of the Empire, Iran had to be derailed and ruined, in order to prevent so-called ‘domino effect’.
As written by Irfan Ahmad, an Associate Professor of Political Anthropology at Australian Catholic University, Melbourne and author of “Islamism and Democracy in India”: “…Major theatre of de-democratization was Iran, whose elected government was overthrown, in 1953, by a US-UK alliance. Mohammad Mosaddeq was Iran’s elected prime minister. He enjoyed the approval of Iran’s parliament for his nationalization program. The US and UK organized a CIA-led coup to oust Mosaddeq – because Iran refused make oil concessions to the West. During World War II, the UK had taken control of Iran to prevent oil from being passed to its ally, the Soviet Union. Through the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, the UK continued to control Iran’s oil after the war. The French-educated Mosaddeq was highly critical of Iran’s draining of resources to the West. Soon after getting elected as prime minister in March 1951, Mosaddeq and his National Front alliance had moved to nationalize Iranian oil and throw out foreign control of oil fields. One such was the Abadan refinery, then the largest in the world. The UK retaliated by imposing economic sanctions, backed by its heavy naval presence in the region. Mosaddeq, however, was undeterred; his popularity only increased among the Iranian people. Faced with Mosaddeq’s resistance, the UK-US alliance staged a coup to over throw Mosaddeq’s government.”
France, the U.K. and Israel attacked it, in 1956, during so-called “Suez Canal Crises”. Although the invasion eventually ended and Canal stayed in the hands of Egypt, the country never fully recovered. There were further Israeli attacks and invasions, and after President Gamal Abdel Nasser passed away in 1970, gross meddling in Egypt’s internal affairs by the Western countries. Gradually, Egypt was turned into an impoverished client state.
In Indonesia, a progressive and religiously tolerant President Ahmed Sukarno was overthrown more than a decade after Mohammad Mosaddeq in Iran. The coup took place in 1965, with direct involvement of the United States. Between 1 and 3 million people were brutally slaughtered.
Sukarno’s main ‘sins’, at least in the eyes of the Western Empire, consisted of strong left wing, patriotic stands, which included nationalization of almost all natural resources. Sukarno was also one of the founding fathers of non-aligned movement.
By the end of the 1960’s, socialism in the Muslim countries had been almost thoroughly demolished. Dark era of collaboration, particularly in the [Persian] Gulf region, arrived.
The 1953 coup in Iran was later replicated in various parts of the world, even as far as Latin America. For years it is has been no secret that the U.S and the U.K. planned and executed this deadly event.
In its article, CIA admits role in 1953 Iranian coup, published on 19 August 2013, The Guardian reported:
“The CIA has publicly admitted for the first time that it was behind the notorious 1953 coup against Iran’s democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq, in documents that also show how the British government tried to block the release of information about its own involvement in his overthrow.
On the 60th anniversary of an event often invoked by Iranians as evidence of western meddling, the US national security archive at George Washington University published a series of declassified CIA documents.
“The military coup that overthrew Mosaddeq and his National Front cabinet was carried out under CIA direction as an act of US foreign policy, conceived and approved at the highest levels of government,” reads a previously excised section of an internal CIA history titled The Battle for Iran.”
Declassified, U.S Department of State “Top Secret” documents from 1952, also clearly demonstrated great appetite of the U.K. to perform the coup in Iran:
“Subject: Proposal to Organize a Coup d’etat in Iran
Problem: “The British foreign Office has informed us that it would be disposed to attempt to bring about a coup d’état in Iran, replacing the Mosadeq Government by one which would be more “reliable”, if the American government agreed to cooperate…”
Although the U.S. government was originally hesitant about supporting the U.K. in planning to overthrow Prime Minister Mohammad Mosadeq, it soon changed its mind and allowed the CIA to plot and execute the coup.
What followed was 26 years of perversely brutal rule of Shah Reza Pahlavi, as well as of the British-US control over almost all great natural resources of Iran.
In brief: the West performed an experiment on Iran and on its people: how would the country react to a bloodbath, to overthrowing of its popular leader, to a theft of its resources?
As it did for centuries, the U.K. ‘scored’: it correctly predicted that it would be able to ‘get away with murder’. It managed to convince its offspring, the United States, that huge international crimes pay, as long as they are committed barefaced.
And the US industrialized these crimes, as it earlier did production of automobiles or radio sets. Crimes got mass-produced. One ‘inappropriate’ government after another got overthrown, destroyed; all over the world: Congo, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Chile, Brazil, Indonesia, Vietnam… Crimes were piling up, and still are.
1953 in Iran marked the beginning of a ‘new chapter’ in the world history – a terrible and brutal chapter.
Iranian people and Iranian leadership are well aware of it. The country that suffered so much, the country which lost hundreds of thousands of its sons and daughters to Western imperialism, geopolitical games as well as naked greed, is now standing tall and strong, unwilling to surrender or to even budge.
It wants to go forward, it is going forward, but in its own direction, at its own pace, for the benefit of its people.
Iran is not alone. There is now an entire powerful alliance in place, consisting of countries from all over the world: an alliance of those who are not afraid to confront deadly expansionism and consequent terror. From Bolivia to China, from South Africa to Russia, Syria, Venezuela and the Philippines, people are remembering Iran of 1953, determined to defend their countries and the world against the greatest evil, which is imperialism!
This plane is bloody fast
Mainwhile at the F35 camp...
Russia shows that apparently you don't need a bigger budget to produce better technology.
Sometimes I wonder if greater engineering and science talent is born in Russia at the moment simply because the forces of creativity are better suited there in order to push the forces of entropy back.
But at the same time, corruption and the ability to produce anything will take it's toll if you have psychopaths steering the ship like in the US.
Mainwhile at the F35 camp...
Russia shows that apparently you don't need a bigger budget to produce better technology.
Sometimes I wonder if greater engineering and science talent is born in Russia at the moment simply because the forces of creativity are better suited there in order to push the forces of entropy back.
But at the same time, corruption and the ability to produce anything will take it's toll if you have psychopaths steering the ship like in the US.
No reference from the UN site of the article below.
_http://www.unmultimedia.org/radio/english/category/features/todays-news/
_http://www.un.org/news/
North Korea shipments to Syria chemical arms agency intercepted: U.N. report
August 22, 2017 / 12:27 AM / a day ago
_https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-syria-un-idUSKCN1B12G2
The Neocons push for War to cover the USA Financial Collapse.
This Economic Collapse Will Push The US Into A 3rd World Country Bill Holter (25:08)
Published on Aug 22, 2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inMQuSo5nUs
This Economic Collapse Will Push The US Into A 3rd World Country Bill Holter
Putin Scores a Geopolitical Checkmate with Imminent Liberation of Deir ez-Zor
http://russia-insider.com/en/politics/putin-scores-geopolitical-checkmate-imminent-liberation-deir-ez-zor/ri20730
August 23 2017
Syria turned out to be the Waterloo of the US elite’s New World Order
Syrian War Report – August 23, 2017: Syrian Army Liberates Large Area From ISIS
At least 78 people killed and scores injured in terrorist bombings in Jableh and Tartous-VIDEO and Pic's (Graphic)
http://sana.sy/en/?p=78020
23 May، 2016
من عمليات الجيش والمقاومة ضد إرهابيي داعش في القلمون الغربي
Of the army's operations and resistance against the terrorists in the West Qalamoun (6:40)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iccs6yy0g4
Aug 22, 2017
angelburst29
The Living Force
angelburst29 said:
'Even the Stones Burned': 75th Anniversary of the Massed Bombing of Stalingrad
https://sputniknews.com/world/201708241056750900-stalingrad-bombing-75th-anniversary/
75 years ago, Stalingrad, the Soviet industrial city on the Volga River, was subjected to its first aerial bombardment by the Luftwaffe, an event remembered in Russian historiography as one of the largest massed bombings in the history of the Great Patriotic War, which literally leveled the city to the ground. Luftflotte 4, the Luftwaffe's fourth air fleet, hit the city with all its strength, and in half a day's time had destroyed over half of its housing stock.
After dropping heavy explosive bombs, which demolished buildings down to the foundation, the Luftwaffe began dropping incendiary bombs, which resulted in a plethora of fires across the city. A great vortex of fire devastated the city's center and spread to its outskirts. This city, flourishing before the war, came to look like a plowed field, mixed with the skeletal outlines of the chimneys of ruined buildings.
Over 40,000 people were killed in the bombing. It seemed as though the city, destroyed by fire and smoke, would not be able to resist any longer. But the bombing on August 23 would be only the beginning of the heroic defense of Stalingrad by Soviet troops, which lasted over six months.
Fiery Hell - By the time the bombing began, about one quarter of Stalingrad's 400,000 residents had been evacuated. Most of the remaining adults and children were involved in building fortifications – setting up barricades, digging trenches and anti-tank ditches, and camouflaging strategically important objects.
Preparing Stalingrad for a long siege was done under pressure, with the Wehrmacht quickly closing in. At 4 p.m. on August 23, a 6th German Army's shock group broke through to the Volga near the city's northern outskirts, outside the settlements of Latoshinka, Akatovka, and Rynok. Anti-aircraft batteries of the 1077th Regiment of the Red Army were the first to come into contact with the armored vehicles of the 14th Panzer Corps. A fierce battle ensued.
Several hours later, the heavy bass sound of hundreds of bombers was heard over the city. Wave after wave of Junkers and Heinkels attacked, 30-40 planes at a time. The first bombs hit Stalingrad at about 6 pm in the evening. According to eyewitnesses, the earth literally shook. Powerful explosions were heard at intervals between 10-30 seconds, and the roar was such that nothing else could be heard.
"What happened to us on August 23 in Stalingrad struck like a terrible nightmare," Marshal Andrei Andrei Yeremenko recalled in his memoirs after the war.
"Without interruption, from one location to another, the fire-breathing sultans of bomb explosions soared upwards. Huge pillars of flames rose into the sky at the oil depot terminal. Streams of burning oil and gasoline rushed into the Volga. The river burned; steamboats burned in the harbor. The asphalt of streets and squares emitted noxious fumes. Telegraph poles lit up like match sticks. There was an unimaginable noise, deafening one with its infernal music. The shriek of bombs descending from the air mixed with the roar of explosions, the groaning and clatter of falling buildings, the crackling of the raging fires. The dying groaned in pain. Women and children cried uncontrollably and called for help," the commander wrote.
In a single day, the enemy carried out about two thousand sorties. The attack involved about a thousand aircraft of various types. The planes engaged in massed carpet bombing, rather than focusing on individual targets. Luftwaffe pilots had one mission – to wipe the city off the face of the earth. They more than succeeded. By the end of the day, the bulk of Stalingrad lay in ruins.
According to historians, on August 23 alone, between 40,000 and 90,000 people were killed. About 50,000 were injured. A total of 309 city enterprises were destroyed. Factories including the Red October factory, the Stalingrad Tractor Plant, and the Barricades factory lost most of their shops and equipment. Transport and communications infrastructure was destroyed. The situation was aggravated by the fact that raging fires were practically impossible to put out – the city's water pipeline was put out of commission by the bombing.
Strategy of Terror - Of course, Stalingrad resisted the air attack. On August 23, Soviet aviation and anti-aircraft guns destroyed between 90 and 120 German planes. However, soon after the bombing began, the city was covered with a solid screen of smoke, making aiming from the ground very difficult. Things were complicated by the fact that anti-aircraft gunners from the 1077th regiment were forbidden from shooting at aircraft, focusing instead on holding back the German tanks on the northern outskirts of the city. In conditions of a lack of anti-tank weapons, heavy anti-aircraft guns struck at enemy armor from their 37 guns.
A widely-known incident involving these units saw two tanks and three armor-clad tractors coming directly from the Tractor Factory to assist, supported by a battalion of workers with Mosin rifles. No other forces were present in the city. Formations of the 62nd Army continued to hold the enemy several dozen kilometers from Stalingrad on the left bank of the Don River.
This handful of defenders managed to hold back the enemy onslaught. The Germans failed to break through the city's northern defensive line, both on August 23 and in the following days. Wehrmacht General Gustav Anton von Wietersheim, commander of the 14th Panzer Corps, was suspended from command for his failure to break through.
Thus, the Germans' main goal for the bombing – to crush the resistance of the Soviet troops defending the city, and the subsequent assault on Stalingrad by land units, failed. Many historians say that the Wehrmacht was not able to take advantage of the results of the Luftwaffe's efforts. As a result, the bombing came to look less like a military operation, and more like an act of terror. The German forces' fierce bombing of civilian transport evacuating the city can be similarly characterized.
"The evacuation of people from the left bank of the Volga was conducted by vessels of the Stalingrad River Fleet and the Volga Military Flotilla. On August 23-24, after all the piers were destroyed by air attack, the flotilla organized crossing by small boats," military historian Alexei Isaev wrote in his book 'Stalingrad: No Land Beyond the Volga'.
"This stage of the evacuation took place under attacks from the air and even from enemy artillery units. The Borodino steamer, with 700 wounded onboard, was hit by direct fire in the Rynok area and sank; only about 300 people were saved. The same fate befell the Josef Stalin steamer, filled with about 1,200 evacuees, of whom only about 150 people survived," the historian added.
Nevertheless, having withstood the first and most terrible airstrike, Stalingrad's defenders managed to prepare for defense. Reinforcements were able to break through, and militiamen and civilians turned the ruins of their houses into a network of fortresses and fire points. When the Germans broke through into the city for the first time on September 14, 1942, they were given a 'warm welcome'.
The severely wounded city of Stalingrad took its revenge on those who had assailed it in a sustained and unswerving fashion until February 2, 1943, emerging in history as a symbol of the heroic resistance of the Soviet people and the grave of nearly a million German soldiers. A phrase of one of them, written in a diary, became known across the world: "Only one kilometer separates us from the Volga. But we cannot break through to it. We've been fighting for this one kilometer longer than we did for the whole of France, but the Russians stand like blocks of stone."
Now this is thrilling, is Germany in open rebellion with the Empire? This is the only US vassal that really matters. If Germany tries to break free, all the other Vassals will take note, or like they say: 'Know which way the wind blows' First the Germans resisted the new scantions, now they resist the war-rhetoric of the US. The fractures are visible for all to see, and they are getting wider.
bjorn said:
Saw the following on RT today (although I can't find anything on their website about it), that made me think along the same lines.
_https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/25/world/europe/germany-bans-far-left-antifa-website.html
RT also showed a small haul of weapons from the raids.
Although the shutting down of a website is a worrying (and potentially really negative) move in of itself, perhaps it's also positive given who it's targeting i.e. those funding antifa. I'd think it's likely Soros or his organisations may be behind the linksunten.indymedia website, although from a quick scan of the internet I can't find anything specific.
angelburst29
The Living Force
RedFox said:
You're perception is correct, RedFox. The linksunten.indymedia website is connected to Antifa and Soro's.
Germany Bans 'Extremist AntiFa' Website For "Legitimizing Violence Against Cops"
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-08-26/germany-bans-extremist-antifa-website-legitimizing-violence-against-cops
While over 300,000 Americans have signed a petition demanding the US government formally recognize AntiFa a terrorist organization (and some 'cells' calling for "all-out revolution"), the US mainstream media continues to provide cover for the violent leftist organization (as do college professors). However, in Europe, German authorities have banned the most influential AntiFa website in the wake of violence that occurred last month outside the G20 summit in Hamburg.
In an unprecedented move against violent left-wing extremism, Germany’s Interior Ministry informed the owners of the left-wing site about the crackdown Friday, the Local reported.
Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière claimed the website helped incite the violence in Hamburg and warned of “serious consequences” of left-wing radicalism, the New York Times reported.
“The prelude to the G-20 summit in Hamburg was not the only time that violent actions and attacks on infrastructural facilities were mobilized on linksunten.indymedia,” the minister said, identifying the website.
He also said the site tried to “legitimize violence against police officers,” which he described as an “expression of an attitude that tramples human dignity.”
“This is absolutely unacceptable and incompatible with our liberal democratic order,” he added.
Fox News reports that, according to the Local, Germany’s internal spy agency once described the website, which has operated since 2008, as “the most important platform for violent left-wing extremism in Germany. For years it has been providing a forum for people to publish first-hand reports on left-wing crimes.”
The violent clashes between the Antifa and police led to around 476 police officers being injured, while around 186 demonstrators were arrested and 225 were temporarily detained.
The Interior Ministry said the website was shut down because it “goes directly against the law in both its aims and actions,” Spiegel reported.
The police, meanwhile, searched the properties connected to the owners of the radical website in the German state of Baden-Württemberg.
“At the moment several premises are being searched,” said Thomas Strobl, the state’s interior minister. “This step marks a major blow against the extreme left in Germany,”
he added.
Following the announced closure, the extremist website now directs visitors to a “what to do” article calling the government’s move an “authoritarian crackdown.” It also urges people to spread “revolutionary material and ideas everywhere” and come up with “alternative ways to communicate with each other and the general public in times of intensifying state censorship and control.”
Notably, as Ron Paul recently explained, the alt-right and its leftist opponents are two sides of the same authoritarian coin.
The alt-right elevates racial identity over individual identity. The obsession with race leads them to support massive government interference in the economy in order to benefit members of the favored race. They also favor massive welfare and entitlement spending, as long as it functions as a racial spoils system. Some prominent alt-right leaders even support abortion as a way of limiting the minority population. No one who sincerely supports individual liberty, property rights, or the right to life can have any sympathy for this type of racial collectivism.
Antifa, like all Marxists, elevates class identity over individual identity. Antifa supporters believe government must run the economy because otherwise workers will be exploited by greedy capitalists. This faith in central planning ignores economic reality, as well as the reality that in a free market employers and workers voluntarily work together for their mutual benefit. It is only when government intervenes in the economy that crony capitalists have the opportunity to exploit workers, consumers, and taxpayers. Sadly, many on the left confuse the results of the “mixed economy” with free markets.
Ironically, the failure of the Keynesian model of economic authoritarianism, promoted by establishment economists like Paul Krugman, is responsible for the rise of the alt-right and antifa.
While we should be willing to form coalitions with individuals of good will across the political spectrum, we must never align with anyone promoting violence as a solution to social and economic problems. We must also oppose any attempts to use the violence committed by extremists as a justification for expanding the police state or infringing on free speech. Laws against hate speech set a dangerous precedent for censorship of speech unpopular with the ruling elite and the deep state.
Libertarians have several advantages in the ideological battle over what we will replace the Keynesian welfare model with. First, we do not need to resort to scapegoating and demagoguing, as we have the truth about the welfare-warfare state and the Federal Reserve on our side. We also offer a realistic way to restore prosperity. But our greatest advantage is that, while authoritarianism divides people by race, class, religion, or other differences, the cause of liberty unites all who seek peace and prosperity.
German version:
angelburst29
The Living Force
A Russian media outlet reported on Saturday that the Russian air defense units in Syria have shot down three Israeli unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the war-hit country's airspace in April, May and July.
Russia Downs Several Israeli Drones in Syria's Airspace
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960604300790
The Arabic-language website of the Russian Sputnik news agency said that based on the Russian Defense Ministry's intelligence air defense units equipped with guided missiles targeted and downed three Heron spying drones of Israel on April 9, May 20 and July 6.
Relevant reports said in early July that anti-aircraft units of the Syrian Army shot down an Israeli spy drone over the pro-government forces' positions in the Southern province of Quneitra.
The Syrian army shot down an Israeli drone as it was carrying out spying flight over the pro-government forces' positions in Northern Quneitra.
In the meantime, sources affiliated to the terrorists said they heard the sound of an explosion in Northern Quneitra, claiming that an Israeli plane targeted positions of the Syrian Army in Quneitra province.
Over 25,000 Fighters Join Together in New Syrian Terrorist Merger - Russian MoD
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201708251056790432-syria-merger-terrorist-group/
The militants from ex-Nusra Front play the key role in the new formation, Col. Gen. Igor Korobov said at an Army-2017 forum roundtable.
"At present, more than 70 band formations, including from the ranks of the opposition which used to consider itself moderate, have joined together. The total strength of the Hayat Tahrir Sham group exceeds 25,000 militants," he said.
The group engages in active hostilities against the Syrian government forces and moderate opposition in the provinces of Aleppo, Damascus, Idlib and Hama, Korobov noted.
Meanwhile, Korobov said that around 9,000 terrorists from the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly known as Nusra Front) terrorist group were attempting to take control over the Syrian province.
Syrian Army Imposes Control over Main Supply Line of Terrorists at Border with Jordan
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960604301143
The army soldiers took back control over Qadir Mahmoud and Wadi Mahmoud regions in Southeastern Damascus after heavy clashes with terrorists near the border with Jordan.
A military source said that Wadi Mahmoud was an illegal and important passageway used by terrorists to smuggle arms and ammunition from Jordan into Syria's Badiyeh (desert) and Damascus province.
Relevant reports said on Friday that the army forces, led by the 5th Corps, stormed terrorists' concentration centers and strongholds in Dahrat al-Aridh region in the Badiyeh region, resulting in tough battle that lasted for a short period of time.
Within two hours of launching this attack, the army men took control of the Dahrat al-Aridh area and Watid hill of Southeast Damascus, forcing the remaining militants to retreat further South.
The latest advance has put the army forces in control of a large part of the Badiyeh, leaving the rebel with just the al-Tanf pocket to capture.
Syrian Army Tightens Noose on Terrorists in Heights at Border with Lebanon
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960605000550
The Syrian pro-government forces stormed ISIL's positions and took back Shamis- Tam al-Mal height near the border with Lebanon.
Also, the army's artillery and missile units pounded ISIL's positions and concentration centers in Halimeh Qareh strategic height in border region.
Field sources reported that a number of ISIL militants have surrendered to the army and their remaining pockets have retreated from the first lines of battle amid rapid advances of the government forces.
The sources further said that ISIL terrorists are now trapped in the circle of the army soldiers and Hezbollah combatants in an area as large as 30sq/km in Western Qalamoun.
ISIL Terrorists Surrender to Hezbollah in Heights at Syria-Lebanon Border
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960605001410
The sources close to the Syrian Army and Hezbollah reported that ISIL surrendered to the Hezbollah fighters after the army soldiers and Hezbollah fighters approached Halimeh Qareh height.
The sources said that based on an agreement the surrendered-members of ISIL are to be relocated to Deir Ezzur after the terrorists cleared the fate of the Lebanese captives that have been in ISIL's jail for several years.
The sources confirmed that implementation of the agreement has started and Hezbollah has taken control over Wadi Mira passageway which was under ISIL's control.
Eight Lebanese soldiers were kidnapped in clashes in Arsal in Eastern Lebanon in 2014. There was no information about their fate for several years.
Reports said earlier today that the Lebanese and Syrian Army troops and Hezbollah declared simultaneous truce with ISIL terrorists in mountainous regions at common border.
The General Command of the Lebanese Army said in a statement that the ceasefire regime has started since 7 o'clock this morning to pave the ground for the last phase of negotiations for clearing fate of the kidnapped Lebanese military men by the ISIL.
In the meantime, the Syrian Army and Hezbollah declared ceasefire in the Western Qalamoun region since 7 o'clock this morning aimed at ending hostilities in the region.
The Lebanese and Syrian soldiers along with Hezbollah combatants kicked off large-scale operations at common border and managed to liberate a large number of regions, heights and hills, forcing ISIL terrorist to ask for relocation to Syria's Deir Ezzur.
Daesh Terrorist Plotting Military Officer Assassination Arrested in Lebanon
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201708261056819530-daesh-terrorist-arrested-lebanon/
The militant, nicknamed Hassan Hamed Al Hassan, was arrested in the course of anti-terror operation. He was responsible for the group's security and logistics, as well as was ordered by a group of Daesh chiefs to prepare an assassination of a high-ranking officer of the Lebanese army, according to the statement.
To carry out the task, the suspect put together a group of militants, procured necessary weapons and explosives, and set up a watch to track the victim, the statement adds.
Lebanon announced the start of the offensive against the Daesh enclave on the northeast part of its border with Syria on August 19. Damascus and the Lebanese militia movement Hezbollah are also currently carrying out their anti-Daesh offensive on the Syrian side of the border.
The Lebanese Army eliminated 12 Daesh strongholds on the Lebanese-Syrian border during the second day of its anti-Daesh offensive, according to a statement of the army’s command obtained by Sputnik on Sunday.
Turkish Army Sends More Military Equipment to Borders with Syria
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960605001073
The Arabic-language website of Anadolu news agency reported that the Turkish army has forwarded 10 large military trucks, carrying tanks and heavy cannons, to the border town of Kilis and later relocated them to the town of Eslahiyeh in Gaziantep region.
The website, meantime, said that the military convoy was dispatched to the border with Syria under tight security measures to boost the army units deployed at borders.
The pro-terrorist groups' websites reported on Saturday that Ankara dispatched fresh forces and modern military equipment, including several military vehicles and tanks, to the town of Azaz in Northern Aleppo via the town of Kilis in Southern Turkey.
Turkey Sends Trucks Loaded With Armored Vehicles & Artillery to Syrian Border
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201708261056817350-turkey-syrian-border-trucks/
The convoy carried tanks and howitzers, which are expected to back Turkish troops deployed in the southern province bordering Syrian territory held by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), the Hurriyet newspaper reported.
Ankara considers YPG to be affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a designated terrorist group in Turkey, the United States and the European Union. YPG controls Syria's northern region of Afrin, which borders Kilis.
Daesh Sets Up Mines, Booby-Traps Against Civilians Fleeing Raqqa as Battle Rages
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201708271056830868-daesh-mines-raqqa-civilians/
According to Balli, a large number of civilians have been killed during clashes as Daesh continues carrying out attacks using mined vehicles and setting up mined traps.
“The terrorists use civilians as human shields. They set up mines and other explosive devices on the roads, which civilians use to try and escape.
Thus, all those who try to leave the city are in mortal danger,” Balli said.
The representative also stressed that the SDF forces are working diligently to evacuate civilians from the territories where fierce battles are raging.
“By now, the SDF units have managed to save tens of thousands of civilians from the areas where the clashes are taking place and transfer them to safe areas which are under the control of civil councils. Here, the local residents are provided with everything necessary for life,” Balli concluded.
Saudi Arabia and Israel Might 'Directly Intervene' in Syrian Conflict
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201708261056817279-syria-saudi-arabia-israel/
The implementation of de-escalation zones in Syria and the separation of terrorists from the opposition have allowed the fight against terrorism to intensify, effectively ending the civil war in the country, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said during the meeting with his Lebanese counterpart, Yaacoub Sarraf.
The Russian Defense Minister, however, stressed that the movement of terrorists from one country to another "cannot continue indefinitely."
"I would like our Western partners… finally to separate the moderate opposition from terrorists and stop rendering assistance across the board," Shoigu said.
Sputnik Radio discussed this statement with Israel Shamir, a Russian-Israeli journalist and Middle East expert, who said that the Russian Defense Minister could be a "little bit overoptimistic."
"There is a danger that some external forces would not agree with the settlement of the Syrian war. Those forces are Saudi Arabia and Israel," Shamir told Sputnik.
Once upon a time, Syria was a powerful state, he went on. However now it is in disarray, therefore Saudi Arabia and Israel are worried that this change on the ground could be to the advantage of Iran.
"That is why there is a possibility that the war, which until now was viewed as a war between proxies would be replaced by direct intervention of Israel and Saudi Arabia," he finally stated.
Russia Downs Several Israeli Drones in Syria's Airspace
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960604300790
The Arabic-language website of the Russian Sputnik news agency said that based on the Russian Defense Ministry's intelligence air defense units equipped with guided missiles targeted and downed three Heron spying drones of Israel on April 9, May 20 and July 6.
Relevant reports said in early July that anti-aircraft units of the Syrian Army shot down an Israeli spy drone over the pro-government forces' positions in the Southern province of Quneitra.
The Syrian army shot down an Israeli drone as it was carrying out spying flight over the pro-government forces' positions in Northern Quneitra.
In the meantime, sources affiliated to the terrorists said they heard the sound of an explosion in Northern Quneitra, claiming that an Israeli plane targeted positions of the Syrian Army in Quneitra province.
Over 25,000 Fighters Join Together in New Syrian Terrorist Merger - Russian MoD
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201708251056790432-syria-merger-terrorist-group/
The militants from ex-Nusra Front play the key role in the new formation, Col. Gen. Igor Korobov said at an Army-2017 forum roundtable.
"At present, more than 70 band formations, including from the ranks of the opposition which used to consider itself moderate, have joined together. The total strength of the Hayat Tahrir Sham group exceeds 25,000 militants," he said.
The group engages in active hostilities against the Syrian government forces and moderate opposition in the provinces of Aleppo, Damascus, Idlib and Hama, Korobov noted.
Meanwhile, Korobov said that around 9,000 terrorists from the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly known as Nusra Front) terrorist group were attempting to take control over the Syrian province.
Syrian Army Imposes Control over Main Supply Line of Terrorists at Border with Jordan
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960604301143
The army soldiers took back control over Qadir Mahmoud and Wadi Mahmoud regions in Southeastern Damascus after heavy clashes with terrorists near the border with Jordan.
A military source said that Wadi Mahmoud was an illegal and important passageway used by terrorists to smuggle arms and ammunition from Jordan into Syria's Badiyeh (desert) and Damascus province.
Relevant reports said on Friday that the army forces, led by the 5th Corps, stormed terrorists' concentration centers and strongholds in Dahrat al-Aridh region in the Badiyeh region, resulting in tough battle that lasted for a short period of time.
Within two hours of launching this attack, the army men took control of the Dahrat al-Aridh area and Watid hill of Southeast Damascus, forcing the remaining militants to retreat further South.
The latest advance has put the army forces in control of a large part of the Badiyeh, leaving the rebel with just the al-Tanf pocket to capture.
Syrian Army Tightens Noose on Terrorists in Heights at Border with Lebanon
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960605000550
The Syrian pro-government forces stormed ISIL's positions and took back Shamis- Tam al-Mal height near the border with Lebanon.
Also, the army's artillery and missile units pounded ISIL's positions and concentration centers in Halimeh Qareh strategic height in border region.
Field sources reported that a number of ISIL militants have surrendered to the army and their remaining pockets have retreated from the first lines of battle amid rapid advances of the government forces.
The sources further said that ISIL terrorists are now trapped in the circle of the army soldiers and Hezbollah combatants in an area as large as 30sq/km in Western Qalamoun.
ISIL Terrorists Surrender to Hezbollah in Heights at Syria-Lebanon Border
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960605001410
The sources close to the Syrian Army and Hezbollah reported that ISIL surrendered to the Hezbollah fighters after the army soldiers and Hezbollah fighters approached Halimeh Qareh height.
The sources said that based on an agreement the surrendered-members of ISIL are to be relocated to Deir Ezzur after the terrorists cleared the fate of the Lebanese captives that have been in ISIL's jail for several years.
The sources confirmed that implementation of the agreement has started and Hezbollah has taken control over Wadi Mira passageway which was under ISIL's control.
Eight Lebanese soldiers were kidnapped in clashes in Arsal in Eastern Lebanon in 2014. There was no information about their fate for several years.
Reports said earlier today that the Lebanese and Syrian Army troops and Hezbollah declared simultaneous truce with ISIL terrorists in mountainous regions at common border.
The General Command of the Lebanese Army said in a statement that the ceasefire regime has started since 7 o'clock this morning to pave the ground for the last phase of negotiations for clearing fate of the kidnapped Lebanese military men by the ISIL.
In the meantime, the Syrian Army and Hezbollah declared ceasefire in the Western Qalamoun region since 7 o'clock this morning aimed at ending hostilities in the region.
The Lebanese and Syrian soldiers along with Hezbollah combatants kicked off large-scale operations at common border and managed to liberate a large number of regions, heights and hills, forcing ISIL terrorist to ask for relocation to Syria's Deir Ezzur.
Daesh Terrorist Plotting Military Officer Assassination Arrested in Lebanon
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201708261056819530-daesh-terrorist-arrested-lebanon/
The militant, nicknamed Hassan Hamed Al Hassan, was arrested in the course of anti-terror operation. He was responsible for the group's security and logistics, as well as was ordered by a group of Daesh chiefs to prepare an assassination of a high-ranking officer of the Lebanese army, according to the statement.
To carry out the task, the suspect put together a group of militants, procured necessary weapons and explosives, and set up a watch to track the victim, the statement adds.
Lebanon announced the start of the offensive against the Daesh enclave on the northeast part of its border with Syria on August 19. Damascus and the Lebanese militia movement Hezbollah are also currently carrying out their anti-Daesh offensive on the Syrian side of the border.
The Lebanese Army eliminated 12 Daesh strongholds on the Lebanese-Syrian border during the second day of its anti-Daesh offensive, according to a statement of the army’s command obtained by Sputnik on Sunday.
Turkish Army Sends More Military Equipment to Borders with Syria
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960605001073
The Arabic-language website of Anadolu news agency reported that the Turkish army has forwarded 10 large military trucks, carrying tanks and heavy cannons, to the border town of Kilis and later relocated them to the town of Eslahiyeh in Gaziantep region.
The website, meantime, said that the military convoy was dispatched to the border with Syria under tight security measures to boost the army units deployed at borders.
The pro-terrorist groups' websites reported on Saturday that Ankara dispatched fresh forces and modern military equipment, including several military vehicles and tanks, to the town of Azaz in Northern Aleppo via the town of Kilis in Southern Turkey.
Turkey Sends Trucks Loaded With Armored Vehicles & Artillery to Syrian Border
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201708261056817350-turkey-syrian-border-trucks/
The convoy carried tanks and howitzers, which are expected to back Turkish troops deployed in the southern province bordering Syrian territory held by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), the Hurriyet newspaper reported.
Ankara considers YPG to be affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a designated terrorist group in Turkey, the United States and the European Union. YPG controls Syria's northern region of Afrin, which borders Kilis.
Daesh Sets Up Mines, Booby-Traps Against Civilians Fleeing Raqqa as Battle Rages
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201708271056830868-daesh-mines-raqqa-civilians/
According to Balli, a large number of civilians have been killed during clashes as Daesh continues carrying out attacks using mined vehicles and setting up mined traps.
“The terrorists use civilians as human shields. They set up mines and other explosive devices on the roads, which civilians use to try and escape.
Thus, all those who try to leave the city are in mortal danger,” Balli said.
The representative also stressed that the SDF forces are working diligently to evacuate civilians from the territories where fierce battles are raging.
“By now, the SDF units have managed to save tens of thousands of civilians from the areas where the clashes are taking place and transfer them to safe areas which are under the control of civil councils. Here, the local residents are provided with everything necessary for life,” Balli concluded.
Saudi Arabia and Israel Might 'Directly Intervene' in Syrian Conflict
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201708261056817279-syria-saudi-arabia-israel/
The implementation of de-escalation zones in Syria and the separation of terrorists from the opposition have allowed the fight against terrorism to intensify, effectively ending the civil war in the country, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said during the meeting with his Lebanese counterpart, Yaacoub Sarraf.
The Russian Defense Minister, however, stressed that the movement of terrorists from one country to another "cannot continue indefinitely."
"I would like our Western partners… finally to separate the moderate opposition from terrorists and stop rendering assistance across the board," Shoigu said.
Sputnik Radio discussed this statement with Israel Shamir, a Russian-Israeli journalist and Middle East expert, who said that the Russian Defense Minister could be a "little bit overoptimistic."
"There is a danger that some external forces would not agree with the settlement of the Syrian war. Those forces are Saudi Arabia and Israel," Shamir told Sputnik.
Once upon a time, Syria was a powerful state, he went on. However now it is in disarray, therefore Saudi Arabia and Israel are worried that this change on the ground could be to the advantage of Iran.
"That is why there is a possibility that the war, which until now was viewed as a war between proxies would be replaced by direct intervention of Israel and Saudi Arabia," he finally stated.
angelburst29
The Living Force
A unified air defense system has been set up in Syria thanks to efforts of Russian and Syrian military experts, Chief of Staff and Deputy Commander of the Russian Aerospace Forces Major-General Sergey Meshcheryakov told a round table dedicated to the Syrian experience at the Army-2017 International Military-Technical Forum.
Syria Russia, A Unified Integrated Air Defense System Has Been Set Up In Syria, Defense Missiles Capable Of Destroying Trumps Military Aircraft And Other Enemies Of The State
http://nrt24.ru/en/news/syria-russia-unified-integrated-air-defense-system-has-been-set-syria-defense-missiles-capable
“Today, a unified integrated air defense system has been set up in Syria. We have ensured the information and technical interlinkage of the Russian and Syrian air reconnaissance systems. All information on the situation in the air comes from Syrian radar stations to the control points of the Russian force grouping,” he said.
The Russian air defense group in the Hmeymim airfield area includes a radio engineering battalion, a battery of the Pantsir-S air defense missile and gun systems and the S-400 air defense missile systems.
“These air defense missile systems are capable of destroying targets within a range of up to 400 kilometers at an altitude of up to 35 kilometers,” Meshcheryakov said.
He added that the Russian Aerospace Forces had inflicted substantial damage on the Islamic State (outlawed in Russia) terrorist infrastructure by destroying their ammunition and fuel depots, weapons and military equipment repair plants and significantly worsening militants’ logistics support and their ability to quickly redeploy reinforcements.
“Thanks to regular airstrikes against the oil infrastructure and the destruction of oil convoys, substantial economic damage has been inflicted on the enemy as well,” Mescheryakov concluded.
Israeli Media: Israel is Defeated in Syria
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/08/israeli-media-israel-is-defeated-in.html
“In the Syrian civil war, many people and different parties lost, but the most prominent one among them is Israel...I know I say very harsh words, but I had them on my mind for months, maybe more”, said the Israeli analyst.
The Israeli analyst pointed out that Israel and its intelligence services failed to understand what was exactly going on in Syria, adding that they underestimated the role of Iran in the conflict.
“We are defeated because we suffer from the complex of the first Lebanon war”, he further added.
The analyst considered that Israel could have entered the south of Syria and even proceed to as far as the outskirts of Damascus, where it would align itself with the so-called “moderate rebels”, but eventually opted out from doing so, namely due to safety concerns, in addition to its government constantly being pressed not to make such moves, noting that such practice contradicts that of the early Zionist movement from times before the establishment of the State of Israel when the Zionist agents would try to penetrate into every Arab section within the British Mandate of Palestine.
“The rebels are no longer the key actors, and it’s only a matter of time before they are completely eliminated”, the analyst said, noting that the so-called “Free Syrian Army” practically no longer exists.
The U.S. Regime Using Secret Diplomatic Flights To Send Weapons To Terrorists
http://nrt24.ru/en/news/us-regime-using-secret-diplomatic-flights-send-weapons-terrorists
A Bulgarian reporter has uncovered evidence that the United States and its allies, notably Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have been using Azerbaijan’s Silk Way Airlines to ferry entire planeloads of weapons to Syrian militants, some of which ended up in the hands of al-Qaeda’s Nusra Front.
Some 350 different flights, all labeled “diplomatic” flightsto avoid being searched for weapons, were sent into the area, generally carrying arms purchased in Eastern Europe, so as to disguise the country that was actually sending them.
This was the mechanism through which the since ended CIA program to arm Syrian rebels was conducted, and they apparently encouraged both Saudis and the Emirates to use the same trick. Exact figures on weapons sent aren’t total clear, but the US sent around $1 billion worth of arms by themselves.
The US apparently favored this program so much that they didn’t confine it to Syria, with the report showing cargo planes under the same diplomatic auspices being sent to Iraq, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Exactly who was to be armed in those countries wasn’t clear.
It is clear, however, that this wouldn’t have been the method through which the US nor any other nation would legitimately convey arms deals or even military aid to other governments, and was specifically chosen because, despite the added cost, it was hoped that it would allow the shipments and deliveries to happen in secret.
Silk Road Airlines also apparently favored this scheme themselves, having “offered diplomatic flights to private companies and arms manufacturers from the US, Balkans, and Israel, as well as to the militaries of Saudi Arabia, UAE, and US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), and the military forces of Germany and Denmark in Afghanistan and of Sweden in Iraq.”
Azerbaijan’s government was apparently well aware of this, and their foreign ministry was sending orders to their embassies across the region to ensure that the planes were given diplomatic clearance to fly “dangerous” materials through foreign airspace without a permit.
And it worked. Despite legal restrictions on carrying military cargo on civilian aircraft, the Azeri government managed to get diplomatic clearance for these planes that gave them an effective corridor across Europe and including Turkey. This gave the planes access to arms markets in Eastern Europe and arms-hungry wars in the Middle East and beyond.
While the revelations in Syria are likely old news, since the CIA’s failed arms program was already scrapped, it’s not clear that this isn’t still an ongoing means of arms smuggling for the US or its allies elsewhere. The revelation could be particularly embarrassing in Afghanistan, as there aren’t third parties to arm there who aren’t explicitly enemies of the US.
In buying non-US standard weapons, even when these arms ended up in the wrong hands, which at times may well have been the intended hands in the first place, there was some distance between the arms and the nations providing them. With most of Eastern Europe still selling Soviet-era surplus, this may well explain, for instance, why the Taliban has suddenly been seen with at least some such arms, with US officials trying to shift suspicion about that to Russia.
Clearly, though, there’s no way to prove the US sent those specific arms to the country and that’s the point. These smuggled arms stand in stark contrast to the massive, and at least nominally documented, official arms shipments the US is sending across the world at all times, and are meant to fly under the radar.
Syrian Army, Hezbollah Fully Free Syria-Lebanon Border Area From Daesh - Source
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201708281056862276-syria-lebanon-daesh-border-liberation/
The Syrian army and Hezbollah fighters have fully liberated the mountainous Qalamoun, the area on the border with Lebanon, from Daesh terrorist group, a local source told RIA Novosti.
"The Syrian army and resistance fighters [Hezbollah] liberated the Western Qalamoun from [Daesh] terrorists following the departure of the last bus from the Sheikh-Ali/al-Rumiyat border crossing [toward Abu-Kamal city]," the source said.
Remains of Lebanese Soldiers Kidnapped by ISIL Found near Border with Syria
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960606000366
The announcement on Sunday came hours after the Lebanese army declared a ceasefire deal with the ISIL along the border with Syria in exchange for information on the missing soldiers.
Major General Abbas Ibrahim said ISIL fighters who had surrendered led his agency and the Lebanese army to the remains.
"We have removed the remains of six bodies. We are expecting the number to go up to eight," he told reporters gathered in Lebanon's capital, Beirut.
"We believe that these remains belong to the soldiers."
The troops were among 30 soldiers and police kidnapped by ISIL and al-Qaeda's former Syrian affiliate when they overran the Lebanese border town of Arsal in August 2014. Four were killed by their captors and a fifth died of his wounds while 16 were released in a prisoner swap in December 2015.
The army has said the missing troops were its "top concern" in its offensive against an estimated 600 ISIL fighters in the hilly border region.
The missing troops were numbered at nine, but Ibrahim on Sunday only referred to the bodies of eight people and did not give details on a ninth.
He said the remains would be subject to DNA testing to ensure their identities but that he was "almost certain that the case is closed".
Field sources said Sunday that the Lebanese and Syrian Army troops and Hezbollah Resistance Movement declared simultaneous truce with ISIL terrorists in mountainous regions at common border.
The General Command of the Lebanese Army said in a statement that the ceasefire regime has started since 7 o'clock this morning to pave the ground for the last phase of negotiations for clearing fate of the kidnapped Lebanese military men by the ISIL.
In the meantime, the Syrian Army and Hezbollah declared ceasefire in the Western Qalamoun region since 7 o'clock this morning aimed at ending hostilities in the region.
The Lebanese and Syrian soldiers along with Hezbollah combatants kicked off large-scale operations at common border and managed to liberate a large number of regions, heights and hills, forcing ISIL terrorist to ask for relocation to Syria's Deir Ezzur.
Saudi Emir of ISIL Terrorists Killed in Popular Uprising in Eastern Syria
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960606000458
The sources reported that a number of residents of the town of Albu Kamal attacked an ISIL vehicle near al-Mesriyeh square and set fire at the car, killing al-Zafiri nom de guerre Abu Rabah al-Hejazi, head of ISIL's propaganda office in Albu Kamal, and several more terrorists.
ISIL terrorists' weapons were seized by people after the attack, the sources said.
They went on to say that a new group of terrorists, including Abu al-Aziz al-Halabi, one of the ISIL's commanders in the town of Mouhassan in Eastern Deir Ezzur, escaped the region along with his family members amid rapid advances of the Syrian Army troops towards Deir Ezzur in several flanks.
Relevant reports said on Sunday that the army troops, backed up by the country's Air Force, repelled ISIL's heavy attack on pro-government forces' strongholds in the Eastern city of Deir Ezzur on Sunday, killing and wounding a number of terrorists.
The army soldiers, supported by the warplanes, engaged in fierce clashes with the ISIL and warded off their attack in al-Roshdiyeh neighborhood.
ISIL left behind a number of dead and wounded members and retreated from the battlefield.
In the meantime, the army units shot down a bomb-laden drone of the ISIL flying over the village of al-Jafrah in Eastern outskirts of Deir Ezzur city.
Syria Russia, A Unified Integrated Air Defense System Has Been Set Up In Syria, Defense Missiles Capable Of Destroying Trumps Military Aircraft And Other Enemies Of The State
http://nrt24.ru/en/news/syria-russia-unified-integrated-air-defense-system-has-been-set-syria-defense-missiles-capable
“Today, a unified integrated air defense system has been set up in Syria. We have ensured the information and technical interlinkage of the Russian and Syrian air reconnaissance systems. All information on the situation in the air comes from Syrian radar stations to the control points of the Russian force grouping,” he said.
The Russian air defense group in the Hmeymim airfield area includes a radio engineering battalion, a battery of the Pantsir-S air defense missile and gun systems and the S-400 air defense missile systems.
“These air defense missile systems are capable of destroying targets within a range of up to 400 kilometers at an altitude of up to 35 kilometers,” Meshcheryakov said.
He added that the Russian Aerospace Forces had inflicted substantial damage on the Islamic State (outlawed in Russia) terrorist infrastructure by destroying their ammunition and fuel depots, weapons and military equipment repair plants and significantly worsening militants’ logistics support and their ability to quickly redeploy reinforcements.
“Thanks to regular airstrikes against the oil infrastructure and the destruction of oil convoys, substantial economic damage has been inflicted on the enemy as well,” Mescheryakov concluded.
Israeli Media: Israel is Defeated in Syria
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/08/israeli-media-israel-is-defeated-in.html
“In the Syrian civil war, many people and different parties lost, but the most prominent one among them is Israel...I know I say very harsh words, but I had them on my mind for months, maybe more”, said the Israeli analyst.
The Israeli analyst pointed out that Israel and its intelligence services failed to understand what was exactly going on in Syria, adding that they underestimated the role of Iran in the conflict.
“We are defeated because we suffer from the complex of the first Lebanon war”, he further added.
The analyst considered that Israel could have entered the south of Syria and even proceed to as far as the outskirts of Damascus, where it would align itself with the so-called “moderate rebels”, but eventually opted out from doing so, namely due to safety concerns, in addition to its government constantly being pressed not to make such moves, noting that such practice contradicts that of the early Zionist movement from times before the establishment of the State of Israel when the Zionist agents would try to penetrate into every Arab section within the British Mandate of Palestine.
“The rebels are no longer the key actors, and it’s only a matter of time before they are completely eliminated”, the analyst said, noting that the so-called “Free Syrian Army” practically no longer exists.
The U.S. Regime Using Secret Diplomatic Flights To Send Weapons To Terrorists
http://nrt24.ru/en/news/us-regime-using-secret-diplomatic-flights-send-weapons-terrorists
A Bulgarian reporter has uncovered evidence that the United States and its allies, notably Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have been using Azerbaijan’s Silk Way Airlines to ferry entire planeloads of weapons to Syrian militants, some of which ended up in the hands of al-Qaeda’s Nusra Front.
Some 350 different flights, all labeled “diplomatic” flightsto avoid being searched for weapons, were sent into the area, generally carrying arms purchased in Eastern Europe, so as to disguise the country that was actually sending them.
This was the mechanism through which the since ended CIA program to arm Syrian rebels was conducted, and they apparently encouraged both Saudis and the Emirates to use the same trick. Exact figures on weapons sent aren’t total clear, but the US sent around $1 billion worth of arms by themselves.
The US apparently favored this program so much that they didn’t confine it to Syria, with the report showing cargo planes under the same diplomatic auspices being sent to Iraq, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Exactly who was to be armed in those countries wasn’t clear.
It is clear, however, that this wouldn’t have been the method through which the US nor any other nation would legitimately convey arms deals or even military aid to other governments, and was specifically chosen because, despite the added cost, it was hoped that it would allow the shipments and deliveries to happen in secret.
Silk Road Airlines also apparently favored this scheme themselves, having “offered diplomatic flights to private companies and arms manufacturers from the US, Balkans, and Israel, as well as to the militaries of Saudi Arabia, UAE, and US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), and the military forces of Germany and Denmark in Afghanistan and of Sweden in Iraq.”
Azerbaijan’s government was apparently well aware of this, and their foreign ministry was sending orders to their embassies across the region to ensure that the planes were given diplomatic clearance to fly “dangerous” materials through foreign airspace without a permit.
And it worked. Despite legal restrictions on carrying military cargo on civilian aircraft, the Azeri government managed to get diplomatic clearance for these planes that gave them an effective corridor across Europe and including Turkey. This gave the planes access to arms markets in Eastern Europe and arms-hungry wars in the Middle East and beyond.
While the revelations in Syria are likely old news, since the CIA’s failed arms program was already scrapped, it’s not clear that this isn’t still an ongoing means of arms smuggling for the US or its allies elsewhere. The revelation could be particularly embarrassing in Afghanistan, as there aren’t third parties to arm there who aren’t explicitly enemies of the US.
In buying non-US standard weapons, even when these arms ended up in the wrong hands, which at times may well have been the intended hands in the first place, there was some distance between the arms and the nations providing them. With most of Eastern Europe still selling Soviet-era surplus, this may well explain, for instance, why the Taliban has suddenly been seen with at least some such arms, with US officials trying to shift suspicion about that to Russia.
Clearly, though, there’s no way to prove the US sent those specific arms to the country and that’s the point. These smuggled arms stand in stark contrast to the massive, and at least nominally documented, official arms shipments the US is sending across the world at all times, and are meant to fly under the radar.
Syrian Army, Hezbollah Fully Free Syria-Lebanon Border Area From Daesh - Source
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201708281056862276-syria-lebanon-daesh-border-liberation/
The Syrian army and Hezbollah fighters have fully liberated the mountainous Qalamoun, the area on the border with Lebanon, from Daesh terrorist group, a local source told RIA Novosti.
"The Syrian army and resistance fighters [Hezbollah] liberated the Western Qalamoun from [Daesh] terrorists following the departure of the last bus from the Sheikh-Ali/al-Rumiyat border crossing [toward Abu-Kamal city]," the source said.
Remains of Lebanese Soldiers Kidnapped by ISIL Found near Border with Syria
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960606000366
The announcement on Sunday came hours after the Lebanese army declared a ceasefire deal with the ISIL along the border with Syria in exchange for information on the missing soldiers.
Major General Abbas Ibrahim said ISIL fighters who had surrendered led his agency and the Lebanese army to the remains.
"We have removed the remains of six bodies. We are expecting the number to go up to eight," he told reporters gathered in Lebanon's capital, Beirut.
"We believe that these remains belong to the soldiers."
The troops were among 30 soldiers and police kidnapped by ISIL and al-Qaeda's former Syrian affiliate when they overran the Lebanese border town of Arsal in August 2014. Four were killed by their captors and a fifth died of his wounds while 16 were released in a prisoner swap in December 2015.
The army has said the missing troops were its "top concern" in its offensive against an estimated 600 ISIL fighters in the hilly border region.
The missing troops were numbered at nine, but Ibrahim on Sunday only referred to the bodies of eight people and did not give details on a ninth.
He said the remains would be subject to DNA testing to ensure their identities but that he was "almost certain that the case is closed".
Field sources said Sunday that the Lebanese and Syrian Army troops and Hezbollah Resistance Movement declared simultaneous truce with ISIL terrorists in mountainous regions at common border.
The General Command of the Lebanese Army said in a statement that the ceasefire regime has started since 7 o'clock this morning to pave the ground for the last phase of negotiations for clearing fate of the kidnapped Lebanese military men by the ISIL.
In the meantime, the Syrian Army and Hezbollah declared ceasefire in the Western Qalamoun region since 7 o'clock this morning aimed at ending hostilities in the region.
The Lebanese and Syrian soldiers along with Hezbollah combatants kicked off large-scale operations at common border and managed to liberate a large number of regions, heights and hills, forcing ISIL terrorist to ask for relocation to Syria's Deir Ezzur.
Saudi Emir of ISIL Terrorists Killed in Popular Uprising in Eastern Syria
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960606000458
The sources reported that a number of residents of the town of Albu Kamal attacked an ISIL vehicle near al-Mesriyeh square and set fire at the car, killing al-Zafiri nom de guerre Abu Rabah al-Hejazi, head of ISIL's propaganda office in Albu Kamal, and several more terrorists.
ISIL terrorists' weapons were seized by people after the attack, the sources said.
They went on to say that a new group of terrorists, including Abu al-Aziz al-Halabi, one of the ISIL's commanders in the town of Mouhassan in Eastern Deir Ezzur, escaped the region along with his family members amid rapid advances of the Syrian Army troops towards Deir Ezzur in several flanks.
Relevant reports said on Sunday that the army troops, backed up by the country's Air Force, repelled ISIL's heavy attack on pro-government forces' strongholds in the Eastern city of Deir Ezzur on Sunday, killing and wounding a number of terrorists.
The army soldiers, supported by the warplanes, engaged in fierce clashes with the ISIL and warded off their attack in al-Roshdiyeh neighborhood.
ISIL left behind a number of dead and wounded members and retreated from the battlefield.
In the meantime, the army units shot down a bomb-laden drone of the ISIL flying over the village of al-Jafrah in Eastern outskirts of Deir Ezzur city.
angelburst29
The Living Force
angelburst29 said:
Journalist Interrogated, Fired For Story Linking CIA And Syria Weapons Flights (Video - Map)
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-08-28/journalist-interrogated-fired-story-linking-cia-and-syria-weapons-flights
A months-long investigation which tracked and exposed a massive covert weapons shipment network to terror groups in Syria via diplomatic flights originating in the Caucuses and Eastern Europe under the watch of the CIA and other intelligence agencies has resulted in the interrogation and firing of the Bulgarian journalist who first broke the story. This comes as the original report is finally breaking into mainstream international coverage.
Investigative reporter Dilyana Gaytandzhieva authored a bombshell report for Trud Newspaper, based in Sofia, Bulgaria, which found that an Azerbaijan state airline company was regularly transporting tons of weaponry to Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Turkey under diplomatic cover as part of the CIA covert program to supply anti-Assad fighters in Syria. Those weapons, Gaytandzhieva found, ended up in the hands of ISIS and al-Qaeda terrorists in Iraq and Syria.
While it's long been understood that the US-Gulf-NATO coalition arming rebels inside Syria facilitated the rapid rise of the Islamic State as the group had steady access to a "jihadi Wal-Mart" of weapons (in the words of one former spy and British diplomat), the Trud Newspaper report is the first to provide exhaustive documentation detailing the precise logistical chain of the weapons as they flowed from their country of origin to the battlefield in Syria and Iraq. Gaytandzhieva even traveled to Aleppo where she filmed and examined labeled weapons shipping containers held in underground jihadist storehouses.
The Bulgaria-based journalist obtained and published dozens of secret internal memos which were leaked to her by an anonymous source as part of the report. The leaked documents appear to be internal communications between the Bulgarian government and Azerbaijan's Embassy in Sofia detailing flight plans for Silk Way Airlines, which was essentially operating an "off the books" weapons transport service (not subject to inspections or tax under diplomatic cover) for the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), Saudi Arabia, Israel, Germany, Denmark, and Sweden. Silk Way Airlines has been the subject of other recent investigations involving weapons supplies for the Saudi war on Yemen. In addition, the military monitoring site Balkan Insight has exposed similar weapons cargo flights in and out of neighboring Serbia.
But perhaps the more explosive finding involves private American companies contracting with the US government to help train and equip militants in Syria. An investigative series by Buzzfeed - the first of which was published in 2015 - named military contractor Purple Shovel LLC as the recipient of two no-bid contracts totaling more $50 million as part of the US train and equip program for Syria. Gaytandzhieva's report definitively links Purple Shovel and other private American military contractors to the Azerbaijan Silk Way Airlines shipments. One leaked memo includes a cargo manifest for multiple tons of anti-tank grenades purchased in Bulgaria by Purple Shovel which were ostensibly designated for the official consignee - the Ministry of Defense of Ajerbaijan - but which never made it to Ajerbaijan. The documents, however, reveal that the military cargo was offloaded at Turkey's Incirlik air base, which is one of the US and NATO's main command centers for covert operations in Syria.
Though Gaytandzhieva's report is months old and began through a series of smaller investigations, it gained little traction in Western or international press, even though it was promoted on social media and discussed among some of the world's foremost experts on Syria and the Middle East. However,
on Sunday Qatar-based Al Jazeera featured the story while reporting the shocking news that Gaytandzhieva had been interrogated by Bulgarian authorities before being fired from her newspaper:
Al Jazeera is now belatedly highlighting the story in the midst of the current Qatari-Saudi diplomatic war which has resulted in a general airing of dirty laundry as each side continues to accuse the other of supporting terrorism. Regardless, Al Jazeera's coverage constitutes the first time this story has entered the mainstream. While we've reported the recent Trump decision to end the CIA covert program of regime change in Syria, it appears the apparatus for external weapons shipments to jihadists in Syria remains in place through the continuing Silk Way Airlines weapons pipeline. As Al Jazeera reports:
Speaking to Al Jazeera by phone on Sunday from Bulgaria, Gaytandzhieva said: "Saudi Arabia, UAE and the US must stop using the cover of Silk Way Airlines diplomatic flights to supply Eastern European weapons which end up in the hands of terrorists around the world. Diplomatic flights are exempt from checks and inspection."
The CIA program relied heavily on US ally Saudi Arabia to arm anti-Assad jihadists, and while it appears that the White House recently ended the CIA side of things, there's no evidence to suggest that Saudi Arabia or other participating allied countries ever ceased or even slowed their part of the operations. Also, given that both the CIA and Pentagon contract with private firms acting as middle men to get weapons to the Syrian battlefield, it is uncertain if all aspects of the CIA program have really been shut down. Historically, the CIA has sometimes farmed out legally questionable activities to private contractors for the sake of 'plausible deniability'. Furthermore, the Pentagon side of the program, which supplies Kurdish and Arab groups in the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) appears to be ramping up of late.
Given the latest development of Trud Newspaper firing its own journalist and Bulgarian authorities attempting to locate her sources, it is entirely possible and likely that pressure is building for Trud to remove the story from its website. The new Al Jazeera story has brought fresh international attention to Gaytandzhieva's findings, which is sure to increase the controversy.
*****
Below are excerpts from the original Trud report with images of select leaked documents. The original report contains dozens of downloadable leaked memos which were translated with contents summarized by Dilyana Gaytandzhieva.
Government docs leaked by hackers ("Anonymous Bulgaria") reveal weapons pipeline to terrorists in Syria: - According to these documents, Silk Way Airlines offered diplomatic flights to private companies and arms manufacturers from the US, Balkans, and Israel, as well as to the militaries of Saudi Arabia, UAE, and US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), and the military forces of Germany and Denmark in Afghanistan and of Sweden in Iraq. Diplomatic flights are exempt of checks, air bills, and taxes, meaning that Silk Way airplanes freely transported hundreds of tons of weapons to different locations around the world without regulation. They made technical landings with stays varying from a few hours to up to a day in intermediary locations without any logical reasons such as needing to refuel the planes.
U.S. sends $1 billion worth of weapons - Among the main customers of the “diplomatic flights for weapons” service provided by Silk Way Airlines are American companies, which supply weapons to the US army and US Special Operations Command. The common element in these cases is that they all supply non-US standard weapons; hence, the weapons are not used by the US forces.
According to the register of federal contracts, over the last 3 years American companies were awarded $1billion contracts it total under a special US government program for non-US standard weapon supplies. All of them used Silk Way Airlines for the transport of weapons. In some cases when Silk Way was short of aircrafts due to a busy schedule, Azerbaijan Air Force aircrafts transported the military cargo, although weapons never reached Azerbaijan.
The documents leaked from the Embassy include shocking examples of weapon transport. A case in point: on 12th May 2015 an aircraft of Azerbaijan Air Forces carried 7.9 tons of PG-7V and 10 tons of PG-9V the supposed destination via the route Burgas (Bulgaria)-Incirlik (Turkey)-Burgas-Nasosny (Azerbaijan). The consignor was the American company Purple Shovel, and the consignee – the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan. According to the documents, however, the military cargo was offloaded at Incirlik military base and never reached the consignee. The weapons were sold to Purple Shovel by Alguns, Bulgaria, and manufactured by Bulgaria’s VMZ military plant.
According to the federal contracts registry, in December of 2014 USSOCOM signed a $26.7 million contract with Purple Shovel. Bulgaria was indicated as the country of origin of the weapons.
US covert program sent Bulgarian weapons to Al Qaeda via private military contractor - On 6 June 2015, a 41-year old American national Francis Norvello, an employee of Purple Shovel, was killed in a blast when a rocket-propelled grenade malfunctioned at a military range near the village of Anevo in Bulgaria. Two other Americans and two Bulgarians were also injured. The US Embassy to Bulgaria then released a statement announcing that the U.S. government contractors were working on a U.S. military program to train and equip moderate rebels in Syria. Which resulted in the U.S. Ambassador to Sofia to be immediately withdrawn from her post. They very same weapons as those supplied by Purple Shovel were not used by moderate rebels in Syria. In December of last year while reporting on the battle of Aleppo as a correspondent for Bulgarian media I found and filmed 9 underground warehoused full of heavy weapons with Bulgaria as their country of origin. They were used by Al Nusra Front (Al Qaeda affiliate in Syria designated as a terrorist organization by the UN).
Saudi Arabia – sponsor and arms distributor - Besides the USA, another country that has purchased huge quantities of Eastern-European weapons and exported them on Silk Way Airlines diplomatic flights is Saudi Arabia. In 2016 and 2017, there were 23 diplomatic flights carrying weapons from Bulgaria, Serbia and Azerbaijan to Jeddah and Riyadh. The consignees were VMZ military plant and Transmobile from Bulgaria, Yugoimport from Serbia, and CHIHAZ from Azerbaijan.
The Kingdom does not buy those weapons for itself, as the Saudi army used only western weapons and those weapons are not compatible with its military standard. Therefore, the weapons transported on diplomatic flights end up in the hands of the terrorist militants in Syria and Yemen that Saudi Arabia officially admits supporting.
Report links internationally transported weapons to ISIS - On 5 March 2016, an Azerbaijan Air Force aircraft carried 1700 pcs. RPG-7 (consignor: Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan) and 2500 pcs. PG-7VM (consignor: Transmobile Ltd., Bulgaria) for the Defense Ministry of Saudi Arabia. Diplomatic flights from Burgas Airport to Prince Sultan Airport on 18 and 28 February 2017 each carried a further 5080 psc. 40 mm PG-7V for RPG-7 and 24 978 psc. RGD-5. The weapons were exported by Transmobile, Bulgaria to the Ministry of Defense of Saudi Arabia. Such munitions and RPG-7 originating in Bulgaria can often be seen in videos filmed and posted by the Islamic State on their propaganda channels.
Weapons on Silk Way flight manifests appear on the Syrian battlefield months after arrival in Turkey and Saudi Arabia - The 41.2-ton cargo from Baku and Belgrade included: 7.62 mm cartridges, 12 pcs. sniper rifles, 25 pcs. M12 “Black Spear” caliber 12.7x108mm, 25 psc. RBG 40x46 mm/6M11, and 25 pcs. Coyote machine gun 12.7x108 mm with tripods. The same heavy machine gun appeared in videos and photos posted online by militant groups in Idlib and the province of Hama in Syria a few months later. The aircraft also carried: 1999 psc. M70B1 7.62x39 mm and 25 psc. M69A 82 mm. On 26 February 2016, a video featuring same M69A 82 mm weapons was posted on YouTube by a militant group calling itself Division 13 and fighting north of Aleppo.
Interestingly, the aircraft that carried the same type of weapons landed in Diyarbakir (Turkey), 235 km away from the border with Syria. Another type of weapon, RBG 40 mm/6M11, which was from the same flight and supposedly destined for Congo too, appeared in a video of the Islamic Brigade of Al Safwa in Northern Aleppo.
After Turkey, the aircraft landed in Saudi Arabia and remained there for a day. Afterwards it landed in Congo and Burkina Faso. A week later, there was an attempted military coup in Burkina Faso.
Full report and downloadable copies of leaked documents are also available here. (At site)
