angelburst29
The Living Force
Considering the above quote ... wonder "what's up" with this "Mystery US Ship"? Is something being prepared to compromise - Iran?
01.07.2018 - Iranian Military Reports Mystery US Ship with Chemicals Onboard in Persian Gulf
Iranian Military Reports Mystery US Ship With Chemicals Onboard in Persian Gulf
A senior Iranian military spokesman accused Washington of hatching a "dangerous plot" in Iraq and Syria.
Iranian Armed Forces spokesman Brigadier General Bolfazl Shekarchi reported Sunday that a US cargo vessel with chemicals onboard escorted by a warship had entered the Persian Gulf.
"Checking the records of the US cargo vessel MV Cape Ray revealed that the vessel had been present in the coasts near Iraq and Syria, where the Americans had launched a military aggression under the pretext of the use of chemical weapons by those countries," Shekarchi said, according to Mehr News.
According to the officer, the cargo ship entered the Gulf with the aim of deploying its chemical cargo in Iraq and Syria. Shekarchi accused Washington of resorting to "dangerous methods" to "justify their illegitimate presence" in the region.
"We have more accurate details about the US vessel, such as the number of crew members and the chemicals cargo in their possession, [which] will be disclosed to the public in the future," Shekarchi promised.
The Pentagon has made no official commentary on the Iranian military's claim.
It's not immediately clear what the officer meant with his statement of US military aggression under a pretext of chemical weapons use, and whether he meant the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, or the more recent alleged chemical attack in Douma, Syria, which Damascus, Moscow and Tehran have called a false flag operation to justify the Western airstrikes against Syria in April.
02.07.2018 - Trump Advisor Bolton Shifts Tone from 'Assad Must Go' to 'Iran Must Leave Syria'
Trump Adviser Bolton Shifts Tone From 'Assad Must Go' to 'Iran Must Leave Syria'
President Trump's national security adviser, John R. Bolton, who is often described as a war hawk and known for his support of the 2003 invasion of Iraq and his advocacy of the bombing of North Korea, Iran and Syria, seems to have given up on his "Assad must go" rhetoric, at least temporarily.
Speaking to CBS News on Sunday about the prospects for the upcoming Putin-Trump summit in Helsinki on July 16, Bolton suggested that Syria was one area where Russia and the US "might make progress together."
"We'll see what happens when the two of them get together. There are possibilities for doing a larger negotiation on helping to get Iranian forces out of Syria and back into Iran, which would be a significant step forward – to have an agreement with Russia if that's possible," Bolton said.
"This has been something that's been going on now for nearly seven years, this conflict in Syria," Bolton noted, adding that his concern was the "Iranian presence now across Iraq and Syria really reaching into Lebanon."
Asked whether he agreed with the assessment that Syrian President Bashar Assad had effectively "won the war" against Syria, Bolton deflected.
"Well I don't think Assad is the strategic issue. I think Iran is the strategic issue," he said, listing off a string of accusations against Tehran including their alleged "conventional forces in the Middle East."
For their part, Tehran and Damascus have denied all claims about Iranian forces in Syria, pointing out that Iran is present in Syria only in an advisory capacity in the country's fight against Islamist extremism.
John Bolton has been a keen proponent of military intervention against Syria going back to the Bush administration. Earlier this year, in the run-up to the Western missile strikes against Syria in April, the national security advisor reportedly advocated a considerably more significant intervention, promoting strikes which would be "ruinous" to Damascus's military capabilities. Bolton was overruled by Defense Secretary James Mattis and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Joseph Dunford, who had opted for more limited strikes, which proved a failure.
03.07.2018 - US Court Rules Trump's Tweet Did Not Declassify CIA Program on Syrian Rebels
US Court Rules Trump's Tweet Did Not Declassify CIA Program on Syrian Rebels
US Federal Judge Andrew Carter ruled on Friday that US President Donald Trump’s tweet last year about CIA funding for Syrian rebels is not enough to declassify records about the covert program as requested by the New York Times in a lawsuit, according to the court document released on Monday.
“Plaintiffs, the New York Times Company and Matthew Rosenberg, bring this action challenging Defendant Central Intelligence Agency’s Glomar response to Plaintiffs’ request pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act … for any records related to an alleged covert CIA operation to arm and train Syrian rebels,” the court document said. “The parties cross-move for summary judgment. For the reasons outlined below, Defendant’s motion is granted, and Plaintiffs’ motion is denied.”
Last July, the Washington Post reported that Trump decided to end a CIA covert operation to arm Syrian rebels fighting the Assad government. Trump responded to the report by saying it contained fabricated facts, but he did confirm an end to the program, describing US payments to the rebels as "massive, dangerous, and wasteful."
A day later, Trump clarified via Twitter that he was not involved in the decision-making to end the program, however, he said it had been suggested to him.
Following the Washington Post report, the New York Times filed a Freedom of Information Act request to the CIA requesting details about the covert operation and then filed a lawsuit against the agency when it did not provide an immediate response.
The New York Times argued that Trump’s statements via Twitter declassified the CIA program and should invalidate the agency’s position that it could not confirm or deny the Washington Post report.
The Washington Post reported in 2015 based on documents leaked by Edward Snowden that the CIA training project in Syria was one the agency’s largest covert operations, with a budget approaching $1 billion a year.
2018-06-26 - US, UK allegedly financing 54 groups in Syria despite Trump’s vow to ‘get out’
US, UK financing 54 groups in Syria despite Trump's vow to 'get out'
Despite US President Donald Trump vowing “I want to get out” of Syria to “bring our troops back home” a few months ago, a new report indicates the US military and a cohort of allies including Israel, Britain, France, Jordan and “some Persian Gulf states” are still supporting some 54 militia groups in Syria.
The US, Russia and United Nations all designate al-Nusra Front, also known as al-Qaeda in Syria, a terrorist organization. But for some reason, the terror group’s fighters appear “to be deeply entrenched alongside these US-backed militias in key, strategic towns and villages scattered throughout” the southern part of Syria, The American Conservative reported Sunday.
“US media and think tanks obfuscate this fact by referring to all opposition fighters as ‘rebels’ or ‘moderates,'” the report notes.
The terror group has operated under other names, including Tahrir al-Sham, yet has not changed its pro-al-Qaeda orientation.
According to the report, the Nusra Front is “openly fighting” with the so-called “Southern Front.” The Southern Front is “a group of 54 opposition militias funded and commanded by a US-led war room based in Amman, Jordan, called the Military Operations Center (MOC)” the article revealed.
The MOC provides intelligence, financing, weapons, individual salaries and training to each and every one of the 54 militias.
While acknowledging the specifics about the US-led war room in Jordan are sparse, the American Conservative cites sources within Syria to support the assertion that the US is not alone in its support for violent militias in Syria. One detail in the report states that MOC was established in February 2014.
The US-aligned Free Syrian Army is reportedly in cahoots with the Nusra Front, whereby the the Nusra Front will operate alongside the FSA. “They offer their services and cooperate with us, they are better armed than we are, they have suicide bombers and know how to make car bombs,” an FSA fighter told The National in 2014.
Even more interesting, the FSA relies on the Nusra Front to carry out offensives under the guise of being FSA combatants, which are more well-received in the international community. “In many battles al-Nusra takes part, but we don’t tell the operations room [MOC, that is] about it and sometimes we’ll even say that al-Nusra fighters are really from the FSA to enable them to move more easily across borders,” one FSA commander told The National.
Not more than 6 months ago, in March, Trump exclaimed, “I want to get out, I want to bring our troops back home” at a news conference with the heads of state from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, Politico reported. The president also hinted that the US may be doing Saudi Arabia’s bidding in Syria. “Saudi Arabia is very interested in our decision,” Trump said. “And I said, ‘Well, you know, you want us to stay? Maybe you’re going to have to pay.'”
At a rally among Trump supporters in late March, the American president vowed that “we’ll be coming out of Syria, like, very soon. Let the other people take care of it.”
At least one reason why the US media won’t report on the cooperation between US-backed forces and the Nusra Front is that the United Nations Security Council, to which the US is a permanent representative, passed Resolution 2254 in 2015. That resolution declares that ceasefires “will not apply to offensive or defensive actions against” Daesh (ISIS), Nusra Front, “and all other individuals, groups, undertakings, and entities associated” with these or any other terror group.
“This essentially means that the Syrian army and its allies can tear apart any areas in the south of Syria where Nusra fighters — and “entities associated” with it — are based. In effect, international law provides a free hand for a Syrian military assault against US-backed militias co-located with Nusra, and undermines the ability of their foreign sponsors to take retaliatory measures,” The American Conservative reported.
“It’s no wonder we’re having a tough time fighting the terrorists when there’s still so much confusion over who they are,” Max Abrahms, a professor at Northeastern University and member of the Council on Foreign Relations, wrote in an article appearing in the LA Times November 8.
02.07.2018 - US Military Convoys Arrive in Manbij Amid Rumored Pullout From Syria - Report
US Military Convoys Arrive in Manbij Amid Rumored Pullout From Syria - Reports
Reports of the expanding US military footprint come amid news that President Trump may be looking to reach an agreement with President Putin on the withdrawal of US forces from Syria at their upcoming meeting in Helsinki.
Two convoys of US forces totaling 12 vehicles arrived on the outskirts of Manbij on Monday, deploying in the villages of al-Sa'eidah and Awn al-Dadat, Fars News Agency has reported.
The news follows reports by Turkish media that the US had replaced Kurdish militias which formerly governed the town with a 'Manbij Local Council', supposedly consisting of members of these same militias, except flying different flags.
It was reported over the weekend that Turkey deployed its seventh convoy to patrol Manbij's outskirts. A commander of a local military council affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces told Sputnik earlier that the US had established a new base at the entrance to Manbij, with the base joining two other bases along the road to Aleppo and in the town of Eyn Dedat.
There are some 5,000 troops deployed at over 20 US military bases in northern Syria in areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of predominantly Kurdish militias including the YPG People's Protection Units. Ankara classifies YPG as a terrorist organization affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party, outlawed in Turkey, and launched a military operation against them in January 2018.
Last month, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu endorsed a 'roadmap' aimed at ensuring stability in the town and its outskirts including the scheduled withdrawal of YPG units from the area. US support for the YPG prompted increased tensions between Washington and Ankara.
Damascus has condemned the Turkish-US agreement on the Syrian town, and called the two countries' presence in northern Syria "aggression." Last week, US media reported that President Trump was hoping to clinch a deal with President Putin which would allow the US to withdraw from Syria at their Helsinki summit on July 16.
30 June، 2018 - Bogdanov: Russia’s military presence in Syria depends on its government’s request
Bogdanov: Russia’s military presence in Syria depends on its government’s request – Syrian Arab News Agency
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said that the Russian military presence in Syria after the end of the war on terrorism will depend on the request of the legitimate government in Syria.
On September 30, 2015, the Russian air force started a military operation at the request of the Syrian state to support the Syrian Arab army in the fight against terrorism, destroying thousands of the terrorist organizations’ positions.
RT quoted Bogdanov as saying that “When the war on terror is over and when there is no need to help Syrians in the fight against terrorism, we will be oriented to the decision of the sovereign state represented by its government: whether we are needed or whether our mission is over and the Syrian people and the Syrian leadership do not need such support”.
Bogdanov added that Russia maintains two military bases in Tartous and Hmeimim under a joint agreement between Moscow and Damascus.
29 June، 2018 - Lavrov: President al-Assad is defending entire region against terrorism
Lavrov: President al-Assad is defending entire region against terrorism – Syrian Arab News Agency
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that President Bashar al-Assad isn’t just defending Syria; he is defending the entire region against terrorism.
In an interview given to Britain’s Channel 4 on Friday, Lavrov said that President al-Assad is defending Syria’s sovereignty and unity, and on a wider scale he is defending the entire region against terrorism.
He reiterated that the Syrians alone will decide Syria’s future, stressing that the actions of Daesh (ISIS) and Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists are obstructing the implementation of the de-escalation agreement in the southern area in Syria.
Lavrov asserted that Russia will not withdraw its forces from Syria until the end of 2018, and that such withdrawal would depend on developments on the ground.
The Russian Minister said the decision to expand the mandate of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) violates the chemical weapons convention, and that Russia is working to remedy this situation, but if this doesn’t happen he said the OPCW’s days are numbered.
He said that Russia had trusted the OPCW until recently, but the Organization was subjected to serious manipulation two days ago.
02.07.2018 - Drones Shot Down Near Russian Base in Syria Were Western-Made - Source (Photos)
Drones Shot Down Near Russian Base in Syria Were Western-Made – Source (PHOTOS)
A group of unidentified drones that approached the military facilities near the Hmeymim airbase in Syria on June 30 has been destroyed by Russian air defenses.
A source in the Syrian army told Sputnik that "on closer examination it became clear that the UAVs' parts were made in Western countries."
"The drones were invisible to conventional radars, because they were made of wood, plastic and modern innovative materials. Despite the deliberate use of these innovation technologies, the UAVS were detected by the Russian military," the source stressed.
It explained that first and foremost, the drones were tracked by the Russian-made photodetectors and secondly, adding to the UAV's destruction were the Syrian National Defense Forces (NDF) who are specifically tasked with protecting the territory around the Hmeymim base.
"After NDF fighters found out that the drones were flowing at low altitude, they shot down two UAVs with the help of Kalashnikov assault rifles," the source added.
Earlier, a representative of the Hmeymim airbase reported that on June 30, a group of UAVs of unknown origin was detected by Russian airspace control to the northeast of the airbase and that all the drones were obliterated shortly after.
In a previous incident, Russian air defense systems intercepted two combat drones launched by militants near the base in late April.
The air defenses of the Russian airbase in Syria have been strengthened after a massive drone attack against Russian military facilities, including the Tartus Naval base and Hmeymin airbase on January 6. The Syrian government forces took control over six out of 13 drones as seven others were destroyed.
02.07.2018 - German Protesters Fed Up with US Wars Blockade Ramstein Air Base (Photos)
German Protesters Fed Up With US Wars Blockade Ramstein Air Base (PHOTOS)
About 2,500 people gathered outside the largest US base in Germany over the weekend as the Trump administration considered a possible US withdrawal from the country.
Sputnik Deutschland contributor Marcel Joppa was on the scene for Saturday's protest, joining people of all ages including seniors as old as 80 years old, who endured the summer heat and faced down the police to show their discontent with US military operations launched from German soil.
Organized by the "Stop Air Base Ramstein" civil group, the protest was attended by several politicians, most notably Sara Wagenknecht, the leader of The Left Party faction in the Bundestag.
Addressing the crowd, Wagenknecht spoke out on the issue of drone warfare, "which although not written about much in the big press continues to take place."
"Kill orders are arranged at the touch of a button. These are just outrageous crimes! And it is unacceptable that they be supported here, from German soil, in any way!" the politician stressed.
Pointing out that the bombings of Iraq and Afghanistan (and Syria) were carried out from German territory, Wagenknecht argued that there shouldn't be a single German region where the Germany Constitution, which does not allow wars of aggression or extraterritorial killings by drones, does not apply.
What is happening here is a case for our counterintelligence bodies, if they are to do their jobs properly," the politician said. "There are over 1,000 US military bases around the world, and none of them exist to ensure the security of those countries," she added.
* "There are over 1,000 US military bases around the world, and none of them exist to ensure the security of those countries."
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