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

[Ocean]

Putin is not going to sit in the tank or the plane, hopefully. The intensity of the strikes should be kept to a minimum, IMO, to avoid the unnecessary Russian involvement into other countries. Rattling armor is useful, but the main focus should be on diplomatic negotiations with those who are still able to think for themselves, among the NATO bloc and the European nations, etc.

Arpaxad, it may be beneficial, to do a deeper study of the situation in Syria, it's main players, their positions and the depth of their involvement, who is allied with whom and the driving forces behind each and what they hope to achieve?

In simple terms, the U.S., Israel, Turkey, U.K., France and NATO have been supplying ISIS with weapons, ammo, food, cash and drugs while advancing them into Syrian territory, for the sole purpose of illegally removing an elected (by the people) President Assad, and installing their own puppet government, mirroring the same tactics - they used in Ukraine. During the last 4-5 years, the same players have been illegally bombing Syrian infrastructure, (residential areas, factory's, utility and water supplies) against International Law, on a sovereign Country. No War has been declared, (Officially), either by Syria, itself or International proxies or through Geneva Convention?

Syrian President Assad, personally and through diplomatic channels, approached Russian President Putin, a close Border ally, for help in neutralizing and pushing the illegal invaders out of Syria. President Putin, then consulted his Staff and the precepts of International Law, in formulating a concise plan, which was then presented to President Assad, for his and the Syrian governing body for approval. A mutual agreement was formed, whereas, Russia would provide logistics and air power, while Syria initiated ground operations with the help of other allies. Upon the Syrian Government's and Assad's approval, Russian Military entered into Syrian airspace under President Putin's supervision, coordinated with the Syrian Military. From the beginning, everything has been orchestrated through personal and Diplomatic channels, adhering to governing Laws of both Syria and Russia including International mandates.

On the other hand, U.S., NATO, etc. have entered Syria airspace and conducted ground excursions illegally, without provocation or warrant or any type of "permission" from the Syrian Government, in Act's of War and in defiance of International Law.

Due to recent events, NATO is using France, to by-pass International Law and the Syrian Government by declaring A State of Emergency in France and using that as a proxy - through request - through the U.N. to insert itself into the Syrian War via the French flagship Charles De Gaulle.

As quoted, "The Russian President has issued orders for Russia’s Moskva cruiser, covering the Russian base in Latakia from the Mediterranean Sea, to work together with a French naval group led by flagship Charles De Gaulle, a 26 fighter-jet aircraft carrier, which is departing for Syria this week.

“The French naval group, led by the air carrier, will soon reach your area of operations. We need to establish direct contact with it, and treat it as an ally,” the Russian president said. “We need to develop of a joint action plan for both sea and air operations.”

The Kremlin said that the parameters for a joint mission had been agreed upon by Putin and French President Francois Hollande, following a personal phone call.

“The two leaders focused their attention on bilateral and multilateral cooperation in combating terrorism,” a Kremlin statement said. “This includes closer ties and joint operations between the military command and intelligence services of Russia and France in Syria.”

As for "Diplomatic Relations" Russia and the Syrian Government have asked for negotiations from the beginning of the Russian air strikes and Syrian ground operation. The U.S. has stated "openly" that it wouldn't work with Russia or Syria. NATO has remained quiet in the background while the U.K. is working to find another loop-hole to enter the Syrian War, without directly asking President Assad or his Government for Permission.

Your statement, " The intensity of the strikes should be kept to a minimum, IMO, to avoid the unnecessary Russian involvement into other countries. Rattling armor is useful, but [...]" under current circumstances, more likely, the strikes will intensify. Russia isn't "rattling armor" by any means and the implication - sounds derogatory. Russia's involvement is by invitation and approval - and in co-operation with the Syrian Military. Iran and Iraq have also asked for help in fighting the terrorism in their Countries.

Thank you Angelburst, that was very succinctly put.
Excellent!

 

[anka]

Not sure if this has appeared here already - another interesting interactive map showing development of the ongoing fights in Syria.

http://militarymaps.info/

You can follow a Russian guy's YT channel to watch daily 10-15 mins commentaries on the Middle East using this map (in Russian, subtitles available):

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJYTWSkA6BjVKaw9ha3AgiQ

 

[angelburst29]

Russia targets ISIS in Syria, notifies CENTCOM ops center
http://www.armytimes.com/story/military/pentagon/2015/11/17/russia-targets-isis-syria-notifies-centcom-ops-center/75942504/

Russian military officials for the first time Tuesday morning notified the U.S. Combined Joint Operations Center in Qatar about their plans to strike Islamic State targets in Raqqa, Syria, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said Tuesday.

Some of the Russian attacks on ISIS, as the Islamic State is also known, included cruise missiles and long-range bombers, according to a defense official.

It marked the first the first time the two militaries have exercised the pre-strike notification mechanisms in the military deconfliction agreement forged Oct. 20 that was designed to prevent mishaps or misunderstandings, Cook said.

Cook emphasized that the cooperation with Russia remains limited to the safety protocols outlined in the Oct. 20 memorandum of understanding between the two militaries.

"We're not coordinating or cooperating with the Russians in terms of targets, but we are taking these steps, these important steps to make sure that our pilots, our crews, and the Russians' crews, for that matter, do not come into conflict with one another. And in this particular instance, that system — those protocols did work effectively," Cook said.



Keep Assad in power to defeat Isis in Syria, says former UK military chief
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/nov/18/camerons-aims-over-isis-and-assad-in-syria-are-contradictory-says-former-military-chief

David Cameron should abandon his “contradictory war aims” and accept that President Bashar al-Assad must remain in power to allow his army to take the lead in defeating Islamic State forces in Syria, former chief of the defence staff Gen David Richards has said.

As the prime minister prepares the ground for a Commons vote on extending RAF airstrikes against Isis forces from Iraq to Syria, Lord Richards called for Britain and other allied nations to broker a deal with Russia that would pave the way for Assad’s forces to lead the charge against Isis on the ground.

The prime minister, who had insisted that Assad must be removed from power as a first step to building a new settlement in Syria, has softened his language in recent weeks as he seeks to win Russian support for targeting Isis. He has spoken of how Assad could remain in power for a transitional period as part of an overall political settlement in Syria.

But Richards called for Cameron to go further and to accept that Assad’s army and his Hezbollah and Iranian backers are the only credible force that could fight Isis on the ground in Syria.

He said: “The real issue is can you use the one army that’s reasonably competent which is President Assad’s army? In that respect I personally would see a ceasefire being agreed in the way people are now talking, allowing potentially Assad’s army and Hezbollah and their Iranian backers and others to turn their attention on Isis in a sequential operation. After that the politics would kick in and you would have to do something about the residual political structure within Syria.”

Richards also pointed out that Britain and its allies, who have agreed “deconfliction measures” with Russia to ensure their aircraft avoid each other in the skies over Syria, have said a deal would have to be brokered with Moscow. He said: “Russia is, whether we like it or not, a leading part of this. Along with the very sad events in France you could say it was their intervention that has catalysed this change of thinking. We have just got to accept the reality that they are there.”



David Cameron would launch air strikes on ISIS in Syria without UN backing "to keep country safe"
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/david-cameron-would-launch-air-6854499

The Prime Minister says he would ignore a poll that said 52% of Brits want him to wait for a UN Security Council resolution.

David Cameron suggested he would authorise air strikes against ISIS targets without the backing of the United Nations to "keep this country safe."

And he said he'd ignore a poll which said more than half of Brits wanted him to wait to get a UN Security Council resolution before launching attacks.

Mr Robertson called to the Prime Minister's attention an opinion poll, which showed 52% of people believe any action should be co-ordinated with other countries and backed by the UN.

Only 15% said they thought the UK should decide to launch air strikes alone.



NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps to test ‘simulated’ troop deployment near Russian borders
https://www.rt.com/news/322539-nato-arrcade-fusion-exercise/

NATO is conducting its first-ever test deployment of troops in the Baltic from a UK-based command center. The simulated build-up close to Russia’s borders is aimed at checking the capabilities of the organisation’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) to control large formations ‘within a challenging security crisis.’

A large-scale command exercise named Arrcade Fusion 15 (AF15), lasting two weeks and involving over 1,700 troops from 20 NATO countries plus Sweden, is underway in three Baltic states – Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia. AF15 is a command-post exercise by the ARRC, which is based in Gloucestershire, UK. Arrcade Fusion exercises have taken place annually since 1992.

This year the ARRC is deploying its headquarters for the exercises to the Baltics for the first time at Latvia’s Lielvarde air base, with elements working concurrently in Lithuania, Estonia and the main HQ in the UK.

Over the past year, NATO has dramatically increased the number and pace of its military drills across Europe, most intensively near Russia’s borders. Earlier in November, the alliance launched massive “Trident Juncture 2015” exercises involving 36,000 troops as well as more than 60 warships and around 200 aircraft from all NATO member states. Seven more partner nations were involved: Australia, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Finland, Macedonia, Sweden and Ukraine. This made Trident Juncture the biggest drill since 2002, when about 40,000 troops took part in NATO’s “Strong Resolve” exercise.

Additionally, to boost what it calls its “deterrence” of Russia, NATO has moved a remarkable amount of heavy weapons including tanks and self-propelled artillery to Baltic states on a “rotational” basis.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry has repeatedly criticised NATO’s military build-up in neighbouring states, saying it is being carried out “under the false pretext of alleged ‘aggressive behavior’ by our country” and has been accompanied by “unfriendly and malicious” rhetoric.



Terror cell linked to Daesh busted in western Iran
http://presstv.com/Detail/2015/11/18/438204/Daesh-Iran-Kermanshah-IRGC

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has busted a terror cell linked to the Takfiri Daesh terrorists in western Iran.

The spokesman for the IRGC in Kermanshah Province said on Tuesday that members linked to the terror group were arrested in a joint operation with forces of Iran’s Intelligence Ministry.

Colonel Mohammad Kalantari, who was speaking to the semi-official Mizan news agency, would not elaborate on further details, including in which city or town the cell was active. The westernmost Iranian province of Kermanshah neighbors Iraq, where Daesh controls some parts far from the Iranian border in the west and north of the Arab country.

Kalantari said the arrested individuals “were militarily prepared and possessed guns and bandoleers.”

It was not clear whether the cell was plotting an attack inside Iran or it was just organizing militants for terror activities in Iraq.

IRGC’s chief commander in Kermanshah said on Tuesday that numerous terror cells working for Daesh have been busted in the province over the past two years. Brigadier General Bahman Reyhani said during a briefing with reporters that all the busted cells had been recruiting and organizing militants for Daesh “outside Iran.”

Iran has previously warned that it will intervene militarily inside Iraq if Daesh manages to reach the 40-kilometer buffer zone outside of the Iranian western borders.

Daesh has been suffering back-to-back defeats in areas under its control in Iraq with pro-government forces managing to liberate over the past few months two key towns of Tikrit and Baiji in the north and major positions in the desert province of Anbar in the west. The anti-Daesh drive in Syria has also gained a fresh momentum since the country began to enjoy Russia’s air support on September 30.



Putin sets up commission to combat terrorism financing
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/18/us-mideast-crisis-russia-financing-idUSKCN0T70X120151118#U3ohfVYDLjYdd8BT.97

President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday set up a commission to combat terrorism financing, the Kremlin said, in another sign of the Russian leader's heightened focus on what he says is a fight against Islamic State militants.

After attacks in Paris killed 129 people on Friday, security dominated the G20 summit at the weekend, where the group's leaders, in a rare departure from their usual focus on the global economy, agreed to step up border controls and aviation security and crack down on terrorist financing.

In a decree, effective immediately, Putin ordered the prosecutor general's office, the central bank and regional authorities to submit any information they may have on suspicious activities to the commission.

The decree orders submission to the commission of any information on suspicious activities of organizations and individuals who are not on a list of those against whom there is sound information about their involvement in extremist activities or terrorism, in order to freeze their assets.

 

[Matai]

Here is a recent video of the Russian military blowing up convoys of oil truckers which are financing ISIS. As stated by another on facebook:

"ISIS revenues come partly from hijacking Syria's oil fields and selling crude on the black market. U.S. allies, such as Turkey, are buying this oil under market value, which provides direct revenue to ISIS. It's a win/win situation. Check out columns of oil trucks destroyed with military precision. What has the U.S. been doing in Syria for two years that this situation was allowed to reach such massive proportions?"

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1679236832319066

 

[angelburst29]

The United Kingdom will send a Royal Navy warship, the HMS Defender, to back France in its anti-ISIL efforts in Syria, Defense Secretary Michael Fallon said on Wednesday.

UK Sends Warship to Back French Aircraft Carrier
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940827001585

The ship is tasked with providing air defense cover for the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, Sputnik reported.

"This barbaric terrorist organization must be destroyed and it's right that we offer all the support we can to confront them," Fallon affirmed. "We will consider any further requests for support from France under Article 42.7 of the EU Treaty following Friday's Paris terror attacks."

The move will provide a boost to multinational efforts, led by Russia and the US, aimed at tackling ISIL, the brutal group responsible for countless atrocities in the Middle East and beyond. Its latest assaults include the crash of a Russian passenger jet in Egypt, multiple deadly attacks in Paris on November 13 and bombings in Beirut two days earlier.

On Wednesday, Francois Hollande called for creating a broad anti-ISIL coalition, which would see Russia, the US and other countries joining forces to "deliver a decisive blow" to the terrorism organization.

Belgium also plans to deploy a warship to the Mediterranean to support Charles de Gaulle. A Belgian frigate, the Leopold I, will provide combat cover for the French aircraft carrier, Defense Minister Steven Vandeput said.

The French aircraft carrier is heading to the coast of Syria or Lebanon to assist French forces already engaged in anti-ISIL fight.

Earlier, Vladimir Putin and Francois Hollande agreed to ensure military and intelligence cooperation between Russia and France in their counterterrorism efforts in Syria. The Russian leader ordered the Moskva missile cruiser to establish contact with the Charles de Gaulle as soon as its reaches its destination to coordinate joint counterterrorism efforts at sea and in the air.

 

[Ca.]

I thought this worthy to this thread being Putin's (strength plus stature against the adversary) is continually displayed among common people with great dignity and respect.

Да здравствует Путин лидер свободного мира

Compare: Obama and Putin arrive in Antalya for G20.
Nov.15, 2015

https://youtu.be/wOfnXJNKNNM

 

[goyacobol]

Observing the differences in values between the the west and Putin's respect for international law and UN Security Council resolution. RT has this article:

UK military action in Syria will be 'legal' without UNSC resolution - PM Cameron

British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Wednesday that "any action" his country might take in Syria is "legal" even without a UN Security Council resolution.

"It is always preferable in these circumstances to have the full backing of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) but I have to say what matters most of all is that any action we would take would... be legal," Cameron said while speaking at the House of Commons. He added that such action "would help protect” the UK.

The prime minister has long been trying to get approval to extend UK military action to Syria, with London already involved in airstrikes against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) terrorists in Iraq. Parliament rejected a vote to extend the bombing campaign to Syria in 2013.

Earlier this week, Cameron said he needed "to convince more people" to back the intervention. Speaking to the BBC, he argued that IS "don't recognize a border between Iraq and Syria, and neither should we."

Wednesday's statement, which shows the PM is ready to go ahead with the military campaign without UN approval, has already raised concerns among some British politicians. One MP said "it sounded like Blair in Iraq all over again," RT's Polly Boiko reported from London.

The prime minister argues that Russia's potential veto at the UNSC might threaten his people's security, with such a ban not allowing Britain to take action against the jihadists in Syria.

"Russia has different aims to us and they have repeatedly threatened to veto any such resolution," he told Parliament.

Moscow has consistently stated that any military action in foreign countries should only be based on legal grounds - by either being approved by the UN, or conducted under the invitation of the third country's government - in this case Syria.

Russia has been carrying out airstrikes against Islamic State in Syria for some six weeks now, having been asked to help defeat the terrorists by the country's president, Bashar Assad. Cameron has previously said the Russian anti-terror operation in the region is "actually backing the butcher Assad and helping him, and really making the situation worse."

The results of the Vienna peace talks on Syria emphasized the political process is key to solving the crisis in the country - the stance Russia has long been trying to push forward. A ceasefire should eventually be applied in the region "parallel" to a political transition, but it would not apply to terror groups in the area, international leaders agreed in Vienna.

Those groups, including IS and Al-Nusra Front, "should become our common legitimate target, for us to fight and destroy them," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, adding that it has been agreed that a new official list of terror groups should be drawn up for approval by the UNSC.

And the US has not figured out that Syria has not asked for "boots on the ground". It is Déjà vu all over again:

65% of Americans approve of sending more ground troops to fight ISIS – poll

An NBC News poll found six out of ten Americans would support sending additional ground troops to fight Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL). The same poll found 58 percent believe “using overwhelming military force is the best way to defeat terrorism.”
Trends
Islamic State

The poll was conducted in the wake of a series of terrorist attacks in Paris last week in which 129 people were killed and 350 injured.

Roughly 65 percent of Americans would either “strongly support” (33 percent) or “somewhat support” (32 percent) sending additional grounds troops to fight Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, compared to about 31 percent who wouldn’t. The poll was conducted two days after the Paris attacks.

Interestingly, a Gallup poll conducted six days before the Paris attacks found 53 percent of Americans were opposed to sending ground troops to fight IS, with 43 percent in favor. The majority of supporters for ground troops in the Gallup poll were Republicans.

Other findings from the NBC survey revealed that nearly four in ten Americans said they had felt depressed in the past few days because of concerns about terrorist attacks or the war against terrorism. Eight out of ten Americans said they were either strongly or somewhat in favor of extensive surveillance and security checks in public places, such as stadiums, movie theaters, and shopping malls, to prevent terrorist attacks.

Eighty-one percent of Americans surveyed said they were following the news coverage very or somewhat closely. Only 45 percent said the US government’s effort to reduce the threat of terrorism was going well, down from 62 percent in April. Just 24 percent thought the US and its allies were winning the fight against IS, while 70 percent said they were losing.

More than half of Americans said they were somewhat (38 percent) or very worried (16 percent) that they or someone in their family might become the victim of a terrorist attack, although 44 percent said they were not worried.

The national survey was conducted online between November 15 and 17, and polled 5,755 adults aged 18 and over. The majority of those polled were white (4,440), with 377 black, 461 Latino, and 477 other respondents. A political breakdown showed 2,440 respondents were Registered Republicans and 1,983 were Democrats.

Up against the findings of the NBC survey is a petition circulating online that was posted by Roots Action, a non-profit, progressive public policy advocacy group, asking that the “Paris tragedy not be exploited for more war.”

“At this time of grief, our hearts go out to the people of France, as well as to the people of Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and other countries traumatized by deadly violence – people of all races, religions and nationalities,” the petition read.

“We reject any attempt by political leaders to exploit tragic events to promote more war.”

The organizers are seeking 30,000 signatures. By Wednesday evening, it had received more than 27,703.

Who knows how accurate the poll is but it may be plausible. The fear tactics seem to still be working quite well so far.

 

[Voyageur]

I've been listening to the language used to speak to Canadian's recently concerning all things Syrian and other from the usual sources. For non-Canadians, here you have a very well listened to, yet pompous vocal-box who adds a mixture of lies and truth, as in feigned compassion with ulterior motives for affecting policy for refuges awaiting a place to go to in Canada. It's not a long discourse, however, you will immediately notice Rex Murphy's vileness against al-Assad with the same old barrel bombing and chemical attacks shtick - the evil dictator who caused these troubles. When it comes to Putin, he is always over the top. Strictly speaking, osit, he is used primarily because people in Canada see him as the salt who has opinions that then become other peoples opinions - he sows damage.

The video will not embed, so if interested in how a Canadian icon can manipulate minds, its worth watching - link below.

http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2679195235

 

[Ca.]

I've been listening to the language used to speak to Canadian's recently concerning all things Syrian and other from the usual sources. For non-Canadians, here you have a very well listened to, yet pompous vocal-box who adds a mixture of lies and truth, as in feigned compassion with ulterior motives for affecting policy for refuges awaiting a place to go to in Canada. It's not a long discourse, however, you will immediately notice Rex Murphy's vileness against al-Assad with the same old barrel bombing and chemical attacks shtick - the evil dictator who caused these troubles. When it comes to Putin, he is always over the top. Strictly speaking, osit, he is used primarily because people in Canada see him as the salt who has opinions that then become other peoples opinions - he sows damage.

The video will not embed, so if interested in how a Canadian icon can manipulate minds, its worth watching - link below.

http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2679195235

You should see it in the states. The non stop propaganda is off the hook there as well.

Was there (ussa, your paperers verspotten shenll) during the Charlie Hebdo Paris assassinations. God it was like all right already enough..

But "Main Stream" TV just kept the pressure on the masses for at least 7 days of in your face coverage.

You know the old slogan's from this type mind control activity is "be afraid be very afraid".

What gets me is that one would think (what a novel idea) of seeing the pattern's of behavior of the psychopath news (and the controllers) as they play this record over and over again, that the plot's reveals it's self in time.

But guess not as the sheep in the state's eat lies as to reality.

https://youtu.be/8JP8c2Qyf4k

 

[angelburst29]

Looks like the Saudi's have been smuggling in drugs for their fighters in Syria?

Saudi Prince Arrested At Beirut Airport With 2 Tons Of Drugs
http://www.mintpressnews.com/saudi-prince-arrested-at-beirut-airport-with-2-tons-of-drugs/210651/

Captagon is the brand name for the amphetamine phenethylline, a synthetic stimulant. The banned drug is consumed mainly in the Middle East and has reportedly been widely used by fighters in Syria.

This older Guardian piece cites: Captagon: the amphetamine fuelling Syria's civil war . So the Saudi pipeline makes sense, which ties to the Journalist who made the documentary in Syria (which was on the forum and SoTT) whereby a theme kept reemerging, the drug induced predisposition of the thugs.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/shortcuts/2014/jan/13/captagon-amphetamine-syria-war-middle-east

Of course the Guardian hints that it must be from Iran via Hezbollah

A former US Treasury official, Matthew Levitt, pointed out that the Iranian-funded, Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah, which is robustly backing Syria's Assad regime, "has a long history of dabbling in the drug trade to help with funding".

But they do mention this:

Captagon, the trademark name for the synthetic stimulant fenethylline, was first produced in the 1960s to treat hyperactivity, narcolepsy and depression, but was banned in most countries by the 1980s as too addictive. It remains hugely popular in the Middle East; Saudi Arabia alone seizes some 55m tablets a year, perhaps 10% of the total thought to be smuggled into the kingdom.

Indeed, Saudi capture and release tactic.

Finally:

...A Lebanese psychiatrist, Ramzi Haddad, said that Captagon had "the typical effects of a stimulant", producing "a kind of euphoria. You're talkative, you don't sleep, you don't eat, you're energetic." {perfect for the head-choppers}

Those effects explain why fighters from most of the warring parties in the conflict – with the exception of al Qaida-linked groups, which mostly hold to a strict interpretation of Islamic law – are now said to be making extensive use of Captagon, often on night missions or during particularly gruelling battles. But doctors and psychiatrists say use of the drug is also becoming widespread among Syria's increasingly desperate civilian population.

Ya right, the al-Qaida "exception" of Captagon's use as they are holding to "strict interpenetration of Islamic law". And then the Guardian sows the seeds that it is the Syrian's themselves that it's use is "widespread".

Looks like the Saudi's are running into "distribution" problem's? If the problem persists, they might want to consider- rationing their minions "ammo supplies" or risk backlash that resembles the "Haj stampede" on their Royal Harlem's?

Turkey seizes 11 million pills of 'Syria war drug': reports
http://news.yahoo.com/turkey-seizes-11-million-pills-syria-war-drug-104531345.html

Friday November 20, 2015 - Istanbul (AFP) - The Turkish authorities have seized close to the Syrian border a record haul of almost 11 million pills of the synthetic stimulant drug captagon which is believed to play a crucial part in Syria's civil war, reports said Friday.

Anti-narcotics police confiscated over 10.9 million pills weighing almost two tonnes in two separate raids in the Hatay region on the border with Syria this week, the official Anatolia news agency and Hurriyet daily quoted the interior ministry as saying.

Captagon, based on the amphetamine phenethylline (also spelt Fenethylline), a synthetic stimulant, is a hugely popular drug in the Middle East and produced in Syria.

It has been repeatedly dubbed as the drug fuelling Syria's civil war since its production provides income for the warring factions and also keeps fighters awake and energised over long periods.

Large quantities of the drug are also illegally smuggled abroad, with Saudi Arabia a major market where the authorities repeatedly report seizures.

The reports said that 7.3 captagon pills were seized in one raid and were set to be shipped to Gulf countries by sea hidden in 1,300 oil filters.

Another 3.6 million pills were seized in a depot, the reports added.

One Syrian citizen and two Turkish nationals have been detained on suspicion of trying to organise the smuggling, the reports said.

Captagon is classified by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime as an "amphetamine type stimulant" and usually blends amphetamine, caffeine and other substances.

Lebanese authorities this month charged a Saudi prince and nine others with drug trafficking, after nearly two tonnes of captagon capsules and cocaine were found waiting to be loaded onto their private plane at Beirut airport.

 

[goyacobol]

With the Paris bombings/attacks I am not sure if this topic is the best place to post but I am putting this here because I feel it is still a part of the Putin Both Barrels saga.

I found a good video by The Corbett Report on YouTube. In this video he also mentions JoAnne and James Moriarty who have been guests on his show.

The video is Who Is REALLY Behind ISIS. I think it is well done and interesting if anyone has the time to watch it (1:09 hour long).

One of the things mentioned in the video was a Global Research article, “Greater Israel”: The Zionist Plan for the Middle East.

World Zionist Organization document (Greater Israel Plan):

The dissolution of Syra and Iraq later on into
ethnically or religiously unique areas such as
in Lebanon, is Israel's primary target on the
Eastern from in the long run, while the
dissolution of the military power of those
states serves as the primary short term
target. Syria will fall apart, in accordance with
its ethnic and religious structure, into several
states such as in present day Lebanon, so that
there will be a Shi'ite Alawi state along its
coast, a Sunni state in the Aleppo area,
another Sunni state in Damascus hostile
to its northern neighbor, and the Druzes
who will set up a state, maybe even in our
Golan, and certainly in the Hauran and in
northern Jordan. This state of affairs will
be the guarantee for peace and security
in the area in the long run, and that aim
is already within our reach today.

I think the above plan explains who may be working for who strategy wise. There may be some expected fringe benefits for others but the main benefactor in the plan to regionalize the Middle East by taking advantage of warring factions seems to be Israel. Maybe that is why Mossad has 4D STS connections?

Another related article with maps is found here in “The Israeli Dream”: The Criminal Roadmap Towards “Greater Israel”?

I found this to be related to what Putin is facing and may be a part of his awareness in a more informed manner that we see at the moment.

 

[Voyageur]

Looks like the Saudi's are running into "distribution" problem's? If the problem persists, they might want to consider- rationing their minions "ammo supplies" or risk backlash that resembles the "Haj stampede" on their Royal Harlem's?

I was interested to see what had become of this "prince" since. There is not much that I can find doing a quick search, however, did run across a CBC interview and with Robert Frisk on this matter.

Here is what he said: http://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-thursday-edition-1.3294404/updated-robert-fisk-on-saudi-prince-busted-with-40-suitcases-of-drugs-at-beirut-airport-1.3297211

He states the darling little prince had forty suitcases, yup, forty -

"In fact, normally he probably would have got through but for some reason this guy, maybe he just had a bad day or he didn't like Saudis or maybe he just got very suspicious, he had a lot of baggage," Fisk explains. "So he said, 'You put the baggage through the X-ray machine,' and the Saudi said, 'No, no, I have a diplomatic passport,' and he said, 'You have a diplomatic passport but the baggage does not have diplomatic clearance.'"

Further:

"The photographs which have been leaked out, show boxes, very large boxes with the Saudi royal coat of arms on the front which is a bit unfortunate," Fisk quips.

And:

Fisk suspects the prince is currently being held at a police authority building but says Lebanese officials have not released any information.

"I think what's actually happening is that the Lebanese do not want to embarrass the Saudis. He will be freed -- that I can promise you."

Maybe, maybe not, yet could not help to read the story following the French killings. This was the story of Lebanon again, and directly concerning killings in Beirut:

Not Just Paris: Why Is Beirut’s Brutal Terrorist Attack Being Ignored?

By Anna Lekas Miller
Global Research, November 17, 2015
http://www.globalresearch.ca/not-just-paris-why-is-beiruts-brutal-terrorist-attack-being-ignored/5489654

[...]
But there was another ISIS attack late last week that was every bit as tragic. It took place in Beirut – the city that many of my ancestors called home, and where I now also live and work, as a foreign correspondent. Yet the attack was barely noticed in the West. As messages of solidarity with France flood my social media feeds, and friends and peers express horror at the atrocities committed, I’m left wondering why my own people — and my peers, who make up the bulk of my stories — aren’t deemed worthy of the same caliber of coverage, the same palpable collective grief.

On Thursday evening, two ISIS operatives, whose identities are still unknown, exploded themselves in a crowded marketplace in the Bourj al-Barajneh neighborhood of Beirut, killing 44 and injuring more than 200 others in the worst terrorist attack the city has seen in years.

Although the terrorist group behind the attacks in Paris and Beirut was the same, the Western media narrative has been vastly different. In Paris, ISIS attacked the city’s progressive youth, massacring dozens enjoying their night out at a concert, a soccer game and a restaurant. In Beirut, ISIS struck a “Hezbollah stronghold” in the “southern suburbs of Beirut,” a poor, majority Shia area often characterized as a bastion of terrorism in the region. The attack was portrayed as little more than strategic punishment for Hezbollah’s ongoing involvement in the Syrian civil war and support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

Most media did not mention that, while Bourj al-Barajneh is located in the southern suburbs of Beirut, and does, like many traditionally Palestinian refugee camps, have a Hezbollah presence, it is also a diverse neighborhood, full of Lebanese, Palestinians and Syrians with a variety of political and religious affiliations. The attackers that exploded themselves in the crowded marketplace intended to massacre as many civilians as possible, taking with them men, women, children, students and older people of all faiths and backgrounds. One of the casualties was a Lebanese-American woman who was visiting for just a few days from Dearborn, Michigan, hoping to bring some of her family back to the United States.

But when the blasts went off in Beirut, there was no “safety check” on Facebook for Lebanese — or Syrians or Palestinians — living in Bourj al-Barajneh. No world leader called it an “attack on all of humanity.” There were no visible solidarity demonstrations, showing support and compassion for those who lost their lives.

[...]

Indeed, it's very sad, yet could not help think that the Saudi's might be a little upset with their little prince and his forty suitcases arrest, not to mention IS's drug-ratline under attack perhaps.

Frisk again:

Fisk reasons, "The Saudis pour money into Lebanon to rebuild it after every Israeli invasion or bombing and they can't afford bad relations with Saudi Arabia. But, the Lebanese suspect that all this stuff was manufactured in Lebanon and they want to find out where it comes from."

According to Fisk, the story has already disappeared from the papers and it is still unclear where the drugs were intended to be delivered. No one has been charged and Fisk thinks it's too early to suggest that the drugs are connected to the Syrian civil war.

"This after all, is a state that chops off the heads of drug traffickers usually from poor countries like Pakistan or Sri Lanka," Fisk adds. "They certainly don't want too much publicity when a prince is suddenly found possessing all this stuff and trying to cheat his way through the airport."

Update (Nov. 2, 20015):

Prosecutors have charged the Saudi prince and nine other people with drug smuggling. The others charged in the case - three Lebanese and two Saudis - are still at large.

There is likely good reason to think the drugs are connected to IS via the war in Syria and those that sow its demise, as time after time those thugs have been found chocking on the stuff.

Nevertheless, after checking out this video documentary from Lebanon concerning Captagon production, control, smuggling and use. It seems to indicate that at the start of the Syrian war people produced it in Syria (production labs were started up), and directly supported its growth to help fund anti-al-Assad factions, and then the demand exploded. At the same time it was coveted in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere - which goes well back in time (1980's).

This video (un linked) _https://youtu.be/7ke13JNlpBQ seems to present both some interesting things and yet some seemingly disinformation things around its distribution lines - let me know what you think if interested.

 

[Ocean]

This article is from 2013, but illustrates the gloomy picture of the Middle East drowning in Captagon, with huge profits to be made.

_http://www.globalinitiative.net/amphetamines-anarchy-and-assad/

Syria has become a regional hub for weapons smuggling, the illicit trade in antiquities, and now drug trafficking. Recent reports have begun to emerge from Syria that amphetamine laboratories are being discovered in cities such as Homs, while drug traffickers in Lebanon have highlighted the ease with which they are able to smuggle drugs through the country. The chaos, poverty, and greed of war-torn Syria heightens the likelihood that such activities will grow in scope, financially benefitting criminals and combatants while drowning the region in narcotics and exacerbating the fragility of both Syria and its neighbours.

While several types of drugs are smuggled through Syria, the one currently raising concern is captagon. Captagon was the brand name of an amphetamine type stimulant, sold commercially until it was banned in 1986. Apart from the name, the current incarnation of the drug shares few chemical similarities with the original. Modern, illicitly produced captagon is usually composed of amphetamines cut with a mix of adulterants. The drug’s popularity has grown rapidly in the last decade, primarily in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries where it is taken as an energy booster and aphrodisiac. The value of the captagon market is massive, and increasing. Individual doses sell for $20 in Saudi Arabia; with some estimates pegging the number of captagon tablets successfully smuggled into that country at over 500 million.

While captagon has been popular in the Middle East since the 1980s, high levels of demand for the drug didn’t take off until the early 2000s. Initially, the market was supplied either by laboratories in southeastern Europe – primarily in Bulgaria, though laboratories were also uncovered in Slovenia and Serbia. The drug was then smuggled through Turkey, Syria, and Jordan before being sold in Saudi Arabia. By 2006 captagon laboratories began to appear in Turkey, including two uncovered in Gaziantep on the Turkish/Syrian border. Unconfirmed reports suggest that Syria began producing captagon that same year, while in 2007 Lebanon seized both precursor chemicals and the laboratory equipment for producing the drug. Also by this time 75% of the global illicit production of captagon’s chemical precursor was shipped to “two countries in the near and Middle East.”

Wherever it was being produced, by 2006 captagon had started to flood Saudi Arabia. In that year, Saudi Arabia seized 12 tons of the drug; roughly equivalent, as the UN Office of Drugs and Crime dryly noted in the WDR 2009, to “to the sum of all UK seizures – the biggest amphetamine market in Europe – from 2000 to 2006.” In Syria, the level of captagon seizures doubled between 2007 and 2009, to 22 million tablets. Most trafficking routes still moved overland through Syria and into Jordan, though there are some indications that a route through Iraq was active by 2010.

The Syrian civil war has entrenched the nation’s role as an entrepot for the Middle East’s amphetamine market. Labs have been uncovered in Syrian cities such as Homs, as well as in northern areas held by insurgent groups. As well, an increasing number of Syrians have been arrested throughout the Middle East for captagon smuggling. While it is unclear which groups are involved in the production and smuggling of the drug, it is likely that both the Syrian regime and at least some of the rebel organizations are financially benefitting. The patchwork nature of territorial control along traditional smuggling routes likely force traffickers to pay tolls or bribes to both sides. One apparent benefit for the traffickers is that the dire economic straights of Syria’s law enforcement and military personnel have apparently made bribery, and thus smuggling, far easier.

It is possible that Syria could evolve into a thoroughfare for other types of narcotics as well. Cocaine trafficking, and a small domestic cocaine market, developed in Syria during the 2000s, with 77 KG of the drug seized in 2007. Heroin seizures also grew dramatically during the 2000s, averaging 80 KG/year between 2007 and 2011. For drug traffickers, Syria is a geographically well-positioned staging ground not only for the Middle East’s amphetamine market, but also for Europe’s far more lucrative cocaine and heroin market. The smuggling networks that bring weapons in and humans and antiquities out of the country could well be used for narcotics trafficking. The focus by both the insurgents and the government on perpetuating the stalemated civil war lessens the likelihood that any sort of meaningful action will be taken to halt the trade in drugs.

__________________________________

 

[angelburst29]

Nevertheless, after checking out this video documentary from Lebanon concerning Captagon production, control, smuggling and use. It seems to indicate that at the start of the Syrian war people produced it in Syria (production labs were started up), and directly supported its growth to help fund anti-al-Assad factions, and then the demand exploded. At the same time it was coveted in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere - which goes well back in time (1980's).

This video (un linked) _https://youtu.be/7ke13JNlpBQ seems to present both some interesting things and yet some seemingly disinformation things around its distribution lines - let me know what you think if interested.

Appreciate the documentary, Voyager, it brings into clear focus how "War itself" destroys the people in neighboring Countries - through the use, production and distribution of elicit drugs. It not only compromises a large portion of the citizens in their child baring years, it destroys their intelligence and culture, as a whole. It's amazing to see the streets in Lebanon are beautifully paved in brick and stunning architecture, then to witness the stark difference in the poorer sections.

The situation in Beirut is equally appalling, for it's death and destruction. Sad part, it's being repeated all over the Middle East.


Quote from: Ocean

This article is from 2013, but illustrates the gloomy picture of the Middle East drowning in Captagon, with huge profits to be made.

_http://www.globalinitiative.net/amphetamines-anarchy-and-assad/

It seems, setting up illicit drug laboratories and production are part of the War effort, to keep the mercenaries supplied?

 

[Cosmos]

A couple of days ago EU Präsident Jean-Claude Juncker send a letter to Putin and asked for cooperation:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/business/21-Nov-2015/eu-s-juncker-dangles-trade-ties-with-russia-led-bloc-to-putin

And now Brussels, the head city of the EU, is on highest alert with troops in the streets and terror threats all over.

A coincidence? I don't think so!