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

[Persej]

That is super crazy! And look at the size of the letters in Kerry's folder. The pages are almost empty!

 

[Cosmos]

Even Putin remarked on Kerry's folder, wondering jokely what secrets it may contain. Guess Russia has nothing to worry about as long as US presidents will continue to use teleprompters and their chief diplomats - folders with tons of bookmarks. :P

That is crazy! It reminds me of the countless of useless apps people carry when all that is required is to use the brain.

Well I guess when you are confronted with such a slimy, unconscionable and lying prick like Kerry, you can only help yourself with humor at times:

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

Just as a refresher about Kerry and how Putin and his staff handle him:

https://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,39681.msg620663.html#msg620663

 

[sToRmR1dR]

John Kerry: We have a responsibility to join and destroy evil force

http://tass.ru/en/world/864988

In an exclusive interview with TASS US Secretary of State John Kerry has clarified the future of relations between Russia and the United States

US Secretary of State John Kerry has visited Russia for the third time in less than a year. In an interview with TASS First Deputy Director General Mikhail Gusman John Kerry has clarified the future of the relations between Russia and the United States.

- Mr. Secretary, welcome to Moscow. It’s very good to see you here. It’s your third visit to Russia in less than a year. And before that there was a long pause. Are we getting back to normal in our dialogue?

- Well, we’d like to get back to it. We’re making progress. I think that Foreign Minister Lavrov – Sergey Lavrov and I have had a very productive relationship and we’ve been able to separate differences and work together in a very effective way. President Putin has been very gracious to spend time with me when I’ve come here and to work at trying to find a solution to very complicated issues. I think it’s safe to say that the United States-Russia joint effort on the ceasefire has had an impact. It’s been very positive. And that’s the way we can build back to a much stronger, more effective relationship.

- Presidents Putin and Obama have been working closely to resolve our latest challenges. Open the secret, what message do you have in your pocket that you should bring from President Obama to President Putin?

- Don’t you think it’s better I give it to President Putin first? (Laughter.) No, we’re obviously very anxious to work more effectively. There are irritants in our relationship on both sides which I think both sides would like to see us be able to address. But most importantly, we all in the world face the challenge of violent extremism. And the United States, as you know, moved immediately when Daesh began to move through Syria and Iraq. We put together a 66-nation coalition. We’re actually very pleased that Russia is concerned about that extremism and wants to fight against Daesh and other extremists.

So the key here is to find clarity in our definitions, make sure we’re really working effectively together without hidden agenda in a way that can rapidly destroy Daesh, push back against the violent extremism, restore peace and stability to the region. And there’s some big choices, frankly, that President Putin and Russia needs to make with respect to how we do that. And we will talk about many of those issues.

We will talk about Ukraine and the need for the full implementation of the Minsk agreement in order to, again, achieve peace and stability. And it is very important for the separatists to reduce the violence. It’s very difficult for any government of President Poroshenko to take difficult political steps when he’s being fired on, when his troops are being killed, and when his country – part of his country is being disrupted.

So if we can make progress there, I’m absolutely confident we can build the relationship between the United States and Russia, between the world and Russia, on a much more rapid course. And that will benefit the people of Russia. The people of Russia deserve to see these issues addressed in a responsible way so that ultimately, sanctions can be lifted and the people of Russia can see their economy grow, their lives get better, their incomes grow. That’s our goal and we’d like to see that happen.

- Today the entire world’s attention is on the Brussels tragedy. Unfortunately, both Russia and the U.S. know very well what it’s like to be targets of terrorist attacks. What can our nations do to meet this terrible new challenge of the 21st century?

- Well, first of all, we express our condolences deeply to all of the victims, to all of the people of Brussels, to Belgium. This is an evil force that all of us have a responsibility to join and destroy. That’s why this meeting with President Putin is so important, because if we can move together more effectively, we could be far more efficient in our ability to find the terrorists, to eliminate the threats and the plots that exist today, and really, nothing could do more to affect what happened in Syria – in Brussels than to get the United States and Russia effectively on the same page regarding Syria and to end the fighting in Syria. If we end the war in Syria, we will end the pressure on all of the region – for the refugees, for the people, the violent extremists who are using the chaos as a means of enhancing their goals. The sooner we end the chaos, the sooner we isolate the terrorists, the sooner we restore stability and peace.

- What’s on top of your agenda for your meeting with President Putin, is it Syria?

- Well, there are a number of priorities really in this discussion. We have a broad agenda with Russia, but at the top of the agenda obviously is Syria, Ukraine, countering violent extremism, and our efforts to work together, hopefully, to be able to advance the cause of peace and stability throughout the Middle East, but elsewhere also.
I mean, Russia is threatened by what is happening in Syria. You have Chechens who are fighting on the ground in Syria, several thousands of them. And we share the concern that President Putin has about the potential return of those terrorists to the motherland. Nobody wants to see that happen. We also don’t want to see those people going to Brussels, going to Paris, going to other parts of the world and blowing people up. The world faces a crisis of historic proportions where, unlike the last century where the former Soviet Union and the United States were involved together in fighting World War II, and Russia lost 30 million people – an extraordinary contribution to fight fascism. So if we could find that same cooperative commitment here to fighting violent extremism, we could have a profound impact on history together. And I think that the ways in which we can do that should be the centerpiece of our cooperative efforts.

- When it comes to Ukraine, the key word is Minsk. Here in Moscow the feeling is that little progress could be made unless the United States puts pressure on Kiev, because the ball is on Ukraine’s side. Will Washington do that?

- Well, the truth is, Mikhail, that an honest assessment would say that the ball is in both parties’ courts. Yes, Ukraine has to deal. The government in Kyiv has to do things. But they’ve done many things. They’ve passed an amnesty law. They passed a special status law. They have engaged in difficult political decisions and the Rada has passed laws, under difficult circumstances, in order to show that they are committed.
The separatists have almost never, in the whole process, stopped the firing. Now they are continuing to fire even with heavy artillery. They have not allowed the OSCE to fully be able to monitor all the way up to the international border. They have not released hostages. So there are a list of things that the separatists need to do, and we believe Russia has an ability to be able to effect those, make them happen. And yes, we will – we are engaged with the government of Kyiv.
We have been on the ground. The Vice President talked to the president just the other day. We’ve had our personnel on the ground working with the Rada. We will continue to help the government in Kyiv comply. We need Russia to continue to make certain that the separatists also comply. I believe that if both sides do their part here, we could actually see an end to the conflict – we could see elections, we could see election modalities put in place, and we could see the sanctions ultimately lifted on Russia with the full compliance with the Minsk agreement.

- You ran for president once, and I rooted for you. So let me ask you this. What do you think of the current race? Will it change America? Who will win – Hillary or Donald? And who should Russia root for, in your opinion, and why?

- I want Russia to root for democracy, okay?

- Democracy – Democratic Party or democracy?

- I want – democracy. And I want Russia to feel that whoever is president, we have certain principles and values in our foreign policy that are consistent with every administration. Now, I am not involved in the politics now. I am out of politics. So the race will continue for the next few months. Certainly, Hillary Clinton and Trump are today’s frontrunners, but you never know what’s going to happen in politics.

- Overall, for US-Russian relations what is the biggest lesson learned? What should we try to do better in the future?

- That’s a good question, Mikhail. I appreciate that question. What I have learned as Secretary of State is how important it is to not let the conventional wisdom and not let some of the media and the pundits tell us what we should do. It’s important to have a dialogue. It’s important to engage. It’s important for the leaders to map out steps that they can take that are in the interests of their people. We believe that the Russian people will do much better if we can make peace in Ukraine and make peace in Syria, and that will do a huge amount to renew the relationship between the United States and Russia so we can work together on any number of challenges that we face. But the important thing is, is you’ve got to be willing to sit down and have the dialogue and work to find where the common ground is. We removed the chemical weapons from Syria with Russia and the United States making an agreement, and we did that despite all the other issues. Now, we have put in place a cessation of hostilities where Russia and the United States co-chair the task force to implement it. Sergey Lavrov and I talk almost every week, regularly, and we are working effectively even with differences to try to find a path forward. I think that’s in the interests of the American people and the Russian people; it’s in the interests of history and the future.

- Thank you, Mr. Secretary.

- Thank you.

Russia Seeks Cooperation With US but Ready to Respond to Unfriendly Actions

http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160325/1036942534/russia-us-relations-matvienko.html

Moscow will continue cooperation with Washington but is ready to respond to any unfriendly actions, the Russian Federation Council speaker said.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — While interested in cooperating with the United States, Russia is ready to respond to any unfriendly actions, Russian Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko told RIA Novosti.

"Color revolutions in North Africa and the Middle East have led to acute problems, which the United States and its allies have proved unable to solve without Russia's participation. Washington was forced to accept Russia-US cooperation against international terrorism, on Syria conflict settlement. The problem is that when Washington takes one step forward, it immediately takes two steps back, voicing unfounded accusations and carrying out unfriendly actions against us."

"We will continue to cooperate with the United States where this meets our interests, and respond to their unfriendly actions against Russia," she added.

Moscow to 'Unfreeze' Ties if Ankara Accepts Responsibility in Su-24 Case

http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160325/1036942270/russia-turkey-ties-su-24.html

Ankara's acknowledgement of responsibility in shooting down Russia's Su-24 plane over Syria is a key to the normalization of bilateral relations, the Russian Federation Council Speaker said.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russia is ready to "unfreeze" its relations with Turkey if Ankara acknowledges its responsibility for downing of the Russian Su-24 aircraft, Russian Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko said.

"Russia-Turkey relations are not at their best, to put it mildly. As you know, we are not to blame for the deterioration of the relations. We are ready to unfreeze them if the Turkish leadership recognizes its responsibility in downing a Russian aircraft over Syrian territory. However, there are not such hints from the Turkish side," Matvienko told RIA Novosti.

Relations between Moscow and Ankara deteriorated a Turkish F-16 shot down Russia's Su-24 bomber conducting an antiterrorist operation in Syria on November 24. Russia responded with a broadside of economic measures.

Russia's retaliatory measures against Ankara include, in particular, a restriction of the activities of Turkish organizations in Russia, prohibition of hiring Turkish citizens by Russian employers and a ban on certain food imports.

There have been no high-level contacts between the two countries following the November incident.

Defense minister: Russia has to respond to NATO’s growing potential in Europe

http://tass.ru/en/defense/865095

The Russian defense minister said earlier that the ministry was planning to form three new divisions in the western direction

MOSCOW, March 25. /TASS/. The Russian Defense Ministry is compelled to respond to the build-up of NATO’s military potential in Europe, including that close to Russian borders, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Friday.

"NATO continues building up its military potential in Europe, including in close vicinity to the Russian borders. No doubt, this situation cannot but concern us. We are forced to respond to it," the minister said, adding that the developments in the western strategic direction merited special attention.

"We’re constantly improving the combat composition of the Western Military District’s troops. Work continued in 2015 to set up units and military formations, including three divisions," the defense minister said.

The Russian defense minister said earlier that the ministry was planning to form three new divisions in the western direction.

 

[angelburst29]

Palmyra Castle Captured by Syrian Army, Allies
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950106000507

Syrian government forces and Desert Falcons fighters gained control over a strategically important height near the ancient city of Palmyra (Tadmur) East of Homs province on Friday.

The Syrian Army and Desert Falcons on Friday won another battle in Eastern Homs after hours of fierce clashes with the ISIL Takfiri terrorists.

The Syrian soldiers and their allies have pushed back the Takfiri terrorists in the region near the ancient city of Palmyra, and captured the Qalaat Fakhr ad-Din al-Maani Castle, known as the "Palmyra Castle".

The Syrian army soldiers and their allies have kept on marching on militant-held regions in Eastern Homs province in recent days to capture the strategic city of Palmyra which has been under the control of the ISIL since May 2015.



WATCH What's Left of Palmyra: First Footage of Liberated City Shown on TV
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160325/1036964707/liberated-palmyra-video.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFHcIm9F41w

A Russian TV channel broadcasted for the first time footage of the ancient city of Palmyra, which was recently liberated from Daesh terrorists by the Syrian army and the Desert Falcons fighters.

The bird’s eye video was taken and aired by the Russian broadcaster Rossiya 24. It showed ruins, destroyed buildings and architectural monuments.

On Friday, the Syrian Army alongside the Desert Falcons regained control over the Palmyra Castle, a military source told Sputnik. Government troops and militia units have already taken control over all of the strategic heights in the area.

Daesh militants used the castle for sniper fire and mortar shelling of the heights controlled by the army.

The ancient ruins of Palmyra have been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The city was seized by Daesh in middle-May 2015. Before leaving the city, the Syrian Army evacuated the majority of its residents and the most precious museum antiquities. After Daesh seized the city a number of ancient ruins and temples faced destruction.



Russia Has Now Done for Syria What It Could Not for Serbia in 1999
http://russia-insider.com/en/politics/russia-has-now-done-syria-what-it-could-not-yugoslavia-1999/ri13505

Hillary was sure Russia would not dare interfere in Syria as it had not in Kosovo. She was wrong on both counts.

When pushing for a US intervention in Syria in 2012 then State Department chief Hillary Clinton explicitly argued that Russia would not react, particularly because it had done "little more" but "complain" during United States' war on Yugoslavia in 1999. The Clinton email release has revealed she argued:

* The second step is to develop international support for a coalition air operation.

* Russia will never support such a mission, so there is no point operating through the UN Security Council.

* Some argue that U.S. involvement risks a wider war with Russia. But the Kosovo example shows otherwise.

* In that case, Russia had genuine ethnic and political ties to the Serbs, which don't exist between Russia and Syria, and even then Russia did little more than complain.

* Russian officials have already acknowledged they won't stand in the way if intervention comes.

Hillary almost got it right. For over four years of Syria's civil war Russia did indeed stay on the sidelines even as US, Saudi Arabia and Turkey did not. Moreover its foray into Syria was something Moscow itself only begun to consider in 2015.

Nonetheless, Hillary should have really been more careful in her analysis. Firstly, she should have appreciated the difference between Russia under Yeltsin and Russia under Putin.

Secondly, she should have remembered that actually even Yeltsin's Russia took the world by surprise in coming to the aid of Yugoslavia in 1999 but was then forced to back down.

On June 11, 1999 – that is after Yugoslavia and NATO had reached an armistice agreement at Kumanovo, but before the retreat of the Yugoslav military allowed NATO to enter and occupy Kosovo – 250 Russian troops which had been part of a Western-led peacekeeping force in neighboring Bosnia crossed over into Serbia and dashed southward occupying the Priština airport in Kosovo before the arrival of NATO troops.

It seemed as if the Russians would now airlift in more troops from Russia itself and present NATO with a fait accompli of a separate Russian occupation zone in northern Kosovo. However, after a few tense hours Moscow backed down and agreed there would only be an American, Italian, German, French and British occupation zones, but not a Russian one. The Russian contingent would instead be dispersed and serve under other commands.

Four years later Putin ended Russia's presence in Kosovo realizing that its troops under NATO command served no useful purpose, except perhaps to help legitimize NATO's presence there.

In retrospect it is easy to see that Russia's 1999 Priština airfield gambit was doomed from the start.

Russia at the time was a weak power with a leadership which looked to west for loans and support against domestic rivals. Moreover, its strategic position in the Balkans was non-existent.

Hillary in 2012 remembers "genuine political ties" between 1990s Russia and Yugoslavia, but these simply did not exist.

For most of the 1990s Russia fell in line with Washington's Balkan policies which singled out Slobodan Milošević as a uniquely rogue leader and source of all the regions' problems. In went along with UN sanctions against Yugoslavia in 1992 and again in 1998, as well as a string of other US-proposed UN Resolutions on the Yugoslav wars.

As a result when Moscow in 1999 finally came out from Washington's spell it had no relationship with Belgrade to speak of.

As it was the Russian Priština airfield gambit fell through when Romania and Bulgaria refused to allow Russians to fly military transports through their airspace.

However, we can note that Bulgarian and Turkish airspace was not needed for Russian soldiers to land in Syria. They arrived by sea.

Russians could have just as easily used the maritime route in 1999 to disembark in Yugoslavia's Adriatic ports. But this would have required someone in Moscow to have entertained the thought of doing Yugoslavia a solid before June 11, 1999.

It would have taken troop transports that were already parked off the Adriatic coast and a measure of trust and coordination between Moscow and Belgrade - which empathically did not exist.

What really prevented Russia from successfully throwing a wrench in NATO's plans in 1999 was not the non-cooperation of Bulgaria and Romania, but the fact Moscow had only just broken free from its servility to Washington two minutes earlier.

The 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia was important in waking up a pliant, pro-American Russia to Washington's triumphalism and militarism. Russia's Syria intervention sixteen years later is one of the consequences.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

ISIS as American Tool to Neutralize Russian Nuclear Capablity

_http://vpk-news.ru/articles/29834

Aleksey Peskov interviews Nikolay Starikov, historian, author and head of The Great Fatherland party

Translated by Kristina Kharlova

http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/03/isis-as-american-tool-to-neutralize.html

Assad has no match in Syria

Normalization in Syria without its current leader is impossible

Syria today is personified by Bashar al-Assad, says historian and publicist Nikolay Starikov. He shared his fresh perspective on the processes of the past and contemporary events.

– How close were the stated goals of our leadership of our military engagement in Syria consistent with real goals?

– I think that the declared goals are fully consistent with the plan. The main task of Russia – stopping the process of destruction of states and chaotization of the Middle East that was launched by the United States. Eventually we must strive to prevent aggression of created by Americans terrorist organizations against Russia through Afghanistan and other countries. If the sovereign states will be restored in the Middle East, the terrorist groups on their territory will not be able to survive. In this respect, Russia's policy is fundamentally different from the policy of the United States, who under the guise of fighting for democracy are engaged in destruction of states with the subsequent planting of terrorism.

- To wreak havoc is not a very clear objective of U.S. policy. Perhaps this is an intermediate result of some other aspirations...

– We are in a new type of war – some call it a hybrid, others want to come up with some other name. Russia possesses a serious arsenal of nuclear weapons, which is supposed to be a guarantee of non-aggression by any other state. The keyword here is "state". But what if the Russian Federation is attacked not by a government, but hundreds of thousands of militants of some unrecognized structure crossing borders and trying to invade our territory? It is clear that border guards and troops would begin to resist the invasion, but then the question arises about the possibility of using nuclear weapons in such a situation. Obviously, from a legal point of view this is impossible because the neighboring country has not declared war on us, moreover – in fact it is itself a victim of the same terrorist groups. Therefore, our 'partners' move the armed confrontation into the area where the possession of nuclear weapons will no longer play any role. And it is no longer a guarantee against aggression. And if to this we add the probability of attack of a huge mass of militants on some third states with the subsequent dire consequences for Russia, then a whole new picture emerges.

I mean the countries of Central Asia. Quite poor, with strong contradictions - there was a civil war in Tajikistan for this reason. And the invasion of militants in the region will immediately increase the terrorist army perhaps up to a million. Can Russia watch this process as an observer? Maybe – if it was headed by a leader with limited vision, confident that we will not be affected. But in reality, Russia must ensure against such development of events. This is the situation in which our nuclear weapons cannot help us.

- Is the hybrid warfare you describe a result of random developments, which has turned into a phenomenon, or were this strategy and tactics born in the bowels of the Pentagon, or any other institution

– Modern terms are often given to those phenomena that have long been known and were repeatedly carried out in practice. Hybrid war is no exception. If we look at the history of British colonial wars, we will see: in many cases it did not declare war, while leading full-scale military operations. Guns are firing, but there is no 'war'. So any diplomatic action to prevent aggression is impossible. History knows cases when a certain third force was used, formally unconnected with a government, the same "East India company", which was engaged in the capture of India and other countries. As for the twentieth century, a very characteristic episode – Japanese invasion of China in the early 30-ies. And despite the fact that there were hundreds of thousands of victims among the Chinese population, this war is not part of the common WWII history. As if until 1939 it did not take place. So war without a declaration of war was not invented today.

– The reasons for sending troops into Syria, or rather, the motives become much clearer in this context. But as the entire Western world was shocked by the swiftness of the action in the beginning, so it was perplexed by the rapid decision to withdraw, albeit partial, of our contingent. No one was expecting it.

– I'm a civilian, but as far as I understand the principles of military tactics and strategy, all actions of military commanders must be unexpected for the enemy. There are several reasons – so there is no time to react, so it is difficult to predict the actions of the other side. With regard to the situation in the Middle East, Russia is demonstrating just such an unexpected action. Why? Because we are bombing the terrorists on the ground but actually confront the evil will of the powers which arm them, supply, direct, share intelligence and transfer the most modern weapons systems. The confrontation is not with some ISIS intelligence, but with American, British secret services. Thus the respective actions must be sudden and decisive, so that the enemy could not calculate several moves ahead. We must understand that geopolitical confrontation between Russia and the West continues, even when there is supposedly "cooperation", as in Syria. And then the actions of the Russian leadership immediately become clear and logical.

– Russia's actions in Syria – what and whom are they supposed to demonstrate?

– The brilliant operation of our Air-space forces is, of course, not just advertising of our weapons. Most importantly – the resolve of our leadership to protect Russia's geopolitical interests with weapons in their hands, despite the position of other states. The whole world needs to understand that international law must be enforced, that one state can not arbitrarily destroy a sovereign country and that we are ready to defend this right, reinforced by the UN Charter. After Syria our leadership is forcing others to reckon with Russia's position on a much larger scale than it was before Syria.

Our president several times, explaining the basics of geopolitics, used the analogy of backstreet fights. Here it is also appropriate. If you show the will to defend your interests, enter a fight once, even with those who are obviously stronger you could be beaten up. But they will not want to deal with you again, because it is obvious - although they can break your nose, they may have their noses broken too. As a consequence everyone else will have to take your interests into account.

Russia has always been one of the main players in global politics. Without our permission, as they used to say, no European gun could fire a shot. Then we reached the level where "guns did not shoot" on a global scale. The entire system of state defense, built on the blood of our soldiers, was destroyed by Gorbachev and Yeltsin. Today is just the process of its recovery.

– What will happen to Syria, what do you think?

– Today the most important thing for Syria is the preservation of the state. Yes, now part of the territory is in the hands of Kurdish forces, who will be reluctant to accept the restoration of control over these areas by Damascus and will negotiate about autonomy. In this situation, the Americans will begin to incite the Kurds to full disobedience to the central Syrian government, will support "complete independence," persuade them to continue the struggle.

Some provinces will remain under Islamist structures, so a restoration of complete control over its territory by Syria will require quite a long period. Most importantly, today the issue of the liquidation of the central government, which would mean the destruction of Syria as a sovereign state, is off the agenda.

International politics is a complicated issue, but I can draw a hypothetical picture, when things may look differently. God forbid, but imagine for a moment that something happened personally with Bashar Assad. Is there another figure in Syria, who is just as determined to take responsibility for the state and the people? We can not immediately find an answer to this question. Western intelligence often achieved their goals by physically eliminating political leaders. Remember Libya. When did it become possible to say that the country is no more? At the time of the brutal murder of Muammar Qaddafi. While he was alive, the hope for the preservation of the Libyan state remained. Syria today is personified by Bashar al-Assad, whether you like it or not. Thus Assad must be protected by all means, wishing him good health and political wisdom. I think he will become an example of a courageous struggle for the interests of his people. Nobody, including the Americans, was expecting that an ophthalmologist who studied in the UK, completely integrated into Western environment, would turn out to be such a tough fighter for the interests of his people.

- He was accused of using chemical weapons...

– It is a myth. If there was proof there would already be a trial at some court in the Hague, all the evidence points to falsification. Note: when Russia saved Syria from the impending bombing – remember the brilliant move with the proposal of removal of chemical weapons, Americans immediately moved the zone of instability closer to our borders. Then began the events in Ukraine. At the moment ISIS was nowhere to be seen in Syria, there was the Free Syrian Army, Al Qaeda. And in a couple years rose to the most powerful jihadist movement. Experience teaches us that weeds do not grow taller than a man, unless they are purposefully watered.

IS activity boosts in Afghanistan — Russian president's special envoy

http://tass.ru/en/politics/865259

According to the Russian diplomat, the group numerical strength is estimated at 10,000 people

MOSCOW, March 25. /TASS/. The Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization is expanding its military activity in Afghanistan, Russian Presidential Envoy to Afghanistan, director of the Second Asian Department at the Russian Foreign Ministry Zamir Kabulov said on Friday.

"The IS activity has grown significantly in Afghanistan since summer 2014," Kabulov said. "The group numerical strength is estimated at 10,000 people."

"The figure can continue growing, as the IS slogans and high financing are attractive to Afghan youth," he said.

Kabul’s attempts to establish a peaceful dialogue with the Taliban have been fruitless

The Afghan government’s attempts to establish a peaceful dialogue with the Taliban through the world community’s mediation have so far been fruitless, Zamir Kabulov, the Russian president’s special envoy for Afghanistan and director of the Russian Foreign Ministry second Asian department, told TASS.

"For the moment, the situation in Afghanistan can be described as extremely tense and unstable with no prospects for radical improvement in sight," Kabulov said.

"Militants from the Taliban movement are using huge forces for direct clashes against the government troops; they are seizing entire districts and intensifying terror attacks in major administrative centers, including Kabul," the Russian diplomat said.

This year has seen no traditional seasonal "winter lull" in military hostilities, which were incessantly under way in the north and south of Afghanistan," the Russian president’s special envoy said.

"The armed opposition is expected to step up combat activities across the country with the coming of spring. In fact, this phase has already started," Kabulov told TASS.

According to him, the situation in Afghanistan’s Northern provinces has been rapidly degrading.

"The militants are getting entrenched in territories and populated localities bordering on Turkmenistan and Tajikistan, naturally, inciting tensions on both sides of the border," Kabulov stressed.

 

[Ocean]

Take for incidence, right after President Putin's Military entered into Syria, The Washington Post published an article of the event and within the course of 36 hours, had changed "title" 4 different times - on the same article and altered the first paragraph to reflect the changes (or corrections) how ever you want to deem it. The New York Times often pulls the same stunt. The Forum Members noticed the alterations, due to documentation of the earlier articles.

On a personal note, I have entered dated links (same day as publication) into the Forum, only to discover in a 24 hour period, the link is no longer available as "News" but listed in the Monthly Archives. In rare incidences, the article is scrubbed from the publishing site, altogether within a week and you have to search the Internet to get to the same article. (Articles from Ft. Russ and Press TV, as examples.) So, sometimes, documentation of the contents of an article are important, for future reference.

Exactly! And your efforts are stellar and highly appreciated!

I agree with Laura, you are doing a Stellar job. I've also seen articles you have posted, to be immediately put up on SOTT by the editors. On several occasions.

If one has a good grasp of the machinations of the current puppet masters, then your links / articles keep us all well informed. For others who are struggling with the senselessness of it all, they serve as a reminder of the stark reality of this world. And knowing the truth (or as much of the truth that is possible) brings an inner peace.

I admire your dedication Angelburst.

 

[Persej]

The 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia was important in waking up a pliant, pro-American Russia to Washington's triumphalism and militarism. Russia's Syria intervention sixteen years later is one of the consequences.

Well, if that's true than I'm glad that at least something good came from that NATO bombing in 1999.

And yes, a lot of people in Serbia still do not understand that Putin's Russia is not the same as Yeltsin's Russia. Also, yes, it is very important that Syria has an access to sea, otherwise the Russian intervention would not have been so easily manageable.

And yes, Serbia did not had such a good relationship with Russia in the 90's because for a long time Yugoslavia was 'culturized' by the Western media. It is only after 90's that the Serbs realized what a scumbags those Western elites are, and only recently found a 'savior' in the form of Putin's Russia. But of course, even for that relationship it takes some time and education by the media. That's why we desperately need RT. Luckily, many Serbian household now posses cable TV, so the opportunity is quite available, if the Russians are interested.

Also, we presently have only one party in the parliament that is semi-pro-Russian, but hopefully that will change after elections next month. Russians certainly did change a lot of things in the past couple of years.

 

[angelburst29]

Take for incidence, right after President Putin's Military entered into Syria, The Washington Post published an article of the event and within the course of 36 hours, had changed "title" 4 different times - on the same article and altered the first paragraph to reflect the changes (or corrections) how ever you want to deem it. The New York Times often pulls the same stunt. The Forum Members noticed the alterations, due to documentation of the earlier articles.

On a personal note, I have entered dated links (same day as publication) into the Forum, only to discover in a 24 hour period, the link is no longer available as "News" but listed in the Monthly Archives. In rare incidences, the article is scrubbed from the publishing site, altogether within a week and you have to search the Internet to get to the same article. (Articles from Ft. Russ and Press TV, as examples.) So, sometimes, documentation of the contents of an article are important, for future reference.

Exactly! And your efforts are stellar and highly appreciated!

I agree with Laura, you are doing a Stellar job. I've also seen articles you have posted, to be immediately put up on SOTT by the editors. On several occasions.

If one has a good grasp of the machinations of the current puppet masters, then your links / articles keep us all well informed. For others who are struggling with the senselessness of it all, they serve as a reminder of the stark reality of this world. And knowing the truth (or as much of the truth that is possible) brings an inner peace.

I admire your dedication Angelburst.

Deeply appreciated Ocean and Thank You.

Just another word or two .... for it's heavy on my mind at the moment, so I would like to share. Each of us here, have contributed something of value to this Forum. For the most part, we are learning from the experience and interacting, sharing and retaining knowledge. Even mistakes, errors or misdirection on occasions has been transmuted into a positive learning experience. In that sense, no one individual is above or below the other, for it's a mutual exchange of energy, on the learning curve of life. Age wise, some of us are older, some younger. Time wise, some are able to contribute more time while other's have to slip in and out, due to multi-tasking. In the end, we all contribute something, in one form or another. I don't see myself, any different, than a small fragment of "the whole".

 

[Beau]

Even Putin remarked on Kerry's folder, wondering jokely what secrets it may contain. Guess Russia has nothing to worry about as long as US presidents will continue to use teleprompters and their chief diplomats - folders with tons of bookmarks. :P

That is crazy! It reminds me of the countless of useless apps people carry when all that is required is to use the brain.

Seems to me what that picture represents is Lavrov has formulated his thoughts with Putin and needs no help, while Kerry on the other hand just follows order and the folder is what he's being told what to say. But Putin making fun of him - priceless!

 

[angelburst29]

The 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia was important in waking up a pliant, pro-American Russia to Washington's triumphalism and militarism. Russia's Syria intervention sixteen years later is one of the consequences.

Well, if that's true than I'm glad that at least something good came from that NATO bombing in 1999.

And yes, a lot of people in Serbia still do not understand that Putin's Russia is not the same as Yeltsin's Russia. Also, yes, it is very important that Syria has an access to sea, otherwise the Russian intervention would not have been so easily manageable.

And yes, Serbia did not had such a good relationship with Russia in the 90's because for a long time Yugoslavia was 'culturized' by the Western media. It is only after 90's that the Serbs realized what a scumbags those Western elites are, and only recently found a 'savior' in the form of Putin's Russia. But of course, even for that relationship it takes some time and education by the media. That's why we desperately need RT. Luckily, many Serbian household now posses cable TV, so the opportunity is quite available, if the Russians are interested.

Also, we presently have only one party in the parliament that is semi-pro-Russian, but hopefully that will change after elections next month. Russians certainly did change a lot of things in the past couple of years.

Putin has come out and stated that mistakes were made in the past and that he hoped to change things. I remember reading, a submarine accident had happened, where all the sailor died, soon after Putin came into his first Presidency. He called a Conference, in which all of the Families were invited to be present. He related the information he had at his disposal and personally apologized to them, for there was nothing he could do - to save their lives. He did promise, he would do everything within his means, to make improvements for safety and security, not only for the Navy personnel but for all armed forces, If I remember correctly, Putin's Father had once served on the submarine - that was lost at sea, along with it's crew, so he also had a personal motive to keep his promise.
Considering what were have witnessed with Russian activities in Syria, I would say, he's been working on that promise?

I have a personal interest in Yugoslavia and the article above has limited information. I know there's other threads on the Forum that mention the historical aspects of the war and NATO's "intervention". I came across a site that documents, in a condensed form, the history and how the wars were started and who was involved. It's in a five part series.

1. Eviscerating Yugoslavia: BNL, Yugo & Eagleburger
https://hendersonlefthook.wordpress.com/2014/11/13/eviscerating-yugoslavia-bnl-yugo-eagleburger/

2. Eviscerating Yugoslavia: Nazis, Bilderbergers & Clinton Liars
https://hendersonlefthook.wordpress.com/2014/11/14/eviscerating-yugoslavia-nazis-bilderbergers-clinton-liars/

3. Eviscerating Yugoslavia: CIA Islamists, Halliburton & Fake Massacres
https://hendersonlefthook.wordpress.com/2014/11/15/eviscerating-yugoslavia-cia-islamists-halliburton-fake-massacres/#more-939

4. Eviscerating Yugoslavia: KLA Heroin, Rwandan Genocide & Phony Racak
https://hendersonlefthook.wordpress.com/2014/11/16/eviscerating-yugoslavia-kla-heroin-rwandan-genocide-phony-racak/

5. Eviscerating Yugoslavia: Poisoning Milosevic
https://hendersonlefthook.wordpress.com/2014/11/17/eviscerating-yugoslavia-poisoning-milosevic/#more-952

 

[SeekinTruth]

Take for incidence, right after President Putin's Military entered into Syria, The Washington Post published an article of the event and within the course of 36 hours, had changed "title" 4 different times - on the same article and altered the first paragraph to reflect the changes (or corrections) how ever you want to deem it. The New York Times often pulls the same stunt. The Forum Members noticed the alterations, due to documentation of the earlier articles.

On a personal note, I have entered dated links (same day as publication) into the Forum, only to discover in a 24 hour period, the link is no longer available as "News" but listed in the Monthly Archives. In rare incidences, the article is scrubbed from the publishing site, altogether within a week and you have to search the Internet to get to the same article. (Articles from Ft. Russ and Press TV, as examples.) So, sometimes, documentation of the contents of an article are important, for future reference.

Exactly! And your efforts are stellar and highly appreciated!

I agree with Laura, you are doing a Stellar job. I've also seen articles you have posted, to be immediately put up on SOTT by the editors. On several occasions.

If one has a good grasp of the machinations of the current puppet masters, then your links / articles keep us all well informed. For others who are struggling with the senselessness of it all, they serve as a reminder of the stark reality of this world. And knowing the truth (or as much of the truth that is possible) brings an inner peace.

I admire your dedication Angelburst.

Deeply appreciated Ocean and Thank You.

Just another word or two .... for it's heavy on my mind at the moment, so I would like to share. Each of us here, have contributed something of value to this Forum. For the most part, we are learning from the experience and interacting, sharing and retaining knowledge. Even mistakes, errors or misdirection on occasions has been transmuted into a positive learning experience. In that sense, no one individual is above or below the other, for it's a mutual exchange of energy, on the learning curve of life. Age wise, some of us are older, some younger. Time wise, some are able to contribute more time while other's have to slip in and out, due to multi-tasking. In the end, we all contribute something, in one form or another. I don't see myself, any different, than a small fragment of "the whole".

Just wanted to say I just posted in the Brussels bombing thread before seeing the last 3 posts in this thread that I'd read early this morning. Just to reiterate, you have nothing to feel bad about, really, angleburts29. In case by it being heavy on your mind you meant it was weighing on you and giving you mixed feelings of what you contribute to the forum. Laura, others, and myself gave input and appreciation of your efforts. We're all in this together, and as you said, sincere contributions by all are valuable in many different ways.

 

[Persej]

Considering what were have witnessed with Russian activities in Syria, I would say, he's been working on that promise?

He surelly is. I was reading some analysis by our journalist and he said that he was surprised how little failures Russian airplanes had during all those flights because going on the missions one after another is very stressful for the planes. And that Russian engineers did a realy good job.

I have a personal interest in Yugoslavia and the article above has limited information. I know there's other threads on the Forum that mention the historical aspects of the war and NATO's "intervention". I came across a site that documents, in a condensed form, the history and how the wars were started and who was involved. It's in a five part series.

Thank you for this, I will read them as soon as I can.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Triumph! Syrian Army Completely Liberates Palmyra From Daesh

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160327/1037032429/syrian-army-liberates-palmyra.html

The Syrian Army and popular defense forces, supported by Russian warplanes, have successfully ended the operation to liberate Palmyra from Daesh terrorists, the SANA news agency reported on Sunday.

"After heavy fighting during the night, the army is in full control of Palmyra — both the ancient site and the residential neighbourhoods," a military source told AFP.

The Army and People's Defense Forces are chasing the rest of Daesh militants who left Palmyra retreating to Raqqa, Deir Ez-Zor and Sukhnah. According to a military source cited by Al-Masdar News, the terrorists lost hundreds of fighters and weapons during the battle for Palmyra.

​It was reported earlier that the Syrian Army had advanced into Palmyra with the support from the Russian Aerospace Forces.

"Army sappers are in the process of defusing dozens of bombs and mines planted inside the ancient site," the source added.

The Syrian Army's offensive on the city of Palmyra to recapture it from Daesh began on Thursday.

Palmyra, located 210 kilometers away from Damascus, is considered key for advancing to the Daesh stronghold of Raqqa in eastern Syria.

The town of Palmyra and its historic ruins have been under Daesh control since May 2015. The jihadist group, which is outlawed in many countries, including Russia and the United States, has since destroyed part of the historic sites, which are a designated UNESCO World Heritage site.

The terrorist group used the historic city's ancient amphitheatre for public executions, including the beheading of Palmyra's 82-year-old antiquities chief.

Syrian troops in full control of UNESCO heritage site Palmyra - command

http://tass.ru/en/society/865375

The Syrian troops liquidated on Saturday the terrorists’ stronghold in Al-Amiria, the northern district of Palmyra

BEIRUT, March 27. /TASS. The Syrian government troops and people’s militia fighters have fully liberated the ancient town of Palmyra located 215 km (133.5 miles) from Damascus, the Syrian Army’s command said in a statement on Sunday.

"Our troops have established full control of the town and are chasing the remainder of the retreating gangs of Islamic State terrorists," the statement said.

The Syrian troops liquidated on Saturday the terrorists’ stronghold in Al-Amiria, the northern district of Palmyra. The militants were pushed back from the barracks in the districts of al-Mutaqaidin and Jamiyat. The Syrian government troops also captured the local dominating height to control the road to the north to the towns of Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa on the Euphrates.

SANA news agency earlier reported that militants had destroyed the ancient fortress of Emir Fakhr-al-Din on the entrance to Palmyra from the side of Homs. In less than a year of IS control, militants destroyed the famous Arch of Triumph, Temple of Baalshamin and Temple of Ba’al. They also looted the Palmyra Museum and Necropolis.

Palmyra, a UNESCO world heritage site, was captured by the Islamic State terrorist group at the beginning of last summer. The Syrian authorities said at that time that the unique historical site could share the sad fate of the Iraqi cities of Ashur, Nimrud and Hatra (al-Hadr) destroyed by militants.

The Islamic State terrorist group seized Palmyra early in the summer of 2015. The Syrian authorities warned at that time that the unique historical complex could repeat the sad fate of the ancient Iraqi cities of Ashur and Nimrud, which had been fully ruined and eliminated by militants.

Most Palmyra residents left the city last May together with the Syrian government troops. Now there are from 15,000 to 20,000 people there.

Syrian troops liberate Palmyra - media

http://tass.ru/en/world/865373

SANA news agency earlier reported that militants had destroyed the ancient fortress of Emir Fakhr-al-Din on the entrance to Palmyra from the side of Homs

BEIRUT, March 27. /TASS/. The Syrian government troops and people’s militia fighters have liberated the town of Palmyra located 215 km (133.5 miles) from Damascus, the Al Mayadeen satellite television channel reported on Sunday, citing a Syrian military source.

"The entire town, including the area of the ancient ruins, is controlled by our troops. The gangs of the Islamic State (terrorist grouping outlawed in Russia) have retreated," an officer participating in the military operation said.

SANA news agency earlier reported that militants had destroyed the ancient fortress of Emir Fakhr-al-Din on the entrance to Palmyra from the side of Homs. In less than a year of IS control, militants destroyed the famous Arch of Triumph, Temple of Baalshamin and Temple of Ba’al. They also looted the Palmyra Museum and Necropolis.

Palmyra, a UNESCO world heritage site, was captured by the Islamic State terrorist group at the beginning of last summer. The Syrian authorities said at that time that the unique historical site could share the sad fate of the Iraqi cities of Ashur, Nimrud and Hatra (al-Hadr) destroyed by militants.

The Islamic State terrorist group seized Palmyra early in the summer of 2015. The Syrian authorities warned at that time that the unique historical complex could repeat the sad fate of the ancient Iraqi cities of Ashur and Nimrud, which had been fully ruined and eliminated by militants.

Most Palmyra residents left the city last May together with the Syrian government troops. Now there are from 15,000 to 20,000 people there.

Russia Delivers 28 Tonnes of Humanitarian Aid to Syria's Deir Ez-Zor

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160327/1037034970/deir-ez-zor-syria-russia-humanitarian-aid.html

The residents of Deir ez-Zor, besieged by Daesh terrorists, received 28 metric tons of humanitarian aid on Saturday.

HMEYMIM (Syria), (Sputnik) — A spokesman for the Russian center for Syrian reconciliation said Sunday that the residents of Syria's city of Deir ez-Zor, which is besieged by Daesh, have received 28 metric tons of humanitarian aid.

"On March 26, a Il-76 [NATO reporting name Candid] military transport plane of the Syrian air force delivered cargo with humanitarian aid to the city of Deir ez-Zor blockaded by the militants of the Daesh group. Overall, 28 tonnes of various humanitarian cargo have been dropped over the city," the spokesman told reporters.

He added that the deliveries of aid by air would continue on Sunday.

Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with the government forces fighting several opposition factions and militant groups, including Daesh, which is banned in Russia and the United Kingdom among others. The conflict has significantly damaged the country's economy and caused a humanitarian disaster.

 

[lilies]

Palmyra has been retaken!! Congratulations to Putin, the Syrian Army, its allies and the Russian Air Force for the efficient campaign!!

 

[SeekinTruth]

Palmyra has been retaken!! Congratulations to Putin, the Syrian Army, its allies and the Russian Air Force for the efficient campaign!!

Hoping the military success continues to drive out the psychos and the peace process brings many more successes to relieve the people of Syria from this nightmare.