The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

sudeepj · Post by **sudeepj** » 17 Dec 2015 21:23

Singha wrote:Was the Molotov cocktail his spare time inventions?

No, Finnish, if I remember my WW II history correctly. Russians bombed the Finns and Molotov claimed the planes were supplying food. In response, Finns started calling petrol bombs Molotov cocktails.

sudeepj · Post by **sudeepj** » 17 Dec 2015 21:29

shiv wrote:
Y. Kanan wrote:
Soon to be very relevant question: can Russia maintain Syrian ops even if Turkey closes the straits? Is the Baltic-Med naval route sufficient?
Blockades can be contested by sinking blockading ships and hitting the blockaders. A blockade is an act of war. By shooting down an aircraft and then doing a blockade Turkey would be declaring war on Russia. No self respecting nation will take a blockade lying down if they have the military wherewithal to fight it.

I am really really surprised at how far the West has pushed Rus and in support of scum who would kill westerners if only they could get at them. I dont recall a serious nuclear threat being exchanged in my life time. This relative detente is a crowning achievement of the West's foreign and economic policies. By pushing against several hundred year old strategic goals of Rus, the West risks unraveling all of this. What did they think Rus would have done?

All of this fiasco can be laid at the doors of Obama and Kerry. One is an pedantic lawyer and the other an idealistic fool. Where is the real military experience in this team?

A blockade is an act of war and I think Rus can simply get it vacated in any number of ways.

Satya_anveshi · Post by **Satya_anveshi** » 18 Dec 2015 02:46

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMXeYxiDK-A

Satya_anveshi · Post by **Satya_anveshi** » 18 Dec 2015 05:58

chetak wrote:this is one major landmine that I thought that this govt would have the brains to sidestep.

we have no dog in this fight and even if we poke our noses into this fiasco, we will invite serious trouble at home. this is a self created aa byle, mujhe maar situation.

the effing baboo(n)s who are advising our dumbo politicians should be castrated. The amrekis are behind this mad hatter's scheme.

put your head down and keep pumping up the economy.

Chetak ji,

any statement and proposal that is UN centric is NOT in favor of architects of grand scheme here and decidedly in favor of Russian stand.

Total victory of Shia is not possible nor is in our interest. Beaten down shia is status quo and hence not favorable.
Total sunni victory is /(was) possible but not in our interest. Beaten down sunnis are in our interest for the simple reason that their proximity to us in the balance of power situation provides for trade/transit/infra/energy interests on more favorable terms.

narmad · Post by **narmad** » 18 Dec 2015 06:17

Satya_anveshi wrote:

any statement and proposal that is UN centric is NOT in favor of architects of grand scheme here and decidedly in favor of Russian stand.

Total victory of Shia is not possible nor is in our interest. Beaten down shia is status quo and hence not favorable.
Total sunni victory is /(was) possible but not in our interest.
Beaten down sunnis are in our interest for the simple reason that their proximity to us in the balance of power situation provides for trade/transit/infra/energy interests on more favorable terms.

I do not agree. Iran and Iraq would be equally good for us.
Besides India has less Shia population % wise

Satya_anveshi · Post by **Satya_anveshi** » 18 Dec 2015 07:30

How does that negate what I am saying?

Y I Patel · Post by **Y I Patel** » 18 Dec 2015 07:46

Last night's Republican presidential debate was educative regarding evolving American thinking about the mess in the Levant.

The first big theme is that now a lobby against interventionism is beginning to emerge; commentators especially noted Ted Cruz's argument of favoring stability over other considerations (i.e. support dictators for stability even if they are not US allies). Trump and Ron Paul looked were also unequivocally for not blindly seeking to topple every dictator in sight. Unfortunately, the interventionist lobby is alive and kicking, and Marco Rubio (and I feel Hillary as well) both continue to be staunch interventionists. The biggest stroke of fortune is that Obama only has to worry about legacy now and has the ability to take a difficult middle path even if it looks ineffectual. Given that he feels really burned by following allies into creating the Libyan mess, he has been a lot more circumspect in US responses and initiatives for intervening in this situation.

The second big idea has, it seems, more consensus - and the idea is that ISIS can only be fought effectively by other Sunnis (and Arabs). All candidates seemed to agree on this last night. Of course, it is very easy to talk big in election season, and most candidates are really just serving up as their own original brilliant ideas initiatives that Obama is valiantly trying to gain traction on and failing. (Support for Kurds was also unanimous and of course Obama got no credit for that). But this idea of fighting Sunnis with Sunnis also brings into perspective the major failing of what Putin is doing - that he as unambiguously cast Russia's lot with the Shia in this Islamic civil war. I agree overall with the point of view that a Shia alliance of Iran, Hezbollah and the Alawite supporters of Assad is not going to be good for anything beyond shoring up Assad's position for the Vienna talks. After all the blood that has been shed, and with the evident sectarian animosities of the region, how can Assad or the Syrian Shia minority ever again hope to regain control and peace over the entire Syrian territory? And swinging back to US policies, I will again credit Obama that he sought to build a Shia-Sunni alliance in Iraq but that fell apart. A superpower's support counts for nothing against a rivalry that is older than a millennium.

Coming back to Russia's aims, maybe that is all that Putin (and Russia?) want - to see that their guy still has a place on the table. But even that is looking far more difficult to pull off, and given how precarious the Russian economy is right now, I wonder how long Putin's domestic support for this will last. I am happy Turkey is getting its just reward for its Pakiness, but I am still afraid that Putin was terribly shortsighted in getting the political strategy aligned with military action. Even on the military part, it is becoming increasingly apparent from the additional Russian force commitments that Putin might have indulged in some Musharaffesqe tactical brilliance in getting Russia involved into this mess. Also remember that Turkey has 3 million bargaining chips to play so it is not without Aces in this game.

That actually points to why this is such a persistent mess - the malign actors are also necessary ones. Turkey because it is absorbing the swelling tide of refugees, Qatar because it hosts Taliban and has made itself indispensable in the Afghan peace process, and Saudi Arabia because it is what it is. It is difficult to go against this set of players without having real adverse impacts elsewhere, and of course, their involvement ensures that the whole region will continue to fester for a long time yet. Russian involvement now adds the real worry of this escalating into an even worse situation, if NATO is forced to take sides.

KrishnaK · Post by **KrishnaK** » 18 Dec 2015 09:02

Finally, one post not filled with conspiracy theories and swaggering on behalf of Mother Russia and Putin.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 18 Dec 2015 09:14

And "licking the ***** in a certain ******" (Putin's words, not mine!) of such stellar intellects as Ted "Duh!" Cruz.

Satya_anveshi · Post by **Satya_anveshi** » 18 Dec 2015 09:24

Unlike Putin, I am certain that wasn't a right move.

deejay · Post by **deejay** » 18 Dec 2015 09:39

UlanBatori wrote:And "licking the ***** in a certain ******" (Putin's words, not mine!) of such stellar intellects as Ted "Duh!" Cruz.

I was wondering how long before the bombers came and dropped thermobarics. Didn't have to wait long. These Mongols are fast.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 18 Dec 2015 09:53

Satya_anveshi · Post by **Satya_anveshi** » 18 Dec 2015 09:56

Not having a dog in the fight doesn't mean we sit tight and pray for the fight to end. To me, it means...great...i like this shituation...thanks all.aha...how can I stir the pot and further my interests...or may be throw pukes under the bus somehow...the way these deserters (pun intended) act even saying shaanti shaanti will rile them up further and that is not bad.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 18 Dec 2015 09:56

more pix of the units people here
https://twitter.com/oryxspioenkop/statu ... 4687184896

I wonder why they allowed themselves to be photographed like going for a tourist trip?

could be a 'message'

they are probably serving mil personnel looking at young age, not ex-mil "contractors"

hnair · Post by **hnair** » 18 Dec 2015 10:08

Looks like what are called "pretty boys" of DSS. delta folks are apparently very mean towards photographers and unlike the SAS, do not maintain a vast PR budget complete with that Freddie Forsyth.

deejay · Post by **deejay** » 18 Dec 2015 10:37

This is how moderate terrorists look at Democracy:

Harald Doornbos ‏@HaraldDoornbos now10 hours ago
Not sure this democracy thing is going well. Idlib source tells me this is Ahrar ashSham sign:"Democracy = idolatry"

Satya_anveshi · Post by **Satya_anveshi** » 18 Dec 2015 10:56

Syria Shatters Pentagon Dream - Dec 17, 2015
http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/12/17/ ... gon-dream/

No wonder Full Spectrum Dominance practitioners in the Beltway and beyond are consumed by deep denial.

They look at the Syrian chessboard and as power projection goes, they see Russia comfortably settling down, with a serious land and air base, to conduct all sorts of operations across MENA (Middle East-Northern Africa) in the near future. The Pentagon obviously never saw it coming.

And that’s just the beginning. Further on down the road there’s bound to be increased military interaction between Russia, China and Iran across Southwest Asia. The Pentagon qualifies Russia, China and Iran – the key nodes of Eurasia integration – as threats.

Russia getting deeper into Syria – and in the long run MENA – progresses just as Moscow insists on dealing with assorted NATO members as «partners» in the war against ISIS/ISIL/Daesh. Some stab Moscow in the back, like Turkey. Some may share sensitive military intel, like France. Some may profess the desire to collaborate, like Britain. And some are a geyser of ambiguity, like the US.

Amidst all the ambiguities, «partners» could not be a more delightfully diplomatic way to mask what is a stunning fact in the skies: with its current mix of sophisticated surface-to-air, sea-to-air and air-to-air defenses, from cruise missiles launched out of submarines to the S-400s, the de facto no-fly zone over Syria is now decided by Moscow – not Washington and much less Ankara.

Pick your coalition

Those S-400s, by the way, will soon move up north around the vastly complex Aleppo theatre, as the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) progressively gains ground.

In the first half of 2016 we should be contemplating a situation where the S-400s will be targeting and covering the whole Turkish-Syrian border. This will be the moment when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will completely lose his marbles. Russia’s air cover for the SAA advances – and soon Syrian Kurd YPG advances – is methodically preparing the terrain for the end of all Ankara’s elaborate plans for a no-fly zone disguised as a «safe zone», fully paid by the 3 billion euros disbursed by the EU to Turkey to settle Syrian refugees.

So the logic in the battlefield from now on is clear; the Turkmen – Ankara’s fifth column, heavily infiltrated by Turkish Islamo-fascists – are being pushed back to Turkish territory, all across the spectrum. And the YPG will soon have a chance to unite all three Syrian Kurdish cantons across the border.

When that happens, call it, in a nutshell, the victory of one coalition – the «4+1» (Russia, Syria, Iran, Iraq plus Hezbollah) – against another (the pared-down NATO-GCC combo) in this surrealist war of two different coalitions against ISIS/ISIL/Daesh.

And every Full Spectrum Dominance practitioner not blinded by ideology will clearly see why the «4+1» is winning; it’s a graphic case of a small but highly motivated and perfectly streamlined air force positioned in the right place with the right weapons and counting on good ground intel. The US-led coalition, which I chose to call Coalition of the Dodgy Opportunists (CDO) have none of the above.

Team Mediocrity in action

Washington is in a quagmire of its own making. And virtually everything has to do with the astonishing mediocrity of the Obama administration’s so-called «senior» foreign policy team.

Team Obama always neglected Erdogan’s love affair with Jabhat al-Nusra, a.k.a. al-Qaeda in Syria, as Ankara allowed their Jihad Express through the Turkish-Syrian border. And Team Obama always neglected ISIS/ISIL/Daesh’s Stolen Syrian Oil Express flowing via a huge, easily satellite-detectable fleet of truck tankers.

Team Obama was incapable of decoding NATO ally Turkey’s sleazy, slippery agenda; and in that they were hostages of Full Spectrum Dominance, as for the Pentagon Ankara is the proverbial «anchor of stability» and the key Full Spectrum Dominance pawn in the region.

Thus Team Obama’s inability/incompetence in smashing those oil tanker convoys; Ankara’s feathers could not be possibly ruffled.

Team Obama always neglected how Riyadh and Doha, directly, and then via «private donors» – coordinated by the notorious Bandar Bush in person – financed both al-Nusra and Daesh.

Instead, Team Obama rode the merry weaponizing of al-Nusra and Ahrar ash-Sham, via the CIA’s supplies to the Free Syrian Army (FSA); all those weapons were captured by al-Nusra and Ahrar ash-Sham. Team Obama, never surrendering to their own myopia, duly branded al-Nusra & co. «moderate rebels».

Team Obama always derided Iran as a «hostile» nation, a «threat» to the GCC vassals and Israel. So everyone allied or supported by Tehran was also «hostile» or a «threat»: the government in Damascus, Hezbollah, Iraqi Shi’ite militias trained by Iran, even the Houthis in Yemen.

And to top it off, there’s «Russian aggression», manifested in Ukraine, and then with Moscow «interfering» in Syria, via what was interpreted by Team Obama as a crude power play in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Amidst all the current shadow play, the true test of the Obama administration’s intentions is whether the US coalition will really fight Daesh, al-Nusra and Ahrar ash-Sham (which harbors a lot of jihadists from Chechnya, Dagestan and Uzbekistan), with no reservations.

This would imply Team Obama telling both Ankara and Riyadh, in no uncertain terms, to back off. No more Jihad Express. And no more weaponizing. Without these red lines, the Syrian «peace process» juggling between Vienna and New York does not even qualify as a joke.

No one should be holding their breath. As no one should be reasonably expecting that an astonishing mediocre, lame duck Team Obama would have the balls to confront Wahhabism as the true ideological matrix of all strands of Salafi jihadism, «moderate rebels» included.

Which brings us back to all that angst simmering across the Beltway. With or without Team Obama, the fact remains: no conquered – or at least balkanized – Syria, no Full Spectrum Dominance.

vina · Post by **vina** » 18 Dec 2015 11:12

Amidst all the ambiguities, «partners» could not be a more delightfully diplomatic way to mask what is a stunning fact in the skies: with its current mix of sophisticated surface-to-air, sea-to-air and air-to-air defenses, from cruise missiles launched out of submarines to the S-400s, the de facto no-fly zone over Syria is now decided by Moscow – not Washington and much less Ankara.

Awwrighty.. TSJ, time to whip da 6 shooter out of da holster and hose out few rounds at 'em Injuns eh ? I mean, where are the Patriots , and are they gonna shoot across the border into Syria now !

Like I said earlier, this Erdogan == Musharraf.. Tactically brilliant and strategically ultra stupid. Now the Russians have effectively kicked him out of Syria, kicking their proxies in the gonads, and isolated Turkey from NATO and letting him stew in his own juices and are holding all the cards, all this for the loss of one 1970s SU-24 and one pilot / navigator!

Erdogan is stuck in a s*it creek without a paddle.

Shreeman · Post by **Shreeman** » 18 Dec 2015 11:19

Dont get your panties in a bunch because it takes time to steam to the med. In the next 3-4 weeks things will be back to square 1. Moscow cant put down more than the 50ish birds, of mixed parentage and age, in syria. And all the excess munitions will have been expended. The moderates and rebels will suddenly enlighten themselves towards the new year.

TSJones · Post by **TSJones** » 18 Dec 2015 11:23

UlanBatori wrote:And "licking the ***** in a certain ******" (Putin's words, not mine!) of such stellar intellects as Ted "Duh!" Cruz.

it would indeed be nice if putin would have ****** (your words) Cruz, but actually it was the DONALD (Trump).

http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/17/politics/ ... tin-trump/

Putin knows Trump adores flattery and validation cause Big T was born a spoiled rich kid.

Cruz is far more dangerous and his ambition knows no bounds and is willing to cloak himself in sincerity unlike the deliberately poseur Trump. read T's book the Art of the Deal.

Satya_anveshi · Post by **Satya_anveshi** » 18 Dec 2015 11:25

“Turkey used to violate Syrian airspace all the time,” Putin told reporters Thursday. “Let them try and fly there now” that Russia’s most advanced air-defense system is covering the whole country, he said.

link

TSJones · Post by **TSJones** » 18 Dec 2015 11:31

^^^^it covers most of Syria but not all of it.

Satya_anveshi · Post by **Satya_anveshi** » 18 Dec 2015 11:33

err...let's get the facts right on who ****** whom first:

this is from Oct1st:

Trump compared President Obama unfavorably to the Russian president. "I will tell you, in terms of leadership, he's getting an 'A,' and our president is not doing so well," Trump added. "They did not look good together."

link

uploaded Oct 4th:
Trump: Putin is a strong, tough and respected leader and he's making Obama look bad
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCnDBh6Lb4w

TSJones · Post by **TSJones** » 18 Dec 2015 11:35

meanwhile, down range.....

http://www.defense.gov/News-Article-Vie ... syria-iraq

SOUTHWEST ASIA, December 17, 2015 — U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Attack, bomber and remotely piloted aircraft conducted seven strikes in Syria:

-- Near Raqqah, three strikes struck an ISIL financial building, an ISIL headquarters building and an ISIL training camp.

-- Near Hawl, one strike destroyed an ISIL artillery piece.

-- Near Manbij, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed four ISIL fighting positions and two ISIL bunkers.

-- Near Mara, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and damaged an ISIL fighting position.

Strikes in Iraq

Attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 11 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:

-- Near Fallujah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL sniper position, an ISIL tunnel, two ISIL heavy machine guns and an ISIL rocket-propelled grenade and wounded an ISIL fighter.

-- Near Hit, one strike destroyed an ISIL homemade explosives cache.

-- Near Kirkuk, one strike destroyed an ISIL excavator.

-- Near Mosul, two strikes struck multiple large ISIL tactical units and three suicide bombers and destroyed 12 ISIL machine guns, 13 ISIL fighting positions, six ISIL vehicles and an ISIL vehicle bomb.

-- Near Ramadi, four strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL machine gun, three ISIL fighting positions, five ISIL buildings, three ISIL staging areas and an ISIL vehicle bomb.

-- Near Sinjar, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed three ISIL fighting positions and an ISIL machine gun.

TSJones · Post by **TSJones** » 18 Dec 2015 11:47

vina wrote:
Amidst all the ambiguities, «partners» could not be a more delightfully diplomatic way to mask what is a stunning fact in the skies: with its current mix of sophisticated surface-to-air, sea-to-air and air-to-air defenses, from cruise missiles launched out of submarines to the S-400s, the de facto no-fly zone over Syria is now decided by Moscow – not Washington and much less Ankara.
Awwrighty.. TSJ, time to whip da 6 shooter out of da holster and hose out few rounds at 'em Injuns eh ? I mean, where are the Patriots , and are they gonna shoot across the border into Syria now !

Like I said earlier, this Erdogan == Musharraf.. Tactically brilliant and strategically ultra stupid. Now the Russians have effectively kicked him out of Syria, kicking their proxies in the gonads, and isolated Turkey from NATO and letting him stew in his own juices and are holding all the cards, all this for the loss of one 1970s SU-24 and one pilot / navigator!

Erdogan is stuck in a s*it creek without a paddle.

if we need the Patriots we can get them there in one week. no problem.

and yes we are bombing Syria, Raqqah ISIL headquarters and other spots.

go ahead take a shot, just dare you try it. I know my guys are READY. they wouldn't be there if they weren't ready.

and you know what? Vlad won't dare either. No way.

vishvak · Post by **vishvak** » 18 Dec 2015 11:58

Actually many Patriot systems were taken away from borders of Turkey because it was not Syria or Iraq transporting oil/weapons across border, enforcing unilateral no fly zones, letting turkmen run riot in Syria, and so on and on. Except Spain (IIRC) many countries including USA, Germany have been removing the system because the EU can see how disgusting the NATO member Turkey has been at the border.

It will indeed be sad day for Syrians and Iraqis if Russians can't keep up the tempo of operations, let alone decrease strength. The powers who forced ISIL/nusra will be left untouched then.

vina · Post by **vina** » 18 Dec 2015 12:35

TSJones wrote: Vlad won't dare either. No way.

Vlad aint Mad! But, your NATO "Ali" Erdogan sure is just about as predictable as a mad dawg! Vlad is rational. But dang! The straight tawkin and straight shootin Uncle Sam is now playin a game of Chikkin with Vlad! Aint Unca Sam shoots first and tawks later ? What a come down.

TSJones wrote:if we need the Patriots we can get them there in one week. no problem.

and yes we are bombing Syria, Raqqah ISIL headquarters and other spots.

go ahead take a shot, just dare you try it. I know my guys are READY.

There. Exactly what I meant when I said Vlad is playin Chess and Obama is the Pigeon.

Now you guys go around kicking the major pieces of your proxies (Soddies and the rest of the GCC) , while Vlad and the Iranians clean up the pawns and the major pieces of your NATO Ali , and who is standing after cleaning up the pawns and major pieces ? Russia's and Iran's proxy, Bashar Al-Assad! Thats who.

Not that the US didn't realise it and hence the pitiful whine fest of asking for Bashar's removal, but then then end game is forced on you , like what a good chess player does to his opponent. Now, up the ante , or play Pigeon and knock over your own colour pawns and pieces.

habal · Post by **habal** » 18 Dec 2015 12:37

Shreeman wrote:Dont get your panties in a bunch because it takes time to steam to the med. In the next 3-4 weeks things will be back to square 1. Moscow cant put down more than the 50ish birds, of mixed parentage and age, in syria. And all the excess munitions will have been expended. The moderates and rebels will suddenly enlighten themselves towards the new year.

mmm .. right now there are 90. With more coming after T3 and Kuweiris fully operational.

TSJones wrote:and yes we are bombing Syria, Raqqah ISIL headquarters and other spots

there is no video footage of US striking Raqqa or ISIL headquarters.
CNN uses Russian footage on bombing oil tankers and passes it off as US footage.

habal · Post by **habal** » 18 Dec 2015 13:10

some powerful propaganda from Syria ..
most successful combination in Syria has been hezbollah infantry with Syrian Army's 4th division (mechanized). Former consists solely of Lebanese Shii and latter is predominantly Syrian Sunni.

It seems this is not a Shia-Sunni war as the west would like us to believe. There is a Alawite-Sunni division in Hama, Idlib, & obviously Raqqa. But it doesn't seem to exist in Aleppo Sunnis.

From Qusayr to Aleppo: the Syrian Army’s 4th Division and Hezbollah remain undefeated
BY LEITH FADEL ON DECEMBER 18, 2015

Hezbollah’s infantry is arguably one of the best military units operating inside Syria; and when you amalgamate them with the experienced tank battalions from the Syrian Arab Army’s 4th Mechanized Division, they become an omnipotent force on the ground.

In fact, there has not been a battle in this war that the Syrian Arab Army’s 4th Mechanized Division and Hezbollah have failed to win together.

From the al-Qusayr battle (May 2013) to the massive Qalamoun Mountain offensive (December 2013 and June 2015), these two forces have proven extremely effective when fighting next to one another.

When Hezbollah was transferred to the southern Aleppo front after their victory at the strategic border-city of al-Zabadani, they were joined by the same soldiers from the Syrian Arab Army’s 4th Mechanized Division that fought side-by-side with them.

While it is rare to see the SAA’s 4th Division and Hezbollah conversing during brief breaks from battle, they share a common respect for one another that is evident on the battlefield.

The SAA’s 154th Brigade (4th Mechanized Division) is predominately made-up of Sunni soldiers from the Aleppo Governorate; meanwhile, Hezbollah is made-up of solely Lebanese Shi’i, but the religious differences don’t seem to matter – on the battlefield, they are one cohesive unit.

Yes, the west’s nightmare comes to reality: Shi’i, Sunni, and Alawi Muslims fighting together with the Druze, Ismaeli, and Christians against Gulf-backed Islamists.

If you were to say that this heterogeneous force was only made up of Syrians, Lebanese, Iraqis, and Iranians, you would be surprised to see the hundreds of Palestinians from Liwaa al-Quds (Jerusalem Brigade) fighting side-by-side with them.

Regardless of their religious affiliation or ethnic group, these men all share one common goal: victory.

http://www.almasdarnews.com/article/hez ... ry-arrive/

Altair · Post by **Altair** » 18 Dec 2015 13:43

Just to point to something here.
India just confirmed to buy out rightly 5 S-400 Systems at a whopping 6 Billion US Dollars. from Mother Russia
This is an acknowledgment of the threat matrix India faces today.
I think the speedy acquisition process may have taken into account the current situation in ME.

habal · Post by **habal** » 18 Dec 2015 14:18

TSJones wrote: go ahead take a shot, just dare you try it. I know my guys are READY. they wouldn't be there if they weren't ready.

and you know what? Vlad won't dare either. No way.

Since mid-2014 the Pentagon has run all manner of war games – as many as 16 times, under different scenarios – pitting NATO against Russia. All scenarios were favorable to NATO. All simulations yielded the same victor: Russia.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/you-want-w ... ar/5496090

NATO's Trident Juncture 2015 maneuvers, described as its “most ambitious exercise in over a decade” were intended to send President Putin a strong message; instead, it turned a fiasco, “virtually unreported by US media, but noticed in the European and Russian press”, according to Peter Vincent Pry, an expert in National and Homeland Security.
“If the United States gets into a war under the leadership of Team Obama, we will lose,” Pry stated critically in his article for The Washington Times.

Bhurishrava · Post by **Bhurishrava** » 18 Dec 2015 14:28

rsingh wrote:
The Soviets/Russia had some remarkable diplomats,Ignatieff,Semyenov,Gromyko,Dobrynin,Primakov,Polyakov,Rogozin, to name a few. Russian diplomats and ambassadors are not given to hyperventilating and hurling abuse like some infamous US ones.Mad Bright for instance..."India has shot itself in the foot".,after P-2. Then we've had the unofficial Paki ambassador to the US,
Dobrynin and Gromyko nothing to compare. But Primakov was useless. he wanted to bring Russia into NATO. Always drunk. But you forgot very best Soviet Union ever produced : Molotov. he was the only person who shook hand with Stalin,hitler,churchil and Roosvelt (perhaps gandhi as well).

Dunno where you got your info about Primakov but you will do well to check some facts here. Thanks. BTW, Putin wanted to join NATO.

http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2 ... -putin-has

Bhurishrava · Post by **Bhurishrava** » 18 Dec 2015 14:32

Trump: Putin is a strong, tough and respected leader and he's making Obama look bad.

Hmmm. Its the fire-eaters of Washington who, by declaring Obama as a pigeon and weak etc, are making him look bad. In US you look good and are strong only when you lie about WMDs, destroy a weak indefensible state and heap misery on its people.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 18 Dec 2015 14:44

Philip saar's fav sub passing through bosporus northbound after unloading 3m14 off syria coast

habal · Post by **habal** » 18 Dec 2015 15:05

Read somewhere that climate in DC and SD is so adverse Russia, that anybody who risks going against the prevailing group think stands the risk of being demoted or isolated. No wonder then that Joker-on-tour tends to be so frequently dismissed by official spokesperson in WH as soon as he issues a statements that may be interpreted as even mild rapprochement.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 18 Dec 2015 15:16

Philip saar's fav sub passing through bosporus northbound after unloading 3m14 off syria coast

Wow! That is some zoom lens and some photo! A nuclear sub in the pond just off one's house...

Ted Cruz is America's Idi Amin. Wrong color, same content between ears.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 18 Dec 2015 15:17

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZsz22pXwiA

the TOS seems very effective in pounding hilltops and forests. something that a use-case for us. we should attempt to develop our own or license its warhead for use on our stallion 4x4 trucks in large volumes.

member_22733 · Post by **member_22733** » 18 Dec 2015 15:21

I just clicked on those pics of NoLund/Kerry langoor gang's meeting with Putin.

They just seem to have completely lost the plot and you can read it off their faces. Either that or there must have been a massive khujli in each of the unkil representative's mush right before each shot was clicked.

These are the clowns that decide which two bit country unkil is gonna destroy next and these are the kind of clowns that make me want to support every two bit country that wants to acquire nukes to do so.

Shanmukh · Post by **Shanmukh** » 18 Dec 2015 15:28

Guys - Turkey won't want to push too hard on the Shia-Sunni thing. There are ~10-15% of Turkish Shias & Alevis (some are Kurdish, but some are not) in Turkey itself. Getting not only the Kurds angry, but also the Alevis would be a monumentally stupid thing for even Erdogan to do. And you never know when the ISIS might head back to Turkey itself, if they completely lose Syria. Wonder what those coffee sipping memsahibs of Constantinople will say then .....

habal · Post by **habal** » 18 Dec 2015 15:54

We need to drop the habit of calling every country assaulted by USA as 'two bit'. It is like pouring scorn on the victim of assault. Question that needs to be asked is why does every two bit president of USA behave worse than his predecessor. They keep a civilian kill count and each one needs to outdo the previous.

Christians celebrating Christmas holiday season in Syria.
As per certain worthies, there were no Christians left in Syria.

damascus

hama

homs

qamishli

photos from beautiful damascus

old damascus

Putin used crude language. boohoohoo

AJE News @AJENews
"Somebody in the Turkish leadership decided to lick the Americans in one place" http://aje.io/35s2
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Issam Zahreddine @ Deir Ez zor airbase

Iranian TOW (toophan) @ Aleppo
BGM-71 copy

FSA who defected back to SAA @ quneitra