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

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 01:23
by UlanBatori
Balaclava Time in Ukraine.
Its the most..... blunderful time.... Of the Year!
Time for Mariupol to join Russian Federation, nyet?

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

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 01:24
by Satya_anveshi
Pigeon had no other choice other than to poop...in real chess parlance pigeon was in strategic 'zugzwang'....he cannot make any move that will not result in a huge loss (and thus the game).

Provoked in Ukraine...Russia *did not* occupy but simply took the most valued / prized/ historically relevant/ politically ambiguous/industrially developed Crimea. With Europe guaranteeing Minks deal, US lost option to further escalate.

Sanctions on Russia and counter sanctions by Russia were affecting Europe without having any negative effect on US and therefore dividing US- EU down the middle.

Syria, upon which all other projects (Iraq, Kurdistan, Libya, Iran etc) were hinged was negated by Russia. Whether to own up or give up; whether to own up or give up GCC mischiefs, whether to send boots on ground or not to send; whether to focus on Iraq or to Syria; What started as usual suddenly became complex and now they have to deal with resurgent Russia, proactive China, and alert (but still vulnerable) India.

Entire terrorism narrative has backfired. No one is buying US/UK lies anymore.

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

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 03:22
by Satya_anveshi
Recommended read in full <not to be taken as an endorsement of all articles on the website>.

How the West Creates Terrorism - By Andre Vltchek on Counterpunch.org
Terrorism has many forms and many faces, but the most terrible of them is cold cruelty.

We are asked to believe that terrorists consist of dirty lunatics, running around with bombs, machine guns and explosive belts. That’s how we are told to imagine them.

Many of them are bearded; almost all are “foreign looking”, non-white, non-Western. In summary they are wife beaters, child rapists and Greek and Roman statue destroyers.

Actually, during the Cold War, there were some white looking “terrorists” – the left-wingers belonging to several revolutionary cells, in Italy and elsewhere in Europe. But only now we are learning that the terrorist acts attributed to them were actually committed by the Empire, by several European right-wing governments and intelligence services. You remember, the NATO countries were blowing up those trains inside the tunnels, or bombing entire train stations…

It “had to be done”, in order to discredit the Left, just to make sure that people would not become so irresponsible as to vote for the Communists or true Socialists.

There were also several Latin American ‘terror’ groups – the revolutionary movements fighting for freedom and against oppression, mainly against Western colonialism. They had to be contained, liquidated, and if they held power, overthrown.

But terrorists became really popular in the West only after the Soviet Union and the Communist Block were destroyed through thousands of economic, military and propaganda means, and the West suddenly felt too exposed, so alone without anyone to fight. Somehow it felt that it needed to justify its monstrous oppressive acts in Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia.

It needed a new “mighty”, really mighty, enemy to rationalize its astronomical military and intelligence budgets. It was not good enough to face a few hundred ‘freaks’ somewhere inside the Colombian jungle or in Northern Ireland or Corsica. There had to be something really huge, something matching that ‘evil’ Soviet “threat”.

Oh how missed that threat was, suddenly! Just a threat of course; not the danger of egalitarian and internationalist ideals…

And so the West linked terrorism with Islam, which is one of the greatest cultures on earth, with 1.6 billion followers. Islam is big and mighty enough, to scare the shit out of the middle class housewives in some Western suburb! And on top of that, it had to be contained anyway, as it was essentially too socialist and too peaceful.

At that time in history, all great secular and socialist leaders of Muslim countries, (like in Iran, Indonesia and Egypt), were overthrown by the West, their legacy spat on, or they were simply banned.

But that was not enough for the West!

In order to make Islam a worthy enemy, the Empire had to first radicalize and pervert countless Muslim movements and organizations, then create the new ones, consequently training, arming and financing them, so they could really look frightening enough.

There is of course one more important reason why “terrorism”, particularly Muslim “terrorism”, is so essential for the survival of Western doctrines, exceptionalism and global dictatorship: it justifies the West’s notion of absolute cultural and moral superiority.

This is how it works:

For centuries, the West has been behaving like a mad bloodthirsty monster. Despite the self-glorifying propaganda being spread by Western media outlets all over the world, it was becoming common knowledge that the Empire was raping, murdering and plundering in virtually all corners of the Globe. A few more decades and the world would see the West exclusively as a sinister and toxic disease. Such a scenario had to be prevented by all means!

And so the ideologues and propagandists of the Empire came up with a new and brilliant formula: Let’s create something that looks and behaves even worse than we do, and then we could trumpet that we are still actually the most reasonable and tolerant culture on earth!

And let’s make a real pirouette: let’s fight our own creation – let’s fight it in the name of freedom and democracy!”

This is how the new generation; the new breed of “terrorist” was born. And it lives! It is alive and well! It is multiplying like Capek’s Salamanders.

***

Western terrorism is not really discussed, although its most extreme and violent forms are battering the world relentlessly and have for a long time, with hundreds of millions of victims piling up everywhere.

Even the legionnaires and gladiators of the Empire, like the Mujaheddin, Al-Qaida, or ISIS, can never come close to the savagery that has been demonstrated time and again by their British, French, Belgian, German or US masters. Of course they are trying very hard to match their gurus and bread-givers, but they are just not capable of their violence and brutality.

It takes “Western culture” to butcher some 10 million people in just one single geographic area, in almost one go!

***

So what is real terrorism, and how could ISIS and others follow its lead? They say that ISIS is decapitating their victims. Bad enough. But who is their teacher?

For centuries, the empires of Europe were murdering, torturing, raping and mutilating people on all continents of the world. Those who were not doing so directly, were “investing” into colonialist expeditions, or sending its people to join genocidal battalions.

King Leopold II and his cohorts managed to exterminate around 10 million people of Western and Central Africa, in what is now known as the Congo. He was hunting people down like animals, forcing them to work on his rubber plantations. If he thought that they were not filling up his coffers fast enough, he did not hesitate to chop off their hands, or burn entire village populations inside their huts, alive.

10 million victims vanished. 10 million! And it did not take place in some distant past, in the “dark ages”, but in the 20th century, under the rule of so-called constitutional monarchy, and self-proclaimed democracy. How does it compare with the terrorism that is ruling over the territories occupied by ISIS? Let’s compare numbers and brutality level!

And the Democratic Republic of Congo has, since 1995, lost again close to 10 million people in a horrid orgy of terror, unleashed by the West’s proxies, Rwanda and Uganda (see the trailer to my film “Rwanda Gambit”).

Germans performed holocausts in South-Western Africa, in what is now Namibia. The Herero tribe was exterminated, or at least close to 90% of it was. People were first kicked out from their land and from their homes, and driven into the desert. If they survived, the German pre-Nazi expeditions followed, using bullets and other forms of mass killing. Medical experiments on humans were performed, to prove the superiority of the Germanic nation and the white race.

These were just innocent civilians; people whose only crime was that they were not white, and were sitting on land occupied and violated by the Europeans.

The Taliban never came close to this, or even ISIS!

To this day, the Namibian government is demanding the return of countless heads severed from its people: heads that were cut off and then sent to the University of Freiburg and several hospitals in Berlin, for medical experiments.

Just imagine, ISIS chopping thousands of European heads, in order to perform medical experiments aiming to demonstrate the superiority of the Arab race. It would be absolutely unthinkable!

Local people were terrorized in virtually all colonies grabbed by Europe, something that I have described in detail in my latest 840-page book “Exposing Lies of the Empire”.

What about the Brits and their famines, which they were using as population control and intimidation tactics in India! In Bengal at least 5 million died in 1943 alone, 5.5 million in 1876-78, 5 million in 1896-97, to name just a few terrorist acts committed by the British Empire against a defenseless population forced to live under its horrid and oppressive terrorist regime!

What I have mentioned above are just 3 short chapters from the long history of Western terrorism. An entire encyclopedia could be compiled on the topic.

But all this sits far from Western consciousness. European and North American masses prefer not to know anything about the past and the present. As far as they are concerned, they rule the world because they are free, bright and hard working. Not because for centuries their countries have plundered and murdered, and above all terrorized the world forcing it into submission.

The elites know everything, of course. And the more they know, the more they put that knowledge to work.

Terrorist trade and experience are passed on from Western masters to their new Muslim recruits.

The Mujahideen, Al-Qaida, ISIS – on closer examination, their tactics of intimidation and terrorization are not original at all. They are built on imperialist and colonialist practices of the West.

News about this, or even about the terror that has been inflicted on the Planet by the West, is meticulously censored. You would never see them on the programs broadcast by the BBC, or read about them in mainstream newspapers and magazines.

On the other hand, the violence and ruthlessness of the client terrorist organizations are constantly highlighted. They are covered in their tiniest detail, repeated, and “analyzed”.

Everybody is furious, horrified! The UN is “deeply concerned”, Western governments are “outraged”, and the Western public “has had enough – it does not want immigrants from those terrible countries that are breeding terrorism and violence”.

The West “simply has to get involved”. And here comes the War on Terror.

It is a war against the West’s own Frankenstein. It is a war that is never meant to be won. Because if it is won, god forbid, there would have to be peace, and peace means cutting defense budgets and also dealing with the real problems of our Planet.

Peace would mean the West looking at its own past. It would mean thinking about justice and rearranging the entire power structures of the Planet. And that can never be allowed.

And so the West is “playing” war games; it is “fighting” its own recruits (or pretending to fight them), while innocent people are dying.

No part of the world, except the West, would be able to invent and unleash something so vile and barbaric as ISIS or Al-Nusra!

Look closer at the strategy of these group-implants: it has no roots in Muslim culture whatsoever. But it is fully inspired by the Western philosophy of colonialist terrorism: “If you don’t fully embrace our dogmas and religion, then we will cut off your head, slash your throat, rape your entire family or burn your village or city to the ground. We will destroy your grand cultural heritage as we did in South America 500 years ago, and in so many other places.”

And so on and so on! It would really require great discipline not to see the connections!

***

In 2006 I was visiting my friend, a former President of Indonesia, and a great progressive Muslim leader, Abdurrahman Wahid, (known in Indonesia as “Gus Dur”). Our meeting was held at the headquarters of his massive Muslim body Nahdlatul Ulama (NU). At that time the NU was the biggest Muslim organization in the world.

We were discussing capitalism and how it was destroying and corrupting Indonesia. Gus Dur was a “closet socialist”, and that was one of the main reasons why the servile pro-Western Indonesian “elites” and the military deposed him out of the Presidency in 2001.

When we touched on the topic of “terrorism”, he suddenly declared in his typically soft, hardly audible voice: “I know who blew up the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta. It was done by our own intelligence services, in order to justify the increase in their budget, as well as aid that they have been receiving from abroad.”

Of course, the Indonesian army, intelligence services and police consist of a special breed of humans. For several decades, since 1965, they have been brutally terrorizing their own population, when the pro-Western coup toppled the progressive President Sukarno and brought to power a fascist military clique, backed by the predominantly Christian business gang. This terror took between 2-3 million lives in Indonesia itself, as well as in East Timor and (until now) in occupied and thoroughly plundered Papua.

3 genocides in only 5 decades!

The Indonesian coup was one of the greatest terrorist acts in the history of mankind. The rivers were clogged with corpses and changed their color to red.

Why? So that capitalism would survive and Western mining companies could have their booty, at the expense of a completely ruined Indonesian nation. So the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI) would not be able to win elections, democratically.

But in the West, those 1965 intensive massacres planned by the Empire were never described as “terrorism”. Blowing up a hotel or a pub always is however, especially if they are frequented by Western clientele.

Now Indonesia has its own groups of “terrorists”. They returned from Afghanistan where they fought on behalf of the West against the Soviet Union. They are returning from the Middle East now. The recent attacks in Jakarta could be just a foreplay, a well-planned beginning of something much bigger, maybe an opening of the new “front” of toy soldiers of the Empire in Southeast Asia.

For the West and its planners – the more chaos the better.

Had Abdurrahman Wahid been allowed to stay as the President of Indonesia, there would, most likely, have been no terrorism. His country would have undergone socialist reforms, instituted social justice, rehabilitated Communists and embraced secularism.

In socially balanced societies, terrorism does not thrive.

That would be unacceptable to the Empire. That would mean – back to Sukarno’s day! The most populous Muslim nation on earth cannot be allowed to go its own way, to aim for socialism, and to annihilate terrorist cells.

It has to be at the edge. It has to be ready to be used as a pawn. It has to be scared and scary! And so it is.

***

The games the West is playing are complex and elaborate. They are murky and nihilist. They are so destructive and brutal that even the sharpest analysts are often questioning their own eyes and judgments: “Could all this be really happening?”

The brief answer is: “Yes it can. Yes it is, for many long decades and centuries.”

Historically, terrorism { along with lying and equivocation } is a native Western weapon. It was utilized freely by people like Lloyd George, a British PM, who refused to sign the agreement banning aerial bombardment of civilians, using unshakeable British logic: “We reserve the right to bomb those niggers.” Or Winston Churchill who was in favor of gassing the ‘lower grade’ of races, like Kurds and Arabs.

That is why, when some outsider, a country like Russia, gets involved, launching its genuine war against terrorist groups, the entire West is consumed by panic. Russia is spoiling their entire game! It is ruining a beautifully crafted neo-colonialist equilibrium.

Just look how lovely everything is: after killing hundreds of millions all over the Globe, the West is now standing as the self-proclaimed champion of human rights and freedom. It is still terrorizing the world, plundering it, fully controlling it – but it is being accepted as the supreme leader, a benevolent advisor, and the only trustworthy part of the world.

And almost nobody is laughing.

Because everyone is scared!

Its brutal legions in the Middle East and Africa are destabilizing entire countries, their origins are easily traceable, but almost no one is daring to do such tracing. Some of those who have tried – died.

The more frightening these invented, manufactured and implanted terrorist monsters, the more beautiful the West looks. It is all gimmicks. It has roots in advertisement, and in hundreds of years of propaganda apparatus.

The West then pretends to fight those deep forces of darkness. It uses powerful, “righteous” language, which has clear bases in Christian fundamentalist dogma.

An entire mythology is unleashed; it feels like Wagner’s “Ring”.

The terrorists represent evil, not the enormous expenditure from the coffers of the US State Department, the European Union and NATO. They are more evil than the Devil himself!

And the West, riding on the white horse, slightly pissed on wine but always in good humor, is portrayed as both a victim and the main adversary of those satanic terrorist groups.

It is one incredible show. It is one terrible farce. Look underneath the horseman’s mask: look at those exposed teeth; that deadly grin! Look at his red eyes, full of greed, lust and cruelty.

And let us never forget: colonialism and imperialism are two most deadly forms of terrorism. And these are still the two main weapons of that horseman who is choking the world!

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

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 06:55
by member_29325
Provoked in Ukraine...Russia *did not* occupy but simply took the most valued / prized/ historically relevant/ politically ambiguous/industrially developed Crimea. With Europe guaranteeing Minks deal, US lost option to further escalate.
Anveshiji, that does not sounds right. The escalation is now happening in the land border between Ukraine and Crimea. The Ukraine nazis and the islamofascists are working together to draw Russia into a fight by terrorising the pro-russia citizens in East Ukraine. Events are still fluid, and turkey is getting uppity because it thinks it has nothing to lose by provoking Russia in Crimea. Turdogan has employed ISIS scum to operate in Ukraine with the willing cooperation of the Ukraine govt. Neither state thinks it has anything to lose by provoking russia...but they will found out if that is true or not soon.


Counterpunch is usually off the deep end in terms of hyperbole -- even in the above article, some parts of it are just plain loopy, though some parts make sense.

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

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 07:10
by UlanBatori
History of Deir Ez Zor.. lots of ghosts there... (Wikipedia)
The Deir ez-Zor camps were concentration camps[1] in the heart of the Syrian desert where many thousands of Armenian refugees were forced into death marches during the Armenian Genocide. The United States vice-consul in Aleppo, Jesse B. Jackson, estimated that Armenian refugees, as far east as Deir ez-Zor and south of Damascus, numbered 150,000, all of whom were virtually destitute.[2]..Those Armenians who survived during the genocide in 1915-1916 were driven onward in two directions – either toward Damascus, or along the Euphrates to Deir ez-Zor. During the early period of massacres, 30,000 Armenians were encamped in various camps outside the town of Deir ez-Zor. They were under the protection of the Arab governor Ali Suad Bey until the Ottoman authorities decided to replace him with Zeki Bey, who was known for his cruelty and barbarity.[3] When the refugees, including women and children, reached Deir ez-Zor, they cooked grass, ate dead birds,[4] and although there was a cave near the Deir ez-Zor for prisoners to store until they starved, no "camp" seems ever to have been planned for the Armenians.[5]

According to Minority Rights Group,

"Those who survived the long journey south were herded into huge open-air concentration camps, the grimmest of which was Deir-ez-Zor... where they were starved and killed by sadistic guards. A small number escaped through the secret protection of friendly Arabs from villages in Northern Syria".[6]

According to Christopher J. Walker, "'Deportation' was just a euphemism for mass murder. No provision was made for their journey or exile, and unless they could bribe their guards, they were forbidden in almost all cases food and water." Those who survived landed up between Jerablus and Deir ez-Zor, "a vast and horrific open-air concentration camp".[7]..In the village of Margadeh (88 km from Deir ez-Zor), there is an Armenian chapel dedicated to those massacred there during the genocide, that "houses some of the bones of the dead".[8] Lebanese and Syrians make pilgrimages to this memorial organized by the Armenian Apostolic Church of Aleppo.[9]

On October 20, 2008 Australian Federal Shadow Minister for Finance, Competition Policy and Deregulation and member of the Australian House of Representatives Hon. Joe Hockey remarked,

Over the next [to 1915] three years, the Turkish government ordered the deportation of the remaining Armenian people in the Ottoman Empire to concentration camps in the desert between Jerablus and Deir ez-Zor. They were marched through the country on foot in a hard and cruel journey. Women and children were forced to walk over mountains and through deserts. These people were frequently stripped naked and abused. They were given insufficient food and water, and hundreds of thousands of Armenian people died along the way.[10]

Nouritza Matossian wrote for Armenian Voice,

Last month I visited the desert of Deir-ez-Zor in the killing fields, caves and rivers where a million Armenians perished. I was shown a piece of land that keeps subsiding. It is called the Place of the Armenians. So many thousands of bodies were buried there that the ground has been sinking for the last 80 years. Human thigh bones and ribs come to the surface.[11]

"For Armenians, Der Zor has come to have a meaning approximate to Auschwitz", wrote Peter Balakian in The New York Times. "Each, in different ways, an epicenter of death and a systematic process of mass-killing; each a symbolic place, an epigrammatic name on a dark map. Der Zor is a term that sticks with you, or sticks on you, like a burr or thorn: “r” “z” “or” — hard, sawing, knifelike".[12]

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

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 07:35
by member_29325
A group called The Young Turks were the perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide, and what is astonishing is how the Turks behave exactly like the paki scum -- no remorse for the genocide, and in fact the Cenk Uygurs deny that there was ever such a genocide. In recent times, a despicable lowlife Turkish-American called Cenk Uygur actually has a TV program called The Young Turks on youtube and mocks this genocide (show is based in LA). Armenians telling him that this is the equivalent of a variety show called "The Nazis", but Cenk is a very paki piece of work..could easily be a 400% paki if you did not know he was a turk.

Cenk Uygur

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

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 07:41
by Satya_anveshi
Wotsissain wrote:Anveshiji, that does not sounds right. The escalation is now happening in the land border between Ukraine and Crimea. The Ukraine nazis and the islamofascists are working together to draw Russia into a fight by terrorising the pro-russia citizens in East Ukraine.
Ukraine before Syria was meant to be a distraction for (or bargaining chip against) Russia to not mess in Syria without any western promise that they will trade one for the other. It was just an option and a tactical play from western pov.

Not for nothing that McCain was super confident that Russia will not join the fight. But when it did everything went for a toss and Obama had to take umbrage in pigeon chess.

Now that Russia acted in self interest (and thus against western interests) and Syria is still at the negotiating table, the bargaining chip (ukraine) is getting heated up again. Russia knows it and therefore delaying Minks implementation from its side.

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

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 07:46
by deejay
The collapse of Neo Ottoman’s dream in northern Syria - an opinion piece on Al Masdar news site. The article deals with the impacts due to the fall of Salma and Rabia and the impact on Errdogun's dream.

http://www.almasdarnews.com/article/the ... ern-syria/
Written by Zen Adra

Since the outbreak of Syria’s uprising in March 2011, Turkey’s Erdogan has identified himself as the godfather of the Muslim Brotherhood-led movement in the southern neighboring country.

Whether the man has unexpectedly and treacherously turned against the Syrian president for religious and ideological considerations, or was it one of Assad’s deadly flaws in foreign policy is now an outdated matter.

In all cases, Erdogan’s schemes are none but the Neo Ottomans’, aiming at reviving the glories of the deceased Ottoman Empire just before it was disintegrated by Western powers during the WWI.

To do so, Turkey had to be directly and foully involved in southern Syria through arming, training and facilitating the access of thousands of foreign fighters into Syria’s territories. Turkey founded Jaysh al-Fateh (Army of Conquest), led by the Syrian al-Qaeda branch Jabhet al-Nusra, which took control of large swathes of Idlib province last summer.

Economic warfare was not less virulent. Aleppo, Syria’s economic capital and a pivotal Middle Eastern commercial and industrial hub has for long haunted Turkish industrialists and manufacturers. The 12000 year-old city was literally looted and ravaged by Turkish-run gangs. Some areas close to the Turkish borders are now using the Turkish Lira as the official currency.

The Syrian far northern coastal mountains, where the Turkmen-inhabited and ultra-Sunni villages are mostly located, have served as fertile grounds to carry on the schemes. The towns of Salma, Rabia and Kansabba have been the hotbed of anti-Assad insurgents for more than 3 years.

Turkey already occupies Hatay province (Liwaa Iskenderun) since 1939 during the French mandate.

This pro-Turkish front (Northern Latakia, Idlib and Northern Aleppo), was meant to block the Kurds from forming their own state along Syria-Turkey borders; a dream that has been for long seen as an unquestionable threat to Turkey’s national security.

It [the Front] was also supposed to be the platform on which an alleged Turkish-sponsored ‘buffer zone’ made possible.

Today, the rebels’ last real stronghold in northern Latakia fell to the Syrian Army (backed by Russian airstrikes), who is now inches closer to Jisr al-Shoghour, the city which has been captured by Jaysh al-Fateh on May 2015.

The decisive role played by Russian active jetfighters in assisting Syrian ground troops making such a remarkable progress cannot go unnoticed. For many, the matter has far gone beyond backing up an old ally to fighting its own war.

Perhaps the downing of Russian SU-24 last November by Turkish jetfighters has practically backfired in a way that Turkey can no longer protect its proxies, nor is it capable anymore of maintaining its fantasies.

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

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 07:58
by deejay
An analysis on the terrorists / rebels situation after the losses in Salma and Rabia

http://www.almasdarnews.com/article/reb ... -to-idlib/
The recent capture of Salma and Al-Rabi’yah by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has been devastating for the Islamist rebels of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and Jabhat Al-Nusra (Syrian Al-Qaeda group) in northern Latakia; however, these losses are far more stressful for the Jaysh Al-Fateh (Army of Conquest) militias in the Idlib Governorate who now have to deal with the pro-government forces possessing the high ground from nearby Jabal Al-Akrad (Kurdish Mountains).

Following the rebel loss of Salma in early January; it became only a matter of time before the Syrian Armed Forces turned their attention to the long-standing Free Syrian Army stronghold of Al-Rabi’yah in Jabal Al-Turkmen (Turkmen Mountains).

Unwilling to yield any territory to the Syrian Armed Forces, the Islamist rebels launched two counter-offensives this week to recapture villages around the strategic town of Al-Rabi’yah and the Turkish border-crossing near Jabal Al-Zahiyah (Zahiyah Mountains); these counter-assaults were all repelled by the Syrian Armed Forces and they resulted in a high casualty count for the Free Syrian Army and Jabhat Al-Nusra.

In reality, the Islamist rebel forces did not have the firepower and manpower needed to defeat the Syrian Arab Army and their allies during these subsequent offensives in Jabal Al-Turkmen.

Then, like a game of dominoes, over 20 villages fell to the Syrian Arab Army’s 103rd Brigade of the Republican Guard and their allies in only 72 hours around Al-Rabi’yah.

Surrounded from three flanks, the Islamist rebels in Al-Rabi’yah were no match for the Syrian Armed Forces and the Russian Air Force, as they quickly retreated after a short battle on Sunday morning.

Without Al-Rabi’yah and Salma, the Islamist rebels are left with only two heavily fortified villages in Jabal Al-Akrad: Kinsibba and Kabani.

It is only a matter of time before Jabal Al-Turkmen is completely captured by the Syrian Armed Forces; and by the looks of it, the Islamist rebels are about to isolated at both mountain ranges.

The military situation for the Islamist rebels in Idlib is becoming even more critical, as they are surrounded at three different different borders: Hama, Aleppo, and Latakia.

Should the Syrian Arab Army and their allies decide to push for Jisr Al-Shughour, Hezbollah and Harakat Al-Nujaba could surprise Jaysh Al-Fateh with an assault near the rebel stronghold of Saraqib.

The massive gains made by Jaysh Al-Fateh in the summer could ultimately be reversed this winter if they do not find a way to marginalize the Russian airstrikes and the Syrian Army’s advances.

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

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 08:00
by deejay
Fresh news on Tochka deliveries:

http://www.almasdarnews.com/article/al- ... in-salqin/
Al-Nusra and Ahrar ash-Sham have been engaged in an inter-terrorist war amongst each for the control of Salqin in Idlib province. The town is located near the border with Turkey.
The two respective terrorist groups after a week of battling decided to meet in the center of the town to resolve the issue.
With the groups meeting, they arrived with their SUV’s and other heavy vehicles and equipment. Russian intelligence were well aware of the meeting that was to take place and launched 2 ballistic missiles that hit the gathering area.
It has been reported that over 20 of the terrorists from both groups were killed, with a further 30+ injured. Most of the heavy vehicles were also destroyed.

Since the Russian intervention in Syria on September 30, the Syrian Arab Army have made rapid gains and have almost completely liberated neighboring Latakia province. This has opened a path for the Syrian Arab Army to push into the Army of Conquest stronghold of Idlib province, that was taken over by the coalition in a rapid invasion that began in Turkey on March 2015. The Army of Conquest are an axis of terrorist groups comprising mostly of Al-Qaeda affiliate, the Al-Nusra Front, along with their allies in Ahrar ash-Sham and the Free Syrian Army.
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Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 09:34
by Singha
some photos and descriptions are here, not for the faint of heart
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... itler.html

the euphrates between jarablous and deir azzor was the killing ground of the armenians by sadistic turks and some arab collaborators.

the article says hitler drew inspiration from this effort for his later plans on the jews and romany people.

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

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 09:46
by Austin
Unusual T-72 tanks of the Syrian Arab

http://bmpd.livejournal.com/1697820.html


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

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 10:21
by Satya_anveshi
No bomb found on diverted Turkish Airlines flight from Texas - Jan 24, 2015
A Turkish Airlines flight from Houston, Texas, diverted to Shannon, Ireland, on Sunday was found to have no explosive devices on board and would take off to İstanbul soon, a spokesman for the flag carrier said.

The plane, bound for Turkey's largest city, was diverted after a piece of paper with "bomb" written on it was discovered in the toilet, a spokesman for Turkish Airlines said.
Turkish Airlines has been targeted with a series of hoax bomb warnings over the last year.

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

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 10:29
by Satya_anveshi
Turdogan coins new term - Academic Terrorism

A declaration from a group of Turkish academics on Jan. 10 called on the Turkish government to move to end the violence in the Southeast, given that nearly 200 civilians have been killed in the region since July of last year. Over 4,000 academics signed the declaration, which was closed for signatures last Wednesday.

The declaration, whose signatories include famous academics such as David Harvey, Immanuel Wallerstein and Noam Chomksy, was read in Turkish and Kurdish at press conferences in İstanbul and Ankara on Monday.

The group of scholars, called Academicians for Peace { along the lines of doctors sans frontieres :roll: } , stated that it will not be party to the massacre continuing in the Southeast. They also claimed Turkey is violating international treaties it has previously committed to.

Erdoğan earlier accused the academics of backing the terrorist PKK with their declaration. According to the president, the academics' stance has nothing to do with criticism but is encouraging the spread of terrorist propaganda.

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

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 10:38
by Philip
The Turks are suffering more devastating losses economically in their spat with Russia.Tourism,trade,etc.,qnnual losses estimated at $15B! In addition,who wants to travel to Turkey now barring ISIS recruits? From the pasting they're getting ,we've reports of a "backflow" into Turkey of wiser ISIS sympathisers who want to live and fight perhaps another day.

Shouldn't this be relabeled as "Sand Dune Sheikhs" instead? :rotfl:
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016 ... ts-records
'Sandhurst sheikhs': calls to stop training cadets from Gulf states with bad rights records
Lib Dems urge action after MoD figures show rise in revenues from Gulf states that imposed repressive measures after Arab spring

Sandhurst was paid £3.6m for 85 overseas officer cadets last year, not all from Gulf states.
Nicholas Watt Chief political correspondent
Friday 22 January 2016

Britain’s elite Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst is being paid £4.2m this year to train 105 overseas military officer cadets, many of whom come from Gulf states whose human rights records are regularly condemned, according to official figures.

The government is facing calls to stop training “Sandhurst sheikhs” who return home to Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to put into practice military techniques learned in Britain.


Tim Farron, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, spoke out after figures released by the Ministry of Defence showed an increase in revenues from a number of Gulf states despite the imposition of repressive measures in response to the Arab spring.

Sandhurst has seen a trebling in the numbers of cadet officers and revenue from Bahrain after the uprising of 2011, focused on the Pearl roundabout, against the regime of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. The kingdom of Bahrain sent 14 cadets to Sandhurst this year at a cost of £472,000 – up from five cadets, at a cost of £162,000, in the year before the uprising. Hamad underwent military training in the UK.

The figures from the MoD, released in answer to a parliamentary question from the Lib Dems, show strong interest from other Gulf states in Sandhurst, which trained three reigning monarchs from the region – King Abdullah of Jordan; the Sultan of Oman, Qaboos bin Said al-Said; and Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, the Emir of Qatar. Other notable Sandhurst graduates include the Duke of Cambridge, Prince Harry, Winston Churchill and Katie Hopkins.

Sandhurst was paid £3.6m for 85 overseas officer cadets last year, not all from Gulf states.

The MoD figures show:
• Payments to train officer cadets from the United Arab Emirates have increased in the past year by nearly 50% – up from £364,000 to £519,000 – to train 10 cadets. Human Rights Watch says that the UAE uses its affluence to mask serious human rights problems, including the alleged use of torture by security forces.

• Oman has sent nine cadets, at a cost of £349,000 – up from £277,000 last year to train six cadets.

• Saudi Arabia, which has faced criticism for the recent execution of the Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, has three cadets training at Sandhurst at a cost of £54,000. This is up from none the year before.

• Kuwait, which has been criticised by Human Rights Watch for stifling free speech, has two cadets at Sandhurst at a modest £3,000.

• There are 11 cadets from Qatar, which has faced less criticism for its human rights record, at a cost of £261,000 – up from three the year before.

Farron said: “These Sandhurst sheikhs are sitting in our military academies, learning from our best and then taking these things back to regimes that repress their population and trample all over human rights. People will look at this and think why are we selling weapons to Saudi, training Bahrainis and then sitting there while they oppress their population.


“Shared military training with our allies is a fantastic resource, but it is time to stand up for the values we talk about so much – democracy and human rights. British forces provide some of the best military training in the world, but the privilege to train with our top class troops should be reserved to those foreign armed forces who share our values and our strict adherence to humanitarian law in combat. I believe we need to end to the training of overseas royals from regimes with terrible human rights records at Sandhurst.” :mrgreen:

Lord Howe, the defence minister, defended the Sandhurst scheme on the grounds that it exposes overseas officer cadets to British standards of training. :rotfl: Howe added that the fees are paid by a combination of the officer cadets’ home country and UK grants.

He said: “Defence has a long and proud tradition of training overseas military and civilian personnel at its training establishments throughout the UK and this is an essential ingredient of defence engagement. These courses expose international partners to UK policy, and promote concepts of accountability, human rights and transparency. They are important in building skills which enable other countries to deal appropriately with their own internal problems, thereby contributing to regional security. The courses are paid for by a combination of self and UK funding.”

Amnesty International has said of Bahrain’s record on human rights: “The government continued to stifle and punish dissent and to curtail freedoms of expression, association and assembly. Security forces used excessive force to disperse protests, killing at least two people. Opposition activists sentenced after unfair trials in previous years continued to be held, including prisoners of conscience. Torture of detainees continued and a climate of impunity prevailed. Twenty-one Bahrainis convicted on terrorism charges were stripped of their nationality. The courts sentenced five people to death; there were no executions.”

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

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 11:16
by habal
this man is truly modern day incarnation of Leonidas. And the men fighting for him are modern day spartans in Syrian uniform. this man leads from the front. his soldiers would die for him anytime, he cares for his people, 104th is an incredible elite force and they keep training tons of sunni local militia and the 137th brigade.

Gen Zahredinne @ Deir ez Zor
watch from 9:00 mins onwards

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

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 11:17
by habal
wonder when was the last time an american general actually fired a bullet and did something similarly noteworthy coming remotely close to bravery.

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

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 11:22
by deejay
News updates from two different fronts in Syria. Just posting the links for brevity.

http://www.almasdarnews.com/article/syr ... -damascus/

http://www.almasdarnews.com/article/com ... r-ezzor-2/

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

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 11:22
by habal
In Memoriam: Syrian Fighters Pay Tribute to Deceased Russian Su-24 Pilot

Several fighters of the Syrian militia involved in the offensive in the north of Latakia wore T-shirts with a portrait of Russian Lieutenant Colonel Oleg Peshkov, the pilot of the Su-24 bomber downed by the Turkish Air Force in November

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160 ... oriam.html

“Some of our boys involved in fighting in the north of Latakia wore T-shirts with a portrait of Lieutenant Colonel Oleg Peshkov. In memory of the heroic commander who died right here (to the north of Latakia) when Su-24 was shot down,” the commander of the militia said.

The commander did not specify where the fighters purchased the T-shirts with the portrait of the Russian pilot, but he noted that he supports the initiative of his subordinates.

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

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 11:49
by Singha
a half dozen jihadi formations seem to be fighting one another in north aleppo , in parallel with fighting ISIS, and fighting the SAA and the YPG!

can anyone explain the reason for this free for all ?

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

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 12:01
by habal
Syrian Army encircles the high grounds occupied by terrorists and establishes fire control. From thereon all the terrorists can do is to escape or die fighting. The results are just too quick for comfort for the terror sponsors.

Syrian Army Liberates Some 45 Square Miles in Latakia Province in Two Days
Syrian Armed Forces supported by popular militias liberated some 120 square kilometers (46 square miles) of the country's northwestern province of Latakia in two days, Syrian army said in a statement on Sunday

DAMASCUS (Sputnik) — The statement said that a large number of terrorists were destroyed, with others fleeing toward the Syrian border with Turkey.

"Syrian Arab army in cooperation with militias gained control over 120 kilometers of Latakia province's territory in the last two days," the statement said.

One of the major terrorist strongholds in the region, located in the town of Rabia. had been mopped up, the statement added.
Syrian victory in Latakia clearing the province of Nusrats has clearly unnerved USA.

US Threatens to Use Force in Syria as 'Western Coalition is Falling Apart'

The Pentagon is "clearly frustrated by the lack of support from its Western coalition," with the US government threatening to resolve the Syrian crisis militarily, German newspaper Deutsche Wirtschafts Nachrichten (DWN) wrote

http://sputniknews.com/us/20160124/1033 ... syria.html

Earlier, US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter called for a stronger involvement of the members of the international coalition against Daesh terrorists, German newspaper Deutsche Wirtschafts Nachrichten (DWN) reported, referring to Carter's interview with CNBC.

According to Carter, many coalition members show insufficient commitment to the fight against terrorism in Syria. The US could do much by itself, but is also expecting other members of the 65-state alliance to do "their part," the politician stressed.

Normally, the US refers to the coalition as an example of the determination to fight against jihadists. But lately Washington has been frustrated by the insufficient efforts of Turkey to enhance its border controls as well as inaction of several Arab states, which — although members of the coalition — contribute nothing to the current coalition's activities in Syria, the newspaper wrote.

"The United States is clearly unhappy with Turkey and the coalition," DWN noted.

According to US Vice President Joe Biden, a political solution to the conflict in Syria would be better, but in case it fails, the US is prepared to resolve the crisis using military means.

"We do know it would better if we can reach a political solution but we are prepared… If that's not possible, to have a military to this operation in taking out Daesh," Biden said.

The first step Americans plan to undertake is to build an air base in the northeast of Syria. US special forces and experts would expand an agricultural airport in the city of Rmeilan in Hasakeh province so that they could land helicopters and cargo planes to deliver equipment and ammunition to the Kurds, a source in the Syrian army told AFP on Saturday.

This move, if unauthorized by the official Syrian government, could constitute a clear violation of international law, DWN wrote. According to the newspaper, the whole US-led military operation has not been approved by the country's authorities and can be considered as a violation of Syria's sovereignty.

"However, the main reason for Washington’s nervousness lies more likely in Russia’s success in the Latakia region, rather than in the inaction of its allies. Russians have an effective alliance with Syria, Iran and Iraq: in particular, they have managed to return the Syrian army its power," the German newspaper concluded.

street fighting at Sheikh Miskeen



Erdogan is in panic over Russian engineers presence in Syria-Turkey border

He is seeking Joe Bidens advice :rotfl:

http://southfront.org/erdogan-is-in-pan ... ey-border/
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is worried over the alleged presence of Russian engineers near the country’s Syrian border amid rising tensions between the two countries.

On Friday, over the alleged presence of Russian inspectors at a Syrian airport near the Turkish border Erdogan told reporters: “We have said this from the beginning: we won’t tolerate such formations along the area stretching from the Iraqi border up to the Mediterranean.”

Turkish President also said that he planned to discuss the matter with US Vice President Joe Biden on January 23.

It was reported earlier that Turkey has dug defense trenches and increased security forces along its Syrian border though Moscow repeatedly stated that its goal wast to combat terrorists in Syria.

Turkish president did not address underlying cause for his panic which was Ankara’s downing of a Russian fighter jet in Syrian airspace and that incident lead Russia to deploy S-400 air defense system in Latakia base of Syria. Russia also deployed warships to the Mediterranean to defend any potential threat.

They thought that we would turn tail and run. No, Russia not that country,” last month Russian President Vladimir Putin said pointing to Turkey . “We have increased our presence in Syria, have increased the number of combat aircraft deployed there. There was no Russian air defense system there – now there’s the S-400,” he added. “If before, Turkey had constantly violated Syrian airspace, let them try it now,” Putin declared.

Since YPG has proven to be one of the most efficient forces against the terrorists, Turkish president Erdogan continuously defaming that militant group as terrorist organization. Some analysts suggested that Erdogan, by defaming YPG, had been trying to save his ISIL business partners. Moscow has already pushed for YPG inclusion in Syrian peace talks but Turkey has refused.

Regarding YPG, Erdogan also told the reporters that there was no difference between PYD, YPG, PKK or Daesh. He said, “We will discuss this with Biden tomorrow.”

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

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 12:18
by habal
Due maybe to the recent losses, or maybe due to reduced funds and weaponry, or maybe due to pressure from external forces (Geneva talks?), the terrorists are starting some severe infighting in Syria, some are very bloody fights. Good news for Syria though.

Idlib Province: Salqin village - Al Nusrats vs Ahrar Sham
Damascus Province: Dumayr city - Jaish Islam (Saudi backed) vs Jaish Tahrir Sham (FSA)
Daraa Province: Jaish Yarmouk (FSA) vs Haraket Al Muthna (Al-Nusra)
Aleppo Province: several stop & go fights between SDF (USA backed rebel group) and Nusrats and other hard core islamists near Azaz.

https://twitter.com/sayed_ridha/status/ ... 9831202817
https://twitter.com/sayed_ridha/status/ ... 2483289088
https://twitter.com/sayed_ridha/status/ ... 2178882561

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

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 12:29
by habal
Turkey encircled

- The Russians are teaching the Turks a painful lesson.

- all of the Russian air defence systems being installed in different places including Latakia, Kuweires and now Qamishli make Syria a no go zone for the Turks but also limit certain things they can do inside their own airspace. Qamishli also covers part of Iraq's air space.

- Syria has defeated Turkey, thanks to Russia.

- Turkey's dreams of being a "Neo-Ottoman" empire are over whilst Turks, a divided nation, fight with each other e.g Alevis v Sunnis, secularists v religious, Kurds v Turks etc.

All of Turkey's neighbours will be secretly laughing at the Russian humiliation of Turkey including Greece, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Armenia, Iraq, Iran, Syria even Egypt and Libya further afield. The only states that like the Turks in their neighbourhood are the Georgians and Azeris, but even the Azeris have some underlying issues with them.

So net net
after 5 years:

- Turkey
- Saudi
- Qatar

lose

Syria wins.

As the Syrians end up finishing what remains of the rebels and heading towards a decisive victory in a half a decade war, some other salient points.

- Russia has shown that a new world order has been established where red lines of american activity have been drawn, the americans can only go so far.

- The americans have been humiliated by the Russian led Sino-Russian-Iran-Syria axis and in life everyone viz *well fickle superficial people which is most of humanity* likes the strong, a "winner", and dumps the "loser"

- The Syria war was just a platform to the real target which was always Iran but now Iran is doing deals left, right and centre. Iran knows the way Libya(Gaddafi)-West reconciliation went. Gaddafi thought he could share power with western power centres. But little does he know their ways. Sauron doesn't share power.

*$600 billion trade deal with China.
* Trade deal with Thailand.
* Oil deal with India in which only Iranian and Indian currencies will be used, i.e. no dollar.
*The Iranian economy is set to grow at 8% soon for every year in the next couple of years, which is huge growth. Iran will become globally more powerful than a country like Italy or Spain, the 4th and 5th biggest economies in the EU.

- The EU is in tatters with many people openly speaking of its potential end in the next few years.

- Border controls are being re-established in the EU e.g. Austria thus cancelling one of the most fundamental purposes of the EU, complete freedom of movement as inside one country.

- The Saudis have fought for around 11 months and not yet set foot in Sana'a.
There is talk of the king, Salman, quitting his post and handing power to his beloved youngest son the wild and reckless mohammad ibn Salman.

If he does that, what happens between Salman and his relations with his far more senior (in terms of age and experience) uncles?

The Saudis will be too busy with their own internal problems rather than worry about Syria, especially considering everyone now knows the Syrians have won the war.

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

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 12:34
by habal
US corporates and global media giants helping terrorists in Syria

On the Turkish border with Syria in Latakia & Aleppo.

The main terrorist camps are inside Syria and no more then 500 mts from the Turkish border (the map below where the cross is positioned shows a quite large terrorist training camp). What is amazing but it is not new in this conflict, fabricated clouds are on top of the terrorists camps in the wikimapia and google earth, it is there on purpose for sure, it has happened inside terrorist positions in Aleppo city for 2-3 years, this is the US governments doing with the help of google and wikimapia. Corporate America helping the war efforts, they are intentionally hiding the camps to public view and questioning, which shows how deep is the intricate relationship of NATO-Turkey-Terrorists is inside Syria. Satellites can spot it but it is not for public view....and Syria has access to it now from Russia's sats and drones.

http://wikimapia.org/#lang=pt&lat=35.84 ... 8&z=15&m=b

Here you can see the same spot by sat image, the camp size and how close to the Turkish border crossing and new roads built by the terrorists and Turks.

https://twitter.com/Ald_Aba/status/690585272774455296

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

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 14:24
by Y. Kanan
Satya_anveshi wrote:What started as usual suddenly became complex and now they have to deal with resurgent Russia, proactive China, and alert (but still vulnerable) India.
Alert? Really? Based on our handling of Afghanistan I see no evidence of Indian political establishment showing any more strategic planning or foresight than they ever have in the past.
Entire terrorism narrative has backfired. No one is buying US/UK lies anymore.

US sponsored terrorism and militancy are still potent threats to India and will only grow if the US-GCC cabal is allowed to "win" in Syria. As I've said many times, Central Asia and India are next. How Afghanistan turns out in the next few years will be very revealing.

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

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 14:54
by Singha
TOW launches also seem to have tailed off.

the reason could be what a dead irani general noted in his diary before he was shot dead in a ambush. he recommended fast moving teams of motorcyle borne scouts to sweep the area ahead of any armour and locate and try to fight at close range the TOW shooters......apparently use in salma also. so no more easy pickings now.

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

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 15:52
by habal
balaclava clad vodka carriers@salma

Image

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

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 16:58
by UlanBatori
TOW launches also seem to have tailed off.
Look at all the armored vehicles - both sides. They have incorporated a complete outer shell made of gridwork. I think this is to minimize impact of RPGs and maybe even TOWs.

If the full explosion occurs outside the actual tank/APC armor, the occupants have some hope of survival.

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

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 17:00
by UlanBatori
habal wrote:balaclava clad vodka carriers@salma
Hmm! At what point will Comrade Putin succumb to the temptation to land 500 vodka carriers BEHIND ISIS lines I wonder. Going straight at the supply depots and underground C^3 posts.

With attack helicopters and drones based nearby. That could lead to a rout. But will also cause losses among the vodka carriers.

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

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 21:34
by Singha
from Kueweires airbase a foray to reach the euphrates 20km away and link up with arab tribes/YPG @ tishreen dam would cut the ISIS logistical route to turkey

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

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 21:41
by Singha
word on RT is ISIS has lost out in latakia/idlib/aleppo(were always a fringe presence there) and is making a determined push on dier azzor using 2000 storm troopers

https://www.rt.com/news/330085-syria-ru ... ir-ez-zor/

backfires continuing the lords work...they need to be based in syria or atleast in western iran to be really effective

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

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 21:43
by Singha
Минобороны России ✔ @mod_russia
#SYRIA According to Syrian patriotic opposition and Baghdad Info Center,up to 2000 militants with armored vehicles deployed near Deir ez-Zor
10:19 PM - 25 Jan 2016

"Russian Tu-22M3 long-range bombers carried out 18 sorties against Daesh forces deployed in the vicinity of Deir ez-Zor from January 22 until January 24," Rudskoy said.

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160 ... z3yHGR89bC

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

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 22:06
by deejay
Updates on ISIS and their art of burrowing:

https://www.rt.com/news/330083-tabqa-dam-crisis-isis/
Under pressure from airstrikes, Islamic State in Syria has partially retreated to a strategic safe haven. Its fighters are said to be holed up at Syria's Tabqa Dam, the country’s largest, with senior IS commanders using civilian hostages as a human shield.

Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) militants are using the dam as secure shelter because bombing it would create a flood risk to countless settlements on the banks of Euphrates River in eastern Syria and Iraq.

The Tabqa Dam controls the flow of the Euphrates River into south-eastern Syria and northern Iraq. It is located 40km upstream from Islamic State’s self-proclaimed capital of Raqqa.

The huge 60-meter high, 4.5km-long facility was constructed in 1968-1973 with financial and technical aid from the Soviet Union. Construction of the dam created Lake Assad, the country's largest reservoir.

Islamic State is reportedly keeping hostages and sheltering its senior commanders inside the facility.

US Defense Secretary Ash Carter has promised to assist local forces in recapturing cities occupied by terrorists, starting with IS’s self-proclaimed capital of Raqqa, and also Mosul, the largest city controlled by the terror group in Iraq.

But chasing the terrorists out of the Raqqa area could have consequences.

Officials and analysts fear that IS could blow up the dam if they lose their grip on the territory, which would cause devastating damage.

Journalist and commentator on the Middle East Adel Darwish told RT that the destruction of the Tabqa Dam is dangerous not only because of a flood, but also because large number of people living in eastern Syria would be cut off from their electricity supply.

Because a large number of civilian hostages are being held at the facility, it cannot be liberated with a military operation or by bombing, Darwish pointed out. “Unlike other terrorist groups, Islamic State likes holding onto territory and loss of a primary infrastructure facility would mean a defeat for them.”

“Most probably they are bluffing that they would go and blow up the dam. However, they are not something we’ve experienced in any other war, so we cannot really guess what their next move is,” Darwish said.

A similar situation was looming in Iraq in 2013 when IS seized control of Mosul Dam, which saddles the Tigris River near the city of Mosul - Iraq’s third largest city, which also remains under IS control.

The US State Department estimated that in the event that Mosul Dam was damaged, a flood would kill as many as 500,000 people living downstream and would leave over a million people homeless.

But 16 months ago Iraqi and Kurdish forces knocked the jihadists out of the facility and have continued to keep the dam safe, preventing the strategic facility from being re-captured.

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

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 22:13
by deejay
Why are nukes the new flavour in Britain?

https://www.rt.com/uk/330063-isis-nuclear-weapons-poll/
ISIS threat makes nuclear weapons more popular, poll reveals

Maintaining Britain’s arsenal of nuclear weapons has won greater public support in the last year in response to the rise of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL), pollster Orb International claims.

In a study commissioned by the Independent newspaper and published on Monday, researchers claim “the rise of ISIS and an increase in the security threat back home may well have turned the tide a little.”

The poll also shows a Britain narrowly split on the issue of Trident nuclear missiles, with a 1 percent majority backing full renewal. The majority of Scots, meanwhile, are firmly against such a move.

Fifty-one percent of those polled back renewal, while 49 percent are against renewal or favor non-nuclear armed submarines.

Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn’s claim that submarines could continue to patrol without Trident warheads on-board won the support of 29 percent.

Twenty percent of the 2,000 people polled opposed renewal entirely.
On Thursday, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said nuclear weapons are vital to offset the threat of terrorism.

“Daesh [Islamic State] are a terrorist organization but we can’t rule out the possibility that a state in the future might slip nuclear weapons to a non-state actor,” Fallon told the Times.

“We needed [the nuclear deterrent] in the Cold War but we need it even more now in a more unpredictable and dangerous world … we cannot be sure where the nuclear threats will materialize in the 2030s, 2040s and 2050s.”

Dismissing lifelong anti-nuclear activist Jeremy Corbyn’s call to keep the submarines but scrap their weapons, Fallon warned such patrols would be pointless.

“If Labour maintains this position, they are clearly a threat to national security. It means we would be less safe under a Labour government. It is extremely dangerous. It is like making imitation rifles,” he said.

However, anti-nuclear feeling is by no means the sole preserve of the anti-war movement in the UK.

In an interview with RT’s Going Underground in July 2015, retired general Patrick Cordingley said: “From a military point of view we don’t need nuclear weapons, it’s got absolutely no military value at all.”

Debate about the efficacy of nuclear weapons in modern strategy, as well as their associated risks, is also increasingly being aired on the international stage.

Indian minister of state for defense, Rao Inderjit Singh, warned in May 2015 that IS could acquire a nuclear weapon through Pakistan.

“With the rise of ISIS in West Asia, one is afraid to an extent that perhaps they might get access to a nuclear arsenal from states like Pakistan,” he told Bloomberg.


Questions remain about the usefulness of nuclear weapons in fighting international terrorism, though in December 2015 Russian President Vladimir Putin also pointed out his country’s new missiles could carry both nuclear and conventional warheads.

“Naturally, we do not need that in fighting terrorists, and I hope we will never need it,” he said.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov later talked down any suggestion that the weapons would be used against targets in Iraq or Syria, AP reports.

“There is no need to use any nuclear weapons against terrorists, as they can be defeated through conventional means,” said Lavrov.

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

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 22:14
by deejay
X Posting to the right thread :)
Singha wrote:Al bab the key logistic node of north aleppo within sigh now

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CZgUVTHWQAEXasS.jpg:large

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

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 23:22
by TSJones
Image

me likey the snazzy muzzle cover...... :) seriously, who cares what people think? you see the enemy, don't even bother removing the cover, just smoke 'em.... :D

also helps camouflage the tank and deflect tow missiles.....Supreme Pigeon's Forces of Islamofascism are in deep trouble. Love taps cannot resist such muzzle covers. Macho Pigeon's Anti Terrorist Forces of Stability will prevail no doubt.....

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

Posted: 26 Jan 2016 00:09
by Shreeman
el regime de novo por roos -- http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35385445

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

Posted: 26 Jan 2016 00:29
by member_29325
Putin's response to claims of US/UK " "It's simply rubbish. They just picked all of it out of someone's nose and smeared it across their little papers."

:D

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

Posted: 26 Jan 2016 03:04
by UlanBatori
Deir ez Zor seems to be going the Shomali Plain way as long as the weather holds.

"Target-rich environment".

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

Posted: 26 Jan 2016 05:53
by habal
RUSSIAN AIR FORCE DESTROYS LARGEST ISIS CAMP IN EAST HAMA

"... On Saturday evening in the Hama Governorate’s eastern countryside, the Russian Air Force struck two of the largest ISIS military camps near the Al-Raqqa Governorate border, destroying these sites after conducting a half dozen airstrikes.

According to a military source from the Syrian Arab Air Force, the Russian airstrikes caused a massive explosion inside the ISIS stronghold of Aqayrbat in the Al-Salamiyah District of east Hama; this attack reportedly struck a missile depot inside the terrorist camp [lovely photo]
The massive explosions from the city of Aqayrbat could be heard as far west as Al-Salamiyah and as far south as the Al-Sha’ar Mountains (Jabal Al-Sha’ar) in the Homs Governorate ..."