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

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 13 Dec 2015 12:20

Newsflash! UBCN update on US/NATO Cowalition AirStrikes on 400% Pure ISIS targets

At 06:00 hours Dec. 14, 12 F/A-18 Hornets from the USS Stonewall Jackson, and 6 Rafales from the Charles De Gaulle screamed off the decks on full afterburner, carrying a deadly load of air-to-surface missiles, JDAMs and other armaments. They struck 36 ISIS targets. Damage report follows:
1. 6 coffee mugs labeled "CIA" were dropped and broken.
2. 2 prayer mats were soiled.
3. 5 windows were broken in downtown Raqqa by the sonic booms.
4. One hospital marked "HOSPITAL: Medicins Sans Frontieres" was hit and seen to be in flames.
5. 12 pairs of military boots were recovered from the strike victims.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 13 Dec 2015 12:28

I guess they are focussing on north latakia to starve and isolate as much as feasible of the big green pocket south and west of aleppo whose supply line runs through latakia.

but for that they need to capture more routes that go through jisr-al-shugour and idlib....long way to go because its mountain country and progress is hill by hill.....control the main roads and automatically the flow of supply and heavy weapons becomes way more difficult.

deejay · Post by **deejay** » 13 Dec 2015 12:46

^^^ They have some key targets in mind in the grand scheme of things in the Idlib - Aleppo - Latakia advances:

Peto Lucem ‏@PetoLucem now15 hours ago
Recent #SAA advances in southern #Aleppo enable access to several crucial objectives (highlighted red). #Syria

deejay · Post by **deejay** » 13 Dec 2015 12:55

Interesting view on the games of Syria:

http://mebriefing.com/?p=2089

The “Grand Game” in Syria: How Assad and ISIL are Used

The record of President Obama’s “legacy” will be clear of involving the US in a major war in the Middle East. But this should not be a reason for self-contentment among his aids. Everyone understands that the President’s refusal to engage in the regional crisis earlier will leave some heavy bills to pay for the next administration. And the only way to pay those bills is to get heavily engaged sometime in the future. The President’s policy of avoiding serious engagement today will lead to very serious engagement tomorrow. When you soak a house with gasoline, you cannot claim that you did not set the fire even if you did not light the match that caused it. Mr. Obama did not soak the house in gasoline, but he did not stop others from soaking it when he could. He did not do a thing. After all, it was “hands off”.
The President simply helped create all the ingredients of a war under the pretext of avoiding a war. Mr. Obama can be happy with his legacy. He did not light the match. But who really believes that the President’s hands-off policies did not push the region to an almost unsolvable crisis. And indeed it is unsolvable now, except through long term military confrontation which will involve the US (It already started to do) in a larger scale tomorrow. As manifested on the ground, the President’s policies left the US no other choice. Unless Secretary’s Kerry’s efforts succeed, the most likely scenario emerging from the current dynamics on the ground is the continuation of the military confrontation with varying levels of intensity and increasing number of countries getting into the ring. One can do a lot by doing nothing, and often the road to war starts from saying loudly that one is unwilling to fight.
And in all appreciation to the Secretary’s uphill journey, his chances of success are diminishing fast.

Let us examine these dynamics on the ground.

Mr. Putin, who moved himself from being almost irrelevant to being relevant, thanks to Mr. Obama who moved himself from being relevant to being almost irrelevant, has changed his mind after entering Syria with a small powerful army. Now, Putin the Conqueror wants Assad to remain for always, while previously he hinted to several interlocutors that he is willing to “rethink Assad’s future” if there is a political deal that preserves the Syrian state.

How and why Mr. Putin changed his mind?

It all happened during his visit to Tehran November 23. Khamenei’s foreign policy advisor Ali Akbar Velayati described Putin’s visit as “the most important in the history of the Islamic Republic of Iran”. “President Putin agreed that no agreement on Syria would occur without coordinating with Iran”, he said. In December 7, Velayati was more explicit. “President Assad is considered a red line for the Islamic Republic of Iran. He is elected by his people”, he said.

Why Putin forfeits his decision on Assad to Tehran? Two reasons: 1-The alliance between the two countries is much wider than only Syria and it is becoming a major element in Russia’s West and Central Asia strategy and its natural gas policies. 2-Putin did not fully endorse the idea of Assad’s departure before. He always left room to maneuver his position differently. Now, with his forces already in Syria, he believes that his position has improved beyond the point of sacrificing Assad.
Iran, in its part, believes that Assad is very useful the way he is. First, he gives foreign intervention the legitimacy required to abort any legal challenge based on international norms and laws. Second, he is too weak to prevent the Iranians from spreading their control inside the Syrian State structure even if he is not totally happy about that.
What started as a credible promise to negotiate the fate of Assad at one point down the road to a diplomatic solution has turned to “No”, “Assad has the right to run in the elections after the proposed transitional period”, Putin said. Well, half the Syrians are refugees somewhere. Who will vote? And how the vote will be held in areas without even the minimum governance requirements? And since when criminals of war are allowed to run in elections to rule over their victims for a longer time? This is exactly the point. Those living in Assad’s Syria only would vote. The result is known under the slogan already raised in Damascus for years now: “Assad For Ever” or “Al Assad Ela Al Abad” as his loyalists sing it.
Putin told the French President that Assad will not go. He also told President Obama in the Climate Summit that Assad will remain. All this follows the pressure that Kerry placed on the Arabs and the Turks to accept participating in transition negotiation while Assad in power. The Turks and the Arabs insisted prior to the talks on that their participation is conditioned by Assad’s departure.
While the Arabs and the Turks agreed to give up their condition of Assad’s departure at the first step in return for a clear commitment that he will go at the end of the transition, and while this was the content of Kerry-Lavrov understanding that allowed a joint push to find a solution, President Putin said “Niet”.
Kerry admitted the other day that the future of Assad is a problem facing the current diplomatic effort. He also said that eliminating ISIL would be possible “within a matter of months” after a successful transition. Now the Russian President and Iran’s Khamenei say they want to defeat ISIL. But at the same time they do not want to accept the logical steps that may indeed lead to “eliminating ISIL within few months”, namely a transition that ends with a new Syria without Assad in which everyone fights ISIL. Can anyone explain that?
In the case of Iran, one can understand. The Iranians encouraged Maliki to create the environment that created ISIL even if when that went contrary to the requirements of preserving the unity of Iraq. They are doing the same in Syria. Assad replaced Maliki. But Putin? Why?
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said December 5 that his country is ready to play a bigger role in supplying natural gas to Russia while Khamenei expressed deep gratitude to Russia for its friendship. It is a pattern that Russia jumps on any major energy producer in its periphery to integrate their capacity into Russia’s supplies to the World.
Russia will increase gas exports in the eastern direction, the Russian President said while in Tehran last month. He also noted that the cooperation with China and India is valuable. “We are planning to increase gas exports in the Asian direction from six to 30 percent, to 128 billion cubic meters,” he added. South Pars will be strategically important.
Putin got what he wanted. And he offered the Iranians what they wanted. Where would Kerry and the diplomatic approach go in this context?
The Russian President understands, as much as Kerry, or any other reasonable person, does, that ISIL will not be defeated while Assad is in power, that is to say with no diplomatic solution in Syria. (How did this conclusion come?)
Khamenei understands as well, as any young student in a high school does, that defeating ISIL in Iraq requires an inclusive government. Yet, he supported Maliki to do exactly the opposite. The same treatment given to Iraq is now given to Syria, and the Russian President is getting along with this plan that is clearly illogical.
Well, logic is defined in these two cases by the strategic objective required. If Iran’s strategic objective is indeed to defeat ISIL it would not have done what it did in Iraq or what it is doing in Syria. If Russia really wants to defeat ISIL it would not be insisting to block the only way to build a collective force of the Syrian army, the opposition and the international community to “eliminate the terrorist organization within months”. And this only way is the departure of Assad.
The Persian conception of time is totally different than the common one. Iranians see that they advance slowly. They count on life’s ever changing dynamics to move them to a more forward point. But in any given moment they try to keep where they are if they cannot advance on their own. Betting on future winds is the essence of their patience and long term strategy. We have seen that in the nuclear issue. We have seen it in Iraq. And now we see it in Syria.

Is Assad worth all this trouble?

No. He is one person. All possible alternatives were discussed between Kerry and Lavrov. It is possible to keep the State and change its head within the context of national reconciliation.
Why then all offers were refused?
Because in reality it is not even Assad that matters here. What matter is the essence of any political solution. Iran wants all of Syria. If it cannot have it today, it hopes it will have it tomorrow all the while keeping the West of Syria for today. Take the case of Iraq again, it was possible to give Prime Minister Haider Abadi a chance to put his country together. But Tehran chose instead to support the Popular Mobilization Forces. This force will preserve the South of Iraq firmly within the Iranian orbit. Tehran even pushed to enable this force to control Central Iraq. The US and Sunni tribes resisted. Patience then while trying to get the Americans out of Iraq all together.
Tehran does not want an inclusive government in Baghdad. It never did. It wants all of Iraq, not under Abadi, but under its own agents. If it cannot have it today, then patience until it gets the Americans out of Iraq, strengthens its army of agents then give it a try all the while keeping under firm control what it already got. This is why it keeps agitating the population against any US presence there. The US does not share its objectives. Now, we know that Putin, unfortunately, does.
So it is not even the issue of Assad. Assad is the stick which can stop the wheel of what Kerry is trying to do: that is to put Syria back together in order to be able to fight ISIL. Really fight ISIL. Kerry is looking at a different direction that that of Moscow and Tehran. When Iran felt it may lose what it already got in Syria, it invited the Russians to help it preserve it. The point is not defeating ISIL. The point is to get a pass all the way to the Mediterranean Sea.

Where will all this take us?

The differences in the agendas of both Iran and Russia in the one hand, and the world, including the Arabs and the Turks on the other, are irreconcilable. It is becoming explicitly what it always was implicitly: A global strategic conflict.
This will be a long war. Syria is heading towards more pain. But it is becoming increasingly unavoidable. We pray that Kerry succeeds. (We know who "we" are) The alternative is a lot more blood and destruction.

My comments are in blue italics

panduranghari · Post by **panduranghari** » 13 Dec 2015 12:58

Shreeman wrote:Kingdom of the Republican states of Umreeka? 51st state the great guardian of oyel?

edit -- akchually, if oyel is going to $20, then dig hole fill with enough oyel for 50 years, no? make ship, fill with oyel, park. no?

edit -- saudi arabia is the next venejuela, yes? No toilet paper onlee?

Its already been done and still oyel is in over-supply

Bhurishrava · Post by **Bhurishrava** » 13 Dec 2015 13:30

And when I appreciate Obama on this forum, I am criticised.
He has refused to bomb Syria after the `chemical weapons usage` propaganda. He has also refused to arm the Neo-Nazis in Ukraine despite media blitzkrieg by neocons in USA and gullible citizens buying the nonsense.

The Iraqi insurgency was mostly led by Sunnis. But problem is/was Moqtada al Sadr. Nouri Al Maliki was a hero but turned a villain as things didnt go according to plan. ISIS is sunni and the foreign fighters have reached it via Turkey. It is armed by Qatar, Saudi Arabi and Turkey, all of which are US allies but it is Assad who must go. Same as Maliki who needed to go for problems getting solved.

The neo-con jokers have learnt nothing. And that is why, Obama`s achievements must be respected. And yes, putting a halt to mind-boggling moronery is an achievement.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 13 Dec 2015 15:35

IOW BO makes MMS look like SuperMan. The bugger is paid to be Supreme Commander in Chief of the United States Armed Forces, isn't he? Should have ordered mass arrests at Boggy Fottom and Gontapen for blatant treason, hain?

deejay · Post by **deejay** » 13 Dec 2015 16:14

A detailed account of ISIS Oil trade with maps and infographics. :http://ig.ft.com/sites/2015/isis-oil/#airstrikes

deejay · Post by **deejay** » 13 Dec 2015 17:08

Russian ship shooting at Turkish fishing boats:

Hassan Ridha ‏@sayed_ridha now13 seconds ago
#Russia-n ship fired warning shots at Turkish fishing boat to stop collision, Turk military attache in #Moscow is meeting with MoD right now

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 13 Dec 2015 20:34

They are trying to set up the provocation to close the Dardanelles.

that Russian sailors were obviously manning missile launchers as ships passed through.

TSJones · Post by **TSJones** » 14 Dec 2015 00:12

Coalition Conducts 22 Strikes Against ISIL in Syria, Iraq

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

SOUTHWEST ASIA, December 13, 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 and remotely piloted aircraft conducted seven strikes in Syria:

-- Near Abu Kamal, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.

-- Near Ar Raqqah, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL vehicles and wounded two ISIL fighters.

-- Near Ayn Isa, one strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed seven ISIL buildings.

-- Near Manbij, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.

-- Near Mar’a, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL staging area and damaged two others.

Strikes in Iraq

Attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 15 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:

-- Near Fallujah, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL vehicle bomb facilities, two ISIL staging locations, and five ISIL buildings.

-- Near Mosul, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL bunker.

-- Near Qayyarah, two strikes destroyed two ISIL vehicle bomb facilities.

-- Near Ramadi, six strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL vehicle, two ISIL command and control nodes, an ISIL assembly area, two ISIL fighting positions, and denied ISIL access to terrain.

-- Near Rawah, one strike struck an ISIL vehicle bomb facility.

-- Near Sinjar, one strike destroyed an ISIL checkpoint.

-- Near Sultan Abdallah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle and four ISIL fighting positions.

-- Near Tal Afar, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle.

Satya_anveshi · Post by **Satya_anveshi** » 14 Dec 2015 00:26

Baghdadi’s advisor killed in Iraqi raid - Dec 13, 2015
http://aranews.net/2015/12/baghdadis-ad ... raqi-raid/

“Iraqi security forces have been pursuing the movements of the senior terrorists of ISIS. The air force bombed this evening the group’s headquarters near al-Jazeera (Hasakah) province in northeastern Syria, killing more than 15 militants, among them was the main advisor of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Abu Ali al-Anbari,” the ministry said.

Virupaksha · Post by **Virupaksha** » 14 Dec 2015 00:33

If you read a typical daily target list, say for Sinjar (November 9, 2015), you see: near Sinjar, eleven strikes struck five separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL assembly areas, 21 ISIL fighting positions, three ISIL light machine guns, and three ISIL vehicles. The reason for “so many” strikes is that the Peshmerga had launched an offensive to clear Sinjar, which they overran with few losses because IS pulled out before fully engaging. The problem: what exactly is a “fighting position”? It could simply be an empty bunker or a foxhole. What exactly is a “tactical unit”? It could be a rifle squad, with two killed/wounded and the other men escaping unharmed. As for 3 LMGs and 3 vehicles, you can see how insignificant this is. http://www.centcom.mil/en/news/articles ... ria-and-ir

http://www.orbat.info/

woo, 22 tactical strikes, so many... that must be so many

movement on ground - iraqi forces "redeploy"

does the advisor advise on how to make tea or how to make strategy? Both are advisors or is advisor the new alqaeda No3.3243242342423

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 14 Dec 2015 00:51

Must-read: http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2015/08 ... tery-isis/
Essentially, we don't understand ISIS.

The thinkers, tacticians, soldiers, and leaders of the movement we know as ISIS are not great strategists; their policies are often haphazard, reckless, even preposterous; regardless of whether their government is, as some argue, skillful, or as others imply, hapless, it is not delivering genuine economic growth or sustainable social justice. The theology, principles, and ethics of the ISIS leaders are neither robust nor defensible. Our analytical spade hits bedrock very fast.

I have often been tempted to argue that we simply need more and better information. But that is to underestimate the alien and bewildering nature of this phenomenon. To take only one example, five years ago not even the most austere Salafi theorists advocated the reintroduction of slavery; but ISIS has in fact imposed it. Nothing since the triumph of the Vandals in Roman North Africa has seemed so sudden, incomprehensible, and difficult to reverse as the rise of ISIS. None of our analysts, soldiers, diplomats, intelligence officers, politicians, or journalists has yet produced an explanation rich enough—even in hindsight—to have predicted the movement’s rise.

We hide this from ourselves with theories and concepts that do not bear deep examination. And we will not remedy this simply through the accumulation of more facts. It is not clear whether our culture can ever develop sufficient knowledge, rigor, imagination, and humility to grasp the phenomenon of ISIS. But for now, we should admit that we are not only horrified but baffled.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 14 Dec 2015 06:03

Lots of entropy generation to cover up the fact that they are not really doing anything. The level described is consistent with the background noise in the novel:

All Quiet On The Western Front

Just a few Patrols that shoot at a white Toyota ("tactical unit") or in the general direction of a terrorist bissing into the sky (Fighting Position). Thousands of Sorties roaring off the carrier decks.

Pls watch the Terrence Hill Movie: "Trinity Is Still Mah Name".

The Wild Bunch: They're only a hundred. But they R-I-D-E as if they were a T-H-O-U-S-A-N-D!

I think 99% of the Sorties are to prove air cover for the ISIS slave and oil trade. If NATO were serious about peace in the ME, it only takes 4 missions:
1. Hit a Fighting Position: a gold-plated urinal in the Saudi Palace.
2. Hit Bilal Erdogan's Lamborghini.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 14 Dec 2015 07:04

Turkish Foreign Minister: Russia can occupy within 7 days with NATO
Turkey Sarrak Chhaap Barrakk

The Turkish authorities seem to lose their cool and tersely warned Russia that there were "limits" and called on Moscow to "calm". This occurs in full tension between the two countries since the destruction of a Russian bomber by the Turkish aviation near the Syrian border. Thus the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mevlüt Cavusoglu said on Turkish NTV news channel: "We call on Russia, which is one of our major trading partners, quiet, but we also say that our patience is limited" (AFP). He said: "Since the crash of" Sukhoi-24 "russian, Russia has taken every conceivable opportunity for undermining Turkey. Certainly our government behaves like a mature and experienced government, but our patience has limits. Faced with Russian efforts, we have, no fear, no remorse. We act with moderation, for our relations back to normal, if necessary, I assure you that Russia can occupy less than seven days through NATO and our allies regionally. "

Y. Kanan · Post by **Y. Kanan** » 14 Dec 2015 07:12

Russia should arm PKK and imbed some Spetznaz "advisors" - attack the Turkish intrusion into Northern Iraq. Erdogan will respond with massive invasion, giving Russia cuasus belli and making it impossible for NATO to back Turkey's aggression. Russia can then deal Turkey a staggering blow and get them out of this war for good.

deejay · Post by **deejay** » 14 Dec 2015 08:46

One question to all the learned maulaners of the jirga : Will the Indian soldier get such beautiful reporters alongside them or will we be cursed with the company of Darkha Butt?

[youtube]py_ICkKeQVU&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 14 Dec 2015 09:53

Burqa Mutt?

Russia warns Turkey after firing warning shots at vessel
Defence ministry says warship was forced into firing to avoid collision in the Aegean
Smetlivy warship (* A Kashin class DDG,similar to our Rajputs,but with Uran SSMs.)
The incident is likely to heighten tensions between the two nations after the shooting down of the Russian military jet by Turkey last month. Photograph: Sergei Chuzavkov/Associated Press

Sunday 13 December 2015 13.21 GMT
Russia has warned Turkey to stop staging “provocations” against its forces in or near Syria after one of its warships fired warning shots at a Turkish vessel in the Aegean to avoid a collision.

The Russian defence ministry said the destroyer Smetlivy had been forced to fire the warning on Sunday morning and that it had summoned the Turkish military attache over the incident.

“The Turkish military diplomat was given a tough explanation about the potentially disastrous consequences from Ankara’s reckless actions towards Russia’s military contingent fighting against international terrorism in Syria,” the defence ministry said.

“In particular, our deep concerns about more Turkish provocations towards the Russian destroyer Smetlivy were conveyed.”

The ministry said the Smetlivy was unable to establish radio contact with the approaching Turkish fishing vessel, which also failed to respond to visual signals and flares. When the Koroglu Balikcilik was 600 metres away, warning shots were fired from the destroyer and the Turkish ship quickly changed course, passing within 540 metres.

“Only by luck was tragedy avoided,” the ministry added.

The incident occurred in the northern part of the Aegean, about 13 miles from the Greek island of Lemnos, the Russian ministry said.

The Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who was in Rome for talks on Libya, said Ankara was investigating the matter and would make a statement once it had more information. He also reiterated Turkey’s position that it wanted to resolve its difficulties with Russia. “We want to solve the tension with dialogue,” he saidin comments broadcast by TRT Turk.
Russia won't forget downed jet, Putin warns Turkey in annual address
Read more

The incident is likely to heighten tensions between the two nations who are at odds over Syria and the shooting down of the Russian military jet by Turkey on 24 November. The incident was the first time a Nato member has shot down a Russian plane in more than half a century.

Turkey said it downed the plane after it violated its airspace for 17 seconds despite repeated warnings. Russia has insisted the plane remained in Syrian airspace. Vladimir Putin denounced the Turkish action as a “treacherous stab in the back” and has since imposed economic sanctions on Turkey as a retaliatory measure.

On Friday, Putin vowed Russia’s military would “immediately destroy” any target threatening them in Syria, which was widely interpreted as a strong warning to Turkey. Speaking at a meeting with senior commanders in Moscow, Putin said the military should respond with full force to any further provocations, adding that additional aircraft and air defence weapons had been sent to the Russian base near Latakia.

“I order you to act in the toughest way,” the Russian president said. “Any targets threatening the Russian groups of forces or our land infrastructure should be immediately destroyed.”

Earlier this month, Turkey complained to Russia over an incident in which a Russian sailor was pictured brandishing a rocket launcher on the deck of a naval ship passing through Istanbul.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 14 Dec 2015 10:00

seems like dead chechnyan jihadis
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CWIOluQWUAADvzM.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CWIH0alWsAAz316.jpg

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 14 Dec 2015 10:01

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CWI9aPaWsAIp4XC.jpg

pic of saudi SF commander a col killed in aden perhaps by AQ

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 14 Dec 2015 10:02

pic of nusra leader al joulani
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CWCjr5MWIAIF0Y2.png

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 14 Dec 2015 10:02

turki flag being burned in baghdad during protest against occupation
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CWCHg_aUsAAj_M2.jpg

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 14 Dec 2015 10:03

deejay · Post by **deejay** » 14 Dec 2015 12:49

Downhill skiing by Turks - They must have some TSP instructors:

https://twitter.com/IraqiSecurity

Haidar Sumeri ‏@IraqiSecurity

BREAKING: #Turkey's troops have withdrawn from the Zelkan base, northern #Iraq, leaving behind just advisors. [Source: MP Salim Al-Shabaki].

Withdrawal of #Turkey's troops from northern #Iraq began 5am local time. Looks like only Turkish engineers and advisers will stay behind.

Reports that #Turkey's withdrawal of it's troops from northern #Iraq came after negotiations between Baghdad, Ankara and Erbil.

Added later updates:

taylieli ‏@taylieli now9 minutes ago
Report: New armours of #Turkish army have passed #Turkish border and entered #Zaho/#Dohuk, northern #Iraq.

Hassan Ridha ‏@sayed_ridha now1 minute ago
#Turkey says it has withdrawn "some troops" from Bashiqa and will be deployed to #Dohuk as part of a new agreement #Iraq

So its not a complete mountain slope downhill skiing. They found a perch on the leeward side.

Nick_S · Post by **Nick_S** » 14 Dec 2015 17:39

Mahir Zeynalov ‏@MahirZeynalov 21m21 minutes ago
A Russian missile cruiser and a gunship started chasing a Turkish vessel near Crimea for blocking transportation of two Russian rigs.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 14 Dec 2015 18:06

turkey has learnt from china how to put fishing boats to strategic use.

back in south china sea, these fishing boats are known to harass foreign navies and even throw logs of wood in their path.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 14 Dec 2015 18:42

https://www.rt.com/news/325840-russian- ... sh-vessel/

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

Is it possible for ISIS to hit another low?

http://www.almasdarnews.com/article/isi ... -children/

ISIS’ new Nazi-style carnage: the execution of disabled children 0
BY ZEN ADRA ON DECEMBER 14, 2015 FEATURED, MIDDLE EAST, NEWS

Just when you think they have reached the nadir of moral degeneration and inhumanness, the world-terror group shocks us as they sink deeper and deeper.

In Iraq’s Mosul, ISIS has issued a sickening Sharia Fatwa to kill children with Down’s Syndrome and other disabilities.
The Fatwa, issued by a Saudi Sharia judge called Abu Saeed al-Jazrawi, authorizes the group’s fighters to “kill newborn babies with Down’s Syndrome or congenital deformities and disabled children”

Mosul Eye, a local group of activists reporting from inside the ISIS-held city, confirmed that those babies are mostly due to the bizarre marriage between foreign jihadists to Iraqi, Syrian and Asian women in the areas they control.

Local activists said they documented the brutal execution of 38 children, ages range from one week to 3 months, by lethal injections or suffocation.

The disgraceful history of humankind has known such a heinous crime in the mid-twentieth century when the Nazis used to kill babies born with mutations or other abnormalities for being “a burden on the state”

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 14 Dec 2015 18:47

sputniknews
Russia and China will finalize an agreement to establish two joint ventures to develop, manufacture and sell new satellite navigation devices.

At the command post for GLONASS management in the Titov Main Space Testing Center in the city of Krasnoznamensk in the Moscow region.
© SPUTNIK/ SERGEY PYATAKOV
Russian Defense Ministry Conducts Final GLONASS Tests - Developer
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russia and China will finalize an agreement this month to establish two joint ventures to develop, manufacture and sell new satellite navigation devices that receive signals from three major navigation systems, the head of Russia's GLONASS Union said Monday.
"We are in the final stages of creating joint ventures with Norinco, China’s analogue of Russia’s Rostec [state technologies corporation]… Russian and Chinese prime ministers are expected at the final agreement signing in December," Alexander Gurko told RIA Novosti.

The Bei-Dou-GLONASS-GPS device will operate under the "BG-Star" brand on Russian and Chinese markets, with plans to expand further, Gurko said.

One of the ventures is expected to develop the chip set at Russia's Skolkovo Innovation Center, the other based in China and involved in manufacturing and sales, according to the GLONASS Union president.

"This device is not for smartphones and not for high-precision positioning systems. It is intended for telematic terminals…in other words to navigate multipurpose transportation," Gurko specified.

"China is interested in using Russian experience in establishing emergency response systems because we have surpassed our European partner’s eCall systems, which will be put into operation only in 2018."

The GLONASS Union chief added that all new vehicles entering the Customs Union would be required to be fitted with the new device starting in 2017.

Gurko projected plans to incorporate the European navigation system Galileo. He said talks were underway with Indian and other space agencies on localizing telematics terminals for the Indian market. Markets in the United Arab Emirates, Brazil and Cambodia are under consideration, as well as agreements with Iran.

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/science/20151214 ... z3uIxPWIpU

deejay · Post by **deejay** » 14 Dec 2015 20:00

The FSA or whatever is called the FSA is in trouble:
http://www.stripes.com/news/us-backed-s ... ion+Report

ANALYSIS

US-backed Syrian rebel group on verge of collapse

DAVID ENDERS/MCT
By Slobodan Lekic
Published: December 13, 2015

Hundreds of rebels and their families on Wednesday left the last opposition-held neighborhood of Homs as part of a local truce that will bolster government control of the city, while opposition groups met in Saudi Arabia to forge a united front ahead of proposed peace talks.
In this Friday, Nov. 13, 2015, file photo, a Kurdish fighter walks past a destroyed building in the town of Sinjar, after they took it from the Islamic State group in a joint operation with the coalition forces. A series of political spats that erupted in Baghdad over the past week surrounding foreign forces on Iraqi soil have exposed the increasing weakness of Iraq’s central government and a growing disconnect between Washington and Baghdad in the U.S.-led coalition's fight against the Islamic State group. Bram Janssen/AP Photo, File
ANALYSIS
Washington, Baghdad on different pages in fight against Islamic State

IRBID, Jordan — The main Western-backed Arab rebel group in Syria appears on the verge of collapse because of low morale, desertions, and distrust of its leaders by the rank and file, threatening U.S. efforts to put together a ground force capable of defeating the Islamic State and negotiating an end to the Syrian civil war.

“After five years of this war the people are just tired … and so are our fighters,” said Jaseen Salabeh, a volunteer in the Free Syrian Army, which was formed in September 2011 by defectors from the army of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

The Free Syrian Army, or FSA, some of whose members are trained by the Central Intelligence Agency, is the biggest and most secular of the scores of rebel groups fighting the Assad government. Although defeating the Islamic State is the focus of Western attention, the U.S. believes there can be no lasting peace in Syria, and no elimination of the Islamic State there, as long as Assad remains in power...

Among other problems, Salabeh and others say, FSA fighters are losing faith in their own leaders.

“They regularly steal our salaries,” said Salabeh, who came to this city in northern Jordan after being wounded in battle and now intends to stay here. “We’re supposed to get $400 a month, but we only actually receive $100.”

He also complained of lack of support for those killed or wounded in battle. Fighters who lost legs in the fighting were reduced to begging inside the massive refugee camps in northern Jordan.

“If somebody is wounded, they just dump him in Jordan and abandon him,” he said. “Widows of martyred fighters also receive nothing after their deaths.”

As a result, many FSA men in southern Syria were abandoning the group, usually leaving for Jordan or joining the estimated 15,000-strong Nusra Front, according to Saleh and other Syrians interviewed in northern Jordan. By contrast, the Nusra Front reportedly pays its fighters $1,000 a month and cares for its wounded members, paying their medical bills and providing for the families of those killed in combat.

The situation has gotten so bad, Salabeh said, that some FSA fighters are questioning the reason for continuing the conflict. He said a growing number believe the time has come for a ceasefire even it means cooperating with Assad.

“After all, Bashar isn’t all that bad,” Salabeh said....

Good read in full.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 14 Dec 2015 21:25

Ukraine's economy hits rock bottom
RT - ‎7 hours ago‎
The Ukrainian economy is set to contract 12 percent this year, while inflation is forecast to reach 50.8 percent, according to the World Bank.

TSJones · Post by **TSJones** » 15 Dec 2015 02:55

busy, busy, busy.......doing the Lord's work.

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

SOUTHWEST ASIA, December 14, 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, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted three strikes in Syria:

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, a strike struck an ISIL gas and oil separation plant.

-- Near Manbij, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle.

-- Near Mar’a, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and damaged an ISIL staging area.

Strikes in Iraq

Bomber and fighter aircraft conducted 13 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of the Iraqi government:

-- Near Huwayjah, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL mortar position.

-- Near Kisik, three strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed three vehicle bombs, two ISIL improvised bombs, five ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL heavy machine gun, and an ISIL light machine gun.

-- Near Mosul, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL mortar tube.

-- Near Ramadi, three strikes struck three ISIL staging areas, denied ISIL access to terrain, and destroyed an ISIL bed down location, two ISIL staging areas, and an ISIL command and control node.

-- Near Sinjar, three strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed four ISIL fighting positions and two light machine guns.

-- Near Tikrit, a strike destroyed two ISIL oil tanks.

Frederic · Post by **Frederic** » 15 Dec 2015 03:05

Satya_Anveshi and others!

What do you think of this William Engdahl person? He has been writing extensively about the Levant crisis (among other things). See his website here:
http://www.williamengdahl.com/

He writes about the Saudi perfidy in this article:
http://journal-neo.org/2015/12/08/what- ... amel-dung/

In recent weeks I have been increasingly unsatisfied by the general explanations about who is actually pulling the strings in the entire Middle East plot or, more precisely, plots, to the point of reexamining my earlier views on the role of Saudi Arabia. Since the June, 2015 surprise meeting in St Petersburg between Russian President Putin and Saudi Defense Minister Prince Salman, the Saudi monarchy gave a carefully cultivated impression of rapprochement with former arch-enemy Russia, even discussing purchase of up to $10 billion in Russian military equipment and nuclear plants, and possible “face time” for Putin with the Saudi King Salman.

The long procession of Arab leaders going to Moscow and Sochi in recent months to meet President Putin gave the impression of a modern version of the walk to Canossa in1077 of Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV to Pope Gregory VII at Canossa Castle, to beg revocation of Henry’s ex-communication. This time it looked like it was the Gulf Arab monarchs in the role of Henry IV, and Vladimir Putin in the role of the Pope. Or so it seemed. I at least believed that at the time. Like many global political events, that, too, was soaked in deception and lies.

What is now emerging, especially clear since the Turkish deliberate ambush of the Russian SU-24 jet inside Syrian airspace, is that Russia is not fighting a war against merely ISIS terrorists, nor against the ISIS backers in Turkey. Russia is taking on, perhaps unknowingly, a vastly more dangerous plot. Behind that plot is the hidden role of Saudi Arabia and its new monarch, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, together with his son, the Defense Minister, Prince Salman.
First appeared: http://journal-neo.org/2015/12/08/what- ... amel-dung/

A Saudi Oil Imperium

If we look at the emergence of Al Qaeda in Iraq and its transformation into the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), it all traces back to the Saudi operations going back to the late 1970’s involving now-King Salman, Saudi Osama bin Laden, together with Saudi intelligence head, Prince Turki Al-Faisal.

Washington and the CIA worked intimately with this Saudi network, bringing bin Laden and other key Saudis into Pakistan to train with the Pakistani ISI intelligence, creating what became the Afghan Mujahideen. The Mujahideen were created by Saudi, Pakistani and US intelligence to defeat the Soviet Red Army in the 1980’s Afghanistan war, the CIA’s “Operation Cyclone.” Cyclone was Zbigniew Brzezinski’s plan to lure Moscow into an Afghan “Bear Trap” and give the Soviet Union what he called their “Vietnam.”

The so-called ISIS today in Iraq and Syria, as well as the Al Qaeda Al-Nusra Front in Syria and various other Jihad terror splinter gangs under attack from Russia and the Damascus government of Assad, all have their origins in Saudi Arabia and the activities of King Salman.

Has the King undergone a Saul-to-Paul conversion to a pacific world view since becoming King, and his son, Prince Salman as well? Despite signals in recent months that the Saudis have ceased financing the anti-Assad terror organizations in Syria, the reality is the opposite.

First appeared: http://journal-neo.org/2015/12/08/what- ... amel-dung/

Much attention of late is given, understandably, to the Turkish dictatorship of the thug, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. This is especially so since his Air Force deliberately shot down the Russian SU-24 jet over Syrian territory, an act of war. What few look at are the ties of Erdoğan and his AKP to the Saudi monarchy.

According to a well-informed Turkish political source I spoke with in 2014, who had been involved in attempts to broker a peace between Assad and Erdoğan, Erdoğan’s first Presidential election campaign in August 2014 was “greased” by a gift of $ 10 billion from the Saudis. After his victory in buying the presidential election, Erdoğan and his hand-picked Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu opened the doors wide to establish secret training centers for what was to be called ISIS. Under supervision of Hakan Fidan, Erdoğan’s hand-picked head of the Secret Services (MIT), Turkey organized camps for training ISIS and other terrorists in Turkey and also to provide their supplies in Syria. The financing for the Turkish ISIS operation was arranged apparently by a close personal friend of Erdoğan named Yasin al-Qadi, a Saudi banker close to the Saudi Royal House, member of the Muslim Brotherhood, financier of Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda since Afghanistan in the 1980’s. x

Erdoğan’s US-sanctioned and Saudi-financed terrorist training camps have brought an estimated 200,000 mercenary terrorists from all over the world, transited by Turkey in order to wage “jihad” in Syria.

But that jihad, it is now clear, is not about Allah but about Moola—money. The Saudi monarchy is determined to control the oil fields of Iraq and of Syria using ISIS to do it. They clearly want to control the entire world oil market, first bankrupting the recent challenge from US shale oil producers, then by controlling through Turkey the oil flows of Iraq and Syria.
First appeared: http://journal-neo.org/2015/12/08/what- ... amel-dung/

According to Engdahl, it was a Saudi AWACS that vectored the Turkish F16s to the Russian SU-24 that was shot down:

Saudi TOW missiles to ISIS

In May 2014, the MIT transferred to ISIS terrorists in Syria, by special train, a quantity of heavy weapons and new Toyota pick-ups offered by Saudi Arabia.

Now a detailed investigation of the Turkish shoot down of the Russian SU-24 jet reveals that the Turkish F-16 jet that shot down the jet was supported by two AWACS reconnaissance planes that enabled the Turkish F-16 exact hit, a very difficult if not impossible feat against a jet as agile as the SU-24. One of the AWACS planes was a Boeing AWACS E-3A of the Saudi Arabian air force which took off from the Riyadh, Saudi Arabia airbase.

Then, as a Russian rescue helicopter rushed to the scene of the SU-24 crash, Saudi TOW anti-aircraft missiles shot the Russian helicopter down. The Saudis had sent 500 of the highly-effective TOW missiles to anti-Assad terror groups in Syria on October 9.

What we have, then, is not an isolated Russian war against ISIS in Syria. What lies behind ISIS is not just Erdoğan’s criminal regime, but far more significant, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and her Wahhabite allies Kuwait, UAE, Qatar.

In the true sense, ISIS is simply a “Saudi army in disguise.”

If we strip away the phony religious cover, what emerges is a Saudi move to grab some of the world’s largest oil reserves, those of the Sunni parts of Iraq, and of Syria, using the criminal Turkish regime in the role of thug to do the rough work, like a bouncer in a brothel. If Moscow is not conscious of this larger dimension, she runs the risk of getting caught in a deadly “bear trap” which will more and more remind them of Afghanistan in the 1980’s.

What stinks in Saudi Arabia ain’t the camel dung. It’s the monarchy of King Salman and his hot-headed son, Prince Salman. For decades they have financed terrorism under a fake religious disguise, to advance their private plutocratic agenda. It has nothing to do with religion and everything to do with money and oil. A look at the ISIS map from Iraq to Syria shows that they precisely targeted the oil riches of those two sovereign states. Saudi control of that oil wealth via their ISIS agents, along with her clear plan to take out the US shale oil competition, or so Riyadh reckons, would make the Saudi monarchy a vastly richer state, one, perhaps because of that money, finally respected by white western rich men and their society. That is clearly bovine thinking.
First appeared: http://journal-neo.org/2015/12/08/what- ... mel-dung//

*Some of his points are bordering the CT land.

*He really seems to have a soft corner for the Chinese. See his other articles about the Eurasian heartland.

Take it with a pinch of salt.

Satya_anveshi · Post by **Satya_anveshi** » 15 Dec 2015 04:24

No evidence of terrorism in Russian plane crash: Egypt - Dec 15, 2015
http://saudigazette.com.sa/world/no-evi ... ash-egypt/

Egypt’s Civil Aviation ministry said it had completed a preliminary report on the crash and said it had so far found no evidence of a criminal act.

“The technical investigative committee has so far not found anything indicating any illegal intervention or terrorist action,” the ministry said in a statement.

The crash hit Egypt’s tourism industry, a cornerstone of the economy. The plane took off from Sharm El-Sheikh, a Red Sea resort popular with Russian and British holiday makers.

It raised serious questions about airport security with Russia and Britain both suspending flights into Sharm El-Sheikh. Egypt is facing a two-year insurgency in the Sinai that killed hundreds of soldiers and police. — Reuters

Satya_anveshi · Post by **Satya_anveshi** » 15 Dec 2015 04:33

Frederic wrote:Satya_Anveshi and others!

What do you think of this William Engdahl person?

Take it with a pinch of salt.

Yes, take it with more than just a pinch of salt. he does come across as sympathetic to russo-german axis (not to chinese per se).

I actively seek to read what he writes. Usually I care about the direction of his chase more than the details of his chase.

Satya_anveshi · Post by **Satya_anveshi** » 15 Dec 2015 04:49

This is extremely funny

If all terrorist form a coalition against terrorism WhoTF are they going to fight against?

‘Islamic coalition against terrorism’: Saudi Arabia presents 34-state military block
https://www.rt.com/news/325929-islamic- ... ism-saudi/

Countries involved in the coalition aside from Saudi Arabia, include Jordan, the UAE, Pakistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Turkey, Chad, Togo, Tunisia, Djibouti, Senegal, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Gabon, Guinea, the partially-recognized state of Palestine, the Islamic Federal Republic of the Comoros, Qatar, Cote d’Ivoire, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Maldives, Mali, Malaysia, Egypt, Morocco, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Yemen.

“The countries here mentioned have decided on the formation of a military alliance led by Saudi Arabia to fight terrorism, with a joint operations centre based in Riyadh to coordinate and support military operations,” state news agency SPA quoted an official statement as saying.

Frederic · Post by **Frederic** » 15 Dec 2015 04:54

I feel that the Sauds are playing with fire.

Two endgame scenarios:

*Russia amputates Kurdistan from Turkey and Erdogan goes down in the history as the guy who started a Turkish civil war.

*Khan steps in to curtail the shenanigans of the current house of Saud -> Internal coup -> Lo and behold! A colour revolution in the heart of Saud itself

devesh · Post by **devesh** » 15 Dec 2015 06:05

George Friedman's fantasy is a East Europe+Turkey axis to show the Russians their place. since Turkey is there, it will also unofficially of officially involve the other Sunni Gulf States.

that's been his pet theory for 10 years now.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 15 Dec 2015 06:30

deejay wrote:One question to all the learned maulaners of the jirga : Will the Indian soldier get such beautiful reporters alongside them or will we be cursed with the company of Darkha Butt?

[youtube]py_ICkKeQVU&feature=youtu.be[youtube]

in the eyes of beer-holder! just close your eyes onlee. what is wrong with harishree?

btw, don't be color blind