Levant crisis - III

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 08 Sep 2016 22:38

stage seems set for deep combined arms thrusts into syria

bayraktar tb2 with two laser guided missiles

Bhurishravas · Post by **Bhurishravas** » 09 Sep 2016 02:52

http://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/turkey/1.741033

Turkey's Erdogan Announces 'Largest Operation in History' Against Kurds, as 11,000 Teachers Suspended

Turkey’s Syria move sets conditions for freeing Raqqa: US

http://aa.com.tr/en/americas/turkey-s-s ... -us/643499

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 09 Sep 2016 04:22

Looks like isis will vacate raqqa too without a fight and change into fsa uniform

Gyan · Post by **Gyan** » 09 Sep 2016 13:01

Turkey and USA are acting together to change the nomenclature of ISIS to FSA to save them from Russian bombing. Syria will suffer fate of Yugoslavia.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 09 Sep 2016 13:45

How the bankrupt,decadent,debauched Saudi monarchy continue to age war paid by the blood,sweat and tears of the workers from the Indian subcontinent!

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/sau ... 32466.html

Saudi Arabia cannot pay its workers or bills – yet continues to fund a war in Yemen
In Saudi Arabia itself, the government seems unable to cope with the crisis. The 'Arab News' says that 31,000 Saudi and other foreign workers have lodged complaints with the government’s labour ministry over unpaid wages. On one occasion, the Indian consulate and expatriates brought food to the workers so that their people should not starve

Robert Fisk
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Wikipedia
Almost exactly a year after Salman bin Albdulaziz Al Saud, king of Saudi Arabia, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and head of the House of Saud, hurriedly left his millionaire’s mansion near Cannes with his 1,000 servants to continue his vacation in Morocco, the kingdom’s cash is not flowing so smoothly for the tens of thousands of sub-continental expatriates sweating away on his great building sites.

Almost unreported outside the Kingdom, the country’s big construction magnates – including that of the Binladen group – have not been paid by the Saudi government for major construction projects and a portion of the army of Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan and other workers have received no wages, some of them for up to seven months.

Indian and Pakistani embassies approached the Saudi government, pleading that their workers should be paid. Economists who adopt the same lickspittle attitude towards the Saudi monarchy as the British Government, constantly point out that the authorities have been overwhelmed by the collapse of oil prices. They usually prefer not to mention something at which the rest of the world remains aghast: deputy crown prince and defence minister Mohamed bin Salman’s wasteful and hopeless war in Yemen. Since the king’s favourite son launched this preposterous campaign against the Houthis last year, supporting the internationally recognized Yemeni president against Shia Muslim rebels, aircraft flown by Saudi and Emirati pilots (aided by British technical “experts” on the ground) have bombed even more hospitals, clinics and medical warehouses than America has destroyed in Serbia and Afghanistan combined since 1999.

Theresa May claims selling arms to Saudi Arabia helps 'keep people on the streets of Britain safe'
The result? A country with 16 per cent of the world’s proven oil reserves, whose Aramco oil company makes more than $1bn a day and now records a budget deficit of $100bn, cannot pay its bills. At first, the Yemen fiasco was called “Operation Decisive Storm”, which – once it proved the longest and least decisive Arab “storm” in the Middle East’s recent history – was changed to “Operation Restore Hope”. And the bombing went on, just as it did in the pre-“hope” “storm”, along with the help of the UK’s “experts”. No wonder the very same deputy crown prince Mohamed announced this year that state spending on salaries would be lowered, yet individual earnings would rise.

In Pakistan, whose soldiers make up a large number of the “Saudi” armed forces, there has been outrage, parliamentarians are asking why three Saudi companies have not paid salaries for eight months, refusing even to provide food for their employees. In some cases, the Pakistanis have paid their own nationals for food supplies.

In Saudi Arabia itself, the government seems unable to cope with the crisis. The Arab News says that 31,000 Saudi and other foreign workers have lodged complaints with the government’s labour ministry over unpaid wages. On one occasion, the Indian consulate and local Indian expatriates brought food to the workers so that their people should not starve. The overall figure that the government owes the construction companies owed may be billions of dollars.

Overtly xenophobic comments have emerged in the Saudi press. Writing in the Saudi Gazette, Abdulrtahman Saad Al-Araabi said: “Many expats hate us and are angry because we are a rich country. Some of them go so far as to say that we, Saudis, do not deserve these blessings and the money we have. That is the reason why some of them become violent when they do not get paid on time.”

10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses

Well, I suppose some people are paying a lot of cash to the Jabhat al-Nusra (recently re-named Jabhat Fateh al-Shamal-Nusrah) or Al-Qaeda or Isis lads out there in the line of fire in Syria.

Embassy staff from the Philippines, France and many countries in the Middle East, have raised the problems with the Saudi government. Typical of their responses has been that of Saudi Oger which said it had been “affected by current circumstances [sic] which resulted in some delays in delays in fulfilling our commitments to our employees”.

The Saudi government insisted the company paid its employees. Many of them, it should be added, are Lebanese whose Sunni Muslims come from the Sunni areas of Lebanon who traditionally vote for the Sunni leader’s son Saad.

An official of the company made the extraordinary statement that “the company’s situation is unstable due to the scrapping [sic] of many of its projects it was to execute,” Meanwhile, workers at United Seemac construction company are complaining they have not been paid for months – or even granted permission to leave the country. Some had apparently not been paid for more than a year and a half. Unlike the big companies such as Binladen and Oger, these men – and they are indeed mostly men – are consumed into the smaller employees. “All the attention is on the big companies – it’s easy to ignore us because we are not so many people.”

All in all, a dodgy scenario in our beloved monarchy-dictatorship, whose war against the Shia Houthis – and the Shia Hezbollah, the Shia/Alawite regime in Damascus and Iran – is unending. Wasn’t there an equally dodgy Al-Yamamah arms deal with the Saudis a few years ago? No cash flow problems then. And what does “yamamah” mean in Arabic? “Dove”? Let us go no further.

More about: Saudi ArabiaJabhat al-NusraIsis

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 09 Sep 2016 14:24

The Sultan hasn't learnt his lesson,surviving the attempted coup. Like the Soothi Barbarians,he will beggar his nation by his megalomania and regional warring,ranting and raving against the Kurds,turds,whatever. If his forces go against Assad's and attempt to forcibly take over Syrian territory,the implications are catastrophic as Russia would have to singe the backside of the Sultan to preserve Assad's authority in the land.Thios may also be O'Bomber's last stand,like that of Gen.Custer before he demits office.One last fart at history to salvage his pathetic legacy.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... [b]Erdogan: Turkey and US 'ready to invade' Isis capital[/b]
Folllowing succesful offensives against the terror group in northern Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has suggested Turkish and US forces are ready to push deeper into Isis strongholds

Bethan McKernan Beirut Wednesday 7 September 2016
President Erdogan addressed reporters in Ankara on his return from the G20 summit in Hangzhou, China, on Tuesday AP
The President of Turkey has said that Turkish troops are ready to work with the US to push further into Isis territory and take on the group in its Syrian capital, Raqqa.

Speaking to media on Tuesday, Recip Erdogan said that US President Barack Obama suggested the possibility of joint military action against the terror organisation during last weekend’s G20 meeting in China.

“Obama wants to do some things together concerning Raqqa in particular,” Erdogan told reporters, referring to Isis’ de facto capital.

War against Isis: Security services bracing for possible return of thousands of jihadists as group loses territory
Turkey will never allow 'artificial state' in northern Syria, says country's prime minister
Isis 'cut off from rest of world' as rebels expel Islamists from Turkish border
Erdogan said Turkey would have “no problem” with the possibility. The US State Department has not commented on the remarks.

Turkish military launched Operation Euphrates Shield last month, driving Isis from the Turkey-Syria border and effectively cutting off one of the group’s major supply corridors. The offensive has continued to seize land from Islamist control. Turkey and its rebel allies now control a 90km stretch on the Syrian side of the border, and are pushing south.

Turkey has also turned its attention to Kurdish rebel groups in the region, reaffirming its stance that all armed forces fighting on the border are “terrorists”, including the US-backed Kurdish YPG militia.

Turkey proposes roadmap to end Syria war
The YPG is affiliated with the PKK, a Turkey-orientated Kurdish group, which has long been designated a terrorist organisation by the Turkish state.

Syrian president Bashar al-Assad has reportedly commented that he is “deeply concerned” by the prospect of further Turkish advances into Syria.[/quote]

Gyan · Post by **Gyan** » 09 Sep 2016 16:24

Eurodung is trying to kill multiple birds by single fart like the Great Conqueror Field Marshal Mushy. Aims of shit head:-

Become Dictator
Islamisation of Turkey to maintain control
Conquer oil bearing areas like Ottoman Empire
Prevent Kurd Nation
Protect Turks SF fighting under banner of ISIS, FSA
Get bribes from Saudis and Qatar
Blackmail EU lead by CIA agent Merkel for economic benefits

He will succeed and Turkey banega Pakistan. God Speed!

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 09 Sep 2016 19:10

Only some units like tigers, zahreddine, 4th repub guard , sukr al sahra and magaweer al bahr probably in number less than 5000 total is trained equipped and motivated for professional fighting on saa side

Rest seem like hollow cores of disintegrated units led by old uncles who fought decades ago or warlord units or shia militias of which hezbollah is only one who train like proper army.

So if erdogan wants to use his manpower to get raqqa he is fine. The fun will start later

Russia has lakhs of kornets and metis to distribute as they see fit

habal · Post by **habal** » 09 Sep 2016 20:16

Operation Bosporus, plan of NATO involves blocking bosporus and blocking restricting shipping, only thing here is they are not informing Erdogan or giving him false assurances on what will happen as a result. Stupid Erdo is putting his entire capital at risk. Must not be a big deal for someone who can sacrifice thousands of his soldiers.

purani kahawat/rustic wisdom:
jab kutte ki maut aati hain voh ~~shehr~~ raqqa ke taraf bhagtaa hain.
trans: when a dog is destined to die, he runs towards the city.

Imran Khan:
kuch toh shehr ke log bhi zaalim san, kuj saanu vi maran da shok si.
//by and large the people of the city are cruel, but I also have a wish to die.

habal · Post by **habal** » 09 Sep 2016 20:22

HD map of latest advances for SAA in SW Aleppo
http://e.top4top.net/p_251x2c21.jpg
This is Blitzkrieg level advance, seems like even SAA want to arrive at Raqqa in time for action.

habal · Post by **habal** » 09 Sep 2016 20:39

Singha wrote:Only some units like tigers, zahreddine, 4th repub guard , sukr al sahra and magaweer al bahr probably in number less than 5000 total is trained equipped and motivated for professional fighting on saa side

the offensive units are 4th Mechanized based in Alepp, homs, & Golan. Republican guards and Tiger forces formed out of 4th Mechanized after desertions. Their total number will come to 50,000 but these are distributed from damascus to Israel border, golan, DeZ, homs, Latakia & Aleppo. Closure of any one front frees up troops for other ops.

great news is that 1000 new marines have just graduated out of Latakia having been trained by the Iranian and Russian Spetsnaz special forces . Iranians and Russians have been aiding in the training of the new SAA with modern gorilla warfare /asymmetrical warfare. The war in Syria of late since 2016 has shown that the SAA is been mostly on the offensive and the gains on the battle field have been phenomenal considering what the NATO have been doing to Syria since 2011 the amount of foreign rats would have to have been at least 200000 . The just keep pouring in from Jordan Turkey Israel like a constant running tap. Further more it has been said that the jails of Turkey, Afghanistan, GCC, Pakistan, Georgia, Azerbaijan were emptied in order to keep the supply of rats.

SAA has fought this war as best as they could, and right now they are very skilled and competent in what they are doing. They are fighting a war under sanctions, with some of the most powerful countries in the world, some of them even declaring publicly, like one of Israel's ministers once did, that they'd rather have ISIS in Syria than "Assad".

And they are winning this war, despite all odds. Instead of disappearing like some would like it, Syria has become the pivot upon which the fate of the ME and maybe the world turns. I am not even Syrian and I am proud of SAA. After this war is over, they will be the ones going around, training other people how to fight.

If Yugoslavia was also the place where "balkanization" was invented. Syria is the place where it will be stopped.
Inshallah.

“Each civilized person in the world should admit he has two home countries; the one he was born in, and Syria.”
– Dr Andre Parrott, historian, archaeologist, and former director of The Louvre, Paris

habal · Post by **habal** » 09 Sep 2016 20:47

Breaking: Airstrike targets Jaish Al-Fateh meeting in Aleppo

Aleppo, Syria (12:11 A.M.) – An airstrike targeted a Jabhat Fath Al-Sham (formerly Jabhat Al-Nusra) meeting in the Aleppo village of Kafar Naha moments ago.

A large number of prominent commanders were neutralized including the emir and founder of the jihadist coalition of Jaish Al-Fateh Abu Hajar Al-Homsi, the emir of the Nusra Brigades Abu Muslim Al-Shami, Abu Omar Saraqib who was a founding father and a commander of Jaish Al-Fateh, along with several other top commanders who have yet to be confirmed.

Early reports say the airstrike was carried out by a U.S warplane, however the targeted area is known to be an active airstrikes ground for Russian air force as well

https://mobile.almasdarnews.com/article ... ng-aleppo/

habal · Post by **habal** » 09 Sep 2016 20:49

I am now thinking idiot Erdo doesn't care about death of his own soldiers, why should he care, the lesser of them there are the better. If they get bombed by Russia on SyAAF in foreign territory then they will be busy with their own problems to trouble him, maybe that is his demented turdo thoughts.

habal · Post by **habal** » 09 Sep 2016 20:57

https://twitter.com/PurpleOlive2/status ... 3561250820

video of rebel @ receiving end of Konkurs ATGM (2014)

habal · Post by **habal** » 09 Sep 2016 20:59

Jeremy Bowen tweets "Mutual respect? Rebel fighters pose with Syrian army troops during forced evacuation of civilians from Moadamiyeh."
https://twitter.com/BowenBBC/status/774000989179355137

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 09 Sep 2016 21:34

Imo islami lashkars operate like a school of barracuda...or bees....taking out a top leadership layer affects more evolved animals like wolves or elephants but not these. Wipe off half and rest will reform a new swarm through a simple but very effective hivemind thing.

Nothing less than a 90% wipeout will stop this constant evolution and scatter the survivors

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 10 Sep 2016 08:14

In fresh latakia offensives the saa has reached very close to the tri junction of idlib hama border

Habal saar will be marinating his meats and veg for a cookout and making lemonade as it mrans his pet peeve jisr al shughour might be on radar

habal · Post by **habal** » 10 Sep 2016 08:16

US biowarfare labs on russia's borders

Concern in Russia is increasing over the growing number of hard-to-access, double-purpose medical laboratories, financed by the US Department of Defense, appearing alongside its borders; they are researching biological weapons, indicating that they are "not entirely peaceful".

The US is constantly citing Russia as a "major threat" not only to itself but to its "European allies." Washington has been using this as a pretext for the deployment of additional contingents of NATO troops alongside Russia's borders.

However, it seems this is not the only "preventive measure" which is being set up on the Russian frontiers. Earlier in September, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reminded that Washington opposes the idea of tightening international control over biological weapons. During his yearly address to future diplomats at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), Russia's top diplomat said that America's staunch opposition to Russian efforts to create a monitoring mechanism for the execution of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) indicates that the US may be conducting biological research that is "not entirely peaceful." Sergei Lavrov then said that Russia is developing a supervisory mechanism for the observance of the BTWC, stressing that most countries support this move while the US actively opposes it. "It is known that the US has a number of projects in the field of biological research, particularly some joint research programs with our neighboring countries," Lavrov said.

Similar concerns were voiced back in 2015 by Secretary of Russia's Security Council Nikolai Patrushev, who said that the military biological infrastructure overseen by Washington is being set up increasingly closer to Russian borders.

Patrushev noted at a Security Council meeting that the number of such facilities has grown alarmingly. "The number of laboratories which are being controlled and managed by the US has increased twentyfold, many of them have either functioned or currently function on the territories of the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) countries," he said, adding that the US is pouring tens of millions of dollars into military-focused biological weapons.

Also back in 2015, Russia's Foreign Ministry specified that one such facility is the US Richard G. Lugar Public Health Research Center in Tbilisi, which is actually a high level biological research laboratory overseen by the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency.

Even though it was once announced that "the government in Georgia has decided to change the ownership of the Richard G Lugar Public Health Research Center in Tbilisi" and to "hand it over to the National Center of Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC), a space has been allocated for US Centers for Disease Control, the so-called Walter Reed’s Scientific Research Institute, and US and European universities."

Another facility is the Central Reference Laboratory near Almaty, Kazakhstan, which is set to become operational this month under the Cooperative Biological Engagement Program led by the US Department of Defense. "The $103 million laboratory is set to house highly secure Biosafety Level 2 and 3 research areas containing state-of-the-art molecular diagnostic and research equipment for the study of contagious animal and human diseases," according to information provided by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. The facility has the same very sponsor as the Georgian one, Sen. Richard Lugar.
There is another smaller US-controlled lab at a military base in the town of Otar in western Kazakhstan on the Caspian Sea.

Similar facilities have been planned for Kyrgyzstan, where Canada has almost finished setting up a high-security biological laboratory. "Canadian taxpayers sunk more than $6-million into the plan," The National Post website said back in 2014. However "the bloody, 2010 uprising toppled the repressive Kyrgyz regime that had signed the lab deal with Canada, and newly emboldened protesters soon alleged the facility was a disease-spreading "catastrophe" in the making, imposed in near-secrecy by unaccountable foreigners and local dictators." According to Infowars, the website of the American radio show host Alex Jones, "the US has created a National Biological Defense Program (NBD), which incorporates such countries as Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan." In 2013 in Ukraine alone, it says, the US created laboratories in Vinnytsia, Ternopil, Uzhhorod, Kiev, Dnepropetrovsk, Simferopol, Kherson, Lviv and Lugansk.

In the Kharkiv region, a laboratory to study the behavior of very dangerous animal pathogens was built," the website says.

"The American company Black & Veatch Special Projects Corp. (Bv.com) is behind the project and is financed by the US Department of Defense." According to the data, the plant is located in the basement of the Institute of Experimental Medicine and Veterinary Department (zoovet.kh.ua/en), all of its employees are foreigners, mostly Americans. Under the guise of laboratory tests, experiments based on the use of lethal pathogens on the battlefield are carried out there, the website says. As a result of the residents’ protests, a few years ago the bacteriological laboratory in Merefa was suspended. However, that changed after the entry of US troops on the territory of Ukraine. The planned laboratory is only about 70 meters from the nearby houses.
In April 2011, a Central Reference Laboratory supported by the US Department of Defense Cooperative Biological Engagement Program (CBEP) was inaugurated in Azerbaijan.

The website notes that the observers are concerned about the secrecy of works on the creation of such institutions and about the fact that it is the Pentagon – and not a civilian agency – which is heading the project. Certain fears are also associated with the need for construction of large storage facilities for pathogens that are required in the laboratory under the contract. Similar concerns are being raised by PolitRussia online news website, which also adds that the cost of such projects usually exceeds the cost of similar civilian facilities. Besides, there are usually far more employees than at civilian facilities. Those are usually closed projects with no access to representative of the public health service. The website also wonders where the need arises to open up facilities such as these on territories with a stable epidemiologic situation rather than in African or South Asian countries which experience frequent epidemiologic outbursts. It further refers to one of the statements of the now defunct US think tank, the Project for the New American Century, which once claimed that the advanced types of the biological weapons which can effect certain genotypes could well serve as a "politically useful tool." Fortunately, the think tank ceased to exist back in 2006, however its principles still seem to be in use with US politicians.

Russia Insider:
http://russia-insider.com/en/politics/w ... rs/ri16348

habal · Post by **habal** » 10 Sep 2016 08:18

some id-al-adha ceasefire has been announced, and kerry is out to town with it as major diplomatic victory. what a d1ck.

habal · Post by **habal** » 10 Sep 2016 08:21

every rat who didn't got the brief and hasn't changed over his nusra branded apparel to FSA is potentially in a lot of pain as a joint US-Russian bombing campaign against Nusra starts in 1 week after id ceasefire.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 10 Sep 2016 08:33

Amrika confirms the wipeout of the Nusra leadership offsite in east aleppo was not their doing.
Syaaf has nothing that could cause as much devastation.
people claim a couple of Su34 dumped their full payload on the site.

meantime , turkiye greywolf in north syria probably. many a criminal must also have joined the venture. north syria is a new colony to occupy and seek a new life

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 10 Sep 2016 09:50

Four Years After Gaddafi, Libya Is a Failed State

Weapons are pouring out of Africa's most oil-rich country while extremist fighters tumble in.

Nearly four years after NATO-backed rebels toppled the former Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi, the North Africa country has plunged into chaotic unrest.

The failure of last year’s election to achieve political unity in Libya was most evident when Fajr Libya, or “Libya Dawn” — a diverse coalition of armed groups that includes an array of Islamist militias — rejected the election’s outcome and seized control of Tripoli. The internationally recognized government relocated to Tobruk, situated in eastern Libya along the Mediterranean coast near the Egyptian border, while Libya Dawn set up a rival government, known as the new General National Congress, in the capital.

As forces aligned with the Tobruk government have fought Libya Dawn, the conflict has gradually become internationalized. Egypt and the United Arab Emirates have launched air strikes targeting Libya Dawn, while Turkey, Qatar, and Sudan are believed to have provided the Islamist-dominated coalition with varying degrees of support.

The emergence of Daesh (the so-called “Islamic State”) in strategically vital areas of Libya has further complicated the conflict in Africa’s most oil-rich country and raised security concerns in nearby states.

Libya’s Most Polarizing General

The mercurial general Khalifa Belqasim Haftar has emerged as an influential, yet highly divisive, leader in this bloody conflict.

In early March, the anti-Islamist general was appointed commander of the armed forces loyal to the Tobruk government. Haftar’s role in the former Gaddafi regime, his cozy relationship with Washington, and suspicions about his long-term ambitions have given him a controversial reputation among many Libyans. Nonetheless, he’s also gaining respect from those who share his vitriol for Islamists.

Haftar was an early Gaddafi loyalist, and played an important role as one of the “Free Officers” in the 1969 revolution that toppled the monarchy led by King Idris al-Sanusi. Gaddafi later said that Haftar “was my son… and I was like his spiritual father.” It was the start of a military career in which Haftar fought on many different sides.

During the Arab-Israeli war of 1973, Haftar led a Libyan battalion. Later, as a commander of Libyan forces in the country’s 1980-1987 war with Chad, he was allegedly responsible for war crimes when his forces were accused of using napalm and poison gas.

In 1987, the Chadian military scored a major victory in the battle of Wadi al-Doum. In addition to killing more than 1,000 Libyan forces, Chad took over 400 Libyans, including Haftar, as prisoners.

Around that time, Haftar’s loyalties shifted.

While held in Chad, Haftar worked with other Libyan officers to coordinate a coup against Gaddafi, before the United States secured his release — by airlifting him and 300 of his men to Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), and from there to Virginia.

As a newly minted U.S. citizen, Haftar lived in northern Virginia from 1990 to 2011, spending part of this time working with the CIA before returning to Libya in March 2011 to fight once again against the Gaddafi regime. Several sources insist that Haftar was out of the CIA’s hands by 2011, but others maintain that the U.S. government orchestrated his return to Libya that year.

Libya’s Civil War

Last year, Haftar called for the unilateral dissolution of Libya’s parliament and the establishment of a “presidential committee” to rule the country until new elections were held. Haftar cited Libya’s “upheaval” as justification for the armed forces to take over.

Many saw his act as an attempted military coup aimed at crushing the Muslim Brotherhood, which had won second place in Libya’s 2012 elections. Prime Minister Ali Zeidan dismissed his announcement as “ridiculous”.

Although many in Libya’s government viewed him as a rogue general hungry for power, his ongoing campaign against Islamist forces has gradually won him supporters. Last May, Haftar waged a campaign called “Operation Dignity” to “eliminate extremist terrorist groups” in the country. Since then, the Tobruk-based government has by and large come to support the general, viewing him as the government’s best bet in the struggle against its Islamist enemies.

Haftar’s anti-Islamist crusade parallels that of Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sisi, who is presiding over a crackdown on Egypt’s Islamists. In making no distinction between so-called moderate Islamists like the Muslim Brotherhood and hardline factions such as Daesh and Ansar al-Sharia (an al-Qaeda affiliate), Haftar and Sisi are both selling a narrative to the West that their anti-Islamist positions are in sync with the “global war on terror.”

So far, Haftar has been unwilling to negotiate with Libya Dawn — which contains the Libyan Muslim Brotherhood’s political wing and the “Loyalty to Martyrs” bloc within its coalition. In turn, Libya Dawn refuses to negotiate with Haftar.

The United Nations has begun hosting talks in Morocco between Libya’s various political factions in an effort to unite them against the growing threat of Daesh. Unfortunately, the UN’s efforts to push Libya’s two governments toward dialogue is undermined by the low levels of trust between them, and their mutual belief that only through continued armed struggle can they secure more territory and resources. Indeed, with strong backing from Cairo and Abu Dhabi, Haftar is likely convinced that he can make greater gains through warfare than diplomacy.

The toxic legacy of Gaddafi’s divisive and authoritarian regime, which pitted Libya’s diverse factions against one another, has plagued the prospects for any central authority gaining widespread legitimacy in the war-torn country. Indeed, since he was overthrown in 2011, Libya has turned into a cauldron of anarchy, with little meaningful security existing outside of Tripoli and Benghazi.

Gaddafi’s regime harshly oppressed the Islamist groups that went on to form Libya Dawn, which views its rise to power in Tripoli as hard fought and a long time in coming. They view Haftar as a war criminal from the ancien regime committed to their elimination, which will certainly undermine the potential for Libya’s two governments to reach a meaningful power-sharing agreement. With no peace in sight, a continuation of the bloody stalemate between the Tobruk and Tripoli-based governments seems most likely.

International Implications of Libya’s Turmoil

The fall of Gaddafi launched a geopolitical tsunami across Africa and into the Middle East.

Libya is now home to the world’s largest loose arms cache, and its porous borders are routinely transited by a host of heavily armed non-state actors — including the Tuareg separatists and jihadists who forced Mali’s national military from Timbuktu and Gao in March 2012 with newly acquired weapons from Libya. The UN has also documented the flow of arms from Libya into Egypt, Gaza, Niger, Somalia, and Syria.

Last October, 800 fighters loyal to Daesh seized control of Derna near the Egyptian border, some 200 miles from the European Union. Since then, Daesh’s Libyan branch has taken control of Sirte and gained a degree of influence in Benghazi, the nation’s second largest city and heart of the 2011 uprising against Gaddafi.

The group’s use of Libyan territory to terrorize and threaten other states has raised the international stakes. In February, Daesh beheaded 21 migrant workers from Egypt because they were Coptic Christians, then released a propaganda video containing footage of the heinous act. That lured Egypt into waging direct air strikes against the group’s targets in Derna.

Last November, Ansar Bait al-Maqdis — the dominant jihadist group in the Egyptian Sinai —pledged allegiance to Daesh, as did Nigeria’s Boko Haram more recently. Daesh has also made direct threats against Italy, prompting officials in Rome to warn that Italy’s military may intervene in Libya to counter Daesh’s fighters.

One quarter of Daesh’s fighters in Derna come from other Arab countries and Afghanistan. A major influx of Jabhat al-Nusra fighters from Syria have also entered the fray in Libya, underscoring how Islamist extremists from lands far away have exploited Libya’s status as a failed state. This development was most recently underscored when a Sudanese member of Daesh’s Libya division carried out a suicide attack on April 5th, which targeted a security checkpoint near Misrata. The bloody incident resulted in four deaths and over 20 injuries.

The number of weak or failing states across Africa suggests that such international networks will continue to take advantage of frail central authorities and lawlessness throughout the extremely underdeveloped Sahel and other areas of the continent to spread their influence. In the absence of any political resolution to its civil war, Libya in particular — as a failed state with mountainous oil reserves — will remain vulnerable to extremist forces hoping to seize power amidst the ongoing morass.

Giorgio Cafiero is Co-Founder of Gulf State Analytics. Daniel Wagner is CEO of Country Risk Solutions.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 10 Sep 2016 13:45

on sept8 the gotus sent this memo to syrian rebels (non nusra munnas) - note the last line.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 10 Sep 2016 13:46

^^ the first action may have been some US intel permitting the russians to wipe off the top half dozen nusra leaders in a pinpoint strike either with bombs or maybe a IskanderM. east aleppo is not usually where the russians bomb.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 10 Sep 2016 13:50

also it excludes southwest aleppo where the SAA and friends are having a good time finally taking land ... the formations there mostly FSA .. many with US supplied TOWs

the nusra elites like all 1st echelon formations are used selectively for shock ops and then withdrawn from meatgrinders like ramouseh. they must be intact, resting and waiting in Idlib or inside Turkiye somewhere. per reports they are every bit as good and ferocious fighters as the best of SAA and Hezbollah.

i think ahrar al sham and nusra also have a lot of syrian army deserter veterans incl from the technical arms. the way they handle fairly bulky weapons like HMGs and TOWs shows a practised ease vs the wild eyed intensity of the ISIS further east. also ex turkish army and grey wolf types very familiar with NATO gear.

Bhurishravas · Post by **Bhurishravas** » 10 Sep 2016 17:02

Here you go.
Erdogan has now iron clad grip over turkey. He has successfuly purged every sphere of political life in Turkey by firing teachers, army officers, police journalists.
EU and US, the champions of human rights, have been able to do squat.
On foreign policy, EU has agreed to give loads of money and take in loads of Turks into EU. Turkey continues to be a member of NATO and maintains good relations with Russia.
So much that, on military front, it successfuly launches a military incursion into a russia ally, kills and destroys YPG influence inside Syria, manages to remain in contact with its sunni allies for any future arming up or incursions into Syria.

And Putin is winning. Hmmm.
Its Erdogan all the way. Well done. Well played.

Bhurishravas · Post by **Bhurishravas** » 10 Sep 2016 17:13

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/10/world ... pe=article

Russia and the United States Reach New Agreement on Syria Conflict

The key element is that Russia must then restrain the forces of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria from conducting any air operations over areas held by Nusra and other opposition forces. The United States hopes this will end the indiscriminate dropping of barrel bombs — including chlorine gas attacks — that have punctuated the conflict.
In return, the United States is to persuade the opposition groups it has been supporting to separate themselves from the Nusra forces. Mr. Assad has attacked many of them on the pretense of attacking Nusra fighters.

The whole thing is laughable.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 10 Sep 2016 20:24

agitpapa ‏@agitpapa 6h6 hours ago
agitpapa Retweeted tahtakuslar
Post-coup TR military shrank 38% from 561,486 to 351,176. Officers & NCOs make up ~30% of that force reduction.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 10 Sep 2016 20:28

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 10 Sep 2016 20:30

saa has finally reached the southern border of idlib after many false starts

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 10 Sep 2016 20:33

looking at terrain from the west jisr al shugour is protected by rugged mountains similar to what has been slogged through in latakia

approach frpm south is flat but OP spotters on the hills can call down indirect artillery fires and easy to use TOW missiles at long range

perhaps only a highly mechanised armour thrust from the south and east would result in less casualties and heavy carpet bombing to close all the hill rountes to the west. clearly beyond the syrian govt.

those hills are crawling with jihadis under every rock and cave ... well supplied across the mountains from turkiye

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 10 Sep 2016 20:42

iran and russia back in talks on hamedan airbase for backfire and platypus basing.

a certain number of AN124 and IL76 sorties will precede any basing to stock up on the needed items.

hopefully this time its a properly signed lease deal with political clearances in iran and no loud mouths to spoil the show on either side.

Russia will likely focus this base for ops against ISIS in raqqa , eastern homs and deir azzor region ...

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 10 Sep 2016 21:46

The russia usa deal like previous one will anger iran if it means the idlib jihadis are now off limits ...

habal · Post by **habal** » 11 Sep 2016 13:07

Anna News - EXCLUSIVE: Aleppo's War Battlefield Update for 9th September, 2016, Syria - Ramouseh supply road (ENGLISH SUBTITLES)

Russian Navy Seals deployed to Syria to capture isis commanders !

habal · Post by **habal** » 11 Sep 2016 13:08

Is Russia really this naive ?

" US tells rebels ceasefire deal grants them ‘right to self-defense’ against Syria & Russia "

https://www.rt.com/news/358947-syria-op ... ra-letter/

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 11 Sep 2016 19:48

this deal will go nowhere like the first one. nobody controls anyone over there.

some rebel held enclaves in damascus, homs and hama might become quiet...permitting saa to replace itself with ndf checkpoints and move on up north.

maybe the Su34 drivers need a 2 week break on some crimean resort and HW needs upkeep , more munitions flown in etc. in 2 weeks these big black vultures will be back again.

Bhurishravas · Post by **Bhurishravas** » 12 Sep 2016 01:23

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/russia ... sCatID=348

Talks on the project were halted last year after Turkey shot down a Russian air force jet and Russia retaliated with trade sanctions but since then Moscow and Ankara have made significant progress to mend relations.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 12 Sep 2016 07:32

large scale offensive continues in latakia on hilly terrain

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 13 Sep 2016 09:41

‘We should not confuse int’l order with American one’: Russian defense minister to US counterpart

The US is confusing international order with an “American” one, said Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, questioning Washington’s policies. It comes in response to Ash Carter’s accusations that Moscow wants to erode the principles of international order.

In the statement, Shoigu noted that numerous US-led interventions have actually contributed to the security challenges that the international community is currently facing.

“It is the United States, alongside their Western partners, who have been consistently destroying the basic foundations of the existing world, starting with Bosnia, Kosovo to Iraq and Libya”.

Shoigu’s statement comes in response to the comments made by US counterpart Ash Carter, who accused Russia of aiming to change the world order. Speaking to students at Oxford University on Wednesday, Carter did not mince his words, saying that Moscow pursues a “clear ambition to erode the principled international order.”

While acknowledging that Washington “does not seek an enemy in Russia,” he, among others, accused Moscow of “nuclear-saber-rattling” and territorial violations.

Addressing Carter’s comments, Shoigu said that Russia had warned what the outcome would be of the US-led NATO bombardment of the former Yugoslavia in 1999.

Shoigu said, “since then we only see that every time [the US] is stepping on the same rake in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, other countries,” and that the Pentagon, “instead of drawing lessons,” simply continues with its practices.

“Maybe it is time for the Pentagon to change something in that ‘strategy’? In order not justify in front of every microphone its failures by blaming everything on Russia, China and other countries with an independent outlook”.

Shoigu concluded that “maintaining international order” is a task for the whole international community and “not only of the Pentagon.” According to him this view remains a guiding principle for the Russian government.

“The sooner our US colleagues will realize that and start changing”, the sooner it will help resolve the existing problems, including Syria and elsewhere.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 13 Sep 2016 11:40

http://nypost.com/2016/09/11/sniper-tak ... mile-away/

Sniper takes out ISIS executioner from a mile away

A sharpshooter killed a top ISIS executioner and three other jihadists with a single bullet from nearly a mile away — just seconds before the fiend was set to burn 12 hostages alive with a flamethrower, according to a new report.

The British Special Air Service marksman turned one of the most hated terrorists in Syria into a fireball by using a Barett .50-caliber rifle to strike a fuel tank affixed to the jihadi’s back, the UK’s Daily Star reported Sunday.