Syria

[blindpig]

U.S. Sanctions Are Drowning Syrians

Steven Sahiounie

June 18, 2023

The days of U.S. dictating to the Arab world, and U.S.-engineered wars for regime change in the Middle East are over, Steven Sahiounie writes.

Hundreds of Syrian men, women and children have drowned early Wednesday in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Greece after the sinking of an Egyptian trawler headed for Italy. It is being called one of the deadliest migrant ship disasters in the Mediterranean Sea. As many as 750 persons were packed into the boat, with women and children under the deck, which may be why the 104 survivors were all young men. 78 bodies were recovered 75 kilometers offshore Kalamata, Greece.

Nine Egyptian human traffickers have been arrested in Greece and blamed as part of a smuggling network which advertised on Facebook. The ads promised a better life in Europe and charged between $5,000 to $6,000 per person. But, Greece is also being blamed for their part as they were monitoring the ship but never took steps to stop the ship and off-load passengers. The Greeks say they were communicating with the ship, and the ship requested to be allowed to continue sailing toward Italy. After the engine stopped, the passengers panicked, and their sudden movements caused the ship to roll over and sink.

The U.S. and EU sanctions on Syria are to blame. There is no war in Syria. The battlefields are long silent across Syria, but there is no recovery or rebuilding allowed in Syria, because the U.S. and EU sanctions prevent any rebuilding or foreign investments in rebuilding projects.

Infrastructure, hospitals, homes, schools, factories and businesses are all left waiting for the sanctions to be lifted to orders parts and supplies from abroad to begin the long process of recovery from the U.S.-NATO attack on Syria for regime change, which ended in failure.

Western media lies when they repeatedly tell their western audiences that a violent civil war is raging in Syria, and people are leaving in fear for their lives, and this is the cause of the migrant crisis. This is untrue. From Aleppo, Damascus, Homs, and Latakia the roads are clear and open, the streets are free of soldiers and check points, and there are even tourists arriving to visit religious and historical sites. The western media must convince their audiences that the western foreign policies designed to create desperation in Syria are not to blame. It is the western sanctions, put in place by democracies, who keep the Syrian unemployed and without any welfare safety net, people are forced to risk their lives to feed their families back home.

The tiny province of Idlib, an olive growing area in the northwest, is under the control of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an Al Qaeda terrorist group supported by UN, U.S., EU and western humanitarian aid, but there are only 3 million civilians there, while the rest of the country holds 15 million. The people who left Syria on the ships were not from Idlib, because they have all their needs met there, and even have business opportunities there because Turkey and the U.S. and EU support that population. On Thursday, the EU hosted a donors conference for Syrian refugees in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. $2.1 Billion was pledged, but only those Syrians living in the terrorist enclave of Idlib, or those living in camps in neighboring countries will benefit. The EU will not send 1 Euro to Damascus for the 15 million Syrians who are suffering from the sanctions, and are contemplating a journey which may end in drowning.

Syrians leaving on desperate and dangerous sea journeys toward Europe are economic migrants. They are fleeing from poverty imposed upon them by the U.S. and EU. They are seeking an income, because their former jobs were taken from them by terrorists who entered from Turkey and dismantled the factories machinery and took it to Turkey where agents close to Turkish President Erdogan rebuilt the factories there, and have employed Syrian refugees there at wages far below the Turkish workers’ union limit.

The Syrian economy is collapsed and the currency devalued. What used to cost 100 Syrian Lira (SL) in 2011, now costs 10,000. $1 used to equate to 50 SL, and now fluctuates between 8,000 to 9,000 SL. Syrian merchants are prevented from ordering even the most basic of items such as factory materials and building products because of the sanctions. At one point, chemotherapy drugs were impossible to order due to foreign manufacturers in fear of U.S. sanctions. Due to U.S. and EU banking sanctions on Syria, merchants are prohibited from sending payments from Syria to firms abroad. The Port in Latakia sits idle instead of bustling with activity to rebuild lives.

The Astana Peace talks will soon convene in Kazakhstan on June 20-21. Deputy Foreign Ministers from Syria, Iran, Russia and Turkey will discuss plans for a normalization between Turkey and Syria and also for a roadmap for a political solution for the Syrian crisis. However, Damascus insists normalization is not possible while Turkey is militarily occupying area along the northern border. On May 10, the Defense Ministers of all four countries met in Moscow and were tasked with developing a roadmap, which will be discussed at the upcoming meeting.

On June 14, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said the roadmap for normalizing relations between Ankara and Damascus is now ready to be discussed at Astana.

The Geneva Peace process for Syria has met numerous times, but has never achieved success. Experts point to the fact that the Geneva meetings are dictated by Washington’s demands, which are keen to keep Syria destroyed and unrecovered by the U.S. sanctions in place. However, Geir Pedersen, UN special envoy for Syria, has expressed optimism in the Astana meeting, but the U.S. may prevent him from implementing any progress that comes from Astana. U.S. President Joe Biden was part of the 2011 U.S. attack on Syria engineered by President Obama, while Biden was Vice President.

When Syria and Turkey were hit with a 7.8 earthquake on February 6, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was quick to rush with humanitarian aid deliveries to Damascus for victims in Latakia and Aleppo, the two hardest hit areas in Syria. The U.S., EU and other western humanitarian groups chose to strictly send aid to the 3 million under terrorist control in Idlib, by passing the 15 million Syrian who never received even a loaf of bread from the U.S..

On March 10, Saudi Arabia and Iran signed a normalization agreement brokered by China. This was a political earthquake felt throughout the Middle East, as the two former foes put their hands together to work toward peace and prosperity for the region. In the wake of the new§found cooperation, Saudi Arabia reached out to Syria and meeting took place which saw the Syrian President back at the Arab League, and embassy functions between both countries established.

The Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has a Vision 2030 project which is built upon peace and stability in the region, and he has called for foreign interference and instigated proxy wars to cease. Saudi Arabia has firmly taken the lead to find a peaceful political solution for the Syrian crisis, and is willing to work with China, Russia and Iran to fulfil his goals.

The days of U.S. dictating to the Arab world, and U.S.-engineered wars for regime change in the Middle East are over. Saudi Arabia is chartering a new course and they demand smooth sailing over calm waters.

https://strategic-culture.org/news/2023 ... g-syrians/

[blindpig]

Mainstream Media Colludes with U.S. Government To Conceal Source of Syria’s Heartbreaking Humanitarian Crisis
By Jeremy Kuzmarov - June 30, 2023 0


[Source: voanews.com]

Illegal U.S. bombing raids, brutal economic sanctions, and incredibly brazen theft by U.S. forces of 66,000 barrels of Syrian oil per day (80% of its total output) have visited a biblical-scale tragedy upon the Syrian people that has battered them virtually back to the stone age.

Following a devastating earthquake in February that displaced thousands of people and compounded the suffering of 13 years of war, UNICEF issued a warning that millions of children in Syria were at a heightened risk of malnutrition.

According to UNICEF, close to 13,000 children have been killed or injured in the Syrian conflict.

More than 609,000 children under the age of five are stunted from chronic undernutrition; 12 million Syrians do not have enough food to meet daily dietary needs; 6.9 million people are internally displaced, and 90% of Syrians are estimated to be living in poverty.


War amputee in tent city in Syria where the internally displaced live. [Source: iom.int]

The U.S. media blame the biblical-scale catastrophe on Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad.

It claims that Assad started a war against his own people to preserve his family’s ruling dynasty, committed large-scale war crimes against his own people with Vladimir Putin’s support, and then stole relief aid following the earthquake and deprived people of needed medical assistance in order to punish those who did not support him.


Scott Pelley [Source: atlantapressclub.org]

In an April 60 Minutes segment, host Scott Pelley accused Assad of launching chemical-weapon and barrel-bomb attacks on his own people and reported that a hospital in a rebel-controlled area in northwest Syria had to be built underground so it could not be bombed by Assad.

Pelley interviewed a Chicago doctor who accused Assad of chemical-weapon attacks, and he interviewed members of the White Helmets, a humanitarian aid group exposed as an intelligence front, who claimed that Assad cruelly bombed rebel targets in the northwest just days after the earthquake.

Crimes Against Syria
60 Minutes’ narrative about Syria is contradicted by a new documentary, Crimes Against Syria, produced by Mark Taliano,[1] which draws more on Syrian perspectives.

See the documentary here.https://rumble.com/v2qab0u-crimes-against-syria.html

[Source: Courtesy of Mark Taliano]

The film begins with an encounter between a BBC reporter and a Syrian man who tells her that she is “not telling the truth about Syria” and that Syrians “love our President [Assad]” and “support [him].”

The film goes on to detail the suppressed history in the West about how the uprising that triggered the war was initiated by jihadist terrorists supported by the U.S., Jordan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar who attacked Syrian security forces, many of whom were armed only with sticks, while burning shops and cars.

Their aim was to weaken and destabilize Syria, overthrow Assad, and trigger a full-scale U.S. military invasion.


Protests in Daraa in March 2011. Note that one of the supposedly peaceful demonstrators is brandishing a knife. [Source: edition.cnn.com]

Crimes Against Syria includes footage of an interview with General Wesley Clark, who talks about visiting with a high-ranking general after 9/11 who told him of Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney’s plan to invade and overthrow seven Arab governments starting with Syria.[2]


U.S. war plans for the Middle East after 9/11. [Source: wearethemighty.com]

The neo-conservatives picked Syria because Assad was a secular nationalist who stood up to the Israelis and U.S. regional designs. His popularity stemmed from the fact that his regime provided the Syrian people with free health care and education and protected Syria’s sovereignty.[3]

Independent journalists Eva Bartlett and Vanessa Beeley are featured in the film, providing pictures of vast NATO weapon supplies that ISIS forces left behind in their headquarters after territory that they took was liberated by the Syrian Army.


NATO weapons left behind by ISIS in Syrian government-liberated territory in Daraa. [Source: newrepublic.com]

The Obama administration had told the U.S. public that the U.S. was arming only “moderate [anti-Assad] rebels,” when there were no moderate rebels—they were all part of ISIS, al-Nusra and other al-Qaeda affiliates in Syria.


“Moderate rebels”—yeah, right! [Source: nationofchange.org]

When an American living in Latakia saw a false report in the Los Angeles Times about how the Syrian uprising began, she contacted the journalist who wrote the story. The journalist admitted that she lived in Lebanon and based her report only on rumors supplied by anti-Assad forces.

The woman then tried to contact a Times editor whose information she had been provided, but the editor never emailed her back.

The media similarly misled Americans when it came to the chemical-weapon attack in eastern Ghoutta, Douma and other locations that were used as a pretext for the U.S. bombing of Syria.

A key source for the claims were the White Helmets—an al-Qaeda affiliate whose founder was a British intelligence agent.


White Helmets in action. Their humanitarian work, however, is a front for involvement in intelligence operations, including the spread of disinformation. [Source: middleeasteye.net]

A man interviewed in the film said that he lived in Douma where one of the chemical attacks was supposed to have taken place and never saw evidence of it; he thinks it was a play or show—a lie that never happened.

How was it possible, he asked, that people were walking around the area openly—without getting sick or killed when these chemicals were supposed to be deadly? And why would Assad use these weapons on his own people when he had liberated most of the country without them?


Two men collecting samples from the scene of an alleged chemical attack with almost no protection. If there really had been an attack, they would have instantly been killed without protection but were not. [Source: Photo provided to the author by Theodore Postol]

Other Syrians testified in the film to the widespread revulsion in the country for the foreign-backed jihadists who committed horrific atrocities, ranging from torture to beheadings to the seizing of medicine and food aid to the converting of hospitals into jails.


Jihadist pictured executing a POW in violation of the Geneva Convention. [Source: express.co.uk]
The Syrian Army—which included all ethnic groups in the country—was heralded for protecting the people from the terrorists and restoring law and order in areas they took back.

Russian troops were also looked upon favorably by Syrians for assisting Assad in freeing the country from foreign aggression.


Russian troops in Syria were largely well-received, unlike the Americans, because they were invited into the country by the Syrian government and were not there to steal Syria’s oil. [Source: veteranos.gr]

The main pretext for the application of U.S. sanctions was the testimony of an alleged Syrian defector named “Caesar” who displayed images of tortured and mutilated Syrians, many of whom were actually Syrian Army soldiers.

When he appeared before Congress, Caesar wore a hood over his face to mask his identity and was brought there by his “case officer,” implying that he was working for the CIA.


Hooded Caesar displaying photos of gruesome human rights abuses before the U.S. Congress. Many of the photos were actually of Syrian government soldiers. Caesar was brought to Congress by his “case officer,” marking him as a probable CIA “asset,” doing the Agency’s bidding. [Source: thegrayzone.com]

“U.S. Sanctions Have Brought Syria Back to the Stone Age”

60 Minutes’ narrative about Syria was further debunked in March by the testimony of Syrian doctors before the International People’s Tribunal on U.S. Imperialism, which aims to spotlight the pernicious impact of U.S. sanctions on countries around the world.

These doctors emphasized the cruelty of U.S. sanctions on Syria, which have deprived its people of needed medicines and crippled its already war-ravaged economy.

Comparison was made with Iraq in the 1990s, where sanctions that were applied following the bombing of Iraq’s infrastructure in the first Persian Gulf War resulted in the deaths of half a million Iraqi children, according to Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.


Impoverished Iraqis victimized by U.S. sanctions in the 1990s. [Source: independent.co.uk]

Counter to what 60 Minutes claimed, the doctors said that it was jihadist rebels who had shelled Syrian hospitals and murdered other doctors, and destroyed pharmaceutical factories—which is what has made the country ill-equipped to deal with the on-going humanitarian crisis.

Dr. Hizla al-Assad said that the U.S. war and sanctions had threatened to turn life in Syria back to the Stone Age.

Electricity in the country was now sporadic and basic social services—excellent before the war—were severely reduced. Living standards were miserable and social cohesion was coming undone.

People had to endure long food lines, public transport was lacking and students could not study because their schools had been destroyed. Goods can no longer get in because of restrictions on Syrian airplanes and imports and exports are way down.


Syrians wait in long lines for food near Damascus. [Source: express.co.uk]

Much of the country’s oil had also been stolen, taken to Iraq and Turkey.

This was all part of the U.S. plan of intentionally impoverishing a country that was part of an axis of resistance against Western imperialism.


U.S. convoy carrying stolen Syrian oil into Iraq. [Source: en.mehrnews.com]

According to Hizla al-Assad, the earthquake in Syria showed the inhumanity of the Americans who prevented the delivery of needed medical and humanitarian aid into the country.

That inhumanity was also evident in the behavior of American occupying troops in the northwest, who kidnapped Syrian youths and dragged them unconscious for the crime of possessing a picture of Bashar al-Assad.


Among the small number of protesters in the U.S. demanding an end to the murderous U.S. policies in Syria. [Source: unac.notowar.net]

Trying to Destroy a Proud Anti-Colonial Tradition


Patrick Higgins [Source: uh.edu]

The first speaker at the International People’s Tribunal on U.S. Imperialism, Patrick Higgins, a Ph.D. student at the University of Houston, emphasized Syria’s proud history as a center of Arab nationalist movements going back to the 19th century, when it provided a base of resistance for the overthrow of the Ottoman-Turkish Empire.

In 1948, Syria sent troops to confront the Zionist colonizers of Palestine and then, in the early 1950s, supported the Algerian struggle for independence against France, under the leadership of Shukri al-Quwatli, who was overthrown in a 1949 CIA-backed coup but won presidential elections in 1955 (the CIA then again tried to overthrow him but failed).

Bashar al-Assad’s father, Hafez, who ruled Syria from 1970 to 2000, supported many Arab and Third World liberationist movements and allied closely with the Soviet Union.


Hafez al-Assad [Source: pinterest.com]

Bashar continued his father’s legacy by establishing Syria as a main conduit for Iran, Lebanese and Palestinian resistance movements fighting against Western imperialism and proxies like Israel.


Bashar al-Assad during victory celebration in Damascus. [Source: nation.com.pk]

In the 1950s, the U.S. and Israel developed the Johnston Plan—named after Special U.S. Ambassador Eric Johnston—which redirected water in Syria and Jordan to Israeli settlements and Israeli military development.


Original UN plan, Box 275-2-6, UN Archives. (Source: Student dissertation)

The original Johnston Plan, which benefitted Israel at the expense of its Arab neighbors. [Source: worldhistory.colombia.edu]
Syria resisted the plan and was attacked accordingly, with Israel stealing the Golan Heights during the closing stages of the 1967 Six-Day War.


[Source: dailymail.co.uk]

That Israel is the foundation for U.S. imperial power in the Middle East, and Syria is in Israel’s crosshairs, helps account for the long U.S. subversion campaign.

The latter’s deadly consequences are childishly blamed by the U.S. ruling establishment and media on a leader who is respected in Syria as an heir to the country’s proud anti-colonial tradition which in part, and ironically, mirrors America’s own.

https://covertactionmagazine.com/2023/0 ... an-crisis/

[blindpig]

The Syrian Refugees in Germany Face Danger

Steven Sahiounie

July 14, 2023

It is time to allow Syria to be rebuilt and recover from an unjust war which left death and destruction in its path.

Lebanese clans living in Germany, who are involved in drug trafficking, have caused death and mayhem. The German police responded to a massive brawl which broke out on June 16 in front of a restaurant in Essen that left a 23-year-old Syrian man dead, several German police officers injured, and 150 Lebanese arrested.

The Lebanese clans operate in Germany as a mafia while controlling drug smuggling and distribution. The police used water cannons and a helicopter to try to contain the violence.

A Syrian family became involved in a dispute with the Lebanese, and the fight began involving hundreds of people on both sides of the conflict, and spread to other areas.

Syrian refugees number 800,000 according to a March 2021 survey. It is the largest refugee community in Germany.

The largest influx of Syrian refugees arrived in Germany from walking on foot across Europe after taking Turkish smuggling boats to Greece in the summer of 2015 when about 350,000 arrived asking for asylum. From the outset, the illegal smuggling activity is what got them to Germany. They were rewarded for breaking European immigration laws.

The Syrians since then have continued to arrive. The fighting in Syria has been over since 2017, but the country was never allowed to rebuild because of U.S. and EU sanctions which prevent any reconstruction or creation of new jobs. The Syrians are economic migrants. They are not fleeing war, they are fleeing poverty and the sanctions which are designed to keep the Syrian people suffering. The U.S. and EU foreign policy on Syria is to keep the citizens so poverty stricken, that they will rise up and overthrow the Damascus government. That was unable to be accomplished by the terrorists that the U.S. and NATO employed since 2011, and it will not be possible now that the terrorists are gone.

The typical Syrian refugee in Germany, or anywhere, is an economic migrant who is firstly looking to obtain free benefits offered by the government, such as a monthly welfare check, free housing, food and medicine. Syrians are not there to put down roots, or become German. They seek German citizenship only as a means of staying there, and being able to travel easily on vacations and family visits.

Syrians are typically learning the German language just enough to qualify for benefits, or to get a job. Syrian women are not looking to work; they prefer to remain at home unemployed even if their children are grown. Even though working women are common inside Syria, the female Syrian refugee is not looking to contribute to the household income.

Syrian refugees in Germany are typically not interested in German politics, or political parties. Firstly, to join a party and vote a person must hold citizenship. Secondly, the name of the main political party is the Christian Democrat party, and almost all the Syrians are Muslim, which creates an immediate disassociation with the party.

Syrians don’t feel German, or that the country is their home. It is just a place to live safely, and gain an income. They generally don’t have any German friends, other than saying hello to co-workers or neighbors. Syrian women tend to only associate with other Syrian women, and only speak Arabic, further isolating them from German society. The children are very affected by their home life.

The German child protective services have been busy taking Syrian children away from their refugee parents. German neighbors are reporting parents who may spank or scream at their children. The Syrian customs of childrearing are not the same as European norms. Taking small children away from their own parents is a form of torture.

LGBTQ issues are understood and accepted in Europe, but are not accepted by countries in the Middle East, including Lebanon. Syrian refugee families in Germany have been teaching their children that Islam does not approve of the LGBTQ lifestyle, although all German laws protecting that community are to be obeyed. Syrians are asking their children to not participate in Gay Pride activities in school. This has led to German authorities issuing court decrees to remove young school aged children from their Muslim parents.

Syrian Christian families hold the same views on the issue of LGBTQ as the Syrian Muslim families. The Syrian culture is 10,000 years old, and the Christians in Syria were worshipping in churches when the German pagans were building bonfires and worshipping fire.

We have heard of the concept of the clash of civilizations, and east meets west in Germany, and the project of Syrian integration in Germany is a failed project.

Sweden is also taking school aged children away from their Syrian parents and placing them into a foster home, and the parents are prevented from even knowing where the child is at. The Swedish Social Services are teaching at the schools what is allowed and not allowed at home. This encourages the children to then report on their parents, which results in the child being taken away permanently.

There are many Syrian who have left home to find their place abroad. They have become productive members of society around the world, and may remain abroad for all their life. There is even a Syrian refugee who became the Mayor of a small town in Germany.

The U.S.-NATO regime change project engineered by U.S. President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden is a failure. It is time to allow Syria to be rebuilt and recover from an unjust war which left death and destruction in its path. The U.S. and EU sanctions should be lifted and foreign investment in rebuilding begun. Eventually, those Syrians who are not interested in remaining in Germany, or elsewhere forever, can plan to return home to work and live in their own culture and religion.

https://strategic-culture.org/news/2023 ... ce-danger/

******

Syria and Iraq strengthen cooperation to tackle water shortages


The head of the Iraqi side and technical adviser to the Minister of Water Resources, Alaa Al-Din Najm expressed concern about the poor situation of water resources in his country. | Photo: SANA
Published 14 July 2023

According to local Syrian media, the head of Administration and Environment of that nation highlighted the importance of continuing to strengthen relations between the two countries.

The Syrian ministers of Local Administration and Environment, Hussein Makhlouf, and of Water Resources, Tammam Raad, met this Friday with Iraqi delegations to increase cooperation in the fight against climate change and water scarcity.

According to local Syrian media, the head of Administration and Environment of that nation stressed the importance of continuing to strengthen relations between the two countries for the protection of the environment and the fight against climate change.

Makhlouf further added that there is a need to expand the spaces and number of meetings to expand Syrian-Iraqi cooperation.


For his part, Raad delved into the relevance of joining efforts to face water scarcity and stressed how climate change affects the water reality of both nations.

The headline highlighted the scientific and technical exchange between Damascus and Baghdad, as well as the creation of a research center in Iraq to be used as a training and training center for personnel.

The head of the Iraqi side and technical adviser to the Minister of Water Resources, Alaa Al-Din Najm, expressed his concern about the poor situation of his country regarding the vital resource, which has even led to the cancellation of the summer agricultural plan.

The official agreed on the need to increase joint cooperation in the fight against climate change, even more so seeing the reduction in water levels in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

https://www.telesurtv.net/news/siria-ir ... -0033.html

Google Translator

[blindpig]

French Connection to Idlib
Steven Sahiounie
July 18, 2023

With the recent complete reversal of Turkish foreign policy it remains a mystery as to what is the future of Idlib.

According to media reports, the French Intelligence have given information to Mohamed al-Golani, the head of the Al Qaeda branch in Syria, formerly known as Jibhat al-Nusra, but now rebranded as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

The report said there are members and leaders of Jolani’s fighters who are working with, and giving information to the Russian and Syrian military about Idlib. Based on that information Jolani has arrested over 300 HTS fighters and leaders, as well as members of the Idlib administration. In the last few days, Jolani has hung tens of people, all without legal procedures.

Jolani is responding to recent Russian and Syrian targeted airstrikes on warehouses and positions of HTS causing a great deal of deaths among the terrorist group.

The last meeting in Astana has failed to find a solution for the political conflict in Syria. The battles have started again between the Syrian Arab Army and Russia, from one side, and the U.S. supported Radical Islamic terrorists in northwest Syria on the other side.

Idlib

Idlib is an agricultural province in northwest Syria. When the U.S.-NATO war on Syria started in 2011, many people in Idlib supported the U.S.-Turkey backed “revolution”. It was one of the first cities in Syria to go completely under the control of Radical Islamic terrorist groups. In the beginning of the war, the main terrorist group that was in control was called Jabhat Al-Nusra. The international community put Jabhat Al-Nusra on the world terrorist list, and that was when they changed their name to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, to keep getting aid from enormous NGOs like: USAID, UN, White Helmets, Doctors Without Borders, and others.

The leader of Jibhat al-Nusra is Abo Mohammed Al-Golan, who was originally a member of Al Qaeda in Iraq, and was imprisoned in Iraq, where he became good friends with Abu Baker Al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS. They made a deal that Baghdadi will be the leader of ISIS in Iraq and Golani in Syria, but when Golani got out of prison and got to Syria he did not go through with the deal. He made and became the leader of his own Radical Islamic group, Jabhat Al-Nusra, which was the Syrian branch of Al Qaeda. Jabhat Al-Nusra became the most vicious fighting group in Syria, and caused the Free Syrian Army (FSA) to disappear.

The Russian role in Syria

The relationship between Syria and Russia goes back decades. During the war in Syria, the Russian support was seen only as a political force in the UN, but by September 2015, Jibhat al-Nusra has control over a vast area in Syria, and the government requested military help from Moscow. The Syrian and Russian military both in a very short period of time pushed back the Radical Islamic terrorists groups such as the FSA, Jabhat Al-Nusra, and ISIS and regained control of large areas of Syria.

The latest update in the Battlefield:

On June 23, the Radical Islamic terrorists groups in Idlib carried out several drone attacks on the suburbs of Latakia and Hama, causing the deaths of several women and children.

On June 24, the Syrian Army and Russian Air Force targeted several positions of HTS, and killed several of the terrorists and destroyed missile launchers, weapon storages, and a drone factory. The Russian Air Force targeted positions of HTS in the suburbs of Latakia. The Syrian and Russian attack on the headquarters and positions of HTS in Idlib was in response to the drone attack.

The airstrikes included several training camps and headquarters for the Uyghur terrorists (TIP) that came from China to fight in Syria. The Uyghur ethnic group in China is Chinese citizens living in the far west of China. They are Muslims, and have formed a radical political party which seeks to change the government into an Islamic State. Turkish President Erdogan issued forged Turkish passports to the Uyghurs and allowed about 5,000 of their members to travel by air to Turkey, where their passports were taken from them, and they were transported by Turkish official vehicles to Idlib.

With the recent complete reversal of Turkish foreign policy it remains a mystery as to what is the future of Idlib.

https://strategic-culture.org/news/2023 ... -to-idlib/

[blindpig]

BBC Normalizes a Terrorist Organization to Frame Syrian President – Updated
JULY 22, 2023


Thumbnail from the BBC documentary 'Captagon: Inside Syria’s drug trafficking empire." Photo: BBC.

By Vanessa Beely – Jul 15, 2023

The BBC appears to work in lockstep with US and UK deep state to facilitate new raft of sanctions against Syria.

Finally, could I get a comment from the BBC please about why a BBC documentary failed to inform their audience that the organisation interviewed in Idlib, Syria are, in reality. the intelligence arm of Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS) a UK and US proscribed terrorist organisation formerly Jabhat Al Nusra (Al Qaeda) and that the individuals interviewed are responsible for war crimes in Syria including the murder of children in Idlib?

The above is taken from an email written by UK Column to Tim Davie, Director General of the BBC and Tim Awford, Executive Editor, BBC Arabic Service – Head of Programmes and Documentaries following publication of a BBC Arabic/World Service ‘documentary’ on the Captagon illicit drug trade in the Middle East with a focus on Syria.

When we aired our investigative report on Friday 14th July we had received no reply or comment from the BBC or from the partner organization involved in the making of the documentary. I will provide details on the three collaborators on the project later in this article.

BBC expelled from Syria after platforming proscribed terrorist group in Idlib
On the 9th July the BBC published an article confirming that the Syrian government had canceled the BBC’s accreditation in Syria. The article made clear what I already knew that the final straw for the Syrian government had been the BBC Arabic Captagon report that claims to have found links between the Captagon drug trade and leading members of the ‘Syrian Armed forces and Mr Assad’s family.’

The Syrian government cited the BBC’s history of “biased and misleading reports” as the basis for the decision and stated that the BBC failed to adhere to professional standards.

It also said that the BBC was warned “more than once,” but “continued to broadcast its misleading reports based on statements… from terrorist entities and those hostile to Syria.”

The BBC said “it provided impartial, independent journalism” despite receiving funding from the UK regime. It also claimed that “we speak to people across the political spectrum to establish the facts.” This article will prove that this claim is not only false but that the BBC platformed a UK/US-proscribed terrorist organisation and individuals to criminalise the Syrian armed forces and Presidency.

I would like to draw your attention to this section in the UK strategy for countering terrorism – CONTEST (June 2018):

Daesh and Al Qa’ida have a common ideological (and operational) lineage. Their shared ideological anchor is Salafi-Jihadism, a violent hybrid ideology, cherry-picking from a broad range of religious and political influences. Both groups hold in common an absolute rejection of democracy, personal liberty and human rights, as well as a commitment to restoring a self-proclaimed “Caliphate” and establishing a brutal and literalist interpretation of sharia law.

Also:

Section 12(2) of the Terrorism Act 2000 provides that it is an offence to arrange or manage (or assist in the arrangement or management) of a meeting in the knowledge that it is to support a proscribed organization, to further the activities of a proscribed organization, or is to be addressed by a person who belongs or professes to belong to a proscribed organization.


The image on the left is of an ISIS crucifixion in Raqqa 2014 – the same ISIS joined forces with HTS in Idlib. Photo: Vanessa Beeley.

Does the BBC documentary inform their audience that journalist Rasha Qandeel is meeting with a proscribed terrorist organisation? No. Instead, she introduces members of Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS) thus:

“This is Idlib province in north-west Syria. It’s one of the last places still held by opponents of the Assad government” (emphasis added).

At no time does Qandeel inform her viewers that she is interviewing HTS members – a terrorist organisation. From the establishment of HTS in 2017 as an alleged splinter from Al Qaeda in Syria even Western ‘think tanks’ like the Wilson Center have alluded to the move being nothing more than an Al Qaeda rebrand of which there have been several.

Watch the following excerpt from the documentary: (Video at link.)


In May 2020 an article was published in VOANews. The following quote is from Nicholas Heras, director of the Middle East program at the Institute for the Study of War:

“Asking HTS to become a moderate group is like asking a wolf to stop eating meat, it’s fruitless”

Heras also said:

“HTS is following a blueprint to build a society in Syria that follows conservative Salafism, and which can be a safe haven for transnational jihadist operatives.”

In 2019 Heras had compared HTS to ISIS:

“Hayat Tahrir al-Sham shares the same end state goal as Isis, which is to build a state based on a rigid interpretation of Salafist Sunni Islam.”

Heras also pointed out the HTS strategy to control borders in Idlib:

“HTS also has positioned itself to control the major border points into and out of Idlib, and to control the roadways that serve as the major arteries of the province,” he adds. In doing so, it has become “the powerbroker in Idlib and the de facto sovereign power there.”

U.S. Special Envoy to Syria in 2020, James Jeffrey, said during an online event held by the Atlantic Council in Washington.

“We hope to see the Turks continue to put pressure on the terrorist organizations there, the most powerful of them Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.” (emphasis added)

The same Ambassador Jeffrey described HTS as a “an asset to America’s strategy [regime change/partitioning] in Idlib.” He also said:

“They are the least bad option of the various options on Idlib, and Idlib is one of the most important places in Syria, which is one of the most important places right now in the Middle East.”

July 2017 at a conference organized by the Middle East Institute, Brett McGurk – the U.S. government’s Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL (Daesh, ISIS) – called Syria’s Idlib province “the largest Al Qaeda safe haven since 9/11 tied directly to Ayman al-Zawahiri [ leader of Al Qaeda].” He then immediately added that the Al Qaeda presence in Idlib was a “huge problem” and had been so “for some time.”

Despite Abu Mohammed Joulani, former leader of Al Qaeda, allegedly severing ties with Al Qaeda in 2017 and rebranding a newly formed terrorist alliance as HTS – Human Rights groups regularly accuse HTS of committing war crimes during the regime change war in Syria.

In 2020 the Commissioner on the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, Karen Koning AbuZayd, made the following statement:

When civilians fled, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) terrorists pillaged their homes. As battles waged, they detained, tortured, and executed civilians expressing dissenting opinions, including journalists. Female media workers were doubly victimized, as the terrorist group continued to systematically discriminate against women and girls, including by denying their freedom of movement. HTS, moreover, indiscriminately shelled densely populated civilian areas, spreading terror amongst civilians living in Government-held areas.

“Women, men and children that we interviewed faced the ghastly choice of being bombarded or fleeing deeper into HTS controlled areas where there are rampant abuses of human rights and extremely limited humanitarian assistance. The acts by HTS members amount to war crimes.”

Joost Hiltermann, director of ICG’s Middle East and North Africa program recommended that HTS should only be included in the cease-fire agreements, not the political negotiation process.

He said that HTS was trying to “recast itself as a Syrian ‘rebel group’ rather than a transnational jihadist one’ by expelling some foreign fighters and hardliners from its leadership. This could also be interpreted as Al-Joulani ridding himself of potential threats to his power grab and control of the Idlib region in north-west Syria.

The BBC has at times reported on atrocities committed by HTS. A double bomb blast rocked Damascus in 2017 killing an estimated 74 Iraqi pilgrims to Bab al-Saghir cemetery and injuring 120 more. HTS claimed responsibility saying the attack was “a message to Iran” condemning Iranian support for the Syrian war against Western-backed terror.

In 2019 the BBC admitted that HTS continues to pursue a “jihadist agenda” and that the UN and a number of countries continue to consider HTS as an al-Qaeda affiliate and to frequently use its former name, Nusra Front.

In 2018 the UK’s charity regulator warned that “British charities sending aid into Idlib could be at risk of committing terrorism offences if they use the Bab al-Hawa border crossing from Turkey into the Syrian [terrorist] opposition-held enclave

The commission wrote to a number of charities to raise the alarm about using Bab Al Hawa controlled by HTS “an alliance of Islamist militants that includes fighters who formerly belonged to the Nusra Front, al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria:”

“Trustees of charities which are currently using the Bab al-Hawa crossing either directly or through partner organisations must consider the risks of committing an offence under UK Counter Terrorism Legislation … and take appropriate action in the best interests of their charity” said the alert.

Another account of the terrorist exploitation of the Bab Al Hawa border crossing – Western Powers Are Using ‘Aid’ as a Cover to Keep a Terrorist-ruled Syrian Region Afloat – can be found here.



It is most likely that Qandeel the BBC correspondent would have entered Idlib through the Bab Al Hawa crossing and would have been escorted by HTS to her destination and was given permission by this terrorist organisation to film their activities – something they would refuse if they were to be portrayed in anything but a positive light. We can therefore safely assume that the BBC is perceived as an ally of the armed group.

I will refer again to Section 12(2) of the Terrorism Act 2000 provides that it is an offence to arrange or manage (or assist in the arrangement or management) of a meeting in the knowledge that it is to support a proscribed organisation, to further the activities of a proscribed organisation, or is to be addressed by a person who belongs or professes to belong to a proscribed organisation.

Did Qandeel know that she would be promoting the activities of a proscribed organisation? It is extremely unlikely that she was ignorant of the fact that HTS are designated a terrorist organisation.

Her failure to mention this and the fact that her report certainly gives an air of respectability to HTS would suggest that the BBC did promote the activities of HTS to shore up their case against the Syrian President and armed forces.

The HTS sectors and individuals interviewed by Qandeel


Screenshot from the BBC documentary.

The BBC interviewed an officer in the Border Security Department (BSD) of HTS – Muath Al-Ahmad. There is not much information on this individual as he was recently appointed according to sources in Syria.

However, I was informed that the BSD is directly under the control of a character known as Badran or Abu Ahmed Hudud. Hudud means borders in Arabic and is related to the mission he received when he was with ISIS in Hasakah, north-east Syria. ISIS had previously sent him from Iraq to Hasakah.

He later pledged allegiance to Al Joulani and joined Al Qaeda. Currently he reports directly to Joulani and is responsible for a number of tasks within HTS.

This demonstrates the cross-over between the terrorist groups in Syria despite the rebranding that is used to whitewash certain groups or to distance them from their previous affiliations.


Hakim Al Dairi – spokesman for HTS General Security Agency. Screenshot from BBC documentary.

The BBC then interviewed an HTS spokesperson in Idlib. Again the BBC failed to provide his identity or to disclose his affiliations.

A researcher and former Syrian Arab Army soldier that I regularly work with, Ibrahim Al Wahdi, identified the interviewee as Hakim Al Dairi or Diaa Al Din Al Omar – the spokesman for the General Security Agency of HTS. Al Wahdi told me:

The General Security Agency (GSA) is known to be the HTS Intelligence Service. It is run by Abu Maria Al Qahtani from Iraq. It is considered to be Joulani’s personal intelligence service and the intermediary between HTS and the CIA, MI6 and other international intelligence agencies.

Al Qahtani’s identity is confirmed by FRANCE 24’s so-called jihadism expert, Wassim Nasr, when he entered Idlib under escort by HTS in May 2023:

I’m also granted interviews with one of Joulani’s most trusted companions, Iraqi national Abu Maria al-Qahtani, as well as several HTS and “salvation government” officials in the days that follow.

It is certain that the BBC team would not have been able to enter Idlib without the approval and facilitation of the GSA. Again this is confirmed by Wassim Nasr of FRANCE 24.

The fact that Al Dairi gave an interview to the BBC again demonstrates that HTS consider the BBC to be on their side in the conflict.



Who is Hakim Al-Dairi or Diaa Al-Din Al-Omar?

In October 2018 Al Dairi was given the position of security official in the northern countryside of Idlib. He personally led an attack against the town of Kafr Halab in October 2018 and on the 5th of October he fired an RPG missile at a residential home. He killed three-year-old Reem Assaf, and seriously injured her six-year-old brother and family members. This is a war crime.

The RPG attack was recorded on video but we have so far been unsuccessful in finding the video online. However local Idlib ‘journalist and photographer’ Mohamed Al Daher reported the killing of Reem Assaf on Twitter on the 5th October 2018 by HTS.

Instead of holding Al Dairi to account for infanticide, Joulani promoted him to a security official in the Sarmada district of Idlib and later to an official in the HTS ‘Economic Authority’ and made him a spokesman for the GSA.

Al Dairi’s brother was the governor of Raqqa when it was known to be the ISIS capital before they were driven out in 2018.

According to the testimonies of residents in the Sarmada sector – Al Dairi participated in assassinations, bombings, kidnappings, blackmail and extortion, torture, arbitrary detention, theft, corruption murder and the smuggling of explosive detonators to the Kurdish Contras under the control of the US in the north-east.

Al Dairi also played a role in the campaign to eliminate and arrest members of the Guardians of Religion (Huras Al Din) a rival Al Qaeda/ISIS-linked faction in Idlib. This faction is also the most often targeted by US drones which suggests close cooperation between the HTS command and the CIA in order to expand HTS control of the province.

Remember that there has been a US-led attempt to normalise Al Joulani, to distance him from his ISIS/AlQaeda past and to present him as a “moderate” opposition leader through interviews for PBS Frontline in 2021 and more recently France 24 in May 2023. The UK Guardian also euphemistically labelled Joulani a “rebel leader” in February 2023 despite remarking that he still has a $ 10m US bounty on his head.


Who is Rasha Qandeel?
Qandeel is currently a Senior Fellow with the Center for International Policy. According to the CIP website:



Rasha Qandeel being interviewed by Amy Goodman on DemocracyNow! Photo: Vanessa Beeley.

Rasha Qandeel is a journalist and the BBC Arabic Bi-Lingual Lead Presenter of Arabic NewsNight and HardTalk. Having worked for BBC Arabic and English since early 2003, she has contributed to BBC World Service between 2005-2007 and has presented BBC World special seasons such as 100 Women, Arab Revolutions and Gaza War 2008. She also moderated the Anna Lindh Foundation awards nights for the BBC in 2013.

Rasha has worked on big stories and special coverages such as the 2003 Iraq War, the trial of Saddam Hussein, the death of Arafat, and the Bin Laden operation. Specializing in Egyptian issues, she has covered Arab revolutions in the Middle East and has hosted Egyptian and international debates for Front Line Club, LSE, and SOAS. She currently works in flagship programs such as News Hour and Hard Talk, and is a regular commentator for Outside Source, Radio 4 and Fifth Floor.

She holds an in MSc Critical War Studies and International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Who are CIP? In a nutshell they are a Washington DC foreign affairs, Pentagon-watchdog think tank and influencer funded by multiple foundations including Soros’ Open Society Foundation. Hardly impartial one might say?

It is worth noting that I came across the BBC Captagon project on an interview with Qandeel on DemocracyNow! a media outlet that has consistently favored the anti-Syria narratives since 2011 and given a platform to hostile Muslim Brotherhood representatives in the US.

The Muslim Brotherhood has historically been used to organize coups and to wage destabilization campaigns in Syria on behalf of the UK/US globalist cartel.

At the start of the regime change war in Syria, journalist Finian Cunningham said this about DemocracyNow! describing the media outlet as a cheerleader for imperialism and war:

Recall that the Libyan leader was lynched on a roadside by a NATO-directed mob, and sodomised with a knife before being shot dead. It may also be recalled that “Democracy Now” gave prominent broadcasts supporting NATO’s intervention in Libya and justifying the criminal subversion of that country. Going by the latest coverage on Syria, Democracy Now is acting once again under a “progressive” cloak as a propaganda tool for US-led imperialist intervention. Given the misplaced respect among many of the public seeking independent, alternative, accurate news and analysis, this insidious role of Democracy Now is reprehensible. May it be suggested, in the name of media transparency, that the programme be aptly renamed “Imperialism Now.”

BBC partners in making of the Captagon documentary
According to Qandeel on Twitter the documentary was made in partnership with OCCRP – Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project.



According to their own website, OCCRP receive funding from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (UK FCDO), National Endowment for Democracy (NED), US Agency for International Development (USAID), the US Department of State, French Foreign Affairs Ministry, Denmark’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, Denmark MFA, German Marshall Fund, Soros Open Society Foundation and the Dutch Postcode Lottery among others.

It is well documented that NED and USAID are outreach agencies for the CIA. The anti-Russian German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) has established a comprehensive emergency program called “Ukraine: Relief, Resilience, Recovery” (U3R). The Dutch Postcode Lottery has funded Atlantic Council-aligned Bellingcat (so-called investigative journalism group) to expand their operation outside the UK.

Mint Press News senior staff writer Alan Macleod exposed Bellingcat in this article:

Bellingcat is, in fact, funded by a CIA cutout organization and filled with former spies and state intelligence operatives. However, one part of the story that has remained untold until now is Bellingcat’s close ties to the Department of War Studies at King’s College London, an institution with deep links to the British security state and one that trains a large number of British, American and European agents and defense analysts.

I think we can safely say that supporters of OCCRP have skin in the game and an interest in criminalizing the Syrian government and President Bashar Al Assad which is what the BBC documentary appears to be tasked to do.

UK Column also wrote to OCCRP for comment and received no response. UKC also requested information regarding the level of funding or support received from the UK FCDO, particularly as there are no Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) account filings by OCCRP in the US – any funding from a foreign government should be declared. The fact that OCCRP have declined to comment is perhaps an indication of their role in supporting US/UK regime change policy in Syria.

Two other media agencies are named as participants in the making of the BBC documentary on OCCRP’s aligned article. They are Saudi-funded Daraj and Qatari-funded Suwayda 24. Both have a clear anti-Syrian government bias in their reporting.

Both countries have funded terrorist groups in Syria to overthrow the Syrian government and to depose President Assad. Normalisation with Saudi Arabia has been a recent development and is also another reason for the West to be writhing in anguish that their regime change plans have gone so awry.

The Captagon Act – justified by the BBC
The picture that is forming is of a severely compromised consortium instructed to provide the propaganda to justify the latest US/UK Captagon Act (Biden – Countering Assad’s Proliferation Trafficking And Garnering Of Narcotics Act) sanctions against Syria.

It is hard not to see this as economic and political vindictiveness on behalf of the US and UK regimes particularly with the recent normalisation with Syria and President Assad in the Arab world culminating in Assad’s speech at the Arab League Summit.

Not forgetting the additional Assad Anti-normalisation Act introduced in Congress May 2023 to prohibit the US from “recognising or normalising relations with any government of Syria that is led by Bashar Al Assad.”

The US and UK know their regime change plans have been derailed in Syria but they are not going to give up. As long as there is breath in the Empire’s carcass they will suffocate the Syrian people in every feasible way.

Even The Hill recently published an article ‘Tightening Syria sanctions will only heighten civilian suffering.’ Better late than never to the realisation that sanctions kill. As I said in 2020:

Sanctions are designed to hurt, to deprive, to depress and, ultimately, to kill slowly and more painfully than the swift ending of life by a mortar or a bullet. Sanctions strip people of their dignity and leave them beggars in their own home.

In the UK Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, a long-term supporter of regime change in Syria and the UK FCDO put out an extraordinary statement in March of this year. UK FCDO claimed that the UK was ‘tackling the illicit drug trade fuelling Assad’s war machine.’

The UK FCDO claims 80% of the world’s supply of the drug is to be produced in Syria but failed to provide evidence. [Update] Aymenn Jawad Al Tamimi a Middle East Forum Writing Fellow pointed out the flaw in this claim:

One analyst, who appears to be revising his estimates upwards by multiple factors, has put the value of the captagon industry in Syria in the range of $55-110 billion in 2021. Yet, this claim is implausible. Such figures would value the captagon industry in Syria at some nine to nineteen times the value of the state budget for 2023, going by official exchange rates, and some fifteen to thirty times the value of the state budget as measured by black market rates.

[Update] Another journalist, Mustafa Abu Sneineh made a similar point for Middle East Eye in March 2023 about the claim that Syria has a $57 billion Captagon industry:

When the entire GDP of neighbouring Jordan stands at $45bn, it seemed an outlandish number for a war-torn country with a notoriously shattered economy. The figure was subsequently reported without comment by the media, including the Financial Times.

Captagon experts previously estimated the drug to have a retail market of $5.7bn in 2021. Was this latest number a mistaken slip of a decimal point?

Apparently one of the sources for this outlandish claim by the UK FCDO was Charles Lister, a senior fellow at Washington-based think tank the Middle East Institute (MEI). Lister was responsible also for the much discredited claim that there were 70,000 “moderate rebels” in Syria. Lister’s ‘moderate’ list included Nour Al Din Zinki, beheaders of child Abdullah Issa in Aleppo August 2016.

Even a cursory look at reports available on the internet reveal that 1. it is very hard to ascertain exact statistics 2. Only one proven lab has been identified in southern Syria on the border with Lebanon according to one report. 3. Jordan bombed one such alleged facility in southern Syria in May this year, killing a suspected drug smuggler, his wife and six children.

The OCCRP report barely refers to the fact that this area of southern Syria is still infested with terrorist sleeper cells including ISIS, nor does it remind us that until fairly recently Captagon was known as the ‘Jihadi drug.’

Lebanese journalist Radwan Mortada produced a documentary for Journeyman Pictures in 2015 which refers to Captagon being the drug choice for the Western sponsored extremist armed groups. It is well worth watching as a counter balance to the bias in the BBC report.

The BBC reported on the arrest of Saudi Prince charged with drug smuggling in Lebanon in 2015. According to the BBC:

The prince was not named, but he and four other Saudis were arrested after two tonnes of Captagon pills were found in cases being loaded on a private jet.

The others charged in the case – three Lebanese and two Saudis – are at large.

Journalist Andre Vltchek commented at the time “Captagon amphetamine is also called the ‘combat drug’, and was, most likely, destined for pro-Saudi fighters in Yemen.”

In 2020 the BBC also reported on the seizure of one billion euros worth of Captagon – made to fund ISIS. The BBC said:

Italian police have seized what they believe is a world-record haul of 14 tonnes of amphetamines they suspect were made in Syria to finance the jihadist group Islamic State (IS).

Is the Syrian government going to encourage the production of Captagon to finance ISIS? Or is it more likely to be the backers of ISIS in Syria – the US with the UK in tow.

In 2015 the Syrian General Directorate of Ports in Lattakia seized about two tons of narcotics consisting of hashish and an estimated six million Captagon tablets “the drug of choice” for ISIS members.

Turkey and Bulgaria are also known to be significant producers of the drug.

The following quote is from a report in Syria News:

On the 17th August 2019 Syrian security forces have deprived terrorists of more than 400,000 Captagon pills. Authorities in the suburbs of Damascus seized a truck with hidden compartments filled with a large quantity of this Amphetamine-type Stimulant (ATS) known as Captagon.

If you go to the Syria News archives on Captagon seizures by the Syrian authorities you will find a mountain of evidence that shows that the Syrian government has been fighting a protracted war against the drug and its production/smuggling.

Of course none of these inconvenient facts are taken into account by the BBC alliance apparently formed to frame the Syrian armed forces and the President. The BBC project is very much biased towards the claims made by Lord Ahmad and the UK FCDO in March.

The BBC ‘investigation’ has taken more than a year but has produced only corroboration of UK foreign policy in Syria and very little useful context. UK FCDO claims:

The Syrian regime is closely involved in the trade – multi-billion dollar shipments leave regime strongholds such as the Port of Latakia, and President Bashar al-Assad’s brother Maher al-Assad commands the unit of the Syrian Army facilitating the distribution and production of the drug.

BBC tick.

UK FCDO claims:

The production and trafficking of captagon enriches Assad’s inner circle, militias and warlords, at the expense of the Syrian people who continue to face crippling poverty and repression at the hands of the regime.

BBC tick.

Lord Ahmad claims:

The Assad regime is using the profits from the captagon trade to continue their campaign of terror on the Syrian people.

The UK and US will continue to hold the regime to account for brutally repressing the Syrian people and fuelling instability across the Middle East.

The reality, of course, is that the UK US alliance are fuelling instability across the Middle East and are repressing the Syrian people through their sadistic hybrid warfare tactics. The campaign of terror is waged against the Syrian people by the terrorists that the BBC has converted into legitimate “opponents” of the Syrian government, in Idlib. It is a sick joke and the Syrian people and their suffering are disappeared just as they always have been since 2011.

I obviously have not been able to do a full investigation into the Captagon trade in this article but I do urge you to consider who benefits from the use of the drug and the profits from the sale of the drug.

Even if during wartime and recession brought on by Western globalists – there are black markets for the drug increasing in the region – to lay all the blame at the doors of the President and his family is, in my opinion, a wholly unsubstantiated claim. One being made by the UK FCDO, shored up by the BBC – in order to further punish Syrians for their resistance against the regime change project.

BBC has a history of fake news and misleading reports when it comes to Syria.
The BBC record for misleading and downright fraudulent coverage of the war against Syria is worthy of its own compendium but I will mention their role in protecting the ‘chemical weapon’ narratives that have underpinned the US/UK-led destabilisation project against the Syrian government and people.

Even when their own producer, Riam Dalati, tweeted that the hospital scenes in Douma 2018 were staged, the BBC refused to follow up on what that meant for the narrative. A narrative that was later destroyed by the testimony of the dissident OPCW inspectors.

You also have Robert Stuart’s investigation into the BBC Panorama – Saving Syria’s Children report that Stuart concluded was staged. You can read about that here.

Journalist Eva Bartlett who was in Syria from 2015 onwards has also noted on a number of occasions that the BBC has been at best disingenuous in its reporting, even by senior correspondents like Lyse Doucet. You can read more here and here.

Very early on in the conflict in 2012 the BBC was caught out using a photo from Iraq to support their narrative that the Syrian government had committed the Houla massacre. A narrative thoroughly debunked here and here.



The BBC also interviewed the heart eating terrorist known as Abu Sakkar. This is from the BBC interview:

“It looks like you’re carving him a Valentine’s heart,” says one of his men, raucously. Abu Sakkar picks up a bloody handful of something and declares: “We will eat your hearts and your livers you soldiers of Bashar the dog.”

Then he brings his hand up to his mouth and his lips close around whatever he is holding. At the time the video was released, in May, we rang him and he confirmed to us that he had indeed taken a ritual bite (of a piece of lung, he said).

The interview and subsequent article sought to justify this heinous act. Instead of condemning Abu Sakkar the BBC creates the narrative to normalise his sectarian savagery.

The BBC had to admit that their Mayday series that included an episode on the Douma alleged chemical attack was ‘flawed.’

“The BBC has admitted that a Radio 4 documentary on an alleged chemical weapon attack in Syria contained serious inaccuracies. ‘The Corporation’s Executive Complaints Unit (ECU) upheld a protest from Mail on Sunday columnist Peter Hitchens.’ From the Daily Mail article:

Adjudicators agreed that the programme by BBC investigative journalist Chloe Hadjimatheou failed to meet the Corporation’s editorial standards for accuracy by reporting false claims.

Remember the BBC recycling 2014 footage from Yarmouk suburb in Damascus to support their 2016 Madaya story? You can read about it here.

Remember how ‘leaked documents show how UK government contractors developed an advanced infrastructure of propaganda to stimulate support in the West for Syria’s political and armed opposition?’

You can read all about how the BBC used planted Syrian ‘opposition activists’ in their Syria reports here. A quote from the article:

“[InCoStrat said] journalists have often reached out to us in search of the appropriate people for their programmes.” As an example, InCoStrat said it helped plant its own Syrian opposition activists in BBC Arabic reports. The firm then added, “Once making the initial connections we encouraged the Syrians to maintain the relationships with the journalists in the BBC instead of using ourselves as the conduit.”

The list of BBC collusion with UK FCDO and British Intelligence agendas in Syria is long and sordid and should be addressed in a separate series.

Journalist Fiorella Isabel tweeted the following in response to the news of the BBC expulsion from Syria:

The BBC & CNN literally produced fake stories to push regime change & they’re doing it again in Ukraine. This isn’t the free press this is public relations working at the behest of British, Israeli & American intelligence. Vulnerable countries like Syria have the right to protect themselves when they’re slandered & silenced.

These same elements cheer for the sanctioning and removal of Russian media and others who oppose their narratives including journalists like Vanessa Beeley who took them on directly by doing actual journalism on the ground & reporting live before it was safe to do so.

I want to reiterate, do not misunderstand this action as being “against free-speech” countries like Syria, Venezuela, Cuba, and others cannot be judged on the same lines that the United States, Europe and their NATO allies are judged because they control the narrative. They control the corporations, they own the media and therefore own the narrative.

They use this propaganda machine all over the world to spread messages to manufacture consent for coups, regime changes, and war. This is not on equal footing with vulnerable countries defending themselves from these very mechanisms that are used against them especially when we’re talking about countries like Syria, where the United States is stealing the oil and has been illegally occupying their land, and aiding radical factions to overthrow their government-but is failing miserably thus far.

These organizations are not a free press. They condemn journalists like Assange and sit in silence as many who tell the truth are persecuted. They are the enemy and we must take our media back from them.

The BBC must be held accountable for promoting a proscribed terror group in Syria and furthering their activities

Section 12(2) of the Terrorism Act 2000 provides that it is an offence to arrange or manage (or assist in the arrangement or management) of a meeting in the knowledge that it is to support a proscribed organization, to further the activities of a proscribed organization, or is to be addressed by a person who belongs or professes to belong to a proscribed organization.

I genuinely believe that the BBC did support a proscribed terror organization by concealing their identity and presenting them as a legitimate opposition to the Syrian government. By doing so they furthered the activities of the terror group by erasing their history of war crimes and atrocities committed against the Syrian people. The BBC was addressed by a ‘person who belongs to a proscribed organisation’, an individual who has murdered children while a member of the organisation and committed multiple other crimes – none of which were mentioned by the BBC.

UK Column has since written again to the BBC after it was discovered that the BBC had removed the documentary from their iPlayer platform:

It is now six days since I wrote to you with questions about the recent BBC documentary ‘Captagon: Inside Syria’s drug trafficking empire.’

Could you tell me when you intend to answer my questions?

I have a further question. I note that the documentary has now been removed from iPlayer. Could you tell me why?

The BBC has failed to respond to any of the requests for comment.

I leave it with you to watch the documentary and to draw your own conclusions.

Update: Peter Ford former UK Ambassador to Syria responds to my request for a comment

Vanessa Beeley’s searing indictment of the BBC’s latest anti-Syrian wheeze is absolutely on point. It is scandalous that the BBC should be consorting with proscribed terrorist groups to facilitate the propaganda of those groups and the Western governments who share their objective of regime change in Syria.

What’s going on here is quite clear. A fabricated scandal about Syria allegedly being a ‘narco-state’ is being used to shore up the crumbling Western strategy of isolating Syria and causing it to collapse through sanctions. The BBC are acting as willing tools in this ploy. The Western powers are frantic because they are losing control of the Syria situation now that Saudi Arabia has led the charge for Syria’s rehabilitation within the Arab League.

As it happens, not mentioned by the BBC of course, Syria and Saudi Arabia are working closely to curb the drug smuggling element of Syria’s war economy which has been an inevitable consequence of the West’s attempt to turn Syria into a failed state. It is the height of cynicism for the UK state broadcaster, working in obvious collusion with the British government, to try to use the ruin brought about by the Western powers as an excuse to justify the intensification of their continuing campaign of sanctions terrorism inflicted on the long suffering Syrian people.’

(Vanessa Beeley)

https://orinocotribune.com/bbc-normaliz ... t-updated/

This is real journalism. There is nothing even close to it on US outlets.

[blindpig]

Syria: a tale of plunder and resurrection

While the wholesale theft of Syria's natural resources continues under the watch of illegal US troops, the Russian project of resurrecting ISIS-destroyed Palmyra stands as a stark reminder that ruins can rise again - if Syria's friends help pave the way.

Pepe Escobar
JUL 31, 2023


Photo Credit: The Cradle

The war on Syria has vanished from the collective West ethos. Yet it’s far from finished. Multitudes across the Global Majority may feel the deepest empathy towards Syrians while acknowledging not much can be done while the Western Minority refuses to leave the stage.

In parallel, there are slim chances the New Development Bank (NDB) – the BRICS bank – will start showering Damascus with loans for Syria's reconstruction. At least not yet, despite all the pledges by Russians and Chinese to help.

Under the lame excuse of “degrading the position for ISIS,” the US State Department de facto admits that the Empire’s illegal occupation of a third of Syria - the part rich in oil and minerals currently being stolen/smuggled – will persist, indefinitely.

Cue to virtually non-stop oil looting in northeastern Hasakah province, as in processions of dozens of oil tankers crossing to northern Iraq via the al-Waleed or al-Mahmoudiya border crossing, usually escorted by US-backed Kurdish separatist militias.

As if any reminding was needed, the Global Majority is fully aware ISIS is essentially an American black op, a spin-off of al-Qaeda in Iraq, born in camps at the Iraq-Kuwaiti border. The Syrian “Democratic” Forces (SDF) is hardly a democratic US proxy, predictably assembled as a “coalition” of ethnic militias, mostly run by Kurds but also incorporating a few Arab tribesmen, Turkmen, and Salafi-jihadi Chechens.

As if the non-stop looting of oil was not enough, the Pentagon keeps dispatching truckloads of ammo and logistical equipment to Hasakah.

Convoys run back and forth to illegal US military bases in the Hasakah countryside, with particular relevance to a base at the al-Jibsah oilfields near the town of al-Shaddadi.

Recently, 39 US military tankers crossed the – illegal – al-Mahmoudiya border towards Iraqi Kurdistan loaded with stolen Syrian oil.

Despite these crude facts, Russia remains excessively diplomatic on the issue. Mikhail Bogdanov, Putin’s special representative for the Middle East and Africa, recently told al-Arabiya, “Washington uses the pretext of combating terrorism to be present east of the Euphrates in economically important areas, where crude oil and strategic natural reserves are abundant.”

He highlighted US troops deployed at al-Tanf in southern Syria and American “support” for the SDF in northern Syria. Yet that’s not exactly a ground-breaking reveal that would light a fire under the Americans.

We steal your oil because we can

According to Damascus, Syria’s energy sector as a whole was robbed by an astonishing $107 billion between 2011 and 2022 by a toxic mix of US occupation, “coalition” bombing, and theft or looting by terrorist and separatist gangs.

There are no less than a dozen US military bases in Syria – some bigger than the proverbial lily pads (less than 10 acres, valued at less than $10 million), all of them de facto illegal and certainly not recognized by Damascus. The fact that 90 percent of Syria’s oil and gas is concentrated east of the Euphrates in areas controlled by the US and its Kurdish proxies makes Empire’s job much easier.

The de facto occupation hits not only energy-rich areas but also some of Syria’s most fertile agricultural lands. The net result has been to turn Syria into a net importer of energy and food. Iranian tankers routinely face Israeli sabotage as they ship much-needed oil to Syria’s eastern Mediterranean coast.

Complaining does not register a whit with the Hegemon. Earlier this year, the Chinese foreign ministry urged the Empire of Plunder to give Syrians and the “international community” a full account of the oil theft.

This was in connection to a convoy of 53 tankers transporting stolen Syrian oil to US military bases in Iraqi Kurdistan in early 2023.

At the time, Damascus had already revealed that more than 80 percent of Syria’s daily oil production was stolen and smuggled by the Americans and its proxy “democratic” forces - only in the first half of 2022.

Syria’s permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador Bassam Sabbagh, has repeatedly denounced how the Empire of Plunder’s “theft of resources, oil, gas, and wheat” has plunged millions of Syrians into a state of insecurity, reducing a large part of its population to the status of displaced persons, refugees and victims of food insecurity.

The prospects for Syrian reconstruction are slim without expelling the western marauders. That will have to happen via detailed, concerted cooperation between Russian forces, the Syrian Arab Army, and the IRGC’s Quds Force units.

By itself, Damascus can’t pull it off. The Iranians constantly attack the Americans, via their militias, but results are marginal. To force the Empire out, there’s no other way apart from making the human cost of stealing Syrian oil unbearable. That’s the only message the US understands.

Then there’s the Sultan in Ankara. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is going all out to imprint the notion that relations with Moscow are always developing, and that he hopes to have his counterpart Vladimir Putin visit Turkiye in August. That’s not likely.

When it comes to Syria, Erdogan is mum. The Russian Air Force, meanwhile, keeps up the pressure on Ankara, bombing its proxy Salafi-jihadist terror gangs in Idlib, but not as heavily as it did between 2015 and 2020.

Palmyra reborn

Countering so much doom and gloom, something nearly magical happened on July 23. Six years after the liberation of Palmyra – the legendary Silk Road oasis – and overcoming all sorts of bureaucratic hassles, the restoration of this pearl in the desert has finally started.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova found a way to celebrate the moment in a fitting comparison with Ukraine:

“To fight with monuments and fallen Soviet fighters, the Ukrofascists are the best. It is useless to appeal to the conscience or historical memory of the current Kiev regime - there are none. After the goals of the special military operation are achieved, all destroyed monuments in Ukraine will be restored. In Russia, there are specialists in post-war restoration. An example of their selfless work and professionalism is the restoration of Palmyra in Syria.”

Russian specialists unearthed and reset the ancient source of Efka, which used to irrigate the gardens of Palmyra since the Bronze Age.

They also managed to find the Roman aqueduct that once fed Palmyra with potable water, 12 km away from the city. The Romans had dug a tunnel of nearly human size, then covered it in stone, and the ensemble was buried. It was found nearly intact.

In the 20th century, when the French built the Meridien Hotel in Palmyra, they blocked the aqueduct, so there was no water flowing by. Russian archeologists quickly set to work, and the aqueduct was cleaned. The problem is the French ruined this source of potable water: The aqueduct is totally dried up.

Plans for Palmyra include the restoration of the legendary theater before the end of 2023. The restoration of the arch, blown up with dynamite by ISIS, will take two years. The 1st century AD temple of Bel and other historical infrastructure will be restored. Archeologists are already looking for financial sources.

Somebody should place a call to the NDB in Shanghai.

Of course, the restoration of Syria as a whole is an enormous challenge. It could start by making it easy for Syrian companies and abolishing domestic taxes.

Russia and China can help by setting up a structure to buy Syrian products, with uniform quality control, and sell them in their markets, alleviating the bureaucratic burden on the shoulders of the average Syrian worker and trader. Russians could also exchange Syrian products for wheat and agricultural machinery.

Solutions are possible. Restoration is at hand. Global Majority solidarity, in Syria, should be able to soundly defeat the Empire of Chaos, Plunder and Lies.

https://new.thecradle.co/articles/syria ... surrection

******

The US occupation brings in new weapons to its bases in Hasaka countryside

29 July، 2023



Hasaka,SANA- In order to fortify its illegal presence in Syrian territory, the US occupation intensified its movements, especially in al-Jazeera region, violating international laws and principles, as it brought in during the past 24 hours weapons, ammunition and logistical equipment to its bases in Hasaka countryside.

A convoy of the occupation consisting of 30 large tankers guarded by armored vehicles raising the flag of the American occupation, and another belonging to QSD militia associated with it, coming from Iraqi territory, entered the city of Al-Shadadi (60 km south of Al-Hasakah) from the east, and its contents were unloaded at the occupation base in the city before heading to the city of Hasakah through the western entrance on the Kharafi road , special sources told SANA.

The sources quoted eyewitnesses belonging to the QSD militia as saying “the load of the convoy that was unloaded at the base included advanced medium weapons, including anti-armored weapons, modern communication and jamming systems, in addition to large quantities of ammunition, including several containers intended to support the QSD militia.

Fedaa al-Rhayiah / Mazen Eyon

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=313972

Six citizens killed, 23 others injured in terrorist explosion in Damascus countryside

27 July، 2023



Damascus Countryside, SANA-Six citizens were killed Thursday and nearly 23 others were injured in a terrorist explosion that targeted Assayida Zainab town in Damascus countryside.

A motorcycle was detonated near a taxi of SABA at Kou Sudan street in Sayyida Zainab.

“The police and authorities concerned rushed to the explosion place as bodies of the martyrs and the injured were admitted to hospitals,” the interior Ministry said in a statement on telegram.

Mazen Eyon

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=313856

Terrorist organizations target, with missiles and drones, firefighting crews, north of Lattakia

27 July، 2023



Lattakia, SANA- The terrorist organizations deployed to Lattakia northern countryside and Idleb northwestern countryside continued to target forests and agricultural fields in Lattakia northern countryside, with missiles and drones, aiming at setting fire and targeting firefighting crews and civilians.

All what hinder the firefighters’ work is firing mortar shells and explosive bullets on the firefighters, by the terrorist organizations deployed to the north, during the attempts to put out the fire, which negatively affects the speed of distinguishing fires, in addition to the natural obstacles that does not allow the arrival of vehicles, Brigadier General Jalal Daoud, Director of Civil Defense in Lattakia, said in a statement to SANA

Daoud added that the drones launched by terrorists from their gathering places, in addition to the planted mines, as a number of which exploded due to fires, had a negative impact on hindering the movement of firefighters.

Rafah al-Allouni/ Hala Zain

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=313782

[blindpig]

The situation in Syria for July 28 - August 5, 2023
August 5, 2023
Rybar



In the eastern part of Deir ez-Zor, clashes again took place between the security services of the Kurdish "Syrian Democratic Forces" (SDF) and the "Military Council of Deir ez-Zor", which is part of the SDF. At the same time, local clashes between Kurdish forces and pro-Turkish groups continue in Aleppo.

At the end of July, taking advantage of religious holidays, militants carried out terrorist attacks in the suburbs of Damascus, as a result of which dozens of people were killed and injured.

A fuel crisis has begun in the province of Idlib, there is a shortage of gasoline at gas stations. And the "Government of Salvation" announced the replacement of the Turkish lira with the US dollar when conducting transactions in the markets.

Terror attacks in the suburbs of Damascus
The ITO "Islamic State" (IS) * has claimed responsibility for two terrorist attacks carried out using car bombs in the Shiite district of Sayyed Zainab, south of the Syrian capital.

The militants claim at least 10 killed and 40 wounded as a result of explosions on 25 and 27 July. The figures roughly coincide with those of law enforcement agencies in the province of Damascus.

Religious holidays fell on July. Meetings of pilgrims participating in annual rituals are held. Supporters of the terrorist organization decided to take advantage of this.

fighting
In the eastern part of the province of Deir ez-Zor, there were clashes between the security services of the Kurdish "Syrian Democratic Forces" (SDF) and the "Military Council of Deir ez-Zor", which is part of the SDF.

The reason was a skirmish between the SDF military police and an employee of the checkpoint of the "Military Council of Deir ez-Zor" in the settlement. Al-Sour in the SDF-controlled part of the province.

Soon the conflict between the allies managed to make amends with the mediation of the United States. The "War Council of Deir ez-Zor" came out victorious, retaining control and enlisting the support of the Arab tribes.

Meanwhile, in the north of the province of Aleppo, local clashes between Kurdish forces and pro-Turkish groups continue. The latter is supported by the Turkish Armed Forces.

The Kurdish armed formation of the "Afrin Liberation Force" (SOA) conducted two operations against militants of the pro-Turkish "Syrian National Army" (SNA) in the north of Aleppo province.

So, first, on July 29, Kurdish partisans attacked the assembly point of the Ahrar at-Tawhid grouping between the cities of Marea and Aazaz, and on July 31, they temporarily captured the object of the Feylak al-Sham grouping in the village. Burj Haidar in southern Afrin.

In turn, Turkish drones launched a series of precision strikes on the positions of Kurdish forces in the north of Hasakeh province and in the Tell Rifaat area in the north of Aleppo province.

Mutual shelling of government forces with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham militants and other groups of the Al-Fath al-Mubin operational headquarters continues in northwestern Syria.

The situation in the territories controlled by the militants
In Idlib, in the wake of protests against Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Saraiya Dira al-Saura (Revolution Shield Brigades) guerrilla group was formed , which aims to fight the HTS.

The most high-profile case of her activity was the capture and subsequent murder of a security officer of the HTS-controlled “Government of Salvation” Abu Suhaib Sarmada.

The Salvation Government announced the replacement of the Turkish lira with the US dollar when conducting transactions in the markets in Idlib. It is stated that the adoption of this decision is due to the instability of the exchange rate of the Turkish currency.

In areas controlled by the SNA, demonstrations broke out against the local councils of the pro-Turkish "Provisional Government", accused of corruption and ignoring the problems of the local population.

A fuel crisis has flared up in the province of Idlib , there is a shortage of gasoline at gas stations. The local HTS-controlled administration says that the low level of gasoline imports is caused by technical problems in the Turkish port of Mersin.

diplomatic background
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin said that “many meetings took place between Syria and Turkey at different levels – the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Defense, again with the support of the Astana format. These contacts will continue, most importantly, they prove their effectiveness.”

In light of the Turkish attacks on the SDF, the Kurdish "Autonomous Administration of Northern and Eastern Syria" called on the guarantor countries to make efforts to stop these attacks.

Tehran hosted a meeting between Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi and Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal al-Mikdad. The parties discussed Syrian-Iranian relations and their development in various fields.

*Groups are banned in Russia

https://rybar.ru/obstanovka-v-sirii-za- ... 2023-goda/

Google Translator

[blindpig]

The situation in Syria for August 6-13, 2023
August 14, 2023
Rybar

Israeli air strikes on Damascus
Around two in the morning from August 6 to 7, the Israeli Air Force launched rocket attacks from the airspace over the Golan Heights on the outskirts of the Syrian capital city of Damascus .

Syrian air defense systems managed to intercept some of the missiles. As a result of the raid, four servicemen of the SAR Armed Forces were killed, four more were injured. The objects that came under fire suffered material damage.

According to media reports, the targets of the strikes were the objects of Iranian "proxies" in the SAR, the fight against which against the backdrop of the political crisis helps Israel rally its own population and distract it from internal problems.

Militants attack in the Syrian desert
In the Mayzil area south of the city of Deir ez-Zor, a military convoy of the 17th reserve division of the SAA, consisting of four buses, was attacked by terrorists of the Islamic State *.

The column was heading towards the T2 oil pumping station when the militants opened heavy fire on it from grenade launchers. The attack killed 25 soldiers and wounded 10 others.

The Syrian desert has traditionally been a zone of activity for Islamic State militants, who, taking advantage of the geographical specifics of the area, regularly attack government forces.

fighting
Mutual shelling and skirmishes between government forces and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham militants and other groups continue in northwestern Syria .

In the north of the province of Latakia , soldiers of the 53rd Special Forces Regiment and the 503rd Battalion of the Syrian Arab Army thwarted an attempt to infiltrate HTS militants.

The terrorists tried to enter the deployment points of the 4th SAA assault corps near the Ain el-Beida region , but were ambushed. Violent clashes continued throughout the day.

As a result of the battle, the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham militants suffered losses and retreated towards the village of Tuffahiya to their original positions under artillery fire from government troops.

At dawn on August 6, militants of the terrorist organization "Islamic Party of Turkestan" * attacked the positions of government troops in the north of the province of Latakia.

Taking advantage of the geographical nature of the area and thick fog, the Islamists penetrated one of the army points, as a result of which four servicemen of the SAR Armed Forces were killed.

In order to prevent possible attacks on Russian patrols of the Russian Aerospace Forces and the Air Force of the SAR, on the morning of August 5, they launched several strikes with guided bombs on the shelters of militants on the western outskirts of Idlib .

Thus, as a result of air strikes, the headquarters of the Hayat Tahrir ash-Sham grouping was destroyed , in which there were persons involved in organizing and conducting sabotage operations.

On the evening of the same day, units of the SAR Armed Forces launched artillery strikes on the positions of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in the El-Gab valley in the north of Hama and in the vicinity of the city of Jisr ash-Shugur in western Idlib.

In the border areas, the Turkish Armed Forces continue to strike the positions of the Kurdish formations, as well as local clashes of the latter with militants of pro-Turkish groups.

Recently, Turkish troops have carried out strikes against Kurdish targets along the line of contact, including Tell Rifaat, Tanab, Shavarga, Ash-Sheikh Issa, Ain Dakna, Binin, as well as Ain Issa, Al-Dardara and Tell Tamr .

Also, a Turkish UAV attacked a car west of the city Al-Qamishli in the north of Al-Hasakah province, during which the commander and three fighters of the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were killed.

In response, the Kurdish formations carried out a series of attacks on the positions of pro-Turkish militants of the Syrian National Army. (SNA) near the Tell Tamr sectors in the north of Al-Hasakah, Aazaz and Marea in the north of Aleppo.

https://rybar.ru/obstanovka-v-sirii-za6 ... 2023-goda/

Google Translator

[blindpig]

U.S. Sanctions Syrian 'Moderate Rebels' It Had Previously Armed

In 2013 the CIA was handing out TOW anti-tank missiles to 'moderate rebel' groups who were fighting the government in Syria. These groups were allegedly 'vetted' before they receive money and weapons. Unfortunately 'vetting' was something the CIA had never been good at.

One of the groups that received such support was the Hamza Division:

Hamza Division (Forqat al-Hamza – فرقة الحمزة): An FSA-banner group composed of six substituent brigades that operate mostly in the environs of Inkhil, Daraa. The Hamza Division has received TOW ATGMs and it works under the supervision of the Daraa Military Council. They receives foreign support from Western and Arab state backers and are a member of the Southern Front coalition. The Southern Front has stated their commitment to a civil state, and have released a comprehensive political program in support of democratic reform. The Division came together with the Syria Revolutionaries Front and the 1st Artillery Regiment to create the 1st Army, which later disbanded. The Hamza Division continues using the 1st Army imagery alongside its own while the other former substituents do not. Social Media: YouTube; YouTube (older channel)[/b]

Hamza was later also supported by the Pentagon. Without such support the group would never have become a viable entity. Things got a bit complicated when militias armed by the Pentagon started to fight those armed by the CIA.

Later Hamza was sponsored by the Turkish state. This again made things a bit complicated:

Elijah J. Magnier @ejmalrai - 17:39 · Oct 16, 2019
Do you remember when the #US spent $500 million to train/arm Al-Hamza Division?

Well the US-trained "Moderate rebels" are fighting - under a NATO flagged country (#Turkey) - the US-trained Kurdish YPG in the area occupied by the #US.

I'll make it even easier: A few minutes ago, #US Prsdt @realDonaldTrump said the "PKK is far more dangerous than #ISIS (The Islamic State)".

The US trained & armed Syrian Kurds proxies, the YPG, are the Syrian branch of the PKK that Trump considers far more dangerous than ISIS.

Ten years after being 'vetted' the Hamza division is again receiving U.S. attention. This time from the Department of the Treasuries:

Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is designating two Syria-based armed militias and three members of the groups’ leadership structures in connection with serious human rights abuses against those residing in the Afrin region of northern Syria. An auto sales company owned by the leader of one of the armed groups is also being designated.
...
The Hamza Division, another armed opposition group operating in northern Syria, has been involved in abductions, theft of property, and torture. The division also operates detention facilities in which it houses those it has abducted for extended periods of time. During their imprisonment, victims are held for ransom, often suffering sexual abuse at the hands of Hamza Division fighters.
The Suleiman Shah Brigade and the Hamza Division are being designated pursuant to E.O. 13894 for being responsible for or complicit in, or for having directly or indirectly engaged in, the commission of serious human rights abuses against the Syrian people.
...
Sayf Boulad Abu Bakr is the leader of the Hamza Division and its public face, appearing in numerous propaganda videos produced by the Hamza Division. While Abu Bakr has been commander, the Hamza Division has been accused of brutal repression of the local population, including kidnapping Kurdish women and severely abusing prisoners, at times leading to their death.

Sayf Boulad Abu Bakr is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13894 for acting or purporting to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the Hamza Division.

The AP report about the new sanctions does not mention any Pentagon or CIA support the groups had previously received.

One wonders how long it will take until the U.S. will sanction the fascists militia it has and is now arming and sponsoring in Ukraine.

Posted by b on August 18, 2023 at 15:36 UTC | Permalink

https://www.moonofalabama.org/2023/08/u ... .html#more

[blindpig]

The rise of ISIS in Syria and Iraq — again

ISIS cannot be defeated by the conflicting constellation of foreign forces and factions who leave behind security vacuums to serve their personal interests. It hasn't worked. This fight must be initiated from a single centralized command, led by Damascus and Baghdad.


Mohammed Alloush
AUG 21, 2023


Photo Credit: The Cradle

In a stark reminder of its resurgence on the political and security scene, ISIS unleashed a harrowing attack on 3 August, targeting a Syrian army bus within the Al-Mayadeen desert in the eastern expanse of the Deir Ezzor countryside. The aftermath was devastating, leaving dozens of casualties and injuries among the ranks of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA).

This audacious assault marked the third in a series of strikes by the terrorist group against Syrian military forces since the start of August, and represents the most lethal display of violence since ISIS' 2019 military defeat in al-Baghouz, a strategic town in Deir Ezzor. Clearly, the organization has been intensifying its terror campaigns, underscoring its determination to reestablish an active presence and intensified threat within Syria.

Having control over the remote stretches of the Syrian Badia (Arabic word for desert) and southeastern territories, ISIS had recently shifted its focus towards densely populated regions in the western parts of the country, as well as along the banks of the Euphrates River in Deir Ezzor.

This unsettling expansion of targets serves as a poignant reminder that the elimination of its leader, the fourth “caliph” Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Quraishi, last April by Turkish forces, did not shatter the group's operational capabilities.

Leadership changes in ISIS

The organization's preferred targets are strategic locations like oil infrastructure and areas under Syrian government control. A prime example was the daring attack on Al-Hasakah Central Prison on 20 January, 2022. During an intense 10-day clash against the US-backed Kurdish militia, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), ISIS fighters managed to free more than 500 of their leaders and members, with a grim toll of around 500 lives lost in the process.

In the northeastern stretches of Syria, the SDF is grappling with the challenge of detaining approximately 70,000 individuals suspected of affiliations with ISIS, including women and children. Moreover, they are responsible for guarding more than 10,000 imprisoned militants. In this endeavor, the Kurdish militias are bolstered by critical air support, intelligence sharing, and reconnaissance assistance provided by US military forces.

In response to this heightened ISIS threat, the US claimed a tally of 313 offensive operations targeting the group within Iraq and Syria by the close of 2022. Among these, a high-profile raid targeted Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Quraishi, the second caliph of ISIS, on 3 February earlier that year. Furthermore, the US forces succeeded in neutralizing or capturing at least six senior leaders within the organization, including his successor Abu al-Hasan al-Hashemi al-Quraishi.

Last November, ISIS Spokesman Abu Omar al-Muhajir announced the selection of Abu al-Hussein as the fourth caliph, hiding his real identity for his protection, but he too perished in confrontations in northwestern Syria. On 3 August, the organization announced the appointment of yet another successor.

The imprisoned ISIS army

In 2022, the Pentagon's assessment shed light on ISIS's concerted efforts to regain lost territory by exploiting security vulnerabilities and rebuilding its combat capabilities. In its comprehensive review for that year, the US Central Command highlighted an unsettling reality: ISIS has essentially amassed an "army in detention" within the territories of Iraq and Syria. Presently, more than 10,000 ISIS leaders and fighters are held in detention facilities across Syria, while the number surpasses 20,000 in Iraq.

Though no longer commanding extensive swathes of Iraqi and Syrian lands, ISIS's lingering threat endures, evident in its efforts to free incarcerated members from Syrian penitentiaries.

According to experts, while its territorial grasp may have weakened, the organization still boasts a contingent of 10,000 to 30,000 fighters within Syria and Iraq. These individuals are largely confined within minimally secured detention centers, where the group's strategy hinges on a dual-pronged approach: releasing their own from captivity and recruiting fresh combatants.

Notwithstanding this, the group's operational potency remains modest, restricting its ability to orchestrate complex missions. Rather, its modus operandi mainly revolves around seizing fleeting opportunities borne from security lapses, emergent vulnerabilities, or the lack of synchronization among opposing forces.

In its annual threat assessment, the Office of the US Director of National Intelligence warned that:



While ISIS and Qa’eda suffered major leadership losses in 2022, degrading external operations and capabilities, both organizations’ offshoots continue to exploit local conflicts and broader political instability to make territorial and operational gains.”

“Even following the loss of several key ISIS leaders in 2022, ISIS’s insurgency in Iraq and Syria will persist as the group seeks to rebuild capabilities and replenish its ranks,” the report states.

The vulnerabilities entrenched within northeastern Syria are unmistakable: an uptick in ISIS activity, precarious stability in Deir Ezzor, and overcrowded camps and prisons teetering without adequate safeguarding. Most troubling is the Al-Hol camp, housing approximately 68,000 individuals related to the terror group, predominantly women and children.

A ‘ticking time bomb’

Security experts in the US fear that the harsh conditions within the camp could metastasize into a breeding ground for extremist ideologies if proactive measures fail to deprogram prisoners from ISIS's influence. These measures involve fostering community reconciliation in their eventual return areas, cultivating social bonds, instilling a sense of belonging, and administering justice and accountability.

Moreover, the territories under Kurdish force control grapple with simmering ethnic tensions and clashes of interest among the mostly Arab factions opposing Kurdish rule. Over the past years, local inhabitants have voiced their discontent with the SDF’s administration, lamenting its services, arbitrary arrests, favoritism, forced conscription, and ethnic marginalization. These grievances have gone insufficiently addressed, culminating in a mounting wave of resentment.

ISIS attacks on Kurdish-held areas appear aimed at threatening the local Arab populations against cooperating with the SDF, leading to the breakdown of local governance bodies and depriving the SDF of access to ground intel needed for effective counterinsurgency efforts. In March 2019, ISIS spokesman Abu al-Hasan al-Muhajir called on Arabs in eastern Syria to withdraw from the ranks of the "atheist Kurds" and to "repent" before it is too late.

The resurgence of ISIS can be attributed to a convergence of factors, each playing a distinct role in its revival. A key catalyst has been the reduction in international military operations against the organization, largely driven by the global preoccupation with the conflict in Ukraine. This shift in focus diverted attention and resources away from countering ISIS, allowing the group to exploit the resulting security vacuum.

Complicating matters, the cessation of Russian-American coordination in Syria—prompted by their discord over the Ukrainian crisis—has further undercut efforts to contain ISIS. The discord between these two major powers in the Syrian theater has hindered effective cooperation against the common threat. The country has also become an arena for the budding Moscow-Tehran alliance.

In addition, the recent rapprochement between Turkiye and Syria has contributed to a lull in operations by the SDF, which had been a key counterforce against ISIS. As the two neighbors move toward normalization, the SDF's focus has shifted, potentially providing breathing room for ISIS to regain its footing.

US strategy & regional interests

Underpinning this resurgence are dormant sleeper cells within Syria. These clandestine elements, capable of independent operations without centralized coordination, have effectively exploited the chaos and security gaps, allowing the organization to execute attacks and establish a renewed presence.

Furthermore, the emergence of a new leadership within ISIS plays a pivotal role. Eager to establish its credibility and influence, particularly in rural areas, this leadership is keen on demonstrating its competence in leading the group's activities.

Amidst these complex dynamics, the Eastern Euphrates region is a cauldron of tensions, most notably evidenced by the friction between Russian and US aircraft. This animosity stems from multifaceted factors, including US plans to assert control over oil fields and to establish a continuous link between the Al-Tanf area and Al-Bukamal, effectively creating a contiguous line along the Syrian-Iraqi border to curtail Iran's influence.

At the heart of these strategic moves is Washington’s apprehension that any Turkish incursion into northern Syria could destabilize the efforts to contain not only ISIS but also extremist jihadist militias. Such an invasion would compel the SDF to shift its focus from anti-ISIS operations to confronting Turkish forces, eroding the effectiveness of containment strategies.

Paradoxically, the US’s goals in Syria do not appear to be the eradication of ISIS. In fact, the evidence shows that Washington aims to contain the organization's activities within a controlled sphere, allowing it to manipulate and channel ISIS's actions to serve its own interests in both Syria and the wider West Asian region. Stealing Syrian natural resources (oil and wheat) and thwarting the gains of pro-Iran resistance movements, are but two such examples.

Shifting ISIS strategies

Since losing its last stronghold in Syria, “ISIS activity has greatly diminished. But on both the threat and operational levels, it remained reasonably effective,” terrorism expert Matthew Hinman of Jane’s Intelligence tells The Cradle. The group has maintained a steady pace of violence in various major theaters of operations, focusing on exploiting regional instability to seize territory.

In response to relentless leadership targeting, the organization underwent a transformative shift from a top-down, military-structured bureaucracy to a more dispersed and decentralized insurgency. This evolution prompted the adoption of guerrilla warfare tactics, leading to a surge in assaults against Syrian forces and Kurdish militias.

Indeed, the presence of ISIS within Syria reflects the multifaceted and conflicting power dynamics at play within the country. The group's defeat can be attributed to an array of adversaries, including the SDF supported by the US and the international coalition, the Syrian army bolstered by Iran and Russia, and opposition rebels backed by Turkiye.

Confronting the ISIS threat

The territorial landscape is divided among these factions, each enforcing its distinct security frameworks, lacking centralized control, and thwarting a unified strategy against ISIS's resurgence. This dynamic has paved the way for ISIS's adaptable operational approach that adjusts to the conditions within each region.

In contrast, the Syrian military's counter-ISIS operations generally prioritize swiftness over territorial retention, which raises concerns about the organization's potential to regroup in vacated areas. Moreover, the targeting of mid-level leadership remains infrequent, potentially allowing for the resurgence of their influence and activities.

In order to effectively address the ISIS threat, it is essential for the international community, the Syrian government, and influential countries to prioritize three key areas:

Firstly, there should be a concerted military effort to defeat ISIS, facilitated by coordinated operations and the sharing of critical information - which, importantly, should be led by the sovereign governments of Syria and Iraq, and not foreign forces. Secondly, it is crucial to achieve a political settlement that prevents security vacuums resulting from the unauthorized presence of foreign forces within Syrian territory – examples include regions controlled by US forces in northeastern Syria and areas under Turkish force control in the north.

Lastly, combating the extremist ideology promoted by ISIS necessitates the implementation of educational curricula and media strategies that not only respect a wide range of religious beliefs but also consider the cultural values of the conservative society in the country.

https://new.thecradle.co/articles/the-r ... iraq-again