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Re: Syria

Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2019 1:51 pm
by blindpig
US colludes with Turkish regime again to attack Syria’s sovereignty in al-Jazeera region

8 October، 2019

Damascus, SANA- The US has revealed again its conspiratorial schemes with the Turkish regime for attacking Syrian territories in al-Jazeera region through declaring its approval on launching a new aggression by the Turkish regime against the Syrian people in these areas.

The White House, in a statement published on Monday after a phone call between US President Donald Trump and President of the Turkish regime Recep Tayyip Erdogan, announced that the Turkish regime will soon go forwards in its schemes in the Syrian al-Jazeera region, and the US troops will not support it.

This came to expose the exchange and harmony in the hostile roles between Washington and Ankara against Syria and its sovereignty.

In the aftermath of the US statement, local and media sources affirmed that the US forces pulled out from their positions along the borders making way for the troops of the Turkish regime to launch an aggression on the Syrian territories.

By their withdrawal, the US troops have given up their promises to their tools of Qasad “SDF” separatist militias in these areas which they have used throughout terrorist war against Syria and its people.

The preparations for a new Turkish aggression in collusion with the US troops comes in the framework of exchanging the roles and schemes among sponsors of terrorism who have been the enemies of the Syrian people since the beginning of the terrorist war waged against Syria.

The Turkish regime is considered as the first supporter of terrorist organizations in Syria as it has opened its borders for the passage of tens of thousands of mercenaries from different parts of the world and it has allowed them to enter the Syrian territories and to commit massacres there against the Syrian people.

It is noteworthy to mention here also the direct Turkish and US aggression and occupation of the Syrian territories whether in the Syrian al-Jazeera region or in the countryside of Aleppo and Idleb and other areas, and the threat to launch a new aggression is only a completion of the previous chapters of the terrorist war against Syria.

Last August, the US and the Turkish regime agreed on establishing the so-called “Safe Zone” on the Syrian-Turkish borders in a violation of the international laws, as Syria expressed it categorical rejection of the US-Turkish agreement which constitutes a blatant aggression against Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and a violation of the principles of the international law and the UN Charter.

Syria also has warned against the dangers of the expansionist schemes of the Turkish regime which seeks to achieve its illusions on reviving the Ottoman Sultanate.

In response to the new anticipated Turkish aggression against the Syrian territories, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif affirmed that the only way for Turkey to guarantee its security is through respecting Syria’s sovereignty and unity and implementing Adana agreement between the two countries.

Meanwhile, Russia represented by Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov called upon Turkey for fully adhering to the unity of the Syrian territories.

Peskov affirmed that Syria’s unity and territorial integrity is the starting point in framework of the exerted efforts for finding a settlement to the crisis in Syria and to all other issues in a way that would guarantee the security of the neighboring states, calling for the withdrawal of all foreign troops which are deployed in Syria illegally.

Local sources mentioned that Qasad “SDF” separatist militias which have been sponsored by Washington since the beginning of the terrorist war on Syria and they have implemented its schemes in the Syrian al-Jazeera region, called for confronting the Turkish aggression while at the same time they have continued to attack the locals in the region through their brutal acts of kidnapping, raids and armed robbery of the properties, houses and others with the aim of intimidating civilians.

Ruaa al-Jazaeri

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=175141

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Locals in Idleb increasingly insist to exit towards safe areas…Al-Nusra terrorists prevent them from leaving

8 October، 2019

Idleb, SANA- Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist organization and the affiliated groups in Idleb continue to take civilians as human shields and prevent them from leaving towards the safe areas via Abu al-Dohour corridor for the 26th day in a row.

SANA reporter said that the terrorist organizations continue to cut off roads in order to prevent locals, who are willing to exit towards the safe areas, from leaving through Abu al-Dohour corridor, in addition to setting up barricades to prevent cars from reaching the Syrian Arab Army’s points.

The reporter added that Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists are deliberately circulating rumors and lies to distort the reality of safety and security felt by all who go out from the terror-controlled areas in Idleb.

He indicated that the authorities concerned continue to take all measures and logistic procedures for receiving the citizens who get out of areas where the terrorists exist , providing them with food and medicines, and transporting them to temporary housing shelter.

Shaza

https://sana.sy/en/?p=175176

Re: Syria

Posted: Fri Oct 11, 2019 1:57 pm
by blindpig
Protecting the Syrian people is the duty of the Syrian army and the Syrian state only: Foreign Ministry
Created on Thursday, 10 October 2019 18:08 | Published Date | Print | Hits: 235
DAMASCUS, (ST)- Syria has reiterated that protecting the Syrian people is the duty of the Syrian army and the Syrian state only, an official source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said in a statement on Thursday.

The source was commenting on the new remarks made by the President of the Turkish regime in which he claimed that he is keen on protecting the Syrian people and their rights.

The source stressed that these remarks can only be made by a person who is disconnected from reality, reiterating that Syria will confront the brutal Turkish aggression in any spot in Syria by all legal means.

"After his continuous support for terrorism in Syria by training, arming and protecting terrorists and by sending tens of thousands of mercenaries to kill the Syrians, Erdogan makes statements that can never be uttered except by a person who is disconnected from reality as he speaks of his commitment to protect the Syrian people while he has the blood of the Syrian people killed by the terrorists on his hands," the source said.

Erdogan's talk about protecting the Syrian people while he is invading the Syrian territories and attacking civilians in the north of Syria under the pretext of fighting terrorism indicates a criminal regime that commits massacres and hides behind false humanitarian slogans.

The source asserted that Syria, which has defeated the Turkish regimes' terrorist tools and agents, will also confront the Turkish aggression by all legitimate means.

Syria reiterates that fighting terrorism will continue as Erdogan's statements won't stop this process and that protecting the Syrian people is the duty of the Syrian Arab army and the Syrian state only, the source concluded.

Hamda Mustafa

http://www.syriatimes.sy/index.php/news ... n-ministry

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Several SDF militia leaders flee to Turkey amid wide defections among SDF members in flashpoint areas
Created on Thursday, 10 October 2019 19:39 | Published Date | Print | Hits: 168
The ‘Syrian Democratic Forces’ militia put the men it recruited by force at the frontlines of the battle, while dozens of the militia’s members hid among displaced people and ran away from Raes Al-Ayin city to Tal Abyad area, according to the Syrian Alikhbaria TV channel.

The TV channel added that several SDF militia’s leaders, who have colluded with Turkey, fled to Turkey taking with them thousands of dollars.

There are also wide defections among the SDF militia members in flashpoint areas near Turkish border.

In another development, the US-led coalition imposed No-Fly zone over Malekeyeh city to the north-east of Hasaka in order to withdraw US occupation forces from Syria after Washington washed its hands of the separatist Kurds.

Basma Qaddour

http://www.syriatimes.sy/index.php/don- ... oint-areas

Re: Syria

Posted: Sat Oct 12, 2019 12:58 pm
by blindpig
The Pentagon Threatening to Revive ISIS
September 26, 2019 Arabi Souri Iraq, Israel, Syria, Turkey, USA 1



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ISIS - Daesh - America's Heroes

ISIS and the Pentagon Coincidences: Do you believe in coincidences? If you do, at which number of repetitive coincidences you’ll start to see a pattern and even worse: a plot?

Former top al-Qaeda commander said: ISIS is the creation of the USA, just like how it created al-Qaeda before. This insider reported that the US released al Baghdadi from an Iraqi jail, gave him $20 – $30 million and helped with military training camps in Jordan. Here’s his interview about this from more than 5 years ago:

ISIS, the Bombshell Interview to Impeach Obama

Former US Secretary of State John Kerry, the man who during his time ISIS grew and was wandering around open deserts in large convoys of hundreds of brand new machine-gun mounted Toyota pick-ups and 4 x 4 SUVs said: ‘We saw ISIS growing, we thought Assad was threatened and this will push him to negotiate’, ‘ We spent a lot of money’, or in whatever words he put it, listen to him and how at the end he equates Syrian opposition with ISIS not sure whether deliberately.


And the same John Kerry during a Homeland Security Briefing tries to play down the role of radical terrorists claiming most are ‘moderate rebels’ as he calls them:


The air forces of the US-led illegal coalition bombs a Syrian Arab Army site at the Thardeh Mountain killing 84 SAA officers and soldiers in a bombing that lasted 55 minutes which allowed ISIS groups to run over the base that was protecting 120,000 Syrian civilians in Deir Ezzor. The Pentagon later said it was a mistake and offered an apology but only after they made sure ISIS took over that base.

Iraqi local media confirm seeing US helicopter drop food and medicine over to ISIS camps in Anbar desert to the west of the country.

Locals from Deir Ezzor countryside saw US helicopters airlifting ISIS commanders hours before the group’s defeat at the hands of advancing Syrian Arab Army and their allies, especially near Bu Kamal and its surroundings.

Kurdish separatist SDF militia, already branded as a terrorist group by the Syrian state, didn’t engage in real fighting with ISIS over the city of Raqqa, after the US-led illegal coalition obliterated it to the ground and rendered over 90% of it inhabitable, SDF took over the city after ISIS fulfilled their task in what many observers called it a ‘change of flag‘ operation between ISIS and the SDF.

ISIS-affiliated group Maghawir Thawra works hand in hand with the US illegal military base which also keeps thousands of Syrian civilians as human shields in At-Tanf, the farthest remote area in the Syrian – Iraqi – Jordanian joint border deep in the desert. A video of its terrorists thanking the US for new vehicles as well is there, guess what: Brand new Toyota pick-up trucks…!


ISIS-affiliated Khalid Army operates not only free in the border area with the Golan occupied by Israel, not only have their backs to Israeli IDF terrorists, not only the latter was bombing Syrian Arab Army posts when it was confronting that terrorist group, but also its injured terrorists were receiving state of the art medical care from Israeli hospitals on the account of US taxpayers.

The US maintains troops in Syria just in front of the advancing Syrian Arab Army and its allies who were pursuing ISIS in the northeast of the country and especially in the vast swathes of oil-rich, agricultural rich east of the Euphrates region.

Trump announces the defeat of ISIS and then the withdrawal of his troops from Syria and suddenly the ‘danger of ISIS re-emerging’ is there.

Is there any further proof that ISIS works for the US if we don’t want to say that it’s a US asset?

Oh wait, Trump threatens to free ISIS terrorists from their ‘prisons’ in areas under his forces and the Kurdish SDF terrorist separatist militia and push them to invade Europe if the latter doesn’t repatriate ISIS members of European citizenships, and ‘coincidentally, ISIS threatens to free its prisoners from prisons under US forces and the Kurdish SDF terrorist separatist militias…!

The original source of this news is the Institute for the Study of War, a tax-exempt 501(c) “nonprofit” charitable think tank whose donors also get tax relief. Founded in 2007 by Dr. Kimberly Kagan with the assistance of General Jack Keane (US Army, Ret.) who remains ISW’s chairman, this charity made some controversial headlines when its press liaison, Elizabeth O’bagy was fired having lied about her education. O’bagy the liar was cited by SoS Kerry, Sen. McCain, and various media, involving anti-Syria propaganda.


Among ISW’s corporate sponsors are several manufacturers of weapons of war.

Perhaps the breaking news coming on the heels of Trump’s alleged intention to cut back on illicit US military occupiers in Syria, is Dr. Kagan’s pushing for an Iraqi-type surge, instead.

I mean we all know the US population, in general, are not that bright when it comes to foreign policy, not that a considerable majority of the western Europeans, how many coincidences will take them to wake up? Do they think the rest of the world is as dumb as their Sheeple are? If so, they’re very much mistaken.

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America's Heroes - the PentagonAmerica’s Heroes – the Pentagon – Syria News Envision of it
Aerial View: ISIS Headquarters - Langley VA - George Bush Center for IntelligenceAerial View: ISIS Headquarters – Langley VA – George Bush Center for Intelligence

https://www.syrianews.cc/the-pentagon-t ... vive-isis/

Videos at link

Re: Syria

Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 5:04 pm
by blindpig
Syrian army to enter SDF-held Kobani, Manbij: Monitor

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This picture taken on October 13, 2019 shows smoke rising from the Syrian border town of Ras al-Ain as fighting rages along the border on the fifth day of a Turkish offensive in Syria. (AFP)

AFP, BeirutSunday, 13 October 2019

The Syrian army will enter the SDF-held town of Ain Arab (Kobani) and Manbij within 48 hours following an agreement between the two sides, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Reuters also confirmed the report citing the Lebanese broadcaster al-Mayadeen which reported that the Syrian army would deploy within 48 hours to the town of Kobani which is held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and the nearby town of Manbij which is controlled by SDF-aligned forces.

The towns fall within a swathe of northern Syria controlled by the SDF that is currently being targeted in an offensive by Turkey and Turkey-backed Syrian militant groups.

The UK-based war monitor also said on Sunday that at least 26 civilians were killed in northeastern Syria as Turkey stepped up its offensive against Kurdish forces, a war monitor said.

Among the casualties were 10 people killed in an air strike that hit a convoy of vehicles carrying civilians and journalists, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Earlier, the war monitor put the tally at 24 civilians.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) gained back control over most of the border city of Ras al-Ain, in a counterattack which killed 17 from Turkish-backed Syria

https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/m ... nitor.html

Sensible move to be emulated by all smart Kurds in the area.

Re: Syria

Posted: Mon Oct 14, 2019 1:00 pm
by blindpig
Syrian Government Regains Control Over Country's Northeastern Parts
Eight days ago U.S. President Donald Trump gave a green light for another Turkish invasion of Syria. We explained why that move made it inevitable for the Kurds to submit to Damascus and to let the Syrian Arab Army back into northeast Syria:

While the YPG might want to fight off a Turkish invasion they have little chance to succeed. The land is flat and the YPG forces only have light arms.
There is only one solution for them. They will have to call up the Syrian government and ask it to come back into the north east. That would remove the Turkish concerns and would likely prevent further Turkish moves.

After Trump had spoken with the Turkish president Erdogan, the U.S. military removed a few of its forces from some areas near the Turkish border. The Pentagon was still under the false impression that Turkey would limit its invasion to some 5 kilometer in depth. It was obvious, as we wrote, that Turkey wanted far more:

A major goal is to interrupt the M4 highway that runs parallel to the border and allows for troop movements between the east and the west of the Kurdish majority areas. The highway is about 20-30 kilometers from the border.
The M4 road is also one of the major logistical routes for the U.S. troops stationed in the western part.

The Kurds could do little to resist the Turkish onslaught. On Saturday Turkish supported "Syrian rebels" reached the M4 highway and captured and killed several Kurdish troops and civilians who were passing by. The Pentagon finally took notice of the imminent danger:

“This is total chaos,” a senior administration official said at midday, speaking on the condition of anonymity about the confusing situation in Syria.
Although “the Turks gave guarantees to us” that U.S. forces would not be harmed, the official said, Syrian militias allied with them “are running up and down roads, ambushing and attacking vehicles,” putting American ­forces — as well as civilians — in danger even as they withdraw. The militias, known as the Free Syrian Army, “are crazy and not reliable.”

Ahhhh. The "Free Syrian Army", which the U.S. built and supplied with an immense amount of weapons to fight the Syrian government, is "crazy and not reliable". How come that all the think tankers and 'journalists' who for years lauded that 'army' never noticed that?

The Pentagon finally recognized that it was not possible to hold onto the area without starting a war with its NATO partner Turkey. On Saturday evening Trump gave the order that all U.S. troops shall leave northeast Syria within 30 days. The Secretary of Defense did not resign as his predecessor did over a similar decision but defended the move.

The decision was the kick in the ass the Kurds needed to agree to the return of Syrian government troops to the area they had held on to while under U.S. command. Currently Syrian troops and their heavy weapons are streaming in. Their primary task is to prevent any further encroachment by Turkish forces. They will also move to retake the oil fields east of Deir Ezzor and they will take control of the prison camps where ISIS fighters are held.

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As of this writing Syrian troops (red) have entered Manbij, Ain al Issa, Tabqa airbase near Raqqa and Tel Tamr. Turkish supported groups (green) hold Tell Abyad and Ras al-Ayn and the villages between those two cities. That area has an Arab majority population.

The Kurds wish to keep their 'autonomous administration' of northeast Syria. While talks are still ongoing I do not expect that the mostly Arab inhabitants of the whole area, nor the Syrian government will agree to that. There can not be a special status for any of Syria's many ethnic or religious groups.

The Kurdish led Syrian Democratic Forces will be disbanded. Its soldiers will be integrated into the Syrian army. The Syrian government will also disband the 'autonomous' Kurdish administration. It will confiscate the weapons the U.S. has given to the Kurds. All this will take some time but it will, in the end, remove the Turkish concerns that the organized Syrian Kurdish groups could enter Turkey to fight on the side of their PKK separatist brethren.

The U.S. had more than 1,000 troops in northeast Syria. There were also several hundred French and British special forces and some 2,000 U.S. contractors. They, and a huge amount of equipment, are now moving out. They have nothing to fear from the Syrian forces. Syria is happy to see them leave. (Reports that the U.S.yesterday bombed Syrian troops are false.)

The strategic plan behind last weeks development must have come from Moscow. Russia has tried for some time to get Turkey into its camp. Russia, Iran and Syria allowed Turkey a limited invasion of Syria to scare the U.S. out. Russia largely supported the Turkish move but it will also set its limits.

Since last year Trump looked for a chance to move the U.S. troops out of Syria. The borg made that politically unfeasible. The Turkish (Russian) move gave him the excuse he needed.

It is possible that the whole arrangement was made for exactly that purpose.

Posted by b on October 14, 2019 at 12:28 UTC | Permalink

https://www.moonofalabama.org/2019/10/s ... parts.html

Re: Syria

Posted: Tue Oct 15, 2019 11:34 am
by blindpig
US military blocks Syrian Army’s entry into border city: video
By News Desk -2019-10-146


BEIRUT, LEBANON (2:30 P.M.) – The U.S. military is blocking the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) from entering the border city of Kobani (var. ‘Ayn Al-‘Arab), a new video from northern Syria showed on Monday afternoon.

In the video that was shared on social media, the U.S. military can be seen posted up along the roads leading to Kobani; this forced the Syrian Arab Army to halt their movements in the area.

According to some reports from northern Syria, the U.S. military warned the Syrian Army to halt their movements until their troops were fully withdrawn from Kobani.

It is still not clear why the U.S. military is still blocking the Syrian Army; however, Turkey has been eyeing this city for quite some time and the longer the U.S. takes to evacuate their forces, the better it is for Ankara.

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/us ... ity-video/

Video at link

Re: Syria

Posted: Wed Oct 16, 2019 5:22 pm
by blindpig
Keeping in mind this guy is a 'former' CIA spook, this is fairly clear analysis.

Everybody Betraying Everybody in Syria
October 16, 2019
by Graham E. Fuller

Everybody Betraying Everybody in Syria

Graham E. Fuller (grahamefuller.com)

16 October 2019

Just what have we witnessed in the recent events in Syria? It’s hard to know, given the avalanche of superficial and over-the-top headlines in most US media: betrayal of the Kurds, handing Syria over to Russia, caving to Turkey’s Erdogan, bestowing a gift upon Iran, allowing ISIS to once again run wild, end of US leadership. Yet the bottom line of the story is that after some eight years of civil conflict, the situation in Syria is basically reverting to the pre-conflict norm. The Syrian government is now close to re-establishing its sovereign control again over the entire country. Indeed, Syria’s sovereign control over its own country had been vigorously contested, in fact blocked, by many external interventions—mainly on the part of the US, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and a few European hangers-on—all hoping to exploit the early uprising against the Asad regime and overthrow it. In favor of what was never clear.

Much of this picture has a long history. The US has been trying to covertly overthrow the Syrian regime off and on for some fifty years, periodically joined on occasion by Israel or Saudi Arabia or Iraq, orTurkey or the UK. Most people assumed that when the Arab Spring broke out in Syria in 2011 that civil uprisings there too would lead to the early overthrow of another authoritarian regime. But it did not. This was in part due to Asad’s brutal put-down of rebel forces, in part because of the strong support he received from Russia, Iran and Hizballah, and in part because large numbers of Syrian elites feared that whoever might take Asad’s place—most likely one or another Jihadi group—would be far worse, more radical and chaotic than Asad’s strict but stable secular domestic rule.

Nonetheless over this entire time the US has been willing to support almost any motley array of forces, including even extremist jihadi forces linked with al-Qaeda, to try to overthrow Asad. Washington has never gotten over the fact that Syria for over half a century has never bowed to US or Israeli hegemony in the region, and has all along been a strong supporter of Syria’s secular—yes secular—Arab nationalism. The US has therefore shown great willingness to “fight to the last Syrian” if necessary to achieve its ends.

As Asad’s forces gradually regained control over the country, Washington resisted those efforts—even though large numbers of Syrians want to see an end to war and destruction. In the Middle East, after all, Asad’s Syria had been by no means the worst regime along side of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Saddam’s Iraq, Iran and other states. If Washington disliked Asad before, it is even more angered that Asad appealed to Iran, Russia and Hizballah for support. Yet ironically, if the civil war, with its massive foreign support to the rebels, had not been so prolonged, Asad might not have needed Russian or Iranian support and presence. So we reap what we sow. And it is important to remember that Asad still represents the internationally recognized, legitimate, if often nasty and harsh, government of Syria.

As part of the anti-Asad struggle, the US had sought to maintain an autonomous area for the Syrian Kurds in northern Syria along the Turkish border. The hope was that it would remain an enclave of opposition to Asad and a base of US power within a divided Syria.

Which brings up the sad issue of the Kurds. What about Kurdish militia assistance in the struggle against ISIS? There is no doubt that the Syrian Kurds were effective in that struggle. But it is not as if the Syrian Kurds are the only forces that can fight the now motley dregs of the Islamic Caliphate (ISIS). Asad, Russia, Iraq and Iran all have every reason in the world to see ISIS expunged off the map—long after the US and the Kurds are out of the picture. The Kurds are not essential to that picture.

Under these circumstances, I believe that President Trump is justified in pulling out US forces from Syria as part of an ongoing process of bringing a gradual end to Washington’s endless wars. This war no longer served any real purpose except to destabilize Syria, perpetuate its brutal civil conflict and provide an excuse to keep US troops on the ground and strengthen Iranian and Russian involvement in the struggle. Its refugees have helped destabilize EU politics. In terms of Trump’s so-called “gift to Putin,” the Russians have had a dominant foothold in Syria for many decades. So there’s not much new here.

It is indeed hard to keep track of the Syrian situation since there are so many players, each with its own agenda. Whose narrative you choose to identify with in this mess depends on what your agenda is in Syria.

Do you favor the Israeli agenda? Keep Syria permanently weak, divided, and without allies. Do anything that will hurt Iran. Maintain Israel as the dominant Middle Eastern power.

Like Russia’s agenda? Russia is successfully working to regain its former centuries old role in the Middle East in general—a position which briefly collapsed twenty years ago with the end of the USSR. Russia’s agenda is above all driven by its strong opposition to any further US attempts at engineering regime change by coup against any and all governments globally that the US does not like. Remember that US intervention in Syria has not been sanctioned by international law, whereas both Russia and Iran were both formally invited to come in and assist the legally recognized Syrian government.

But there is another striking feature of Russian diplomacy: it also seeks to maintain working ties with all, repeat all, players in the Middle East including seemingly incompatible ones: good ties with Israel, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, Cyprus, Lebanon, Qatar, the UAE, Yemen, the US, etc. At the same time the US has refused to maintain any such comprehensive working ties across the region with forces it does not like. Hence it refuses to talk with key players like Iran, Syria and Hizballah or countenance a Russian role there. That kind of US posture has above all “served Putin” who has emerged as a master of regional diplomacy and compromise.

Turkey above all wants to keep the lid on all Kurdish political forces in the region that might facilitate Kurdish separatism inside Turkey—where the biggest Kurdish population in the Middle East lives. Hence the Turkish effort to invade the Syrian Kurdish enclave. The Kurds there ultimately saw the handwriting on the wall and opted to come to terms with the regime in Damascus. That moment had to come.

How do we sum up Washington’s agenda? Mixed. First, it supports almost anything Israel wants in the region. Second, it supports almost anything that will weaken and destabilize Iran, and hence anything that will weaken and destabilize Asad’s Syria. Then the US supports Saudi Arabia in almost all its adventuristic policies across the region and keep Yemen in bloody turmoil. The US also seeks to keep ISIS at bay—but so do Syria, Russia, Iran, Iraq and Turkey. Then Washington seeks by almost means to weaken Russia and Iran’s position in the region. It also hopes to keep Turkey “loyal” to US goals in the region—a vain hope. Finally, it seeks to maintain US hegemony in the Persian Gulf under the pretext of protecting the free flow of oil. Of course all Gulf producers want to sell their oil. And Asian consumers have a far higher stake in keeping the oil flowing—India, China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and others. So protecting those Asian shipping lanes (which has not really been necessary anyway) is most appropriately handled by them.

As for Iran, it is determined to maintain allies in Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq and Syria to the extent that it can. These allies are mainly important in a defensive operation against a concerted Israeli-Saudi-American drive to weaken Iran and all Shi’a across the region. Iran is only strong in its Shi’a identity to the extent that it is attacked for being Shi’a. So Iran will seek to protect Shi’a populations in the region from oppression and discrimination from Sunni regimes, especially Saudi Arabia. Iran has no brief for the autonomy of any of the Kurds in the region lest it stir up Iran’s own very significant Kurdish population.

Iraq so far is a bit player, but it will gain importance with every passing year as it struggles to reestablish a viable Iraqi state after the country was decimated by the US-led long war in Iraq.

What about the Kurds themselves, a highly complex and diverse force in the region? The Kurds are not united and may never attain unity. Kurds, after all, have been socialized within four different countries (Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria) where they speak three quite different languages (Turkish, Arabic and Persian). Among themselves they speak fairly distinct dialects of Kurdish in different regions. Kurds have always dreamed of independence for over 100 years (one of the biggest ethnic groups in the world without an independent state) but have been constantly thwarted by regional and international powers and have never been able to settle upon a common strategy. They have consistently been tactically exploited and utilized by outside powers for over a century (UK, US, France, Israel, Iran, Turkey and Syria) when they have periodically served the geopolitical purposes of those states. They have been routinely promised support for greater Kurdish autonomy, and then, when they outlive their usefulness, they have been routinely thrown to the winds. The US is only the latest state to “betray” the Kurds, by abandoning them this time—and the US did the same many decades ago under Henry Kissinger who joined the Shah in using them against Saddam Hussein and then discarded them to their fate.

The Syrian Kurds had hoped that the US war party in Washington would embrace their cause indefinitely. They were certainly disappointed that that has not happened, but cannot have been surprised that the US would eventually decide to abandon them when the Turks, Russians and Syrians all decided to put an end to their autonomous enclave in the name of a unified Syrian state.

Ultimately Kurdish-Turkish rapprochement within Turkey is far from an impossible task, but it will take some time. There is a groundwork from the past to be built upon. And once relations with Turkey’s own Kurds inside Turkey have been regularized, Turkey will likely be far more relaxed about the Syrian Kurds, who in any case will need to settle on an arrangement for some kind of modest local status in Syria. Turkey after all came to accept an autonomous Kurdish zone in Iraq and has deep economic relations with it.

The most vociferous voices in Washington for sticking by the Kurds in Syria come from several sources. First, from those who reflexively oppose any policy of Trump under any circumstances anywhere. Second, those interventionists who seek to maintain US armed presence in the region at almost all costs—and the untiring US global task in their eyes is never finished. Third, there are many who want to keep Israel strategically happy and empowered.

The interventionist crowd in Washington wants the US in Syria indefinitely as proof of our “credibility” to fight everybody’s war, and maintain American “leadership”—read hegemony—in the region. Sadly the prolonged war agenda would not seem to do anybody in the region any good, including the US.

http://grahamefuller.com/everybody-betr ... -in-syria/

Is the Syrian government 'harsh'? Perhaps, generational siege requires discipline in order to survive. As for Russia, it seems to have shelved it's near groveling posture regarding the US as good money after bad. Betting on Trump to soften the imperial designs on Russia was a poor calculation but not so surprising from a raw oligarchy(as compared to the US disciplined oligarchy, which looks about to regain control)

Re: Syria

Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2019 2:46 am
by kidoftheblackhole
That kind of US posture has above all “served Putin” who has emerged as a master of regional diplomacy and compromise.
Code for "master of double dealing"

Re: Syria

Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2019 1:43 pm
by blindpig
Sayyed Hassan Nasrollah speech dubbed in English

https://www.presstv.com/default/live

courtesy Ali @allushiii

a leader

Re: Syria

Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2019 2:05 pm
by blindpig
President al-Assad’s interview given to al-Sourya and al-Ikhbarya TVs

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31 October، 2019

Damascus, SANA-President Bashar al-Assad stressed that the scenario broadcast by the US about the killing operation of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of Daesh organization, is part of the US tricks and we should not believe what they say unless they give the evidence.

The President added in an interview given to Al-Sourea and al-Ikhbariya TVs on Thursday, that the Russian-Turkish agreement on northern Syria is temporary one, and it reigns in Turkish aspirations to achieve more damage through occupying more Syrian territories and cut the road in front of the US.

President Al-Assad affirmed that the entrance of the Syrian Arab Army into regions of northern Syria is an expression of the entrance of the Syrian State with all services it offers, adding that the army has reached the majority of the regions, but not completely.

The President underlined that Syria hasn’t offered any concessions regarding the formation of the committee of discussing the constitution.

Following is the full text of the interview:

Journalist: Hello and welcome to this special interview with the President of the Syrian Arab Republic, His Excellency Dr Bashar al-Assad. Thank you for receiving us Mr President. Your last interview with Syrian media was several years ago and therefore we have a lot of questions. We will begin with political questions and then move into internal issues.

President Assad: You are welcome, and as always let us speak with full openness.

Journalist: Mr President, thank you very much for receiving us. Since the political issues are pressing at the moment we will start with politics, Mr President. The United States announced a few days ago that the leader of the terrorist organization ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was killed. And it thanked Russia, Syria, Iraq, the Turks and the Kurds for helping kill Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Trump thanked Syria, but we have not heard any comment from Damascus. What is your take on Trump thanking Syria? Did Syria really take part in this operation?

President Assad: Absolutely not, we heard about this only through the media. Maybe, the reason behind including a number of countries as participants in this operation is to give it credibility so these countries will feel not embarrassed, but have the desire to be that they are part of a “great” operation, as the Americans have tried to portray it. And in this way, they are credited with fighting terrorism. We do not need such credit. We are the ones fighting terrorism. We have no relations and have had no contact with any American institutions.

More importantly, we do not really know whether the operation did actually take place or not. No aircraft were detected on radar screens. Why were the remains of Baghdadi not shown? This is the same scenario that was followed with Bin Laden. If there are going to use different pretexts in order not to show the remains, let us recall how President Saddam Husain was captured and how the whole operation was shown from A to Z; they showed pictures and video clips after they captured him. The same happened when they killed his sons several months later; they showed the bodies. So, why did they hide everything about the Bin Laden operation and now also the Baghdadi operation? This is part of the tricks played by the Americans. That is why we should not believe everything they say unless they come up with evidence. American politicians are actually guilty until proven innocent, not the other way around.

Journalist: Mr President, if Baghdadi has actually been killed, does it mean the end of his organization, or is it as usual that there will be new leaders and new organizations which are being prepared for the moment when the cards of their predecessors have been burned out?



President Assad: First, Baghdadi represents ISIS, and ISIS represents a type of doctrine, which is the extremist Wahhabi doctrine. This type of thought is more than two centuries old. As long as this thought is alive and has not receded, this means that the death of Baghdadi, or even the death of ISIS as a whole, will have no effect on this extremist thought.

Regarding Baghdadi as an individual, it is well-known that he was in American prisons in Iraq, and that they let him out in order to play this role. So, he is someone who could be replaced at any moment. Was he really killed? Was he killed but through a different method, in a very ordinary way? Was he kidnapped? Was he hidden? Or was he removed and given a facelift? God only knows. American politics are no different from Hollywood; it relies on the imagination. Not even science fiction, just mere imagination. So, you can take American politics and see it in Hollywood or else you can bring Hollywood and see it through American politics. I believe the whole thing regarding this operation is a trick. Baghdadi will be recreated under a different name, a different individual, or ISIS in its entirety might be reproduced as needed under a different name but with the same thought and the same purpose. The director of the whole scenario is the same, the Americans.

Journalist: Questions have been raised about the Russian-Turkish agreement, particularly the item related to maintaining the status quo in the region which was subject to the Turkish aggression, Tal Abyadh and Ras al-Ain with a depth of thirty-two kilometers. What some people understood from this was that it legitimized the Turkish occupation, particularly that the agreement did not include any Syrian role within these areas which were discussed in the agreement. What is your response to that?

President Assad: First, the Russian principles have been clear throughout this war and even before the Russian base that started supporting the Syrian army in 2015. These principles are based on international law, Syrian sovereignty and Syria’s territorial integrity. This has not changed, neither before, nor after, nor with changing circumstances. However, Russian policy deals with the realities on the ground. These realities on the ground have achieved two things; the withdrawal of armed groups from the north to the south in coordination with the Syrian Army, and as such the advance of the Syrian Army to the north, to the area not occupied by the Turks. These two elements are positive, but they do not cancel out the negative aspects of the Turkish presence until they are driven out one way or another. This agreement is a temporary one, not permanent. If we take for example the de-escalation areas at a certain period of time, some people believed that they were permanent and that they will give terrorists the right to remain in their areas indefinitely. The fact was that it was an opportunity to protect civilians, and also to talk to the terrorists with the objective of driving them out later. So, we have to distinguish between ultimate or strategic goals on the one hand, and tactical approaches on the other.

In the short term, it is a good agreement – and let me explain why; the Turkish incursion, not only reflects Turkey’s territorial greed but also expresses American desire. The Russian relationship with Turkey is positive because it reigns in Turkish aspirations. On the other hand, it outmaneuvers the American game in the north. Let me explain this. The recent German proposal which was immediately supported by NATO – and the Germans would not make this except on behalf of the Americans, NATO is the same thing as America. The proposal talked about restoring security to this region under international auspices. This means that the area would be outside the control of the Syrian state and thus making separation a reality on the ground. Through this agreement, the Russians reigned in the Turks, outmaneuvered the Americans and aborted the call for internationalization which was proposed by the Germans. That is why this agreement is a positive step. It does not achieve everything, in the sense that it will not pressure the Turks to leave immediately. However, it limits the damage and paves the way for the liberation of this region in the future, or the immediate future, as we hope.

Intervention: God willing

Journalist: Since you described the agreement as temporary, but Turkey, as we have known it, does not abide by agreements. Consequently, the question is what if Turkey continued to occupy the areas which it has controlled as a result of its recent aggression? You said repeatedly that the Syrian state will use every possible means to defend itself. But practically, did not the Russian-Turkish agreement prevent the ability to try and use such means?

President Assad: Let us take another example, which is Idlib. There is an agreement through the Astana Process that the Turks will leave. The Turks did not abide by this agreement, but we are liberating Idlib. There was a delay for a year; the political process, the political dialogue, and various attempts were given an opportunity to drive the terrorists out. All possibilities were exhausted. In the end, we liberated areas gradually through military operations. The same will apply in the northern region after exhausting all political options.

We must remember that Erdogan aimed, from the beginning of the war, to create a problem between the Syrian people and the Turkish people, to make it an enemy, which will happen through a military clash. At the beginning of the war, the Turkish Army supported the Syrian Army and cooperated with us to the greatest possible extent, until Erdogan’s coup against the Army. Therefore, we must continue in this direction, and ensure that Turkey does not become an enemy state. Erdogan and his group are enemies, because he leads these policies, but until now most of the political forces in Turkey are against Erdogan’s policies. So, we must ensure not to turn Turkey into an enemy, and here comes the role of friends – the Russian role and the Iranian role.

Journalist: Picking up on this idea, Mr President, the actions taken by the Turks recently, and by Erdogan, in particular, like Turkishization, building universities, imposing the use of certain languages. These are actions taken by someone who is not thinking of leaving – just a follow up on your idea, since you said that they will leave sooner or later. What about these actions?

President Assad: If he was thinking of getting out, he would have left Idlib. You might say that there is no Turkish army, in the technical sense in Idlib. But we are in one arena, the whole Syrian arena is one – a single theatre of operations. From the furthest point in the south to the furthest point in the north Turkey is the American proxy in this war, and everywhere we have fought we have been fighting this proxy. So, when he does not leave after we exhaust every possible means, there won’t be any other choice but war, this is self-evident. I am saying that in the near future we must give room to the political process in its various forms. If it does not yield results then this is an enemy and you go to war against it; there is no other choice.

Journalist: Nevertheless, some people said that the American withdrawal from northern Syria, after which came the Turkish aggression, and then the Russian-Turkish agreement. All of that came within an American-Russian-Turkish agreement. What do you say to that?

President Assad: This was meant to show that Russia accepted the Turkish incursion, or that Russia wanted to turn a blind eye in the fact that. In fact, it is not true. For over a year, the Russians were concerned about the seriousness of such a proposition. We all knew that the Turkish proposition was serious, but it was shackled by American orders or desires. Some people might criticize the Russians for this outcome, due to their position at the United Nations. As I said a short while ago, the Russians deal with realities on the ground, consequently, they try to ensure that all political conditions are in place in order to pave the way for their departure from Syria and limit the damage by the Turks or reign in the Turkish recalcitrance aimed at inflicting more damage and occupying more land. But the Russians were certainly not part of this agreement – Russian agreements are always public. The Russian-Turkish agreement was announced immediately, with all its items; the agreement between us and the Kurds, with Russian mediation and support was also made public right from the very beginning. There is no hidden agenda in Russian policies, which gives us assurances.

Journalist: But the American-Turkish meetings are not announced. You said repeatedly that Erdogan’s objective, or creating the buffer zone, was Erdogan’s main objective from day one of the war on Syria. President Obama refused to accept this buffer zone, while today we are seeing certain actions on the ground. Does this mean that Obama was better than Trump?



President Assad: We should not bet on any American President. First, when Erdogan says that he decided to make an incursion or that they told the Americans, he is trying to project Turkey as a super power or to pretend that he makes his own decisions; all these are theatrics shared between him and the Americans. In the beginning, nobody was allowed to interfere, because the Americans and the West believed that demonstrations will spread out and decide the outcome. The demonstrations did not spread as they wanted, so they shifted towards using weapons. When weapons did not decide the outcome, they moved towards the terrorist extremist organizations with their crazy ideology in order to decide the outcome militarily. They were not able to. Here came the role of ISIS in the summer of 2014 in order to disperse the efforts of the Syrian Arab Army, which it was able to do, at which point came the Russian intervention. When all bets on the field failed, it was necessary for Turkey to interfere and turn the tables; this is their role.

As for Trump, you might ask me a question and I give you an answer that might sound strange. I say that he is the best American President, not because his policies are good, but because he is the most transparent president. All American presidents perpetrate all kinds of political atrocities and all crimes and yet still win the Nobel Prize and project themselves as defenders of human rights and noble and unique American values, or Western values in general. The reality is that they are a group of criminals who represent the interests of American lobbies, i.e. the large oil and arms companies, and others. Trump talks transparently, saying that what we want is oil. This is the reality of American policy, at least since WWII. We want to get rid of such and such a person or we want to offer a service in return for money. This is the reality of American policy. What more do we need than a transparent opponent? That is why the difference is in form only, while the reality is the same.

Continued...