Syria in 2016 (July-September)

[OUTLAW 09]

MORE Russian MoD vodka moments......

Russia: One-sided fulfillment of ceasefire deems Geneva deal 'meaningless'
https://youtu.be/nbJOg34Xhc4

TYPICAL Russian double tap of first responders.......THESE are the true Russian actions that both Kerry and Obama have blatantly ignored.....costing Syrians their lives simply for driving aid to starving civilians...under a so called ceasefire agreement..

UN appears to have confirmed that its aid convoy to Aleppo has been bombed. Locals say the warplane returned to strike the rescue team.

IF the US and Russia WANTED Erdogan and his TAF and it's 15,000 man FSA army in Aleppo in the coming days..Putin just got it.......

[OUTLAW 09]

This is about a terror attack that never was cleared up...but now is and invoves the ME......

What a story! @20committee #PFLP-GC, #Stasi, #falseflag (#Israel?) based on newly revld doc
http://observer.com/2016/09/this-mass-murder-mystery-has-terrorism-spies-palestinians-stasi-and-the-fbi/ …

[OUTLAW 09]

ANY info about location of the second convoy? WAS it hit as well????

BOTH convoys were carrying enough aid for 185,000 for a month.....

SECOND convoy hit as well...aid for over 185,000 for a full month destroyed by Russian stupidity.....the deal they got from Kerry will now never return to the table.....

Aleppo: #Russia|n airstrikes have destroyed 31 aid trucks in Western #Aleppo. #Genocide #WarCrime

[OUTLAW 09]

Amazing. Convoy not allowed to cross from Turkey until today, at which point it's immediately bombed.

REMEMBER the following comments...

1. 2014 Obama press conference
"we will judge Putin by his actions and not his words"....

2. countless Kerry Statements almost always the same.....stated about eastern Ukraine and Syria when ever he is in Geneva or Moscow
"we need to see if Russia is serious"

SO now does Obama and Kerry "get it"...Putin is not to be trusted on anything he says end of story.....HIS actions have now spoken both for eastern Ukraine and now in Syria......

NOT sure the WH understands this........

[OUTLAW 09]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/in-syria-putin-has-the-upper-hand/2016/09/18/1aa8b504-7b52-11e6-beac-57a4a412e93a_story.html?postshare=8691474242605715&tid=ss_tw-bottom&utm_term=.9b49c24d36ed

Putin’s lesson for Obama in Syria


In the great American debate about Syria, there has been an intervention by Vladi#mir Putin — and it has made Barack Obama the loser.

Since 2012, Obama has been stubbornly arguing that there is no workable option for even a limited U.S. intervention in Syria’s civil war. John F. Kerry, Hillary Clinton, David Petraeus and Leon E. Panetta, among others, pushed the president to use U.S. air power or stepped-up support for rebels to tilt the balance of the war against the regime of Bashar al-Assad, thereby making possible a political settlement favorable to the United States and its allies.

Obama repeatedly refused. There was no way to get involved, he said, without starting the U.S. military down a slippery slope that would lead to another quagmire, like Iraq or Afghanistan. Anyway, he said, U.S. intervention would only worsen the war, encourage extremism and exacerbate the humanitarian crisis.

All those bad things happened in the absence of American action. And now Putin has proved that the concept Obama rejected — that a limited use of force could change the political outcome, without large costs — was right all along. The difference, of course, is that the result has been a victory for Russia, Iran and the Assad regime, at the expense of the United States and its Arab, Israeli and Turkish friends.

The deal that Kerry brokered with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov this month offered Putin everything he sought in Syria. The Assad regime would be entrenched by a truce that leaves its forces in a commanding position around Aleppo, the country’s largest city. If it holds for seven days, U.S. commanders are mandated to join Russia in operations against anti-Assad forces deemed extremist, in Aleppo and elsewhere — satisfying Putin’s long-standing demand that the West join him in fighting “terrorists” rather than Assad. The Pentagon’s fierce objections to this capitulation were overruled.

Even if the cease-fire fails, as seemed possible Sunday, Putin will have won U.S. endorsement of the principle that rebels, not the regime, are the prime problem in Syria. While Kerry portrayed the deal as opening the way to humanitarian assistance to Syrian civilians, Assad is obstructing aid deliveries. If past is prologue, Kerry will respond to such violations by going back to Putin for a fix.

Remember: Putin ordered Russia’s intervention just a year ago, after Iran’s chief foreign military commander, Qassem Soleimani, warned Moscow that the Assad regime faced defeat. When Russian bombers suddenly began appearing in Syria — to the surprise of Washington — Obama quickly declared the Russians were stepping into a “quagmire.” That was predictable: After all, that is what the president insisted would be the result of a U.S. air intervention.

But there has been no quagmire for Russia. On the contrary, Putin, who made a show of withdrawing some of his planes six months ago, has suffered minimal losses. He turned the tide of the war in favor of Assad and as a result has gotten the political terms he wanted from the United States. Most remarkably, he has done so even while simultaneously staging an audacious and unprecedented intervention in the U.S. presidential campaign.

As Kerry was parlaying with Lavrov, Russian intelligence was leaking hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee. No matter: Kerry pressed on to finish a deal on Moscow’s terms. His defenders are reduced to arguing that Russia’s military action, and Obama’s refusal to commit the United States, left Kerry no alternative but to play a weak diplomatic hand.

Putin must feel a particular satisfaction at having turned the geopolitical tables on Washington. During the 1990s, he and his former KGB colleagues watched in dismay as the Clinton administration launched military actions in areas once considered part of Russia’s sphere of influence — such as Serbia and Bosnia — then imposed political solutions of U.S. design. The Russian government of Boris Yeltsin was forced to swallow fiats such as the independence of Kosovo. All the while, from Putin’s point of view, the United States was meddling in Russia’s domestic politics by funding civil society groups advocating human rights and democracy.

Now Putin is the one imposing political outcomes in regions the United States once dominated while brazenly seeking to disrupt the U.S. political system. The difference is that the United States, unlike Russia in the 1990s, is not weak; in fact it is far stronger than Putin’s Russia. U.S. fecklessness is a choice.

Obama, of course, doesn’t see it that way. His aides sometimes contrast his presidency with that of Bill Clinton’s: Those who served Clinton in foreign policy, they say, don’t understand how much U.S. capacity to impose its will internationally has diminished in the past 20 years. Maybe they are right. But that doesn’t explain Syria — where Vladimir Putin has just accomplished that which Obama deemed impossible.

Interesting how events on the ground in Syria and an Op Ed tie themsleves together......

[OUTLAW 09]

Who bombed #UN #HumanitarianAid convoy in #Syria today?

12%Surely not Assad

40%Definitely not Russia

48%Obama



Russian MoD.......

Syria ceasefires are easy.
We do them all the time.

[OUTLAW 09]

Epic Kremlin trolling here....Putin's only got a few months of humiliating Obama left, might as well go all the way.

Russia declares the ceasefire over, blames the United States and Syrian rebels

[OUTLAW 09]

Kyle W. Orton ‏@KyleWOrton
The notion that the pro-#Assad coalition would bomb an aid convoy in these circumstances provoked some scepticism. Shouldn't have, of course

This begs a question: does ceasefire diplomacy really save lives? Or does flawed diplomacy just defer a solution & prolong the misery?

After two runs at it, approaching a relatively decisive "no". Also convincing everyone politics is useless; it's now a fight to the finish.

RUSSIA will now argue that they "knew nothing about it" and thus the need to work jointly with the US to avoid such "accidents".....

BUT WAIT....THEY DID KNOW A FULL NINE HOURS BEFORE THE CONVOYS LEFT TURKEY

OCHA Syria Verifizierter Account 
‏@OCHA_Syria
Inter-agency convoy is crossing the conflict line to Big Orem in #Aleppo #Syria to deliver aid w/ @UN @SYRedCrescent

This was posted nine hours ago.

REMEMBER Bismarck once said..."sometimes in politics one reaches a stage where it will be settled by blood and iron"...we are now at that stage.....

AWAITING now the Arab Sunni response from Turkey and KSA.....we are closing in on a potential Sunni Shia war which is what Iran has wanted for a long time aided and abetted by Obama and Kerry....

[OUTLAW 09]

Aleppo: Omar Barakat, head of the #Syria|n Arab Red Crescent in #Aleppo, was killed by #Russia|n airstrikes.

[OUTLAW 09]

Aleppo: Pro-#Assad forces shelling Eastern #Aleppo with heavy artillery from the Citadel.

Aleppo: Horrible scenes in #Aleppo City tonight.

Aleppo is under heavy bombardment, within an hour of Syria calling off the ceasefire. Planes, helicopters in the sky. People are terrified.

Countless air strikes and barrel bomb attacks ongoing as this is being typed.....

[OUTLAW 09]

DOES KERRY now have an explanation for this AFTER he states the US would extend the ceasefire...FOR WHAT to destroy more aid convoys......

IN from Aleppo minutes ago.......
QUOTE/UNQUOTE
Unbelievable ...
These bastards bomb the aid convoys, the international community lured into their trap, now ...

AWAITING more confirmation ie reports or video footage of the air strikes which occurred this evening.......this source is usually very accurate with his reports.....

SECOND CONFIRMATION IS IN......
Syrian opposition media reports a convoy of 20 aid trucks was hit multiple time by #Russian jets in Urem al-Kubra.
http://www.shaam.org/news/syria-news/%D8%A8%D8%B9%D8%AF-%D8%B3%D8%A8%D8%B9%D8%A9-%D8%A3%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%85-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B7%D9%84%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%AF%D9%88-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B3%D9%8A-%D9%8A%D9%86%D9%87%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%87%D8%AF%D9%86%D8%A9-%D8%A8%D8%AA%D8%AF%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%81%D9%84%D8%A9-%D9%84%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%AF%D8%A7%D 8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A%D 8%A9-%D9%85%D8%A4%D9%84%D9%81%D8%A9-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%B9%D8%B4%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%86-%D8%B4%D8%A7%D8%AD%D9%86%D8%A9-%D8%A8%D8%B4%D9%83%D9%84-%D9%83%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%84-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%AD%D9%84%D8%A8.html …

Aleppo: #Russia|n airstrikes destroyed 20+ humanitarian aid trucks in Western Aleppo, dozens of civilians killed and wounded.

THIRD CONFIRMATION

UN confirms the aid trucks were hit in west #aleppo countryside

More strike photos...ONLY the Russians can conduct night strikes and conduct double tap strikes on first responders.....

Aid official on attack on UN convoy: "All standard de-confliction had been done so it is in-expliciable that such attack could take place."

[Azor]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/in-syria-putin-has-the-upper-hand/2016/09/18/1aa8b504-7b52-11e6-beac-57a4a412e93a_story.html?postshare=8691474242605715&tid=ss_tw-bottom&utm_term=.9b49c24d36ed

All those bad things happened in the absence of American action. And now Putin has proved that the concept Obama rejected — that a limited use of force could change the political outcome, without large costs — was right all along. The difference, of course, is that the result has been a victory for Russia, Iran and the Assad regime, at the expense of the United States and its Arab, Israeli and Turkish friends.

I thought that you would challenge this assertion given your knowledge of the situation.

Firstly, Putin has proved little. Assad has been backed by Iran since before the uprising turned into a civil war, and Iran's commitment has grown ever since. Russia's participation came at a critical time, but while it tipped the scales and ensured Assad's survival, it could not decisively defeat the opposition.

Secondly, assuming that Assad has some 100,000 men left between the NDF, Shabiha and remnants of the SyAA, foreign supporters are providing over 30,000 additional men, including:


20,000 Afghan Shias (Fatamid Division)
1,000 Pakistani Shias (Zainab Brigade)
5,000 Iranian regulars and special forces
7,000 Lebanese Hezbollah
4,000 Russians


I fail to see why this crucial ground component is ignored, whilst the showboating of Putin's small air group is overhyped.

Thirdly, now that we have established that to match the "Russian" intervention, the US would have needed to contribute major ground forces, the op-ed fails to indicate how US missile strikes would have been anything but symbolic.

Moreover, if Obama has struck prior to the destruction of Syrian Schedule I chemical weapons, these could have seen wider use and proliferation. Had he struck after, Russia could accuse the United States of harming non-proliferation as with Libya.

[OUTLAW 09]

I thought that you would challenge this assertion given your knowledge of the situation.

Firstly, Putin has proved little. Assad has been backed by Iran since before the uprising turned into a civil war, and Iran's commitment has grown ever since. Russia's participation came at a critical time, but while it tipped the scales and ensured Assad's survival, it could not decisively defeat the opposition.

Secondly, assuming that Assad has some 100,000 men left between the NDF, Shabiha and remnants of the SyAA, foreign supporters are providing over 30,000 additional men, including:


20,000 Afghan Shias (Fatamid Division)
1,000 Pakistani Shias (Zainab Brigade)
5,000 Iranian regulars and special forces
7,000 Lebanese Hezbollah
4,000 Russians


I fail to see why this crucial ground component is ignored, whilst the showboating of Putin's small air group is overhyped.

Thirdly, now that we have established that to match the "Russian" intervention, the US would have needed to contribute major ground forces, the op-ed fails to indicate how US missile strikes would have been anything but symbolic.

Moreover, if Obama has struck prior to the destruction of Syrian Schedule I chemical weapons, these could have seen wider use and proliferation. Had he struck after, Russia could accuse the United States of harming non-proliferation as with Libya.

Azor ...I actually agree with him....why you ask.....

Right now Obama with what he believes is an "ethnical FP" which puzzles me as he is a Black President in a largely White/Mixed society...so when he condemns Trump for some of his comments with the statement "he does not get slavery"....notice then when genocide, war crimes, starvation and the oppression of a 78% of a civil society Obama "cannot somehow figure out what to do".....outside of talking.

IF one does "ethnical FP" then one must not along the way forget two key words...."humility and humanity"......

In the real world of power politics and this is where Obama goes astray ...we still live in the 21st century in a world of "power politics" not different than that of the 20st century.........

HAD he used the cruise missile attack during his "red line"...the cost would have been nothing to the US in taking out the entire Syrian AF and army helicopters responsible for barrel bombs, CWs attacks and indiscriminate bombing of civilians...

NOTICE that now with Turkish armed forces along with 10,000 plus FSA ground troops they are making sure and steady progress in surrounding IS...

REMEMBER many here in SWJ have often stated as I have...there is no need for US ground troops when you have largely Syrian civilians who are ready to stand up and kick out IS........THAT is the solution that is needed.

Locals taking care of a local problem that has global reach and impact....and the cost to the US virtually nothing but arms, vocal support and US SF.....right now the TAF is using Turkish CAS and the US CAS only was extended to them on the 15th of this month.

IMHO right now if the fighting around Aleppo becomes intensive WATCH KSA and Turkish responses....

Right now you have a fully capable TAF division and FSA siting not far from Aleppo and Erdogan was warned the US to not tell him what he can and cannot do....

REMEMBER Erdogan as has KSA repeatedly stated their "red line" is Aleppo and in the coming conflicts between Iran and KSA will be fought firstly in Syria...

My concern is that the so called Obama "ethnical FP" has damaged existing US FP to such an extent that it actually destabilizes the global community not vice versa as Obama seems to think....

BUT what even more concerns me is WHAT does Kerry and Obama actually agree to in the Iran Deal that we the US public do not know what we signed up for.......I have posted multiple comments on the strangeness of a lot of that Deal...

WE saw this secretiveness practiced again by Kerry when he refused to release five internal ceasefire agreements...why????

[OUTLAW 09]

Azor...picking up the conversation again .....right now the ground fighting numbers on both sides even with heavy Shia mercenary units....ARE fro all intents and purposes equal.....

What has changed is that the regional supporters have largely ignored the US as they feel the US is tilted to Iran and Putin and are no longer trustworthy.....

Thus the regional players are flooding in heavy weapons trying to equalize the Assad and Putin AFs.....which have largely been responsible for saving the Assad skin......

WHAT is largely being overlooked and it is strange to watch is the development of initially JaN(AQ) now no longer officially part of AQ and rebranded as JFS.

Kerry beats up on them as being AQ and planning and wanting to attack the US...all the while JFS even as JaN has NEVER threatened the US NOR vocally stated they will attack the US NOR have they ever attacked the US or EU....

Basically they formed inside Syria and although they get a jihadist foreign fighter inflow...their troops are largely Syrian....VS say IS.....

WHAT is really interesting to see and hear is their rapid transformation over the last year....

Former General Petraeus recently wrote an article that was either largely ignored and or beaten up on...where he quietly suggested it might be time to formerly talk to AQ in this case JFS.

BTW...there is no love lost between IS and JFS and JFS kills as many IS fighters as does the FSA........I have posted a number of their IS attack videos and that is a proven fact....

While a tiger will never lose it's stripes take PKK for example they still are Marxist/Leninist JFS is going public with a lot of their internal debates and holding open public interviews that actually have some content and insight that would interest another party that might be interested in engaging them in an open dialogue......right now there is no going around both FSA and JFS when it comes to talking about a political solution for Syria and the ousting of Assad..

Our problem is that the US has been since 9/11 been so tied up with the term jihadi's they cannot somehow understand what a Salafist is vs a say a Takfirist these days which is what IS is.....

JFS is slowly learning that to exist and grow inside the existing Syrian Sunni civil society they have to be "moderate" and fight for public opinion as FSA has strong support within that community still....and with the JFs attack to relieve Aleppo they have gained inside that society a wider and larger following as it appears to the Sunni society that JFS does fight for them so at least they are a tad mellower towards JFS....which does not mean on the whole the Syrian Sunni community will flip to JFS overnight....

WHAT is amazing is that Kerry does not realize his ceasefire actions confirm for that larger Syrian Sunni community that in the end JFS has the better "picture of the ground reality and can be trusted" whereas the US can no longer be trusted...we have seen this in the vast majority of the moderate FSA fighting groups/Turkey/KSA rejecting the US/Russia demanded attacks on JFS...

AGAIN if my US FP is built around the concepts of "doing nothing stupid" and "ethnical FP" then just how my reactions for and or against starvation, genocide, war crimes all proven beyond a doubt..... fit together........they do not and that is Obama's chief problem ????

Right now everything Kerry and Obama are doing in the ME is a farce as they have fully tilted to Iran...just check the Rhodes and Obama interviews for confirmation...and with 75 or less days in office does he really care any more....no....

[OUTLAW 09]

Syria Airstrikes on #Rastan, #Talbiseh & #Alfarhanah towns in northern #Homs

Syria Tour in Ma'ardas some km north of #Hama city after #Assad-forces fled town
https://youtu.be/rr4sxrZwgEs

Syria #Russia'n airstrikes with incendiary bombs hit 1070 Apartments Project in southern #Aleppo last night

Syria 15 people killed in Hawar by night airstrikes /west #Aleppo

Syria Heavy airstrikes on northern #Aleppo's Handarat camp in conjunction with #Assad-forces ground assault on it
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.270539&lon=37.176361&z=15&m=b#…

[OUTLAW 09]

Syria First daylight pics of #UN aid convoy that was destroyed last night by #Russia'n airstrikes

AND Kerry's response was again what......I'll talk to Lavrov at the UN "to see if Russia is serious" is what he forgot to finish his sentence with......what a farce of a response AFTER the UNSC stunt Russia pulled when the alleged FF event happened...AND openly accusing the Us of actively supporting IS...

SO talking was the only thing the Obama WH could think of?????

MAYBE calling an urgent UNSC meeting to openly press Russia as the war criminal behind this attack might have been a good starter....

THEN Obama could have played this video of the actual results of the Russian air strike on an approved and coordinated UN/RC humanitarian aid convoy..THAT was suppose to be part and parcel of the so called Russian supported ceasefire...BUT they did not...so WHY NOT????

Terrible footage of @SYRedCrescent workers, murdered by the #AssadPutin air force tonight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R607PSuYzso&feature=youtu.be#…

EVIDENTLY this was a joint Assad and Putin air strike....Assad dropped barrel bombs and Putin double tapped the first responders....

Volunteer holds up UNHCR blankets, diapers(?), says 7:30pm 4 barrel bombs hit. Then a double tap.
Video link here:
https://www.facebook.com/Civil1Defense1in1Aleppo/videos/1114608368618820/#…

EVIDENTLY the entire UN/SRC compound was hit as well with over n25 air strikes totally destroying any aid stored there as well....

Aleppo Aftermath footage of the Red Crescent aid convoy that was targeted by over 25 Russian airstrikes last night
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecslwbx0Cd4&sns=tw#
…

[OUTLAW 09]

Kind of sums up the ME ie Syrian view of the current US FP and Obama/Kerry....the US now has a serious perception problem in what it stands for as a country and it's so called "values".........


"Hello this is Vladimir Putin, and you're watching Ceasefire"

[OUTLAW 09]

Syria Failed airstrike hit regime held "New #Aleppo" neighborhood tonight

BUT WAIT this Syrian friendly fire incident against their own civilians was suddenly declared a rebel rocket attack this morning....

[OUTLAW 09]

Azor...picking up the conversation again .....right now the ground fighting numbers on both sides even with heavy Shia mercenary units....ARE fro all intents and purposes equal.....

What has changed is that the regional supporters have largely ignored the US as they feel the US is tilted to Iran and Putin and are no longer trustworthy.....

Thus the regional players are flooding in heavy weapons trying to equalize the Assad and Putin AFs.....which have largely been responsible for saving the Assad skin......

WHAT is largely being overlooked and it is strange to watch is the development of initially JaN(AQ) now no longer officially part of AQ and rebranded as JFS.

Kerry beats up on them as being AQ and planning and wanting to attack the US...all the while JFS even as JaN has NEVER threatened the US NOR vocally stated they will attack the US NOR have they ever attacked the US or EU....

Basically they formed inside Syria and although they get a jihadist foreign fighter inflow...their troops are largely Syrian....VS say IS.....

WHAT is really interesting to see and hear is their rapid transformation over the last year....

Former General Petraeus recently wrote an article that was either largely ignored and or beaten up on...where he quietly suggested it might be time to formerly talk to AQ in this case JFS.

BTW...there is no love lost between IS and JFS and JFS kills as many IS fighters as does the FSA........I have posted a number of their IS attack videos and that is a proven fact....

While a tiger will never lose it's stripes take PKK for example they still are Marxist/Leninist JFS is going public with a lot of their internal debates and holding open public interviews that actually have some content and insight that would interest another party that might be interested in engaging them in an open dialogue......right now there is no going around both FSA and JFS when it comes to talking about a political solution for Syria and the ousting of Assad..

Our problem is that the US has been since 9/11 been so tied up with the term jihadi's they cannot somehow understand what a Salafist is vs a say a Takfirist these days which is what IS is.....

JFS is slowly learning that to exist and grow inside the existing Syrian Sunni civil society they have to be "moderate" and fight for public opinion as FSA has strong support within that community still....and with the JFs attack to relieve Aleppo they have gained inside that society a wider and larger following as it appears to the Sunni society that JFS does fight for them so at least they are a tad mellower towards JFS....which does not mean on the whole the Syrian Sunni community will flip to JFS overnight....

WHAT is amazing is that Kerry does not realize his ceasefire actions confirm for that larger Syrian Sunni community that in the end JFS has the better "picture of the ground reality and can be trusted" whereas the US can no longer be trusted...we have seen this in the vast majority of the moderate FSA fighting groups/Turkey/KSA rejecting the US/Russia demanded attacks on JFS...

AGAIN if my US FP is built around the concepts of "doing nothing stupid" and "ethnical FP" then just how my reactions for and or against starvation, genocide, war crimes all proven beyond a doubt..... fit together........they do not and that is Obama's chief problem ????

Right now everything Kerry and Obama are doing in the ME is a farce as they have fully tilted to Iran...just check the Rhodes and Obama interviews for confirmation...and with 75 or less days in office does he really care any more....no....

Azor....with the Turkish TAF entering into Syria there is a new ground game that the US does not seem to fully understand...we are slowly and steadily seeing the formation of an unified anti Assad Army being created...on one side the Salafist units led by JFS and on the other side FSA and it's units....

After long negotiations, 3 key FSA units are merging in #Syria

= “Free Army of Idlib"

13th Division
Northern Division
Liwa Suqor al-Jebel

[OUTLAW 09]

100+ airstrikes by #Russia & #Assad-regime conducted in past 6 hours on northern #Syria

THIS was nine hours ago and the pace has not stopped.....

[OUTLAW 09]

Syria First daylight pics of #UN aid convoy that was destroyed last night by #Russia'n airstrikes

AND Kerry's response was again what......I'll talk to Lavrov at the UN "to see if Russia is serious" is what he forgot to finish his sentence with......what a farce of a response AFTER the UNSC stunt Russia pulled when the alleged FF event happened...AND openly accusing the Us of actively supporting IS...

SO talking was the only thing the Obama WH could think of?????

MAYBE calling an urgent UNSC meeting to openly press Russia as the war criminal behind this attack might have been a good starter....

THEN Obama could have played this video of the actual results of the Russian air strike on an approved and coordinated UN/RC humanitarian aid convoy..THAT was suppose to be part and parcel of the so called Russian supported ceasefire...BUT they did not...so WHY NOT????

Terrible footage of @SYRedCrescent workers, murdered by the #AssadPutin air force tonight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R607PSuYzso&feature=youtu.be#…

EVIDENTLY this was a joint Assad and Putin air strike....Assad dropped barrel bombs and Putin double tapped the first responders....

Volunteer holds up UNHCR blankets, diapers(?), says 7:30pm 4 barrel bombs hit. Then a double tap.
Video link here:
https://www.facebook.com/Civil1Defense1in1Aleppo/videos/1114608368618820/#…

EVIDENTLY the entire UN/SRC compound was hit as well with over n25 air strikes totally destroying any aid stored there as well....

Aleppo Aftermath footage of the Red Crescent aid convoy that was targeted by over 25 Russian airstrikes last night
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecslwbx0Cd4&sns=tw#
…


BUT WAIT...Russian UNSC Ambassador will submit clear evidence that the USAF bombed the convoy.....

BUT WAIT.....it now appears that the Russian MoD was fully aware of the aid convoy and actively tracked it with one of their recon/targeting drones.....

Unconfirmed: Russian MOD stream earlier today showed drone tracking SARC/UN aid convoy approaching Urem al-Kubra. http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=36.151078&lon=36.967793&z=15&m=b#…

Now confirmed. Watch 01:00:26 where the trucks are followed by a Russian targeting drone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egwLxk-ypKk#…


SO JUST WHAT DO WE KNOW NOW.

1. IT WAS NOT THE USAF
2. THAT IT WAS A JOINT ASSAD/PUITN AIR STRIKE
3. RUSSIA NEVER FULFILLED THE CORE KEY ELEMENT OF THEIR OWN CEASEFIRE.... HUMANITARIAN AID BEING DELIVERED

So can Putin now every be trusted on anything he says and or signs....not really....

So is Putin is just as a complicit in war crimes, genocide and starvation as is the entire Obama WH......valid point now...

[OUTLAW 09]

FROM Russia propaganda media RIA this morning......

"Syrian Army and Russian aviation repeal rebel attack near Aleppo last night".

Man those sneaky rebels are now even using UN/SRC marked fully loaded aid trucks as a camouflaged armor attack.....

Thank God they repelled this evil use of UN trucks....and restored respect to the UN

[Azor]

HAD he used the cruise missile attack during his "red line"...the cost would have been nothing to the US in taking out the entire Syrian AF and army helicopters responsible for barrel bombs, CWs attacks and indiscriminate bombing of civilians...

But what of Assad’s Schedule I CW stocks? How could Assad control these while also recovering from US airstrikes and rebel offensives? I read that up to 75,000 US personnel would have been required to physically secure Assad’s CW, and I recall that in Libya, SOF teams from the US and UK were busy scouring the desert for any Libyan CWs.


NOTICE that now with Turkish armed forces along with 10,000 plus FSA ground troops they are making sure and steady progress in surrounding IS...

Yet Turkey has the capacity to surge in major ground forces at any time.


...there is no need for US ground troops when you have largely Syrian civilians who are ready to stand up and kick out IS........THAT is the solution that is needed.

I agree that the US should be supporting moderate and secular rebels (i.e. the FSA) but can it defeat both Assad and Daesh? Can it also deal with JFS?


BUT what even more concerns me is WHAT does Kerry and Obama actually agree to in the Iran Deal that we the US public do not know what we signed up for.......I have posted multiple comments on the strangeness of a lot of that Deal...

That is a digression but I agree. If Kerry is foolish enough to put his imprimatur on these fake ceasefires for the sake of appearances, then how ironclad is the JCPOA? If it is not an executive agreement or a treaty ratified by the senate, what incentive does Iran have to adhere to it beyond Obama’s term?


Kerry beats up on them as being AQ and planning and wanting to attack the US...all the while JFS even as JaN has NEVER threatened the US NOR vocally stated they will attack the US NOR have they ever attacked the US or EU....

I don’t think JFS is particularly trustworthy, even if I support their primary aim of defeating Assad and relieving the civilians under Russian, Iranian and Syrian bombardment and siege.


Former General Petraeus recently wrote an article that was either largely ignored and or beaten up on...where he quietly suggested it might be time to formerly talk to AQ in this case JFS.

Petraeus means well, but he reconciled Iraqi Sunni Arabs to his cause primarily by bribing them, and we saw how both sides reacted when the US withdrew its forces and funding. I agree that we should co-opt as many JFS members as possible who are not radical ideologically. Having said that, we would also need to open a dialogue with the Iranians and key Assadist commanders.


Our problem is that the US has been since 9/11 been so tied up with the term jihadi's they cannot somehow understand what a Salafist is vs a say a Takfirist these days which is what IS is.....

I’m suspicious of all Wahhabists and Salafists.

[OUTLAW 09]

US refuses to throw in towel on Syria ceasefire
http://u.afp.com/ZFQ8#

Since the strike on the aid convoy -- senior US officials now more skeptical: "We don't know if can be salvaged"

http://freebeacon.com/blog/i-just-cant-even/

John Kerry Wishes Media Wouldn’t Cover Bad News (Continued)

BY: Noah Pollak

September 19, 2016 2:31 pm


It was only three weeks ago that the secretary of state committed a perfect Washington gaffe,#complaining#that media coverage of terrorism is making life difficult for him and the administration he serves:#“Perhaps the media would do us all a service if they didn’t cover it quite as much. People wouldn’t know what’s going on.”

The mockery and ridicule to which he was subjected afterward was, as they say on the Internet, epic. But John Kerry does not learn from experience, and so he’s done it again.

In a press appearance Monday#Kerry was asked about his latest diplomatic disaster, the “cease-fire” in Syria. The fighting was supposed to stop so that aid could be delivered to civilians, but the fighting never stopped and the aid was never delivered, because Kerry didn’t realize that his negotiating partners were lying to his face about everything.

It’s not a good situation when America’s top diplomat is unaware that the Russians, Syrians, and Iranians tend to be dishonest in negotiations.

Anyway, asked for comment on the cease-fire, Kerry wasn’t upset that Assad and the Russians had snookered him again. No, he was annoyed, for the second time in a month, that#the media found out, in this case because the Syrians told them:

QUESTION: The Syrian military is saying the seven-day ceasefire is over. It – has it failed?
SECRETARY KERRY: We have not had seven days of calm and delivery of humanitarian goods, and so – it’d be good if they didn’t talk first to the press but if they talked to the people who are actually negotiating this. … we’re happy to have a good conversation with them about how to proceed.

So, to summarize: John Kerry negotiated a fake cease-fire with people who have an unblemished record of undermining American interests and lying to him personally. Now they’ve pulled the rug out in the most conspicuous and humiliating way possible, and Kerry thinks Assad simply goofed on media etiquette and wants to iron out the details of the cease fire in a new round of negotiations — and it’d all be possible if the media would stop claiming that he has failed.

Vain, dense, and self-deluded, John Kerry is such an enormous embarrassment to the United States and such a profound cretin as a human being that it almost makes his humiliation enjoyable to watch. Except that there are civilians in Syria whose lives depend on the aid Kerry so cruelly keeps promising, and which he should know will never be delivered.

[CrowBat]

I fail to see why this crucial ground component is ignored, whilst the showboating of Putin's small air group is overhyped.
I actually de-facto ceased following developments in Syria. It's entirely pointless, then no matter how well-informed one can get, the nonsense fed to the general public is simply overwhelming...

But, you happen to have hit the nail on the head here, Azor.

Namely, while everybody is babbling about 'USA and Russia', and their 'negotiations' and this ridiculous 'cease-fire' they should have negotiated and whatever else - that's all BS. Plain and simple BS.

USA have no say in Syria, and Russia has no say in Syria. What they are doing there is a big pissing contest, in which both sides are pissing against the wind with all their powers - with unsurprising, indeed: 'corresponding' results.

Assad has no 100,000 troops: he's got a hoge-poge of about70,000 (https://warisboring.com/whats-left-of-the-syrian-arab-army-eec39485df43#.rkvgjjgef) - half of which is Ba'ath Party's Volkssturm and sectarian militias, and the other half not even really loyal to him any more (http://warontherocks.com/2016/08/the-decay-of-the-syrian-regime-is-much-worse-than-you-think/).

He went bankrupt already back in autumn 2011. Financially, he's surviving ever since only thank to financial aid provided by Tehran (meanwhile estimated at well over US$ 100 billion (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3718583/Leaked-intelligence-dossier-reveals-location-secret-Iranian-spymasters-HQ-Syria-codenamed-GLASSHOUSE-Iran-fighters-ground-Assad.html#ixzz4JDFflkAJ) spent ever since). Since 2013, Assad is also out of control of his military: the IRGC is in charge (http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/09/30/the-shadow-commander).

But, this fact is insistently ignored by all the foreign observers - and ably exploited by Assadists and Iranians (and all the online-fans of Assad, Putler & CO KG GesmbH, who all the time babble about 'SAA').

The first and most crucial of any kind of useful conclusions about Syria should be: there is nothing to negotiate with Russians about, because they do not control Assad, nor his 'SAA'. Enough said, and 'period'.

If at all, one would have to negotiate with Tehran.

But nah: presently, Tehran is not only completely ignored; it's left to do whatever it likes to do in Syria. Not only because nobody is paying attention, but especially because the USA are so stupidly insistent on buying the Russian story and negotiating with Moscow.

Why are the USA acting that way?

I've got no clue. Perhaps Oblabla is just plain dumb. Perhaps his entire admin is plain dumb. Or it's not only him that's dumb, and it's not only his entire government that's dumb, but also all the media-owners that are so insistently supporting his version of the story, that are so dumb too.

Fact is: Oblabla, his Mentalist & Co manoeuvred themselves into a position from which there is no way out - but this ridiculous BS-itting about 'negotiating with Russians'.

Particularly absurd here is that Oblabla and Mentalist have nothing to negotiate about: they refused to control the Syrian insurgency already back in 2012, and therefore do not control it now either. 'Somebody else' does, but to admit this in the public seems to be an 'absolute no-no'.

So, here you have two 'negotiating partners' babbling about cease-fires and whatever else - i.e. about controlling something they do not control.

I can't understand how can so many people - all of them at least 'reasonably intelligent' - expect anything else...?

**********

A 'BTW' for all those hoping and praying it's going to get better if either Billary or Stumpf... erm... sorry: Trump is elected: nah, it's not going to get better.

Billary belongs to 99% of people reporting and commenting about this war as if there is not a single Iranian (i.e. IRGC) there, and Trump neither has clue nor could care any less about 'such details': at best, he'll continue Oblabla's policy of 'negotiating with Russians', because 'Putler is respecting me, so I have to respect him too'...

All of this because they also belong to that entire army of insistently clueless and so idiotically arrogant people, who prefer to babble about 'Jihadists' and 'extremists' and 'IS/ISIL/ISIS/Daesh' and oil and whatsoever, but would never in their wildest dreams come to the idea to face reality about Syria.

[OUTLAW 09]

But what of Assad’s Schedule I CW stocks? How could Assad control these while also recovering from US airstrikes and rebel offensives? I read that up to 75,000 US personnel would have been required to physically secure Assad’s CW, and I recall that in Libya, SOF teams from the US and UK were busy scouring the desert for any Libyan CWs.

Yet Turkey has the capacity to surge in major ground forces at any time.



I agree that the US should be supporting moderate and secular rebels (i.e. the FSA) but can it defeat both Assad and Daesh? Can it also deal with JFS?



That is a digression but I agree. If Kerry is foolish enough to put his imprimatur on these fake ceasefires for the sake of appearances, then how ironclad is the JCPOA? If it is not an executive agreement or a treaty ratified by the senate, what incentive does Iran have to adhere to it beyond Obama’s term?



I don’t think JFS is particularly trustworthy, even if I support their primary aim of defeating Assad and relieving the civilians under Russian, Iranian and Syrian bombardment and siege.



Petraeus means well, but he reconciled Iraqi Sunni Arabs to his cause primarily by bribing them, and we saw how both sides reacted when the US withdrew its forces and funding. I agree that we should co-opt as many JFS members as possible who are not radical ideologically. Having said that, we would also need to open a dialogue with the Iranians and key Assadist commanders.



I’m suspicious of all Wahhabists and Salafists.

Azor......

The US had eyes on the Libyan very large chemical storage facility that held the vast amounts of precursor.... literally tons of the stuff...from before the first bomb was ever dropped...and you will notice that no bombs were dropped in the that area EVEN though DoD had discussed bombing them to destroy the precursors BUT decided later that the winds would carry the chemicals to far down range into populated areas...sort of a large scale CW weapons strike

If the Russian Assad ground attacks kept up as they have for the last 48 hours...do not be surprised to suddenly see TAF/FSA head suddenly towards Aleppo ESPECIALLY after Kerry "forgot" to get humanitarian aid to Aleppo..one of the key demands by the Sunni Front States....

Would Putin air strike TAF/FSA ground elements.....seriously doubt it as the Turkish AF has the capacity to defend themselves well....

Trust JFS....not really but vocally engage them to honesty see if there are areas that can be discussed and agreed to as with any group that starts out on the so called radical side...they mellow with time if they want to govern and or be part of the government....if you watch Tunisia right now you are seeing that subtle shift inside Islam......away from radical views to a "political governing view"....there is even now in the Islamic world an ongoing debate on just how the past Muslim religious leaders have in fact caused some of the current adaption problems with the 21st century..with their interpretation of the Koran and Mohammed.....a discussion worth following ...a sort of mini Reformation that has long term meaning...

Actually it is worth reading a lot of Mohammed's earlier writings and sayings and then compare it to how the various top Sunni/Shia religious leaders LONG after his death Mohammed supposedly said or wrote......and how they basically rewrote everything trying to make Islam a solid religion...therein lies the confusion for Islam...as opposed to said the RC Church or Judaism....in Iraq one would see that every Imam or Mullah even if he could not read or write could interpret the Koran and Sunnah's anyway he wanted to as the local religious leader of his community....

The problem in discussing Islam is that there are about 22 different shades depending on whether you are talking Sunni and or Shia sides...the larger problem is that most Americans cannot even tell you the differences between a Sunni and a Shia to begin with..or even say the differences between Salafists, Takfirists and or Sufists.....or even what Khomeini meant with the concept of "Revolutionary Islam"....Or the "Green Crescent"....

[OUTLAW 09]

"Medicine, pampers & blankets"

Yet another flagrant war crime in #Syria yesterday. When will our leaders say "enough?"

Kerry's response..."I will talk to Lavrov".....wow.....

[OUTLAW 09]

I actually de-facto ceased following developments in Syria. It's entirely pointless, then no matter how well-informed one can get, the nonsense fed to the general public is simply overwhelming...

But, you happen to have hit the nail on the head here, Azor.

Namely, while everybody is babbling about 'USA and Russia', and their 'negotiations' and this ridiculous 'cease-fire' they should have negotiated and whatever else - that's all BS. Plain and simple BS.

USA have no say in Syria, and Russia has no say in Syria. What they are doing there is a big pissing contest, in which both sides are pissing against the wind with all their powers - with unsurprising, indeed: 'corresponding' results.

Assad has no 100,000 troops: he's got a hoge-poge of about70,000 (https://warisboring.com/whats-left-of-the-syrian-arab-army-eec39485df43#.rkvgjjgef) - half of which is Ba'ath Party's Volkssturm and sectarian militias, and the other half not even really loyal to him any more (http://warontherocks.com/2016/08/the-decay-of-the-syrian-regime-is-much-worse-than-you-think/).

He went bankrupt already back in autumn 2011. Financially, he's surviving ever since only thank to financial aid provided by Tehran (meanwhile estimated at well over US$ 100 billion (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3718583/Leaked-intelligence-dossier-reveals-location-secret-Iranian-spymasters-HQ-Syria-codenamed-GLASSHOUSE-Iran-fighters-ground-Assad.html#ixzz4JDFflkAJ) spent ever since). Since 2013, Assad is also out of control of his military: the IRGC is in charge (http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/09/30/the-shadow-commander).

But, this fact is insistently ignored by all the foreign observers - and ably exploited by Assadists and Iranians (and all the online-fans of Assad, Putler & CO KG GesmbH, who all the time babble about 'SAA').

The first and most crucial of any kind of useful conclusions about Syria should be: there is nothing to negotiate with Russians about, because they do not control Assad, nor his 'SAA'. Enough said, and 'period'.

If at all, one would have to negotiate with Tehran.

But nah: presently, Tehran is not only completely ignored; it's left to do whatever it likes to do in Syria. Not only because nobody is paying attention, but especially because the USA are so stupidly insistent on buying the Russian story and negotiating with Moscow.

Why are the USA acting that way?

I've got no clue. Perhaps Oblabla is just plain dumb. Perhaps his entire admin is plain dumb. Or it's not only him that's dumb, and it's not only his entire government that's dumb, but also all the media-owners that are so insistently supporting his version of the story, that are so dumb too.

Fact is: Oblabla, his Mentalist & Co manoeuvred themselves into a position from which there is no way out - but this ridiculous BS-itting about 'negotiating with Russians'.

Particularly absurd here is that Oblabla and Mentalist have nothing to negotiate about: they refused to control the Syrian insurgency already back in 2012, and therefore do not control it now either. 'Somebody else' does, but to admit this in the public seems to be an 'absolute no-no'.

So, here you have two 'negotiating partners' babbling about cease-fires and whatever else - i.e. about controlling something they do not control.

I can't understand how can so many people - all of them at least 'reasonably intelligent' - expect anything else...?

**********

A 'BTW' for all those hoping and praying it's going to get better if either Billary or Stumpf... erm... sorry: Trump is elected: nah, it's not going to get better.

Billary belongs to 99% of people reporting and commenting about this war as if there is not a single Iranian (i.e. IRGC) there, and Trump neither has clue nor could care any less about 'such details': at best, he'll continue Oblabla's policy of 'negotiating with Russians', because 'Putler is respecting me, so I have to respect him too'...

All of this because they also belong to that entire army of insistently clueless and so idiotically arrogant people, who prefer to babble about 'Jihadists' and 'extremists' and 'IS/ISIL/ISIS/Daesh' and oil and whatsoever, but would never in their wildest dreams come to the idea to face reality about Syria.

CrowBat...nice rant....that is why I grudgingly keep on posting hoping that at at least someone or maybe two people see the Syrian side of what is ongoing and how the US has no earthly idea what it is doing anywhere right now.....

In the end it is the Syrians that must take control as well as their regional partners and figure it out....the Syrian civil society is not stupid and they know what they want...first of all Assad gone and then they will figure out the rest....was once a great country which was destroyed by a dynasty of family driven genocidal dictators.

Not sure myself just how much longer I will post as the death and destruction along with the stupidity of the Obama WH and Kerry actually is getting worse by the day...and I am tired of seeing it daily and wondering why the US public is so dumb...but now I see just how the MSM keeps everyone dumbed down......

Now I know that that small Dutch boy felt like holding his finger in the hole in the dike...

[OUTLAW 09]

Azor....with the Turkish TAF entering into Syria there is a new ground game that the US does not seem to fully understand...we are slowly and steadily seeing the formation of an unified anti Assad Army being created...on one side the Salafist units led by JFS and on the other side FSA and it's units....

After long negotiations, 3 key FSA units are merging in #Syria

= “Free Army of Idlib"

13th Division
Northern Division
Liwa Suqor al-Jebel


Watch very carefully how the "Free Army of #Idlib" is reacted to by Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (JFS).

There’s an underlying dynamic here...

That places Fares al-Bayoush (@faresbauosh70), Hassan Haj Ali (@hasan77hag77ali) & Ahmed Saoud (@alferqa13) under one command.

[CrowBat]

I agree that the US should be supporting moderate and secular rebels (i.e. the FSA) but can it defeat both Assad and Daesh? Can it also deal with JFS?
Man, Azor...

The US and allies meanwhile 'have not' so many troops in Iraq and Syria (http://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2016/07/weapons-syrian-war-advisors/129646/?oref=DefenseOneTCO) (not to talk about aircraft etc.) that it would be anything else but a miracle if these couldn't defeat not only the Daesh, Assadists, the IRGC, and whoever else on their own - one after the other, or all at once, pick your choice.

...if only ever ordered to do so.

Nah. Instead, they're 'not there' (then SFs nowadays 'do not count as boots on the ground'). They're 'advising only' (Americans are operating two bases in northern Syria too, 'of course', then 'bases' is all that Washington really cares about)...

[OUTLAW 09]

Red Cross postpones aid convoys after Aleppo attack to four other Syrian besieged towns
http://reut.rs/2cNC7Z5

Starvation is the Assad goal and he does not care in the least if the UN stops going anything...if that means keeping Arab Sunni's alive....

Starvation is genocide..... plain and simple and the Obama WH and the UNSC does nothing to stop it....

REMEMBER Stalin used starvation in the 1930-33 period in eastern Ukraine to kill off millions of Ukrainian farmers who he then replaced with ethnic Russians....where of all places...in the Donbas...exactly where the Russian army sits today in eastern Ukraine.....

[OUTLAW 09]

Man, Azor...

The US and allies meanwhile 'have not' so many troops in Iraq and Syria (http://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2016/07/weapons-syrian-war-advisors/129646/?oref=DefenseOneTCO) (not to talk about aircraft etc.) that it would be anything else but a miracle if these couldn't defeat not only the Daesh, Assadists, the IRGC, and whoever else on their own - one after the other, or all at once, pick your choice.

...if only ever ordered to do so.

Nah. Instead, they're 'not there' (then SFs nowadays 'do not count as boots on the ground'). They're 'advising only' (Americans are operating two bases in northern Syria too, 'of course', then 'bases' is all that Washington really cares about)...

CrowBat...it is interesting to see how Obama is trying to control Erdogan's TAF now that it is inside Syria.....Erdogan dances to his own drums now and Obama can say nothing...even YPG ignored the US statements to move out of Manbij....pitting SF in Manbij against SF with TAF....how convoluted can things get.....

Think the TAF and FSA are becoming slowly a major problem for both Assad and Putin THAT is why I think they are moving far faster on Aleppo..trying to capture it before TAF/FSA becomes a serious problem for them.....

[CrowBat]

In the end it is the Syrians that must take control.That's it. The essence of the story.

Until this happens, nothing's gonna change.


Not sure myself just how much longer I will post as the death and destruction along with the stupidity of the Obama WH and Kerry actually is getting worse by the day...and I am tired of seeing it daily and wondering why the US public is so dumb...but now I see just how the MSM keeps everyone dumbed down......Few weeks ago, I noticed that reporting - day by day, week by week, month by month - about all the massacres instigated by Assadists and Russians, not to talk about all the idiocies of the West, has clear, indisputable consequences for my mental condition. It's not only wearing me out, it's killing me as a human being.

All provided they are clever enough to think that way: guess, that's what Assad, Khamenei, and Putler count with.

BTW, in another post you complained that Americans cannot even tell the difference between a Sunni and a Shi'a.

If it would only be that bad!

They can't tell the difference between a Moslem and a Hindu!

And it's not only 'average Americans' that can't do so: even official authorities that should, are usually unable to do so. Just one related example: a mate of mine working in Aviation-related business (interior designer for biz-jets)... happened to be in the USA on 9/11... Mind: he's from Sri Lanka, and a Sinhalese.

Few days later he got a visit from the FBI, with questions like, 'what's your standpoint regarding extremist Islamism and what happened on 9/11'....

[CrowBat]

CrowBat...it is interesting to see how Obama is trying to control Erdogan's TAF now that it is inside Syria.....Erdogan dances to his own drums now and Obama can say nothing...Of course. But, what shall Oblabla say anymore?

He's NOT in control.

He has nothing to say.

He could admit he's actually experiencing one diplomatic catastrophe after the other in the Middle East. But, that would necessitate him admitting this to himself, first and foremost - not to talk about doing so publicly.

Do you seriously expect him to now - few months before the end of his second term - admit he screwed up?

Nah, 'better to go down in history with some "historic cease-fire in Syria"'...

[OUTLAW 09]

This what @SYRedCrescent and @UN aid trucks hold in West of #Aleppo, NOT weapons or ammunition as proAssad/Putin commenters have been saying and posting since the attacks.....because they badly do not want the bombing to be seen as a true attack against food and the UN as that is a war crime first class.....AS it was a direct and full violation of their own ceasefire agreement....AND a direct violation of their agreement with the UN and SRC/IRC allowing in the aid convoy.....

Aleppo: #Assad regime and #Russia|n media calling the bombed #UN aid convoy a "#Nusra convoy full with terrorists...

BUT WAIT since when does baby diapers, medicine and blankets become defined by Assad and Putin ........jihadists????????

WHAT kind of drugs are both the Russian MoD and the Assad regime smoking lately....completely now so out of touch with reality....they are believing their own propaganda now and that is dangerous as that gives them a fascist altered state of reality view of the world around them...AND when that kicks in they cannot make the serious and clear decisions so necessary to avoid the disaster which is coming at them.

[OUTLAW 09]

Of course. But, what shall Oblabla say anymore?

He's NOT in control.

He has nothing to say.

He could admit he's actually experiencing one diplomatic catastrophe after the other in the Middle East. But, that would necessitate him admitting this to himself, first and foremost - not to talk about doing so publicly.

Do you seriously expect him to now - few months before the end of his second term - admit he screwed up?

Nah, 'better to go down in history with some "historic cease-fire in Syria"'...


CrowBat....
An that "historic ceasefire" did not happen and the large scale genocide, war crimes of a vast amount, starvation and ethnic cleanings and over 500,000 killed while "he watched from the WH" will seriously haunt his "legacy" forever.....and as a self centered egoist he is actually "concerned about his legacy"...who wants to be the first Black President saddled historically with having been complicit in genocide and war crimes.....whatever he achieved inside the US will be overridden by his largely failed FPs...

Why do I say egoist.....I have stated here a number of times over the last year that we really do need to look at the ideology that drives Obama to fully understand his failed FP.....and why he and Kerry continuously continue to fail.....

Obama truly thinks he is the smartest/brightest light bulb in room and cannot tolerate anyone else in his "battlespace"..you specifically see this in the way he handles his UNSC Ambassador a true SME on genocides and how governments should be reacting.....he basically ignored her until this last USAF FF event where she was suddenly turned loose to truly say what she wanted to say and it stunned the Russians.

I drive a 55 person IT security company dealing daily with Russian and Chinese issues largely from state sponsors and from large scale mafia style gangs....

BUT one thing I have learned with my 70 years is to listen and realize humbly that yes even a 25 year old might know more about something than I do and might in fact have a far better solution so why not be humble and take advice from others..in the end the solution is critical not the individual behind it....and in my world the team gets the credit not me....and that team will walk on water if I ask them to....

That is how the WH FP should be driven BUT for darn near EIGHT long years WAS NOT NOR will it be in the future AS it will spend the next EIGHT years digging itself out of the Obama grave that was deeply dug...

In some ways I hate to say this but it actually does appear that Obama/Kerry deliberately wanted to damage US FP for the coming years as part of their "legacy"....

[CrowBat]

Amen.

Seems even Daesh-idiots can come to their senses, just that idiotic ego-centric in the White House can't:
First, we suffered great fear because of the American bombings, and thus there was no safe place for us and no place to hide. This took its toll on us. Then we suffered disorientation and confusion, we were lost in this huge desert. Making things worse was the fact that our guide was killed by the air strikes. We stayed 10 days in the desert not knowing where we were going as we were chased by the bombers from the air. We suffered terribly as result of extreme thirst. Many of us died of thirst and I myself almost died of it, if it was not for God’s mercy. It was the most horrific 10 days that I have ever experienced.
Link to source, with more such quotes:http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2016/09/messages-isil-territory-forgiveness-murder-160920043504153.html

[OUTLAW 09]

Latest: Obama administration official says US "relayed our regret" for unintentional loss of life of Syrian forces.

His Grip Still Secure, Bashar al-Assad Smiles as Syria Burns

If your most powerful enemy offered to pay compensation when accidentally hit your army, you'd be smiling too...all the way to your personal bank account...

[OUTLAW 09]

BREAKING: Russian military investigating aid convoy strike: Kremlin - via @AFP

BUT WAIT...things are a changing in the ME........

BREAKING
ISIS investigating Paris attacks: Amaq

[OUTLAW 09]

BUT WAIT...FIRST there was to be a total of SEVEN DAYS of absolutely no air strikes by Assad and Russia and no ground attacks and no artillery attack...THEN and only THEN would the ceasefire elements start to move....

BUT at the same time humanitarian aid convoys were to be started delivering to all besieged areas first with Aleppo...

THAT DID NOT HAPPEN....so really what have the Russian been smoking and drinking lately??????

Kremlin: under Syria agreement there's certain period within which USA must delineate terrorists from moderate opp. - they haven't done this


ALMOST immediately Russia started demanding from the US actual locations of armed opposition, TO&E breakouts on each group and the names and addresses of all group leadership personnel....FAR beyond anything stated in the ceasefire agreement....

THEY never waited the full seven days NOR stopped their and Assad attacks especially air strikes as agreed to and as they stated Assad would adhere to....

[OUTLAW 09]

Well we have had from Kerry over the last year the following words after major attacks on IPD camps, hospitals and marketplaces......"concerned"...."seriously concerned".....and now "outraged"....

So what does it really mean if there is no action behind the word "outraged"...just another kick the can down the road statement is all....

BBC: U.S. 'outraged' over aid convoy attack in Syria

Outrage definition, an act of wanton cruelty or violence; any gross violation of law or decency...it is simply another meaningless word if there is no action behind it.....

[OUTLAW 09]

WOW.....that is all the Russia MoD propaganda could come up with.....

Kremlin denies involvement in attack on UN convoy

Let's now analyze who could have done it......
1. JFS (AQ) and FSA...do not have an AF
2. US and others were not flying in the area last night due to the so called ceasefire
3. Assad AF...definitely flying all throughout the so called ceasefire
4. Russia AF....definitely flying throughout the ceasefire

Who could fly at night and WHO has a history of night time air strikes in Syrian.....Assad AF....not really.....RuAF DEFINITELY A YES

NOW just who conducts "double tap air strikes on first responders" a very old Russian Chechen war tactic ...the RuAF WHICH has been actually caught on video footage conducting such air strikes...THE RuAF......

Was there a "double tap air strike last night ...THERE SURE WAS.....was there accurate multiple air strikes on the aid compound in the middle of the night YES there WERE...

WHO was using a targeting drone to track the aid convoy up to the actual bombing location......rebels...no....Assad.....no....WOW it was a Russian drone operated by the Russian MoD....

WOW...now we know it was...it was the Ukrainian AF that bombed the aid convoy...CERTAINLY NOT THE RUSSIANS.....

[OUTLAW 09]

Putin & #Assad using siege strategy of starving out #Syria(n) opposition
https://twitter.com/QASIOUN_NEWS/status/778175536719925248#
… #Assda & #Russia destroy food trucks,farms

Syria #Assad's helicopters dropped 30+ barrel bombs on #Aleppo city since morning

Syria #FSA advance against #IslamicState in northern #Aleppo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrJ-TnABKNU#…
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.586966&lon=37.343688&z=15&m=b#…

Armored convoy of #Turkey army near al_Rai in northern #Aleppo advance against #IslamicState
https://youtu.be/fi9_093X7xM

[OUTLAW 09]

Footage of #UN aid convoy destroyed by #Russia'n airstrikes last night near #Aleppo
https://youtu.be/Ma0DtIcKWa8
https://youtu.be/jlVwmkIAY8o

Last night shows what happens when someone with no respect for international law or human life knows there's no red-line, AND no consequences.

Syria'n regime & #Russia conducted 150+ airstrikes on area btw #Homs & #Aleppo the past 12h

Syria Airstrikes on #Rastan & #Talbiseh towns in northern #Homs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpJWyCBK5rE#…

Syria #Russia'n FAB-500 bomb cast on #Talbiseh town in northern #Homs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s39K2LuxyWQ#…
Falling with drag parachute.....

SW #Aleppo: Rebels took out a T-62 & stopped a pro-Regime attack on Souq al Jibs.
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=36.168368&lon=37.078171&z=13&m#…

[OUTLAW 09]

The Russian story about US bombing regime troops has one major hole in the narrative that no one seems to want to cover......

IS has fully and completely and clearly/concisely stated that they were nit by air strikes on the same hill the Russian are complaining about......AT supposedly the same time Assad troops were being hit.......

WHAT the Russians are not saying is that the hill was under attack by IS PRIOR to the US strikes....SO where was the Assad regime position.....in theory it should have been overrun before the US strikes came it...WHICH Is has admitted struck them.....

So were the Assad forces killed by the IS attack and the Russians are simply using the air strike as pure propaganda to end the ceasefire blaming the US....AND covering up for the strategic loss of the hill by Assad and Russian Spetsnaz........

IS is still on the hill and is releasing photos taken from the hill.....

DeirEzzor: close view of Airbase from Mount Tardah recently seized by #ISIS. Pics via @CedricMas
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=35.291695&lon=40.161424&z=14&m#…

[OUTLAW 09]

SW #Aleppo: Jaish Al-Mujahideen destroyed with a #Fagot a T-62 equipped with Mirage-1 (useless) in Souq al-Jibs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HP51jM8sH14#…

EuphratesShield: #ISIS launched (1st) counter-attack E. of Al-Rai & seized up to 7 villages (4 confirmed so far) from #FSA & Turkish forces

SW #Aleppo: Ahrar Al-Sham inside 1070 Project after pro-Regime assault failed & last night's incendiary bombs.

N. #Aleppo: pro-Regime forces (with Al-Quds) launched first assault on #Handarat Camp since 7 weeks under intense airstrikes.

74 people were killed today by Russia, Assad & ISIS attacks across #Syria including 16 children & 10 women.

[OUTLAW 09]

Syrian humor these days.........

"Our men are still in Geneva, the Mother of All Truces still stands, don't believe dogs"

- Obama Bob AKA @JohnKerry

[OUTLAW 09]

Russia's Ministry of Offense says @UN #aidconvoy 'spontaneously combusted' right after its fighter jets flew by

Russian propaganda media "knows" exactly who was flying the night attack and double taps...it was those "rebels and their shelling AF".........

Russia|n propaganda TV NTV blaming the #Syria|n rebels for "shelling the #UN aid convoy". Naturally this was right after the Russian MoD announced they were "checking reports of shellings".......

[OUTLAW 09]

Damascus: Heavy clashes at #Hawsh_Nasri village in Eastern #Ghouta. Pro-#Assad forces trying to advance.

[OUTLAW 09]

Kerry says ceasefire "not dead". Why does Monty Python spring to mind when regarding Syria it really shouldn't?

[OUTLAW 09]

SO the Russians say "it ain't us"....BUT WAIT...Russian bomb debris found at the attack site says otherwise....

UN aid convoy bombing. Russian OFAB-250-270

Bomb fins do not lie regardless of what the Russian MoD says......especially when they are buried inside an aid building under destroyed aid boxes

The White Helmets @SyriaCivilDef
.@SyriaCivilDef absolutely rejects claims that the convoy was destroyed by "fire": Can hear jets and see bombs -
https://www.
facebook.com/aleppo24news/videos/1174130202625747/#
…

[OUTLAW 09]

White House worked secretly to delay Syria sanctions bill.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/josh-rogin/wp/2016/09/20/white-house-worked-secretly-to-delay-syria-sanctions-bill/?postshare=1531474387682749&tid=ss_tw#
…

[OUTLAW 09]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/josh-rogin/wp/2016/09/20/white-house-worked-secretly-to-delay-syria-sanctions-bill/?postshare=1531474387682749&tid=ss_tw

Obama running defense for Assad in Congress now.

Josh Rogin

White House worked secretly to delay Syria sanctions bill



The White House worked behind the scenes last week to prevent a bipartisan bill to sanction the Assad regime for war crimes and atrocities against civilians from getting a vote in the House of Representatives. The Democratic leadership bowed to White House pressure and withdrew its support for voting on the bill for now.

Lawmakers and congressional staff had been preparing to bring up the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act this week and pass it out of the House with relative ease. The bill, named after a Syrian defector who presented the world with 55,000 pictures documenting Assad’s mass torture and murder of civilians in custody, has more than 50 co-sponsors, a majority of whom are Democrats.

Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, was the primary author of the bill, along with his committee counterpart Ed Royce (R-Calif.). Even liberal Democrats like Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) had signed on. But late Friday afternoon, just before the legislative calendar for the following week was to be released, White House legislative affairs staffers began calling leadership in both parties urging them to shelve the legislation.

The office of House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) told me that the White House pressured House Democratic leadership to pull their support for moving the bill, and Democrats obliged.

“After President Obama’s disastrous handling of Syria, he’s now adding insult to injury by pressuring House Democrats to kill a bipartisan bill aimed at cleaning up his mess,” said Ryan’s press secretary, AshLee Strong. “We hope members will have a chance to vote on this important legislation soon.”
The bill would impose new sanctions on the Assad regime and its supporters, spur investigations meant to fuel the prosecution of war crimes in Syria, and encourage a process to find a negotiated solution to the crisis.#Specifically, it#would require the president to impose new sanctions on any entity that does business with or finances the Syrian government or its military or intelligence services, which includes Russia and Iran.

It would also require sanctions on any entity that does business with several Syrian government-controlled industries, including the airline, telecommunications and energy sectors.

There had been an agreement between Republicans and Democrats to bring the bill to the House floor this week under a suspension of the rules, which provides for a streamlined process but also requires two-thirds support to pass.#Once Democratic leadership went back on that agreement, the obstacles to passing it increased immensely. Royce, whose committee approved the bill in July, also put the blame on the Obama administration.

“I’m dismayed that the administration seems to be throwing up roadblocks to our bipartisan effort to cut off the resources Assad uses to annihilate his own people, and I will continue working to find a path forward for this important legislation,” he said.

An administration source told me that it’s normal for the White House to be in touch with congressional officials in both parties on any piece of legislation. The administration source said House Democrats opted not to move forward with this legislation on their own volition.

Several congressional officials disputed that assertion, saying that the administration argued that if Congress even voted on the Syrian sanctions bill, that could negatively affect the delicate cessation of hostilities that Secretary of State John Kerry negotiated with Russia.

“It was the desire of the National Security Council that this bill not move,” one senior congressional staffer who received a call told me. “White House legislative affairs staff said the timing was not good.”
Engel, in a statement, said that he agreed with the White House that a delay was appropriate and that although he was skeptical about the cease-fire, it should be given a chance to succeed. But he promised to work to ensure that, sooner or later, the sanctions bill will get a vote in the House.

“At the end of last week, the implementation of the cessation of hostilities in Syria was just beginning. It would have been short-sighted — even irresponsible — for the House to proceed with the consideration of the Caesar Syrian Civilian Protection Act as if nothing had changed,” he said.#“That said, things can change quickly, and if they do, Congress should act quickly … If that happens, I will work day and night to move this bill through the House.”

Engel and the administration don’t agree on Syria policy. Engel has been a strong supporter of a no-fly zone to protect civilians and more robust support for the armed Syrian opposition. But Engel worked with the administration when crafting the bill in an effort to get the administration to buy in and prevent the White House from opposing the legislation.

Some of the congressional officials who worked on the bill believe the administration is intentionally trying to delay it because the White House opposes placing strong pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Evan McMullin worked on the bill when he was policy director for Royce and then for the House Republican Conference. Now he is running as an independent candidate for president.

“In 2014, the administration fought hard to prevent Caesar from testifying to Congress and the public of Assad’s crimes, all in the name of security,” he told me. “Now they’ve mobilized similarly against the sanctions bill, which is the very thing needed to help compel Assad to stop killing.”
Opinions newsletter

If the administration is serious about preventing Assad from committing war crimes and seeking accountability for the regime, it should welcome the leverage that Congress is trying hard to give it, McMullin said.
Mouaz Moustafa is a Syrian activist who helped Congress craft the bill as a representative of the Coalition for a Democratic Syria, an umbrella group of nongovernmental organizations that support the moderate Syrian opposition. He said the delay of the bill equals a delay of justice for victims of Assad’s atrocities and for possible prevention of future horrors.

“This bipartisan measure pursues nonviolent means of compelling the regime to stop murdering civilians and the administration shuts it down in what can only be described as a subversion of the democratic process,” he said. “Do the victims of war crimes not at least deserve a vote?”

Democrats’ desire not to be seen as interfering with the cease-fire, which represented a measure of hope last week for progress, is understandable. But this week, with the cease-fire in tatters and Assad resuming his indiscriminate barrel bombing of civilians in Aleppo, there’s no more excuse.

Congress should move the Syria sanctions bill to the floor and the administration should clearly endorse it or oppose it and make its arguments public. If the White House doesn’t believe this bill represents the best way to hold the Assad regime accountable for its many atrocities, it must explain what it plans to do as an alternative.

JUST how many more secret agreements does this Obama/Kerry WH...have now in play...first with Iran Deal with a still unknown number of secret agreements.....THEN onto the secret agreements in the just failed ceasefire AND now this .....

[OUTLAW 09]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/josh-rogin/wp/2016/09/20/white-house-worked-secretly-to-delay-syria-sanctions-bill/?postshare=1531474387682749&tid=ss_tw

Obama running defense for Assad in Congress now.

Josh Rogin

White House worked secretly to delay Syria sanctions bill




JUST how many more secret agreements does this Obama/Kerry WH...have now in play...first with Iran Deal with a still unknown number of secret agreements.....THEN onto the secret agreements in the just failed ceasefire AND now this .....

WHY does this Obama/Kerry WH still refuse to address the Assad/Putin genocide, war crimes, starvation and ethnic cleansing??????

Syria 40.000 people (+lots displaced) in #Madaja/#Zabadani west of #Damascus close to starvation bc under #Hezbollah siege

AFP news agency
Verified account
‏@AFP
#BREAKING Obama says no military solution in Syria, backs 'hard work' of diplomacy

BUT WAIT.....Assad and Putin really do believe a military solution is the way forward....AND Kerry and Obama just talk......and talk....and talk.....

"No military solution" confirms that admin will continue failing to even threaten retaliation for grave violations of agreements, ceasefires

[OUTLAW 09]

Syrian humor these days.........

"Our men are still in Geneva, the Mother of All Truces still stands, don't believe dogs"

- Obama Bob AKA @JohnKerry

Russia is bombing aid covoys, leveling hospitals, and calling America "Isis supporters", yet Obama Bob still insists they are partners.

[OUTLAW 09]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/in-syria-putin-has-the-upper-hand/2016/09/18/1aa8b504-7b52-11e6-beac-57a4a412e93a_story.html?postshare=8691474242605715&tid=ss_tw-bottom&utm_term=.9b49c24d36ed

Putin’s lesson for Obama in Syria



Interesting how events on the ground in Syria and an Op Ed tie themsleves together......

AFP news agency
Verified account
‏@AFP
#BREAKING Obama says no military solution in Syria, backs 'hard work' of diplomacy

BUT WAIT.....Assad and Putin really do believe a military solution is the way forward....AND Kerry and Obama just talk......and talk....and talk.....

"No military solution" confirms that admin will continue failing to even threaten retaliation for grave violations of agreements, ceasefires

Steinmeier much more realistic than @JohnKerry: "We must see if their are ways BACK into the negotiated ceasefire OR if this got hopeless."

[OUTLAW 09]

The 3rd village seized today by #FSA West of Al-Rai is Yani Yaban.
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=36.616905&lon=37.267170&z=13&m=b#…

FSA has captured Jakka from ISIS

[OUTLAW 09]

Hopefully now Kerry and Obama fully understand that the developments in Syria are now well over their government paygrade to resolve.....Turkish TAF/FSA and now Ahrar are on the verge of heading straight to Aleppo...and Obama/Kerry are no longer being paid attention to....

Ahrar al sham entered officially #EuphratesShield battle

[OUTLAW 09]

N. #Homs: unexploded DIY barrel bomb dropped by a Regime helicopter over Eastern Al-Farhaniah. http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=34.867060&lon=36.733818&z=12&m#…

E. #Damascus: Rebels took back a position they lost lost yesterday to pro-Regime forces in #Jobar & killed 15.

EuphratesShield: as #ISIS counter-attacks E. of Al-Rai #FSA still advancing on W. side with takeover of Bahuriya. http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=36.574732&lon=37.320042&z=13&m#…

E. #Damascus: Heavy clashes with Jaish Al-islam as pro-Regime forces try again to advance on Hawsh Nasri front. http://wikimapia.org/#lang=ar&lat=33.560207&lon=36.473150&z=14&m#…

[OUTLAW 09]

SO the Russians say "it ain't us"....BUT WAIT...Russian bomb debris found at the attack site says otherwise....

UN aid convoy bombing. Russian OFAB-250-270

Bomb fins do not lie regardless of what the Russian MoD says......especially when they are buried inside an aid building under destroyed aid boxes

The White Helmets @SyriaCivilDef
.@SyriaCivilDef absolutely rejects claims that the convoy was destroyed by "fire": Can hear jets and see bombs -
https://www.
facebook.com/aleppo24news/videos/1174130202625747/#
…



Russia saying it looked like the aid was just set on fire because no shrapnel holes .. took me 2 min to find some, plus destroyed building.

[OUTLAW 09]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/josh-rogin/wp/2016/09/20/white-house-worked-secretly-to-delay-syria-sanctions-bill/?postshare=1531474387682749&tid=ss_tw

Obama running defense for Assad in Congress now.

Josh Rogin

White House worked secretly to delay Syria sanctions bill




JUST how many more secret agreements does this Obama/Kerry WH...have now in play...first with Iran Deal with a still unknown number of secret agreements.....THEN onto the secret agreements in the just failed ceasefire AND now this .....

We've now reached the point where giving the regime and Russia impunity to commit war crimes is seen as a deterrent against war crimes.

[OUTLAW 09]

The biggest blow we can strike against terrorism would be to topple Assad and end #Syria's war, says @MaxBoot |

[OUTLAW 09]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/josh-rogin/wp/2016/09/20/white-house-worked-secretly-to-delay-syria-sanctions-bill/?postshare=1531474387682749&tid=ss_tw

Obama running defense for Assad in Congress now.

Josh Rogin

White House worked secretly to delay Syria sanctions bill


JUST how many more secret agreements does this Obama/Kerry WH...have now in play...first with Iran Deal with a still unknown number of secret agreements.....THEN onto the secret agreements in the just failed ceasefire AND now this .....

Pretty special form of cynicism to block testimony about war crimes by #Assad in service of a deal with #Russia that objectively helps Assad

So again just who does this Obama/Kerry WH want to truly protect....Putin, Assad or Khamenei......

Robert Ford @fordrs58
even if it is unintended, the leaders in Damascus will understand only one thing: USA is shifting its stance on Syr govt/Assad steadily

[OUTLAW 09]

#Assad: ceasefire is over

#Russia: "terrorists" broke the ceasefire

US: ceasefire is still alive

UN: ceasefire isn't dead

= #Syria burns

Breaking International Syria Support Group meeting agrees ceasefire needed:

God help #Syria.

[OUTLAW 09]

BUT WAIT.....it now appears that the Russian MoD was fully aware of the aid convoy and actively tracked it with one of their recon/targeting drones.....

Unconfirmed: Russian MOD stream earlier today showed drone tracking SARC/UN aid convoy approaching Urem al-Kubra. http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=36...15&m=b#…

Now confirmed. Watch 01:00:26 where the trucks are followed by a Russian targeting drone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egwLxk-ypKk#…

BUT WAIT......that so call Russian Mod targeting video ...they claim now there was a terrorist next to the convoy THUS they attacked the convoy....

Russian defence ministry says this drone footage shows a "terrorist" pickup with a mortar alongside the bombed aid convoy.
https://twitter.com/mod_russia/status/778285528823332864#
…

Sorry MoD nowhere to be seen on the video that they posted.....

[OUTLAW 09]

BUT WAIT.....it now appears that the Russian MoD was fully aware of the aid convoy and actively tracked it with one of their recon/targeting drones.....

Unconfirmed: Russian MOD stream earlier today showed drone tracking SARC/UN aid convoy approaching Urem al-Kubra. http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=36...15&m=b#…

Now confirmed. Watch 01:00:26 where the trucks are followed by a Russian targeting drone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egwLxk-ypKk#…

BUT WAIT......that so call Russian Mod targeting video ...they claim now there was a terrorist next to the convoy THUS they attacked the convoy....

Russian defence ministry says this drone footage shows a "terrorist" pickup with a mortar alongside the bombed aid convoy.
https://twitter.com/mod_russia/status/778285528823332864#
…

Sorry MoD nowhere to be seen on the video that they posted.....

NOTE: in watching hundreds of combat videos in the last two years from Syria from virtually all the rebel groups...there has never been a single video showing a mortar being fired from a truck or tactical vehicle....all mortars depicted were being fired from the ground.....

MAYBE Russia MoD is confused with a true multiple round mortar system that is truck mounted for rapid firing and then movement......

BUT it is being used in eastern Ukraine by Russian mercenaries NOT Syrian rebels......

[OUTLAW 09]

In addition to Russian airstrikes on Daret Izza, Handarat & Sukari in #Aleppo now, Khan Touman med centre bombed, 10+ dead inc medics #UOSSM

Regime MLRS attack on Layramoun in north rural #Aleppo
https://youtu.be/fEjGmXp5iOc

The Syrian Regime Had Full Details About The Aid Convoy That Was Bombed, Officials Say
https://www.buzzfeed.com/mikegiglio/the-syrian-regime-had-full-details-about-the-aid-convoy-that?utm_term=.cawEg3ZrA#…

BREAKING: White House says US holds Russia responsible for airstrikes by Russia or Syria that hit UN aid convoy in Syria.

[OUTLAW 09]

UPDATE
14 civilians & medical staff (not 15 as reported earlier) killed in "#Russian" air strike on field hospital.
https://twitter.com/uossmCan/status/778349319325908993#…

Russia ‘targeted UN aid convoy in revenge for earlier air strike on Syrian troops’, official tells Telegraph

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/20/russia-targeted-un-aid-convoy-in-revenge-for-earlier-air-strike/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter


The White House on Tuesday night said it held Russia responsible for the air strike on the convoy. "There only could have been two entities responsible, either the Syrian regime or the Russian government," said Ben Rhodes, the White House spokesman. "In any event, we hold the Russian government responsible for airstrikes in this space."

Two US officials had earlier#said they had intelligence confirming that two Russian Sukhoi SU-24 warplanes were in the skies above the aid convoy at the precise time it was struck, and that the conclusion was that Russia was to blame.

In a further suggestion of Russian involvement in the attack, its defence ministry said on Tuesday that the convoy had been accompanied by a militants’ pickup truck armed with a heavy mortar gun, Russian news agencies reported.

The ministry uploaded to YouTube what it claimed was drone footage of the convoy which showed “new details” about the incident.
Russia, a key ally of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, denied any involvement in the attack, which took place after the 31-truck convoy had parked in a compound to deliver vital supplies to rebel-held areas outside Aleppo.

The Syrian military also denied involvement.

But senior coalition officials on Tuesday night said they had evidence of Russian involvement in the attack, claiming it was launched in response to a coalition air strike in eastern Syria at the weekend, in which an RAF Reaper drone took part, which killed 60 Syrian soldiers.#

“All the evidence suggests the Russians were involved in bombing the aid convoy as an act of revenge for the coalition air strike at the weekend which killed 60 Syria soldiers,” said a senior coalition official. “If this can be proved, then the Russians could find themselves facing war crimes charges.”

NOTE: the aggressiveness of the Russian response after the so called friendly fire incident both in their propaganda and in the UNSC coupled with this air strike on a clearly identified and registered to them and Assad AND the willingness to give up the ceasefire WHERE Russia got everything it wanted CONFIRMS the quiet rumor that a Russian Spetsnaz team and a senior Russian Spetsnaz Commander was killed when the strike hit evidently what was a command post....thus also the confirmed killing of a Assad General and the killing of a militia commander....also in the same strike....

[OUTLAW 09]

UPDATE
14 civilians & medical staff (not 15 as reported earlier) killed in "#Russian" air strike on field hospital.
https://twitter.com/uossmCan/status/778349319325908993#…

Russia ‘targeted UN aid convoy in revenge for earlier air strike on Syrian troops’, official tells Telegraph

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/20/russia-targeted-un-aid-convoy-in-revenge-for-earlier-air-strike/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter



NOTE: the aggressiveness of the Russian response after the so called friendly fire incident both in their propaganda and in the UNSC coupled with this air strike on a clearly identified and registered to them and Assad AND the willingness to give up the ceasefire WHERE Russia got everything it wanted CONFIRMS the quiet rumor that a Russian Spetsnaz team and a senior Russian Spetsnaz Commander was killed when the strike hit evidently what was a command post....thus also the confirmed killing of a Assad General and the killing of a militia commander....also in the same strike....

REMEMBER one of the key lessons learned in eastern Ukraine....about Russian actions and words is in fact the tactic of .....stating it is the fault of the others WHEN they themselves are actually doing something.....OR the so called "reverse accusation"....WHEN all the time they really mean themselves....

Yesterday the Russian MoD tried to pin the air strike on "others"...first it was an artillery attack by rebels, then it was a mortar shelling by rebels, then it was the convoy "caught fire", then they "spotted a truck with a mortar", then it was an aid convoy "escorted" by "terrorists".....

Second example...as an excuse to cancel the ceasefire Russia and Assad both stated that rebels had been rearming and refitting to a major ground attack in Aleppo.....BUT in reality Assad launched a major offensive in several ,locations especially against the 1070 buildings in Aleppo using heavy artillery and massive Russian air strikes with cluster munitions..THEN a large attack force...

ALL the while the rebels simply waited in place and returned fire "as allowed" under the US/Russian ceasefire in "self defense"...weathered the bombings and repelled the massive ground attack.....

In Russian information warfare this is the law of reverse accusations..........meaning you do it and blame others for it....

RAND Corporation
✔
@RANDCorporation
"#Russia's approach to propaganda emphasizes creating 1st impressions ... then reinforcing them through repetition."
http://r.rand.org/2nen

There is an old language training concept that states...repeat the word SEVEN times and it sticks in the brain.......same in propaganda.......

[OUTLAW 09]

SO the Russians say "it ain't us"....BUT WAIT...Russian bomb debris found at the attack site says otherwise....

UN aid convoy bombing. Russian OFAB-250-270

Bomb fins do not lie regardless of what the Russian MoD says......especially when they are buried inside an aid building under destroyed aid boxes

The White Helmets @SyriaCivilDef
.@SyriaCivilDef absolutely rejects claims that the convoy was destroyed by "fire": Can hear jets and see bombs -
https://www.
facebook.com/aleppo24news/videos/1174130202625747/#
…



Russian FM Lavrov's Freudian slip of the loose tongue in a statement carried in a Russian media outlet today.....maybe just a "vodka moment" he is going to regret forever......

Lavrov: Syrian army couldn't have struck UN aid convoy bc it doesn't have night-flying capability
http://kommersant.ru/doc/3094975

"Loose lips sink ships"...in this case the entire narrative Russian media and the Russian MoD have been blasting to the world...."it ain't us".....

With this statement he confirms;

1. what we have been posting here of weeks....Assad AF has no night time strike abilities thus all hospitals, and cluster/incendiary attacks at night have been Russian

2. CONFIRMS that the Russian AF has the night time strike abilities AND uses it based on countless night time air strike videos

AND it fits nicely to the US statement that there were TWO Russian SU24s flying over the strike zone at the time of the bombing...BOTH have night time strike abilities.....WHICH Russia claims were not flying.....MAYBE it was that ever elusive IS AF Russia often talks about....supported by the USAF.....

[OUTLAW 09]

@mod_russia: "We reviewed the photographs from Aleppo and we see only evidence of damage from fire, no sign of explosion or shrapnel"
APPEARS that the Russian MoD did not have these photos which depict massive explosions did in fact occur and shrapnel was in play.....OR did a simple fire collapse a complete building and blow apart a truck cab.......???

BUT as we know from countless Russian MoD Syrian statements all they do is lie.....one can count on one finger how often they have been correct since arriving in Syria......

Ties nicely into the Russian FM Lavrov's Russian media statement from today

BUT WAIT....the Russian MoD and Lavrov were way to fast.....how do both explain a Russian bomb fin from a Russian OFAB-250-270 located among the bomb debris????

ESPECIALLY since Lavrov publicly stated today that the Assad AF does not fly at night?????

Must have been that illusive IS AF Russia talks about so much.............

[OUTLAW 09]

Assad and Putin are still trying to drive this Sunni neighborhood into ethnic cleansing submission.......via starvation, napalm attacks and barrel bombs.....

Syria Airstrike with barrel bomb on #Homs suburb al-Waer

[OUTLAW 09]

Syria 30+ airstrikes on northern#Hama since morning

Airstrikes on #Dael & #Abtaa towns in southern #Syria

Syria #Assad-forces convoy try to advance from #Hama city into
Ma'ardas -lost 1 tank
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=35.226551&lon=36.754246&z=13&m=b#…

[OUTLAW 09]

Syria this morning.
Gruesome scenes of dying children across the country as the @UN/US keeps negotiating w/#Putin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8-MFgKEyBU#…

REMEMBER Obama stated in 2014
"we will judge Putin on his actions not his words"

AND REMEMBER Kerry......
"we are trying to test the seriousness of Russia".........

AND.....??????

AND MORE from today......

After the world gave #AssadPutin another GREEN LIGHT, their armies use the heaviest weapons vs. the populaton.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiwJSCCU56s#…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPzE3EBIWt0#…

Dozens of air strikes on the besieged parts of #Homs province since the morning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRmw0zppO5c#…

All back to normal this morning.
#Assad's and #Putin's air forces attack civilians across the country and slaughter children.

[OUTLAW 09]

A unique brand of Russian fascism explains Putin's efforts to degrade democracy in Russia and US, by @TimothyDSnyder
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/21/opinion/how-a-russian-fascist-is-meddling-in-americas-election.html?smid=fb-share&_r=1#
…

[OUTLAW 09]

@mod_russia: "We reviewed the photographs from Aleppo and we see only evidence of damage from fire, no sign of explosion or shrapnel"
APPEARS that the Russian MoD did not have these photos which depict massive explosions did in fact occur and shrapnel was in play.....OR did a simple fire collapse a complete building and blow apart a truck cab.......???

BUT as we know from countless Russian MoD Syrian statements all they do is lie.....one can count on one finger how often they have been correct since arriving in Syria......

Ties nicely into the Russian FM Lavrov's Russian media statement from today

BUT WAIT....the Russian MoD and Lavrov were way to fast.....how do both explain a Russian bomb fin from a Russian OFAB-250-270 located among the bomb debris????

ESPECIALLY since Lavrov publicly stated today that the Assad AF does not fly at night?????

Must have been that illusive IS AF Russia talks about so much.............

BUT NOW for the latest from my favorite Russian propaganda agency the Russian MoD........

Russia Changes Story To Insinuate UN Aid Convoy Was Destroyed Because Of Proximity To "Terrorists"
http://bit.ly/2deLH6V

[OUTLAW 09]

UN Syria mediator says 'ceasefire not dead' but in danger and seriously affected; Inter Syria Suprt Group to reconvene on Friday - Reuters

Pro-#Assad coalition has:
- publicly rejected #CoH
- indiscriminately bombed Aleppo
- targeted a UN aid convoy

Ceasefire's gone. Let it go.

THIS now will be settled by the Syrian rebels themselves and the Sunni Front States of Turkey and KSA who have remain unusually quiet in the face of the Russian air strikes on the RC/UN aid convoy......

[OUTLAW 09]

Good article sorry in French......
Obama always dealt with secondary matters in #Syria, not ending war. The rest was determined by Iran.
http://bit.ly/2d8ybWs#

"Obama's folly is mistaking this for a Syrian problem rather than a global one"

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/obamas-bloody-legacy-will-be-syrias-destruction-putins-hands-1582387

Obama's bloody legacy will be Syria's destruction at Putin's hands

Russia has invaded a sovereign state, shot down an airliner, bombed hospitals and then lied about all of it.

By Oz Katerji
September 20, 2016 17:49 BST


'Madness is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result', everyone knows the old cliché but I doubt few expected it to so perfectly represent the Obama administration's policy approach to the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II.

Whilst Monday's air strikes on a UN-supplied Syrian Arab Red Crescent aid convoy bound for Aleppo shock and 'outrage' the international community, it really shouldn't surprise anyone. This deliberate and pre-planned attack on a humanitarian aid convoy simply marks yet another gruesome chapter in the 21st century's bloodiest war and further exposes the world's failure to protect Syria's civilians.

The attack killed 21 people according to the Red Cross, including the Syrian Arab Red Crescent's Aleppo director Omar Barakat. The convoy was due to deliver aid to 78,000 vulnerable civilians, instead it lies smouldering while Syrians continue to starve at the hands of their brutal dictator Bashar al-Assad.

Following the attack UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Stephen O'Brien released a strongly worded statement expressing his 'disgust' over the incident, adding "notification of the convoy had been provided to all parties to the conflict and the convoy was clearly marked as humanitarian.

The Russian ministry of defence has typically responded with the same callous inhumanity as it always does, with denials, deceit and obfuscation. As with most war crimes committed by the regime and its allies in Syria, the Kremlin has immediately set about trying to blame the armed opposition for the attack, "all information on the whereabouts of the convoy was available only to the militants controlling these areas," said Russia's defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov on Tuesday.

Konashenkov took his war crimes denial a step further by suggesting that the Nobel peace prize nominated Syrian Civil Defence, who themselves as first-responders suffered from the "double-tap" strikes that targeted the convoy, would know who was responsible for the attack.

Not to be outdone Damascus also reported that there was "no truth to media reports that the Syrian army targeted a convoy of humanitarian aid in Aleppo province".

The irony should not be lost on people that the convoy attack took place as the leaders of the world gathered at the UN for a summit on solving the refugee crisis.

Maybe the Kremlin's policy of denying war crimes and blaming the other side might be more believable here if the rebels had an air force capable of carrying out such an attack or if Russia Today had themselves not live-streamed drone footage of the same convoy hours before the attack, proving the UN's assertion that they knew exactly where it was.

To add further insult to Syria's injury, the UN has now suspended aid operations in the war-ravaged state. Not that this will make a discernible difference to Syrian civilians suffering the most from Assad's 'submit or starve' as a Guardian investigation found troubling links between Damascus and the UN's aid operations in Syria.

Meanwhile, witnesses in Syria told Amnesty that Russian-made fighter jets and helicopters took part in the bombardment.

The pertinent question should be just what the Obama administration or the UN expected when trying to enter into agreements with Putin. This is a man whose forces have invaded a sovereign state, shot down a civilian airliner and repeatedly and deliberately bombed hospitals and then lied about it all. What other possible outcome could there have been for this deal?

After all, Putin openly backs Assad, a man that seems to actively revel in his policy of gratuitous and obscene violence against civilians. The Assad regime has employed rape, starvation, torture and chemical weapons against its civilian population with sole intention of breaking their will to resist. The regime has unleashed a war that has either killed or displaced a staggering 50% of its pre-war population.

Not only have Kremlin-backed media outlets have used their platforms to deny and deflect every one of Assad's crimes and promote the regime's ethnic cleansing program in Homs and the Damascus suburbs as humanitarian evacuations rather than the predictable result of years of starvation and bombardment.

So where to now? After Geneva 1, 2 and 3, Kerry's "cessation of hostilities" agreements clearly aren't worth the paper they are written on. The most astonishing part of it all though is that there is no other plan, all carrot and no stick with the 21st century's worst dictator.

Obama's legacy in Syria will be defined as one of cowardice and appeasement and the search for justice and accountability in Syria remains at the mercy of an international community that is paralyzed by inaction.

When John Kerry was asked on NPR on September 14, he said "What's the alternative? The alternative is to allow us to go from 450,000 people who've been slaughtered to how many thousands more? That Aleppo gets completely overrun? That the Russians and Assad simply bomb indiscriminately for days to come, and we sit there and do nothing? That's the alternative to trying to get this done, if America is not going to go in with their troops – and America's made the decision we're not going in with our troops. And the president's made that decision."

In a nutshell, Kerry is saying here that the Obama administration would rather sit aside and 'do nothing' than take active steps to fulfil their obligations under international law to protect civilians from mass murder, his statements on Tuesday following the convoy strike that the 'ceasefire is not dead' only further prove how completely out of touch with reality this administration is. Obama's folly is mistaking this for a Syrian problem rather than a global one.

The irony should not be lost on people that the convoy attack took place as the leaders of the world gathered at the UN for a summit on solving the refugee crisis.

The biggest current cause of global conflict displacement is the regime of Bashar al-Assad and the international community's failure to protect the civilians of Syria will forever define Obama's foreign policy legacy. The rapid rise in ultra-nationalism and Jihadist terrorist attacks that have rocked both America and Western Europe to their cores in recent years are byproducts of the Syria crisis.

Obama's legacy in Syria will be defined as one of cowardice and appeasement and the search for justice and accountability in that country remains at the mercy of an international community that is paralyzed by inaction.

The consequences of the moral abdication of our responsibility to protect will ripple out for generations, just as the forced displacement of Palestinians decades ago still impacts global and regional politics today.

And, when the history books are written, they will say that the tyrant Bashar al-Assad unleashed a genocide upon his people as the world simply sat back and watched. We owe Syria better than this, and regardless of what Obama thinks, it is time the alternatives to his appeasement are finally discussed.

[OUTLAW 09]

Obama had better simply now just walk away from Syria as he and Kerry have truly failed and both urgently have to ask themselves if "doing nothing stupid" in the end was the core reason for their failure...

Both had a truly golden opportunity in 2012 to end the Syrian nightmare and rid Syria of Assad the core reason for the rapid development of AQI and then ISIL and to stop the genocidal killing machine that had just gotten underway with 7,000 killed....it now stands at 500,000 and counting...Which by any definition is "genocide".....

Now we are seeing for the first time and THIS IS SIGNIFICANT.....the actual merging of interests between a large Syrian Salafist armed fighting group and the Turkish Armed Forces.....WHO could have in this Obama/Rhodes/Kerry WH coming full at them....anyone if they followed closely what actually was ongoing inside Syria....saw it coming if the West did nothing which is what happened.

Not surprising, but implications are significant.
Ahrar al-Sham say it's permissible to work w. Turkey’s armed forces

NOW Salafists are becoming legitimate partners in the war against Shia, Assad and Putin.....AND the Sunni Front States are a half step away from openly attacking Assad and Iranian mercenaries inside Syria....including the US proxy YPG/SDF/PKK.....

BUT WHAT can one expect when the Obama/Rhodes/Kerry WH and NSC fully and completely sold out to Iran as the new regional hegemon.....

[OUTLAW 09]

FSA openly calls out the Russian explanation of WHY they did not strike the aid convoy minute by minute even using Russian MoD drone footage.....

FSA issue detailed statement outlining the timeline of events leading to #Russia targeting of aid convoy & warehouse in #Aleppo, #Syria:

[OUTLAW 09]

Unreal footage
Civilian 3-room appartment "cut open" after more #AssadPutin air strikes on #Aleppo city today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Opa2pyr9PYo&feature=youtu.be#
…
News
An #Assad regime MiG-23 fighter jet was downed near #Dumayr east of #Damascus, pro-regime sources report.

Damascus: Rebels destroyed 1 #Assad tank with a mine at #Hawsh_Nasri village. #Assad regime attack in Eastern #Ghouta failed today.

Hama: Rebels shelling #Hama Military Airport with Grad rockets.

Hama: Rebels have destroyed now a third #Assad tank south of #Maardas.

[OUTLAW 09]

More cruel footage ... Children in five towns in besieged #Homs are dying in big numbers. - GRAPHIC!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ya_RJjiJeq8#
…

[OUTLAW 09]

@mod_russia: "We reviewed the photographs from Aleppo and we see only evidence of damage from fire, no sign of explosion or shrapnel"
APPEARS that the Russian MoD did not have these photos which depict massive explosions did in fact occur and shrapnel was in play.....OR did a simple fire collapse a complete building and blow apart a truck cab.......???

BUT as we know from countless Russian MoD Syrian statements all they do is lie.....one can count on one finger how often they have been correct since arriving in Syria......

Ties nicely into the Russian FM Lavrov's Russian media statement from today

BUT WAIT....the Russian MoD and Lavrov were way to fast.....how do both explain a Russian bomb fin from a Russian OFAB-250-270 located among the bomb debris????

ESPECIALLY since Lavrov publicly stated today that the Assad AF does not fly at night?????

Must have been that illusive IS AF Russia talks about so much.............

SO Lavrov publicly states in Russian media "it was not the Assad AF"...it certainly was not the US/Danish/UK/Australian and 22 other AFs...AND the only ones flying SU24s in the night over Aleppo was the Russian AF......

BUT hey he just keeps on trying to change the narrative ......

MFA Russia
✔
@mfa_russia
#Lavrov: Our military have already made the statements that our aviation did not work in Aleppo
http://tass.com/politics/901157

[OUTLAW 09]

IS claims the shot down of an Assad MiG today.....second loss in this week....

A SyAAF warplane was downed in E Qalamoun (NE of Damascus), 'Amāq claims.

[OUTLAW 09]

Syria #Hama Reports: Rebels captured a number of #Assad-forces in Iskandarīyah south of Ma'ardas
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=35.242289&lon=36.759911&z=15&m=b#

Hama: Rebels destroyed 2 #Assad tanks south of #Maardas, 1 #Assad tank at #Kawkab village & killed dozens of pro-#Assad forces today.

Aleppo: Rebels have repelled attacks by pro-#Assad forces on #Handarat and "1070 Apartments Project" and killed many of them.

Homs: Nonstop #Assad airstrikes on #Talisah yesterday. Massive destruction inside the town.

Civil Defense end search for those buried under rubble in al-Sukari after airstrikes hit the neighborhood.
https://youtu.be/PQPHwdz_n_o#

[OUTLAW 09]

Assad regime forces are badly losing this battle today...really badly...one might say.....


Syria #Hama Regime lost 4 tanks & 1 BMP south of Ma'ardas & another tank in nearby Kawkab. 20 #Assad-forces captured & dozens more dead

AND as a face saving measure to rescue the Assad forces from a near defeat in comes the Assad and Putin air cavalry.....

High number of airstrikes on Ma'ardas now

[OUTLAW 09]

The Obama administration considers arming Syrian Kurds against ISIS
http://nyti.ms/2cCoPgK

SO is the Obama/Rhode/Kerry truly fighting for OR against IS as the concept of arming the Kurds MIGHT in the eyes of the Turks be one heck of a very large RED FLAG....due to the following....

Turkey's line has always been that SDF=PYD=PKK and US arming efforts have been a major problem SO WHY would Obama/Kerry now fully arm the Kurds unless they want the Kurds to fight the Turks in support of IS and the PKK.....

SO having failed in Geneva 1, 2, and now 3 and having failed in general in Syria NOW they want to pour more gasoline on an open wood fire????

They could not get to the point of arming the anti Assad armed opposition AS they could never really find that "moderate" Syrian...BUT Kurds who conduct ethnic cleansing, attack the FSA (Arab Sunni) with Russian CAS and fight together with IS during attacks on FSA...THEY can arm????????

The Obama WH really does not know what to do and or what to say these days other than "do nothing stupid".....

AND doing nothing stupid is getting them into a lot of trouble.....WHAT an absolute mess.....

[OUTLAW 09]

Assad helicopters dropped Barrel bombs on Al-Marjah, Qadi Askr, Al-Mashhad, Al-Sukari, Al-Fardos 9 killed in #Aleppo, 14 Injured

Crash of regime warplane in eastern #Qalamoun
https://youtu.be/P6b5a5Bb2tw

[OUTLAW 09]

So is now Russia using the Russian mercenary model as practiced in eastern Ukraine by sending "Russian trained mercenaries to Aleppo???????


3000 #Russian fighters dispatched to #Syria: monitor
http://mme.cm/GNBW00


Russia has recruited a number of its nationals to fight on behalf of the Syrian regime against both ISIS and rebel factions, according to an NGO tracking developments in the war-torn country.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Wednesday that it “received information from several reliable sources” that 3,000 Russian citizens were recruited by the country’s army and dispatched to “fight on Syrian territory.”

The report did not go into details on the nature of the Russian combatants sent to Syria and whether they were contractors, regular servicemen in the country’s armed forces or auxiliary fighters.

However, SOHR did provide purported details on where the fighters were deployed, saying that “the largest number of these [combatants] gathered in the As-Safira region southeast of Aleppo,” near the regime’s Defense Plants complex.

The Observatory said it “learned that the fighters arrived in Syria in the past four weeks,” adding that their deployment in As-Safira “was in preparation for the start of their involvement in fighting in several Syrian areas.”

So far, the SOHR is the only source reporting on the purported deployment of Russian fighters in Syria.

Russian non linear warfare hard at work in both eastern Ukraine and now in Syria.....

[OUTLAW 09]

BBC News - Syria war: John Kerry urges planes to be grounded.....

Does he really think anyone is going to listen to him...now if several cruise missiles came raining down on Assad jets or helicopters.....

THEN someone will stand up and pay attention....but for words...will never happen...

[OUTLAW 09]

REALLY worth reading as this is a Russian based social media open source analysis team that has done some impressive work in eastern Ukraine and now Syria....

CIT (en) ‏@CITeam_en
Airstrikes on UN Aid Convoy in Aleppo: Claims and Reality
https://citeam.org/aleppo-convoy-en/#…

They place the air strike squarely on the RuAF....and their are Russians....

[OUTLAW 09]

Intense air strikes pound #Syria's #Aleppo
https://youtu.be/vX8bVXVguSw

~50 people killed by airstrikes on central & northern #Syria today

Syria Rebels pounding regime stronghold Tall Salhab town in western #Hama with 130mm gun
https://youtu.be/pxfa87QWANA

Afghan fighter of #IRGC's Fatemiun brig saying shiite slogans, raises Fatemiun flag over the dome of a mosque in southern Aleppo, Syria.

FSA attack against #Daesh leaves 7 terrorists dead, 4 arrested in Bahwarta in northern rural #Aleppo

Footage
Another massacre in rural #Idlib province by #AssadPutin air planes today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkUwePM7q20#…

One of many destroyed residential buildings due to the #AssadPutin attacks on #Aleppo today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhXvN1PuGPc#…

More extreme #AssadPutin air strikes across the country.
Every few minutes another massacre.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8guw8tclws#…

[OUTLAW 09]

Intense air strikes pound #Syria's #Aleppo
https://youtu.be/vX8bVXVguSw

~50 people killed by airstrikes on central & northern #Syria today

Syria Rebels pounding regime stronghold Tall Salhab town in western #Hama with 130mm gun
https://youtu.be/pxfa87QWANA

Afghan fighter of #IRGC's Fatemiun brig saying shiite slogans, raises Fatemiun flag over the dome of a mosque in southern Aleppo, Syria.

FSA attack against #Daesh leaves 7 terrorists dead, 4 arrested in Bahwarta in northern rural #Aleppo

Footage
Another massacre in rural #Idlib province by #AssadPutin air planes today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkUwePM7q20#…

One of many destroyed residential buildings due to the #AssadPutin attacks on #Aleppo today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhXvN1PuGPc#…

More extreme #AssadPutin air strikes across the country.
Every few minutes another massacre.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8guw8tclws#…

UNSC: Listening to Russian FM Lavrov is like being in “a parallel universe,” says @JohnKerry.

[OUTLAW 09]

whitehelmets - idlib ‏@whitehelmets_sy
Horrible massacre in the city of Khan Shaykhun in Idlib By 7 Air Strikes

[OUTLAW 09]

Here's John Kerry's statement to the Security Council:

"All [people] hear are words [on #Syria]." Mhmm.

"Everything changes except American propaganda." @MID_RF's spox not esp impressed with @JohnKerry https://www.facebook.com/maria.zakharova.167/posts/10210924122488749#…

At the UN, Sec. Kerry is in essence, calling for a 2nd go at #Syria's ceasefire:

- ground all aircraft
- open access for aid delivery

The #Assad regime & #Russia had *full* information on the UN-ICRC-SARC aid convoy.
But they bombed it anyway...

The problem still stands - there are no enforcement mechanisms / consequences for violation.

2nd time around, who will trust trying again?

[OUTLAW 09]

Russia's evolving thesis:
- no airstrike, it caught fire
- jihadis did it
- it was carrying weapons, so you know ...
- the US did it

BREAKING: Russia says US coalition drone was in area of hit aid convoy in Syria - via @AFP

NOW it was the US drone that dropped the Russian bomb with the bomb fins found at the attack site...HOW strange is that?????

BUT WAIT........
Finally, a pro-Assad Twitter user wrote at 9:17 PM (2 hours after the first airstrikes on the convoy), citing fighters from a pro-Assad unit «Ba’ath Brigades», that RuAF bombed a weapons and ammunition convoy belonging to Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists. Since there is no evidence that any other convoys were destroyed in the evening of September 19 in western Aleppo province, it is likely that the source was mistaken as to the contents and ownership of the convoy and that in fact it spoke of the same humanitarian convoy bomber by RuAF.

The humanitarian convoy was most likely destroyed with airstrikes by both the Assad regime and the Russian Air Force;
The Russian MoD statements either have no relation to the incident (a pickup truck passing the convoy 6 kilometers away from the bombing site and 5 hours before it) or are simply false (the convoy was destroyed by airstrikes, not in a fire; the Russian UAV did not cease monitoring the convoy at 1:40 AM but filmed it a mere 2 hours before the bombing started).

[OUTLAW 09]

Well worth reading......

Charles Lister ‏@Charles_Lister
An insightful interview by senior Ahrar al-Sham official Eyad al-Sha’ar.
A few points on my Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/CharlesRLister/posts/939133262879752#… #Syria

Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, with a video outlining their perspective on the US-#Russia deal/ceasefire
https://youtu.be/HSCA8ycuv84

Narrated by a Brit

[OUTLAW 09]

U.N. seeks access to Syrian refugees to probe war crimes
http://reut.rs/2cJBoYD#

United Kingdom says there is no political solution with Assad using barbaric weapons like chlorine chemical weapons:
http://webtv.un.org/live-now/watch/security-council-1-high-level-briefing-on-colombia-7773rd-meeting/5108361736001#…

Malaysia expressing how it is appalled at watching children gasp for breath after chemical weapon attacks in #Syria:
http://webtv.un.org/live-now/watch/security-council-1-high-level-briefing-on-colombia-7773rd-meeting/5108361736001#…

[OUTLAW 09]

Lavrov says he thinks we should refrain from emotional reactions to attack on aid convoy

Oh really.......????...emotional reaction to a war crime seems to be appropriate....

Syria Update: US officials - #Obama wants to give #Russia "time & space" to investigate UN convoy attack
http://eaworldview.com/2016/09/syria-

Probably up to and including the time he is no longer in office.....

[OUTLAW 09]

Lavrov says he thinks we should refrain from emotional reactions to attack on aid convoy

Oh really.......????...emotional reaction to a war crime seems to be appropriate....

Syria Update: US officials - #Obama wants to give #Russia "time & space" to investigate UN convoy attack
http://eaworldview.com/2016/09/syria-

Probably up to and including the time he is no longer in office.....

The @bellingcat analysis of Russian/Syrian attack on the UN aid convoy, courtesy of @n_waters89 and @Hadi_alkhatib
https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2016/09/21/aleppo-un-aid-analysis/#
…
UN Commission of Inquiry on #Syria says @UN aid convoy attacks were airstikes.
So, confirmed airstrikes; with apparently Russian type bombs

[OUTLAW 09]

HAS CENTCOM been lying again....I have posted in the last days...photos of US SF personnel still wearing YPG patches and a photo supplied by YPG of a building facing the Turkish border flying US flags WHERE there had been no mention of US SF troops in the area..CENTCOM is referring to a previous set of photos I had posted before the second photo of at least seven US flags being flown....there were four days between the two US flag incidents....

US Military: Our Forces Raised American Flags Alongside Kurdish Forces on Border


A Defense Department spokesman has confirmed that American forces raised US flags alongside Kurdish forces in a border town in northern Syria last week.
The three flags, near and on buildings in Tal Abyad, raised speculation of disinformation by the Kurdish militia YPG that Americans were present. Others postulated that the US special forces wanted to avoid becoming collateral damage in any attack by Turkey on the YPG, whom Anakra considers part of the Turkish Kurdish insurgency PKK.

Asked on Monday about the incident, a US Central Command spokesman, Major Josh Jacques, said, “I can confirm last week that US forces operating in northern Syria used flags to denote their positions.”
Colonel John Dorian, a spokesman for the campaign against the Islamic State, assured that the US would not permit any other groups ― including the YPG ― to fly the American flag.

[OUTLAW 09]

Russian Syrian Express...

Russian Navy Northern Fleet's new Deep Sea Research & SAR vessel Yantar (Project 22010) northbound on the Bosphorus

Coming from Canary Islands, Project 22010 #ВМФ #Cф NF new oceanographic research ship Yantar transits Bosphorus towards the Black Sea.

NOTE: Russian naval movements have really slowed down.....

[OUTLAW 09]

Hama: Rebels have captured 2 #Assad technicals (14.5mm guns) south of #Iskandariyah village.
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=35.230897&lon=36.763129&z=15&m=b#
…

Hama: Heavy fighting between rebels & pro-#Assad forces south of #Maardas is ongoing.

Hama: #Assad regime losses in Northern #Hama today:
- 5 tanks
- 2 BMPs
- 1 technical
- dozens of pro-#Assad forces killed
- 20+ captured

DeirEzzor: #ISIS launched a new offensive in #DeirEzzor: Heavy fighting on several axes of #DeirEzzor City.

Hama: Despite pro-#Assad forces prepared the offensive & mobilizing troops since 1 week they were slaughtered by the rebels today.
Hama: Rebels have killed dozens of pro-#Assad forces south of #Maardas since the morning. #Assad regime offensive was a total failure.

Jund al Aqsa reports fighting near al Mards as regime attempts to take the village. #Hama

Announcement of the formation of a military council in Soran to fight Islamic State and PKK (#YPG)
https://youtu.be/-yY5dDbR93s#

Rebels retook all points in Iskandarīyah area after big regime assault today

Hama: Rebels have cleared the entire #Iskandariyah village & nearby farms from pro-#Assad forces. Fighting ongoing.
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=35.228233&lon=36.768579&z=15&m=b#
…

GREAT rebel OPSEC is ongoing right now.......
Hama: Rebels have learned from the past. No footage from the Northern #Hama battle till now.

[OUTLAW 09]

UN: "Those who bombed #UN aid convoy are cowards (but we will never name them, because we are cowards too)."

Before aid convoy was bombed #Syria|n opposition warned #UN that #Assad/#Russia would likely murder its staff if they tried to deliver aid.

UN stated to rebels that it would not happen.....THEN...it did......

BREAKING: Preparation for aid convoys in Syria resumes - U.N. statement

[OUTLAW 09]

CIT (en) @CITeam_en
In a rare glimpse of the actual size of Russian force in Syria, Ru election officials report 4571 people voted there
http://www.rbc.ru/politics/21/09/2016/57e2969d9a79474e48b89c67#
…

CIT (en) @CITeam_en
Of that number, merely 193 cast ballots at the embassy in Damascus. Experts believe 4378 more voted at Hmeimim AFB
https://twitter.com/CITeam_en/status/778657230447149056#
…

[OUTLAW 09]

Russia sends aircraft carrier "Admiral Kusnezow" to #Syria'n coast

Apparently this Russian carrier is decrepit: her steam turbines so bad it has to be escorted by tugs
https://warisboring.com/u-s-navy-feared-crappy-russian-aircraft-carrier-might-sink-c4ed4afff987#.d23ddqq7w#
…

[OUTLAW 09]

Horrific footage of residential buildings on fire after regime/Russian phosphorous strikes on Aleppo

Video from @AleppoAMC showing what it says is the result of an incendiary attack in eastern #Aleppo tonight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Txiiau8J2ek#…

Another angle, from @Alburaqmedia, of the reported incendiary attack in #Aleppo tonight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt0tufmP4Gg#…

SOHR At least 24 casualties in Khan Shaykhun #Idlib massacre &in the intensive airstrikes at #Aleppo neighborhoods
http://www.syriahr.com/en/?p=50923

A media activist (Omar Arab) makes it out alive following Russia/Assad airstrikes in #Aleppo
https://youtu.be/Q-o3hHAX1TA

Aftermath of regime barrel bombs & airstrikes today in the Sukkari district in #Aleppo
https://youtu.be/eai-uhZ4jtc

No shortage of destruction vids, here aftermath of Russia/Assad airstrikes on civilians in Muwasalat area in #Aleppo
https://youtu.be/uToKQUxGaBI

More destruction in the Mash'had district in #Aleppo following a regime barrel bomb attack today
https://youtu.be/g8LQXcKcEaI

Footage from today showing aftermath of regime airstrikes in Tibat al-Imam, N rural #Hama, destruction everywhere
https://youtu.be/NCRFKmgpy8E

[OUTLAW 09]

2 Iranians #IRGC Mohammad Pourhang and Hossein Raeisi Baboli,severely wounded in Syria, succumbed to the injuries.

[OUTLAW 09]

A very brutal article on the Obama failures in Syria from a Syrian SME who probably knows more about Syria and the ground players especially IS THAN the entire Obama WH, Rhodes, Kerry and the entire 700 person NSC....

Charles Lister ‏@Charles_Lister

My latest, on @ForeignPolicy:

"#Obama’s #Syria Strategy Is the Definition of Insanity"

http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/09/21/obamas-syria-strategy-is-the-definition-of-insanity/#…

REMEMBER deeply REMEMBER the core statement that actually supports this article..when reading the article....

"we will judge Putin on his actions not his words".....2014 public press conference.

SO with that in mind is Obama following his own words or is he really lying to the general public and thinking this is what we want to hear?????

[OUTLAW 09]

Breaking #Syria
Senior Iraqi Shia militia leader Mohamad Bakkor Suleimani of Assa'ib Ahal al-Haq killed by #FSA forces in #Aleppo today

[OUTLAW 09]

Horrific footage of residential buildings on fire after regime/Russian phosphorous strikes on Aleppo

Video from @AleppoAMC showing what it says is the result of an incendiary attack in eastern #Aleppo tonight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Txiiau8J2ek#…

Another angle, from @Alburaqmedia, of the reported incendiary attack in #Aleppo tonight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt0tufmP4Gg#…

SOHR At least 24 casualties in Khan Shaykhun #Idlib massacre &in the intensive airstrikes at #Aleppo neighborhoods
http://www.syriahr.com/en/?p=50923

A media activist (Omar Arab) makes it out alive following Russia/Assad airstrikes in #Aleppo
https://youtu.be/Q-o3hHAX1TA

Aftermath of regime barrel bombs & airstrikes today in the Sukkari district in #Aleppo
https://youtu.be/eai-uhZ4jtc

No shortage of destruction vids, here aftermath of Russia/Assad airstrikes on civilians in Muwasalat area in #Aleppo
https://youtu.be/uToKQUxGaBI

More destruction in the Mash'had district in #Aleppo following a regime barrel bomb attack today
https://youtu.be/g8LQXcKcEaI

Footage from today showing aftermath of regime airstrikes in Tibat al-Imam, N rural #Hama, destruction everywhere
https://youtu.be/NCRFKmgpy8E

"What is the alternative?" Dep Sec of State Tony Blinken says just now on CNN to a negotiated settlement on Syria.

Culmination of having a Red Line & then erasing it. Now Russia's a player & we enabled it. What an amateurish made mess !

SO Kerry's GRAND statement that there is a PLAN B was all lies as usual...ACTUALLY Kerry is matching Lavrov lie for lie these days.....

REMEMBER Obama stated on Monday...."we must remain with the "hard" diplomacy"....whatever that means.....

[OUTLAW 09]

ALL of this is the direct result of a "do nothing stupid" Obama/Rhodes/Kerry WH Syrian FP that never existed beyond "doing nothing stupid".......

Burning #Aleppo City after #Russian attacks with incendiary ammunition on the peaceful population tonight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Txiiau8J2ek#…

Also opposition-held #KafrDael near #Aleppo was hit by incendiary bombs tonight. Large fires irrupted afterwards.

Aleppo City tonight.
The #Russian air force uses incendiary bombs vs. sleeping civilians.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt0tufmP4Gg#…

IMHO I never thought I would see the day that American FP would be directly associated with and part of and complicit in genocide, war crimes and starvation BUT this Obama/Rhodes/Kerry WH has placed the US front and center in the middle of it.....

AND the worst thing is ...it never had to be this way...there were over 50 options presented to Obama and he choose over all of them..."to do nothing stupid" as the correct way forward....which we all know now is a total failure...

[OUTLAW 09]

Russia is attempting to eliminate any evidence of their air strikes on the UN/SRC aid convoy.......

Footage
#AssadPutin air strikes on the area where the aid convoy was hit west of #Aleppo cont. this morning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMCCx-ZKynU#…

[OUTLAW 09]

So by "do nothing stupid" Obama/Rhodes/Kerry WH is both complicit with and participating in "ethnic cleansing" as part of the current US FP in Syria....

Footage
Sunni civilians are systemativally displaced from al-Waer.
The world watches the #EthnicCleansing in #Syria
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-tbJ8kSRP4#…

This morning, another #EthnicCleansing convoy left al-Waer with hundreds of Sunnis towards #Syria's #Idlib province.

[OUTLAW 09]

Kyle W. Orton ‏@KyleWOrton
New from me:

Syria's flawed ceasefire comes crashing down
http://bit.ly/2cVZrlM# v @The_NewArab


The United States and Russia reached an agreement over Syria on September 9 that was supposed to lead to a week of reduced violence - a ceasefire or "cessation of hostilities" (CoH).

During this time, there would be free distribution of humanitarian aid - followed by joint operations against the rebranded al-Qaeda branch in the country, Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (JFS), formerly known as the Nusra Front.

This agreement was essentially ignored by Bashar al-Assad's regime, which Russia had pledged to restrain, and on Monday the agreement was torn up by the regime, returning Syria to all-out war.

What if it had worked?

The US-Russia agreement was deeply problematic even if it worked, representing the triumph of the counter-terrorism approach, narrowly conceived, in America.

Had Russia actually kept Assad regime jets from striking at civilians and mainstream armed opposition groups, and worked honestly with the Pentagon to eliminate JFS, it would have removed from the insurgency a powerful actor, without compensation -#crippling the rebellion as a strategic threat to the regime, and#destroying any incentive for good faith negotiations.

Since the regime - even buttressed by thousands of Iranian-controlled Shia jihadists - cannot control the whole country, it would have condemned Syria to permanent war, conditions in which terrorists thrive.

During the "ceasefire", the "non-jihadist" rebels were supposed to "de-marble" or untangle themselves from the JFS. Rebels were reluctant, in current circumstances, because if they leave an area solely to the administration of JFS, then JFS will be defeated by Coalition and Russian air power, and the regime will be free to move in and retake the territory from the opposition.

The Assad regime's forces were not required to de-marble from the Iranian Quds Force, Lebanese Hizballah, or the Iraqi Kataib Hizballah militia - all groups controlled from Tehran and designated as terrorists by the United States.

And while the rebels were told in no uncertain terms that they would be bombed along with JFS if they did not stand aside, there was no enforcement mechanism to stop the Assad regime carrying out atrocities.

The US, meanwhile, flew over the Iranian-controlled 'terrorist' organisations re-imposing the siege on Aleppo City, to strike at the JFS military commander credited with breaking the first Aleppo siege

These deep inequalities in the deal and its strategic effects - if it even worked - made it deeply unpopular among the Syrian opposition, and helpful to JFS, which is busy embedding and enmeshing itself in the rebellion. In this was it gains protection.

JFS claimed that the US-Russian deal was a deliberate effort to defeat the revolution; these terms can be read that way.

Such a reading was greatly assisted, in the days after the agreement had begun but before the CoH came into being, when the Assad regime was able to massacre 58 civilians at a market with impunity. The US, meanwhile,#flew over the Iranian-controlled "terrorist" organisations re-imposing the siege on Aleppo City, to strike at Usama Nammourah (aka Abu Umar al-Saraqib), the JFS military commander credited with breaking the first Aleppo siege and who was in the process of planning to break the second.

Respite?

For these and other reasons, the Syrian opposition's formal stance on the US-Russian deal was to accept the first part - seven days of relative calm and access to food, medicine, and other supplies for communities under siege#- and to reject the second, the strikes against JFS.

As it happened, neither would occur.

All but three of the sieges in Syria are imposed by the Assad regime, and during this period not a single aid delivery made it to its destination.

Nearly 150 people were killed by the pro-Assad coalition during the CoH. On Monday night, within three hours of the Assad regime unilaterally declaring the "ceasefire" over, 100 airstrikes and barrel bombs had been launched against rebel-held areas of Aleppo, killing dozens.

Shortly after Damascus said it was no longer abiding by the CoH, 18 Syrian Red Crescent trucks loaded with aid from the United Nations finally moved into Aleppo. The convoy was obliterated with airstrikes, killing at least 21 people and destroying aid intended to help 78,000 others.

The airstrikes took place in an area patrolled by Russian reconnaissance drones, ostensibly in place to monitor the CoH.

In August 2003, the Islamic State group's predecessor colluded with the remnants of Saddam Hussein's regime to launch a terrorist strike against the UN in Baghdad, leading to the UN's withdrawal. The pro-Assad coalition has borrowed this playbook: the UN announced on Tuesday morning that it was suspending all humanitarian aid deliveries into Syria.

This comes on the heels of the revelations that the UN has provided millions of dollars to crucial sectors of the Assad regime since 2011, contributing to its remaining in power.

Russia has justified its position by claiming the US never abided by its part of the deal and restrained the armed opposition, pointing to an incident on Saturday night when Coalition airstrikes killed 62 regime soldiers.

The US says it was an accident, and this is plausible. Most conspiracy theories in Syria go wrong by assuming the West is hell-bent on overthrowing Assad, a proposition that, to put it mildly, lacks evidence.

Still, there are pieces of the puzzle missing.

One US official explained that it was possible that, because Assad had pressed prisoners and others into being conscripts, and in his degraded armed forces these government militiamen might not be wearing recognisable uniforms or be in regime-like formations, they were mistaken for an irregular force.

"That is where we are right now," the official said, acknowledging "that could change". This would be the most innocent explanation for the fact that, though the Russians were informed ahead of time about the airstrike, they did not alert the US to the presence of pro-regime forces.

Going forward

With the pro-regime coalition having flouted the terms of the CoH, publicly rejected it, engaging in targeted airstrikes against humanitarian actors, and indiscriminate attacks on Syrian civilians, most would consider the CoH to be dead.

The US-Russia agreement might have been misconceived; had it worked as planned it would have strengthened both the Assad regime and al-Qaeda

Since Russia was either unable or unwilling to halt any of this, it would seem to end the argument for Moscow being a useful enforcement mechanism and an interlocutor worth dealing with cooperatively in Syria.

But that is not how Secretary of State John Kerry sees it.

Hours after the regime recommenced mass anti-civilian aerial attacks on Monday night, the State Department was waiting for Russia to "clarify" its position to decide whether or not the ceasefire was holding. Kerry was more definitive on Tuesday morning: "The ceasefire is not dead."

The US-Russia agreement might have been misconceived; had it worked as planned it would have strengthened both the Assad regime and al-Qaeda. But the pretense it is working when it isn't is even worse.

It amounts in practice to a replay of the CoH earlier this year, when the rebels under US sway were restrained and the pro-Assad coalition acted as it wished. This is particularly damaging to Western efforts to isolate al-Qaeda from the mainstream rebellion.

Al-Qaeda made the argument, from the beginning of this round of the political process in December 2015, that it was a conspiracy against the revolution, an effort to demobilise the armed opposition and co-opt them into an interim government on terms indistinguishable from surrender.

Al-Qaeda had plenty to work with in making this case.

Their rebranding has been dismissed by most in the West, but it was never intended for the West, and it is working on the ground. JFS' "break" with al-Qaeda is interpreted as a serious indication that its desire is to serve not rule. And their record as a better servant of opposition security and interests than the West is quite plain.

Having Syrians lay down arms would require them to feel secure and that cannot happen while Assad remains in power. The tilt of the US-led efforts towards keeping Assad are therefore bringing discredit on the idea of a political solution, and al-Qaeda is stepping into that breach with a ready-made answer: violent jihad.

While Assad remains, the population will look to anyone who can help continue the fight.

The current political track took place in the shadow of the Russian intervention that turned this entire process on its head, from one about the terms of Assad's departure to negotiating the terms under which he would stay. Al-Qaeda could hardly have asked for more.

A political settlement could only be feasible after reversing this trend. Alas, a willingness to use force, even minimally, to alter the balance of power against the pro-Assad coalition does not seem to be on the table for the foreseeable future.

[OUTLAW 09]

Russia's Foreign Minister #Lavrov denies everything at #UNGA, including being in #NewYork and being Lavrov, 'You can't prove that I'm here'

Actually Lavrov has a new suspect in the bombing of UN aid convoy.....

BREAKING: #Russia's Ministry of Defence releases satellite image proving Nazis attacked #UN #AidConvoy in #Syria's #Aleppo

[OUTLAW 09]

Syria #FSA seized smuggled ammo & weapons for #IS near #Azaz/northern #Aleppo
https://youtu.be/ggCu9Clqwqo

Syria 5 people burned alive by airstrikes with incendiary bombs on Bustan al-Qaser/Kallaseh neighborhood near #Aleppo city center

Syria Airstrike with incendiary bomblets on western #Aleppo village
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-xgXEJR5Y8&feature=youtu.be#…

Syria Several airstrikes on #Dael town in southern #Syria this morning
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6HCH4C24Ro#…
yesterday:

Syria Several #Russia'n airstrikes on Hajj Bridge to seperate rebel held parts of #Aleppo city

[OUTLAW 09]

Syria Did #Jordan airforce bomb refugees in Alrukban camp?

[OUTLAW 09]

Here is video footage of sustained burning of incendiary munitions dropped on urban, eastern #Aleppo last night:
https://youtu.be/IIe6pVtKXNs

Aleppo last night:
Alleged #Russia strikes using incendiary munitions (likely thermite) have struck besieged eastern districts of the city.

[OUTLAW 09]

All ISSG states will meet tomorrow in NYC - the expectation is for a full agreement and its immediate implementation. #Syria #Aleppo

All ISSG states now have 4/5 chapters of the US-#Russia agreement on #Syria.

The 5th component remains exclusive to #Washington & #Moscow.

WHY does Kerry want the 5th chapter kept secret...just as he did in the Iran Deal....

WHAT makes Kerry actually think Putin can in fact control and dictate to Assad...REMEMBER Lavrov stated at Geneva 3 Assad will adhere to the agreement....AND did he.....no he did not nor did Putin control him...actually Russia resumed bombing as well.....

[OUTLAW 09]

In the past week, LCC has reported 71 children killed in #Syria: Wed:11, Tue:9, Mon:16, Sun:1, Sat:12, Fri:7, Thu:15.

For Wed, 21 Sept, the LCC documented 89 martyrs in #Syria, including 11 children, 4 women, and 2 tortured

[OUTLAW 09]

Appears the Assad regime cannot even provide the actual names of it's claimed 62 KIAs that were allegedly hit in a US FF incident......

As I have posted only one Palestinian militia group has claimed anyone killed with SEVEN names...AND allegedly there was a Assad General killed and a militia Commander killed....

BUT here is the strangeness of this so called FF incident....WHY were now at least these NINE names provided to the US for compensation.....

WHY did Assad provide the names of 12 soldiers KILLED ONE YEAR AGO......

CAN it possibly be that there were no Assad regime troops hit by the US FF incident...CAN it be that actually the US did in fact hit IS...WHICH has claimed did actually happen....

Assad regime want to collect compensation from US for 12 soldiers killed year ago claims killed in coalition airstrikes in DairEzzor.
https://twitter.com/AuraSalix/status/778901334149963776#
…

IS it possible that this alleged FF incident was simply being used to cover up the simple fact that Assad regime troops got over run by Is when they lost a strategic hill near their air field?????

The alleged Russian Spetsnaz personnel were in fact killed as a number of rumors seem to indicate in the exact area where IS rolled over the Assad regime forces when they took the hill/mountain.....

SADLY it appears that IS is just about the only one telling the truth about this FF incident......

[OUTLAW 09]

what was Kerry saying about parallel universes?
#BREAKING: UN hopes #Syria talks could resume in a 'few weeks': envoy - via @AFP

Warplanes hit #Aleppo in heaviest attack in months, defy U.S
http://reut.rs/2ddkPsf

[OUTLAW 09]

Syria Evacuated rebels from #Homs suburb al-Waer arrived in northern #Homs pocket
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVzvfM-Z8QA#
…

[OUTLAW 09]

Assad urges #Aleppo #aid workers to consider flying #ISIS flags to stop #Syrian and #Russian airstrikes targeting them

[OUTLAW 09]

Iran leaders present Syria as existential sectarian war as they flood #Syria with militants to back Chemical Assad:
http://www.reuters.com/article/mideast-crisis-iran-syria-idUSL8N1BX4W4#
…

There are two main reasons Iran needs to support Assad and maintain his regime .....

1. Khamenei needs to maintain the land corridor to Hezbollah in Lebanon to ensure the "Green Crescent"...
2. there has been repeated statements by IRGC about wanting to provoke a ground war with KSA in order to repay them for their support of Saddam in the Iraq/Iran war

Lastly Khamenei still continues the battle with KSA for control of the global Muslim community as did Khomeini ......


DUBAI/BEIRUT, Sept 21 Abandoning a long-standing reticence, Iranians are increasingly candid about their involvement in Syria's war, and informal recruiters are now openly calling for volunteers to defend the Islamic Republic and fellow Shi'ites against Sunni militants.
With public opinion swinging behind the cause, numbers of would-be fighters have soared far beyond what Tehran is prepared to deploy in Syria, according to former fighters who spoke to Reuters, and commanders quoted by Iranian media.

Iran has been sending fighters to Syria since the early stages of the five-year war to support its ally, President Bashar al-Assad, in the struggle against Sunni rebels backed by Gulf Arab states and Western powers.

Once Tehran described these forces as military "advisers" but with around 400 killed on the battlefield, this discretion has slipped and several thousand are now believed to be fighting Islamic State and other groups trying to topple Assad.

Many Iranians initially opposed involvement in the war, harbouring little sympathy for Assad. But now they are warming to the mission, believing that Islamic State is a threat to the existence of their country best fought outside Iran's borders.

"The first line for the security of Iran is Syria and Iraq," a would-be volunteer named Mojtaba told Reuters by email from Tehran. Mojtaba, who asked that he be identified by only his first name, said he had been trying in vain to get out to fight in Syria for the past two years.
While Islamic State still holds large areas of Syria and Iraq, it has so far failed to stage attacks in neighbouring Iran like it has in Turkey.
Nevertheless, Iranian media have reported the breaking up of cells linked to the jihadist group at home, and the large numbers of people such as Mojtaba willing to join the battle in Syria suggest Tehran has the stamina to pursue its involvement there for years if it wishes.

"DEFENDERS OF THE SHRINE"

Iran alludes to its fighters in Syria as "defenders of the shrine", a reference to the Sayeda Zeinab mosque near Damascus, which is where a granddaughter of the Prophet Mohammad is said to be buried, as well as other shrines revered by Shi'ites. It is casting its recruitment net wide. As well as Iranians, it has gathered Shi'ites from Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan to battle the Syrian opposition in what has become a sectarian conflict.

Brigadier General Mohsen Kazemeini, the Revolutionary Guard Corps commander for greater Tehran, said last month there were so many volunteers that "only a small number of them are sent to (Syria)", according to the Defa Press site. Fighters killed in Syria are praised as heroes on state television and given lavish funerals. Iranian wrestler Saeed Abdevali dedicated the bronze medal he won at the Rio Olympics to the families of "defenders of the shrine" who have been killed. Some volunteers, disappointed at the long waiting list, take a shortcut. They fly directly to Damascus and volunteer at the Sayeda Zeinab shrine, according to postings on Modafeon, a web site dedicated to news and pictures of the "defenders".

The potent message of protecting the shrines has drawn in Shi'ite Afghans, some of whom live in Iran and others in Afghanistan. These Afghans fighting in Syria under the supervision of the Revolutionary Guards are known as the Fatemiyoun.

SACRED BELIEFS

A 26-year old Afghan student living in Mashad in northeast Iran described how he was sent with other Fatemiyoun to fight in Damascus and Aleppo for about 45 days after limited training. "My motivation is the same as the Iranians," the student, who asked not to be identified because of security concerns, said. "We are both fighting in Syria, so it shows our cause is far beyond geographic borders. We are fighting to defend our sacred beliefs and Shi'ite ideology."

Asked if he thought Iranian society had grown more welcoming to those who fight in Syria, he said "One hundred percent. When I was deployed, people were saying that they were doubtful if our fight would change anything. But now they respect the fighters more, as they are more familiar with the threats the rebels in Syria and Iraq can cause to Iran."

He said that pay, or the promise of gaining Iranian citizenship upon their return from the battlefield, are also incentives for some Afghans to volunteer. The Afghan fighters get about $450 a month, according to a Fatemiyoun commander interviewed by the Tasnim news site.
Senior officials regularly discuss the role of the Revolutionary Guards and Iranian special forces in Syria in terms of confronting the existential threat that mostly Shi'ite Iran faces from Sunni militant groups such as Islamic State, which is also known as ISIS.

Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, said this appealed more to public opinion than support for Assad. "Fighting Shi'ite-hating bloodthirsty ISIS jihadists is easier to sell to Iranians than wasting billions on a ruthless dictator who gasses his population," he said. A video regularly featured on Iranian state television shows a group of children wearing fatigues and combat boots singing about a religious duty to fight in Syria.

"The red lines around the shrine are made of my blood," they sing. Children under 18 may go to Syria to serve in non-combat support roles as long as they are accompanied by a guardian, according to postings on the Modafeon web site.

LESSON FROM EUROPE

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has described the wars in Syria and Iraq, where Iranian-backed authorities are also fighting Sunni militants, as crucial to the survival of the Islamic Republic. If Iranians had not gone and died fighting there, "the enemy would enter the country", he said, This perception has won over many doubters. Sasan Sabermotlagh, a 34-year-old decorator in Tehran, said he was initially "100 percent" against the war, but he and many others he knows had changed their mind.

Despite Iran's often fraught relations with the West, Sabermotlagh cited attacks staged by Islamic State in Europe in recent months. "Now that people completely know (Islamic State) and after the incidents in France, Germany and elsewhere, you can say that 90 percent of the people who criticised the 'defenders of the shrine' don't anymore," he said. Sabermotlagh even considered joining the fight. "When I see the videos and the pictures it has a big effect on me," he said. "I think if (Islamic State) or a similar group find their way to Iran then we will suffer similar things."

The presumed glory of the war is such that some people invent military service records to gain others' admiration. In August, Iran arrested four men in Mashad "accused of trying to attract young people's attention by putting together fake stories about their presence on the frontline", a local judiciary official was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency.

[OUTLAW 09]

FSA Northern Division, 13th Brigade and Soqur al-Jabal fully merge under the name Idleb Free Army.

[OUTLAW 09]

Putin & #Assad burning the besieged Eastern #Aleppo, while #Kerry telling us that the #Syria|n ceasefire isn't over

[CrowBat]

Appears the Assad regime cannot even provide the actual names of it's claimed 62 KIAs that were allegedly hit in a US FF incident......And this despite all of their (or IRGC's and SSNP's) losses in northern Hama. :D

That said, I'm beyond being disappointed how poorly is the Pentagon running that affair.

Namely, except Australians (don't think so) and Danes (even less so, knowing how careful they are) did something on their own there, I doubt 'that' air strike was flown by any kind of CENTCOM-controlled aircraft. More likely: Russians screwed up, as so often.

Their air force was very active there, during that quasi-cease-fire in Aleppo area.

[OUTLAW 09]

And this despite all of their (or IRGC's and SSNP's) losses in northern Hama. :D

That said, I'm beyond being disappointed how poorly is the Pentagon running that affair.

Namely, except Australians (don't think so) and Danes (even less so, knowing how careful they are) did something on their own there, I doubt 'that' air strike was flown by any kind of CENTCOM-controlled aircraft. More likely: Russians screwed up, as so often.

Their air force was very active there, during that quasi-cease-fire in Aleppo area.

CrowBat.....I keep going back to the two comments that came out shortly after the strike alluding to seven killed Russian Spetsnaz including a senior Spetsnaz Commander....

That would explain why the entire MoD, and Lavrov totally flipped out even for Russian standards......

After compiling most of the flowing comments starting at the first one just minutes after the alleged attack the first comment came on the Spetsnaz repeated ten minutes later and then silence since then.

What is critical and it is strange but actually IS claimed just a little after that the Spetsnaz comment that it was themselves that had been hit by the US...now whatever we think of IS they tend to not fudge on their posted comments from that area

Then followed by a comment from the Palestinian militia that they had lost troops..then they announced the names and since then totally quiet....one would have anticipated al least those names showing up for US payments.....

This whole incident smells of a Russia self inflicted friendly fire and there have been plenty on the Russia side since they arrived.....

[OUTLAW 09]

Reports of Russian/Assad airstrikes now with incendiary munitions targeting Daret Izza, west rural #Aleppo, #Syria

Not too long ago Russian jets targeted Karam Homid in #Aleppo w/ incendiary munitions; it's ok thermite/phosphorus/napalm are the norm now

SAMS ‏@sams_usa
Today, SAMS facility in Aleppo was targeted & damaged by a cluster bomb attack. Hospitals & med personnel are #NotATarget. #MedicsUnderFire.

Brigade_51
#51_Brigade
The 51st Brigade fighters going toward the front lines in the northern & eastern countryside of Aleppo to fight ISIS

FSA News
‏@FSAPlatform
#EuphratesShield
#FSA forces targeting #Daesh with Grad missiles in NE rural #Aleppo province

FSA News ‏@FSAPlatform
They can bring buses in to take people out, but they can't bring buses in to feed people. UN facilitating forced displacement
#Waer #Daraya

Step News Agency EN ‏@Step_Agency1
The arrival of #Alwaer rebels and their families to north countryside of #Homs.
http://stepagency-sy.net/en/archives/109775#…

[OUTLAW 09]

Syria frontlines
‏@SyriaWarReports
Russian military group's commander in Syria, colonel-general Alexander Dvornikov became commander of the Russian Southern Military District

This appointment makes perfect sense due to the fact that Syria is now an integral part of the Russian Southern Military District.

[OUTLAW 09]

One of dozens of air strikes and barrel bomb attacks on #Aleppo city today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7DZgWHzhK0#…

Assad regime is now boasting and the West simply looks on.....
Aleppo Security Cmte chief General Zaid Saleh, “We have enough troops to retake all of city” for the regime
http://bit.ly/2cvEwIP

Pro-Assad outlet admits #Syria regime forces intentionally shelled field hospital in #Quneitra
http://mme.cm/HNBW00#

[OUTLAW 09]

REALLY, REALLY REALLY REALLY worth reading this entire long read...in order to fully understand just why Obama/Rhodes and Kerry fully tilted to Iran and Russia and explains very well WHY Obama has not responded to genocide, starvation and war crimes being committed by Iran and Putin.....

A long read. but worth it....


http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/213851/obamas-syria-policy-striptease

Obama’s Syria Policy Striptease
Why hasn’t the administration done anything about Syria, and won’t? Because the Iran Deal.

By Tony Badran

America’s settled policy of standing by while half a million Syrians have been killed, millions have become refugees, and large swaths of their country have been reduced to rubble is not a simple “mistake,” as critics like Nicholas D. Kristof and Roger Cohen have lately claimed. Nor is it the product of any deeper-seated American impotence or of Vladimir Putin’s more recent aggressions. Rather, it is a byproduct of America’s overriding desire to clinch a nuclear deal with Iran, which was meant to allow America to permanently remove itself from a war footing with that country#and to shed its old allies and entanglements in the Middle East, which might also draw us into war. By allowing Iran and its allies to kill Syrians with impunity, America could demonstrate the corresponding firmness of its resolve to let Iran protect what President Barack Obama called its “equities” in Syria, which are every bit as important to Iran as pallets of cash.

And just like it sold its Iran policy through a public “echo chamber” of paid “experts” from organizations like Ploughshares and quote-seeking journalists and bloggers, some of whom also cashed White House-friendly nonprofit checks, the White House deliberately constructed an “echo chamber” to forward its Syria policy. The difference between the two “echo chambers” is that, absent any wider debate or the need for congressional approval, the Syria version was much more narrowly targeted at policy wonks and foreign-affairs writers, and the arguments it echoed were entirely deceptive in their larger thrust—the point of the Iran Deal was, in fact, to do a deal with Iran—rather than simply incomplete or false in their specifics.

America’s Syria policy can, therefore, be best understood not in the terms most familiar to Mideast analysts, such as “getting Assad to step aside” or “supporting the moderate opposition” or “paving the way to a peaceful transition and elections.” Rather, it is a strategic-communications campaign tightly run from the White House, whose purpose was and is to serve as a smokescreen for an entirely coherent and purposeful policy that comes directly from the president himself, but which he and his aides did not wish to publicly own. The goal of the president and his closest aides is to convince the Iranians that we would meet our commitments to them#while confusing and obscuring the real reasons behind the president’s set decision of nonintervention in Syria from American legislators and the public alike.

Recently, portions of the strategic-communications façade erected by the administration have started to crumble, allowing interested analysts and members of the public to see the administration’s actual policy more clearly. In a recent interview, Wall Street Journal reporter Jay Solomon revealed that in 2013, Iran told President Obama that if he were to strike the regime of Bashar Assad following the latter’s chemical-weapons attack, the Iranians would collapse the talks over their nuclear program. Obama canceled the strike, of course, and later reassured Iran that the United States would not touch Assad. Solomon’s reporting confirms a critical fact about Obama’s Iran and Syria policies: They are one and the same. Or, stated differently, Syria is part of the price for the president’s deal with Iran.

The White House reaction to Solomon’s assertion was a predictably swift denial. After all, the Obama administration would not want to associate the president’s signature foreign-policy initiative with the indiscriminate slaughter of half a million people and the worst refugee crisis of the new century. In doing so, it followed a well-worn playbook: At key junctures over the previous five years, the administration put out various talking points in the press, often sourced to anonymous officials, whose lines were then validated by allies and surrogates, including officials who had left government and resumed their positions in the think-tank world. As previously, the president’s objective was to manage domestic and allied pressure to intervene when his unmovable position was to avoid such an engagement at all costs, and always with an eye on the prize he sought in Tehran.

To be fair, Obama showed his cards on Syria literally from day one of the uprising against Assad. Unlike his nonnegotiable demand that longtime U.S. ally Hosni Mubarak, Egypt’s former president, step down immediately—not today, but “yesterday”—Obama very visibly and deliberately refused to call for Assad’s removal from power. In the White House, this call was contemptuously dubbed the “magic words,” and the belief was that saying those words would raise expectations of an active U.S. policy to see it through. This view—espoused by officials such as Steven Simon, then-National Security Council senior director for the Middle East and Africa—one of the linchpins of the White House communications strategy both from inside and then outside the White House, was put out in the media through favored surrogates, like George Washington University’s Marc Lynch, who reiterated the White House’s case and derided critics of the president’s refusal to utter the “magic words.”

If Obama purposefully took the Iranian regime’s side during the 2009 protests so as not to upset the prospect of rapprochement, he similarly wasn’t about to commit the United States against Iran’s longest-standing strategic ally, Assad. However, by 2012, criticism of the administration’s policy had grown more vocal, and calls rose to give military support to the Syrian opposition, a proposition the president was always opposed to. As this was a fixed position for Obama, the task before the White House was, therefore, one of public relations—to quiet the calls for supporting the opposition, outside and also within the administration, without doing anything that would actually upset Assad and his patrons in Iran.

Messaging, as always, was of paramount importance to the White House. As The#Wall Street Journal reported in early 2013, “White House national security meetings on Syria [in 2012] focused on what participants called ‘strategic messaging,’ how administration policy should be presented to the public.” To that end, the administration started putting out targeted talking points. The administration laid down its now-infamous mantra: There is no military solution in Syria.

One of the initial go-to lines was that the administration wanted to avoid further “militarization” of the situation. “We do not believe that militarization, further militarization of the situation in Syria at this point is the right course of action,” said then-White House press secretary Jay Carney. “We believe that it would lead to greater chaos, greater carnage.”

Again, White House surrogates faithfully disseminated its talking points and policy preferences. In an article in February of 2012, Washington Post columnist David Ignatius quoted an unnamed senior official who derided the rebel Free Syrian Army, then regurgitated the administration’s view that “shoveling weapons to this disorganized opposition now is likely only to increase civilian deaths.” Marc Lynch likewise repeated the administration’s position, often using its own stock lines verbatim, in several articles for Foreign Policy and in a paper for the Center for a New American Security.

Assad’s fall was inevitable, the administration contended. His days were numbered, and his departure, as Obama put it, was “not a question of if, it’s when.” As such, it wasn’t necessary to take military action against Assad. The White House cited intelligence indicating that Assad could be killed by his own people, “eliminating the need for riskier measures to support the rebel campaign.” “There are people around Assad who are beginning to hedge their bets,” asserted then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. There might be a coup in Syria, she predicted. “We saw this happen in other settings last year; I think it is going to happen in Syria.” Obama’s close aide Denis McDonough instructed the administration committee charged with Syria policy instead to “focus mostly on post-Assad planning,” because the dictator’s fall was simply a matter of time.

In fact, by summer 2012, when the White House was already running its secret talks with Iran in Oman, the Syria “small group”—the study group led by Simon, which had called on Obama to review military contingencies—had been shut down.

To shore up the noninterventionist position it had already guaranteed the Iranians, the White House introduced the enduring fixture of its Syria policy: bringing in Russia as a principal partner. The move coincided with the creation of the Friends of Syria group—intended to bypass Russian obstructionism at the U.N. Security Council. Obama then undercut this group of U.S. allies by instead drawing closer to Russia.

Working to accelerate Assad’s fall, the White House messaged, “could undercut U.S. efforts to persuade Russia to halt military aid to the Syrian regime.” Marc Lynch echoed the line in his CNAS paper: “It would also be very difficult to stop Russia, Iran, or others from supplying fresh arms and aid to Assad once the opposition’s backers are openly doing so.”


Continued.....

***

[OUTLAW 09]

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-09-22/obama-lectures-on-syria-a-crisis-he-exacerbated

Obama Lectures on Syria, a Crisis He Exacerbated

Sep 22, 2016 6:00 AM EDT
By Eli Lake



When future historians debate why the U.S. did so little to stop the tragedy in Syria, they should dig up the speech President Barack Obama just gave at a U.N. summit on refugees.

While Democrats signaled their collective virtue by denouncing a tweet from Donald Trump Jr. that compared Syrian refugees to Skittles, Obama lectured foreign ministers and heads of state this week on the same topic. "And just as failure to act in the past, for example, by turning away Jews fleeing Nazi Germany, is a stain on our collective conscience," Obama said, "I believe history will judge us harshly if we do not rise to this moment."

Obama went on to state something obvious: "We must recognize that refugees are a symptom of larger failures -- be it war, ethnic tensions, or persecution." But then he said something bizarre: "If we truly want to address the crisis, wars like the savagery in Syria must be brought to an end, and it will be brought to an end through political settlement and diplomacy, and not simply by bombing."# #

This of course is a straw man. No one who has argued for more U.S. involvement in Syria has said more bombing alone will solve these problems. What's more, the U.S. is doing a lot of bombing in Syria today against the Islamic State.

But there is also something sinister about Obama's formulation. The U.S. is not just another country when it comes to the collective security of the Middle East. Through its alliances and interventions, it has been the region's reluctant sheriff since the end of World War II. In this sense, it's rich of Obama to pose as a Jeremiah when he has acted more like a Nero.

His administration's pursuit of diplomacy and publicly stated policy to not attack Syrian forces gave Russia a green light to establish its forward air bases in Syria a year ago. As Secretary of State John Kerry pursued Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to restart peace negotiations, the Russians deployed bombers and jets to Syria and struck a pact with Iran to regain territory for the dictator, Bashar al-Assad.

This toothless diplomacy has further immiserated the Syrian people. The U.S. government confirmed Tuesday that it was Russian aircraft that destroyed an aid convoy this week, halting the delivery of food and medicine to the besieged citizens of Aleppo, and killing 20 aid workers.

It's worse than this though. This atrocity was committed during what was supposed to be a cessation of hostilities negotiated by Kerry and Lavrov this month in Geneva. The second phase of that agreement would have established a center in Jordan where Russian and U.S. military officers would share intelligence to target the Islamic State and other jihadis in Syria.

Think about that for a minute. Kerry negotiated a deal to collaborate with an air force that just bombed an aid convoy and has bombed hospitals and civilians now for a year. It's true that over the weekend, the U.S. bombed Syrian soldiers. It apologized for that mistake. The Russians at the time demanded the UN censure the U.S. This week Lavrov ridiculously has urged the UN to gather all the facts about the bombing of the aid convoy.

Kerry has mustered outrage at all of this. On Wednesday he told a UN meeting on Syria: "The primary question is no longer:# What do we know?# The primary question is:# Collectively, what are we going to do about it?# In other words, this is a moment of truth. It’s a moment of truth for President Putin and Russia; it’s a moment of truth also for the opposition; and it’s a moment of truth for the people who support the opposition."

Let me add that this also a moment of truth for Obama and the Democrats who support him. Kerry is reduced to chasing his Russian counterpart around the world to beg for cease-fires and negotiations because Obama never tried to deter Russia's intervention a year ago. As a result, there is no real chance to establish the no-fly zone that people like Kerry lobbied for in 2014 and 2015 behind the scenes, and that Hillary Clinton calls for publicly today.

That's a policy that would have saved lives and pressured Assad to negotiate an end to the war.

The tragedy in Syria is primarily the fault of Assad. But Obama's failure to challenge Assad and his Russian and Iranian supporters has extended the war that has forced so many Syrians to flee their country. It's easy to tweet the truism that these refugees are people, not Skittles. It's much harder to come to terms with the role Obama's inaction has played in upending those people's lives.

[OUTLAW 09]

CNN Trk ENG
✔
@CNNTURK_ENG
BREAKING Turkish President Erdoğan: 3 days ago 2 US planes brought weapons to #Kobani, Biden said he did not know about it, well I do.

[OUTLAW 09]

Another view of how a #Russia OFAB 250-270 bomb came to rest inside #Syria Red Crescent Aid Convoy warehouse near #Allepo

[OUTLAW 09]

Assad regime is now boasting and the West simply looks on.....
Aleppo Security Cmte chief General Zaid Saleh, “We have enough troops to retake all of city” for the regime
http://bit.ly/2cvEwIP



Assad regime officially announced the start of the offensive to capture entire Eastern #Aleppo.

[OUTLAW 09]

Latakia: Rebels have blown up a large group of pro-#Assad forces with ATGM near #Ayn_Issa, Norhern #Latakia, today.

[OUTLAW 09]

REALLY, REALLY REALLY REALLY worth reading this entire long read...in order to fully understand just why Obama/Rhodes and Kerry fully tilted to Iran and Russia and explains very well WHY Obama has not responded to genocide, starvation and war crimes being committed by Iran and Putin.....

A long read. but worth it....



That US/Russian ceasefire deal in full, via @AP -just as US/Russia meet in an attempt to revive it.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/f5428d60326c4394a1c95efcefad8d77/ap-exclusive-text-syria-cease-fire-deal


Russia now blames U.S for leak of Syrian deal, though they was bluffing to publish it for a week
https://twitter.com/lummideast/status/779024972949950464#
…

[OUTLAW 09]

Man those Iranian "moderates" are really enamored with Obama after the "Iran Deal"......


"Moderate" Iranian president Rouhani rejects John Kerry's request for Assad's and Russian jets to be grounded in some parts of #Syria

[OUTLAW 09]

WHY am I not really surprised by this??

1. the US intel community did not see the Russian annexation of Crimea coming at all

2. the US intel community did not see the actual Russian invasion of eastern Ukraine building up and then crossing into Ukraine....

ALL initial intel information was delivered sadly by social media opne source analysts.....

3. the US intel community did not see Russian military expansion into Syria coming from a mile away.......

If true...then really a sad state of affairs inside the current Obama/Rhodes/Kerry WH........

AP: Acco 2 offic in d metg Kerry was informed of Syria's army new ope in Aleppo when his chief of stf showed him a headline on BlackBerry 1

[OUTLAW 09]

I do now think that the DoS Kerry is along with Obama and Rhodes in there own "altered state of reality".....or as he accused Lavrov of being in a "parallel universe".....

DID he honesty think the Russians would listen to him????

AFP: Kerry said Lavrov had not been able to promise to ground Syria's bombers and to halt the bombardment of its cities.

Russia has never held to any ceasefires whether in eastern Ukraine and or in Syria......so what the heck is Kerry thinking????

IMHO Kerry is a total embarrassment to the Department of State either that or he is delusional right about now...it is now painful to watch or listen to him......

WHEN will he and Obama finally learn that when all diplomatic attempts truly fail and these have failed since 2012....one must use leverage to regain the initiative.......in this case a NZF over specific areas and a total ground of all Assad jets and helicopters.....EVEN if that means the use of force.....

BUT WAIT....yesterday the JCoS Mullen "claimed we cannot provide a NFZ over all of Syria without clashing with the Russia AF.....BUT no one stated a complete NFZ....NOW DoD is providing a smokescreen for both Kerry and Obama......

Kerry on Syria: "it’s clear we cannot continue on same path". Schedules another meeting with Lavrov on Friday.


BUT WAIT...did not Kerry repeatedly state he had a PLAN B.....?????

[OUTLAW 09]

Russian Syrian Express....

Russian Navy's brand new seagoing self-propelled floating crane SPK-46150 in tow, northbound on the Bosphorus. Kurtarma 1&3 joined Norsund.

[OUTLAW 09]

Confirmed : Russian Bomb Remains Recovered from Syrian Red Crescent Aid Convoy Attack via @bellingcat
https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2016/09/22/russian-bomb-remains-recovered-syrian-red-crescent-aid-convoy-attack/#
…

ANOTHER solid social media open source analysis of the Russian attack on the UN/SRC aid convoy......

[OUTLAW 09]

Assad lies as much as Lavrov and Kerry these days and the western MSM does not call it out as they do not for Kerry and Lavrov...WHY is that?????

NOTICE.....the Panama Papers pointed out the corruption around Assad and yet not much was found about in the MSM........

[OUTLAW 09]

Russian terror blitz across Aleppo again today. Zibdiyeh, Ansari, Mashhad, Muwasalat & old Aleppo all hit.

Intense Russian/Assad airstrikes/barrel bombs targeted Qaterji, Maysar, Karam al-Tahan, Ansari, Sakhour, Marjeh & Handarat this AM

[OUTLAW 09]

Unfortunate reports that Russian airstrikes targeted White Helmets @SyriaCivilDef centres in Sakhour & Ansari districts in #Aleppo this AM

When bombs explode in #Syria, the White Helmets are the brave 1st responders on the scene. Honored to meet their leader & #Aleppo activists.

Someone tell this hypocrite that 2 @SyriaCivilDef centres in #Aleppo were bombed by Russia this morning

This guy is shameless beyond...
Enables Russia to drop the very same cluster & thermite bombs he is talking about.
And pretends all fine.

REMEMBER this is the same Kerry and Obama WH that said ABSOLUTELY nothing when the Director of the SCD was taken off a DC flight by Homeland Security and then immediately forced to leave the US EVEN with a valid US embassy issued visa...he was to receive a honor award for the work the SCD is doing in Syria....

BECAUSE they had received twitter complaints from proAssad/Russian commenters he was AQ....ALL of these complaints WERE never investigated by DHS......

NOTICE Kerry does not apologize for that incident does he......???

[OUTLAW 09]

Aleppo Remains of ShOAB-0.5 bomblets used in Russian airstrikes today on the electricity district in Khan al-Asal
https://youtu.be/GHlS5aU6RIk

Reports of Russian/Assad airstrikes with incendiary munitions targeting Daret Izza, west rural #Aleppo, #Syria

Syria Rebels took barrier on road btw #Homs & #Salamiyah

Syria #Assad-regime announce battle to "liberate" E-#Aleppo
(with mercenary-army from #Russia, #Iran, #Iraq, #Afghanistan #Lebanon...)

Syria Drink water facility in eastern #Aleppo out of service after targeted by airstrikes (not for the first time)
AssadPutin air strikes on civilians and one of two remaining water plants right now.
2 civilians killed, 10 injured, water cut off.

Syria Fatah al Sham #JFS versus #IslamicState in eastern #Qalamoun
https://youtu.be/frdQZVKhW-A

[CrowBat]

CrowBat.....I keep going back to the two comments that came out shortly after the strike alluding to seven killed Russian Spetsnaz including a senior Spetsnaz Commander....

That would explain why the entire MoD, and Lavrov totally flipped out even for Russian standards......

After compiling most of the flowing comments starting at the first one just minutes after the alleged attack the first comment came on the Spetsnaz repeated ten minutes later and then silence since then.

What is critical and it is strange but actually IS claimed just a little after that the Spetsnaz comment that it was themselves that had been hit by the US...now whatever we think of IS they tend to not fudge on their posted comments from that area

Then followed by a comment from the Palestinian militia that they had lost troops..then they announced the names and since then totally quiet....one would have anticipated al least those names showing up for US payments.....

This whole incident smells of a Russia self inflicted friendly fire and there have been plenty on the Russia side since they arrived.....
IMHO & AFAIK: there is absolutely no point in even considering any of claims that the 'USA have hit regime troops inside the Dayr az-Zawr pocket'.

Reason: that would amount to 'USA attempting to provide CAS to Assad's troops'.

No doubt, the Pentagon is plain dumb in regards of Syria. But, it's not that dumb. They are bombing the Daesh all over the Dayr az-Zawr Governorate since months, that's sure (and can be easily tracked with help of summaries posted daily on airwars.org (https://airwars.org/daily-reports-sep16/)). BUT, they are all the time bombing local supply lines of the Daesh: they never bombed anything inside the regime-held pocket, or close to its frontlines. There's no reason for this to change now.

As next, it turned out that instead of '2 USAF A-10s, 2 F-16s & an UAV' reported by Russians, there were Danish F-16s supported by a RAAF E-7 around. Let's add a CIA or USAF UAV to that: one can never be sure, except that these are 'always around' in such cases. (EDIT: it turns out British say they had one of their Reapers there (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/british-air-strike-syria-killed-assad-soldiers-drone-ministry-of-defence-government-confirms-raper-a7316326.html)).

Danish contingent deployed 'in the Middle East' has two lawyers 'embedded', plus special software showing 'predicted schrapnel impact zone' to their pilots integrated into their LANTRIN etc. They can only be described as 'overcautious' in their operations: nothing is released there without 10-fold confirmation and re-confirmation.

So, why would they and now and all of a sudden come to the idea to go bombing Daesh frontlines around the Dayr az-Zawr pocket, please?

And: how could two F-16s armed with a total of 8 SDBs or GBU-32s cause such a massive loss of life for Assadists - i.e. PFLP-GC's militias and Hezbollah...as claimed by Russians and Assadist regime (renowned foremost for lying all the time: in this case they cannot even provide lists of their supposed KIA) - while bombing (citate from official CENTCOM release) 'Near Dayr Az Zawr, one strike damaged five ISIL supply routes'...?

Even if we add the French - who were active over the Dayr az-Zawr Governorate in the last few days too (though, apparently, not on 16 September) - things are changing only minimally. Each of their Mirage 2000s is carrying only two PGMs.

The only logical answer is that there's absolutely no point in doing that.

Who was there - and then a lot - though, were Russians: the VKS flew a number of air strikes against the Daesh on Dayr az-Zawr frontlines during that quasi-cease-fire in Aleppo, the last week. And Russians have not only hit Assadists repeatedly (usually causing massive losses, like in northern Homs, back in November last year, or in as-Safira, in February this year), but foremost: if Russians are bombing anything in that part of Syria, then either with Su-34s or Tu-22s, both of which are applying de-facto carpet-bombing with dumb bombs (usually different variants of FAB-250s).

[OUTLAW 09]

Putin's war against the Syrian people..in the name of Assad ....... Aleppo city this morning ..some would declare what Assad and Putin are doing is "genocide" ALL would except the Obama/Rhodes/Kerry WH......for some strange reason that single word is not in their diplomatic vocabulary...why is that????

Kerry just keeps on talking as if talking is going to "win".....WHEN will he finally admit he and Obama have made a serious mess of the ME all in the name of fully tilting to Iran and Russia????

[CrowBat]

Moderator adds

Hat tip to Crowbat for this Russian article, which was in the main Syrian War thread. This new thread is for the article to get a higher profile (ends).


Here an article (https://www.gazeta.ru/army/2016/09/22/10209455.shtml) in Russian, by Col Mikhail Mikhailovich Hodarenok (ret.), former staff officer of the V-PVO, titled, Why Russia did not succeed in Syria after one year of involvement

The following is my rough translation. My Russian is far away from being perfect, and I admit: I tend to translate 'by sense', not 'literally'. So I apologize in advance if there are any mistakes.

Anyway, this article is particularly interesting for

Almost a year ago (30.09.15) Russia has started a military operation in Syria. Despite the external support Bashar al-Assad army did not manage to achieve any significant success: 60-70% of the country is still controlled by the militants, population and even the army have to pay bribes to special forces and so on. It is impossible to win this war without a serious political decision.
...

Currently the majority of Russian troops went back home. Basically there is just one aviation group on Khmeimim. There is information that Kremlin decided to lower the cost of the whole operation: they try to save bombs and the aviation fuel. There are rumors that Russia is buying some bombs in Belarus as well where there is still plenty of bombs left after the USSR collapse.

Speaking about the amount of Russian involvement in Syria, currently there is around 4500 Russians there. The amount of people who voted (18.09.16) in the military base is 4378.
...
This figure is something I have strong doubts about, but that's the only 'firm' figure available, based on this report (http://www.rbc.ru/politics/21/09/2016/57e2969d9a79474e48b89c67) about the number of Russian votes in Syria.


The first 6 months of the campaign was a relative success. Russian army performed effective strikes and Syrian army was able to advance well and liberate some of the Syrian areas. However during the second 6 months no significant advance occurs as well as Syrian army had to pull back in some areas.

Today around 60-70% (it is difficult to tell the exact numbers) of Syrian territory is occupied by militants and the opposition. Almost the whole East of Syria, significant parts of Aleppo, whole Idlib, significant parts of Homs, the territory around Deir ez-Zor, Eastern Ghouta in the South of Damask, Zabadani close to the border with Lebanon and other places are controlled by them.

Aleppo terrorists constantly get supplies from Turkey, it includes militants, arms, military supplies and vehicles. In Idlib the Syrian-Turkish border is completely opened.This is something no 'sane Putler-fan' would ever admit. Therefore, it's almost startling to 'hear' it from even a retired Russian military officer.


Further Syrian army success does not look good. The quality of army management is the most important question today.

Since 2004 Syrian army fired a lot of officers and generals who got their education in USSR and Russia.

There are almost no Russian-speaking officers in Syrian army today. Officers who got their education in Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the West were preferred. They were the main core of Syrian army.Well, it wasn't me who was claiming 'that's our land', and swearing about 'never-ending, ages-old, Syrian-Russian friendship', and 'protection of massive Russian investments in Syria' - but certain Russian parliamentaries.

Obviously, when things turn out to be different than all the Russian prejudice and supposition dictated, the blow comes quite low...

Anyway: where were what of Assad's officers trained is actually irrelevant. If nothing else, the experience from earlier wars (with Israel, for example) has shown that if they were trained in 'Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the West' one could expect them to perform far better than if trained in Russia/ex-USSR.

What is relevant is that the officers in question were not selected by their skills and merits, but their loyalty to the regime, and that the 'training abroad' was usually considered 'paid vacation' by most of them.

Little wonder then, if they do not perform as one might expect.

On the other hand, the really interesting aspect of this is: Russians are shocked, then they have no and can't exercise any influence, because people they should advise in Syria have been trained somewhere else.


A lot of Syrian generals and officers left Syrian army and joined the opposition as a result. They were not the worst part of Syrian army however. Today Syrian army suffers from corruption, intrigues, informal agreements, exchanges of services, connections and so on. Good and brave officers have no chance to get a promotion without connections.

All Russian military advisers left Syria. There are no Russian advisers in Syrian central army apparatus, nor anywhere in the army or staff. This is the main reason why there is no basic communication between Russian and Syrian military personnel. It causes non-compliance in actions, absence of cooperation and mutual mistrust. Both Russia and Syria suspect each other in information leaks and even betrayal.

There must be a coalition army for a much effective military actions. A united staff must be formed, and a united coalition commander with must be assigned, who will be personally responsible for the campaign.

It it desirable that such commander's rank is a deputy defense minister of Russia at least. He should not be in Khmeimim with his staff, but in Damask. He must be appointed there not for 3 months or so, but until the victory.

In this case only it is possible to talk about some adequate forces administration. Yet it is not implemented and it is unknown whether it will ever be.

In fact, Russia has already some good experience in creating a coalition army during the trainings. Since 2005 Russia is participating in joint "Peaceful mission" training within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The training deals with joint coalition forming and administration with different countries being involved. This experience could be used in Syria.

The coalition commander should have a strong reserve forces (in fact currently Syria has no reserve forces).

The best option for such reserve would be 10 thousand Ramzan Kadyrov soldiers that could form a brigade. Just the usage of such brigade would drastically change the situation on favor of Syrian army.

If Syria and Russia are allies, they should discuss together all the major changes in Syrian staff. Assad supporters could become angry since it might look like the Syrian sovereignty collapse, yet they are free to analyze how soon Syrian army will lose the war without such close cooperation.That's a 'rough translation', but let me add 'actual translation' of this: Russia is NOT in control of anything there, and he thinks that's the actual problem.


Syrian army has no centralized supplies. Everything is decided by the army commanders. They get the money and decide what supplies they are going to buy. These commanders are the richest people in Syrian army. Central staff has no influence over their decisions regarding supplies. This is the reason why Assad army is so poorly supplied. Syrian young people leave the country from the conscription. There is a minimum help for the family members of dead or wounded solders. Such families are extremely poor.

Soldiers and officers are not motivated to fight.

The military college was left by Syrian army when just a few militants (8-11 people) entered it during the Aleppo battle. They left a lot of supplies and food there. Russian aviation had to destroy the object later.

This is the most common picture: RuAF completes the strikes yet the Assad soldiers do not advance. They advance for around 60 meters and then go back. They rarely aim when shoot.

Syrian army was advancing from Palmyra to Deir ez-Zor for 1.5 months, it was just 7 kilometers towards their destination. Yet they left it all in just one day. One of the high ranked staff officials came, spoke to his local army, and then they run away (this part looks strange even in Russian).

Sometimes just one bearded militant could scare Syrian army a lot and they would run away.

Assad artillery is also very bad. They could hit the target directly, or half-directly. They don't know how to hit a target from a closed position (indirectly).Hear, hear...

In essence, this is a confirmation for the fact that there is no SAA. If there would be one, there would be a centralized system of supplies.

...to be continued....

[CrowBat]

Part 2:


Syrian army has no general strategic line. They command tactically on separate directions.

This is the style of Ali Aslan, who was the chief of staff of the Syrian Army, and now he is the closest Bashar al-Assad military adviser.

During the 6-day war in 1967 he was a platoon commander, and it looks like he is still on the same level. He does not know what a strategy is, nor everyone who passed through his training knows anything about it. There is no success everywhere Ali Aslan and his commanders are present.

Syrian army has no reserves. At the same time they are forming volunteer brigades. They could have formed a powerful reserve and concentrate it in the right place in the right time. Yet these volunteers are spread across the country and change nothing in this war.
Well, it's hard to form reserves, when 'army' consists of sectarian militias, each of which is run by a different clan for the purpose of protecting its own fiefdom.


There are shootings every night in the capital of Syria. They occur almost exactly at the same time each day, at around 22.00 (11 AM). Militants are in the suburbs of Damask yet no one is doing anything about them.

It looks like this tension in the capital of Syria is good for both sides.

Assad's traveling in Damask and in Syria is limited for his safety. Only the most trusted people could personally meet Assad.

A good question comes into the mind: does Assad actually know what is happening in his country? Does he have independent sources of information that allow for a full understanding of the situation in his country? By the way, Syrian leaders deny the fact that they have a civil war. They think it is an internal military conflict with the elements of external intervention. Despite these full scale military actions there is still no martial law introduced.

A huge amount if intelligence forces (mukhābarāt) make the situation even worse. There are four kinds of it: national, military, air and political. There is also the National bureau of security.

The corruption in Syrian intelligence forces is awful. They force the whole population and army to pay an enormous amounts of bribes.

You have to pay when traveling through Syria at each checkpoint. Even a truck loaded with food could only cross the checkpoint for money. A similar situation is happening with refugees. Syrian intelligence forces could take a random person from the crowd and take all the money. The person then is detained. In order to free such person you would have to pay around 200.000 liras per person. This is a huge amount of money by Syrian standards.

It is impossible to apply European approach in multi-ethnic and multi-confessional Syria. You have to consider the local way of thinking. For example Syria has a lot of Christians, there is around 2 million of them. However they are not willing to fight for Assad. They used to be a social outcast in Syria, heavily underrepresented at all government levels. Hence they are not willing to fight for Assad since they do not know what to expect from him in the future. They could be used to form a few brigades 10.000 people each, and they could be brave warriors too.

No one is cooperating with Syrian Turkmen. They are good warriors as well, yet they fight for the opposition mostly. They could have fought for Assad if they knew what they are fighting for exactly. Even the ones who are fighting for the opposition could have switched to the pro-government forces. Yet no one is working with them. Syrian intelligence forces also play a bad role here, they just steal these people and you never see them again.

The relatives would only get a note afterwards, saying that "your son died in prison". The government is making a lot of enemies for themselves.

Current situation in Syria is a dead end. There is no military solution for the situation. While Americans and the opposition are working on the new constitution, Assad is doing nothing.
Think Mr. Hodarenok should've offered his article for publishing to one of leading papers in Tehran: the people there are convinced the war is very much winnable...

EDIT: alternatively, it should become 'recommended reading' for every Tom, Dick and Harry in the Pentagon. I know, chances are next to non-existing. But, it still might point them at all the opportunities they failed to grab.

[OUTLAW 09]

WHY am I not really surprised by this??

1. the US intel community did not see the Russian annexation of Crimea coming at all

2. the US intel community did not see the actual Russian invasion of eastern Ukraine building up and then crossing into Ukraine....

ALL initial intel information was delivered sadly by social media opne source analysts.....

3. the US intel community did not see Russian military expansion into Syria coming from a mile away.......

If true...then really a sad state of affairs inside the current Obama/Rhodes/Kerry WH........

AP: Acco 2 offic in d metg Kerry was informed of Syria's army new ope in Aleppo when his chief of stf showed him a headline on BlackBerry 1


IF this again true which I believe it is....WHY did not Kerry pound on the table, stand up and declare this proves you Russia are not in the least interested in a political/diplomatic solution we the US are now going to PLAN B...we have given you amble time to prove your seriousness??????

A furious Kerry then told the entire room, Lavrov included, that "even while we are meeting here, they are doing this," said the official 2

[OUTLAW 09]

IF this again true which I believe it is....WHY did not Kerry pound on the table, stand up and declare this proves you Russia are not in the least interested in a political/diplomatic solution we the US are now going to PLAN B...we have given you amble time to prove your seriousness??????

A furious Kerry then told the entire room, Lavrov included, that "even while we are meeting here, they are doing this," said the official 2

Charles Lister ‏@Charles_Lister
- #Syria’s Army launches major offensive in #Aleppo

- US, #Russia & ISSG leave NY with no agreement

- Still think current approach works?

[OUTLAW 09]

Aleppo Media center reports that Russian warplanes have fired 15 rocket strikes on #Aleppo.

Really awesome 360 video by SMART news agency " Aleppo through the eyes of its heroic citizens" following civil def
https://youtu.be/6fN24Q8oK9o

13 Division fighting IS in NE. #Aleppo during #Euphrates_shield
https://youtu.be/W63H44IPKPc

GoPro footage of a 13th Division technical gunner engaging IS in N. Aleppo countryside
https://youtu.be/W63H44IPKPc

Jabhat Ansar al-Deen 15 min video on lifting the siege of Aleppo uses IS nasheed multiple times
https://youtu.be/9gNx0fPaPaE

N. #Hama: Regime set up artillery on top of Kafraa Mount to support its counter-offensive in Maardas.
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=35.212360&lon=36.798556&z=17&m#…

SE. #Hama: Rebels took Al-Shakari checkpoint near Khunayfis & seized one BMP (SW of Salamiyah) via @el_sarkis. http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=34.950116&lon=36.999550&z=12&m=b#…
Not sure if only a raid and or physically taking it over.....

N. #Latakia: Rebels thwarted multiple assaults in Jebal Turkman (Tufahiyah) & Jebal Akrad (#Kinsabba axis & Kabana).

EuphratesShield: after a carbomb targeted #FSA near Azaz #ISIS is now shelling Al-Rai with heavy artillery.

[OUTLAW 09]

It appears that the infamous Ahmad al-Nisafi, commander of the Iranian backed NDF militia in #Homs, was killed by rebels in #Hama yesterday

[OUTLAW 09]

Assad lies as much as Lavrov and Kerry these days and the western MSM does not call it out as they do not for Kerry and Lavrov...WHY is that?????

NOTICE.....the Panama Papers pointed out the corruption around Assad and yet not much was found about in the MSM........

MORE Assad statements from his AP interview from 22 September that AP neither countered NOR then released fact checks.....AP in this case is acting like an official Assad propaganda media outlet......

[OUTLAW 09]

#Syria 60+ airstrikes conducted by #Russia & #Assad on #Aleppo city since morning
2 rescue service HQs also hit

[OUTLAW 09]

WONDER what great verbal statements will come out of the fully titled Iran/Russian WH this morning when they awake to the new Russian Aleppo bombing campaign.....????

BTW...as a little assistance for Kerry currently ALL bombing strikes on Aleppo ARE being carried out by the Russians NOT Assad.....

ESPECIALLY After Kerry praised the SCD yesterday....BUT WAIT it just was for a legacy photo op

Khaled Khatib @995Khaled
Al Assad forces deliberately targeted 3 @SyriaCivilDef centres in Aleppo city just this morning. 2 of them are put out of service.

BY THE WAY THIS RUSSIAN AIR STRIKE DESTROYED THE REMAINING SCD AMBULANCES IN ALEPPO....WONDER WHAT THE OBAMA/KERRY RESPONSE WILL BE.....PROBBALY JUST MORE TALKING.....

[davidbfpo]

Hat tip to Crowbat for this Russian article, 'Why Russia did not succeed in Syria after one year of involvement' written by a ret'd Air Defence staff officer, Col. Mikhail Mikhailovich Hodarenok and in Russian is on:https://www.gazeta.ru/army/2016/09/22/10209455.shtml

Crowbat has a rough translation, but if anyone can supply another feel free to post!:) In two posts, which will appear first after this thread is created. The new thread is for this article to get a higher profile.

The main, current Syrian War thread has several recent Russian comments from open source analysts.

[OUTLAW 09]

Russian/Assad airstrikes are not limited to #Aleppo, multiple towns/villages in rural Damascus, Daraa & Idlib were also targeted today

Syria Airstrike on Karm al-Qaterji neighborhood in #Aleppo city with 8 dead today
Photo One

#Russia dropped incendiary bombs on #Aleppo city
-now by daylight
Photo Two

[OUTLAW 09]

WONDER what great verbal statements will come out of the fully titled Iran/Russian WH this morning when they awake to the new Russian Aleppo bombing campaign.....????

BTW...as a little assistance for Kerry currently ALL bombing strikes on Aleppo ARE being carried out by the Russians NOT Assad.....

ESPECIALLY After Kerry praised the SCD yesterday....BUT WAIT it just was for a legacy photo op

Khaled Khatib @995Khaled
Al Assad forces deliberately targeted 3 @SyriaCivilDef centres in Aleppo city just this morning. 2 of them are put out of service.

BY THE WAY THIS RUSSIAN AIR STRIKE DESTROYED THE REMAINING SCD AMBULANCES IN ALEPPO....WONDER WHAT THE OBAMA/KERRY RESPONSE WILL BE.....PROBBALY JUST MORE TALKING.....

Another attack reported on @SyriaCivilDef HQ in east Aleppo's Ansari district. It seems warplanes looped back to bomb second time in a day.

[OUTLAW 09]

Syria #Aleppo Elder women sitting in the rubble of her house after #Putin/#Assad airstrike
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W85ndTditUs#…
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.204945&lon=36.958566&z=15&m=b#…

Syria: At least 300 civilians killed, hundreds wounded across rebel-held parts of Aleppo since Assad declared end to ceasefire.

Seems #Turkey's #EuphratesShield collapsing in northern #Aleppo against #IslamicState counter assault (IS regained 20 villages)

Syria #IslamicState advancing closer on Al-Ra'i town against #FSA & #Turkey army

Syria #IslamicState advancing closer on #DeirEzZor regime airbase from north & south

[OUTLAW 09]

In 10 kilometers altitude over #Aleppo city, #RUSSIAN AIR FORCE Su-34 circle and drop bombs on civilians!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yBZZlqylHE#…

[OUTLAW 09]

INTERESTING that the German SPD Vice Chancellor and the German SPD FM now both have adopted the Russian lies that it was the Syrian AF that bombed the aid convoy AND the Russian demands that the US stop bombing IS and separate the rebels from JFS.....

Both claimed the evidence of the Syrian bombing came from their intelligence services....

German SPD has taken in the last few months a decidedly proRussian viewpoint and has chastised both NATO and the US starting the eastern Ukraine problem........

[OUTLAW 09]

Putin's war against the Syrian people..in the name of Assad ....... Aleppo city this morning ..some would declare what Assad and Putin are doing is "genocide" ALL would except the Obama/Rhodes/Kerry WH......for some strange reason that single word is not in their diplomatic vocabulary...why is that????

Kerry just keeps on talking as if talking is going to "win".....WHEN will he finally admit he and Obama have made a serious mess of the ME all in the name of fully tilting to Iran and Russia????

The photo attached to this comment seems to indicate that the Russians are now dropping deep penetration bunker busting bombs as this is one deep crater never previously seen before....

[OUTLAW 09]

Aleppo: terrible pictures from E. neighbourhoods where people are being deliberately terrorized without mercy by dozens of #RuAF & Regime airstrikes.

Now over 80 Russian and Assad air strikes AND still counting AND the West says nothing at all....just another day at the WH office it seems....

Incendiary cluster munitions strikes now around the clock.......when used against a civilian population then it is basically a war crime....but Assad and Putin are assured by the US that will not happen as long as Obama is in the WH....

The first photo is of a complete family that was killed in the heavy bombings from this morning.....parents and three children....caught in their bedroom seeking protection from the air strikes....

FOR those around Obama and Kerry that have apparently never seen the face of genocide see the face of it in this photo of the mother trying to protect her children....

The death of this family is a direct result of the so called Obama "do nothing stupid" Syrian FP.......

[OUTLAW 09]

INTERESTING that the German SPD Vice Chancellor and the German SPD FM now both have adopted the Russian lies that it was the Syrian AF that bombed the aid convoy AND the Russian demands that the US stop bombing IS and separate the rebels from JFS.....

Both claimed the evidence of the Syrian bombing came from their intelligence services....

German SPD has taken in the last few months a decidedly proRussian viewpoint and has chastised both NATO and the US starting the eastern Ukraine problem........

So is Erdogan protecting Putin Or using it as an excuse to kick out Assad???????

Erdogan blames Assad for aid convoy attack

http://nbcnews.to/2doXUZR

[OUTLAW 09]

WHEN Assad and Russian run out of excuses needed to deliberately target the killing of civilians...just "blame Mossad and others"....

Russia claims Mossad, other foreign agents killed in Aleppo strike
http://toi.sr/2cJDdFN

APPEARS that the Russian have reached that ultimate "vodka high"...in their "parallel universe" called propaganda......

So now both Assad and Putin just really want to go to war with anyone these days.......

Citing ‘battlefield sources,’ state media says its warships bombed 30 officers from Israel, Qatar and Western countries

According to the Arabic-language version of Russia’s Sputnik news agency, some “30 Israeli and Western officers” died when they were hit by three Kalibr cruise missiles fired by Russian warships in a “foreign officers’ coordination operations room” in western Aleppo, near Mount Simeon.

In addition to the Mossad agents, the Russian report claimed, military officials from the United States, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom and Turkey — virtually every country hated by Iran, Syria and Russia — were killed in the strike, according to “battlefield sources.”
The foreign officers were “directing the terrorists’ attacks in Aleppo and Idlib,” the Iranian Fars news reported, referring to the rebel groups that control the Syrian cities.

I guess when you are losing the actual ground combat battles THEN anything to place the blame on others is a given ....

THERE is a certain amount of frustration in this Russian propaganda piece...meaning it cannot be possible that the normal Syrian rebels on their own are beating the heck out of far superior Russian and Assad troops....there has to be another reason....a la....."western officers"....for the rebel successes.....

[OUTLAW 09]

SO the Assad regime knew the air strikes were coming.......

More Aleppo bombing, aid makes it to Moadhamiyeh, & UN saying govt did not allow its staff on bombed convoy
http://nyti.ms/2cG73sJ

Rebels in Aleppo HAD warned the UN that bombing of the aid convoy was a distinct possibility...BUt UN pushed back and said nothing would happen.

[OUTLAW 09]

Aleppo: #Assad/#Russia|n airstrikes killed 43+ civilians & injured 100+ in #Aleppo City today, including many children

Air strikes still continue.....

Major problem with US strategy of prioritizing ceasefires for sake of ceasefires. Regime, Russia use them to regroup & then hit back harder.

Aleppo: No breaking news or special broadcasts in Western media about the Assad & Putin massacres in Eastern Aleppo.

[OUTLAW 09]

DeirEzzor: #Assad regime sending 100s of prisoners to #Palmyra & #DeirEzzor to fight against #ISIS.

[OUTLAW 09]

Six-year old boy's letter to Obama re: Omran has 100x more internationalism, solidarity, compassion than entire global alt-left combined.

AND that includes the entire Obama/Rhodes/Kerry WH and the 700 person NSC...

[OUTLAW 09]

FINALLY DoD is standing up publicly and telling the National Command Authority what it thinks...absolutely nothing wrong in this move......there has been a serious disconnect between the WH and DoD in recent years and it is just getting worse not better......

Top U.S. General Says Sharing Intelligence With Russia Unwise
http://www.rferl.mobi/a/28008044.html

[OUTLAW 09]

MORE Iraqi Shia militia being transferred from Iraq to Damascus THEN on to Syria....

Iran is now formally at war with the Arab Sunni's......

From Flightradar 24.....

From Basra to Damascus.
More Shiite militants on their way to recapture #Syria for #Assad.

[OUTLAW 09]

Aleppo: 81 #Syria|n civilians confirmed killed by #Assad & #Russia|n airstrikes in #Aleppo City today

High number of women and children among the dead.....

Terrible footage ...
Every hour senseless talks with #Russia in New York kill one child or more in #Aleppo ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLjwt7s87MA#
…

[OUTLAW 09]

Rebels destroy a regime truck in #Idlib province with the TOW.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auypm2edrLE#…

Footage
Another #RUSSIAN AIR FORCE - not #Assad! - Su-24 on its way to slaughter civilians in #Aleppo today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AYOyaj-LtA#
…
Footage
Brutal #Russian regime air strikes turned many neighborhoods in #Aleppo into mass graves today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1b4cCHIPe9A#
…

[OUTLAW 09]

Rebels destroy a regime truck in #Idlib province with the TOW.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auypm2edrLE#…

Footage
Another #RUSSIAN AIR FORCE - not #Assad! - Su-24 on its way to slaughter civilians in #Aleppo today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AYOyaj-LtA#
…
Footage
Brutal #Russian regime air strikes turned many neighborhoods in #Aleppo into mass graves today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1b4cCHIPe9A#
…

Appears that the entire Obama/Rhodes/Kerry WH has become literally "speechless" after their latest round of failures in Syria.......

Sources in besieged E #Aleppo confirm *at least* 81 people killed in overnight bombing by #Assad regime & #Russia

150+ airstrikes reported.

Cannot say they had any ideas anyway other than supporting Iran and Russia against the Syrian opposition.....

They are succeeding in retaining Assad in his leadership position, they are destroying the anti Assad opposition, assisting successfully in establishing Iran as the regional hegemon and participating in genocide and war crimes against Sunni's...AND establishing massive Russian presence in the entire ME and basically abandoning all US allies in the ME in the name of the "ethnical FP strategy" called "doing nothing stupid".....

Pity the next incoming US President

[OUTLAW 09]

As Putin and Assad continue their deliberate killing of civilians called normally "genocide" the Obama/Rhodes/Kerry WH keep on saying.......

"there is no military solution"....BUT WAIT then they urgently need to answer WHY is it that Assad and Putin have a military solution and they are executing it......

SO is the Obama WH basically "spinning" everyone AND actually allows the genocide to continue in the name of doing "absolutely nothing stupid"....

The killing just keeps on as the entire West and the entire western MSM remains as quiet as a mouse out of fear they must at some point do and or say something....appears that the western values of humanity, humility and compassion truly no longer exist......

Putin is definitely "winning the war of values"...as the West especially the Obama WH has lost theirs....

Aleppo: #Syria|n mother tried to cover her child with her body, but both were killed by #Assad & #Russia|n airstrikes today

GRAPHIC...but necessary to show the brutality of today's Russian and Assad air strikes on defenseless civilians....

[OUTLAW 09]

Also in Rastan city, endless air strikes on civilians continued throughout the day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAR1mgVjsKg#
…
Also high number of killed and wounded there as well....

[OUTLAW 09]

MORE Assad statements from his AP interview from 22 September that AP neither countered NOR then released fact checks.....AP in this case is acting like an official Assad propaganda media outlet......



WELL...it is about time AP "woke up" to being basically used as a Assad "mouthpiece"........

DAY late though....should have never released the interview Until fact checked and then accompanied the fact checking with the interview.....

AP fact checks its own interview with Bashar al-Assad:
https://apnews.com/2208a4c2eb384594af44ff49d158cfe7#

THIS is the current quality level of MSM...no wonder social media is gaining on them.....
…

[OUTLAW 09]

DOES anyone actually know who Obama/Rhodes/Kerry work for these days?????...ONE could actually get the feeling they are employed largely to defend Assad, Putin and Iran.........

Obama delays bills sanctioning Assad, Ki Moon delays reports accusing Assad of CW attacks

[OUTLAW 09]

To much death and destruction today even for me and I am use to it...out for the rest of the day after this posting....

Silence from the Obama WH is telling.....as it has basically "sold out American values" in it's full tilt to Iran and Russia.......

Maybe one of the saddest pictures from Aleppo today ...

A mother trying to save her children by using a blanket......and we in the US think we have it bad with our current unrest and our craving for weapons....try protecting your family from Russian/Assad air strikes with a "blanket".....

Here is a large question for all SWJ readers/commenters.....if you are a Syrian and this is your daily life and no one from the West, not a single leader, not a single MSM stands up and defends you....AND a former AQ group now rebranded spends their days trying their best to defend you as do the other anti Assad opposition forces under FSA.....WOULD you not at some point "become a flaming radical" just to survive??? THAT is a very valid question....

Due to the Obama reluctance to take any form of action and his basic ignoring of the Syrian genocide ARE we not potentially creating a far deeper jihadist resentment against the US that will haunt us for years to come....ARE we the US going to be in the future ever trusted by the Sunni global community which numbers in the billions after allowing genocide of Arab Sunni's in Syria and Iraq?

IF the US keeps this up there will never be an end to jihadists whatever their brand and flavor of the month is.....

[OUTLAW 09]

Putin killed so many children in #Aleppo today, he will have a good sleep.
All others in NY should have nightmares.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CKg_waIRWg#…

More graphic footage from the massacres in #Rastan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOquvnYFAKA#…

Also in the western #Aleppo suburbs, dozens died including many children in the RUS raids.
Couldn't be more graphic!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ3cxzOc71w#…

So much death, blood & devastation in #Aleppo today one doesn't know what to say anymore, Putin knows no limits, young or old all the same

[OUTLAW 09]

Obama and Kerry need to honestly read this and then ask themsleves...since we have basically thought the Russians were our "firends" HOW did we miscaluculate????????

ALL air strikes appear today to have been flown by Russians NOT Assad....

ALL aircraft filmed by activists were #Russian jets so far.
Not a single regime helicopter or Su-22 or alike ...

[CrowBat]

FINALLY DoD is standing up publicly and telling the National Command Authority what it thinks...absolutely nothing wrong in this move......there has been a serious disconnect between the WH and DoD in recent years and it is just getting worse not better......

Top U.S. General Says Sharing Intelligence With Russia Unwise
http://www.rferl.mobi/a/28008044.html
Sorry, can't agree here.

Considering how poor much of that intelligence is, it could even be useful to share it with Russians. :rolleyes:

[OUTLAW 09]

SyrianArmy denies #airstrikes against non-civilian targets in #Aleppo

Just as funny........
UPDATE: U.S. Secretary of State Kerry says 'a little bit of progress' on Syria talks with Russia's Lavrov today

AND "a little bit of destruction and death" also today in Aleppo.....

MAYBE Kerry can explain "what a little bit" means to this Syrian child....

WATCH: A baby boy is rescued from under the rubble of a collapsed building in Aleppo.
http://reut.rs/2cJ3QJf
#

[OUTLAW 09]

This is the #BS #Putin wants the world to believe of who & how #Syria Red Crescent Convoy,warehouses were bombed

[OUTLAW 09]

Via @NPR: Syria's Famed 'White Helmets' Group Says It's Being Targeted In New Offensive
https://n.pr/2deWjSZ

THIS is due to their being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize

[OUTLAW 09]

Charles Lister ‏@Charles_Lister
No underplaying how destructive & deadly today the last 24hrs have been in #Aleppo.

Truly *huge* #Assad regime & #Russia bombing.

Charles Lister ‏@Charles_Lister
Watch this & tell me we couldn’t be doing more:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZicIQpLKXI#…

#Assad & #Russia senselessly destroying #Aleppo & we watch on...

[OUTLAW 09]

Charles Lister ‏@Charles_Lister
No underplaying how destructive & deadly today the last 24hrs have been in #Aleppo.

Truly *huge* #Assad regime & #Russia bombing.

Charles Lister ‏@Charles_Lister
Watch this & tell me we couldn’t be doing more:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZicIQpLKXI#…

#Assad & #Russia senselessly destroying #Aleppo & we watch on...

UPDATE: U.S. Secretary of State Kerry says 'a little bit of progress' on Syria talks with Russia's Lavrov today


EVER notice the Kerry hypocrisy in his statements....he seemingly enjoys talking and talking and talking as hundreds are killed and wounded...all to avoid actually having to take any action as he is limited in anything since the Iran Deal....

WHAT he has not seemed to realize is...the Russians want him to keep talking...in the time he talks they just keep on killing civilians....

[OUTLAW 09]

The White Helmets @SyriaCivilDef
Mourning the loss of Khalid Al Naimi. Killed today on operations. He is the third brother in his family killed in service of @SyriaCivilDef

[OUTLAW 09]

The trademarked Putin urban renewal program. Grozny. Donetsk. Debaltseve. Aleppo.

[OUTLAW 09]

FSA has recaptured Qarah Qoz,Tat Homus,Tal Shair,Qantarah and Qasajiq from ISIS after ISIS captured them for a few hours

E. #Aleppo: Rebels shelled by night #Nayrab Airbase with Grad rockets.
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=36.182779&lon=37.220306&z=12&m#…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3K63O_8_ShM#…

[OUTLAW 09]

#Assad regime: "This was just the beginning. We will bomb Eastern #Aleppo for days. Then our troops will move in." #Genocide

NOW Kerry knows exactly the stated Russian/Assad goal SO he is going to do what...talk and talk and talk as GENOCIDE is being committed right in front of his face......

[OUTLAW 09]

Girl, 5, dragged alive from rubble of building after airstrike killed her family in Aleppo
http://dailym.ai/2cINro4

The @POTUS admin's use of political process to help Assad & Putin codify the siege on #Aleppo will echo through time

Hezbollah could storm east Aleppo and US officials would still be talking about how they're eroding the ceasefire. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2016/09/262319.htm#…

As I said before, @JohnKerry & @POTUS will negotiate into mandated failure to sustain 'political process.'

[OUTLAW 09]

Russian propaganda works on six Ds.......distract, distort, dismay, deflect ALL designed to create doubt......and distrust

So which one is the Russian FM Lavrov using here.....

Also, at press conference, Lavrov compared bombing of Aleppo convoy to downing of MH17. Says there should be investigation - not US version

Russia shot down MH17 so is the Russian FM admitting to the Russian air strike on the aid convoy.....the dog that has been biting the Russian leg on their shoot down of MH17 @bellingcat has been pointing the finger directly again at them for the aid convoy air strike....

[OUTLAW 09]

Russian propaganda works on six Ds.......distract, distort, dismay, deflect ALL designed to create doubt......and distrust

So which one is the Russian FM Lavrov using here.....

Also, at press conference, Lavrov compared bombing of Aleppo convoy to downing of MH17. Says there should be investigation - not US version

Russia shot down MH17 so is the Russian FM admitting to the Russian air strike on the aid convoy.....the dog that has been biting the Russian leg on their shoot down of MH17 @bellingcat has been pointing the finger directly again at them for the aid convoy air strike....

CONFIRMED!#AlJazeera confirms with munitions expert #Russia bombed #Syria Aid Convoy

[OUTLAW 09]

Sorry, can't agree here.

Considering how poor much of that intelligence is, it could even be useful to share it with Russians. :rolleyes:

CrowBat...based on the two Atlas Vision 2012/13 peacekeeping exercises where I worked with the Russian 14th Brigade Staff and their National Military Academy instructors...the Russians were highly interested in to two key areas 1) logistics and 2) the intelligence targeting cycle

If you noticed in the Russian chatter after the air strike they complained that the US had not provided them the following.....opposition groups by name, with commander and leading personalities and location all actually targeting info.

Appears to me that they are lacking a large degree of who is who on the ground and where are they....

Yes they can fly their own targeting drones but turning that into a targeting cycle within minutes if still a mystery to them...

WHAT would be interesting is how the DoD intel is differing to that of the CIA......

[OUTLAW 09]

White helmet heroes save a child still clenching toy from underneath rubble after Russia/Assad airstrikes

SCD states that there have been over 600 Russian/Assad air strikes in the last 48 hours and they are virtually out of medical supplies.....

Who seriously thinks, #Assad's barrel bombs would cause such damage, should get new glasses.

[OUTLAW 09]

Heavy Russian Syrian Express traffic......

#ВМф Auxiliary Fleet вспомогательный флот Kazan-60 returns from #Tartus #Syria in 15 days & transits Bosphorus towards the BlackSea 05:30GMT

Heavily laden #ВМФ #Cф NF Ropucha class LSTM Georgiy Pobedonosets transits Bosphorus en route to #Tartus #Syria, its 5th deployment in 2016

She is over her waterline markings indicating that she is more than heavily loaded....Russian logistics must be running low......suspect she is carrying bomb munitions...based on the high bombing rates the last week....

[OUTLAW 09]

Let's see. Obama said the use of poison gas in Syria crossed a "red line." ISIS attacks US troops with poison gas and Obama says...nothing

[OUTLAW 09]

Another #Russian air strike on a rebel base in #Hama killed 21 fighters, opposition media says.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8aR1YsmrZ8#…

Assad's helis - clearly visible - attacked the suburbs of #Aleppo today.
NOT the city itself.
#Russia did this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWv_L1ir170#…

[OUTLAW 09]

Interesting German media Online Bild reporter challenges the entire German Foreign Ministry after the UNGA German FM comments which basically have accepted the Russian propaganda line on Syria and lately even eastern Ukraine......there is a now a total disconnect between CDU Merkel comments and her SPD FM......

BILD has been the leading German media outlet calling out Russia repeatedly on eastern Ukraine and Syria.....with facts and photos not hype as in the Cold War days.....and they are being attacked heavily by Russian trolling for it....

.@BILD positioniert sich zu #Putin's Bombenhagel auf #Aleppo & der Haltung von #Steinmeier und @sigmargabriel dazu.
http://www.bild.de/politik/ausland/sigmar-gabriel/trifft-putin-trotz-syrien-angriffe-47970062.bild.html#…

IMHO BILD is using truth to power in a way not seen in German MSM for the last years....side comment...25 years ago the German political movements and peace movements would have been in the streets about Aleppo but Germany as has the US has become 'lazy" in the chase of consumerism and ever more salaries....that is changing massively under the influence of such BILD articles and this younger generation is "calling out their own older politicians" for the first time in a very long time....

F.-W.#Steinmeier chose to lie about the #Russian war crimes, knowing better.
German FM employees must chose who they support now.
GER or RUS

Assad didn't kill this baby.
#Putin's army did.
Our country becomes another "people's republic" as the FM denies these crimes ...
#Aleppo

SO for those SWJ readers that think the "younger German generation has forgotten the lessons of WW2"...they are far more in tune to genocide and war crimes THAN the entire Obama WH.....
Attached Images

[OUTLAW 09]

BREAKINGNEWS
@SyriaCivilDef REPORT
88 CIVILIANS KILLED IN #ALEPPO BY #RUSSIAN AIR STRIKES UNTIL 5PM LOCAL TIME.

Many more still buried and unrecovered as of yet....

[OUTLAW 09]

I have said over and over on this thread that this Obama/Rhodes/Kerry WH thing of "doing nothing stupid" is creating problems that will haunt the US literally for the next ten or so years...

WHO would have ever thought that Obama would actually be supporting now IS and AQ....????

I am not the only one that has seen this coming a mile off and I do not sit in DC or work for a think tank......

Kyle W. Orton ‏@KyleWOrton
New:
Letting al-Qaeda be the only option for civilian protection in #Syria is creating a major threat to the West:

https://kyleorton1991.wordpress.com/2016/09/23/abandoning-syria-to-assad...
Abandoning Syria to Assad Helps Al-Qaeda

By#Kyle Orton#(@KyleWOrton) on September 23,#2016


The deeply problematic attempted Syrian ceasefire agreement between the United States and Russia last week never really took hold and was finally torn asunder on Monday by Russia and the regime of Bashar al-Assad blitzing an aid convoy and launching massive, indiscriminate aerial attacks on rebel-held areas in Aleppo. Last night, the pro-Assad coalition commenced a renewed assault on Aleppo actually as the parties met to discuss putting the ceasefire back online.

It had been surreal that it was the U.S. insisting that “The ceasefire is not dead”. What it exposed was the lack of Western will to restrain the Assad regime, which al-Qaeda, especially, is exploiting, offering its services in the fight against Assad, and building a sustainable presence in Syria that will threaten the West for many years to come.

A Misconceived Ceasefire

The agreement between the U.S. and Russia, and its attendant political process, were inherently misconceived, strengthening Assad, whose murderous policies have—quite deliberately—provided the ideal context for the growth of extremist groups like al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.

The ceasefire had been intended to last seven days, during which regime jets would cease murdering civilians and attacking mainstream armed opposition groups, and there would be free access for humanitarian supplies.
After this “sustained” period of calm the U.S. and Russia would launch joint airstrikes against al-Qaeda in Syria, the recently rebranded Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (JFS).

The proposal—if it worked to the letter—would have eliminated an important part of the insurgency. Since the agreement contained no provision for bolstering mainstream rebels and no mechanism to prevent or punish the regime for anything, there was nothing to stop the pro-regime coalition from continuing to commit atrocities as JFS was degraded, nor making military gains against a weakened insurgency once JFS was gone.

While JFS’s destruction would have neutralized the insurrection as a strategic threat to the regime, it would not have brought peace. It would have removed all incentive for the regime to negotiate a political settlement, yet the regime’s chronic capacity problems would have left it unable to pacify the whole country. In these conditions, the most radical insurgent forces, who would be the ones prepared to fight on, would have been strengthened, condemning Syria to a permanent war in which terrorists could find haven.

The eradicate-JFS-without-replacing-its-capabilities part of the plan was understandably rejected by the Syrian opposition, which officially accepted the ceasefire element of the U.S.-Russia deal. Unfortunately even the ceasefire provisions never came to pass. Around 150 people were killed by the pro-Assad coalition during the ceasefire and not a single aid delivery was permitted to any of the regime-besieged areas.

On Monday, an aid convoy of eighteen trucks finally did move over the Turkish border into Aleppo, loaded with aid for 78,000 people. It was obliterated by Russian jets, who had been tracking it for at least two hours, its contents destroyed, and thirty-one civilians and staff killed. Indiscriminate bombing of rebel-held areas all over Aleppo also recommenced, bringing the ceasefire in any real world sense to an end.

Russia Directs the Political Process

By the time the political process began in December 2015, the Russian intervention had altered the balance of power so the regime was ascendant, and enabled the Russians to subvert the whole process, transforming it from one about the terms of Assad’s departure to the terms of his continuation in power. The U.S. was pushing for a unity government between the regime, with Assad still at the helm, and the rebels that turned its guns on the Islamic State. For the rebels this was surrender by another name.

The attempted ceasefire in February was preceded by a lessening of support for the rebellion as the U.S. and allies lived up to their obligation to de-escalate. The pro-regime coalition used this as cover to advance against Aleppo City, cutting off its supply lines to Turkey. The pro-regime then ostensibly accepted the ceasefire, using the rebels’ restraint to consolidate their gains, while continuing to prepare further offensives and to brazenly continue assaults in key strategic zones.
The ceasefire irretrievably collapsed in May when al-Qaeda led a full-scale counter-offensive in Aleppo, but in reality the ceasefire had been over in all-but-name for many weeks because of the pro-regime coalition’s continued attacks.

This time around the ceasefire was once again on de facto Russian terms and the regime faced no threat of enforceable sanction for violations of the agreement. It has also been evident for several weeks that the regime was building up for an offensive in Aleppo and the only question in Moscow about the ceasefire was whether the pro-regime coalition needed the fiction of one to allow preparations to be completed, or had no further need of this smokescreen and were able to conduct the offensive. The answer is now in.

From around midday yesterday, in Aleppo, the pro-Assad coalition commenced its heaviest wave of airstrikes for months. One resident said it was “as if the [Russian and Assad regime] planes are trying to compensate for all the days they didn’t drop bombs”. Last night the Assad regime announced a full-scale offensive as Secretary of State John Kerry was meeting with his Russian counterpart. Kerry is said to have found out about this from one of the wire services. Since then the gates of hell have opened.

The ground offensive is spearheaded, as usual, by Iraqi Shi’a jihadists who were imported by, and are under the command of, the Iranian theocracy. More than one-hundred airstrikes have been launched, and a similar number of civilians massacred. Two centres for the White Helmets have also been hit. There isn’t even time for interviews between the airstrikes.

Al-Qaeda Gains

Since al-Qaeda argued, from the beginning, that the political process was a conspiracy against the revolution, which would cajole the rebels into joining an interim government that served Western counter-terrorism priorities but had no care for the people and would leave them under Assad’s heel, they have come out of this period with a lot of credibility.

Al-Qaeda has adopted a strategy of embedding itself into the rebellion, making itself militarily necessary for the opposition and thereby shielding its jihadist agenda behind revolutionary actors whose only intention is to topple a regime that threatens them and their families.

The Western refusal to empower the mainstream rebellion allowed al-Qaeda the space to do this and to make decoupling its own fate from the rebellion more difficult. The attempted ceasefires have made this worse by providing cover for regime advances that consciously weaken the moderate rebels, increasing the dependency, in an effort to make the conflict binary between the regime and the jihadists.

With the rebranding—the supposed “split” from al-Qaeda—being baptised by breaking the siege of Aleppo, which the U.S. said it was powerless to do, and modifications in behaviour on the ground, al-Qaeda is even winning over former sceptics.

It’s a sad fact that Western policy has failed to defend a single Syrian inside Syria from murder by its outlaw government and its foreign life-support system, nor shown any willingness to work toward the only viable solution for security and peace: the removal of the Assad regime. A peace settlement from here is only viable if the West is willing to confront the Assad regime, to forcefully limit its ability to commit mass-murder and to change battlefield dynamics against it. The continued Western fiction that the ceasefire remains or can be revived or is the “only show in town,” as

Boris Johnson put it, is a clear statement that the West has no such will, and has taken the decision to continue on a path whose results are now known.

Allowing Assad free rein, as current policy does, protracts the war. The regime and its supporters have no intention of abiding by conditions that limit their capacity to subdue the insurgency, but they are unable to complete that task.

What the pro-regime coalition can do is continue with their chosen tactics in the attempt, collective punishment and mass-displacement, which leave a desperate population amenable to appeals from anybody who can help. Al-Qaeda will continue to fill this void for as long as it is allowed to.

By fostering a vanguardist co-dependency, taking on the population’s concerns as its own and working toward them, al-Qaeda is able to use that population to protect itself and to push its ideology among them, working toward socializing people into its vision of an Islamic state and co-opting the rebellion.

Leaving al-Qaeda as the only viable actor for protecting civilians from the Assad regime and its allies is creating a dangerously durable future base for Islamist terrorism.

[OUTLAW 09]

AND the genocidal deliberate killing of civilians continues in our face up close and personal...YET the entire West led by the non action of the US ABSOLUTELY says not a single word....

THIS is just how bad the Obama so called Syrian strategy has gotten the West....leaderless.....in all aspects of FP.....

9 killed, 70 injured in fresh Russian cluster munition strikes targeted Bustan al-Qasr district #Aleppo

Actually when one thinks about it JaN (AQ) now rebranded as JFS HAs in fact never killed as many civilians as Assad and Putin together, has never even uttered a single threat against the Us and has never attacked the US....NOW is seen inside Syria as a TRUE "white knight in shining armor"....

AND the US is being seen as being just as complicit in killing Syrian Sunni's as Assad and Putin.....

[OUTLAW 09]

Aleppo today: Victims of airstrikes under rubble with no one to dig them out
http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/24092016#…

Syria 130 people in #Aleppo killed yesterday by airstrikes, this morning 35 dead #genocide

All #Aleppo teams and volunteers active across the city, hundreds trapped under rubble from indiscriminate air strikes Hospitals overwhelmed

Syria Rebels try to storm regime stronghold Maan in northern #Hama

Assad forces partly control Handarat camp in northern #Aleppo

[OUTLAW 09]

We have seen the killing fields of Cambodia, the killing fields in Africa, the killing fields in Bosnia and the former Yugoslavia...AND we have repeatedly stated "we will never again allow it to happen"....

BUT under a US President who supposedly has won a Nobel Peace Prize for what I am not sure...he has led the US down a path of so called "ethnical FP" that has in fact turned the world upside down as Obama has tried to implement his FP vision in a world that did not have yet the right structures in place to accommodate the US changes.....

AND worse of all the Obama FP quietly ever so quietly negated 70 years of US FP in the ME BY fully supporting and titling to Iran and Russia opening a can of worms that will haunt the US for tens of years to come....

ANOTHER day in the Obama WH being TOTALLY complicit in genocide the same "killing fields" the US once sworn "would never again be allowed to happen"......

BUT this time is it happening WITH US support.....
We are now seeing genocide being practiced right in front of our faces AND the Obama WH remains totally silent.....

[OUTLAW 09]

Airbridge for #Syria's #Aleppo ! but #UN unwilling to parachute aid supplies into besieged city #EU #US #Obama #Kerry #Clinton fear #Russia

Historically speaking I remember a US that in fact stood up and said no to the Soviet Union during a similar siege......and for far more people...BUT WAIT they were not Sunni's.....and certainly not white....

BUT Obama/Kerry seem to have not read about the same historical event....

[OUTLAW 09]

Important development.......

Breaking. Harakat Nour Al-Din Zinki officialy entered Jaish Al-Fateh's operation room. #JaF

EuphratesShield: #FSA backed by #TSK seized back control of whole Kadrish area lost during #ISIS counter-offensive. http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=36.583555&lon=37.344761&z=12&m#…

N. #Latakia: Rebels fended off Regime attacks despite important Russian/Assad artillery/aerial cover.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m50a7DNeoYM#…

N. #Hama: heavy clashes & airstrikes in outskirts of #Maan as Rebels launched an assaut to seize over the village-fortress

Aleppo: intense #RuAF airstrikes on besieged areas continue while pro-Regime forces started attacks in N (#Handarat Camp) & S (Sheikh Said)

[OUTLAW 09]

Lavrov: US apologised to Assad for coalition airstrike that killed regime forces in DairEzzor.

NOW this is highly interesting a US apology to Assad a genocidal dictator announced by a Russia that has for all practical purposes constantly lied to Kerry and Obama and WHO has never fulfilled a single ceasefire in eastern Ukraine and or Syria.....

WHEN Obama could have engaged the US in Syria the death toll stood at 7,000 in 2012...

NOW in 2016 it is at 500,000 and really climbing....

SO when will the Obama WH apologize to the Syrian Sunni population for being complicit in their genocide, starvation and war crimes.....???

Interesting question is it not and it reflects badly on that so called Obama "ethnical FP" strategy which really is called "doing nothing stupid"...

Relentless Russian bombing raids on #Aleppo for two days now. Since morning today, airstrikes killed 51 people according to local reports.

[OUTLAW 09]

Rebels north #Hama announce offensive to take to Ma'an from Assad army
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=35.355246&lon=36.802225&z=14&m=b#…

[OUTLAW 09]

New Conflict news ‏@NewConflictNews

This has to be one of the most Tragic images i have ever posted since starting this feed over 5 years ago #Syria :( Tears for them

[CrowBat]

Two additional features in this regards:

Who Bombed the UN Aid Convoy near Aleppo (https://warisboring.com/who-bombed-an-aid-convoy-near-aleppo-358eabbc0d32#.j4qiucau2), and

Syria’s Su-24 Bombers Have Become Its Most Proficient Hospital-Destroyers (https://warisboring.com/syrias-su-24-bombers-have-become-its-most-proficient-hospital-destroyers-81a26c1444ba#.9txecq3ug)

What's the 'lesson' of this entire affair?

That it's pointless to negotiate with Moscow about any kind of 'cease-fire' in Syria. Just like Washington is not in charge of anybody there (it can influence but not even control Syrian Kurds), Moscow is not in charge there: Tehran is.

While Tehran and Damascus are meanwhile aiming to 'liberate Aleppo' or 'every inch of Syria', respectively, Moscow is after a quick solution that would support its insistence on status of a military and political 'superpower' on the international tribune. While the IRGC has lately rushed a mass of reinforcements to Aleppo area, enabling it to close the siege of insurgent-held part of the city and make some advances further south, Russians negotiated a cease-fire with the USA.

Problem is: just like the Americans can exercise some influence upon Syrian Kurds and few allied groups of Sunni Arab insurgents in the country, but are not in control of about 25 major insurgent and 2 jihadist groups fighting against Assad, so also Russians are not in control of the Assad regime or its 'military.

As reported time and again over the last three years, the Assad-regime is de-facto a puppet of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). It is surviving solely thanks to extensive financial aid from Tehran (total worth of this over the last five years is meanwhile estimated at over US$ 100 billion) and presence of up to 60,000 IRGC-controlled troops (designated 'advisors') in Syria.

No doubt, Moscow has between 10,000 and 15,000 own 'advisors' in the country (meanwhile including up to 2,500 mercenaries of the Wagner Private Military Company). However, and contrary to the IRGC, Russians have no executive powers in Syria.

While certain Iranian general commanding the IRGC and its surrogates was declared 'second most important man', none of Russian officers has the authority to command anybody else but Russian troops: they can advise and cooperate only.

Bottom line: and as discussed in Russian article cited above, Moscow's relations with Damascus are actually those of 'arms supplier to the IRGC, which is supporting Assad' - those between a customer and a merchant, and not something like a master and its proxy.

This means that the SyAAF remains free to run operations against targets of its own choice, and Russians not only have no control over these, but are then forced to defend such acts like bombardments of dozens of hospitals.

[OUTLAW 09]

http://securityobserver.org/is-an-ethical-foreign-policy-what-we-think-it-is/

Is an ethical foreign policy what we think it is?

By Peter Kelly on June 19, 2012


As the second decade of the new millennium begins, foreign policy is very different to the century which has preceded it. In the past century the British Empire has fallen, the totalitarian states of Germany, Japan and the USSR rose and fell, the United States rose to become a global super power, and was followed by a gradual slide towards a plurality of world powers over the turn of the century. The emergence of a more complex and morally ambiguous international system, and the years of dominance by western liberal-democratic powers, has made ethical questions of foreign policy both more present and yet more difficult. The divide between idealist notions of absolutely ethical foreign policy and cynicism of the place of ethics in this realm of politics has never been broader.

What is Ethical?

For a state to be able to strive for a foreign affairs which centres on ethics in this international system, there needs to be an understanding of what it is to be ethical. Unfortunately the international system does not provide any easy answers to this question, as there are no “internationally accepted standards of morality” to which a government can turn in order to ensure their foreign policy are based on a set of universal ethics.[i]

The development of ethics in foreign affairs was never more evident than in the rhetoric used in the 2003 war in Iraq. Western states fell back upon declarations of freedom, democracy and multilateralism to explain the use of overwhelming force in the region, and it began two decades of US military action in the Middle East. This language would continue to be used throughout the conflict, even as protests against the conflict began to grow in western states.[ii]#The protesters rallied on the basis that the war was not ethical, despite the rhetoric, and similar protests accompany most western acts of war.[iii] [iv] [v]#So what results in this disengagement between the rhetoric of governments and that of protesters?

Generally protesters have very hard-and-fast rules on what can be considered ethical and what cannot be. Arms sales, engagements with “dictators” and foreign interventions are considered nothing more than selfish realpolitik and imperialism.[vi]#Any sign that states may involve a mixed set of interests not solely based in ethical values of their people results in resistance from such groups, who oppose any form of mixed motives.[vii]#These groups often place absolute emphasis on the efforts of humanitarian groups and development work, seeing any resort to military action as causing more harm than it could possibly help. But in an international system where governments are the primary actors, can this trust possibly be repaid? As neutral actors without self-defence capabilities or protective ones there are limitations to what humanitarian groups can do, ones which do not match the expectations of anti-war groups, and may even cause the same kind of damage through trying to help that they accuse militaries of. As part of specific groups of very specific backgrounds, these humanitarians are no more the solution to the concept of universal ethics than any other partial system of internationally accepted rules of the international system.[viii]

If it is accepted that there is no universal code of ethics to refer to, and a foreign policy based solely on the ethics of humanitarianism and development is not possible, is it possible for a foreign policy to be judged as both legitimately ethical and yet perform unethical acts?
It would seem so in some cases. Actions like the invasion of Afghanistan, though resulting in protests, developed the support of the international community and public opinion in intervening states.[ix]#In these situations, a state with enough support can find solutions to political problems and foreign policy matters which “may be both uncontroversially unjust and uncontroversially legitimate”[x]#The “War on Terror” is a prime example of this situation, where what would be normally ethically acceptable shifted considerably in the wake of the 9/11 attacks to allow measures which previously would have been opposed to become ethically justified.[xi]

Any policy faced with a purely human dimension faces the fact that the most efficient way to prevent human rights abuses is to prevent any form of violent conflict, even if this means supporting autocratic regimes.[xii]#With humanitarianism rife with problems, can there be another concept of ethics?

A Domestic Foreign Policy

Ethics and foreign policy are often shifted and turned as much for popular support as international success. In fact, foreign policy can be described as being framed for domestic consumption.[xiii] This can re-frame foreign policy not as fully ethical or fully selfish, but in terms of whether it is legitimate. In most democratic systems and in the international arena, “the more actors believe an act to be legitimate, the more legitimate it is”[xiv]

This concept of legitimacy in foreign affairs needs some kind of basis which links state to populace within a nation. By what standard can this legitimacy be judged if humanitarian ethics cannot be relied upon on a universal basis?
The key of a shift of focus to legitimacy using domestic support is one which requires placing a discriminatory preference for a domestic audience#over internationals in a way never envisaged under humanitarian conceptions of ethics which use only the humanity of individuals as their identity. Instead there emerges an exclusive property to foreign policy in which it centres on a domestic audience at the expense of others. This legitimacy, therefore, is based on a form of obligation of the state to concentrate on the welfare of its citizens alone.[xv]#This stays consistent with a foreign policy which places emphasis on “military security, the integrity of its political life and the well-being of its people”,[xvi]#even when this may involve behaving in an unethical manner to the people of other states.

Under this dominant emphasis on the domestic audience acts such as arms sales, often considered absolutely unethical to humanitarian organisations, become fully legitimate. Selling weapons to dictatorial regimes known for breaking human rights agreements may become necessary for the economic prosperity of the domestic public.[xvii]

However this refocus onto legitimacy of the state has so far only referred to the military or economic security of the domestic public. There is a final factor to take into consideration, that of the ideological values of this public. Although US security may well be maintained by supporting dictators worldwide in order to enforce stability and loyal regimes propped up by military and economic agreements, this may halt or even significantly damage the particular value-system of their public and its position in the international system. As a champion of the interests of the domestic population in all other regards, should the government act with significantly different ideological values to the population, its position as a representation of them is damaged.

This issue has different implications to different cultures. To Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, an emphasis on the superiority of their own people over those of other states permitted an internally legitimate difference between the treatment of their own people and those of other states.[xviii] [xix]#However, to western states which have increasingly stressed equality of all, emancipation of communities, universal suffrage and other such stresses on a humanitarian emphasis on humanity as the sole identity of importance in national policy and rights, showing such discrimination can be internally dissonant. An idea of mutual respect between all individuals becomes inconsistent should the state show no such consistent values on the international stage.[xx]

Continued.....

[OUTLAW 09]

The Russian/Assad bombing mostly targeted populated areas on the besieged Aleppo,where up to 546 residential areas were under fire

NOT a single attack by Assad/Putin on any IS position ANYWHERE in Syria.....

BUT WAIT that was the stated Russian goal when they entered Syrian...OR at least that is what Putin publicly told the last UNGA...OR was he simply lying again???

THIS photo depicts a victim of a Russian air strike on a IS position in the middle of Aleppo...REMEMBER Putin/Lavrov both stated they are attacking IS...SO how did their AF completely missed IS unless it was a deliberate "miss" as they are and have been working with IS for years and the Obama WH has basically ignored that small fact proven fact....

[OUTLAW 09]

The New York Times
✔
@nytimes
"It is like doomsday today in Aleppo"
http://nyti.ms/2cY64r4

[OUTLAW 09]

Hospitals in east Aleppo overwhelmed by number of injured reaching them due to regime & Russia bombings. Since this morning over 200 injured

I have started posting more of these graphic photos as a not so subtle reminder of EXACTLY what the face of genocide looks like...EVEN if the Obama/Rhodes/Kerry appears to think it is not ongoing WHEN IT IS EXACTLY in front of their faces.....up close and personal....AND stilled ignored.

It is a sad day when the US which has repeatedly claimed they will never allow genocide to occur in fact allows it if not actively supports it by their silence and non action tied to "doing nothing stupid"......

[OUTLAW 09]

Syria // #Aleppo // Large scale clashes are now erupting all over Aleppo city. SAA pushing everywhere.

REMEMBER the Russian Syrian ambassador recently stated...."Assad is not going to attack Aleppo".....

AND this is the same Russia Obama/Kerry are bowing down to in the face of an ongoing genocide driven by Assad and Putin.....

THIS attack on the northeastern side of eastern Aleppo is being carried out by Iraqi Shia militias AND this is not now a true sectarian war....955 of the Sunni population inside this pocket ARE NOT ARMED.....

WHAT exactly ARE IRAQI SHIA militias doing inside Syria and not fighting IS inside Iraq...HAs the Obama/Kerry WH an answer for this...NO THEY DO NOT....

[OUTLAW 09]

Syria // #Aleppo // Large scale clashes are now erupting all over Aleppo city. SAA pushing everywhere.

REMEMBER the Russian Syrian ambassador recently stated...."Assad is not going to attack Aleppo".....

AND this is the same Russia Obama/Kerry are bowing down to in the face of an ongoing genocide driven by Assad and Putin.....

Syrian civilians continue to pay the price for Obama's absurd and deeply flawed Iran nuclear deal


Good luck convincing Syrian civilians and rebels to divorce from extremists while the Assad regime and Russia are killing their children and women who try to protect them

[OUTLAW 09]

SCD Rif Dimashq ‏@SCDRifDimashq
Air force attacks the populated neighborhoods in #Douma city in #EasternGouta with 2 air strikes, The attack damaged civilian property

[OUTLAW 09]

Kyle W. Orton ‏@KyleWOrton
#Russia's goal is to leave #IS and al-Qaeda as #Assad's only opponents. Everything they do is toward that end, inc pretend ceasefires.

.@Charles_Lister: Peace in #Syria requires exactly what President Obama won't do: punish #Assad for violations.
https://youtu.be/itfpQ1HOvZY

"Syria haunts Obama. So why isn't he involved?"
http://nyti.ms/2cs0myl#
For the billionth time: Because Iran

HAS actually and this question needs to be seriously asked of a US sitting President...did the President "sell out" US FP just to get a "legacy"????

[OUTLAW 09]

Aleppo: Intense clashes between rebels & pro-#Assad forces at #Kindi Hospital (#Handarat).
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.267286&lon=37.179708&z=15&m=b#
…

Hama: Rebels have captured fortified #Maan village from #Assad regime and captured many vehicles.
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=35.355876&lon=36.798878&z=13&m=b#…

Hama: #Assad regime losses in #Maan so far:
- 1 tank
- 1 BMP
- 1 ATGM base
- 1 ammunition truck
- dozens of troops killed + many wounded

Aleppo: 51 #Syria|n civilians killed, 120+ wounded since morning by #Assad & #Russia|n airstrikes in #Aleppo City.
BEFORE NOON TODAY

[OUTLAW 09]

1st Coastal Division back at it again with the mullets
https://youtu.be/qX1V2mr1Zr4

Aleppo's Bab al-Naīrab (#باب_النيرب) water pumping station is reportedly out of service due to apparent bombing. http://wikimapia.org/m/#lat=36.1922825&lon=37.1774704&z=17&l=0&m=b#…
1,750,000 without drinking water in Aleppo.....AFFECTS even the regime held portion of Aleppo.....

Airstrikes taybat al Imam city in #Hama

Airstrikes hit Siyad village, #Hama

[OUTLAW 09]

.@MSF statement on the increasing number of war-wounded in #Syria's E. #Aleppo as a result of the indiscriminate bombing on the city

"The world has watched #Aleppo under siege and civilians killed and trapped and done nothing" #Syria

The rules of war and the protection of the civilian populations simply under the Obama WH no longer apply...for that they be thanked as part of their legacy.....

[OUTLAW 09]

ISIL media center has announced that they've shutdown #US drone near the #Syrian/Iraqi border

.@SyriaCivilDef says more 13 were killed and 150 wounded when bombs fell on the Bustan al-Qasr neighborhood today. https://www.facebook.com/Civil1Defense1in1Aleppo/videos/1118177231595267/#…

Syria 200+ people killed in #Aleppo city by airstrikes in the past days
Today 70+

Ghanima from Ma'an :
7 tanks
2 BMP (one partly malfunctioned)
Shilka
2 ATGM base w/ several ATGM missiles
1 ammo pickup
10s of light weapons

N. #Hama: scenes from the storming of #Maan by Rebels.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuIvxp30c4g#…

Syria #Hama Rebels seized 5 Tanks in #Maan

Syria Rebels advanced in northern #Hama today
Seized #Maan stronghold, home of high rank #Assad regime members

[OUTLAW 09]

Syria #Hama Rebels took after #Maan another village south of it

Capture of #Maan & outskirts will protect Easten flank of previous Rebel gains

Rebels/#AQ & Jund al-Aqsa gain Ma'an in N #Hama, #SAA/#NDF retreat

SW. #Aleppo: Rebels fended off another attack by pro-Regime forces on 1070 Project.

[OUTLAW 09]

N. #Aleppo: ongoing rebel counter-offensive on #Handarat Camp.
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=36.268359&lon=37.172585&z=12&m#…

Rebels seized back large parts of #Handarat Camp & inflicted heavy death toll to Liwa Al-Quds.

Breaking. Rebels took back control of #Handarat Camp.

E. #Ghouta: Jaish Al-Islam repelled an umpteenth assault launched by pro-Regime forces on Hawsh Nasri. http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=33.559850&lon=36.471519&z=13&m#…

E. #Damascus: #JFS shelling #ISIS in E. #Qalamoun. One #ISIS drone also downed.

W. #Homs: several @SYRedCrescent & @UN vehicles with humanitarian aid reached besieged district of Al-Waer.

Alrahman Corps ‏@Alrahmancorps6
#AlRahman_snipers
Targeting Assad's bases and sniping several Assad's militiamen in Erbin

Footage
#Russian and #Iranian air force planes supply operation over #Fuah and #Kefraya in #Idlib province.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32_b6WK1BNc#…

Recent N. #Hama offensive allowed Rebels to have in their sights a very important Regime stronghold (#Masyaf).
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=35.068221&lon=36.346893&z=10&m#…
Masyaf Army Base, West Hama now bombed with GRADs by rebels.

EuphratesShield: @EdmapsCom map showing situ 6 days after 1st #ISIS counter-attack. Note: Kadrish back under #FSA. http://www.edmaps.com/html/syrian_civil_war_in_maps.html#…

[OUTLAW 09]

Zinki Joins JaF Military Operations Command Center.
The only chance we stand is when we fight together.

'Only' 3 fighters martyred from Abna al-Shaam while taking Ma'an village
Rebels destroyed another tank in Qarah.
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=35.336974&lon=36.827888&z=12&m#…

Kubariya fallen, #JundAqsa still going - Unverified claim of huge amount of main battle tanks taken as spoils namely t72's #Hama

[OUTLAW 09]

Senior military advisor to Khamenei, Yahya Rahim Safavi: “We hope the Americans don’t deceive the Russians in Syria” http://www.tehrantimes.com/news/406621/Ex-IRGC-chief-warns-Russians-of-compromise-on-Iran-s-share-in#…

Iran is worried of a bad deal between Russia & U.S. in Syria

The current rate of Iranian expansion from Yemen to Afghanistan will ensure Saudi Arabia ceases to exist within the next 10 years.

[OUTLAW 09]

News
#FSA leader claims, rebels to receive modern AT weapons, artillery soon - but no MANPADS.
http://qasioun.net/ar/news/show/37818/%D9%82%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%8A_%D9%81%D9%8A_%D8%A7 %D9%84%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%B6%D8%A9_%D8%A7% D9%84%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9_%D8%B3%D9%86%D 8%AD%D8%B5%D9%84_%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89_%D8%A3%D8%B3%D 9%84%D8%AD%D8%A9_%D8%AC%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%AF%D8%A9_%D 9%88%D9%85%D8%AA%D8%B7%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%A9_%D8%AE%D9 %84%D8%A7%D9%84_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8% A9_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%85%D8%A9#
…

[OUTLAW 09]

Several activists and rescuers say the #Russian air force uses bunker buster munitions in #Aleppo now to always destroy entire buildings.

More examples.
Activists in #Aleppo say - and it's true! - such bombs were never used before.
Damage to residential buildings is unique...

[OUTLAW 09]

First possible comment concerning possible Russian mercenaries and or Russian troops being involved in direct combat fighting.....

Aleppo24 @24Aleppo
Local armed groups regain control of parts of HandaratCamp. RU fighting unit retreated east to SheikhNajjar industrial city.

[OUTLAW 09]

Also Al-Atarib and other towns in #Aleppo province were burning after such #Russian war crimes over the day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRlvCuDqFog#…

BreakingFootage
#Russian air force incendiary ammunition attack on #Huraytan, just N of #Aleppo, one hour ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NBNASoWirw#…

After a #Russian attack on civilians in #Aleppo today.
COUNT THE CHILDREN!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_z5z1Qw4BE#…

Footage
Just one of uncountable #Russian air strikes on #Aleppo city today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AXNOwD2fb0#…

[OUTLAW 09]

Video by @redsteeze on the radical disconnect between the US administration's rhetoric and action in Syria:
https://youtu.be/DW0L-bvza7k

Overheard at the Pentagon: "Russia didn't call our bluff. They just said #### you."

[OUTLAW 09]

The regime dividing besieged east Aleppo city would be in-keeping with the pattern since the Russian intervention.
http://bit.ly/2c3Vwr1

Regime #Aleppo offensive (preliminary map):
- seal off North front (#Handarat)
- link Old City w/ SheikhSaid to split E. Aleppo into 2 parts

[OUTLAW 09]

This is from a #PYD conference today in Europe, where the #PKK remains a designated terrorist entity.

More proof that Europe doesn't actually view the PKK as a terrorist group. Was designated to please Turkey.

Some E.U. intelligence services dealing with the PKK's criminal enterprises and targeted assassinations may disagree

[OUTLAW 09]

Russia demanded an 'honest investigation' into who attacked UN aid convoy in Syria. So @Tmgneff & I did just that:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2016/09/24/why-did-they-wait-to-kill-us-how-the-attack-on-the-aid-convoy-in-aleppo-unfolded/#
…

[OUTLAW 09]

One former U.S. official told @JonathanLanday that the “consequences of inaction” on #Syria were never considered:

"As #Syria's ceasefire fails, #Obama may leave his successor a 'problem from Hell’”
by @JonathanLanday
http://news.trust.org/item/20160923225035-mc7em/#…

Charles Lister ‏@Charles_Lister
Western diplomat to me:
‘#Russia’s attack on aid convoy was so sustained & deliberate, “evil” doesn’t qualify. All assessments out window.'

Watch this & tell me we couldn’t be doing more:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZicIQpLKXI#…
#Assad & #Russia senselessly destroying #Aleppo & we watch on...

[OUTLAW 09]

Syria Street scene today in #Aleppo
https://youtu.be/JqZ_Mz0yiJQ

This #Assad barrel bomb attack killed 7 in #Aleppo today.
Damage clearly differs from majority of #Russian strikes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqZ_Mz0yiJQ#…

After the deliberate destruction of almost all rescue equipment, people try to lift the concrete with their hands...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8-7EqflI80#…

Also Al-Atarib and other towns in #Aleppo province were burning after such #Russian war crimes over the day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRlvCuDqFog#…

[OUTLAW 09]

New York, 2001
Aleppo, TODAY
#TerrorIsTerror
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-McPGv_thE#…

[OUTLAW 09]

IMAGE of father & son pulled from under rubble #Aleppo #Syria after #Russia bombs fell- Father lived,son died #Putin #Assad

Russia brings peace and "humanitarian aid" from the skies to #Aleppo

[OUTLAW 09]

Aleppo: #Russia|n airstrikes & regime artillery shelling on #Handarat now. Clear indication that pro-#Assad ground forces losing badly

[OUTLAW 09]

First possible comment concerning possible Russian mercenaries and or Russian troops being involved in direct combat fighting.....

Aleppo24 @24Aleppo
Local armed groups regain control of parts of HandaratCamp. RU fighting unit retreated east to SheikhNajjar industrial city.

These are either Russian mercenaries, Russian PMC and or actual Russian combat troops....

Confirmed now...5 Russian tanks and 6 heavy artillery cannons were involved in the fighting.......

[OUTLAW 09]

Also Al-Atarib and other towns in #Aleppo province were burning after such #Russian war crimes over the day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRlvCuDqFog#…

BreakingFootage
#Russian air force incendiary ammunition attack on #Huraytan, just N of #Aleppo, one hour ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NBNASoWirw#…

After a #Russian attack on civilians in #Aleppo today.
COUNT THE CHILDREN!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_z5z1Qw4BE#…

Footage
Just one of uncountable #Russian air strikes on #Aleppo city today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AXNOwD2fb0#…

IMAGES of craters some app 5M deep left by #Russia/#Assad bombs & missiles

[OUTLAW 09]

IMAGE of little boy app 1yr old #Aleppo #Syria with a smashed right hand as consequence of #Putin bombings from today

AND another one year old is killed today and the WEST and Obama say nothing whatsoever.....

IF this keeps up and the US "does noting stupid"....WHO can then blame the Syrian Sunni's from massively supporting JSF the rebranded AQ???

[OUTLAW 09]

Aleppo is getting a lot of media attention in Israel. Many commenting compare global inaction during the Holocaust to what's happening now.

[OUTLAW 09]

Maybe Obama/Kerry should have read and reread this JFK statement every single hour of every single day they are in the WH.....THEN maybe they and the US would not be in this mess to begin with.




“There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less, than the long range risks of comfortable inaction.”
JFK