Syria in 2016 (July-September)

[OUTLAW 09]

The Assad regime "National Ceasefire: Round 3" kicks off with @mod_russia bombing IDPs in #Syria

Russian soldiers in Palmyra (Tadmor), Syria. Drum magazine in the AK, previously seen only in special units of FSB

This senior ISIS figure alleges the group has a 'good relationship' with the Syrian government — via @Telegraph
http://read.bi/29B4LPs

[OUTLAW 09]

Charles Lister ‏@Charles_Lister
Kerry buying #Russia's position?
Appears so

NOW we can see exactly how Kerry has blown it again ......this is not the first time he has misspoken to the point that it makes one think he actually works as the DoS for Putin....BUT again maybe he is just channeling the Obama/Rhodes WH thinking on Syria......


John Kerry labeled Ahrar al-Sham & Jaish al-Islam "subgroups" of AQ & #ISIS last week.

By Josh Rogin July 12 at 7:01 AM 



This is in fact a serious comment....

Michael Weiss ‏@michaeldweiss

Forget Rhodes and Obama. Where does Lavrov stop and John Kerry begin?



So it begins: Cajoled by #Obama, #Kerry calls Jaysh al-Islam and Ahrar al-Sham "subgroups" of terror organisations.
http://wpo.st/-vMl1

Calling Ahrar al-Sham & Jaysh al-Islam "subgroups" of al-Qa'eda (al-Nusra) is a disingenuous lie; a loophole to justify bombing them.

The #US will probably end up indiscriminately bombing anti-Assad forces alongside the RuAF. Save those that reach a "ceasefire" (surrender).

[OUTLAW 09]

Guess who again bombed #Aleppo city today?! ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjSmNzkQaLw&feature=youtu.be …

[OUTLAW 09]

Russian bombers targeted IDP camps east Syria instead of #IS killing 17 ppl according to FSA
https://youtu.be/gPPtkohR5NM

Russian carpet bombing (probably on #ISIS positions) in Eastern Desert filmed by Rebels.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPPtkohR5NM …

Seems Russia concerned over #ISIS inching closer to #Palmyra as 6 long-range Tu-22M3 bombers reportedly struck ISIS
http://tass.ru/en/defense/887758 …?



17 civilians killed, 40 wounded they say ...
So #Russia sends its Tu-22 thousands of km to bomb displaced refugees instead of #ISIS?! ...


Russia|n targeted with cluster bombs camp for #SyrianRefugees near #Palmyra.Killing 20,including women and children
https://youtu.be/gPPtkohR5NM

"Syrians themselves must decide the fate of their country," says #Russia-n Foreign Minister
http://buff.ly/29vnvKs

[OUTLAW 09]

Deraa: dozens of Assad regime fighters killed in Manshiya by rebels

Assad tells EU delegation West's support 4 terrorist groups in Syria cause extremism and waves of refugees in Europe

Damascus: Rebels assassinate 3 Republican Guard Brigadiers. Brigadier Mohammed Nayouf, Brigadier Sohail Haider & Brigadier Malik Aliya

Aleppo: regime sources confirmed that at least 40 of their fighters killed yesterday

FSA affiliated groups, 1stCD pounding assadists with Howitzers, Tanks in reef #Lattakia

Assadists try again to advance in Kinsibba axis at before midnight with airforce & 23mm distractions. Trying to use night as cover #Lattakia

[OUTLAW 09]

There are over 80 groups in the southern front, if each group provided just 100 fighters it would be enough to reach Damascus

There is a very large and growing movement against the FSA southern front in Dara which was began by local activists across Aleppo ++

[OUTLAW 09]

Dozens have starved to death in besieged Madaya, say NGOs
http://gu.com/p/4zyg6/stw

Daraa: Heavy fighting between #Syria|n rebels and pro-#Assad forces in #Daraa today. Reports that many pro-#Assad forces were killed.

[davidbfpo]

Cited in part from a Post 168 three days ago:
https://en.zamanalwsl.net/news/16818.html

Ali al-Usaymi, British Daeshi arrested in Kuwait a week ago, apparently proving very cooperative, esp on Assad ties.

Ali al-Usaymi, Brit, ex-Navy, joined #IS, captured in Kuwait, confesses to personally attending coordination meetings with #Assad + #Iran.

This man was in the UK for a college course to enable a career in commercial shipping. He was not a 'British Daeshi' nor was he 'ex-Navy'.

That this man after leaving two years ago for ISIS gained such access is to say the least implausible IMHO, remember the training many apparent ISIS leaders had from their Soviet era trainers, the Baath regime and as insurgents in Iraq. Disinformation is plausible and given Kuwait's sometimes odd stance on ISIS funding is this reporting for their national purposes?

[OUTLAW 09]

Cited in part from a Post 168 three days ago:

This man was in the UK for a college course to enable a career in commercial shipping. He was not a 'British Daeshi' nor was he 'ex-Navy'.

That this man after leaving two years ago for ISIS gained such access is to say the least implausible IMHO, remember the training many apparent ISIS leaders had from their Soviet era trainers, the Baath regime and as insurgents in Iraq. Disinformation is plausible and given Kuwait's sometimes odd stance on ISIS funding is this reporting for their national purposes?

Just a side note....several well known ME subject matter experts have in fact verified some of his statements as being valid and correct and has tied it to other facts that were largely only known to themselves and not talked about much in the public MSM when dealing with IS......

So the interesting question is why would they "burn important insider information" unless IS intended to have the info made public......to discredit Assad as well as the Russians.....

Especially since we know just how close Russia and Assad have been with IS/AQ in the past ten or so years.....

Some are alluding to a possible "shot across the bow" moment to warn both Assad and Russia...what info is still out there that could in fact be embarrassing to both.

How else can one explain the total and openly apparent non interest in both Assad and Putin in directly attacking IS....the occasional air strike seems to be only for appearances....

Take the RuAf carpet bombing from yesterday...Russian MoD announces a strike on IS BUT in reality it was on an openly identified IDP tent camp.....

[OUTLAW 09]

Drone footage of storming Assad army positions in Malah farms y'day.
https://youtu.be/faP4k_I5xm0

Footage from #Mallah shows despite Regime claims last km b4 Castello Rd is no man's land. 1st def line: Arab Selloum

Combat footage: Zinki assault on #Mallah front, N. #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi1Fsv4C1oc …

Rebels in heart of Arab Selloum, 2.1 km from Castillo Road, #Aleppo
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=36.276628&lon=37.134326&z=16&m …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faP4k_I5xm0 …

THIS is the direct result of the non interest by the Obama/Rhodes WH that some have predicted will occur......non Western interest is actually strengthening JaN (AQ)....

Situation in #Syria: Only hard line Islamists left to defend anti regime civilians against regime. We're watching it grow in strength and with every new combat success.

How do you expect hundreds of thousands of civilians to reject #Nusra as "too extreme" when they keep fighting for the lives of the ppl. ...

Jabhat al-Nusra and al-Zanki capture positions inside Malah north Aleppo & advancing. No signs of Jaish al-Fath.

Aleppo : Heavy fighting continues in #Al_Mallah as Opposition advance on the #Talat_Al_Mayasat area and #Breij.

Rebels destroy Assad army tank in al-Mayasa hill north Aleppo with TOW
https://youtu.be/70uKVEOerQc
Tajamu Fastaqem took out with a #TOW a tank on Breij front, NE #Aleppo.

[OUTLAW 09]

‏@EA_WorldView
Wednesday #Syria Daily: Opposition Faces a Regime Siege of #Aleppo
http://eaworldview.com/2016/07/syria-daily-opposition-faces-a-regime-siege-of-aleppo/ …

Leader of Free Alawite Brigade allegedly arrives in Ankara to meet with opposition

Damascus: Rebels capture 2 top sell outs of so called "Palestine Liberation Army" Sergeant, Mufid Majid Qaddura & Sergeant Ahmed Sabri
Jaish Al-Islam claims capture of 2 fighters from "Palestine Liberation Army" on #Midaa front, E. #Ghouta (#Damascus).

Urgent: Iranian General Abdelilah Mehmandar Hussein killed in Aleppo by Syrian opposition forces

Syrian Rebels kill ISIS "prince" (leader)
http://en.eldorar.com/node/2724

Faylaq Al-Sham destroyed with an #ATGM a 14.5 mm gun (+2/3 KIA) in #Mallah, N. #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUytI7RJixs …

Car chase & driveby in the desert with a few #RPG taking out #ISIS technical
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8H1y8EaDkR0 …

[OUTLAW 09]

28 Afghans of #IRGC's Fatemiun brig killed in Aleppo,Syria buried in different cities of Iran during recent days.
Oh gosh, didnt know Jerusalem has a district named #Aleppo too!

Soqour (Hawks) Huryat Kurdistan” carries out attacks against (IRGC) in Iran
http://en.eldorar.com/node/2723

Faylaq Al-Sham blew up with an #ATGM a 130 mm cannon on Sheikh Yussuf, E. #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgI_9CYH-lM …

[OUTLAW 09]

And here comes the regime revenge.
Large-scale MLRS on civilians in #Talbisah.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDp7X-S2F-A …

Surprise!
Bombings were possibly on rebels this time, who captured a regime barrier near #Talaf for some hours.
http://www.shaam.org/news/syria-news/%D9%87%D8%AC%D9%85%D8%A9-%D9%85%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%BA%D8%AA%D8%A9-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%AB%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%AC%D8%AF%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%86-%D8%AA%D9%88%D9%82%D8%B9-%D9%82%D8%AA%D9%84%D9%89-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B3%D8%AF-%D9%88%D8%AE%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%A6%D8%B1-%D9%83%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A9.html …

An #Assad air force Su-22 bombed free #Homs province this morning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNDeQOJEJuE …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88puYDHawkY …

[OUTLAW 09]

So in addition to bombing a group fighting (only) ISIS it seems yesterday Russia also bombed refugees near the Jordanian border

AND what was the Obama/Rhodes/Kerry WH response......crickets...crickets....

The Castillo road yday.
Heavy fighting,heavy shelling,and no getting through for civilians.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi1Fsv4C1oc …

After #Russia bombing the last convoys and the #Castillo road blocked, diesel & fuel becomes rare in #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9fMrJ4jL3o …

Seemingly more #Nusra troops moved to the #Castillo road to open it once again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-qKosUgLS0 …

FOOD prices rose dramatically in #Aleppo as the total siege is now 72 hours.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ7UOa5fwEk …

A single brave journalist team took the #Castillo "road of death" today.
Not a single supply truck, no civilians.
https://youtu.be/3ZzO8tjjU1M

[OUTLAW 09]

Pro-#Assad forces advanced further into #Aleppo's northern Layramoun district today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbjklRuWbAQ …

Syrian rebels say Russian jets hit refugee camp along Jordan border. Third time now.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKKCN0ZS2VJ …

[OUTLAW 09]

Thanks to Russia & international silence, Assad cuts last road to Aleppo, moving in for the kill
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/07/12/assad-cuts-the-last-road-to-aleppo-and-moves-in-for-the-kill.html?via=mobile&source=twitter …

This is the perfect example of doing something "stupid" while not trying to do something "stupid".....

Proves to the entire ME Arab Sunni world as well as the global Sunni community the US and Russia did in fact have a "golden handshake"....

[OUTLAW 09]

Hama: #Syria|n rebels advancing in Southern #Hama and killed many pro-#Assad forces.

[OUTLAW 09]

Charles Lister ‏@Charles_Lister
Kerry buying #Russia's position?
Appears so

NOW we can see exactly how Kerry has blown it again ......this is not the first time he has misspoken to the point that it makes one think he actually works as the DoS for Putin....BUT again maybe he is just channeling the Obama/Rhodes WH thinking on Syria......


John Kerry labeled Ahrar al-Sham & Jaish al-Islam "subgroups" of AQ & #ISIS last week.

By Josh Rogin July 12 at 7:01 AM 


This is in fact a serious comment....

Michael Weiss ‏@michaeldweiss

Forget Rhodes and Obama. Where does Lavrov stop and John Kerry begin?



http://www.businessinsider.de/john-kerry-jaysh-al-islam-ahrar-al-sham-sy...

State Department officials are 'baffled' by John Kerry's latest comments that have 'muddied the waters' in Syria



The State Department is reportedly trying to walk back comments that Secretary of State John Kerry made about Syria during an appearance in Aspen, Colorado, last month.

When asked about the US's anti-ISIS strategy in Syria, Kerry said that "the most important thing, frankly, is seeing if we can reach an understanding with the Russians about how to, No. 1, deal with Daesh and al-Nusrah," Kerry said, referring to ISIS and Al Qaeda's offshoot in Syria, Jabhat al-Nusra.

Kerry then characterized two other Syrian rebel groups, Jaysh al-Islam and Ahrar al-Sham, as "subgroups" of ISIS and Nusra.

"There are a couple of subgroups underneath the two designated [terrorist groups], Daesh and Jabhat al-Nusra — Jaysh al-Islam, Ahrar al-Sham, particularly — who brush off and fight with that alongside these other two sometimes to fight the Assad regime," he said.

It is true that rebel groups in Syria fighting forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad sometimes coordinate or shift alliances to improve their battlefield odds. Indeed, Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham are members of the Jaysh al-Fateh (Army of Conquest) anti-Assad military alliance that now controls most of Idlib Province.

Neither Jaysh al-Islam nor Ahrar al-Sham, however, is a UN-designated terrorist organization. Both have expressed that they are opposed to ISIS. And neither is beholden to, or takes orders from, Nusra.

The Washington Post's Josh Rogin first noticed the comment, which apparently annoyed State Department officials who say that they have "been arguing to make sure the Russians and the Syrian regime don't equate these groups [Jaysh al-Islam and Ahrar al-Sham] with the terrorists."

"Kerry's line yields that point," a senior administration official told Rogin.

"Baffled. SMH," another said in an email, using an abbreviation for the expression "shaking my head."

State Department spokesman John Kirby confirmed to The Post that the administration's policy with regard to Jaysh al-Islam and Ahrar al-Sham had not changed.

Still, "it's a telling gaffe," Middle East expert Tony Badran, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Business Insider on Tuesday. "And it's revealing about the kind of conversation they're having with the Russians — and where, usually, that conversation leads."

Russia intervened in Syria on behalf of its ally, Assad, in late September. Since then, Moscow has pushed for the UN to list Jaysh al-Islam and Ahrar al-Sham — which are staunchly opposed to Assad — as terrorist organizations. This is for political reasons and to justify its continued strikes on areas of Syria where ISIS, also known as ISIL or the Islamic State, has little to no presence.

Jaysh al-Islam, which is backed by Saudi Arabia, is one of the most important rebel groups in Syria, with a formidable presence east of Syria's capital, Damascus. Mohammed Alloush, a leading Jaysh al-Islam figure, was the chief negotiator for the opposition High Negotiations Committee before he resigned in May, citing a lack of progress on humanitarian issues.

A Russian airstrike targeted and killed the leader of Jaysh al-Islam, Zahran Alloush, in the village of Utaya to the east of Damascus in December.

Ahrar al-Sham, a powerful Islamist rebel brigade headquartered in Syria's Idlib Province, is backed by Turkey and has criticized and clashed with ISIS in the past.

Until now, it has been politically pragmatic for the US to refrain from characterizing Jaysh al-Islam or Ahrar al-Sham as terrorists. Doing so would most likely further undermine peace talks and paint Washington as sympathetic to Russia's bombing campaign — which has frequently targeted rebel groups supported by important US allies and the Central Intelligence Agency.

"Russia considers all revolutionaries and rebel groups as ISIS or al-Nusra to justify its indiscriminate shelling of civilians and the moderate opposition," Mouaz Moustafa, executive director of the Syrian Emergency Task Force, told The Post on Monday.

But the administration's political calculations may be shifting in light of a new proposal by President Barack Obama — which was reportedly opposed by Defense Secretary Ash Carter — to coordinate more closely with the Russians in Syria against Al Qaeda.

Not the first time

It would not be the first time that the Obama administration has touted a Russia-aligned policy in Syria at a politically sensitive moment.

In the midst of a countrywide truce brokered by the US and Russia in late February, US Army Col. Steve Warren, then the spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq, was asked whether Russian airstrikes on Aleppo — the epicenter of the war since late last year — meant that Moscow was preparing to end the cessation-of-hostilities agreement.

Warren responded that it was "complicated" because Nusra "holds Aleppo" and is not party to the agreement.

Many experts and analysts were quick to point out, however, that Nusra has never controlled Aleppo nor maintained a significant presence there. While Nusra had indeed been building up its presence in Aleppo since February, the city is also occupied by civilians and armed opposition groups associated with the US-backed Free Syrian Army that agreed to abide by the fragile agreement.

As Middle East analyst Kyle Orton noted on Twitter at the time, Warren came "pretty close" to saying that the coalition supported Russia's airstrikes in the city.

Then as now, observers wondered whether Warren had misspoken. But the US has been steadily accommodating an increasing number of Russian demands in Syria, including one to urge the moderate opposition to stop comingling with Nusra so that Moscow can bomb its positions — even though, some rebels have complained, weakening Nusra would mean strengthening Assad.

For the US's top diplomat to now indicate that he agrees with Russia's characterization of Jaysh al-Islam and Ahrar al-Sham as terrorist groups sends more mixed signals — whether to Syrian rebels or political allies — about Washington's commitment to the opposition it claims to support.

Writing in the pan-Arab daily newspaper Al-Hayat, Ibrahim Hamidi noted that European diplomats were unnerved by what they perceived as a bilateral discussion between Washington and Moscow that had gone over their heads — and were engaged in intense discussions about how to "control the Obama administration's rush toward the Russian position on Syria."

And rebels are reportedly concerned that Washington's new cooperation with the Russians means "dismantling Jaysh al-Fateh, which opens the door to a regime victory and reproducing the regime with Russian backing," Hamidi added.

Continued.....

In any case, analysts agree that Kerry's comments bizarrely — and inaccurately— conflated roughly five different rebel groups in Syria that are either military allies or in competition with one another.

"It's true that the groups fighting Assad are hard to distinguish and often co-mingle, but US policy is based on knowing which are which," Rogin wrote. "Kerry muddied the waters. That's typically Moscow's job."



The Pentagon is resisting Obama's plan to work with the Russians in Syria, reports @nancyayoussef.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/07/13/pentagon-resists-obama-s-new-plan-to-work-with-the-russians-in-syria.html …


Charles Lister
‏@Charles_Lister
Good by @karendeyoung1 on intensified (& extraordinarily naive) efforts to work more closely w. #Russia in #Syria:

[OUTLAW 09]

The #Russia|n "Firehose of Falsehood" #Propaganda Model
Why It Might Work and Options to Counter It
http://www.rand.org/pubs/perspectives/PE198.html?adbsc=social_20160712_911641&adbid=752928014149627904&adbpl=tw&adbpr=22545453 …

[OUTLAW 09]

Direct hit w/ hell cannon on top of Emir Palace (53 m high), #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAtTnohUtL8 …

Second Coastal Division took out with a #TOW an alleged (hidden) Gvozdika in N. #Latakia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVfmTm7gKic …

The White Helmets ‏@SyriaCivilDef · 2h2 hours ago
Main market in Ariha (Idlib) just targeted. 14 dead including 4 children

14 killed including 4 children Main market #Ariha wastargeted and10 injured @SyriaCivilDef teams were still working

Footage from battle at Souq al-Hal in #Aleppo city center
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rol9GYG7rJ0 …
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.197664&lon=37.148659&z=17&m=b …

2 Afghan child soldiers of #IRGC's Fatemiun brig Mohammadhossein Rezaei 15, Mustafa Hesari 16, killed in Syria.

[OUTLAW 09]

Russia dropped cluster bombs on #Binnish & #Ariha towns in #Idlib

Footage from quarries frontline in northern #Aleppo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2Ivag7uzl8 …
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.260124&lon=37.201445&z=16&m=b …

[OUTLAW 09]

AND it just keeps getting worse ...on what is coming out of the so called Obama/Rhodes/Kerry Russian WH for US FP......


https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/as-kerry-pushes-for-coordination-with-russia-in-syria-others-in-administration-cry-foul/2016/07/12/83623008-484d-11e6-bdb9-701687974517_story.html

As Kerry pushes for coordination with Russia in Syria, others in administration cry foul

By Karen DeYoung July 12 at 7:32 PM 



The Obama administration’s offer to coordinate air attacks in Syria with Russia has opened a deepening rift between senior national security officials who insist it could quiet Syria’s civil carnage and further larger counterterrorism goals, and those who consider it a counterproductive sellout to the Kremlin.

Secretary of State John F. Kerry, who said last month that reaching an “understanding” with Russia was “the most important thing” in moving Syria forward, plans to push the deal when he meets Thursday in Moscow with President Vladi#mir Putin.

The U.S. proposal, which has not been made public, calls for the establishment of a “Joint Implementation Group” with Russia, through which the two countries would initially exchange intelligence and operational information on the locations of Jabhat al-Nusra, al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate, and “synchronize” their independent operations against the Islamic State. Once al-Nusra targets have been agreed, they would determine what action to take and “deconflict” their air operations.

In exchange, Moscow would use its leverage to effectively ground Syria’s air force, limiting its operations to non-combat humanitarian and medical-evacuation missions. Both the United States and Russia would recommit themselves to pushing for a political settlement to Syria’s civil war.

Kerry is “extremely frustrated,” State Department spokesman John Kirby said. “And that’s one of the reasons why we’re going to Moscow, to see if that change is actually going to be possible — if the Russians are going to do what they’ve said they were going to do.” Administration officials have declined to discuss details of the proposal.

Despite a cease-fire ostensibly in effect since February, Syrian planes have kept up a steady bombardment of both civilian and opposition sites — where they have argued that al-Nusra forces, exempt from the truce, are mixed with rebel groups covered by the accord. After observing the early weeks of the cease-fire, Russian planes joined the Syrian forces, including in an offensive last weekend that took over the only remaining supply route for both rebels and civilians hunkered down in the northern city of Aleppo.

After days of air bombardment riddled an area only a few miles wide, Syrian forces and allied militiamen from Iraq, Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group took up positions above what is known as the Castello Road leading to Turkey. Artillery, rockets and surface-to-surface missiles have struck dozens of passenger cars and minibuses that attempted to drive the route, rebel spokesmen said. The area is so dangerous, they said, they have been unable to retrieve scores of bodies still trapped in the destroyed vehicles.

On Monday, rebel forces shelled government-held areas of the city, killing scores of residents, according to Syrian state media.

With government forces now virtually surrounding the city, the United Nations on Tuesday expressed concern about a prolonged siege. U.N. officials estimated that 300,000 civilians stuck inside the area would be cut off from dwindling supplies of food and medical care, as well as from their only escape route.

A new coordination agreement with Moscow, supporters within the administration argue, would save lives by stopping air attacks on civilians and opposition fighters, while simultaneously increasing the focus on al-Nusra, a shared U.S.-Russian enemy. Al-Nusra forces are amassed south of Aleppo, but their scattered presence among rebel fighters to the north has been used as an excuse for both Syrian government and Russian attacks.

But as Kerry and Robert Malley, the chief White House point man on Syria, negotiate with the Kremlin, a growing chorus of defense, diplomatic and intelligence officials have voiced objections.

“We do this, and then what?” said a U.S. official, one of several who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the issue and feared identification as internal critics.

“You need to solve the Assad problem, because as long as Assad is in power, Syria is a failed state. And as long as it’s a failed state, it will be a breeding ground for extremists,” including the Islamic State and al-Nusra, the official said.

This official and others, in comments that were echoed across a wide range of outside Syria experts, said that the proposed deal does not appear to affect Syrian or Russian ground operations — including extensive Russian artillery being used in the Aleppo offensive — and does nothing to force Assad to negotiate a political end to the war, something both he and Russia agreed to as part of the original cease-fire arrangement.

“I don’t understand how Kerry walks away from this saying he got something,” said Andrew J. Tabler of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “It’s all in the name of saying . . . that they’re saving lives and targeting terrorists. But what it will do strategically will mean the regime will simply stand by while we hit the terrorists, and the regime will benefit from that.”

“This is defeat,” Tabler said. “I think everybody is beside themselves because this is all being done in the name of a cease-fire . . . the best thing we can do to reduce the violence. But in effect, it’s crafted in such a way that it strengthens the regime, the opposite of what we say we want.”

Frederic C. Hof of the Atlantic Council, who served as the administration’s special adviser for Syria until resigning in late 2012, advised the administration to “take a deep breath and think things through very carefully.”

“As desirable as it is to damage a loathsome al-Qaeda entity, military collaboration with Russia could also exact long-term costs to America’s reputation and the broader fight against extremism, costs potentially far exceeding the benefits of a here-and-now body count,” Hof wrote in the Huffington Post on Tuesday.

Internal disagreement over Syria policy has plagued the administration for years. In 2012, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton argued for the use of military force against Assad and for the establishment of opposition safe zones. In addition, then-CIA Director David H. Petraeus recommended arming and training anti-Assad opposition forces.

President Obama rejected both proposals and, to the consternation of most of his national security cabinet, pulled back in 2013 from an agreed plan to bomb Syrian military targets to punish Assad for the use of chemical weapons.

Among the many arguments against the currently proposed deal with Russia, the Pentagon has insisted that Moscow has demonstrated — in Syria, Ukraine and elsewhere — that it simply cannot be trusted.

The stated purpose of airstrikes that Russia began last fall was “to fight ISIL and . . . assist the political transition in Syria towards a post-Assad government,” Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter said late last month. “They haven’t done either of those things.”

ISIL, along with ISIS and Daesh, is an alternative term for the Islamic State.

While Kerry has long advocated for U.S. military action against Assad, he believes that the highest priority now must be to stop the violence generated by Syrian government airstrikes. He feels that any downside to cooperation with Russia would be mitigated by the pressure Moscow could bring on Assad and gains against an al-Nusra organization that remains a vital component of al-Qaeda’s international operations.


AND here is the Russian answer to Kerry, Obama and Rhodes.....

And this morning we have reports of Russia bombing a refugee camp housing families of US backed anti-ISIS fighters

"Russia is framing offer in terms of counterterrorism but Russia's current campaign does not make such distinctions"

[OUTLAW 09]

Exact track (based on sat imagery) of S. supply line for Regime-held #Aleppo. Rebels distant from ~450 m to 1.32 km.

This video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faP4k_I5xm0 …
and satellite data show the current frontlines of W Mallah #Aleppo as

Rebels trying to repel pro-Regime assault on Zara-Harbinafsah front, S. #Hama.

Heavy clashes during Rebel attack on Western front of Old #Aleppo.
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=36.200218&lon=37.150590&z=16&m …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rol9GYG7rJ0 …

Footage of daily clashes in Khaldiyah as pro-Regime forces try to reach Castillo Rd from S.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIcw1f5G5DM …

[OUTLAW 09]

Aftermath of #JaF's VBIED on Iranian-led militias in Khan Tuman Ammo Depot, S. #Aleppo
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=36.123785&lon=37.091496&z=17&m …

Daraya pocket reduced by roughly one third since "ceasefire" from 27th February.

[OUTLAW 09]

The Obama/Rhodes/Kerry Russian WH has no earthly idea of what they are exactly doing...and again this is their famous mantra of.... "not doing something stupid"....

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/07/13/pentagon-resists-obama-s-new-plan-to-work-with-the-russians-in-syria.html

07.13.16 7:00 AM ET

Pentagon Resists Obama’s New Plan to Work With the Russians in Syria

The White House is pushing to cooperate with Putin’s forces in the fight against ISIS. But many in the U.S. military are saying: No way.




The Obama administration has increasingly warmed to a Russian proposal that allows U.S. forces to coordinate with the Kremlin in the ongoing war against ISIS in Syria. But the White House is facing major resistance to the idea from the U.S. military and those in the intelligence community who are working with local Syrian opposition forces—the very government officials who would carry out such a plan.

The pushback comes as the U.S. has reportedly sent a proposal to Russia to share information about specific targets to strike in Syria. Secretary of State John Kerry is scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin Thursday in part to discuss the plan.

Some Pentagon officials already are saying it won’t work. They have suggested that should the U.S. and Russia agree to increased coordination, they will lobby to share as little with the Russians as possible.

There are discussions in the Pentagon about narrowing the extent of the coordination and the amount of intelligence shared, a U.S. defense official explained to The Daily Beast.

The Russians, two defense officials said, could not be trusted to honor any agreement, saying they believe Moscow would eventually exploit any agreement to bolster the regime—and weaken Syria’s beleaguered rebel fighters. As one U.S.official asked: “What do we gain?”

The internal debate about how much to expand U.S. coordination with the Russians has exposed perhaps the greatest schism within the administration this year over the way ahead in Syria.

Will it help end the war—and if so—for which side? Will it lead to a weaker ISIS and al Qaeda in Syria or an emboldened Russia and Syrian President Bashar al Assad?

The U.S. officials supporting increased coordination believe that ultimately Russia wants a political solution—an agreement between Assad and the rebels. Increased coordination could induce Russia to broker such a deal. On the ground, increased coordination could reduce civilian casualties and weaken terror groups like Jabhat al Nusra, al Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria, one administration official explained to The Daily Beast.

“The regime needs to... end the indiscriminate use of weapons, including the targeting of civilians and civilian authorities, and including medical ones. And we look to the Russians to make a greater use of the influence that we know that they have to make that happen,” State Department spokesman John Kirby explained to reporters last week.

But for others in the U.S. government, there are concrete reasons, presented in just the last few weeks, not to trust the Kremlin. Russia is believed to have attacked Pentagon-backed and trained forces in southern Syria last month, even after the U.S. reached out to the Russians to alert them about who they were striking. Russia denied striking the rebels, stationed near the Jordan border.

For others at the State Department, Russia is not a partner in Syria but the country whose police forces attacked a U.S. diplomat entering the embassy in Moscow over the weekend, leading to an expulsion and counter expulsion of diplomats.

The State Department said Russian police “attacked” the diplomats. Last month, Kerry raised the issue of how diplomats are being treated with the very Russian officials he is now discussing a military coordination plan with.

And in the nine months since Russia began its strike campaign on behalf of Assad, there have been a series of broken agreements.

In May, for example, there was an agreed ceasefire between Russia and the United States in the Syrian city of Aleppo. And yet, despite those calls to stop fighting, just over the weekend, with the help of Russian air strikes, the Syrian army claimed control of Castello Road, a key rebel route out of Aleppo.

The U.S. has been trying to get its Syrian rebel allies to separate themselves from Nusra, so far without success, because the Islamist group is among the most effective anti-Assad forces. The Russians have said that with the moderate rebels interspersed with Nusra, it’s hard to bomb al Qaeda without also bombing the moderate rebels. Moscow says it needs to know where the American-backed rebels are so its forces don’t hit them by accident.

Opponents to such coordination sense a Russian trap. Two U.S. defense officials explained to The Daily Beast that they believe the Russians will use such coordination to shift the discussion about Syria away from Assad’s removal and toward weakening his opponents, like Jabhat al Nusra. Moreover, they fear that once Russia, with U.S. help, pushes back the al Qaeda affiliate, they will renege on promises to spare the U.S.-backed moderate Syrian opposition, thereby “eliminating the two greatest threats to the Assad regime,” the U.S. official explained.

“Russia is framing this offer in terms of counterterrorism and is proposing joint operations against both Jabhat al Nusra and ISIS, but of course Russia’s current campaign does not actually make such distinctions. The issue on the table, therefore, is whether it’s possible for the U.S. to redirect Russia into an actual counterterrorism alliance in which Russia halts targeting of acceptable opposition groups,” Jennifer Cafarella, a Syria analyst at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War, explained to The Daily Beast.

U.S. defense officials said that working with Moscow would give credibly to a far less precise Russian military air campaign, one that has, by everyone’s measure, killed far more civilians in Syria than the U.S.-backed coalition.

“Why give [the Russians] legitimacy?” one defense official asked.

And perhaps most importantly to those working with local forces, they fear that any agreement could cost the U.S. credibility with local forces who are working with them.

The U.S. and Russia already communicate to ensure there are no accidents in the air over Syria and that U.S.-backed opposition forces are not struck. There is no coordination of attacks, but rather an exchange of limited information to prevent unintended strikes.

The pressure on the Pentagon to embrace increased Russian coordination has begun to creep into the public discourse. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, who once flatly closed the door to increased Russian coordination, opened that door ever so slightly late last month.

“If the Russians would do the right thing in Syria, and that’s an important condition, as in all cases with Russia, we’re willing to work with them,” Carter told reporters at a June 30 briefing.

The U.S. has been divided for years about how to deal with Nusra, which the U.S. declared al Qaeda in December 2012. The U.S. now sees the ongoing expansion al Qaeda affiliate as dangerous.

“In Syria, as [ISIS] is losing territory in the east, its terrorist rival—Jabhat al-Nusra—is gaining ground in the west,” Brett McGurk, the U.S. special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter IS, said June 28 in written testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Kerry arrives in Moscow Thursday, in part, “to test how serious the Russians are about using their influence in a constructive way in Syria,” a second U.S. official explained.


Remember this is the same exact Obama/Rhodes/Kerry WH that stated in 2014...."we will judge the Russians on their actions not their words"....AND YET Kerry states again..."we will see if they are serious"...the same exact words he used to entice the anti Assad opposition to Geneva....

The Russians have held to not a single thing they have stated they would do in eastern Ukraine and in Syria so why is Kerry even trying?????

[OUTLAW 09]

Remember this is the same exact Obama/Rhodes/Kerry WH that stated in 2014...."we will judge the Russians on their actions not their words"....AND YET Kerry states again..."we will see if they are serious"...the same exact words he used to entice the anti Assad opposition to Geneva....

Well here are the Russian actions...and where is the Obama/Rhodes/Kerry response...????

Douma city today
#Assad's terrorism vs. women and children continues throughout the country
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83NPE4NI0Kc&feature=youtu.be …

Heavy regime air strikes around Zahra in southern #Hama province.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZdA7LtEPTA …

(Graphic) #footage
Deadly #Assad/#Putin air strikes on #Ariha in #Idlib province shortly ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXJWSg63CZI …

Terrible and graphic!
Another civilian casualty of #Assad's attacks on #Talbisah.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRk_G_PCb5g …

Air strikes joined artillery and MLRS attacks on #Talbisah.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8YMOMrVNzY …

64 civilians including 13 children killed across #Syria yesterday.
- LCC

[OUTLAW 09]

Somehow the Obama/Rhodes/Kerry WH seem to always forget the other players of the ME that are just as involved as are the Russians....notice they do not approach them ........

"Reconciliation with Assad"...
As I said before: Turkey learned from its past mistakes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_K-7vYHx8A …

#Turkey’s rapprochement w. #Russia is reflective of self-proclaimed “more friends & less enemies” policy.

Stance on #Assad won’t change.

Kerry seems to forget that any US participation with Russia will signal to those players that they can now make their own moves in a much more open way and I do not think Kerry and Obama will like those moves...nor will Putin and Assad......

[OUTLAW 09]

The Pentagon is resisting Obama's plan to work with the Russians in Syria, reports @nancyayoussef.

Charles Lister ‏@Charles_Lister
As 1 very senior US official told me last week:
"I don't trust *anything* #Russia says, on #Syria or anything else"

This is key context behind the U.S.-#Russia discussions around Jabhat al-Nusra, grounding #Assad’s airforce & political process etc.

Rumor abounds now that #Russia may be prepping a replacement (a military man) for #Assad.
U.S. is awaiting evidence from #Moscow.

[OUTLAW 09]

Reports: FSA takes over all Nusra HQs in N. Aleppo, & arrests tens of Nusra fighters. #Syria

Symbolically important:
US-vetted FSA group Al-Jabhat al-Shamiya takes on Nusra's small presence in Azaz, #Aleppo:

Specifically Azaz area where Northern Storm (component of Jabha Shamieh coalition) controls. Jabha Shamieh responsible for raids.

This according to Abo Abdo Sajjo, leader of Northern Storm, who also accused Nusra of being allied with ISIS in justifying the raids.

As others pointed out correctly Nusra mostly withdrew from N. Aleppo last August. Small group of 50-60 had remained, until today.

[OUTLAW 09]

Aleppo resident I spoke to estimates they have just over two weeks' worth of food left after regime cut main road out and left them besieged

Aleppo factions Ahrar, Zengi, Fastaqim warn traders against exploiting siege
http://orient-news.net/ar/news_show/117122/0/%D8%A8%D8%B9%D8%AF-%D8%AD%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%AD%D9%84%D8%A8-%D9%81%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AB%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%B0%D9%91%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AD%D8%AA%D9%83%D8%B1%D9%8A%D 9%86-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%A8-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B3%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%B1 …

Residents of besieged #Daraya tell us that the regime is burning their crops - the last source of food to the town

Amaq claims #IS has killed three members of the Kurdish-Marxist #YPG and wounded others in southern #Hasaka, #Syria.

Kafrhamra in #Aleppo hit with at least 8 barrel bombs by Assad helos so far this morning, yesterday it was targeted with over 20 airstrikes

[OUTLAW 09]

Hassan Hassan ‏@hxhassan
Fatwa by more than 50 influential clerics says it's haram to fight under a rebel faction in Deraa that doesn't open fronts against Assad.


Michael Weiss ‏@michaeldweiss
Bizarre to see Obama admin deny Iran-AQ connection.
http://tws.io/2a7SC02
They sanctioned this guy in 2011:

[OUTLAW 09]

Syrian Coalition ‏@SyrCoalition
#Aleppo & #Daraya Are Being Annihilated, Offering of Condolences No Longer Acceptable
http://ow.ly/Op1W302b9eM

From left to right: ShOAB-0.5, PTAB-1, PTAB-2.5 KO, PTAB-2.5M, AO-2.5RT, SPBE submunitions collected in Aleppo

[OUTLAW 09]

Iran has completely succeeded in Hezbollahizing Iraq. It marks Tehran's strategic victory and the defeat of the US.

Preparations for another military parade tomorrow in Baghdad, Iraq. Iran proxy shia militias clearly warning Sadr.

"Baba, whats the name of the shrine we're liberating in #Aleppo again?"

[OUTLAW 09]

Article with @bjoernstritzel:

THE ALEPPO APOCALYPSE
10 reasons why the world must act NOW

http://www.bild.de/politik/ausland/syrien-krise/aleppo-disaster-46782136.bild.html …

The #Aleppo Disaster: 10 reasons why the world must act NOW
http://ow.ly/7fxW302cx9E

Aleppo in very very short - and still all its terror.
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/mem/2016/07/13.html?jumpto=5#5 …

Assad just murdered his brother.
https://www.facebook.com/qasioun.news.agency/videos/vb.400834690063586/666111563535896/?type=2&theater#Rastan …

[OUTLAW 09]

Not to disclose to much while geo-tagging on the ground, but the #NDZ (#NourIddinZinqi) control center of #Mallah.

[OUTLAW 09]

The Pentagon is resisting Obama's plan to work with the Russians in Syria, reports @nancyayoussef.

Charles Lister ‏@Charles_Lister
As 1 very senior US official told me last week:
"I don't trust *anything* #Russia says, on #Syria or anything else"

This is key context behind the U.S.-#Russia discussions around Jabhat al-Nusra, grounding #Assad’s airforce & political process etc.

Rumor abounds now that #Russia may be prepping a replacement (a military man) for #Assad.
U.S. is awaiting evidence from #Moscow.



Rumours emerging that #AliHabib, #Syrian #Alawite Minister of Defence who defected from #Assad ranks in 2013, will be put in power.

[OUTLAW 09]

Jaysh Halab commander says Castillo road is still in rebel hands but Russian & regime airstrikes are nonstop
https://youtu.be/qsW7CZzJLa8

Assad regime Lieutenant Jihad Khalid Khamis killed in Aleppo by rebels. He's originally from Deir Ezzor

Hama: Syrian Rebels overrun regime checkpoint in Jidreen killed all fighters and seized their weapons and ammunition.

For those that missed this impressive #drones & #GoPro combat vid
Nusra tank assault #Mallah
https://twitter.com/Interbrigades/status/752982874605903872 …

Zengi combat footage storming of #Mallah, insane incoming enemy artillery strikes
https://youtu.be/Vi1Fsv4C1oc

Ahrar al-Sham says it will not take part in Mallah fights to control Castello, chances of success too dim, would be suicidal

Turkey´s PM Yıldırım on #Syria rapprochement: "The oppression should first end. The dictatorial regime should end." http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-vows-to-expand-circle-of-peace-in-the-region.aspx?pageID=238&nID=101221&NewsCatID=338 …

[OUTLAW 09]

Kurds in Sheik Maqsood are crucial for any regime attempt to besiege #Aleppo. #Assad will thank them with war later. https://twitter.com/kreasechan/status/753259098746064896 …

[OUTLAW 09]

Syria Heavy clashes in Abyad mountains & Jazal oil fields NW of #Palmyra

Interesting:
Most established fighters with M16 (left) - via Turkey or air?!
All new fighters with AK-47 (right).

Footage from #TalRifaat
#SDF graduation ceremony of "Arpad Brigade" fighters with #US arms.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOC5G6ZHgDE …

[OUTLAW 09]

This is going to end well for the UK FP especially since the former PM was actively supporting the anti Assad side.....

The new British Foreign Minister is an outspoken admirer of Vladimir #Putin's policy of helping #Assad in #Syria.

BUT WAIT it gets even worse for the new UK FM.....

A British Foreign Secretary who excuses Russia’s invasion of Crimea?
http://khpg.org http://khpg.org/en/index.php?id=1468447666 …


The new UK Prime Minister Theresa May doubtless had her reasons for giving leading Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson a cabinet post. Making him Foreign Secretary, however, defies any comprehension. It is especially difficult not to view this as an affront to all those currently facing persecution in Russian-occupied Crimea given his extraordinary attempt to blame Russia’s aggression against Ukraine on the EU. This was only one of a long list of distortions and lies told to encourage Britons to vote to leave the EU, but it is one which makes the new portfolio a matter of immense concern.

On May 9 this year, during questions and answers after a speech on Europe, it transpired that for Johnson it was not Russia’s invasion and annexation of Crimea and its military aggression in Eastern Ukraine that had caused “real trouble”, but the EU’s actions.

“If you want an example of EU foreign policymaking on the hoof and the EU’s pretensions to running a defence policy that have caused real trouble, then look at what has happened in Ukraine, ” he told reporters.

Johnson later reacted angrily to what he called ‘smears’, denying that he was an apologist for Russian President Vladimir Putin. He did not explain what he had meant, and what, in his view, the EU had done to stoke tensions in Ukraine.

It was hardly surprising, therefore, that his words were taken as justifying Russia’s actions. Johnson was, after all, simply repeating a position first taken by the head of the right-wing UKIP party Nigel Farage in a speech soon after Russia’s invasion of Crimea. In March 2014, Farage accused the EU of having “blood on its hands” for encouraging the turmoil in Ukraine which had supposedly led to Russia’s annexation of Crimea. This was recalled days later when he was reported as saying that “Vladimir Putin is the world leader I most admire”

Farage’s view of Putin and his slanted view of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine are shared by France’s far-right leader Marine Le Pen, and in fact most far-right parties in Europe (Hungary’s Jobbik, Bulgaria’s Ataka, Poland’s Falanga and many others). It is their members, including some individuals known for their neo-Nazi views like Luc Michel and Manuel Ochsenreiter, who are regularly invited to act as ‘observers’ rubberstamping Russia’s ‘Crimean referendum’ and ‘elections’ in Donbas.

It was undoubtedly Ukrainians’ support for closer ties to Europe and Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych’s reneging on his pre-election promise to sign the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement that sparked Euromaidan and the end of the Yanukovych regime. Yanukovych had been heavily backed by Putin, and fled to Russia, together with the cronies directly implicated in the gunning down of peaceful protesters.

None of the reasons later given by Putin to justify the seizure of control by Russian troops of Crimea were substantiated. Violent deaths, disappearances and arrests of opponents have all come under Russian occupation. There was no evidence of any such excesses before Feb 27, 2014.

Johnson was likely parroting the line taken by Brexit lobbyists who clearly blamed the EU for somehow encroaching on ‘Russia’s patch’. The Brexit camp, we learned, “believe that the EU’s eastwards expansion into former Warsaw Pact countries, as well as its attempts to reach economic deals with former Soviet states like Ukraine and Georgia, has provoked Russia into adopting a more aggressive military stance in areas like Crimea.”

In a nutshell, they appeared to be saying, Russia was left no alternative but to invade and annex Ukrainian sovereign territory.

This is essentially the line taken by the Kremlin, and all its friends.

It is also, disturbingly, the line which at least in 2014 was taken by the now Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn and appears to be held to this day by his close aide Seumas Milne. The bogeyman for them is NATO rather than the EU, though their perceived failure to firmly campaign against Brexit has been presented as the main reason for the leadership challenge currently underway.

Britain, together with Russia and the USA, were signatories to the 1994 Budapest Memorandum which guaranteed Ukraine protection of its sovereignty and territorial integrity in exchange for giving up one of the largest nuclear arsenals in Europe. Neither the UK, however, nor other western countries reacted adequately to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The UK has, however, since taken a strong stand in supporting sanctions against Russia, imposed after Russia’s aggression in eastern Ukraine and the downing by Kremlin-backed militants of the Malaysian MH17 airliner on July 17, 2014.

Britain’s robust position was greatly appreciated, as was its acknowledgement of the grave human rights concerns in Crimea under Russian occupation.

What Johnson thinks appears to depend on the circumstances. Certainly, in an article from December 2015, while advocating fighting on the same side as Putin and Bashar Assad in Syria, he was at least critical of Putin (though later effusive in his praise of Putin’s bloody Syrian campaign which is believed by human rights NGOs, like Amnesty International, to have sometimes targeted civilians).

It is, however, the Johnson of the Leave campaign whom the UK’s new Prime Minister has seen the need to appoint to a high-ranking post in her government, and his position on Ukraine and Crimea are therefore seriously alarming.

Any blinkered presentation of Russia’s invasion of Crimea and the pseudo-referendum used to justify annexation flies in the face of the facts and begs the question of why Russia needed to bring in all its Eurosceptic friends from the far-right and far-left to act as ‘observers’.

The abductions and disappearances began after annexation and are continuing with the latest victim – Ervin Ibragimov – a prominent Crimean Tatar activist.

The Crimean Tatars, the main indigenous people of Crimea, faced persecution from the outset and this has now escalated with the criminalization of the Mejlis, or Crimean Tatar representative assembly. Three Crimean Tatars, including Akhtem Chiygoz, Deputy Head of the Mejlis, have been in detention for well over a year on surreal charges over the pre-annexation demonstration on Feb 26, 2014, which prevented Russia from carrying out a coup and seizure of power without deploying soldiers.

There are a number of Crimean opponents of annexation in Russian prisons, including renowned Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov. In Crimea, 14 Muslims, almost all Crimean Tatars, have so far been arrested and face huge sentences on totally fabricated charges. Other Ukrainians, including Mejlis leader Ilmi Umerov and journalist Mykola Semena are facing prison sentences for what Russia labels as “public calls to violate Russian territorial integrity”, otherwise known as recognizing Crimea as Ukrainian and wanting its return to Ukraine.

All of this, and much more, is the direct result not of the EU’s support for Ukraine, but of Russia’s invasion and annexation of Crimea.

[OUTLAW 09]

While the Obama/Rhodes/Kerry/Russian WH continues to "do nothing stupid"
...Rome is literally burning to the ground....around those "that do nothing stupid"....

Remember the "intl. community" demanding humanitarian access to #Daraya in February?!

It's half its size now due to the regime offensive.

Ariha, #Rastan, #Daraya, #Douma, #Aleppo etc.
#Assad and #Putin caused multiple massacres across #Syria today.

DAY4 of the total #Aleppo siege.
#FOOD markets stay closed.
#FAMILIES use their stocks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZokCCpB4OlM …

Most #food shops remain closed in #Aleppo today.
Kilo price for eggplant and tomatoes went up to 2 €.
That's what ppl. earn per day.

Big event for #Assad/#Putin/#YPG-displaced children in #FreeSyria's #Azaz city.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyoXziC36hM …

Also in totally besieged #EastGhouta, ppl try to flee #Assad where there is nowhere to go...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ThY8vt1vO0 …

[OUTLAW 09]

SYRIA: US proposes major cooperation with Russia in Syria

Full Text:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/r/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2016/07/13/Editorial-Opinion/Graphics/terms_of_reference_for_the_Joint_Implementation_Gr oup.pdf?tid=a_inl …

If this is in fact implemented then the 2016 National Defense Appropriations Act is triggered which clearly and concisely forbid DoD to participate in any actions with the Russian military...penalty was the cutting of DoD funding and having the SecDef answer about this violation to Congress...

Am honestly surprised that the Obama/Rhodes/Kerry/Russian WH is willing to confront Congress and risk DoD funds getting cut....

WHAT many do not realize is that DoD formally cut all Russian military ties in 2014 after Crimea....hitting hard the Russian MoD prestige event Atlas Vision which was to have a US BCT exercise a peacekeeping exercise in Russia and then a Russian peacekeeping Bde exercise in Germany...

BY deliberating killing civilians under the guise of targeting JaN even in areas where there is no JaN the Russian MoD is trying to force DoD to restart joint Russian US military planning and actions.....THUS giving the Russian MoD a tremendous prestige boost....and showing to the world they are equal to the US in all aspects even militarily thus Russia is an equal superpower.


BUT the US DoD is totally correct in their assessment that the Russians have held to virtually nothing that they tell the US nor have they held to a single point in the Minsk 1&2 agreements....

BUT the Obama/Rhodes/Kerry/Russian WH is so hell bent on achieving "something as a legacy success" they are openly willing to sacrifice Ukrainian and Syrian lives to achieve it.....

[OUTLAW 09]

SYRIA: US proposes major cooperation with Russia in Syria

Full Text:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/r/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2016/07/13/Editorial-Opinion/Graphics/terms_of_reference_for_the_Joint_Implementation_Gr oup.pdf?tid=a_inl …

If this is in fact implemented then the 2016 National Defense Appropriations Act is triggered which clearly and concisely forbid DoD to participate in any actions with the Russian military...penalty was the cutting of DoD funding and having the SecDef answer about this violation to Congress...

Am honestly surprised that the Obama/Rhodes/Kerry/Russian WH is willing to confront Congress and risk DoD funds getting cut....

WHAT many do not realize is that DoD formally cut all Russian military ties in 2014 after Crimea....hitting hard the Russian MoD prestige event Atlas Vision which was to have a US BCT exercise a peacekeeping exercise in Russia and then a Russian peacekeeping Bde exercise in Germany...

BY deliberating killing civilians under the guise of targeting JaN even in areas where there is no JaN the Russian MoD is trying to force DoD to restart joint Russian US military planning and actions.....THUS giving the Russian MoD a tremendous prestige boost....and showing to the world they are equal to the US in all aspects even militarily thus Russia is an equal superpower.


BUT the US DoD is totally correct in their assessment that the Russians have held to virtually nothing that they tell the US nor have they held to a single point in the Minsk 1&2 agreements....

BUT the Obama/Rhodes/Kerry/Russian WH is so hell bent on achieving "something as a legacy success" they are openly willing to sacrifice Ukrainian and Syrian lives to achieve it.....

Michael Weiss ‏@michaeldweiss
Obama administration, knowing how Assad's Air Force and military work, is licensing war crimes here:

Just stunning. In this passage US commits itself to the "defense of Syrian government forces"

Michael Weiss ‏@michaeldweiss
Which is not quite "de-conflicting," is it? Obama has shown his true colors. He is rewarding a genocidaire.

BLUF...is the Obama/Rhodes/Kerry/Russian WH in fact now truly and totally complicit in the war crimes and genocide being carried out by both Assad and Putin.......

Really does create the "perception" that Obama/Kerry fully and completely support war crimes and genocide against the Syrian civil society especially Arab Sunni's....does it not??????

FOR those that do not fully understand the word "complicit"

"choosing to be involved in an illegal or questionable act, especially with others" OR "helping to commit a crime or do wrong in some way" OR
"involved with others in an activity that is unlawful or morally wrong"

Based on this simple definition of "complicit" the Obama/Rhodes/Kerry/Russian WH is currently actually fully "complicit" in Syrian war crimes and genocide as they have full knowledge that it is ongoing YET chose to not take any form of action......

[OUTLAW 09]

This is going to end well for the UK FP especially since the former PM was actively supporting the anti Assad side.....

The new British Foreign Minister is an outspoken admirer of Vladimir #Putin's policy of helping #Assad in #Syria.

BUT WAIT it gets even worse for the new UK FM.....

A British Foreign Secretary who excuses Russia’s invasion of Crimea?
http://khpg.org http://khpg.org/en/index.php?id=1468447666 …

The new UK FM has definitely a major problem......just how is he going to work with those he has so bitterly critiqued in the past....THE EU and Turkey.

UK’s new foreign secretary wrote a poem about Erdogan, calling him a wanker & a goat f*cker. Should be interesting.

Erdogan took a German comedian to court over far less and won...let's see if he uses the UK laws which are harder than German laws as well against BJ......

A partial list of countries New British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has insulted:
http://slate.me/29EuCWy

When @StateDept heard the news about Boris. If you watch one thing today...
Amazing how many emotions cross his face at once:
https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4610798/state-department-learns-foreign-secretary-boris-johnsons-appointment …

[OUTLAW 09]

This is Kerry's 2nd visit to Moscow this year, and the 3rd in the past 12 months.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-russia-idUSKCN0ZT2QZ?il=0 …

"It isn't clear why the secretary of state thinks he can enlist the Russians to support the administration's goals in Syria."

"It's a lot of political capital to send the secretary of state if you don't have a clear objective of what you want to accomplish."

AND absolutely nothing has been achieved either in eastern Ukraine and or Syria......

It is all about creating that ever lasting famous Obama/Rhodes WH "legacy".....

BLUF....Kerry got his Russian answer yesterday when the RuAF carpet bombed a Syrian IDP camp and elements of the US supported proxy NSA.....

[OUTLAW 09]

Nusra sneak attacks assadist positions & controls Tel Zuwayqat in Kbanah axis, eliminating soldiers & taking a prisoner #Lattakia

[OUTLAW 09]

This is Kerry's 2nd visit to Moscow this year, and the 3rd in the past 12 months.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-russia-idUSKCN0ZT2QZ?il=0 …

"It isn't clear why the secretary of state thinks he can enlist the Russians to support the administration's goals in Syria."

"It's a lot of political capital to send the secretary of state if you don't have a clear objective of what you want to accomplish."

AND absolutely nothing has been achieved either in eastern Ukraine and or Syria......

It is all about creating that ever lasting famous Obama/Rhodes WH "legacy".....

BLUF....Kerry got his Russian answer yesterday when the RuAF carpet bombed a Syrian IDP camp and elements of the US supported proxy NSA.....

Remember when the President justified inaction on Syria by saying Putin had blundered by entering the war?

So WHY is he so intent on "saving Putin's face" and virtually destroying the entire Assad opposition in the process......

WE have seen the same exact maneuver in eastern Ukraine where is virtually demanding that the "Ukrainians " to give in to all Russian demands in the Russian occupied eastern Ukraine WHILE calling for the Ukrainian sovereignty to be respected...

ANOTHER Russian answer to the Obama/Kerry proposal.....

Air strikes on Aleppo have been non stop this is the heaviest Russian attacks since their intervention, their priority is obviously not ISIS

REMEMBER..but maybe the Obama/Rhodes WH did not get the message...WHEN the Syrian Russian Ambassador recently stated Aleppo was not going to be attacked by Assad....?????

REMEMBER when Assad gave an interview where he stated he was going to recapture all of Syrian including Aleppo and the Russian UN Ambassador waved the comment off??????

[OUTLAW 09]

Despite extensive Russia bombing campaign in Syria, only Americans ever seem able to kill ex-Soviet ISIS commanders https://twitter.com/thomasjoscelyn/status/753307858037596160 …

Footage
Russian cluster bomb attacks continue on #Binnish in #Idlib province.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2NlnFr6_zQ …

[OUTLAW 09]

Update
20 #RussianAirstrikes all across eastern #Aleppo during the last 30 minutes.
Pictures and videos to come soon.

BreakingNews
#Russian war planes are attacking at least 6 districts of #Aleppo right now

Iran announced the deaths of 11 more Fatimiyoun and Zainabiyoun members around #Aleppo.

[OUTLAW 09]

Another useless #Assad interview that provides a facade of legitimacy to the Butcher of Damascus.
https://twitter.com/billneelynbc/status/753317451929182208 …

[OUTLAW 09]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/syrias-assad-says-moscow-never-spoke-of-departure/ar-BBujZec?ocid=spartandhp

Syria's Assad says Moscow 'never' spoke of departure


Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Thursday he has never faced pressure from Russia to step aside, as US Secretary of State John Kerry headed to Moscow seeking to revive stalled peace efforts.

Speaking to NBC News in Damascus, Assad insisted his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had never raised the issue of his departure or a political transition.

"Only the Syrian people define who's going to be the president, when to come, and when to go. They never said a single word regarding this," he said.

Assad's fate is a key question in efforts to bring about a negotiated settlement to Syria's five-year civil war.

President Bashar al-Assad said only the Syrian people could "define who's going to be the president"© Provided by AFP President Bashar al-Assad said only the Syrian people could "define who's going to be the president" Washington and Moscow have backed a roadmap that calls for a nationwide ceasefire and Geneva-based talks on "political transition."

But there has been little progress towards a hoped-for resumption of talks this month, and the prospects for a political transition beginning by August, as laid out in the road map, now appear slim.

Kerry was due to arrive later Thursday in Moscow, a close ally of Assad's government that launched air strikes in support of regime forces last September.

Kerry said before leaving Washington that he would meet Putin "to see if we can somehow advance this (the peace process) in the important ways that people want us to."

Moscow and Washington brokered a landmark partial ceasefire in Syria in February but it has since all but collapsed amid continued heavy fighting.

Kerry's spokesman John Kirby told reporters his boss was "extremely frustrated" with the failure of peace efforts and "his patience was growing thin".

In Washington, many observers have criticised Kerry's outreach to Russia on Syria, arguing he has been strung along by Putin as he seeks to protect his client Assad.

But Kirby insisted the administration is not being naive, and that Thursday's visit to Moscow, Kerry's third this year, would "probe the sincerity" of Putin's promises.

In Turkey meanwhile, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim restated his country's opposition to Assad, saying there could be no solution to the conflict while he was in office.

Moscow and Washington brokered a landmark partial ceasefire in Syria in February but it has since all but collapsed amid continued heavy fighting© Provided by AFP Moscow and Washington brokered a landmark partial ceasefire in Syria in February but it has since all but collapsed amid continued heavy fighting
"As long as Assad is there, the problem won't be solved," he told the BBC in an interview broadcast late Wednesday.

Syria's conflict began in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government demonstrations and has evolved into a complex multi-front war that has left more than 280,000 dead and forced millions from their homes.

Efforts to bring an end to the war have taken on greater urgency since the emergence of the Islamic State group, which seized control of large parts of Syria and neighbouring Iraq in mid-2014.

The jihadist group has committed widespread atrocities in areas under its control and organised or inspired a wave of attacks across the Middle East and in Western cities.

A US-led coalition is carrying out air strikes against the jihadists in Syria and Iraq and recent months have seen IS lose significant territory.

The Washington Post reported Thursday that Washington was to offer to cooperate with Russia in joint military action against IS and the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda, Al-Nusra Front.


US Secretary of State John Kerry headed to Moscow seeking to revive Syria peace efforts© Provided by AFP US Secretary of State John Kerry headed to Moscow seeking to revive Syria peace efforts

In Paris before heading to Moscow, Kerry did not deny the report, but refused to discuss the proposal in detail until he had been to the Kremlin.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the report before Moscow had received Washington's proposal.

According to the Post, which cited sections of what it said was a draft agreement, US and Russian commanders would set up a joint command and control centre to direct intensified air strikes against the groups.

Such a deal is likely to face criticism that it amounts to a tacit acceptance of Putin's efforts to shore up Assad's regime.

In his interview with NBC, Assad also said a US reporter killed in alleged Syrian government bombardment in 2012 was responsible for her own death.

Marie Colvin, a 56-year-old war correspondent working for British newspaper The Sunday Times, died in the rebel-held Baba Amr district of Syria's third city Homs.

"It's a war and she came illegally to Syria. She worked with the terrorists, and because she came illegally, she's been responsible of everything that befall on her," Assad said, speaking in English.

Asked if she was responsible for her own death, Assad replied "of course," though he denied that his forces had targeted her.

His comments came days after relatives of Colvin filed a lawsuit in a US court alleging Assad's regime targeted her to stop her covering government atrocities.

The suit, based on information from captured government documents as well as defectors, claims the Syrian military intercepted Colvin's communications and unleashed a barrage of rocket fire on her location, killing her and French photographer Remi Ochlik.


Darya , tanks trying to break into the city of #Darya , west #Ghouta

Syria: a successful siege on #Aleppo will cause a humanitarian disaster only matched in recent decades by #Rwanda genocide

Ahrar Al-Sham blew up pro-Regime militias & 1 pick-up with an #ATGM in Huways, S. #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rZ-KSwfl2g …

Airstrikes on northern #Aleppo suburbs
https://youtu.be/lONIBFwHCJw

[OUTLAW 09]

Syria: #Daesh militants shot down a regime warplane over southern #DeirEzzor
https://youtu.be/9BV5DLlfrEc

ISIS published footage showing wreckage of regime helicopter in Baitaryeih in Eastern Ghouta
A regime helicopter at the Marj Ruhayyil Airbase S-E of #Damascus.


Breaking. #ISIS released footage of the Mig-23 downed & pilot killed in #DeirEzzor,

In 1 month, #SyAF lost 3 Migs (confirmed):
- Mig-21 in Hama (crash)
- Mig-23 in E. #Ghouta (downed)
- Mig-23 in DeirEzzor (allegedly downed)

Appears two Syrian aircraft were in fact shot down...one copter and one MiG23

[OUTLAW 09]

FSA News ‏@FSATruth
#FSA #Southern_Front brigades announce continuation of operations against the regime & #Daesh in southern #Syria

Under-fire #FSA rebels tout new south #Syria offensive
http://mme.cm/RGBW00

Death toll of #IRGC's Afghan brig(Fatemiun)&Pakistani brig(Zeinabiun)in Aleppo,Syria during recent days raised to 46

9 Pakistanis of #IRGC's Zeinabiun brigade killed in Aleppo,Syria, buried today in Qom, Iran.

Also #KafrHamra in #Aleppo province lies under intense air strikes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFhiAdl6Bns …

Another air strike on civilians in #Aleppo killed 10 people and injured 7 more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1xKkUwqwSw …

Footage of the #Russian-hit #WasteTruck in #Aleppo city.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZeEXzgFRUs …

Cut diesel & fuel (->water supply), prevent food from getting in, cause death & injuries by bombings, hit the waste disposal system.

What #Putin does in #Aleppo now is called #BiologicalWarfare, according to the Oxford Journal.

This is to speed up the spread of epidemics in the besieged areas ... Simply unbelievable ...

Unthinkable
After cutting fresh water supplies, #Russia dropped precision bombs on Turkish-delivered garbage trucks.

Aleppo now.
Many killed and wounded.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jOusX6xIKw …

[OUTLAW 09]

400 Movie:
Israel army advances 400m in Quneitra, regime reacts by advancing 400m in Mallah to besiege 400 thousand civilians in Aleppo

Rebels announce they counter-attacked in #Khaldiyah & took back several buildings (until Sarhil Factory) recently lost. #Aleppo

Airstrikes on Zaafaraniyah town in northern #Homs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDVzIXQWY0A …
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=34.890859&lon=36.781540&z=15&m=b …

Heavy #Russia'n airstrikes on rebel hold #Rastan city in northern #Homs
https://youtu.be/V2G7Jy5KZ_I

Damascus New attempt by #Assad-forces to storm #Daria suburb from south after seized all agricultural fields
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=33.454897&lon=36.233683&z=15&m=b …

Russia'n airstrike on Ansari neighborhood in #Aleppo city
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMyYCGr_eMk …
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.183437&lon=37.136149&z=16&m=b …

[OUTLAW 09]

Aleppo today
Its vibrant,largely secular,inhabitants still sell clothes.
Less #food though.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiGZizig0gM …

[OUTLAW 09]

Jaish al Islam count for regime losses in #Maydaa fighting. 6 BMPs, 7 tanks, 1 Helicopter, 1 warplane, 210 fighters

Congress to legally force Obama Admin to reveal hidden details of $1.7BIL 'ransom payment' to Iran
http://freebeacon.com/national-security/congress-force-obama-admin-disclose-details-1-7b-ransom-payment-iran/ …

[OUTLAW 09]

SYRIA: US proposes major cooperation with Russia in Syria

Full Text:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/r/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2016/07/13/Editorial-Opinion/Graphics/terms_of_reference_for_the_Joint_Implementation_Gr oup.pdf?tid=a_inl …

If this is in fact implemented then the 2016 National Defense Appropriations Act is triggered which clearly and concisely forbid DoD to participate in any actions with the Russian military...penalty was the cutting of DoD funding and having the SecDef answer about this violation to Congress...

Am honestly surprised that the Obama/Rhodes/Kerry/Russian WH is willing to confront Congress and risk DoD funds getting cut....

WHAT many do not realize is that DoD formally cut all Russian military ties in 2014 after Crimea....hitting hard the Russian MoD prestige event Atlas Vision which was to have a US BCT exercise a peacekeeping exercise in Russia and then a Russian peacekeeping Bde exercise in Germany...

BY deliberating killing civilians under the guise of targeting JaN even in areas where there is no JaN the Russian MoD is trying to force DoD to restart joint Russian US military planning and actions.....THUS giving the Russian MoD a tremendous prestige boost....and showing to the world they are equal to the US in all aspects even militarily thus Russia is an equal superpower.


BUT the US DoD is totally correct in their assessment that the Russians have held to virtually nothing that they tell the US nor have they held to a single point in the Minsk 1&2 agreements....

BUT the Obama/Rhodes/Kerry/Russian WH is so hell bent on achieving "something as a legacy success" they are openly willing to sacrifice Ukrainian and Syrian lives to achieve it.....

Kyle W. Orton
‏@KyleWOrton
US to offer Russia an 'anti-terror pact' in Syria
http://bit.ly/29ALYho via @Josiensor.
Comments from @Charles_Lister and me.

"The rebellion will feel, not unjustifiably, that this is the US taking sides against them."

Michael Weiss
✔ @michaeldweiss Seems also Obama's attempt to tie Hillary's hand. She'll have limited options once a deal with Moscow is locked in.

Nancy Youssef, نانسى ‏@nancyayoussef

Overheard at the Pentagon: "I think when 'cessation of hostilities' is translated from English to Russian, it becomes 'bitch slap America.'"

Kyle W. Orton ‏@KyleWOrton

"Ceasefire" is supposedly in place in #Syria right now. We just have to bribe #Russia/#Assad by helping them win; then they might comply.

If we coordinate with Moscow in Syria we are condoning and legitimizing every atrocity they've committed.

[OUTLAW 09]

Syria|n rebels blowing up 14.5 mm gun and some pro-#Assad forces at #Mallah frontline today.

Faylaq Al-Sham took out with a #Kornet a 130 mm cannon on Tell Sheikh Yussuf, E. #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgAHbUZMr0g …

Jaish Al-IsIam released footage of heavy clashes of battle for Midaa-Bahariyah, #Damascus.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwJGH4aS3CE …

Latakia : Fierce fighting in the Shalf Castle area of #Kurds_Mountain as Opposition units battle Regime forces amid artillery fire.

Zinki on Castillo Road's front, #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsDyb9-7tK0 …

[OUTLAW 09]

Russian MoD tries to prove they actually bombed a Syrian IDP camp........

@mod_russia airstrikes performed by 6 Tu-22M3 on IS positions near Palmyra-12th July.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mT8HwWZ-1g …

Regime armored vehicle (adapted to urban warfare) used to breach in #Daraya, #Damascus.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJ7Cg2Hw2gQ …

[OUTLAW 09]

Rebels recently adapted their communication, based on Amaq's style 4 "breaking News"
1. Fatah Halab
2. Nusra
3. ISIS

Hama: 11 Assad regime allied "Jaysh Al Aqsa" killed by roadside IED

Lots of pressure now on SF to resume fighting, after all the country rose up in solidarity with Deraa.

[OUTLAW 09]

AND UK FP just got worse........

Hassan Hassan ‏@hxhassan
Give the child a toy, he'll clam down. Boris in 2006: Give Iran the bomb, might make regime more pliable
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/3633097/Give-Iran-the-bomb-it-might-make-the-regime-more-pliable.html …

[OUTLAW 09]

Russia jets recently killed 135 civilian relatives of US-backed rebels in no-man's land on #Syria-Jordan border.

Moscow *will* push back against some items of #Obama’s proposal tomorrow with Sec. Kerry, but core points likely to soon be attempted.

No underestimating how much this will, for many Syrians, “prove” Jabhat al-Nusra’s narrative was “right” all along.

Obama is fully supporting JaN (AQ) 500%

[OUTLAW 09]

Kyle W. Orton ‏@KyleWOrton
Really @NBCNews? We're going to ask #Assad to comment Trump's bigoted statements on Muslims when he's murdered half-a-million Muslims?

Kyle W. Orton ‏@KyleWOrton
What in god's name is @NBCNews doing asking #Assad what he thinks of Obama's "credibility"? Chemical WMD, mass-killing, torture … and this?

Kyle W. Orton ‏@KyleWOrton
Really @NBCNews? We're going to ask #Assad to comment Trump's bigoted statements on Muslims when he's murdered half-a-million Muslims?

Assad says IS originated under American "supervision" in Iraq in 2006. In reality, IS was hosted and assisted from Syria from 2002.

Kyle W. Orton ‏@KyleWOrton
#Assad assisted #IS's rise for fourteen years and #Russia's strikes have enabled IS, now says US is "not serious" about countering terrorism

Kyle W. Orton ‏@KyleWOrton ·
One wonders what #Putin thinks of #Assad's statement that the two are bound by "values", which include: genocide and the use of WMD.

Assad: The American position on #Syria is based on "making deals regardless of values, which is not the case for the Russians."

This is what it looks like when a petty tyrant and mass-murderer gloats on American television: #Assad

[OUTLAW 09]

Russian Syrian Express on the move......

Russian Navy's Ropucha Class BDK Azov 151 entered the Bosphorus northbound, right after sunset @ 20.40 (GMT+3)

[OUTLAW 09]

Kyle W. Orton
‏@KyleWOrton
US to offer Russia an 'anti-terror pact' in Syria
http://bit.ly/29ALYho via @Josiensor.
Comments from @Charles_Lister and me.

"The rebellion will feel, not unjustifiably, that this is the US taking sides against them."

Michael Weiss
✔ @michaeldweiss Seems also Obama's attempt to tie Hillary's hand. She'll have limited options once a deal with Moscow is locked in.

Nancy Youssef, نانسى ‏@nancyayoussef

Overheard at the Pentagon: "I think when 'cessation of hostilities' is translated from English to Russian, it becomes 'bitch slap America.'"

Kyle W. Orton ‏@KyleWOrton

"Ceasefire" is supposedly in place in #Syria right now. We just have to bribe #Russia/#Assad by helping them win; then they might comply.

If we coordinate with Moscow in Syria we are condoning and legitimizing every atrocity they've committed.


✔ @RT_com URGENT: #Putin meets #Kerry in Kremlin, says looks forward successful talks
http://on.rt.com/7iw9

Putin & #Lavrov meet with #Kerry & Nuland in #Moscow. As Surkov is present, #Ukraine must be on the agenda as well:

[davidbfpo]

Quite the best short article on Syria I've read for a long time. As the author writes:
This policy brief examines the northwestern provincial capital of Idlib—alongside jihadi-controlled Raqqa, it is the most important city captured by the insurgency so far—to explore how Assad previously managed to rule it by entrusting security tasks to local proxies, and why that may no longer be possible.

A strategic overview, one that alas we rarely see here and succinct too:
The Syrian war continues to flow back and forth, but since Russia (http://carnegieendowment.org/syriaincrisis/?fa=61386) and Iran (http://carnegieendowment.org/syriaincrisis/?fa=63650) intervened in Syria’s civil war in autumn 2015, President Bashar al-Assad has largely stabilized his position. Despite the continuing economic decay of his government (https://tcf.org/content/commentary/fistful-dollars-dwindling-value-syrian-state-salaries/), Assad’s army has managed to reverse some earlier losses and capture key areas from its enemies, notably around Aleppo. Since March 2016, Russia has limited its support for Assad, in grudging compliance with a truce (http://carnegieendowment.org/syriaincrisis/?fa=62956) negotiated with the United States. But if Russians and Iranians were to decisively put their shoulders to the wheel again, as they did in January and February, it is likely that they could further tip the scales in Assad’s favor (http://warontherocks.com/2016/06/russia-is-in-charge-in-syria-how-moscow-took-control-of-the-battlefield-and-negotiating-table/).

Not got time to read it all? Read the side-bar 'What You Should Know'.

I have never heard of The Century Foundation, nor its list of experts and others involved. The article's author's bio has a few pointers, working for Carnegie and linked to St. Andrews University:https://tcf.org/experts/aron-lund/

So a new thread for maximum visibility for now.:)

Syria is sadly broken and from my armchair cannot readily be put back again.

[OUTLAW 09]

The Obama admin leaned on Russia to save its bacon in Syria repeatedly and was burned every time. No lessons learned https://www.commentarymagazine.com/foreign-policy/american-power-russian-hands/ …

American Power in Russian Hands

Noah Rothman / July 14, 2016

You would think that Barack Obama would have learned his lesson by now. You would be wrong.




According to reporting by the Washington Post’s Josh Rogin, the United States has proposed to cooperate with Russia in the skies over Syria. The proposed plan would create a new joint military command-and-control office where both nations’ militaries could coordinate their strikes on terrorist targets. What’s troubling in this proposal, however, is it would appear to prioritize Russian targets and, thus, Russian interests.

“Overall, the proposal would dramatically shift the United States’ Syria policy by directing more American military power against Jabhat al-Nusra, which unlike the Islamic State is focused on fighting the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad,” read Rogin’s dispatch. The proposal would ostensibly allow the United States to draw Russia into making more strikes on ISIS targets, which it has been previously reluctant to do, jointly with American forces. In the event, however, that there was a substantial threat to its Assad regime allies from Nusra or the terror group advanced beyond unspecified “designated areas,” the Russian air force could act unilaterally.

How this proposal advances American interests in the region is subject to interpretation. The risks, meanwhile, are clear, present, and simply cataloged:

Kerry sees the proposal as a way to reduce the violence in Syria and ground the regime’s air force. The risk is that attacking Jabhat al-Nusra in conjunction with the Russians will spur terrorist recruiting, increase civilian casualties and put the United States firmly on the wrong side of the revolution in the eyes of the Syrian people. Also, there’s no enforcement mechanism if the Putin or Assad regimes violate their commitments — as they have consistently done until now.

Secondly, this pact would ratify what Russia partially achieved with its “de-confliction” agreement with the United States: the legitimization of its military intervention in Syria. And if Russia’s intervention in Syria is legitimate, then so are the interests it is defending: namely, the preservation of the genocidal Bashar al-Assad regime.

In the absence of a multinational coalition, Barack Obama has never been comfortable with anything more than pinprick precision displays of kinetic American military power. In Syria, the president has been losing members of that anti-ISIS coalition for some time, and Russia’s addition might suffice to mollify some of their concerns about the appearance of unilateralism. The president has, however, been relying on Russia to effectively manage American interests in the Middle East for years and has repeatedly been burned in the process.

In his desperation to avoid following through with his “red line” for action in Syria in the autumn of 2013, after a series of mass casualty chemical weapons attacks on civilian populations by Assad forces, the president leaned on Russia. In a prime-time address to the nation, Obama announced that Moscow had agreed to broker a third way in which they would oversee the removal of chemical weapons from Syria so that American airstrikes can be avoided. Today, chemical weapons stockpiles are still in Assad regime hands, as well as in the possession of terror groups like ISIS, and American airstrikes were not averted.

Russian support for Assad, welcomed by an American administration that continued to issue contradictory calls for the Syrian dictator’s abdication, was a great success. Russia bought time for his forces, which were beleaguered and collapsing by October of 2013, and they secured their last post-Soviet port on the Mediterranean at Tartus. But those gains could not be sustained forever without direct intervention. After weeks of importing support personnel and equipment, a Russian three-star general marched into the American embassy in Baghdad with a simple message. Federation air strikes on “terrorist” targets in Syria would begin momentarily. “If you have forces in the area we request they leave,” he reportedly said. Russian forces immediately began harassing American drones, shadowing Turkish fighter planes, and seeking to push the West out of theater by force.

Even after all this, the Obama administration continued to hope that Russia could somehow extricate itself from the Syrian nightmare it allowed to metastasize through inaction. Even as Russian forces reportedly deployed cluster munitions on civilian targets and targeted brick-and-mortar hospitals with airstrikes, the White House still begged the Kremlin to impose a ceasefire on the belligerents in Syria. Time and again, the administration has been disappointed by their Russian counterparts, but that disappointment never seems to dissuade them from taking another kick at the football.

It should be abundantly clear by now that this administration will never be comfortable with America’s prohibitive military power. They would prefer to be used and embarrassed by their erstwhile partners in the Russian government than to unapologetically pursue American interests and grand strategy. In Syria, in particular, the Obama administration’s reputation has been severely damaged. If only the White House could see it.

[OUTLAW 09]

In the face of photos and video evidence depicting five different Russian sub munitions used in the cluster and incendiary bombings we get this from the Russian MoD.......

Russia warns in advance: we didn't use chemical weap.in Syria special effects in video by enemies.
https://twitter.com/GraniTweet/status/753690072734629888 …

How @Bellingcat and digital sleuths have helped debunk Kremlin disinformation.
http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/mh17-crash-two-years-later#.V4iEMBs1UeV.twitter …

[OUTLAW 09]

BUT WAIT....Russia has been really bombing everyone OTHER than IS..so how can he say this...normal Russia lie again.....

"Terrorists and their sponsors understand only force, and we must use it:" #Russian Prime Minister #Medvedev.

Russia is killing one heck of a lot of civilian "terrorists" these days in Syria and that includes "child terrorists under the age of FIVE"....:mad:

[OUTLAW 09]

2 Iranians #IRGC Major.Seyedreza Marasi and Major.Abolfazl Nikzad killed yesterday in Aleppo, Syria.

Sultan Murad blew up with a #TOW a 14.5 mm gun on #Mallah front, #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOxIJtGngHA …

[OUTLAW 09]

Daraa Heavy clashes + airstrikes after rebels attack regime barriers at eastern outskirts of #Bosra
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=32.521197&lon=36.508598&z=13&m=b …

[OUTLAW 09]

AFP news agency
✔ @AFP #BREAKING: Putin, Kerry did not discuss military cooperation in Syria during talks: Kremlin

So Washington Post "Exclusive leak": "Obama’s Syria plan teams up American and Russian forces" is a part of propaganda war?

Tells me that Putin and Assad are going for a major win in Aleppo and figure Obama will do nothing as usual to stop them so why deal with the US when he is "winning" anyway????

[OUTLAW 09]

Tells me Kerry achieved nothing in Moscow as Russia will never implement any of the Minsk 2 security points BEFORE Ukraine caves on the political points....

On Ukraine @JohnKerry urged an acceleration of negotiations on Minsk implementation, especially security elements. http://m.state.gov/md260047.htm

What he states is exactly what the Ukrainian President and FM stated must be achieved before any elections take place in Russian occupied eastern Ukraine....

WAS this all for show?????

AND Putin got great PR coverage as a great statesman via Kerry and Obama..and the US taxpayers paid again for the Kerry flights for nothing.

[OUTLAW 09]

Trump tells @oreillyfactor he wants more NATO involvement in anti-ISIS fight. (BUT has also suggested dismantling NATO.)

He changes his mind about as much as Putin his favorite leader does.....

Russia'n airstrikes on #Aleppo city center
https://youtu.be/4tYC9kop8B4

Russia'n airstrikes on #Aleppo's Huraytan suburb
https://youtu.be/TGo6jUCsAgw

Rebels retook some buildings in Khalidiya in NW #Aleppo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qc96xqaL2I …
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.228922&lon=37.120399&z=16&m=b …

[OUTLAW 09]

BUT WAIT...the US would not give the Javelin to the UAF....

BBC Arabic footage of Abu Adel with the US Javelin ATGM in #Manbij

[OUTLAW 09]

In the face of photos and video evidence depicting five different Russian sub munitions used in the cluster and incendiary bombings we get this from the Russian MoD.......

Russia warns in advance: we didn't use chemical weap.in Syria special effects in video by enemies.
https://twitter.com/GraniTweet/status/753690072734629888 …

How @Bellingcat and digital sleuths have helped debunk Kremlin disinformation.
http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/mh17-crash-two-years-later#.V4iEMBs1UeV.twitter …

RULE OF THUMB...when the Russians react in this manner THEN there is usually something to it...meaning then they did use CW.....

MFA Russia
✔ @mfa_russia Russian Aerospace Forces & Syrian Air Force never use chemical weapons in special operations http://www.mid.ru/en/foreign_policy/news/-/asset_publisher/cKNonkJE02Bw/content/id/2354186 …

"SyAAF never use chemical weapons in special operations"? We know they have been using them in conventional ops. https://twitter.com/mfa_russia/status/753860619405815808 …

[OUTLAW 09]

Russian far right ideologue and Putin advisor.......

Dugin calls Nice a CIA plot to sow fear in the community & enhance American control over Europe.
http://katehon.com/ru/node/34805

Lately the UN cannot seem to get it right...even makes serious mistakes in Syria...

UN report finds killings on both sides in Donbas, yet misses Russian soldiers...
http://fb.me/GlD5IQiV

A dozen airstrikes with 10+ dead in #Bosra town /eastern #Daraa province in southern #Syria

[OUTLAW 09]

After 14 hours still no claim of the Nice attack by IS....unusual for them....as they definitely have ties into the Nice area.....

I just finished my morning round on ISIS & AlQaeda online platforms. None of them have claimed responsibility yet for #NiceAttack.

[OUTLAW 09]

Latakia: #Syria|n rebels have killed 20+ pro-#Assad forces near #Kabani village and captured 1 more today.

Southern Front launch "Hayy Allah" offensive against SAA in the 'Triangle of Death' in Daraa/Quneitra countryside
11 anti Assad units are involved.....Finally!

US Compromises Won Turkey’s Backing for Kurd-Led Offensive
http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-compromises-won-turkeys-backing-for-kurdish-led-offensive-1468539313 …
important article on new cooperation btwn Turkey, US + YPG

[OUTLAW 09]

After 4.5 months, the ceasefire in South #Syria officially ended.

Daraa: #Syria|n rebels launched their first assaults against pro-#Assad forces since 4+ months today. The "ceasefire" is officially over.

#Aleppo: 2 #Russia|n airstrikes destroyed the hospital in #Kafr_Hamra.

Aleppo: Heavy #Russia|n airstrikes on #Kafr_Hamra since yesterday. Several #Syria|n civilians killed & wounded

[OUTLAW 09]

While Putin does this he is at the same time along with Assad killing far more people than all the ten terrorist attacks in France...YET no one calls him and Assad "state terrorists"...why is that?

Putin records video message addressed to President Franois Hollande and the French people
https://meduza.io/en/news/2016/07/15/putin-records-video-message-addressed-to-president-francois-hollande-and-the-french-people

[OUTLAW 09]

Reference the recent Russian carpet bombing video of an IDP camp.....see below...
@mod_russia airstrikes performed by 6 Tu-22M3 on IS positions near Palmyra-12th July.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mT8HwWZ-1g …

Usual caveats with @mod_russia. Part of images are recycled from 18th Nov. 2015 strike.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6gpFcrZlPs …

The first target also geolocated N-E of Palmyra, in Mount Oubayrah. Via @midemin
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=34.745998&lon=38.463317&z=18&m=b …

T-3 airport's annexe also received its own Tu-22M3 full load
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=34.524016&lon=38.732986&z=17&search=%20%2034%C2%B040'40%22N%20%20%2038%C2%B035' 37%22E …

Arak Gas treatment facility also took a full load (12 X OFAB-250-270).
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=34.680370&lon=38.622437&z=16&m=b&search=%20%2034%C2%B040'40%22N%20%20%2038%C2%B035' 37%22E …

T-3 pumping station was heavily hit by at least 4 Tu-22M3 full load.
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=34.530663&lon=38.744423&z=16&m=b&search=%20%2034%C2%B040'40%22N%20%20%2038%C2%B035' 37%22E …

[OUTLAW 09]

Weird video. SyAAF (?) MIG-29 flying over US backed Ahmad al-Abdo Martyrs fighters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhL_jOnfbmg …

[OUTLAW 09]

Kyle W. Orton ‏@KyleWOrton
Wonder what western leader will be first to say #NiceAttack shows the need to work with #Assad/#Iran + #Russia, the life-support system for #IS?

Kerry.... from all places Moscow

[OUTLAW 09]

Syria #Iran'ian aircraft parachute supplies into besieged Shiite towns of Kefraya & Fuah in #Idlib
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZZWYogw8oY …

Syria Rebels TOWed regime pic up in #Latakia mountains
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TDH-GFGmpE …
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=35.841821&lon=36.046829&z=14&m=b …

[OUTLAW 09]

Great account by @Indira_L of "wonk rooms" vs. "war rooms" & the plan to address the fatally flawed Iran deal. http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/07/iran-nuclear-deal-foreign-policy-barack-obama-hassan-rouhani-javad-zarif-israel-john-kerry-214052 …

[OUTLAW 09]

Is Syria the Russian Armed Forces' laboratory for war, that is, future war in Europe?
https://twitter.com/mod_russia/status/753963669348909056 …

Russia’s Syria experience to strengthen Armed Forces, create new weapons — minister
http://tass.ru/en/defense/888491 …

[OUTLAW 09]

Hiya Lillah Battle: shelling Regime positions in N. Quneitra/#Daraa.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZmVgEyODNc …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0xlQJ6X518 …

Footage
The #Iranian air force continued to drop "supplies" on #Fua and #Kefraya.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZZWYogw8oY …

Huraytan city near #Aleppo today.
Heavy #Russian air strikes on the remaining inhabitants.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNDjtxNed2A …

Also around #Aleppo, the #Russian air force continued its war vs. Syrian civilians.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQLBevYDgQo …

Other sources say, the air strikes on #Bosra were conducted by #Russia.
Can't say for sure.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IslQDg85FEs …

Meanwhile in #Syria the merciless #terror by the Assad regime continued
Air strike on #Basra
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cDCgx0sfJ4 …

[OUTLAW 09]

Latest #Russia airstrikes in #Syria map.
http://bit.ly/29VGtwt
Full collection here-
http://bit.ly/29nTwIC

[OUTLAW 09]

Manbij: #ISIS killed an #US mercenary, who fought for #YPG against #ISIS in #Manbij. #Aleppo

Aleppo: #Syria|n rebels have killed 9 #Pakistan|i of #Iran|ian #IRGC's Zeinabiun Brigade in #Aleppo.

Just in time for Kerry's wheels-down in Moscow: Russian jets bomb US-backed rebels in Syria a second time:
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/07/14/russian-jets-bomb-us-backed-rebels-in-syria.html …

Daraa: Huge amount of fighters, tanks and heavy artillery taking part in the new rebel offensive against the regime

Simes: very difficult for this admin to get deal with Putin on basis of the current US proposal. (grounding Syria AF, for various reasons)

[OUTLAW 09]

How Twitter users tracked down 4 ISIS ‘fanboys’ from a PR campaign gone wrong
https://firstdraftnews.com/how-twitter-users-tracked-down-4-isis-fanboys-from-a-pr-campaign-gone-wrong/ …

Daraa: #Syria|n rebel commanders discussing the #Daraa rebel offensive.

At least 1 dozen airstrikes reported on the main hot spots in Jebal Al-Akrad: Kinsabba, Shalif & Kabbana. N. #Latakia

Furqan Brigades | Fagot #ATGM strike on regime within battle "هي لله" #Triangle_of_Death:
https://youtu.be/Zo6vDva059c

“Assembly of Scholars in al-Sham” has been formed in #Syria.
Includes Abu Mariya al-Qahtani & Abdullah al-Moheiseni

Abu Mariya [one of the ISI advanced part into #Syria in 2011; once Nusra's deputy] on the outs with JN for a while.

[OUTLAW 09]

Aleppo: #Syria|n rebels advancing against pro-#Assad forces in #Khalidiyeh District of #Aleppo City.

Outside of so called "concrete measures" not much else came out of an over eight hour set of meetings....

FRANCE 24 English
✔ @France24_en Kerry: US, Russia agree 'concrete steps' to save Syria truce
http://f24.my/29Zwg1H

THIS shows just how much even Kerry is in an altered state of reality when it comes to Syria as there has been no CoH for now days.....on end after massive Iranian, Assad and Putin air and ground attacks.....

[OUTLAW 09]

Second Coastal Division destroyed with a #TOW a truck carrying troops in N. #Latakia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRIdZt9D9XY …

IMPORTANT:
How and why #Russia tried to cover up death of #Putin's best helicopter ace in #Syria:
http://euromaidanpress.com/2016/07/11/putins-best-helicopter-ace-killed-in-syria-euromaidan-press/ …

[OUTLAW 09]

Syria'n rebels stand behind legitimate elected government in #Turkey
Statement: #FSA groups rejects the #TurkeyCoup #Syria


Clashes close to #Homs refinery
https://youtu.be/SJp8tLTdM3E

Rebels recaptured several positions they lost to pro-Regime forces in #Khaldiyah & Bani Zeid districts, #Aleppo.

Heavy airstrikes on #Kinsabba axis amidst unconfirmed reports of pro-Regime gains in renewed offensive. N. #Latakia.

The pilots killed in last 7 downed/crashed #SyAF aircrafts were from #Latakia-#Tartus provinces & Masyaf (#Hama).

Rebels fending off Regime attempt 2 seize #Khaldiyah's factories on Almothana street #Aleppo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6I9OL1lUnU …

Rebels from Sham Front defending Bani Zeid from pro-Regime forces, #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds3x687htlY …

Footage: large deployment of Regime artillery w/ howitzers & rocket launchers in NE #Aleppo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClxRX3J7URs …

[OUTLAW 09]

The White Helmets @SyriaCivilDef
22 civilians killed in aerial bombardment of Aleppo today.


Unusual if confirmed.....
One-ton bomb unearthed at Turkish customs gate to Iran.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/one-ton-bomb-unearthed-at-turkish-customs-gate-to-iran-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=101623&NewsCatID=341 …

[OUTLAW 09]

Outside of so called "concrete measures" not much else came out of an over eight hour set of meetings....

FRANCE 24 English
✔ @France24_en Kerry: US, Russia agree 'concrete steps' to save Syria truce
http://f24.my/29Zwg1H

THIS shows just how much even Kerry is in an altered state of reality when it comes to Syria as there has been no CoH for now days.....on end after massive Iranian, Assad and Putin air and ground attacks.....

WELL so much for those so called "concrete measures".......

Daraya today:
#Assad (backed or accepted by the world) vs. innocent civilians.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmmCMvWcdRU …

Local activists reported over 35 Assad/Russia airstrikes targeted several Aleppo areas today. Situation is messy.

[OUTLAW 09]

Assad army advance to Kinsibba outskirts supported by Russian strikes. Rebel sources reported ongoing fierce clashes
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=35.744074&lon=36.164203&z=15&m=b …

Also E of #Damascus (#Harasta), #Assad unleashed his brutal air power on innocent civilians.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNuESDlp1YI …

[OUTLAW 09]

Outside of so called "concrete measures" not much else came out of an over eight hour set of meetings....

FRANCE 24 English
✔ @France24_en Kerry: US, Russia agree 'concrete steps' to save Syria truce
http://f24.my/29Zwg1H

THIS shows just how much even Kerry is in an altered state of reality when it comes to Syria as there has been no CoH for now days.....on end after massive Iranian, Assad and Putin air and ground attacks.....



SECRETARY KERRY: So with respect to Turkey, I only – because we have been engaged very deeply in discussions all day, and literally Sergey and I caught up to the news of what may or may not be happening at the very last minute before coming in here. So I think it’s inappropriate for me to comment except to say that we’ve heard the reports that others have heard. I don’t have any details at this point in time. I hope there will be stability and peace and continuity within Turkey, but I have nothing to add with respect to what has transpired at this moment.

With respect to the critics who may or may not be making judgments about what may or may not have been agreed upon, first of all, they don’t know the details of what we have or haven’t agreed on. And number two, we have homework to do, and I said that very clearly. Number three, the United Nations Security Council has labeled both Daesh – or ISIL, as some call it – and al-Nusrah, which is al-Qaida – they are labeled as terrorist organizations. And the United States has no clouds over our – there’s nothing standing in the way of our judgment about the need to be standing up against and fighting against terrorism. And both are terrorists.

So if some critic is criticizing the United States or Russia for going after al-Nusrah, which is a terrorist organization, because they’re good fighters against Assad, they have their priorities completely screwed up. The fact is that Nusrah is plotting against countries in the world. What happened in Nice last night could just as well have come from Nusrah or wherever it came from as any other entity, because that’s what they do. And so I have no illusions about what we need to do. I also have confidence in the people of Syria and confidence in the opposition – the non-terrorist organization opposition, the legitimate opposition, the opposition we have supported – to continue to fight for their freedom and for their principles and their values within Syria. And there is nothing that we are doing that is going to undermine the particular fundamentals between them and the Assad regime.

We have always said – and nothing that we’re talking about doing here will change the fact – that there is no military solution to the problem of Syria. It requires a diplomatic, political solution. And that political solution requires going to the table and having a negotiation in Geneva according to the terms of the Geneva accord.

Now, as I said a moment ago, there are two principal violators that have been persistently violating what is going on with respect to the ceasefire. And one is, as I said, the Assad regime with its indiscriminate bombing, and the second is obviously the question of al-Nusrah – which, as you just said, is fighting against Assad and which is providing no peace and security and which, regrettably, some opposition have occasionally chosen to fight with because they are fighting against Assad. But that doesn’t excuse it, and it will not excuse it in our eyes. We saw what happened when people said the same thing about ISIL for a period of time – oh, don’t worry, they’re just a force against Assad, and down the road we can take them on. Well, they became more than just a force. And so I think that it is important for the United States, Russia, the entire coalition of ISSG to stand up against terrorism, and that is what we intend to continue to do.

Now, we continue – not one iota of our policy has changed with respect to the Assad regime. We still believe that Syria can’t have peace while Assad is there. We believe that. We have a difference with Russia on that. But notwithstanding that difference, we both believe it is important for us to try to reestablish the cessation of hostilities.

And when we first came to the table in Vienna and I proposed a ceasefire, put it on the table, it was not Russia or Iran that said no. Both of them said yes, we should have a ceasefire. But there were others at the table who opposed proceeding forward with a ceasefire, and some of them, unfortunately, I think, may regret that today. But the point is simply that we have consistently been working towards the full implementation of a ceasefire.

Now, final comment. It gets very confusing, obviously, on the ground with respect to who’s who and who’s where, and that’s part of the homework we’re going to do in order to absolutely be able to be clearer to people about who is supported by whom and who needs to change their behavior in order to adhere to the ceasefire itself.

And we had a long conversation about that today. I’m not going to share all the details of it because it won’t work unless certain things, conditions which we agree have to be met, are put in place. So we’re not here promising the world, not here tonight to suggest to you that overnight this is going to change. But I am here with confidence that if the things we talked about and agreed ought to be implemented are, in fact, implemented, then this has the opportunity to change the playing field significantly. And let the proof be in the pudding, not in our words.


Kyle W. Orton ‏@KyleWOrton
Kerry's precedents for US-Russia cooperation: #IranDeal, 2013 CW "deal," DEC 2015 climate change deal. Cheers you up for #Syria, doesn't it?


Kyle W. Orton ‏@KyleWOrton
Kerry's press conference with Lavrov last night is incredible: history re-written on IS, Russia/Iran's role in Syria
http://bit.ly/29DMzQg

REMEMBER...this is virtually the same thing that Obama stated in 2014 about Putin's actions in Crimea and eastern Ukraine....
(And let the proof be in the pudding, not in our words.)

"We will judge Putin by his actions not his words"..........

So was Kerry just "channeling" Obama/Rhodes and the Russian WH??????????

[OUTLAW 09]

This is the Russian FM response to Kerry......NOTICE the strong difference in wording and phasing between the two.....


FOREIGN MINISTER LAVROV: (Via interpreter) Continued....

As for Syria and the issues that we see within the context of implementing the decisions of the ISSG and the UN Security Council resolutions, as John said, we have agreed today on some very specific steps, but those steps cannot be regarded as results as such, as results in themselves, as of now. A very specific result of today’s negotiation is our agreement on these steps, and I hope very much that our experts on both sides will do everything quickly and with full awareness of their responsibility considering our two countries’ roles as co-chairs of the ISSG and the initiatives proposed by our two countries that were approved by the UN Security Council.

You asked whether this concentration of effort by the U.S., its focus on fighting the al-Nusrah Front will mean that the most effective anti-Assad group will become weaker, will be weakened. I understand that reporters have the right to instigate a discussion with hard questions, but the UN Security Council stated several times that there can be no excuse for terrorist attacks; nothing can serve as an excuse or a pretext for supporting or abetting terrorist activities. And ISIS and the al-Nusrah Front have been identified as terrorist groups by the UN Security Council, and as such they must be eliminated. And all the countries that are part of the ISSG have unilaterally – have unanimously agreed on this. This is also the unanimous attitude of the United Nations laid out in UN Security Council resolutions. They have previous examples in history where certain governments tried to coo terrorists, to court terrorists and use them to their own ends in order to topple governments like in other countries. Back in Soviet time, we do remember the history in Afghanistan where some of our counterparts supported the Mujaheddin in Afghanistan, believing that the Mujaheddin would help them inflict maximum damage against Soviet forces and later they will be able to tame those Mujaheddin. But tame them they have not managed to do, and those Mujaheddin later morphed into al-Qaida, which on September 11th, 2001 committed a horrible terrorist attack in New York, after which our countries had to unite against terrorism.

We also have the more recent example in Libya, where countries that were determined to overthrow Qadhafi did not shy away from cooperating with certain terrorist groups, and we all see what’s – where this has gotten us. Today Libya is a den of terrorism. It is a country which is in the hands of radicals and the weapons supplied to anti-Qadhafi groups have spread out all across the region and now we are all doing our best to keep this country together and keep it from falling apart and becoming a festering pit for terrorists.

As for the Syrian issue, we could go on and on discussing who is to blame. We have our roadmap laid out in numerous documents starting from the Geneva communique of June 2012 plus the UN Security Council resolutions plus the decisions by the ISSG, and all of those documents clearly state that the Syrian people, the people of Syria, are the only one entitled to decide the future of Syria. This means that what we need is to finally implement the agreements that we already have and put all those groups in Syria at the bargaining table, the negotiating table, including the Syrian Government and all of Syria’s political group.

Unfortunately, regrettably, with all due respect to our colleagues in the United Nations, no one has tried to do that as of now. The effort by various UN officials to play the role of charter diplomacy, trying to put various groups at a negotiating table and act as intermediaries, they have not been successful. The roadmap requires a direct negotiation between the warring parties. It is the same drill in all other countries, with Libya or other countries of the world: A direct negotiation between the warring parties is needed for a settlement, for a peaceful settlement; and no international stakeholders, including Russia or the United States, is entitled to substitute this process.

However, we can exert our influence on the groups that we support and on the parties that we have in this country to urge them to sit down at the negotiating table and start talking to each other, and we hope that such a process, such a political process, will be launched in the future, in the near future, and that the future political process in Syria will be based on democratic principles and on the UN’s Charter which states, which maintains that the peoples are entitled to decide their own fate, primarily through free and fair elections where politicians will take place in the race and where voters will be able to make their choices.

As for the second part of your question, we have agreed that ISIS and the al-Nusrah Front are terrorist groups and they are exempt from any ceasefire arrangements. They are supposed to be eliminated. They are our common enemies, and the ISSG has clearly decided and has clearly agreed that the opposition groups in Syria that do not want to be associated with terrorists and that are willing to join the ceasefire and become parties to the ceasefire, they must separate themselves from ISIS and the al-Nusrah Front, including geographic separation – they must physically separate themselves and geographically separate themselves from the terrorists so that nobody would be able to speculate that in some – in certain areas in Syria, the terrorists are mixed and intertwined with the moderate opposition.

There has been enough time in the past months for moderate groups in Syria to join the ceasefire and separate themselves from the real terrorists. I believe that those who have not done so should not be considered constructive opposition or moderate opposition. Those are people who are trying to benefit in their own way from dealing and cooperating with terrorists. We understand the complications that our American counterparts have to face, especially as regards practical steps aimed at separating and distinguishing moderate opposition groups from the terrorists such as, primarily, the al-Nusrah Front. But we in Russia are also convinced that in recent months, such complications could have been already overcome or removed, and the measures that we have agreed on and that we will have to get down to implementing in the days and weeks to come, we hope that those measures will enable us to – after a certain deadline, I don’t know what to call those people. But I believe that those who have stayed in those positions despite the many months and the numerous calls to leave them and to separate themselves from the terrorists, maybe those people are not very different from terrorists themselves.


Kyle W. Orton ‏@KyleWOrton
Can't say you weren't warned: Lavrov told Kerry to his face Russia will treat all #Syria opposition like al-Nusra.

Kyle W. Orton ‏@KyleWOrton
Lavrov has fun with Kerry now that he's turned the entire focus in #Syria to symptoms (IS/Nusra) over cause (#Assad)

Kyle W. Orton
‏@KyleWOrton
Very odd statement from #Kerry about #IS, and a telling point of praise for #Russia/#Iran, slap at allies re #Syria

[OUTLAW 09]

SNHR:at least 10 victims died in suspected #Russian warplanes missiles fired on Fardous in #Aleppo city Jul 16

Aleppo: 50+ #Syria|n civilians were killed & 100+ wounded by #Russia|n and #Assad airstrikes in #Aleppo today

Aleppo/#Raqqa: #ISIS fighters massing in Northern #Aleppo. #YPG militias around #Manbij in trouble now.

[OUTLAW 09]

Meanwhile in #Syria: Assad barrelbombs & Russian strikes kill +50 civilians In Aleppo.
But that's just the norm.
https://twitter.com/rabiih/status/754357922939936768 …

After Incirlik airbase has been shut down, multiple Russian airstrikes target Azaz in north rural #Aleppo, #Syria, several civilians killed

[OUTLAW 09]

http://mebriefing.com/?p=2414

Washington, Moscow, Tehran and Riyadh: The Coming Conflict over the Middle East



There are, at the present moment, four game plans colliding with each other in a terrain filled with hidden mines. The sum of the collusion will be totally different than the objectives of each of the players. Worst, no one has the ability to predict the outcome, not even the players themselves.

Let us examine briefly each game plan as seen by each player before addressing, in general, the potential paths of this dangerous game.

Saudi Arabia:

From the Saudi perspective, Iran has gone too far. Ideologically, Tehran enshrined the export of its revolution into its constitution. Practically, it has the Quds Force of the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) to make sure that this principle is implemented. Furthermore, it achieved progress through infiltrating Iraq after the US-UK ill-advised invasion and it moved and it is actively present in Damascus now. This came after successfully creating Hezbollah in Lebanon and was followed by the Houthi rebellion in Yemen and the control over Sana’a. The Shia Crescent developed into a full moon.

Signs of additional progress of pro-Iranian forces in the Arab World are scattered here and there to threaten even more of the same. Terrorist attacks by these forces are becoming more and more a normal occurrence in many Gulf Arab countries. Bahraini Shias were encouraged to revolt. And Tehran broke free of its isolation after harvesting all possible profits of its illegal nuclear activities.

All the while, the US, which used to be the guarantor of the regional security order, showed signs of changing directions. Washington pursued what it deemed its interests by opening channels with Tehran, pulling its forces from Iraq prematurely, zigzagging in Syria before it finally offers to work with Moscow to preserve Assad and letting down some of its loyal rulers in a moment of need.

The US zigzag on Syria and the Iranian successful offensive in Iraq made the Saudis nervous. Allowing this trend of Iranian expansion was obviously promising to put the Kingdom under siege and deprive it of any strategic depth in the Near East.

This compelled the Saudis to either surrender to the mounting Iranian intervention or take the initiative, regardless of what its traditional allies in Washington do, to what it has to do stop the Iranian wave.

Iran:

During the years of sanctions and isolation, Tehran regarded intervention in Iraq and Lebanon as a national security priority. Ideology in revolutionary-Iran is not reduced to superficial rhetoric. It is a tool to mobilize the Shias in and out of Iran. It also gives the IRGC substantial powers and profits. Furthermore, it is useable as a national interest tool. It is wrong to assume that Iranian or IRGC leaders act or pretend when they are talking about their regional cause. They sincerely believe their own rhetoric so long as there is nothing, in worldly interests, that compels them to question its validity. It does not only sound self-righteous, it is also profitable.

IRGC leaders and a good portion of Iran’s “establishment” and clergy, believes they have a responsibility towards “the oppressed” (mostazafin) in the Islamic World. They believe that most Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states are reactionary, pro-West, perpetually conspiring against their Islamic revolution, supporters of terrorism, oppressive of their Shia minorities, weakening Muslims and therefore should be toppled.

Of all these accusations, some stand in the forefront. Those are the ones that directly hinder the Iranian game plane. For example, Tehran believes that the US presence in the region is both threatening and an obstacle to regaining what Tehran believes its right to become a regional major power.

Iran adapts its message in Arab countries according the peculiarities of each situation. The Quds Force plays an Arab nationalist card in Lebanon through Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah and in Syria through Bashar al-Assad, but it plays a sectarian card in Iraq through Nouri al –Maliki and the some factions in the Popular Mobilization Force (PMF). In Yemen, they play an “independence” card and in other countries they play a “democratic” card.

The game plan of Tehran is based on a self-justified intervention in its western neighbors. Ideology and national interests come hand in hand to provide the base of this strategy.

Russia:

There are two conflicting views when it comes to understanding Moscow’s game plan in the Middle East. The first view looks at Russian policies as a reaction to a long-standing Western strategy to minimize Russia’s influence and hurt its national interests. Moreover, this view sees that President Putin’s intentions in the region and beyond stem from his desire to make the world recognize Russia as a major player and deal with it in respect and parity.

The other view looks at Russia’s assertive role and its occasional use or threat of military actions as an attempt to turn the global order upside down and as violation of international treaties. Russia is viewed, from this standpoint, as a global force which is systematically ready to use subversion and military action to further its global agenda. As such, it should be treated as a hostile power from the point of view of the existing global order.

In the Middle East, Russia helped Assad through direct military intervention, an act that furthered the Iranian game plan. It played an important role in reaching the nuclear deal with Tehran, which led to ending Iranian global isolation. And it is currently eyeing some important energy projects, particularly in Central and South Asia with Tehran. Furthermore, Moscow is monitoring how the political map in the Middle East will evolve, and how this will impact potential natural gas routs to the Mediterranean and from there to West Europe in the future. Clearly, Moscow has a genuine interest in shaping the outcome in a way

Moscow is using its role in the region as a bargaining chip in dealing with the major global powers. This classical game is yielding some positive results as we saw in the Obama administration recent offer to Moscow in regard to Syria.

Continued

Russia is inviting GCC investment to the North Caucasus region in an attempt to stem the growth of religious radicalism through improvements in the region’s economic conditions. One essential reason for Moscow’s involvement in the Middle East is to stop the spread of Jihadists from the source. But the way they play their hands there may bring about some opposite results.

The US:

We have covered US Middle East policies extensively in previous issues of MEB. We see this policy as utter failure to adapt to contingent circumstances stemming either from limits on US abilities or the rapid roller coaster in the region. From the Arabs standpoint, the structure of US interests has shifted the moment the nuclear deal was signed. The temptation of wining Iran back as an ally was blinding US officials.

The straw that broke the camel’s back was the recent offer made by the US to cooperate with Russia to defeat a dangerous group of the Syrian opposition, freeze the issue of transition in Syria, accept Assad for the time being and focus on reducing violence and humanitarian assistance.

This offer enraged the relevant Arab capitals. It is considered a retreat from previous commitments and a reward to Assad and Iran. It alerted the Arab countries to the possibility that president Obama may be moving to bind the next administration with a policy favorable to Tehran.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir hat an unscheduled meeting with Secretary John Kerry on July 7 to inform him, according to State Department official statement, that Riyadh is ready to send ground troops to Syria. Al-Jubeir, however, explained the Saudi opposition to any deal between Moscow and Washington that endangers the roadmap agreed upon in Geneva. Even taking the Department’s statement at face value shown the degree of contrast between two allies, one talking about a deal to bomb the Syrian opposition and preserve Assad, and the other talking about sending troops to support the opposition and topple Assad.

The meeting was between Jubeir and Kerry was followed by a fiery speech given by former chief of Saudi Intelligence Prince Turki al-Faisal to tens of thousands of Mujahedeen Khalq in the “Free Iran” conference in Paris July 9. During the speech, the Saudi former official responded to thousands chanting “down with the regime” by saying: “me too, I want this regime down”. He also promised the opponents of the Ayatollahs with “a certain victory”.

When Saudis wave again the possibility of sending ground troops and take a visible stand in support of Iranian opposition, this means they are indeed running out of patience and ready to escalate.

This game is going on while the region is going through general transformation based on mounting popular discontent. The strategic competition, explained above, generates a tide of sectarian polarization. When Sectarian incitement is intensively projected on societies searching for channels to gather and direct their discontent, it threatens to deviate any popular movement to a confrontation based on sectarian perspectives. This will further tear the region apart and prevent it from progressing in a constructive manner.

We are inching towards a general regional escalation in the Middle East. The four game planes currently colliding in that region are going each in its path based on separate calculations. We do not have a global superpower that is willing or able to see the risks and intervene rapidly to create an area of compromise. None of the four parties will achieve a clean win. For in those cases there is no such thing as a clear win. But so far, the inertia seems to be unstoppable.

[OUTLAW 09]

http://mebriefing.com/?p=2414

Washington, Moscow, Tehran and Riyadh: The Coming Conflict over the Middle East


Needs to be seriously read as the indicators are there ESPECIALLY after this last Kerry trip to Moscow and his press conference statements.....

US turns fully pro Russia, pro Iran and pro Assad

[OUTLAW 09]

Syria huge explosion rocked #Aleppo believed to be in Defence Factories south east Aleppo
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=tr&lat=36.104041&lon=37.355576&z=12&m=b&show=/17961415/Al-Safira-Military-Base-Defence-Factories …

Explosions in the defense factories around Safira S.#Aleppo turning night into day.

Sultan Murad involvement during Rebel counter-offensive in #Khaldiyah, #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M-shofPtUg …

Daraa : Opposition in #Jassem broke up an ISIS cell and found many bomb making materials.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWJJxH4AYR4 …

Reports of #Hezbollah forces amassing near the town of Huraira in Wadi Barada, #Damascus after giving residents 1 day to leave the town

Breaking. Pro-Regime forces claim took back control of #Kinsabba, N. #Latakia.

Assadists push hard/scorched earth bombing &get to Shilif/Kinsibba front lines in AM, now request artillery on own taken positions #Lattakia

[OUTLAW 09]

Kyle W. Orton ‏@KyleWOrton
Kerry's precedents for US-Russia cooperation: #IranDeal, 2013 CW "deal," DEC 2015 climate change deal. Cheers you up for #Syria, doesn't it?


Kyle W. Orton ‏@KyleWOrton
Kerry's press conference with Lavrov last night is incredible: history re-written on IS, Russia/Iran's role in Syria
http://bit.ly/29DMzQg

REMEMBER...this is virtually the same thing that Obama stated in 2014 about Putin's actions in Crimea and eastern Ukraine....
(And let the proof be in the pudding, not in our words.)

"We will judge Putin by his actions not his words"..........

So was Kerry just "channeling" Obama/Rhodes and the Russian WH??????????

Reports Russian warplanes targeted Azaz city near Turkish border north Aleppo for the first time in months.

Kerry-Lavrov cooperation deal quickly translated into actions on the ground targeting the moderate rebels AKA #FSA suppose to be excluded.

[OUTLAW 09]

Massive explosions coming from #Aleppo’s Defense Factories.

Activists report hearing them from 100km away. #Syria

Celebrations breaking out across #Aleppo & #Idlib at news of Defense Factory destruction.

Aleppo’s Defense Factories are a key site for barrel bomb manufacture.

Reports suggest 4 helicopters also destroyed at the site.

"Like sunrise".
#Assad's factory of death explodes in #Safira, 16 km S-E of #Aleppo.

Assad's arms factory south of #Aleppo explodes.
The one producing the #BarrelBombs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zH8TUf-7qE …

[OUTLAW 09]

Massive explosions coming from #Aleppo’s Defense Factories.

Activists report hearing them from 100km away. #Syria

Celebrations breaking out across #Aleppo & #Idlib at news of Defense Factory destruction.

Aleppo’s Defense Factories are a key site for barrel bomb manufacture.

Reports suggest 4 helicopters also destroyed at the site.

"Like sunrise".
#Assad's factory of death explodes in #Safira, 16 km S-E of #Aleppo.

Assad's arms factory south of #Aleppo explodes.
The one producing the #BarrelBombs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zH8TUf-7qE …

UPDATE: Jaysh al-Islam claims attack on defense factories in Safira, #Aleppo - @IbnSiqilli
http://twitter.com/IbnSiqilli/status/754562380571484160/photo/1pic.twitter.com/HOiRAK48FX

BUT WAIT now Hezbollah info war kicks in......

UPDATE: Hezbollah media says that a “technical error with explosives” led to large explosion in #Aleppo factory

[OUTLAW 09]

First pictures showing Rebels inside #Kinsabba after they seized it this morning. N. #Latakia.

Kinsabba & Shalif are back into Rebels' hands after successful counter-offensive at dawn. N. #Latakia.

Kinsibba - Shilif axis restored & any points advanced on re liberated after operations #Lattakia

Rebels declared control of points regime forces took yesterday, #Kansabba, #Shalf castle & village , #Ain_Alkantra, #Ser_Kabboh, & #Alhmrat

Footage: Faylaq-Sham blew up with an #ATGM a Grad rocket launcher in Nayrab Airbase, #Aleppo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMdAY49Udpo …

Breaking. Massive explosion inside Nayrab Airbase in #Aleppo. Rebels claim blew up a Grad rocket launcher with #ATGM

After 24 days of fierce battles, pro-Regime forces reached for the first time Castillo road, implementing full siege on Rebel-held #Aleppo.

"Aleppo is now 100% besieged," says #Aleppo Revolutionaries rebel. "Army reached (Castello), now setting up sandbag barriers."

Night attack vs pro-Regime forces around #Kinsabba, N. #Latakia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqQrXgVxeLY …

[OUTLAW 09]

Interesting if confirmed as the home front for JaN is in fact Idib and the Russian FM stated yesterday Russia would attack and destroy JaN......

Negos between Russia&JAF to hand over Madaya to regime, Zabadani to Halesh and in exchange of a NFZ on Idlib + Rif

[OUTLAW 09]

Political chaos, elections & terror attacks always trigger attacks on Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Egypt & Turkey

[OUTLAW 09]

Footage
The #Safira arms factory is still on fire, explosions every few seconds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kL6ExJI9bdw …

Assad's arms factory south of #Aleppo explodes.
The one producing the #BarrelBombs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zH8TUf-7qE …

Aleppo yesterday:
#AssadPutin air strikes killed at least 29 civilians.
World gave them the OK.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5q4-Onqow_g …

There was a (rare) air strike on #Azaz today - some say "Russian".
Can't find proof.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9abnIpdu_A …

Huraytan city after months of #AssadPutin air strikes.
~90% of the 13.000 inhabitants fled.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wiv_ekBI2KQ …

[OUTLAW 09]

A must read article......by a very good Syrian SME.......

Kyle W. Orton ‏@KyleWOrton

The coalition's anti-#IS op has failed to prioritize legitimate local governance, ensures IS comeback.
http://bit.ly/29McElb v @RFERL

Kyle W. Orton ‏@KyleWOrton
New piece by me for @RFERL: "The Caliphate at Two"

Even Kerry responded to him indirectly in his Moscow press conference....

[OUTLAW 09]

It's all over for 300.000 civilians in eastern #Aleppo.
Pro-#Assad forces took the #Castillo road.

Aleppo is fully besieged since 1 week now.
Period of starvation will start soon.
The world keeps watching and "demanding". -> #Useless.

Rebels say, they are in another "counter offensive" to retake the #Castillo road. But sad truth is, they lose piece by piece over time.

[OUTLAW 09]

Latakia: #Assad regime offensive was a total failure. #Syria|n rebels killed 50+ pro-#Assad forces in Northern #Latakia since yesterday.

[OUTLAW 09]

Israel: Patriot Missile Defense System intercepted a drone launched from #Syria at Israel, not a missile.

[OUTLAW 09]

Manbij: 5 #Syria|n civilians of the same family, including children, were killed by #US airstrikes in #Manbij

Aleppo today:
Systematic murder of the 300.000 besieged civilians.
World watching/ignoring.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=197ycUA91wM …

Can't wait for the next #Geneva nonsense when W leaders will announce "the Syr govt. agreed to allow hum.aid in...um and #Assad stays pres."

[OUTLAW 09]

BUT WAIT did not the Russian FM and Putin virtually guarantee that all Assad chemical weapons had been removed from Syria....APPARENTLY Russia lied...again as usual and yet Obama and Kerry insist on trusting them....

How did this not cause a bigger stir? OPCW all but accuses Syria of lying; US warns Assad may retain CW

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2016/Jul-13/361877-syria-mu... …

[OUTLAW 09]

Aleppo: #Syria|n rebels pushing pro-#Assad forces back at Castillo Highway and in #Khalidiyeh District of #Aleppo City. Fighting ongoing.

[OUTLAW 09]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/17/rebels-fear-assad-victory-in-syria-as-noose-tightens-around-aleppo?CMP=share_btn_fb

Rebels fear Assad victory in Syria as noose tightens around Aleppo

Opposition groups brace for onslaught as US and Russia agree to cooperate, and Ankara sends peace feelers to Moscow and Damascus


Just over a month into Syria’s uprising in 2011, the leader of Lebanon’s Druze sect, Walid Jumblatt, travelled to Damascus to visit Syria’s then security tsar, Mohammed Nasif. As well as being the Assad family’s most trusted senior official, he was also the linchpin of Syria’s close ties with Iran and Hezbollah, a man bound more than most to the fate of the regime.

“He said to me at the time, it’s either us, meaning the Alawites, or them, meaning the Sunnis,” Jumblatt recalled. “I knew which way this was going then. He added, ‘even if it cost us a million dead’.”

More than five years later, the toll in the now raging war is well past a quarter of that estimate – international monitors stopped counting last August. The sectarian dimension to the fighting foreshadowed by Nasif is a reality. So is the destruction of much of the country, including the ancient city of Aleppo, which after years of being viewed as the key to Syria’s fate last week slipped from the grasp of the opposition and into the hands of the Syrian regime’s allies, led by Hezbollah.

The encirclement of Aleppo is a significant moment in a war that has led to more unrestrained savagery, international repercussions and unlikely alliances than most others in modern times. Another emerged last week, as Hezbollah and Syrian troops were beating back the al-Qaida-aligned Jabhat al-Nusra from farmlands to the north of the city. As that battle raged, the US was drafting a deal with Russia that would create a joint operations centre to coordinate attacks on al-Nusra and Islamic State.

The move has created despair among the ranks of the Syrian opposition, which insists that a pact between Moscow and Washington will entrench the Syrian leader, whom Russia and Iran have saved from defeat over the past 12 months. Adding to the alarm of the now diminished rebel ranks is a detente, also signed during the week, between Moscow and Ankara, after a seven-month standoff, as well as the Turkish prime minister’s remarks that Ankara was interested in peace with Damascus.

“This all means that Assad is no longer at risk,” said a senior official in the western-backed Syrian opposition. “This means that he has won.”

In the eyes of the exiled political opposition and rebel fighting groups still in Syria, the political realignments mark a decisive phase in a war that they believe they can no longer win. In recent years, as Bashar al-Assad’s allies have weakened the rebels’ position, a belief endured among opposition military leaders that if they could not win the war, Assad could not either. That view has changed.

“I’m sitting here in a ruined house in eastern Aleppo,” said Abu Sobhi Jumail, a Syrian opposition fighter who has fought across northern Syria for the past five years. “I have the Russians in the skies, the Syrian air force too, when its planes can fly. I have Isis to my east, Hezbollah to my north and al-Qaida [Jabhat al-Nusra] in between. They abandon us, and tell us to rely on God, and then condemn us when we are forced to seek help [from al-Nusra]. Without them we would all have been killed a year ago. That is not politics. That is life and death.”

Since Russia launched its large-scale intervention last October, opposition units that had been backed by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the US have been the prime targets of Moscow’s bombers. Isis has largely been spared, with notable exceptions such as in Palmyra.

Turkey, too, has mostly left the jihadis alone, concentrating its fight on Syria’s Kurds, whom it views as a subversive extension of Turkish Kurdish groups, which Ankara continues to fight.

Though remaining a supporter of the Syrian opposition, including Islamic elements such as Ahrar al-Sham, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has focused much of his energies on ensuring that Syria’s Kurds do not seize control of more of the shared border and that their use by the US as proxies in the fight to seize land from Isis in eastern Syria does not amplify the Kurds’ ambitions.

“We are doomed in Aleppo,” said Suleiman Aboud, who fled with his family from the rebel east of the city in February. “The next phase of this will be revenge. No one has paid a price for all these abuses. That is what hugging Assad does. This revolution was noble. It may not have been fully democratic, but people are allowed to fight oppression. We have the same rights to safety and freedom as you.”

Acknowledging the immense suffering across rebel-held parts of the country, Gareth Bayley, the UK’s special envoy for Syria, said: “The situation on the ground in Syria is dire. The UK is deeply concerned by the regime and its allies taking ground and harming civilians in Aleppo and rural Damascus. This is in direct violation of the cessation of hostilities and there is appalling suffering amongst the population.”

There is no way out of eastern Aleppo and north to the Turkish border, with the last remaining supply line severed. A blockade that has all but taken hold over the past year is now likely to be enforced, say the few remaining residents of the eastern half of the city.

“For a long time people have been out of ideas,” said Abu Subhi. “There is no enthusiasm to assist us. They want it all to go away. But you will all be judged for what has happened in Syria. I won’t be alive to witness it, though.”


BUT WAIT are we not watching the US trigger with their caving to the demands of Putin a potential ME war between KISA and Iran....

IMHO we are getting to be one step closer to that KSA decision.....and there is nothing the US can do to stop KSA once that decision is made....

[OUTLAW 09]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/17/rebels-fear-assad-victory-in-syria-as-noose-tightens-around-aleppo?CMP=share_btn_fb

Rebels fear Assad victory in Syria as noose tightens around Aleppo

Opposition groups brace for onslaught as US and Russia agree to cooperate, and Ankara sends peace feelers to Moscow and Damascus



BUT WAIT are we not watching the US trigger with their caving to the demands of Putin a potential ME war between KISA and Iran....

IMHO we are getting to be one step closer to that KSA decision.....and there is nothing the US can do to stop KSA once that decision is made....



We have covered US Middle East policies extensively in previous issues of MEB. We see this policy as utter failure to adapt to contingent circumstances stemming either from limits on US abilities or the rapid roller coaster in the region. From the Arabs standpoint, the structure of US interests has shifted the moment the nuclear deal was signed. The temptation of wining Iran back as an ally was blinding US officials.

The straw that broke the camel’s back was the recent offer made by the US to cooperate with Russia to defeat a dangerous group of the Syrian opposition, freeze the issue of transition in Syria, accept Assad for the time being and focus on reducing violence and humanitarian assistance.

This offer enraged the relevant Arab capitals. It is considered a retreat from previous commitments and a reward to Assad and Iran. It alerted the Arab countries to the possibility that president Obama may be moving to bind the next administration with a policy favorable to Tehran.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir hat an unscheduled meeting with Secretary John Kerry on July 7 to inform him, according to State Department official statement, that Riyadh is ready to send ground troops to Syria. Al-Jubeir, however, explained the Saudi opposition to any deal between Moscow and Washington that endangers the roadmap agreed upon in Geneva. Even taking the Department’s statement at face value shown the degree of contrast between two allies, one talking about a deal to bomb the Syrian opposition and preserve Assad, and the other talking about sending troops to support the opposition and topple Assad.

The meeting was between Jubeir and Kerry was followed by a fiery speech given by former chief of Saudi Intelligence Prince Turki al-Faisal to tens of thousands of Mujahedeen Khalq in the “Free Iran” conference in Paris July 9. During the speech, the Saudi former official responded to thousands chanting “down with the regime” by saying: “me too, I want this regime down”. He also promised the opponents of the Ayatollahs with “a certain victory”.

When Saudis wave again the possibility of sending ground troops and take a visible stand in support of Iranian opposition, this means they are indeed running out of patience and ready to escalate.


This explains the cry of outrage from the Iranians when the Saudi Intel Prince met with MEK...a sworn enemy of Iran .......

[OUTLAW 09]

Just how crazy is the Obama/Rhodes/Kerry WH getting these days.....

First they cannot identify who bombed two Syrian hospitals in the middle of the night....

Secondly, they cannot identify who bombed two Syrian IDP camps......

Thirdly, they cannot even state who is dropping cluster, incendiary and thermobaric bombs on Syrian civilians......

Fourthly...they never could prove who invaded eastern Ukraine

THEN this...they had no idea about the developing coup........

No intel on #Russia invading #Ukraine. No intel on 'special status' fallout.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6knKz4Xzb90 …

Appears that we need to replace the entire US Intel Community with open source social media analysts......

[OUTLAW 09]

BUT WAIT did not the Russian FM and Putin virtually guarantee that all Assad chemical weapons had been removed from Syria....APPARENTLY Russia lied...again as usual and yet Obama and Kerry insist on trusting them....

How did this not cause a bigger stir? OPCW all but accuses Syria of lying; US warns Assad may retain CW

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2016/Jul-13/361877-syria-mu... …

Charles Lister ‏@Charles_Lister ·
This has [grudgingly] been known for a long time within high-level govt circles -- 20%+ of 2013 stockpiles remain.

Sami ‏@Paradoxy13 · 17 Jan 2015
Assad’s alleged secret #CW storage sites in #Damascus according to a senior official in the Republican Guard.

[OUTLAW 09]

Massive explosions coming from #Aleppo’s Defense Factories.

Activists report hearing them from 100km away. #Syria

Celebrations breaking out across #Aleppo & #Idlib at news of Defense Factory destruction.

Aleppo’s Defense Factories are a key site for barrel bomb manufacture.

Reports suggest 4 helicopters also destroyed at the site.

"Like sunrise".
#Assad's factory of death explodes in #Safira, 16 km S-E of #Aleppo.

Assad's arms factory south of #Aleppo explodes.
The one producing the #BarrelBombs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zH8TUf-7qE …

Some claims suggest an SAA helicopter carrying barrel bombs crash-landed in Al-Safira’s Defense Factories, igniting 2ndry explosions.

[OUTLAW 09]

US rep to OPCW says the regime is making and weaponising chemical agents, in violation of "historic" deal:


THE HAGUE: The world's chemical weapons watchdog is pressing Syria to explain why it has four undeclared warfare agents, its head said Wednesday, after a U.S. official accused Damascus of continuing to hoard a toxic stockpile.

Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons chief Ahmet Uzumcu said despite previous declarations by Syria, OPCW teams have found indications of five additional chemical agents.

After recent consultations with The Hague-based OPCW's secretariat, Syria "declared research and development of one more chemical agent," Uzumcu said in a report released last week, of which AFP was given a copy on Wednesday.

But "at present, Syria has not yet adequately explained the presence of indicators of four chemical warfare agents," Uzumcu said.

The OPCW chief added that "new information" offered by Damascus has failed to resolve outstanding issues on Syria's chemical warfare program.

"In many instances, such new information presents a considerable change in narrative ... from previous information – or raises new questions," Uzumcu said.

Uzumucu said the OPCW's secretariat believed if Syria's effort continued "without a change in approach" its declaration "is unlikely to yield concrete results."

It's been almost three years since a U.S.-Russian brokered deal in September 2013 saw Syria cave in to international pressure to hand over its chemical stockpile to the OPCW for destruction.

Syria's admission comes after a sarin gas in August that year on rebel-held areas near Damascus that was blamed by the West and the opposition on Syrian President Bashar Assad's government.

The removal of the weapons was the result of the historic deal that averted threatened U.S. airstrikes against Damascus after the August attacks.

- Syria 'cynically' exploiting pact -

But on Tuesday the U.S. permanent representative to the OPCW voiced frustration with Syria's perceived lack of cooperation in the process to verify its chemical arsenal.

Kenneth Ward said the OPCW's latest findings were "indicative of (the) production, weaponization and storage of chemical warfare agent by the Syrian military."

This "has never been acknowledged by the Syrian government," Ward said in an address at OPCW, obtained by AFP on Wednesday.

"We therefore remain very concerned that chemical warfare agent and associated munitions, subject to declaration and destruction, have been illicitly retained by Syria," he said.

In January, the OPCW announced that all Syria's declared chemical arms had been completely destroyed, despite concerns that sarin gas and other chemical weapons were still being unleashed in the country's complex civil war that has so far killed more than 280,000 people.

Damascus has furiously denied ever using chemical arms and instead said the accusations "only served political agendas".

But Ward, in a strongly-worded statement, said there was a "body of evidence indicating that Syria never truly accepted the obligations or ideals of the Chemical Warfare Convention."

"For more than two years, the (OPCW's) Secretariat and Council provided Syria with an opportunity to instill international confidence that it had renounced chemical weapons," said Ward.

"Syria has not only squandered that opportunity, it has cynically exploited it," the U.S. representative said.

[OUTLAW 09]

Latakia: One of several pro-#Assad forces captured by #Syria|n rebels in #Kinsabba

Assadists relaunch offense from Wadi Basour & valley around it trying to come back to Kinsibba lost early morning. #Lattakia

As of now, Kinsibba/Ayn Qantra/Tel Toubal all opposition held, assadis still in retreat position with presence in Shilif (Village) #Lattakia

Regime forces retreated to the southern part of Mallah Farms. Castello Road is still under regime direct fire

Remains of pro-Regime forces' presence in #Kinsabba, N. #Latakia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfPTxzpXtGo …

FSA 10th Coastal Brigade | liberating #Kinsabba & surrounding area Jabal al-Akrad #Latakia:
https://youtu.be/JfPTxzpXtGo

1st Coastal Division pre-emptive shelling on #Kinsabba area before its seizure, N. #Latakia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kfj4NWocVyg …

Fierce fighting between Fatah Halab & pro-Regime forces in #Khaldiyah as the latter attempted again to progress, #Aleppo.

[OUTLAW 09]

Do you remember when intl. media reported air strikes on hospitals?
Not anymore in #Syria.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkDOs2QpMQI …

Assad/#Putin air forces destroyed the Omar bin Abdul Aziz clinic in #Aleppo yday
No comment by ne1 around the world

[OUTLAW 09]

Russian network sanctioned for oil deals ISIS Assad.
https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/OFAC-Enforcement/Pages/20151125.aspx …
https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl0287.aspx …

There is in fact something to be said by this comment....
ISIS is Russia's network tool to wage hybrid wars against the West: staffed, fueled, funded, tasked.

[OUTLAW 09]

Worth reading as this former SecDef/CIA Chief contradicts the entire Obama/Rhodes/Kerry and now Russian WH......

Former CIA director on "worst-case scenario" in Syrian civil war
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/leon-panetta-former-cia-director-on-worst-case-scenario-in-syrian-civil-war …

[OUTLAW 09]

Better late than never it appears.....Kerry should have known after two years of Russian attacks inside eastern Ukraine started by their invasion which he and Obama called "an incursion" and their constantly broken promises and statements in Syria Putin can never be "trusted"....

Sober John Kerry on working with Russia on Syria: "Nothing in what we talked about is based on trust"
http://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/video/john-kerry-on-working-with-russia-in-syria-726667844002 …

[OUTLAW 09]

This clip of @michaeldweiss calmly, factually responding to Trump's unhinged spokeswoman is marvellous.
https://youtu.be/zIziugfwJAE
Referencing Muslims.....

[OUTLAW 09]

A suspected #Russian air strike destroyed a neighbourhood in Kafr Takharim,#Idlib.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMcpkw6c4QM …

Rebels fire more #Katyusha rockets from the Sy-Tur border vs. #Assad's in #Kinsabba
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOYDZftlpvA …

Another targeted air strike destroyed a @SyriaCivilDef centre in #EastGhouta yesterday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZBAunk9A8E …

BUT the SCD is not even a military or terrorist organization YET Kerry says nothing does he?????

Su-22 and Su-24 secured the closure of the #Castillo road to #Aleppo today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xINDUO8XCg …

FSA 1st Coastal Division | storming #Kinsabba & regime rout Jabal al-Akrad #Latakia:
https://youtu.be/IhqFlS_C2ow

Assadists asking for ammunition delivery to try & attempt advance on Kinsibba at daylight again #Lattakia

[OUTLAW 09]

Regime heavy tank destroyed via ATGM at night on Jabal Roos near Shilif. #Lattakia

[OUTLAW 09]

Kyle W. Orton ‏@KyleWOrton
#Syria rebel: "This is the flaw in [the Americans'] diplomacy … They can only hope the Russians play nice."
http://on.ft.com/2a8YhXI
Sorry behind paywall....

Jaish al Nasr targeting regime forces in #Mallah farms, #Aleppo
https://youtu.be/NBN7YdP0b0I

Syria rebel: "[The West] abandon us...and then condemn us when we are forced to seek help [from al-Nusra]."

[OUTLAW 09]

In which Russia lists parties to war: the SAA, ISIS, Kurds, and Jabhat al-Nusra
http://ria.ru/syria_mm/20160623/1449888899.html …

MFA Russia
✔ @mfa_russia #Lavrov: With @JohnKerry we reaffirmed that our goals are to repel threat from terrorist organisations | 16/07 http://www.mid.ru/en/foreign_policy/news/-/asset_publisher/cKNonkJE02Bw/content/id/2356206 …

[OUTLAW 09]

Jaish al-Islam mortar aiming footage confirms, #Castillo highway still cut by #Assad. #Aleppo besieged.

[OUTLAW 09]

Robert Ford @fordrs58
Obama thinks 2013 CW deal a big achievement(?), but US officials (at OPCW, UN) denounce Syr govt violations of deal.

Jan 2016: OPCW announces that all Syria's declared CW destroyed.
Jul 2016: Regime has undeclared CW agents.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2016/Jul-13/361877-syria-must-explain-chemical-warfare-agents-watchdog.ashx#.V4Z8HZ1yZKA.twitte …

[OUTLAW 09]

Charles Lister @Charles_Lister
In this, I exclusively reveal a secret process aiming to split +/- 1/3 of Jabhat al-Nusra away -> new non-AQ group. https://twitter.com/Charles_Lister/status/755017678440452096 …

"Under Pressure, #Syria’s Rebels Face al-Nusra Quandary”
My new *exclusive* piece.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/under-pressure-syrias-rebels-face-al-nusra-quandary_us_578bbd07e4b0e7c8735055e4 …

[OUTLAW 09]

PART One of the article linked above....really worth to read the long article .....



For several days now, upwards of 300,000 people living in opposition-held areas of Aleppo city have existed in a state of de facto siege. As forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad closed down the opposition’s last remaining route into the city, sources within the city reported that supplies of critically important fuel and flour are already running low, while food prices have risen 400% in 48-hours. Fruit, vegetables and meat were fast disappearing.

On 15th July, the Council of Free Aleppo issued an “Urgent Report” describing the “fierce attack” ongoing on 64,000 families living in the area and pleaded for international assistance. Sadly, little help appears to be on the way. Last week, the UN assessments of people living in besieged areas of Syria stood at roughly 600,000; this week, that number should rise by 50%, as 300,000 more find themselves encircled in the ruins of eastern Aleppo.

In recent days, opposition-controlled areas of the city and its outlying areas have been struck by barrel bombs, heavy artillery, air-dropped sea mines and cluster munitions containing incendiary thermite, which burns at 2,500°C - all with minimal comment from the world’s diplomatic community. Desperate attempts by opposition fighters from the city’s 50-group Free Syrian Army (FSA)-led Fatah Halab coalition to repel besieging forces have resulted in dozens of fatalities.

“It is a very difficult situation, we are now besieged completely,” Sheikh Abdullah Othman told this author, while speaking as the political chief of the U.S.-vetted FSA group Al-Jabhat al-Shamiya and as the leader of Aleppo’s Islamic Council.

The Jabhat al-Nusra Issue

As the unthinkable was becoming a reality in Aleppo, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry held a day of talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow and agreed to a series of undetermined terms for bilateral cooperation against terrorism in Syria. A key component of Secretary Kerry’s attempt to close the gap with Russia is the Obama administration’s assessment that Al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra now poses a national security threat to the United States and must therefore be more determinedly combated.

Although Jabhat al-Nusra has a negligible presence within Aleppo city, it is active on a small-scale in its Bustan al-Qasr and al-Shaar districts, as well as in the city’s northern outskirts in Al-Mallah, Hreytan and Handarat. Elsewhere, the Al-Qaeda affiliate remains a dominant force across much of Idlib governorate and in Aleppo’s southern countryside, in northern Hama and in parts of northern Latakia. For all these areas, Jabhat al-Nusra continues to operate alongside or in close proximity to a wide array of mainstream opposition forces. Whether as a dominant force or not, Jabhat al-Nusra will now inevitably form a component of more strategic opposition attempts to break the siege of Aleppo from outside. Sizeable operations are currently being planned from the city’s northern, western and southern countrysides.

The U.S. has long been plagued by this inconvenient “marbling” dynamic – in which Jabhat al-Nusra has embedded itself deeply within Syrian revolutionary dynamics and established a relationship of military interdependence with the opposition. As a highly capable military actor, Jabhat al-Nusra’s role within opposition offensive and defensive operations remains of critical value. Consequently, months of U.S. covert attempts to convince opposition forces to “de-couple” themselves from front-lines on which Jabhat al-Nusra was present have been consistently spurned. As one of the most powerful opposition leaders in Aleppo governorate told this author, “If we withdrew from some of these positions, it would mean we were effectively ceding territory to the regime. This is impossible to consider under existing conditions.”

“The Americans refuse to strengthen the factions,” said Zakariya Malahfji of Tajamu Fastaqim Kama Umrit, an FSA group vetted by the United States and present in Aleppo city. “But at the same time, they object to us allowing al-Nusra to help in our battles. This is illogical.” Another senior U.S.-vetted figure from Aleppo who requested anonymity, was similarly frustrated: “Our situation in Aleppo has been desperate for so long, but Americans seem happy to watch us suffer and die. We are desperate and we’ll accept support from whoever will give it, so long as it contributes to defending against the [Assad] regime.”

Such arguments have had little policy effect in Washington DC, within an administration that appears increasingly resistant to activating real pressure on Assad as a means of securing a meaningful political process. Therefore, absent a substantial shift in conditions on the ground, the likelihood of mainstream opposition forces de-linking themselves from Jabhat al-Nusra looks highly improbable. As a senior Ahrar al-Sham leader told this author, “physical de-coupling is really difficult due to the nature of the front-lines where factions overlap in order to repel attacks. [Meanwhile, foreign] military pressure will make all factions operate more closely, since the alternative means defeat.”

Notwithstanding such Syrian nuance, an intensification of U.S. and Russian military action against Jabhat al-Nusra seems now to be only a matter of time. Should opposition forces indeed refuse to de-couple, inter-group cooperation will indeed likely intensify even further in response to the heightened external threat. This will then place a vast array of mainstream opposition forces back onto Russia’s target-set, though this time with apparent international legitimacy. As senior Jabhat al-Nusra leader Mustafa Mohamed Farag exclaimed: “Jabhat al-Nusra does not live in a bubble. It lives amongst the Muslims over thousands of square kilometers. Where are [the U.S. and Russia] going to target Jabhat al-Nusra alone? Jabhat al-Nusra are too deeply rooted into society to be exterminated as per US-Russian plans.”

The long-term consequences of such a scenario for the anti-Assad movement can only be assessed as negative. Some Syrians across the country’s north are therefore preparing themselves for a new phase of conflict, in which territory may be lost but resistance stays alive. “It’s likely that we’ll enter into a period of guerrilla warfare - a war of the streets, of bombings and raids,” said Malahfji.

[OUTLAW 09]

PART Two of the above article.....


The Syrian Islamic Movement?

Within this dynamic of opposition reflection, several highly influential figures within the mainstream Syrian Islamist and Salafi-Jihadi communities have come together in recent weeks to discuss a potential solution to the greater Jabhat al-Nusra quandary. In a series of secret meetings held in Aleppo’s western countryside and in Idlib - which until now have not been made public - it has been proposed that a potentially sizeable portion of Jabhat al-Nusra’s Syrian force break away from the Al-Qaeda affiliate and form a new independent faction, Al-Harakat al-Islamiya al-Souriya, or the Syrian Islamic Movement.

A key figure involved in this effort is Sheikh Saleh al-Hamawi, a Syrian from the Hama town of Halfaya who along with six others, founded Jabhat al-Nusra in October 2011. He was later expelled from Jabhat al-Nusra in July 2015 for his outspoken criticism of the group’s increasingly aggressive practices. Speaking to this author, Hamawi confirmed that “negotiations” were ongoing and that the ‘Syrian Islamic Movement’ name had indeed been put forward. “Soon, there will be an ultimatum made to al-Nusra: either disengage [from Al-Qaeda] and merge with major Islamic factions, or face isolation socially, politically and militarily [from the revolution].” Four other prominent Islamists similarly confirmed that the proposal was being developed, two of which identified two other leading Jabhat al-Nusra figures considering breaking away: founding member and former de facto deputy leader Maysar Ali Musa Abdullah al-Juburi (Abu Mariya al-Qahtani) and the group’s current Emir of Aleppo, Abdullah al-Sanadi.

This is not the first time that Hamawi and Juburi’s names have emerged as key figures proposing a possible break with Al-Qaeda. Since at least late-2014, both figures have been revealed as those most willing to question the strategic value of remaining loyal to a foreign and unpopular jihadi movement (Al-Qaeda). Soon, their views saw them acquire the label “doves” within Syria’s revolutionary Islamist communities and attracted the attention of both Turkey and Qatar, which have at times covertly attempted to encourage Jabhat al-Nusra or portions of the group to break away from Al-Qaeda. It stands to reason that one or both of these countries may well be promoting this new effort, especially given the involvement of Ahrar al-Sham in allegedly facilitating some of the discussions and the apparent imminence of strikes on Jabhat al-Nusra.

One influential opposition figure expanded upon the process further. “Around one third of al-Nusra may join [the new movement] as they want to avoid being targeted and to lead a national faction away from Al-Qaeda. But they are facing great pressures, especially from [jihadi group] Jund al-Aqsa… and it is not proving easy for some to consider breaking their loyalty to [Jabhat al-Nusra leader] al-Jolani. If it will happen, it could be soon.”

Another senior figure in Ahrar al-Sham meanwhile, refused to comment in detail on the secret talks, insisting that “it is better kept silent for now, it is already a fragile process.” He did however, argue that Syrian efforts to split the ‘less bad’ from the ‘bad’ of Jabhat al-Nusra stood a better chance than external pressure on the opposition. “Real pressure on some to de-link from Al-Qaeda should come from the factions and the population, and this is ongoing. Escalating the pressure on the factions [from outside] could jeopardize any potential smooth split from within al-Nusra.”

Tackling Jabhat al-Nusra

Despite the potentially significant practical on-the-ground consequences of what is being proposed, the viability of the outcome is far from certain and Jabhat al-Nusra itself remains an avowed affiliate of Al-Qaeda that seeks eventually to establish Islamic Emirates in Syria. Moreover, its powerful and growing presence in northern Syria has led to the establishment of a “safe base” for the emergence of a new core of Al-Qaeda’s global leadership. The long-term threat that this reality poses is clear and unavoidable - and it must be confronted. However, external military action by itself will only embolden the jihadi group’s conspiratorial narrative, which effectively paints the international community as intrinsically hostile to the anti-Assad movement.

Instead, any military action against Jabhat al-Nusra should be strictly limited to the targeting of senior leadership figures, while broader measures focused upon civilian protection and the preservation of Syria’s mainstream opposition should be prioritized. Clearly, Jabhat al-Nusra is not altogether a unitary organization. Syrians have long claimed that a portion of the jihadi group’s manpower are not in and of themselves committed transnational jihadis. A more durable strategy against Jabhat al-Nusra should seek to exploit this dynamic, rather than ignore it. A more durable strategy should also acknowledge the international community’s fundamental failings thus far to prevent the Assad regime’s daily committing of war crimes against his own people. That very fact has fed Jabhat al-Nusra’s narrative, recruitment and credibility on the ground every day since mid-2012.

If there has been one moment when Jabhat al-Nusra looked most vulnerable in Syria, it was during the early weeks of the recent Cessation of Hostilities (CoH), when a period of relative calm saw the most moderate nature of the anti-Assad revolution dominate over and above all other dynamics. Jabhat al-Nusra became virtually impotent overnight. That CoH was gradually eroded however, first by repeated Assad regime violations and later by Jabhat al-Nusra, which sought to re-establish more favorable conditions of chaos and warfare.

Unfortunately, Syrians are unlikely to trust another attempted CoH, especially if paired with foreign air strikes against Jabhat al-Nusra and any opposition group operating in close proximity to it. At a minimum, a significantly more assertive imposition of calm will be necessary this time around, with discernible and consequential costs for violations guaranteed by the United States. The leaked U.S. proposal to Russia does stipulate a hoped-for grounding of the Assad regime’s air force, but remarkably makes no mention of the equally dangerous use of artillery and medium-range ground-to-ground missiles. Moreover, no enforcement mechanisms are proposed and no consequences determined for violations. Such half-measures aimed at protecting civilians will not work this time around.

As influential Islamic cleric Sheikh Hassan al-Dugheim makes clear, Syria’s mainstream opposition will also demand and require expanded levels of support should they be expected to de-couple themselves from Jabhat al-Nusra, while abiding by broader ceasefire-like conditions. “It will not be possible to isolate al-Nusra without a no-fly zone, fully guaranteed by the international community, along with much stronger support to the Free [Syrian] Army. Without this, it is inconceivable. We would risk losing everything.”

While it does remain feasible to defeat ISIS independently from attempts to solve Syria’s broader crisis, Jabhat al-Nusra’s fate is intrinsically linked to the conflict’s outcome and how it ends. External intervention against Al-Qaeda without concerted and guaranteed efforts to protect civilians and safeguard the mainstream opposition will undoubtedly fail. In fact, it will further embolden extremism and directly erode crucial levels of moderation within a still considerable portion of the opposition. Any hoped-for political settlement to the Syrian crisis will demand a core representation of on-the-ground opposition actors. It remains the international community’s responsibility to ensure such a prospect remains possible.

[OUTLAW 09]

Dozens of pro Assad regime fighters killed in Castillo & Mallah farms & dozens killed in Latakia & fighter captured

Thuwar Al-Sham's #TOW strike vs BMP & pick-up on #Mallah front, N. #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9LXVExjGes …

N. #Latakia: evidence showing pro-Regime forces in control of Syriatel hill on #Kinsabba heights after recent gains.

Rebel barriers on Castillo Road were systematically obliterated by shelling in June, #Aleppo
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=36.255184&lon=37.134057&z=17&m …

Another example of precise shelling last month on Castillo Road, #Aleppo.
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=36.250797&lon=37.169881&z=17&m …

Roundabout of Castillo Road obliterated by precise shelling last month, #Aleppo.
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=36.254310&lon=37.162800&z=16&m …

Intense clashes between Rebels (N. Division) & pro-Regime forces in #Khaldiyah, #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fb4_lrIVtgc …

Rebels targeting pro-Regime in Sheikh Qabu, then fleeing, N #Latakia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhqFlS_C2ow …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZIR2eg2lPk …

Faylaq Sham fired 2 #ATGMs vs a mini-van carrying troops & a pick-up in #Mallah, N. #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66UE6kbf4ds …

13th Div. took out with a #Fagot a fortified pos. with 14.5 mm gun in Shridliya, S. #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZjPvT1xu_8 …

[OUTLAW 09]

Assadists advance on Qalaat Shilif under extreme clashes & even request stop of artillery support due to friendly fire casualties #Lattakia

[OUTLAW 09]

Are the "Iranian hardliners" about to sideline the Obama "moderates"....think so.....

While Iranian people suffer: #Iran Pres Is Confronted by Corruption Scandal Over Inflated Government Wages
http://nyti.ms/2a8SssX

.@Nour_Samaha on #Hezbollah’s evolution into “an elite arm of a regional Shiite axis”
http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/07/17/hezbollahs-crucible-of-war/ …

[OUTLAW 09]

Larijani advisor Hossein Sheikholeslam, an old Levant hand who helped midwife Hezbollah in 80s, back as Iranian amb to Syria—1st stint 98-03

Was a hostage-taker at US Embassy in 1979. A telling appointment, as #Tehran takes a grip over #Assad in #Damascus.

[OUTLAW 09]

Excellent by @Martin_Kramer, who rightly notes that ISIS is but 1 expression of a century of Sunni power erosion:
http://mosaicmagazine.com/response/2016/07/the-era-of-sunni-dominance-ended-a-long-time-ago/ …

6 military pilots killed in Defense Factories explosions: sources SYRIA NEWS | ZAMAN ALWSL -

5 civilians killed, several more injured, in "Russian" air raid on #Aleppo city.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJUJFy0yGs4 …

Air strikes on #BosraSham in #Daraa province today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NM8m55apxE …

What is much more worrying is THIS geolocated footage,indicating -not proving!- a total collapse of the rebel front.
https://youtu.be/Ol4CkcC3FXc

Afghan of #IRGC's Fatemiun brig,Mehdi Barbari,filming himself inside a Tank,S Aleppo,Syria.Killed later in KhanTuman

[OUTLAW 09]

Larijani advisor Hossein Sheikholeslam, an old Levant hand who helped midwife Hezbollah in 80s, back as Iranian amb to Syria—1st stint 98-03

Was a hostage-taker at US Embassy in 1979. A telling appointment, as #Tehran takes a grip over #Assad in #Damascus.

Those "moderates again.....

BREAKING: Secret docs obtained by AP show deal which would allow Iran to replace its centrifuges after just 11 years
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/140ca41aba7a42cda13792f07df4b8d3/ap-exclusive-secret-document-lifts-iran-nuke-constraints …

[OUTLAW 09]

Top counter-terrorism official responsible for #Turkey’s campaign v #ISIS found with hands tied behind his back, shot in neck.

Had attended a meeting in the Presidential Palace before being killed.

That can't be good for the war.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/18/military-coup-was-well-planned-and-very-nearly-succeeded-say-turkish-officials …

Killed by whom and WHY?????

[OUTLAW 09]

Manbij: #ISIS killed 8+ #YPG fighters south of #Manbij today. #Aleppo

Manbij: #US airstrikes have killed 104 #Syria|n civilians, including 44 women & children, in & around #Manbij since start of the offensive.

[OUTLAW 09]

Syrian Express is moving again today......

#ВМФ #ЧФ BSF LST Saratov transits Med-bound Bosphorus for its7th #Syria campaign deployment in2016

[OUTLAW 09]

Kinsibba and nearby positions in Akrad mountain changes hand for the 2nd time in 48 hrs, now with rebels.

Russia continued to destroy critical civilian infrastructure .........
7 ambulances & rescue vechiles were targeted by Russian airstrikes in west rural #Aleppo today
https://youtu.be/E4WndcknwRE #Syria

[OUTLAW 09]

13th Div. blew up w/ a #Fagot a group of pro-Regime militias in advanced camp in S. #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMgZhFtQU7o …

First Coast Division strikes group of assadis on Qalaat Shilif via TOW ATGM #Lattakia

Under shelling & pressure an NDF unit trying to pullout from Qalaat Shilif, officers command shooting at retreaters. Clashes cont. #Lattakia

Syria Colonel Hassan's bodyguard killed @ Aleppo. There is now a job opening for "#2 shoulder kisser" in the Tigers

However Kurds see the pol.stance of the #YPG in #SheikhMaqsoud.
Pro-#Assad/is see it as an asset.
v. @IvanSidorenko1

[OUTLAW 09]

MUSTWATCH
English interview with doctor John Keller - only Western (US) doctor in #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF-sXRw5nTM …

I haven't seen anything that looked like a terrorist (in Aleppo). I have seen damage done to children, pregnant women and family houses."

[OUTLAW 09]

Kerry and Obama both used the praise of Putin cooperating with the West as the excuse to accept Russian demands on bombing anti Assad forces during the last Kerry visit to Moscow.

Two the those Russian "cooperative moments Kerry talked about was the 2013 Syrian CW deal and the Iran Deal.........

NOW we see that Syria still has a minimum of 20-30% of their CW precursor agents AND

NOW both the US and Russians criticize the UN report released on the implementation of the Iran Deal.....

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2016/07/18/world/middleeast/18reuters-iran-nuclear-un.html?ref=world

SO two of the THREE core reasons Obama/Kerry claims show one can work with Russia have been basically lies on their part and they know that......and yet still attempt to give it a "positive spin"...

[OUTLAW 09]

2 pilots who shot down Russian plane arrested in coup purge. Erdogan will hand Putin their heads at next meeting. http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2016/07/19/Turkish-pilots-who-downed-Russian-jet-part-of-coup-plot-.html …

Rebels in the center and outskirts of #Kinsibba. Looks like @abozain6 started a graffiti war.

After his previous statements on his support for the Russians aiding Assad against IS...now he changes his stripes again.....

Johnson falls in line with the international community - Assad departure key to Syria resolution, says Johnson h
ttp://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-36831052 …

[OUTLAW 09]

Some spoils taken today by Rebels in #Kinsabba: up-armored pick-up with ZPU-4 & several #Konkurs #ATGM. N. #Latakia

1st Coastal Div. wiped out w/ #TOW a group of pro-Regime forces on Qalat Shalif, N. #Latakia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY9clTSy-M4 …

Rebels took back control of #Kinsabba during an overnight assault. N. #Latakia

Syria 20+ residents of Tukhar villages north of #Manbij killed by #US airstrikes yesterday
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.632060&lon=38.013725&z=14&m=b …

[OUTLAW 09]

Amazing: Drone that evaded 2 Israeli Patriot missiles is- ISR made Russ UAV
http://www.mako.co.il/news-military/security-q3_2016/Article-e6c82a6d9f10651004.htm?sCh=31750a2610f26110&pId=2100566639 …

[OUTLAW 09]

Reports
More than 20 civilians were killed in several US air strikes around #Manbij yday, activists report.

Manbij: Most of the victims are children, women and old men. One of the worst massacres in the #Syria|n War

Footage
Heavy Russian air strikes (Su-24 in high altitude) on #Ariha and around yda.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OARd0BD_e3I …

Footage
Air and missile strikes continue on #Huraytan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vmlMmo4fbI …

Footage
Syr rebels support the offensive in #Latakia province with foreign-supplied mortars
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSIwvmMvhEQ …

[OUTLAW 09]

Important if confirmed......would though suggest it might in fact be correct as the anti Assad forces fully know when they are engaging targets where Russian are found.......and have been correct in the past......

FSA
destroying an advanced communication base and many Russian officers killed by anti-armor rocket on Sheikh Yousef hill #Syria' #Aleppo


Awaiting the video release shortly.....

[OUTLAW 09]

Iranian jet fighters scorted Russian Tu 95 bomber

Aleppo/#Latakia: Pro-#Assad forces are in trouble in #Handarat and Northern #Latakia. #Russia|n airstrikes now.

9M79-1 Tochka-U missile, a relatively rare sight in Syria:
https://twitter.com/putintintin1/status/755090692821704705 …

Latakia: #Syria|n rebels have recaptured #Ayn_Ghazal village and killed dozens of pro-#Assad forces.

Israeli designed, Russian made/operated Forpost UAV at Hmeymim

Aleppo: The #Assad child soldier was captured during a failed regime offensive in #Handarat last night. Many pro-#Assad forces were killed
Syria|n rebels have captured a pro-#Assad child soldier from #Palestine Al-Quds Brigade in #Handarat. .

[OUTLAW 09]

3 minutes of unreleased footage of RuAF strikes on militants, h/t @EgoRZemtsoV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAa_7H25siQ …

NOW we see exactly where Erdogan is taking his new FP towards....friendship with Iran and Russia....not exactly sure how KSA will respond to this......

Erdogan claims Turkey intends to cooperate with Iran and Russia to settle regional crises
http://abc.az/eng/news/97531.html …

[OUTLAW 09]

Al-Safwah Battalions blew up with a #TOW a 57 mm cannon on Tell Madafa, #Handarat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOkg7fusexk …

Russian Aircraft Carrier will be sent in Syria in October to test combat capabilities, incl. KA-52K Katran choppers
http://rbth.com/defence/2016/07/18/russia-to-test-new-ship-based-helicopters-in-syria_612665 …?

US Kurdish proxy YPG is attempting together with the Assad regime and Russians to besiege Aleppo as well.......

Clashes continue between Rebels & #YPG on Sheikh Maqsud front, #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSr0a2eEblc …

Fatah Halab destroyed several Regime fortifications used to monitor traffic & fire on Castillo Road, #Aleppo.

Rebels repelled pro-Regime forces trying again (since April) to advance into #Handarat Camp, N. #Aleppo.

Rebel preemptive shelling on #Kinsabba with howitzers & Grad rockets before storming.

RuAF airstrike on Palmyra (Hospital)
https://youtu.be/eOd-v2owzMM?t=1m8s …
http://wikimapia.org/#lat=34.567662&lon=38.273057&z=18&m=b …

[OUTLAW 09]

BREAKING Turkish FM avuşoğlu and Defence Minister Fikri Işık won't attend anti-ISIL ministerial meeting in Washington

Due to Turkish NSC meeting on the same day.....Wednesday....

[OUTLAW 09]

Footage
3 children and a cat killed, 5 civilians wounded,in missile attack on Kafr Takharim
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHjqS0n0uaI …

Footage
3 civilians incl. 2 women killed, several wounded in air strikes on #BosraSham.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWln0MhieqE …

Unbelievable ... multiple ballistic missile attacks on several Syrian cities incl. #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy61uKo55bc …

Just one of the hit neighborhoods ...
#Assad and #Putin kill 20 children a day.
Unpunished.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYmTQn91tuI …

Foreign-supported Syrian rebels fired several TOW missiles as pro-#Assad forces,blocking the #Castillo highway

[OUTLAW 09]

Had a disturbing talk with a tipsy RU... official. They DO believe Russia, Turkey, Greece and Balkans will form a new "Eastern Block"

Oops. Loose lips..Tweeted May 2015.
https://twitter.com/christogrozev/status/601651230042148864 …
(The *official* was GRU)

[OUTLAW 09]

And another massive air strike on civilians in #Aleppo.
Again kids, again graphic ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CTbfkGJXj0 …

US air strike in Syria kills up to 85 civilians 'mistaken for Isil fighters'
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/19/us-air-strike-in-syria-kills-up-to-85-civilians-mistaken-for-isi/ …

Russia's newest helicopter gunship Mi-35M failed miserably in #Syria's sky:
http://euromaidanpress.com/2016/07/11/putins-best-helicopter-ace-killed-in-syria-euromaidan-press/ …

Aleppo: Heavy fighting between #Syria|n rebels and #YPG militias in #Sheikh_Maqsood ongoing.

Syria|n rebels destroying regime 23 mm machine gun & killing the crew with TOW at #Castillo Highway today.

Aleppo: #Syria|n rebel TOW strikes against pro-#Assad forces at #Handarat frontline today

[OUTLAW 09]

@OCCRP:evidence that pro-Kremlin agents are using http://www.whitehouse.gov in attempt to covertly influence US policy https://www.occrp.org/en/investigations/5481-kremlin-trolls-target-the-magnitsky-act-and-khodorkovsky …

[OUTLAW 09]

Most cruel & graphic terrorism in #AlAtarib.
6 killed, 20 wounded in #Russian air strike.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jys_-CQqsE …

[OUTLAW 09]

Major rebel offensive just kicked off......
Breaking. Rebels launched the battle to break the siege on Rebel-held #Aleppo.
Tajamu Fastaqem blew up with a #TOW a 23 mm gun firing on Castillo Road, #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usfeA-aXvh0 …

Al-Safwah Battalions blew up with a #TOW a 23 mm gun on Tell Madafa, #handarat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac4xxzHHmvw …

Wreckages on Castillo Road after being targeted by heavy shelling (cluster bombs?), #Aleppo.
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=36.257407&lon=37.139475&z=16&m …

.

[OUTLAW 09]

Hassan Hassan
‏@hxhassan
Since Feb., Zinki in Aleppo became too close to Nusra, for operational necessities. But there is no such thing as free-riding with Al Qaeda.

Hassan Hassan ‏@hxhassan
My views on the beheading of a child soldier by Syrian rebels operating under Zinki faction. Frankly and as a Syrian:

Zinki was accused today of beheading a 13 year old child fighter and FSA immediately had the fighter arrested and issued a statement that such actions will never be condoned in Free Syria....

Groups operating with Nusra become influenced by its ideology. I mentioned before that Ahrar al-Sham conducted beheadings. Nobody believed

No room for apologism here. As US vetting goes, going from green to red is much easier from going from red to green so Zinki has no chance.

This is a little bit more than an isolated incident. It's part of a growing number of unreported such reprehensible acts.

BTW...Zinki is a fully vetted US proxy AND not part of FSA......BUT FSA arrested the killer....

[OUTLAW 09]

More assadist propaganda yesterday, striking own tank with ATGM left in no mans land from first day of liberation.

Claimed it was a "rebel tank"...but really it was their own that they destroyed....

[OUTLAW 09]

France fears Syria massacre, wants more pressure on Russia: Ayrault http://reut.rs/2adWMaK

[OUTLAW 09]

Pace of Russia's Syrian Express is definitely picking up.....

Russian Navy Ropucha Class BDK G. Pobedonosets 016 southbound on the Bosphorus, fully loaded, 9 days after passing N

[OUTLAW 09]

France says west plans strike on Islamic State in Iraq, confirms Libya presence
http://reut.rs/29TC5ez

NonstopTerror
10 civilians killed, 35 injured in 5 Russian air strikes on #Idlib overnight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cl3frL36rjs …

Just another air strike on #children by Putin&Assad, this time in #Idlib city.
Heard of it from any of the MSM?!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnV7YVU1dek …

Honestly.
What is wrong with this world when a kid's death by a knife is 1000 time worse than a kid's death by a bomb only 5000 meters away?

Aleppo today.
Father loses son inside the body of his slaughtered wife.
But he was not beheaded by rebels so relax!

@BBCBreaking runs an own article on 1 kid,beheaded by rebels.
Good.
But it doesn't report on the 20 kids, killed by Assad&Putin.
Hypocrisy.

[OUTLAW 09]

Interesting:#US-backed @fko_union put English titles in its latest videos from near #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmgVhUVbMmc …

It's louder on Mars than on Earth when it comes to condemning Rus/Syr air strikes on #Aleppo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ft_wMI_CYI …

[OUTLAW 09]

Reference the US air strike on civilians who had been declared IS....this commenter has a solid track record for correct postings....and who IS would love to get their hands on.

According to @Raqqa_SL, the death toll reached 160 of civilians. Village is #Altokhar, almost north of #Manbij.

US indicated they will "investigate" but since they cannot confirm who bombed in the night Syrian hospitals, IDP camps and who is dropping cluster, incendiary and thermobaric munitions....I do not have much hope they will figure out what happened.....

[OUTLAW 09]

MANBIJ: 20 JUL 2016. 0130 UTC. Heavy airstrikes continue. Nat'l Hospital taken. Fighting in W urban areas.

Sham Front blew up with a #TOW an #ATGM base on #Mallah front, N. #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EeyD-fFEtw …

Ahrar Al-Sham contribution to the battle in #Mallah, deploying several armours, #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9l84yD0CzkA …

Gathering of Jaish Al-Fateh's armored vehicles before the assault on #Mallah, #Aleppo.

[OUTLAW 09]

Fagot night launch by Thuwar Al-Sham vs excavator in #Mallah, N. #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g25iQ66N6zE …

Chaotic escape by Iranian-led militias & Al-Quds under Rebels' bullets in #Handarat, #Aleppo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wvh25mCmPqA …
Appears those that were escaping had virtually no weapons with them.....

The only thing US & Russia seems to agree on in Syria is killing more civilians & completely destroying the country to enforce their interests.

[OUTLAW 09]

Extremely interesting development if the videos are confirmed......

Unverified video of protesters in Iran in mainly Sunni area

Another unverified video from Iran showing a Sunni uprising
#IRAQ شمرية العراق

[OUTLAW 09]

Now that we know that the Kerry mission to Moscow failed the Obama/Kerry/Rhodes/now Russian WH is still trying to implement their proposed joint Russian bombing plans.....which has even been rejected by the DoD and the SecDef and a lot of others far more knowledgeable on Syria than this WH is....

Ignatius: US officials report increasing evidence that Nusra is plotting external operations against Europe & US

A new jihadist threat may be on the horizon in Syria
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opini...e6a_story.html

Those ME and especially Syrian non DC/US think tank SMEs who are far more knowledgeable on JaN and the other anti Assad groups....are trying to figure out just what is it that this WH does not get....as there is absolutely no indication that JaN wants to and or will operate outside of Syria as it's main focus is Assad and building their own Caliphate.

SO are we now seeing the Obama/Rhodes WH "spin" trying to implement their proposed joint Russian air strike concepts via the "back door" of "hey we must strike JaN as they are going to attack the "world"....

Sorry to say this...but this is another perfect Obama/Rhodes "spun story" just like they "spun" stories for their Iran Deal that is now slowly falling apart.

As one who has been watching JaN now for over two years...JaN has never released a single statement indicating their interest in "attacking the West" rather there has been a ton of statements on their intentions of defeating Assad and now Putin and especially Iran....

What was done recently by JaN has been largely overlooked by western MSM and ESPECIALLY the Obama/Kerry/Rhodes and now Russian WH....JaN knowing the intentions of the Russians during the Geneva talks knew they were going to be targeted heavily SO they basically pulled themselves out of most of the cities and towns and withdrew virtually into the "wilderness of the olive groves" WHY they simply stated...the Russians are going to use us as the excuse to bomb and kill civilians thus we will remove ourselves in order to protect Syrians......which in fact they did and it was even posted on the SWJ Syrian thread.

Example..all the western MSM and yes even the US WH just keeps repeating JaN is in Aleppo thus the Russians are correct in bombing Aleppo. EVEN CENTCOM has repeated that "spun line" and even social media has attempted to get CENTCOM to clean up their act on that fact.....

Jan pulled out of Aleppo months ago and have only between 30-50 fighters inside the city and they do not control nor influence anything inside Aleppo....those left behind are more like a coordinating cell who work with the other groups on planning attacks on Assad, Hezbollah and Iranian forces surrounding Aleppo.

Does Obama and Putin really care about that "small fine print" not really otherwise this particular MSM article would not have been published.

[OUTLAW 09]

Now that we know that the Kerry mission to Moscow failed the Obama/Kerry/Rhodes/now Russian WH is still trying to implement their proposed joint Russian bombing plans.....which has even been rejected by the DoD and the SecDef and a lot of others far more knowledgeable on Syria than this WH is....

Ignatius: US officials report increasing evidence that Nusra is plotting external operations against Europe & US

A new jihadist threat may be on the horizon in Syria
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opini...e6a_story.html

Those ME and especially Syrian non DC/US think tank SMEs who are far more knowledgeable on JaN and the other anti Assad groups....are trying to figure out just what is it that this WH does not get....as there is absolutely no indication that JaN wants to and or will operate outside of Syria as it's main focus is Assad and building their own Caliphate.

SO are we now seeing the Obama/Rhodes WH "spin" trying to implement their proposed joint Russian air strike concepts via the "back door" of "hey we must strike JaN as they are going to attack the "world"....

Sorry to say this...but this is another perfect Obama/Rhodes "spun story" just like they "spun" stories for their Iran Deal that is now slowly falling apart.

As one who has been watching JaN now for over two years...JaN has never released a single statement indicating their interest in "attacking the West" rather there has been a ton of statements on their intentions of defeating Assad and now Putin and especially Iran....

What was done recently by JaN has been largely overlooked by western MSM and ESPECIALLY the Obama/Kerry/Rhodes and now Russian WH....JaN knowing the intentions of the Russians during the Geneva talks knew they were going to be targeted heavily SO they basically pulled themselves out of most of the cities and towns and withdrew virtually into the "wilderness of the olive groves" WHY they simply stated...the Russians are going to use us as the excuse to bomb and kill civilians thus we will remove ourselves in order to protect Syrians......which in fact they did and it was even posted on the SWJ Syrian thread.

Example..all the western MSM and yes even the US WH just keeps repeating JaN is in Aleppo thus the Russians are correct in bombing Aleppo. EVEN CENTCOM has repeated that "spun line" and even social media has attempted to get CENTCOM to clean up their act on that fact.....

Jan pulled out of Aleppo months ago and have only between 30-50 fighters inside the city and they do not control nor influence anything inside Aleppo....those left behind are more like a coordinating cell who work with the other groups on planning attacks on Assad, Hezbollah and Iranian forces surrounding Aleppo.

Does Obama and Putin really care about that "small fine print" not really otherwise this particular MSM article would not have been published.

You can this article is "spin" because Ignatius never really names those "US officials report"...normally a true source would be identified as someone who is "not authorized to comment".

WHAT is also amazing is that Ignatius misses a critical number of ME/Syrian SME articles pointing out in fact that the lack of non support of the US towards say FSA and others in attacking Assad is in fact driving far more Syrians literally into the arms of JaN as they see JaN as the only major player truly fighting Assad, IS, Hezbollah and Iran. Most of them have been posted to this thread.

Secondly, there was a recent article also posted on this thread on exactly how the anti Assad forces are slowly easing parts of JaN away from AQ...

Totally and apparently deliberately ignored by this writer and the Obama WH is seems.

[OUTLAW 09]

Heavy 23mm technical clashes on Jabal Akrad for hours. #Lattakia

[OUTLAW 09]

Pace of Russia's Syrian Express is definitely picking up.....

Russian Navy Ropucha Class BDK G. Pobedonosets 016 southbound on the Bosphorus, fully loaded, 9 days after passing N

Ru Navy Ropucha Cls BDK Yamal northbound on the Bosphorus . Looks empty.

Yamal 156 covered 120Nm from Gallipoli to Ist in a little above 12 hours, doing approx. 9knots average

[OUTLAW 09]

Coming up on @abc730 Inside an #Aleppo ER... where civilians are hit daily by airstrikes & hospitals targeted #Syria

# of fatalities is up to 15 in many #Russian night attacks on sleeping civilians in #Idlib.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJ4zU4Y7G1Q …

Damascus: #Israel|i warplanes bombed #Assad regime buildings in #Quneitra moments ago.
Israel|i strikes targeted Assad's regime directorate of transport in Baath city in Quneitra.. #Syria
Intense #Israel|i air-forces activities over large parts of south #Syria. One explosion at least reported in Quneitra.

Update: #Hezbollah media deny #Israel(i) airstrike near #Quneitra. Blames #Nusra front
https://twitter.com/cnmedia_sy/status/755710436364939264 …

The Syr. rebel group which's fighters beheadeded a 13 year old child soldier near #Aleppo detained the culprits & promises to punish them.
This was Zinki a non FSA group vetted and supported by the US.....

Liwa Adiyat says takes more ghanaim from assadist points in Jabal Akrad, Konkurs ATGMs, Russian Shmels #Lattakia

Seems the 2 offensives launched in South #Syria didn't last more than 24hrs. Only visible result is Regime retaliation with many airstrikes.

[OUTLAW 09]

REPORT: US-led coalition purportedly levels northeast Aleppo school with dozens inside
http://bit.ly/29JAI6X

Who on the ground is feeding US coalition strike forces this information?

SDF naturally which views anyone and anything in Manbij to be IS......

BUT WAIT there should have been some of those 300 SOF boots on the ground with SDF and they should have been acting as JTACs....

Manbij: #YPG/#SDF share responsibility with #US-led coalition for killing of civilians around #Manbij.
https://twitter.com/airwars_/status/755705487375695872 …

[OUTLAW 09]

You can this article is "spin" because Ignatius never really names those "US officials report"...normally a true source would be identified as someone who is "not authorized to comment".

WHAT is also amazing is that Ignatius misses a critical number of ME/Syrian SME articles pointing out in fact that the lack of non support of the US towards say FSA and others in attacking Assad is in fact driving far more Syrians literally into the arms of JaN as they see JaN as the only major player truly fighting Assad, IS, Hezbollah and Iran. Most of them have been posted to this thread.

Secondly, there was a recent article also posted on this thread on exactly how the anti Assad forces are slowly easing parts of JaN away from AQ...

Totally and apparently deliberately ignored by this writer and the Obama WH is seems.

The same reason the US reached into Idlib to strike Nusra way back when. Airspace was Assad's up until that point.

[OUTLAW 09]

Ru Navy Ropucha Cls BDK Yamal northbound on the Bosphorus . Looks empty.

Yamal 156 covered 120Nm from Gallipoli to Ist in a little above 12 hours, doing approx. 9knots average

This was her 6th resupply run....

[OUTLAW 09]

Why the New Syrian Army failed to Defeat ISIS in al-Bukamal
http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/syriasource/why-the-new-syrian-army-failed-to-defeat-isis-in-al-bukamal#.V46qwwIYFD8.twitter …

[OUTLAW 09]

Five Reasons Why Cooperating with Moscow on Syria is a Bad Idea
http://warontherocks.com/2016/07/five-reasons-why-cooperating-with-moscow-on-syria-is-a-bad-idea/ …


As the world’s attention was transfixed on Turkey, where a military coup was violently thwarted over the weekend, the Syrian rebel stronghold of Allepo saw its only links to the outside world cut off. While Assad prepares to deal a body blow to the rebellion, the Obama administration is poised to enhance cooperation between U.S. and Russian military forces in Syria. If implemented, this plan could prove yet another setback not for only the administration’s gravely flawed response to the crisis in Syria, but also for U.S. policy toward Russian aggression more generally.

Reportedly, under the proposed agreement, the United States would share with Russia targeting information about certain terrorist groups in Syria, particularly the al Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The two countries would establish a joint command and control headquarters, share intelligence, and conduct joint bombing operations.

In exchange, Russia will be expected to persuade the Assad regime to stop targeting those moderate rebel groups in Syria supported by the United States and to possibly ground his Air Force altogether. The thinking is that Russian bombers with American intelligence will cause fewer civilian casualties than Syrian planes bombing indiscriminately. The coordination would consist of a joint integration group (JIG) based outside of Amman with senior Russian and American Airforce and intelligence officials. In essence, the U.S. Air Force will now be flying alongside the Russian Air Force.

Most Americans probably assume this is the best of a range of poor choices. U.S.-backed rebels already have been victims of Russian bombings, not to mention assaults by Assad’s forces. No one wants to exacerbate the bloodshed in Syria or the resulting refugee crisis, and no one wants terrorists to come out on top.

Unfortunately, this deal could actually make a bad situation worse. Here are just a few reasons:

1. The United States and Russia are ultimately working at cross-purposes in Syria. U.S. and Russian diplomats and political leaders have done their best to paper over their differences. They accentuate a common interest in defeating terrorist groups, like al-Nusra and ISIL, and working toward a political solution to Syria’s civil war.

Nevertheless, the United States and Russia have fundamentally different visions of what post-conflict Syria should look like. Russia has long enjoyed a strategic alliance with Assad, and Syria hosts Russia’s only Mediterranean naval base. Russia intends to ensure that, regardless of what happens with Assad, Syria ultimately remains allied with Moscow. The Obama administration erroneously believes that it has common interest with Moscow in defeating al Qaeda and ISIL. However, the defeat of those groups is, in the eyes of the Kremlin, secondary to propping up the Assad regime. By sharing the world-class expertise of the U.S. military targeting apparatus with Russia (and by extension to Assad, Iran, and Hezbollah), Washington will be doing far more to help Russia’s goals than its own.

2. The Russians may be unwilling or unable to keep their promise. Under the proposed agreement, the United States would specify certain zones in Syria that would be protected from bombing by the Assad regime. At the same time, the United States would not reveal the exact locations of the moderate rebels, presumably recognizing that this would put them in danger.

Even if the White House could thread this needle in a way that didn’t jeopardize the U.S.-backed rebels — which is far from certain — it certainly would change the way other militants behave. Jihadist groups like al-Nusra, Ahrar al-Sham, and possibly ISIL would likely adjust their positions to take advantage of any safe zones.

After years of Russia breaking its promises in Syria and Ukraine, it is naïve to think that the Kremlin will hold up its end of the bargain. The reliability of Russia as a partner is in serious question.

The agreement also assumes that Russia would be successful in persuading Assad to lay off the rebels. This may or may not be realistic. Assad correctly sees the rebels as a threat to his legitimacy and Russia has reportedly had trouble reigning him in already. Why would Assad back off now?

3. In the long run, the agreement is likely to strengthen Assad’s hand. A more vigorous coordinated air campaign against al-Nusra will take pressure off the Assad regime, which al-Nusra, unlike ISIL, has been targeting. This in turn will make Assad less likely to agree to the negotiated political solution the United States seeks.

Moreover, reducing U.S. Syria policy to an all-out attack on groups like al-Nusra plays into Assad’s (and Putin’s) narrative that the battle for Syria is a choice between Assad and the terrorists. This bodes poorly for the moderate rebels in either a military confrontation with Assad or a political solution in which they occupy a relatively weaker position.

Recognizing Assad’s relative strength, 51 American diplomats recently penned a memo dissenting against current U.S. policy toward Syria. The memo calls for the United States to engage in air strikes against Assad regime assets. These diplomats believe additional pressure is the only way to compel Assad to negotiate a viable political solution — in other words, the complete opposite approach to the one currently being contemplated by the administration.

The conflict in Syria is complicated and has many actors. If the desired outcome is a political settlement in which Assad steps aside and opens the door to moderates, the United States must be mindful of any actions that might make Assad less likely to negotiate.

4. The agreement is likely to strengthen Putin’s hand. Russia’s recent military campaigns in Ukraine and Syria are not a coincidence. Putin is orchestrating an adventurous foreign policy as a way of reasserting Russia’s place on the national stage while bolstering his own reputation at home.

Propping up the Assad regime plays into Russia’s overarching strategy of ensconcing itself in the Middle East. If Assad stays in Syria and has Putin to thank for it, Russian influence will be intractable.

In fact, Russia has been seeking enhanced military cooperation with the United States for some time, particularly after Western powers levied sanctions for Russia’s heavy-handed and duplicitous behavior in Ukraine. Cooperation on Syria would take the bite out of the widespread condemnation Putin received for Ukraine.

Putin will relish the proposed cooperation in Syria, the closeness of which was described by The Washington Post as “unprecedented.” He will see the agreement as evidence that Russia is a power to be courted, even by the likes of the United States. Washington can only expect more Russian interference and demands in the future.

5. These are not the forces the United States wants to prevail in the 21st century. True, certain U.S. presidential candidates may admire Putin, and some U.S. commentators may view a continuation of the Assad regime as the best chance for stability in Syria.

None of that means the United States should abandon its values by actively allying with such distasteful regimes. Assad used chemical weapons on his own people. According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, Assad’s forces were responsible for three-quarters of Syrian civilian casualties last year — vastly outpacing ISIL, al-Nusra, and other belligerents combined.

Syria is joined at the hip to Iran, which continues to top the State Department’s list of state sponsors of terror. Iran serves as patron for deadly Shia terror groups in Iraq as well as for Hezbollah, which has a lengthy track record of terrorist attacks around the world. Reports suggest that not only are Hezbollah fighters active in Syria on Assad’s behalf, but they also may be receiving training from the Russians. One can only shudder to consider the effect of such battlefield training in any future confrontation between Hezbollah and its primary enemy, Israel.

For his part, Putin is a despot who works “systematically to harass, discredit, prosecute, imprison, detain, fine, and suppress individuals and organizations engaged in activities critical of the government,” according to the U.S. State Department. Cooperation with Russia to the benefit of the Assad regime would put the United States on the opposite side of the ring from the moderate Syrian rebels it has pledged to support.

There is a viable alternative strategy that would force Assad to the negotiating table without compromising U.S. values: taking military action against the Syrian regime. The United States should focus on the goal of political transition in Syria. This means keeping the pressure on Assad, and even ratcheting it up through strikes against his regime, as proposed by numerous American diplomats in a recent memo dissenting against current U.S. policy towards Syria. Increasing U.S. military action would eventually force a stalemate, giving Assad no choice but to negotiate. That would in turn increase U.S. leverage at those talks and make clear its ability to impose consequences while simultaneously raising the costs for others (Russia, Iran) to continue obstructing an end to the conflict.

The Obama administration should also consider enforcing safe zones along Syria’s borders with Turkey and Jordan to stem the refugee crisis and establish a semblance of trust with the Syrian people. Moreover, so long as Russia fails to live up to its own ceasefire commitments, the United States should not reward Moscow.

Continued.....

[OUTLAW 09]

REPORT: US-led coalition purportedly levels northeast Aleppo school with dozens inside
http://bit.ly/29JAI6X

Who on the ground is feeding US coalition strike forces this information?

SDF naturally which views anyone and anything in Manbij to be IS......

BUT WAIT there should have been some of those 300 SOF boots on the ground with SDF and they should have been acting as JTACs....

Manbij: #YPG/#SDF share responsibility with #US-led coalition for killing of civilians around #Manbij.
https://twitter.com/airwars_/status/755705487375695872 …

73 civilian dead so far named from July 19 'Coalition strike' at Tokhaz. Evolving tracking
https://airwars.org/civcas-2016/

None killed were IS......was in fact a school....

[OUTLAW 09]

Air strike after air strike on defenceless #Idlib city today ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKaQO0KE6-c …

US-supported #Syria rebel militia accused of beheading 13-year-old. They seem to admit it
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-36843990 …

Russian airstrike on Idlib city early today
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwDrhfTaUJo …
http://syria.liveuamap.com/en/2016/20-july-russian-airstirke-on-idlib …

Tochka missile fired by pro-gov forces on Bab al Nayrab neighborhood in Aleppo
pic.twitter.com/wcERHAVA3p
http://syria.liveuamap.com/en/2016/20-july-tochka-missile-fired-by-progov-forces-on-bab-al-nayrab …

Well over 50 small arms types from more than 2 dozen countries have been spotted in Syria http://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2016/07/weapons-syrian-war-small-arms/129619/ …

[OUTLAW 09]

Reference info warfare and the use of fake news sites......via bot networks....
Bot round-up: A list of every news bot we could find
https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/bot-round-up-a-list-of-every-news-bot-we-could-find-/s2/a657182/ …

[OUTLAW 09]

More Iranian and AQ connections....

US Treasury Designates Three Senior Al-Qaida Members

7/20/2016 ​
Action Targets Individuals Responsible for Providing Financial and Logistics Support to al-Qaida


WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury took action to disrupt the operations, fundraising, and support networks that help al-Qaida move money and operatives from South Asia and across the Middle East by imposing sanctions on three al-Qaida senior members located in Iran. Specifically, Treasury designated Faisal Jassim Mohammed Al-Amri Al-Khalidi (Al-Khalidi), Yisra Muhammad Ibrahim Bayumi (Bayumi), and Abu Bakr Muhammad Muhammad Ghumayn (Ghumayn) as Specially Designated Global Terrorists pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13224 for acting for or on behalf of al-Qaida. Al-Qaida is listed in the annex to E.O. 13224, which targets terrorists and those providing support to terrorists or acts of terrorism.

Yisra Muhammad Ibrahim Bayumi

Treasury designated Bayumi for acting for or on behalf of al-Qaida. Bayumi is a veteran al-Qaida member who has been located in Iran since 2014 and a member of al-Qaida since at least 2006.

As of mid-2015, Bayumi was reportedly involved in freeing al-Qaida members in Iran. As of early 2015, he served as a mediator with Iranian authorities. Prior to that, Bayumi was involved in assisting al-Qaida members located in Iran. In 2014, al-Qaida members used Bayumi to gather funds. He has served in several important roles in the group, including, as recently as 2015, securing funds from Syria for al-Qaida members and facilitating al-Qaida funds transfers.

Abu Bakr Muhammad Muhammad Ghumayn

Ghumayn is designated for acting for or on behalf of al-Qaida. Ghumayn is a senior al-Qaida leader who has served in several financial, communications, and logistical roles for the group. As of 2015, Ghumayn assumed control of the financing and organization of al-Qaida members located in Iran. Before he traveled from Waziristan, Pakistan, to Iran, Ghumayn served as a conduit to senior al-Qaida leadership as of late 2014. As of 2014, Ghumayn served within al-Qaida in an intelligence and security capacity.

Designation makes clear #Iran continues to be valued safe-haven for effective AQ facilitation network:

[OUTLAW 09]

The latest Obama/Rhodes/Kerry WH plan to do joint operations with Putin in Syria is now formally dead in the water.......

Carter: U.S.-Russian airstrikes in Syria 'not in the cards'
http://syria.liveuamap.com/en/2016/20-july-carter-usrussian-airstrikes-in-syria-not-in-the-cards …

Might explain the massive use in the last few days of Russian and Assad air strikes deliberately targeting civilians....

“Syria represents the Afghanistan of the 21st century, but on steroids" @Charles_Lister
http://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2016/07/weapons-syrian-war-overview/129618/?&utm_term=Editorial%20-%20Early%20Bird%20Brief …

[OUTLAW 09]

Superb report by @NateRosenblatt on the origins of #ISIS fighters:

“All Jihad is Local"

https://www.newamerica.org/international-security/policy-papers/all-jihad-is-local/ …

[OUTLAW 09]

A new development that is truly worth watching it develop......

Charles Lister ‏@Charles_Lister
Talks around a Jabhat al-Nusra splinter continue in western #Aleppo.
Meanwhile, some continue to call for a full Nusra break from AQ.


Prominent AQ thinkers also getting involved in advisory role.

This could all come to nothing, but debate very real this time.

[OUTLAW 09]

73 civilian dead so far named from July 19 'Coalition strike' at Tokhaz. Evolving tracking
https://airwars.org/civcas-2016/

None killed were IS......was in fact a school....

"So far we count 124 dead”

- On-ground source after US strike hit school housing IDPs -

http://syriadirect.org/news/us-led-coalition-purportedly-levels-northeast-aleppo-school-with-internally-displaced-syrians-inside/#.V45Z7Dpfk0k.twitter …

[OUTLAW 09]

Seeing no future, deserters and draft-dodgers flee Syria
http://reut.rs/29TRGwQ

Erdogan is still in bed with IS which is still in bed with Russia and Iran......

French intel: 100 jihadis enter Syria from Turkey each week
http://thehill.com/policy/defense

[CrowBat]

French intel: 100 jihadis enter Syria from Turkey each week
http://thehill.com/policy/defense
Guess, they're talking about average figures.

Namely, on some days, it's up to 1,000. On others... well, 'none at all'.

[OUTLAW 09]

Breaking. SVBIED detonated vs pro-Regime forces on #Mallah front as the Battle to break the siege on Rebel-held #Aleppo goes on.

Fateh Halab claims to cut supply line into Aleppo at Ramouseh

Rebels shelling Regime supply line (near #Ramoussah) for Western #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIsN4_Ssad4 …

al-Nusra's offensive against Assad forces in #Jabal_Akrad #Latakia. Konkurs ATGMs/Russian Shmels captured.
Result of a devasting Nusra ambush on pro-Regime forces in Jebal Al-Akrad. N. #Latakia.

30 #RuAF airstrikes reported so far on #Mallah front trying to stop Rebel offensive. #Aleppo

Mallah front after car bomb explosion. Rebels bolstering their offensive to break the siege on Rebel-held #Aleppo

Nour Al-Din ZInki contribution to the #Mallah battles, #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PUYcZNu85k …

[OUTLAW 09]

US supported Kurdish proxy YPG is assisting Assad forces in attacking Aleppo....

As the battle to #Mallah continue, #YPG from Sheikh Maqsud shelling Castillo Road (Rebel-held) with mortars

Ahrar Al-Sham troops heading to the battle in #Mallah where Rebels destroyed a BMP & a T-72

During surprise operation on Shalif front, Rebels managed to kill at least 10 Suqur Sahara & Marines members, incl. commanders. N. #Latakia.

Only this morninig, #RuAF & Regime launched airstrikes on at least 30 Rebel locations, half of them not on frontlines & some in truce.

[OUTLAW 09]

Fatah Halab succeeded to cut off Regime supply route for Western #Aleppo amidst renewed clashes on #Ameria front. http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=36.168022&lon=37.126236&z=15&m …

Rebels from Fatah Halab in fierce clashes with pro-Regime forces in vicinity of Air Force Intelligence, #Aleppo. http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=36.230289&lon=37.107224&z=17&m …

[OUTLAW 09]

Guess, they're talking about average figures.

Namely, on some days, it's up to 1,000. On others... well, 'none at all'.

Great to see you back......so you are saying IS recruitment is not missing a beat even in the face of territorial loss???

[OUTLAW 09]

Five more Afghan Fatemiyoun fighters killed in #Syria were buried in #Iran this morning

Aleppo: Wounded #Syria|n civilians on the way to an underground hospital after #Assad barrel bomb attack

Aleppo: Rebel SPG-9 strikes against pro-#Assad forces in Khalidiyah District of #Aleppo City.

Part of #Aleppo Traffic Police building was blown up by tunnel bomb this morning by #US vetted Thuwar Alsham Brigades
35 killed

Opposition factions bombed Moroor Building by a tunnel bomb.
Vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wtt71Huc-UE …

[OUTLAW 09]

Just another Russian FM "vodka moment".......not sure who they are to talk as the JaN, FSA and the entire HNC is dodging Russian and Assad air strikes and ground attacks from Assad, Hezbollah and Iran.


MFA Russia
✔ @mfa_russia #Zakharova: It is important to launch inclusive intra-Syrian dialogue without preconditions or ultimatums, facilitated by Staffan de Mistura

[OUTLAW 09]

Actually have seen this type of Russian "vodka moments" by Russian officers in 2012 and 2013 during the planning of and conducting two Atlas Vision Russian US exercises ........Russians would take verbal conversations to be ironclad so called "agreements".....unless "locked into a PowerPoint presentation" signed by all parties.

Notice this is the same drill being used now by the Russian FM...BUT here is the interesting point....at no time has the Russian FM pointed to a binding signed agreement....all we get is the US "said"........


MFA Russia
✔ @mfa_russia #Zakharova: Russia hopes that the #US will deliver on its promise to help separate moderate opposition forces from Jabhat al-Nusra |


REMEMBER Putin has also stated NATO "promised not to expand" which turned out to be a blatant lie....

[OUTLAW 09]

Today in #Aleppo. Doctors report so many ambulances have been destroyed, trucks are now used to transport patients

Air strike on Talmenes (#Idlib) killed 3 & wounded 15 civilians this morning
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWLScLqDGUw …

Russian air force Su-24 over #Aleppo this morning.
Air strikes on the ground.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnerxMEjx5c …

After destroying nearby T-55, Fatah al-Sham destroys the accompanying BMP-1,blocking #Aleppo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oyQICxUUKI …

Syrian rebels destroyed a regime bulldozer and a tank at the Mallah Farms.
Both were besieging #Aleppo.

[OUTLAW 09]

For the 21st time?!
The #FSA just liberated #Dudiyan in northern #Aleppo province from #ISIS.

FSA group that took part in the fighting posts promo video.
Interesting rifles ... :D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni2Zz5fxtzU …

Syrian rebels destroyed a BMP, a 23 mm gun and a 14,5 mm gun from #Aleppo-besieging forces with the Kornet.

Former Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate chief @YadlinAmos tells @BILD,what happens in #Aleppo is a genocide

[OUTLAW 09]

Another six RuAF Tu-22M3 bombers struck IS positions east of Palmyra this morning

Footage from #Khadiyah shows Regime offensive is stalling since days, #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKkCAs1reHQ …

Rebels repelled an umpteenth attack from pro-Regime forces on #Handarat Camp, N. #Aleppo.

[OUTLAW 09]

Ismail Zuhri one of #Hezbollah founders&high-rank commander was KIA in #Syria,funeral today

ICRC ‏@ICRC
"No adult, let alone child, should have to live through this." Escalating violence puts millions at risk in #Aleppo:

BREAKING: 43 civilians dead in bombardment of #Syria rebel-held areas across the country: monitor - via @AFP

UN trucks delivered food aids to Kefraya&Foaa (pro #Assad) in #Idleb, while refused to do that in #Aleppo

Faylaq Al-Sham became last month Rebel group who fired most #ATGMs but here it reached absolute record of launches (10 in ~2 hrs) in 5 years

Faylaq Sham blew up w/ a #Kornet a 2nd tank (hit outside field of view) in #Mallah, #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlWdoQK1OCw …

E. Ghouta: Airstrikes on towns of Shifoniya and Rayhan earlier on Thu, 21 July.
https://www.facebook.com/SCDRifDimashq/photos/a.960378900654086.1073741828.954981771193799/1311851542173485/?type=3 …

Faylaq Al-Sham took out a T-72 with an #ATGM in #Mallah, N. #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEowiE1ZN78 …

[OUTLAW 09]

Russia continue air strikes on "terrorist targets" in Syria. Photo from #Idleb national hospital.

Nusra and allies showed barriers they created in eastern Ghoutta southern section after the regime advanced there
Youtube blocked this video for violation of service terms....which is rather unusual to say the least when they allow brutal regime videos to be posted...

Faylaq Al-Sham fired another #ATGM vs a 23 mm gun in #Mallah, N. #Aleppo. Apparent miss.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNZdKuIUvbs …

Another 23 mm gun taken out by Faylaq Al-Sham's #Kornet in #Mallah, N. #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foGF72arQhs …

[OUTLAW 09]

FaylaqSham hits assadists in Mallah very hard destroying via ATGMs

2 heavy tanks
3 Zu23 technical
1 ZPU
3 BMPs
1 Car

Rebels shelling Regime supply line near #Ramoussah, #Aleppo. Direct hits & vehicle destroyed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3sIVcMy-I8 …

Nusra says assadist 23mm heavy technical destroyed on Tel Touma now. #Lattakia

Reference the Zinki beheaded 13 year old child soldier.....

Nur Deen Zinki will start taking apologies for propagating it kills *children*
First in line @BBCNews ....

He had been fighting for over two years and was 19 and not Palestinian but Syrian from Homs.....His name Abdullah Tayseer Eisa

[OUTLAW 09]

Aleppo today.
The worldwide accepted #genocide continues.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUDTY4eMUVY …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrjr9utTT-M …

New Rudaw piece I contributed to on impact of #Russia/US agreement in #Syria.
http://rudaw.net/NewsDetails.aspx?pageid=231487 …

Who Is #Russia Secretly Supplying With #MiGs?
https://themoscowtimes.com/articles/mig-aircraft-company-finds-savior-in-egypt-54642 …

With saber-rattling, the Kremlin succeeded in taking large parts of the Western elite under “reflexive control” http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2016/06/21/commentary/world-commentary/west-getting-russia-wrong/#.V5DRaWi7ikr …

A third @sams_usa hospital is bombed in #Aleppo today. Many injured.Aleppo residents have no way to go @BBCWorld

[OUTLAW 09]

Faylaq Al-Sham: rare #ATGM strike in Tareq Bin Ziyad base takes out T-72 w/ #Kornet, #Aleppo http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=36.221599&lon=37.137716&z=16&m …

Sultan Murad shelled Regime positions in #Khaldiyah with several "Hamim" missiles, #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5IXwYOg08M …

Thuwar Al-Sham pounded pro-Regime forces in #Mallah with several missiles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nX_W-CkAeQk …

Attrition of Regime equipment continues in #Mallah with a #TOW annihilating a tank. #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_9kVNxmWAQ

[OUTLAW 09]

890,000 people are now under siege across #Syria.

760,000 by #Assad regime (85%)
110,000 by #ISIS (13%)
20,000 by AQ & Islamist opp’tn (2%)

BUT WAIt...it appears the Obama/Rhodes/Kerry and now Russian WH does not want to talk about that minor detail......

[OUTLAW 09]

But Why Bulldozers? #ATGM FAQ
The Impact of Destroying Logistics
http://www.type63.com/2015/10/but-why-bulldozers-impact-of-destroying.html …

Had previously posted this awhile ago...but with the uptick in TOWs/ATGMs hitting bulldozers thought it worth while to post again.....

[OUTLAW 09]

Charles Lister ‏@Charles_Lister
Glad to see gov'ts finally giving Jabhat al-Nusra the attention & concern it deserves.
I’ve been covering it for years.

BTW...he has as well as two others especially on the connection of Assad, IS/AQ, Iran, Turkey and Russia

July 2016:
“AQ Reaps Rewards of US Policy Failure in #Syria” - @thedailybeast
http://thebea.st/29vzddh

May 2016:
“AQ [Prepares] to Establish Emirate in #Syria” - @ForeignPolicy
http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/05/04/al-qaeda-is-about-to-establish-an-emirate-in-northern-syria/ …

March 2016:
"Jabhat al-Nusra Oversteps Mark w. #Idlib Crackdown”- @MiddleEastInst
http://www.mei.edu/content/article/jabhat-al-nusra-oversteps-mark-idlib-crackdown …

Jan 2016:
“Jihadi Rivalry: #ISIS Challenges AQ” - @BrookingsInst
http://brook.gs/2a1HiVe

November 2015:
“The Syrian Jihad: An Interview” - @CarnegieEndow
http://ceip.org/1ShVWVw

November 2015:
“The Syrian Jihad: A History” - @JihadPod (Podcast)
http://www.lawfareblog.com/jihadology-podcast-syrian-jihad-history …

Sept 2015:
“Al-Qaeda Plays a Long Game in #Syria” - @CTCWP
https://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/al-qaida-plays-a-long-game-in-syria …

May 2015:
“AQ's #Syria affiliate is grappling with its identity” - @BrookingsInst
http://brook.gs/29WTpTr

March 2015:
“Are #Syria’s Islamists Moving to Counterbalance AQ?” - @BrookingsInst
http://brook.gs/29PRygd

December 2014:
“Last Gasp Warning for US Influence in #Syria” - @BrookingsInst
http://brook.gs/29PRD3i

August 2014:
“Jabhat al-Nusra & #Syria’s Conflict” - @MidEastWeek (Podcast)
http://middleeastweek.org/home/2014/8/20/jabhat-al-nusra-the-conflict-in-syria …

August 2014:
“The Real Jabhat al-Nusra Appears to be Emerging” - @BrookingsInst
http://brook.gs/29WQpUv

May 2014:
“Dynamic Stalemate: Surveying #Syria’s Militant Landscape” @BrookingsInst
http://brook.gs/29PRcG9

February 2014:
“Al-Qaeda Disavows #ISIS” - @BrookingsInst
http://brook.gs/29WQuHQ

Is al-Qaeda’s affiliate in #Syria no longer a ‘sideshow’?
http://wpo.st/UDmn1

A new jihadist threat rises in #Syria as #ISIS recedes”
http://wpo.st/O9mn1

[OUTLAW 09]

Levi Jonathan Shirley (Agir Servan), American foreign fighter for #PYD/#YPG, was killed by #IS in Aleppo on 14 July

Good, but worrying report by @FerasKilaniBBC in #Manbij
'Many IDPs said “they were better off under #ISIS control'

ISIS Trying to Topple Saudi King –
A classified U.S. intelligence report called the attempt to attack the Mosque of the Prophet "unprecedented. They got very close."

Putin's adviser: Downing Russian fighter jet work of Gülenists

[OUTLAW 09]

Effectiveness of #Iran´s anti ATGM IR jamming system questionable. Here equipped tank hit in #Mallah, #Aleppo.

Faylaq Al-Sham: rare #ATGM strike in Tareq Bin Ziyad base takes out T-72 w/ #Kornet, #Aleppo http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=36.221599&lon=37.137716&z=16&m …

Intense Syrian rebel fighting to reopen the #Castillo road.
Unsuccessful since 13 days.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUviD4GhwFw&feature=youtu.be …

5 new (likely Russian) military helicopters in #Tiyas Airbase to replace the 4 precedently destroyed, E. #Homs #ISIS

[OUTLAW 09]

Sultan Murad's assault to capture #Dudiyan from #ISIS, N. #Aleppo.
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=36.634264&lon=37.287941&z=13&m …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5czsQv0wLkc …

Non-stop clashes in #Khaldiyah & #Handarat vs pro-Regime, #Aleppo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1ta69wCAFw …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xNx21KTgjg …

L-39 reportedly shot down yesterday by #ISIS in Jubb area, E. #Homs
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=34.834377&lon=37.322273&z=12&m …
http://luftwaffeas.blogspot.fr/2016/07/syaaf-l-39zo-shot-down-2016-07-20.html …

Sultan Murad shelled Regime positions in #Khaldiyah with several "Hamim" missiles, #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5IXwYOg08M …

Footage from #Khadiyah shows Regime offensive is stalling since days, #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKkCAs1reHQ …

[OUTLAW 09]

Recent sat imagery shows Castillo Road systematically shelled to close it even before offensive in #Mallah. #Aleppo

Rebels produced & launched their surface-to-surface missile "Omar' on Baath City, #Quneitra.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4-td0Sq8WU …

Thuwar Al-Sham pounded pro-Regime forces in #Mallah with several missiles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nX_W-CkAeQk …

Attrition of Regime equipment continues in #Mallah with a #TOW annihilating a tank. #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_9kVNxmWAQ …

Aleppo : Citizens defy the Regime siege and cultivate gardens inside destroyed houses and maintain livestock.

Pro-Regime pic purportedly showing Rebel defeat in #Mallah, most likely ppl tried to flee siege, via @sternschmerzen

[OUTLAW 09]

Lieutenant General Alexander Zhuravlev, has been assigned as new commander of Russian forces in Syria –
Interfax http://www.interfax.ru/russia/519895

Kommersant says Russia has a new top commander in Syria because they're worried about losing Palmyra http://www.kommersant.ru/doc/3043867

Reference the previously posted comments on the Russian cluster munitions strike on the NSA near Jordan that triggered the WH into trying to do a joint military operation which virtually all have condemned outside of the Obama/Kerry and Rhodes WH….WHY MSM is just now picking this up when social media was all over it and it was basically ignored by the WH and the US MSM…..

Russian Act of War Leads to US Surrender

This is serious. #Russia bombed base in #Syria used by #US & #UK special forces.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/russian-strikes-on-remote-syria-garrison-alarm-u-s-1469137231 …

[OUTLAW 09]

105 civilians were killed across #Syria yday, including 24 children.
Most fatalities in #Aleppo (48) & #Idlib (26) air strikes.
-LCC

The ONLY AIM of these attacks is to radicalize people & push them into the hands of #Nusra & Co.!

Beyond humanity.
3rd night of intense #Russian bomb attacks in civilians in #Idlib city.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HXSv7PRdRU …

Day12 of the total #Aleppo siege.
The #Assad/#Putin "Bombs and Starvation" genocide contin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNB689Wpqpg …

[OUTLAW 09]

Syrian rebels hit an #Assad regime tank in #Aleppo city with an aTGM.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqxPHxO_f30 …

North of #Aleppo today:
#Assad & #Putin continue their relentless war vs. Syrian #civilians.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45gGuR9E7_c …

Footage
#FSA trooper in #Aleppo fires at pro-#Assad troops w/ RBG-6 grenade launcher
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1ta69wCAFw …

Russian soldier at a checkpoint on the hills that overlooks the Hmeimim airbase, Latakia, Syria
Shirtless and drinking red wine while on evidently boring duty……

[OUTLAW 09]

Just a side note...it appears that TOWs and ATGMs are flying like crazy right now in and around Aleppo......someone is ensuring a high supply rate into Aleppo and those missiles are doing a massive job on the Assad, Hezbollah and Iranian forces attempting to attack the city....

Would be interesting to know who is the "supplier".....

[OUTLAW 09]

Airwars @airwars_
Local group Manbij Direct posts pictures it says are of 9 of the children killed in July 19 Tokhaz event https://www.facebook.com/manbej.mubashar/posts/857079361090451 …

The pictured children are reported to be the sons of Bakkar Ramadan, Suleiman al Daher, Kamel al Sitto and Said al Ahmada

BTW...the USAF/CENTCOM still has not responded outside of a few comments.....a clear and distinct hit on a school building being used to house Syrian IDPs....NOT IS.....so who called for the strike and who carried it out?????

[OUTLAW 09]

Assad dropped leaflets over rebel-held #Homs province, threatening with a #Russian Su-25 pic & "40 types of bombs".

Repeated posting but worth rereading.....
How and why #Russia tried to cover up the death of #Putin's best helicopter ace in #Syria:
http://euromaidanpress.com/2016/07/11/putins-best-helicopter-ace-killed-in-syria-euromaidan-press/ …

[OUTLAW 09]

bellingcat @bellingcat
The Jihadists’ Digital Toolbox: How ISIS Keeps Quiet on the Web via @bellingcat
https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2016/07/22/the-jihadists-digital-toolbox-how-isis-keeps-quiet-on-the-web/ …

Faylaq Al-Sham's message to pro-Regime Palestinians from Al-Quds trying to seize #Handarat, #Aleppo @ShamLegion
They just keep killing them......

Map. Normalized Burn Ratio analysis of satellite data of the al-Safriah explosion.
HD - http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/92fe/qxhhrqzoz68z6a8zg.jpg …
This was the Assad barrel bomb factory explosion

First sat image (via @Nrg8000) after blast in #Safira Defense Factories shows huge damage in center, near "helipad".

[OUTLAW 09]

Militiamen from Iranian Liwa Fatemiyoun in #Palmyra, E. #Homs, via @PalmyraRev1

Airstrikes reported on area E. of #Zabdani after clashes erupted between Rebels & Hezbollah, W. #Qalamoun.

APPEARS Assad, Iranians and Russians have basically given up on fighting IS at all these days regardless of their propaganda statements.....

One month after its failed offensive on #Tabqa Regime fight vs #ISIS is merely limited to containment, from E. #Damascus to #DeirEzzor.

They are content to try to hold onto Palmyra.....

Syria: Emad al-Sabti, #ISIS commander in North of Lajat area between #Daraa and #Suwayda, killed by his cousin.

Iranian Kurdish leader to ‘Post’: Iran regime is a common enemy
http://dlvr.it/Lr47NB #MiddleEast

[OUTLAW 09]

Quneitra : Video of the South Front two ton mega missile that destroyed Regime HQ in Baath.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwgwKlUFb2I …

[OUTLAW 09]

BBC got into Manbij. Refers to "Kurdish-led" forces fighting ISIS, in contradiction of official US narrative.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-36848681?SThisFB …

Aleppo: 38 pro-#Assad forces were confirmed killed by the rebel tunnel blast in #Aleppo City yesterday.

After a short period of calm, heavy air strikes on #EastGhouta resumed today
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcRT_JG47n0 …

[OUTLAW 09]

In case if we didn't have enough wars already, Israelis anticipate yet another war with Lebanon/Hezballah https://twitter.com/followFDD/status/756490428615159808 …

Wow....those "moderate" Iranians are hard at work again......
Iran apparently detains another American
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/iran-apparently-detains-another-american-robin-shahini …

Bombing "part of a Russian campaign to pressure the Obama administration to agree to closer cooperation"
SAS outpost in Syria 'bombed by Russians just hours after troops left'
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/22/russia-bombed-sas-outpost-in-syria/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter …

[OUTLAW 09]

Rebels from Sultan Murad captured an #ISIS fighter after takeover of #Dudiyan, N. #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmGhYAGG4gU …

Rebels managed to repel an assault from pro-Regime forces who tried to reach Layramoun roundabout, #Aleppo.

Inside Rebel-held fortress of #Jobar, #Damascus.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKL_hLJKR-Y …

From a proAssad commenter......
Ivan Sidorenko ‏@IvanSidorenko1 · Jul 20
#Syria #Homs #Palmyra #Iraq #Iraqi Imam Ali Brigades Pulling Forces from #Aleppo to #Palmyra For The First Time Expect New Op in the future.
Interesting to see them pulling troops out of Aleppo....

Scores of pro-Regime KIA on #Kinsabba front: 19 names documented. #Latakia

[OUTLAW 09]

http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/commentary/2016/07/22/washington-and-moscow-together-syria/87430616/?utm_content=buffer3f56d&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Washington and Moscow: Together on Syria?

Frederic Hof, Special to Defense News 8:45 a.m. EDT July 22, 2016


Secretary of State John Kerry says the United States and Russia have agreed to steps that, “if implemented in good faith” could successfully address two problems killing the prospects for peace in Syria: the “continued indiscriminate attacks” of the Assad regime on civilian populations; and the ongoing presence of “Jebhat al-Nusrah, the al-Qaida branch in Syria.”

Good faith implementation is everything. And the absence of an American “or else” does not increase its prospects.

Kerry is trying to play diplomatic judo to make Moscow act consistent with its words. Russia intervened militarily in Syria with the pretense of fighting terrorism. Yet instead of focusing its firepower on Daesh (ISIS, ISIL, Islamic State) or the Nusrah Front, it has mainly targeted non-jihadist rebels. Moscow wants to marginalize nationalist opposition to Assad to manufacture a binary choice: Assad or al-Qaida.

Kerry is trying to cajole Moscow into a less cynical approach through a Jordan-based “Joint Implementation Group” [JIG] that would expand American-Russian coordination to military operations against Nusrah, Russia’s stated target of choice. Kerry conditions cooperation on much lower violence and a framework for political transition in Syria. Moscow has already agreed in writing to each. Only its actions have been totally at variance with both.

Kerry’s prospects would soar were he backed (for example) by an American naval task force in the eastern Mediterranean. Such a task force was persuasive during the 2013 chemical red line episode, which resulted ultimately in the removal of much of the regime’s chemical weapons inventory and capability. But Kerry is, in the words of Arthur Miller, “a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine.” A recent Department of State dissent cable, if adopted as policy, could give Kerry leverage by creating the credible threat of military force he needs to discourage Assad regime terror bombing of civilian neighborhoods.

Kerry’s challenges are three: the willingness and ability of Russia to ground Assad’s murderous air force; the readiness of Moscow to subject its own military targeting in Syria to an American veto; and the reluctance of Washington to deploy anything resembling a credible “or else” in the face of continuing civilian slaughter. Civilians on the bullseye kills diplomacy, promotes al-Qaida, puts allies and friends at risk, and deepens a humanitarian abomination.

According to a leaked, American-drafted document, the establishment of the coordinating body is to be preceded by the “suspension of all offensive ground and air operations” against civilians and those parties (including the mainstream Syrian opposition) that signed up months ago to a “cessation of hostilities” Only when violence is reduced would the JIG come into being.

Yet it is not at all clear that Moscow can or wants to compel Assad’s compliance. If able and willing Russia could turn off the bombing of civilian residential neighborhoods right now. Why it has not is an interesting question. But Kerry’s plan cannot take effect unless and until Moscow acts.

The leaked document specifies that “Only those targets that both participants [the United States and Russia] agree are actionable will be further developed for strikes.” An American veto on Russian airstrikes would certainly reduce – if not eliminate – attacks on hospitals, schools, markets and mosques. The risk to the United States is reputational. Russia could use an “imminent threats” loophole to evade the mutual veto and do something unseemly. On balance, however, faithful implementation of a plan that focuses on the Nusrah Front, entails a mutual veto, requires Russia “to provide the JIG advance notice of all regime air operations,” and spares civilians would be worth the risk.

But what if things do go wrong? What if the Assad regime persists in targeting civilians? What if regime and Russian attacks continue against non-al-Qaida targets? What is the penalty? According to the leaked document, “either participant may pull out of the JIG” if the coordination arrangement fails to serve its purpose.

Well yes. One presumes the United States would not wish to be associated with an agenda of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Yet is it wholly inadmissible for Washington to consider – as the State Department dissenters recommended – creating a credible threat of military force? Is the Assad regime’s free ride for collective punishment and mass homicide a given for the life of the Obama administration?

The answer probably centers on another key party to Syria’s destruction and gradual emptying: Iran. Tehran in Syria is all-in. Bashar al-Assad’s subordination to it on all matters related to Hezbollah – the Lebanese militia serving as the engine of Iranian intervention in the Arab world – is total. It makes him an asset of incalculable value to Tehran.

The nuclear deal with Iran was and remains the top Middle Eastern priority of the Obama administration. The administration believes that to push back hard against Assad regime depredations would be to tempt Tehran to abandon the deal. This is why John Kerry operates in a leverage-free environment.

One prays for Kerry’s success. One bets on it only to the extent an appetite for long-shot wagers exists. It may take a new president – one not paralyzed by the Iran nuclear deal – to give diplomacy in Syria a fighting chance.

[OUTLAW 09]

In case if we didn't have enough wars already, Israelis anticipate yet another war with Lebanon/Hezballah https://twitter.com/followFDD/status/756490428615159808 …


Meanwhile, new complications for the next round: Russia, Syria, Hezbollah's growing arsenal, tunnels, drones... http://www.defenddemocracy.org/content/uploads/documents/Schanzer_Badran_Daoud_Third_Lebanon_War.pdf …

[OUTLAW 09]

Exclusive Syria Update: American and Canadian volunteers fight ISIS in Manbij
https://sofrep.com/59741/exclusive-syria-update-american-canadian-volunteers-fight-isis-manbij/ …

Can SWJ commenter and or reader explain exactly what he is saying......
Former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani tells @katiecouric "Putin, to me, is a murderer, but he's not an insane murderer."

One More Lie: Russian diplomats tried to deceive #OSCE Permanent Council
#RussiaLies
http://uatoday.tv/politics/one-more-lie-russian-diplomats-tried-to-deceive-the-osce-permanent-council-702116.html …

[CrowBat]

Great to see you back......so you are saying IS recruitment is not missing a beat even in the face of territorial loss???

Thanks. My PC needed something like 'complex overhaul'. ;-)

And re. your question: not the least. While it seems that Russia and the USA reached a kind of 'unwritten/secret agreement' about Aleppo (along which the IRGC and Assadists would be left to at least 'correct the lines' by besieging the city before some sort of a Minsk-style agreement would be installed), and while it seems that Erdogan is currently preoccupied with domestic affairs, the JAN is in full swing. It's receiving plentiful funding and reinforcements.

Worse yet: the more Assad, Iranians and Russians are bolstered by Western inaction, the more are various Sunnis going to keep on bolstering the JAN.

Oblabla's treachery left them without a choice.

BTW, have you seen this video?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vMxXfcIZgI

[OUTLAW 09]

BREAKING: Russian serviceman killed in #Syria
http://sptnkne.ws #Aleppo

BUT WAIT....he was reported by the Russian MoD to have been KIA weeks ago....


Russian soldier who was critically wounded in a roaside bomb while accompanying humanitarian convoy in Aleppo provice died, according to official statement of Russian Defense Ministry.

A Russian serviceman has been killed in Syria while escorting a humanitarian convoy in Aleppo province, the Russian Defense Ministry said Friday.

According to the ministry, Nikita Shevchenko was in a vehicle escorting a convoy of trucks carrying food and water supplies to local residents when an improvised roadside bomb exploded at the entrance to a settlement.

"Russian doctors treated him on site, but failed to save his life due to grave injuries that he had suffered," the ministry's press service said in a statement.


This has to be a second one in the same vehicle.......

[OUTLAW 09]

Syria|n rebels destroyed an #Assad helicopter with ATGM inside #Aleppo International Airport.

Despite the oldest rebel mistake (filming behind an RPG), #FSA push IRGC back in #Handarat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BUFNKJXL6c …

Footage shows pro-Regime offensive halted in 1st buildings of #Handarat outskirts, #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BUFNKJXL6c …

Assad air strikes on civilians and markets in #Douma today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgpPAG-nMm4 …

Rebels launched large missiles vs. #Assad forces in #Aleppo's Khalidiya district.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXJcJV-_NCo …

Jaish Mujahideen pounded Regime poitions in #Khaldiyah with several Lava rockets, #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXJcJV-_NCo …

[OUTLAW 09]

Appears the single shooter today in Munich might have been a far right shooter based on a conversation he had with a local who videoed the exchange....

CONFIRMED
Shooter shouted: "Ihr Scheissturken!" - "You ####ing Turks!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xlnd3gqN61c

Shooter shouted: "I'm German. I was born here. I was in stationary treatment."

He spoke with a Munich dialect perfect German.....

If not the far right then mentally unstable.....

Impressive German Police use of Twitter in three languages........EU, FR, GM

[OUTLAW 09]

CrowBat...here is something that will potentially cause so heartburn...hopefully your computer "rebuild" is up and running.

Suheil al-Hassan and the Syrian Army’s Tiger Forces
by Lucas Winter
http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/suheil-al-hassan-and-the-syrian-army%E2%80%99s-tiger-forces#comment-53500

My response to the SWJ article follows:


What I severely miss from this article is the author's TOTAL lack of a clear understanding of the war crimes and genocide that Suheil al-Hassan and his "Tiger Force" have been openly accused of and the volume of evidence that supports that accusation.

Any analyst worth his salt needs to seriously both ask the question WHY and then turn around an fully and completely answer the WHY.

There are five questions that an analyst, strategic debriefer, interrogator needs to ask when working a project 1)Who, 2) What, 3) When, 4) Why, 5) How.

This author got the Who, What, When and How correct BUT he totally missed the WHY.....WHY is so important for an analyst simply because if you can answer the WHY then there are no "holes" in the analysis.

WHY was al Hassan created coupled with his connections to Assad, WHY was the brutality that the author alludes to BUT does not describe used and who did it benefit, WHY are the charges of war crimes and genocide conducted by al Hassan from 2012 until his fighting now around Palmyra and Aleppo TOTALLY being ignored AND WHY/WHAT are his connections to Hezbollah and Iran.

AND that from the analyst of the FMSO.

Maybe the author should have spent more time on the Syrian thread as we have been tracking al-Hassan based on his actions not his past.

It is the actions he has conducted that requires analysis....what part of the Assad genocidal activities did he play......

BTW had the author been reading the Syrian thread he would have seen a major discourse around one of his quoted sources....

Robert Fisk

Four major Syrian/ME SMEs have repeatedly shot down any and all articles published by Fisk....as basically being proAssad/Putin in nature.

Authors must be able to judge the quality of their quoted sources otherwise the article takes the slant of the quoted source.

BTW if one is tracking al-Haasan on the Syrian thread you will see that his Tiger Forces have been taking major beatings from the FSA and IS in both Palmyra and Aleppo lately....


Had the author tied al Hassan to Assad's war crimes/genocide, Iran and Hezbollah then the article would have taken a turn to being extremely interesting....

In the constant posting here on this thread even I have learned that Syria is a very very very complex societal environment....and that is the reason I listen to commenters simply because they know that environment and I as an outsider need to simply listen and learn.

I have my own biases about QJBR then AQI and then IS based on my Iraq experience, but what I have learned about what is ongoing inside Syria has massively changed my own biases and especially about the role of Iran and Russia in their dealing and continued dealings with AQ/IS.

WHAT I am not fully understanding is WHY there are four highly thought of Syrian/ME Subject Matter Experts who know this area of the world like the back of their hands YET they are openly and largely ignored by the US MSM and the Obama/Kerry/Rhodes WH.....

[OUTLAW 09]

Russian Syrian Military Express on the move......

Russian Navy's Buyan-M Class guided missile corvette Serpukhov 603 northbound on the Bosphorus returning from Syria.

Serpukhov 603 is small but has serious punch. It has 24 Kalibr cruise missiles and used them in Syria.

[OUTLAW 09]

Russian Syrian Military Express on the move......

Russian Navy's Buyan-M Class guided missile corvette Serpukhov 603 northbound on the Bosphorus returning from Syria.

Serpukhov 603 is small but has serious punch. It has 24 Kalibr cruise missiles and used them in Syria.

Correction....should be 2 to 4 Kalibr missiles onboard

[OUTLAW 09]

CrowBat....can and or could you confirm this if possible on your end.....in eastern Ukraine all Russian jamming systems are under full Russian army control as it takes a long while for the Russians to first allow and then train foreigners on the system due to their fear of "western spies".....we have seen just this week the first Russian jamming and intercept system turned over to the Russian mercenaries and them using it....a two full years after their invasion.

Serious if it was in fact Russian troops that were directly hit....tend to believe it as Russians that close to the forward edge of the front lines would have been manning the jamming equipment.

Faylaq Al-Sham claims hit with #Kornet on Ru soldiers setting up a jamming system in #Aleppo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dp_KTOc-oU …

Also picked up this comment......

Assad giving it all he's got in #Aleppo even #Russian soldiers present trying to take Castello road.

So are Russian troops involved in the actual ground combat now???

The Russians claimed he was hit in an IED vehicle strike but it does appear that al-Sham "was tipped off to the jamming site" by an "unknown someone"....

Faylaq al-Sham claim responsibility for killing the Russian soldier fighting with Assad army in Aleppo after tipped off about his position

That far forward and apparently a mobile jammer...had to be Spetsnaz.....

[OUTLAW 09]

Main Regime gains in farms (#Mallah), in city few gains (#Khaldiyah) or not (#Handarat) despite huge firepower.

Regime takeover of #Mallah allows fire control on Castillo Road (closed) but gains in #Khaldiyah/Layramoun needed 2 assert direct control

Clashes between #ISIS & pro-Regime forces near Arak Gas Field, ~30 km NE. of #Palmyra, E. Homs. http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=34.677688&lon=38.616686&z=11&m30 …

Zinki operation vs #ISIS in #Dudiyan unveils involvement of a modified T-62, N. #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHN9axmoS4Q …

Very intense shelling on all Jaish Al Fateh's positions in S. #Aleppo, seems prelude to an upcoming offensive by Iranian-led militias.

A higher level: Faylaq Sham takes out w/ a #Kornet 1 helicopter in Nayrab Airbase, #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=La5vkOim4Tw …

[OUTLAW 09]

Yesterday night.......

Last night Russia bombed 7 mosques in Idlib. They can't break the revolutionary will by attacking places of worship.

Aftermath of the Hijaz mosque bombed by Russia in Idlib
https://youtu.be/5QY5puChlUk

[OUTLAW 09]

BBC team with the SDF in Manbij is reporting that they were told the following by civilians living in Manbij......

Manbij, Syria. "Off camera, many of these people told us they were better off under IS control"

Manbij is Arab Sunni.....SDF is Kurdish as simple as that...and the SDF does not have a great track record when they take over Arab Sunni areas and towns.....

[OUTLAW 09]

The 4th straight night of #Russian State #Terrorism vs. civilians in #Idlib city.
7 killed, 30 injured
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAdLVsbKI0A …

[OUTLAW 09]

Geolocation in #Khaldiyah: frontline stable since 10 days. #Aleppo
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=36.233266&lon=37.126644&z=16&m …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsNN6tfQFbo …

Jaish Al-Islam fired several Omar missiles (Grad as propulsion system) on #Khaldiyah, Aleppo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMURDYkfmTg …

16th Division fired an #ATGM vs some kind of excavator/bulldozer in #Aleppo, likely a miss.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEyLsex3oeM …

Civilians at Risk as #Aleppo Siege Tightens
https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/07/22/syria-civilians-risk-aleppo-siege-tightens …

[OUTLAW 09]

Even though from 2013....must be read as it gives insight into the Obama/Rhodes/Kerry WH where "not doing stupid #### UNQUOTE became the driving force of their combined Syrian/ISFP......

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/04/why-is-there-a-red-line-on-chemical-weapons-but-not-on-70-000-deaths/275328/

Why Is There a 'Red Line' on Chemical Weapons but Not on 70,000 Deaths?

Obama's strategy in the Middle East is 'engage where we must, disengage where we can'


Animal carcasses lie on the ground, killed by what residents said was a chemical weapon attack on Tuesday, in Khan al-Assal area near the northern city of Aleppo, March 23, 2013. (George Ourfalian/Reuters)


As evidence of the Syrian regime's use of chemical weapons mounts, the Obama administration has further confused matters regarding its own stated "red lines." The evidence appears to be strong but not necessarily "conclusive." As the April 25th White House letter states, "the chain of custody is not clear, so we cannot confirm how the exposure occurred and under what conditions." This sort of rhetoric points to an administration that finds itself cornered but, at the same time, seems intent on postponing any decisive action for as long humanly possible. The debate over whether, how, when, and to what extent lines were crossed not only seems petty (and undermines the very notion of a red line); it is also a distraction.

Presumably, the Obama administration's red-lining of chemical weapons isn't just about the risk of mass civilian casualties. After all, mass slaughter -- with over 70,000 killed -- has already happened and hasn't apparently shaken the U.S. commitment to studied inaction. The real concern is over the security implications of chemical weapon use or transport. First, the weapons could fall into the hands of non-state actors, metastasizing the terror threat. Second (and related to the first), the spread of chemical weapons would lead to unprecedented regional destabilization in the form of a sharp increase in refugee flows, which, in turn, could threaten the stability of friendly autocrats like the Jordanian monarchy.

These concerns are of course justified, but the focus on security implications -- rather than focusing on the 70,000 already killed by good old-fashioned artillery and aircraft -- suggests an outdated (and morally problematic) calculus for action. In saying that chemical weapons are a red line, the Obama administration is also saying that the killing of 70,000 Syrians is not a red line, which, when you think about it, is a remarkable thing to say.

More than two years after the Arab uprisings began, it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that U.S. policy toward the Middle East is more or less the same as it was before. Whether it is Secretary of State John Kerry effusively
Animal carcasses lie on the ground, killed by what residents said was a chemical weapon attack on Tuesday, in Khan al-Assal area near the northern city of Aleppo, March 23, 2013. (George Ourfalian/Reuters)

As evidence of the Syrian regime's use of chemical weapons mounts, the Obama administration has further confused matters regarding its own stated "red lines." The evidence appears to be strong but not necessarily "conclusive." As the April 25th White House letter states, "the chain of custody is not clear, so we cannot confirm how the exposure occurred and under what conditions." This sort of rhetoric points to an administration that finds itself cornered but, at the same time, seems intent on postponing any decisive action for as long humanly possible. The debate over whether, how, when, and to what extent lines were crossed not only seems petty (and undermines the very notion of a red line); it is also a distraction.

Presumably, the Obama administration's red-lining of chemical weapons isn't just about the risk of mass civilian casualties. After all, mass slaughter -- with over 70,000 killed -- has already happened and hasn't apparently shaken the U.S. commitment to studied inaction. The real concern is over the security implications of chemical weapon use or transport. First, the weapons could fall into the hands of non-state actors, metastasizing the terror threat. Second (and related to the first), the spread of chemical weapons would lead to unprecedented regional destabilization in the form of a sharp increase in refugee flows, which, in turn, could threaten the stability of friendly autocrats like the Jordanian monarchy.

These concerns are of course justified, but the focus on security implications -- rather than focusing on the 70,000 already killed by good old-fashioned artillery and aircraft -- suggests an outdated (and morally problematic) calculus for action. In saying that chemical weapons are a red line, the Obama administration is also saying that the killing of 70,000 Syrians is not a red line, which, when you think about it, is a remarkable thing to say.

More than two years after the Arab uprisings began, it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that U.S. policy toward the Middle East is more or less the same as it was before. Whether it is Secretary of State John Kerry effusively praising
regimes and failing to muster even a sentence of criticism; the unwillingness to condition economic assistance on democratic reform in countries such as Egypt, Morocco, and Jordan; or conducting business as usual in Bahrain, one of the worst human rights offenders in the region; the bottom line is much the same - security trumps all.

I joked on twitter recently that if an alien came from outer space and was only allowed to read transcripts of Secretary Kerry's regional press conferences, it would probably have no idea that something called the "Arab Spring" happened. For hardline realists, this is perhaps evidence of prudence and sobriety. They, and others, are right to point out that the United States isn't exactly a human rights NGO. It is the responsibility and duty of politicians to protect American citizens, not Syrians. This is all fair and good, but one would have hoped -- particularly after September 11th -- that we retired the notion that Americans can stay insulated from what happens in Syria, or Lebanon, or Jordan.

This leads us to an even more troubling question: if one of the world-historical moments of recent decades doesn't lead us to re-think the fundamental assumptions guiding U.S. policy, then what will? The timing, of course, was unfortunate. Arabs decided to have their revolutions in a post-Bush era of recession and self-doubt. Not only that, the Obama administration turned out to be more ideological than one might have expected. The unwillingness to entertain limited intervention in Syria -- despite there being both a compelling moral and strategic rationale -- points to a president who is not willing to re-examine positions and change course even after the situation on the ground has changed radically. The Obama administration simply does not want to intervene in Syria (again, just look at the excruciating wording of the White House letter ).

The basic thrust of Obama's strategy in the Middle East -- if one can call it that -- is engage where we must, disengage where we can. It is about reducing our footprint in a troubled region. It is about a loss of faith -- after the disasters of Iraq and Afghanistan -- in America's capacity for "good" intervention. This is all understandable. But it is also unfortunate. Because halting the slaughter -- by targeting the Syrian military assets doing the actual killing -- is something that the United States and its allies could do, if they wanted to (former senior U.S. official Fred Hof outlines how here). It might not be enough to bring down the regime, at least not anytime soon, but it would be enough to protect and save at least some of the Syrian civilians who find themselves in the regime's crosshairs. Of course, for many, that's simply not a good enough reason. But it should be.


BTW...notice the estimated figure of 70,000 killed....SINCE this article the indecision of the Obama/Rhodes/Kerry WH to do any "stupid ####" UNQUOTE has now contributed to over 500,000 and counting daily and YET this WH still insists in not doing "stupid ####" UNQUOTE.

HISTORICALLY speaking....this would have been one of those cases that would and or could have proven that if the WH did absolutely something STUPID they could have potentially saved the lives of over 500,000 ended the besieging and starvation of over 780,000, ended the refuge/IDP flows of millions, saving thousands of drowned Syrians in the Med including children, ended the torture of over 120,000 and have hauled a genocidal dictator in front of the Hague.

THAT might have been worth in the end doing something STUPID....

[OUTLAW 09]

Aymenn J Al-Tamimi ‏@ajaltamimi
W/more Islamic State documents added, the archives now contain more than 500 documents
http://www.aymennjawad.org/2016/01/archive-of-islamic-state-administrative-documents-1 …
Big milestone I'd say.

[OUTLAW 09]

Day 132 of of pro-FSA (Division 13) rallies in Maart Demanding the return of all arms to Div. 13 from JaN
https://youtu.be/ymy1VPyrUj0

Nothing about this is being carried in western MSM.........