UPDATE #Sinai Daesh published a picture report in accordance to the statement they released earlier today! pic.twitter.com/hrDTbHavwA
They utilized an AT-14 Spriggan (Kornet) ATGM to knock out the Egyptian M-60MBT pic.twitter.com/vLWvrEOmFm
Humor that fits----Originally Posted by OUTLAW 09
We run the risk in Syria of again finding out what western ATMs do to Russian APCs.
UPDATE #Sinai Daesh published a picture report in accordance to the statement they released earlier today! pic.twitter.com/hrDTbHavwA
They utilized an AT-14 Spriggan (Kornet) ATGM to knock out the Egyptian M-60MBT pic.twitter.com/vLWvrEOmFm
Two Russian Airforce An-124 heavy cargo planes from Moscow likely heading to Syria now
pic.twitter.com/KmocDelyBl
A second AN-124 takes off from Chkalovskiy...first one dropped off the screen for now. pic.twitter.com/0LTPo0vVWA
RuAF An-124 82040 reporting: entering Iraqi airspace prohibited, returning to departure airfield.
https://twitter.com/Alexfly35/status/642413110846976001 …
Apparently the US haven't lost all their influence in Bagdad yet...
Last edited by OUTLAW 09; 09-11-2015 at 07:13 PM.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/...source=twitter
14 minutes ago
Syrians Reportedly Hit With Poison Gas
Poison gas was reportedly used on civilians in Deir Ezzor, Syria on Friday night, according to the Local Coordination Committee, a Syrian-opposition linked monitor of the conflict. "A massive fleeing taking place in Junena village after the residents reported smelling weird odors..." the group wrote on Facebook. This report has not been confirmed, but it follows recent reports of poison-gas attacks using mustard and chlorine agents blamed both on ISIS and Bashar al-Assad's military.
Russia forces have taken over management of Damascus Int. airport pic.twitter.com/JU0k2St2Vm http://syria.liveuamap.com/en/2015/1...-management-of …
Syria: Intense bombing in Damascus results in one of the bloodiest months since conflict began http://ln.is/www.msf.org.uk/artic/UvUyu …
Russia military supply flights to #Syria may have to drop off in Iran 4 transfer to #Iran or #Syrian a/c for #Iraq overflight now
Russia's new air base in Syria has Obama scrambling for a plan, reports @joshrogin http://bv.ms/1JZRtnu via @BV
Fmr #Ukraine Navy Comm Berezovsky who changed sides in #Crimea to #Russia now in #Syria https://twitter.com/Hlopak_/status/642053220555169792 … pic.twitter.com/8AowQzxKNO
Putin’s ideologue is now focusing on Syria---
Dugin's on to Syria now... https://twitter.com/A_G_Dugin/status/642560845227106304 …
For those SWJ readers not so aware of the effects of the Assad barrel bombs--a technique passed to them from the Iranian IRGC---this video is a good lecture on them--just two caused this damage--in built up areas and highrises the results are far more deadly.
Devastation in Taman'a village in #Ghab plain after two TNT barrel attacks.
https://youtu.be/zYb3lJfNU3U
Assad barrel bombings have been going on now for over two years and have been mixed lately with chlorine gas--which the US only knows to well that it is being used BUT failed to enforce the Obama "red line" in the sand on the use of chemical weapons on civilians and civilian targets.
Why is that???
Last edited by OUTLAW 09; 09-12-2015 at 07:46 AM.
Russia alerts of Syria military exercises, including "rocket test firings" between September 8 and 15.
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News...exercises.html …
More than 60 photos taken by @halabnews_ph at Abu Duhour air base. #Idlib #Syria
https://www.facebook.com/halabnews.p...3&pagefilter=3 … pic.twitter.com/z5rBx1NXh0
Another An-124 active over Caspian, this one identified as Russian Air Force pic.twitter.com/vvNYR80QJI
Assad's Prime Minister Wael Halaki: refugees crisis is part of a grand conspiracy to steal Syrian BRAINS
https://twitter.com/syrianewsco/stat...40710622367744 …
Syria : Assad's NDF social media accounts shame men living in al-Assad area of #Damascus for leaving w/ family instead of staying to fight
Syria : Same pro-Assad social media accounts that praised barrel bombs on #Douma scream 'terrorism' when mortar lands blocks away
Syria : Majority #Russia 'Expeditionary Force' remain @ 4 bases I tweeted b4. Small units + equipment moved near NE Latakia front weeks ago
Syria : #Russia 'advisors' deployed in N-E #Latakia prefer their own tents in the field http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=35...2&z=16&m=b&v=1 … pic.twitter.com/O5Bh1UHwu0
Syria : Note entrenchment style differ with other Syrian trenches. New tents + new entrenchments @ Latakia front pic.twitter.com/cPSGOz1oE8
Last edited by OUTLAW 09; 09-12-2015 at 07:16 PM.
MEMRI published an in-depth review of Arab media reports on Russian military activities in Syria---one of the best collection of media reporting----
http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/8750.htm …
September 11, 2015 Inquiry & Analysis Series Report No.1184
Media Affiliated With Assad Regime Confirm Reports Of Russian Military Involvement In Syria
By: N. Mozes*
Introduction
In the past three weeks, there have been numerous media reports in the non-Arabic media stating that Russia, the Syria regime's main ally alongside Iran, has decided to step up its military involvement in Syria and participate in fighting alongside the forces of the regime of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad; some of the reports also claim that this plan is already being implemented on the ground. Arab media outlets, both pro- and anti-Assad, have also reported on Russian military involvement in Syria. These reports focus on several main topics: the establishment of a new Russian military base near Jableh on the Syrian coast; the reinforcement of Russian troops, including with combat pilots, and the participation of Russian pilots in airstrikes on oppositionist and Islamic State (ISIS) targets in Syria; and the transfer of advanced weaponry, including fighter jets.
Continued......
Military ties between Russia and Syria are not new; they began during the time of the Soviet Union and continued after its collapse. During the current Syria war, which has been raging since 2011, both sides have acknowledged their military ties and stated that Russia was arming the Syrian regime based on agreements signed prior to the outbreak of the war.
The most prominent example of the Russian military presence in Syria is the Russian military base in the coastal city of Tartus, which serves Russian navy ships operating in the Mediterranean Sea. Another less obvious example is the presence of Russian military experts at various military bases across Syria. Evidence of this was uncovered at the Tel Al-Hara base in Quneitra in southern Syria, which fell to opposition forces in October 2014. Documents found there indicate that it was a joint Russian-Syrian intelligence facility.[2] There have also been reports of Russians fighting alongside Assad's forces in the war,[3] but Russian authorities have said that they were mercenaries recruited by a Russian firm, whose license was subsequently revoked.
In response to the recent reports that Russia has increased its military involvement in Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that his country gives the Syrian regime "widespread support with equipment, military training, and weaponry. We are weighing several options, but this topic [military involvement] is not on the table yet."[4] The Russian Foreign Ministry responded similarly: Several days after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in a phone conversation that he was concerned by reports that Russia had increased its military presence in Syria, a Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman said that Lavrov had said to Kerry that "Russia has never hid the fact that it transfers military equipment to the Syrian regime so it can combat terrorism" and "Russia will continue to provide this assistance to the regime."[5]
The Syrian regime's response to reports of intensified Russian military involvement in Syria has not been uniform. In an interview with Hizbullah's Al-Manar TV, Syrian Information Minister Omran Al-Zou'bi denied the reports and claimed that there were no Russian forces and no Russian ground, naval, or aerial military activity in Syrian territory.[6] In contrast, Deputy Foreign Minister Faysal Al-Maqdad confirmed that there was a Russian military presence, but that it comprised advisors only.[7]
Continued..........
The reason for this media effort appears to the Assad regime's desire to send a message, to both supporters and opponents, that it is still receiving support from Russia. This follows several recent reports that Russia has grown close to Saudi Arabia, which leads the opposition to the Syrian regime, and that Russia's attitude towards the regime and towards Assad himself has shifted. It should also be mentioned that this trend of positive reports in the pro-Assad media about Russian reinforcements contradicts the line that was until recently taken by the regime and its allied media – which involved denial and downplaying of Iranian and Hizbullah participation in the fighting in Syria.
In contrast to the tendency in the pro-Assad media, at the start the Syrian opposition media and anti-Assad Arab media was discernibly laconic about reporting on Russian involvement – in stark contrast to their broad coverage of Iranian and Hizbullah involvement with the Syrian regime. This could stem from the desire of the Syrian opposition and its supporters to avoid angering Russia, which they still see as a key factor in solving the Syrian crisis, especially in light of reports that it has become more flexible vis-à-vis the current Syrian regime, and also in light of the hesitancy of the current American administration.
Continued.......
This paper will review the Syrian regime's media efforts to play up, and confirm, claims of increased Russian military involvement in Syria:
Regime-Affiliated Daily Publishes Article By Thierry Meyssan: "The Russian Army Is Involved In Syria"
On August 26, 2015, the Syrian daily Al-Watan, which is close to the regime and which often publishes articles byFrench journalist and activist Thierry Meyssan, author of 9/11: The Big Lie, published a Meyssan article titled "The Russian Army Is Involved In Syria" exposing the establishment of a joint Russian-Syrian military committee and the military and intelligence aid that Russia is providing to the regime. It stated: "Although at the beginning of the conflict Russia refrained from taking part in the military operations, this did not prevent it from recently establishing a joint Russian-Syrian military committee. Within a few weeks, many advisors arrived in Damascus, and proposed the establishment of an additional Russian military base in Jableh. Recently, Damascus received six MiG-31 jets – considered the best in the world[10]... At the same time, Moscow began equipping Damascus, for the first time, with satellite photos. This decision, which took [Russia] five years to make, will completely change the situation on the ground..."[11]
Article In Regime-Affiliated Lebanese Daily Al-Akhbar: "The Red Army Is Fighting In Syria"
Nahed Hattar, columnist for the Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar, which is close to the Assad regime, confirmed, in a column titled "The Red Army Is Fighting In Syria," reports that another Russian military base had been established in Jableh, and also reported that Russian forces were deployed in several areas across Syria, including Homs, Hama, Dar'a in the south, and 'Ain Al-Sawda, on the Turkey-Syria border. According to Hattar, these [measures] comprise a strategic action that will expand until a comprehensive Syrian-Russian strategic alliance is established, with the aim of changing the balance of power in the Middle East. He added that following the dismantling of Syria's chemical weapons "Syria was placed under the Russian nuclear umbrella," and noted: "The Russian military battle presence in the Syrian war has become a fact, and it may expand and develop, and have more impact on the ground... in the last third of the month of August 2015, officers and fighters from the Red Army landed at the first Russian military combat base in Syria... which is located at Hamimim in Jableh next to Latakiya... [where] infrastructure of an airport was set up, and which includes a military camp for pilots and select units – which could by now number 1,000 troops, but which certainly will increase to 3,000. Naturally, the number of Russian troops deployed in a number of areas, including Homs, Hama, Latakiya, Dar'a, and 'Ain Al-Sawda,is not known. According to diplomatic reports, a Russian rapid intervention force is deployed at a base near Damascus..
"When discussing with Syrian officials the reports in the media and in the field that Russia is beginning to join the fighting in Syria, [their] first answer is 'defense contacts between the countries are long-term, permanent, and developing, and what is happening now is within the framework of cooperation and surprises none but those whose imagination causes them to think that Moscow will not go all the way with us.'
Continued........
Hattar added that the Syrian army's air power has recently increased, and that Russia is providing Syria with satellite photos of the battlefronts. He wrote that "the Red Army has begun to fight alongside the Syrian people in the defensive war against terrorism" and stressed that this is not a development of the past weeks, but a move that began this spring, when Assad told the Russian media that he supports establishing a new Russian military base on Syria's coast. According to Hattar, this does not come in response to fears of the development of an ISIS pocket in Damascus, but is a carefully examined strategic move. He added: "This move will expand until the establishment of a comprehensive Russia-Syria strategic alliance aimed at changing the balance of power in the Middle East from the roots..."
Also according to Hattar, the turning point in the Russia-Syria military relationship was the understanding that Syria's chemical weapons had to be dismantled in order to prevent an American attack: "At that moment, Syria was placed under the Russian nuclear umbrella..." He added that Moscow had coordinated the current military expansion in Syria with Iran.[12]
Syrian Army Facebook Page: Russian Pilots Participated In Bombing Rebel-Held Idlib
Continued.........
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/orig...#ixzz3lYZeiQSg
What exactly is Russia doing in Syria?
Russia's increasing supply of arms and instructors to Syria are among the most controversial issues in world media. But what is really going on?
Moscow's stance on the Syrian conflict reveals an ever-complicated web of alliances, armament and regional plays, widening the diplomacy gap between the United States and Russia on Middle East policy.
Author Vitaly Naumkin
Posted September 11, 2015
First, Moscow has never concealed that it provides military-technical assistance to Damascus. This is done in accordance with international law and almost exclusively in the framework of signed contracts, as Russian officials constantly emphasize. At the same time, in the past, Moscow did not deliver weapons that could cause serious complications in Damascus’ relations with its neighbors. For example, in the recent past, Russia scrapped plans to supply S-300 anti-aircraft systems to Syria after Israel strongly opposed the deal on the grounds that the systems could cover practically the whole Israeli territory.
Second, the issue of fighting against the Islamic State (IS) has come to the fore. The United States and a number of coalition allies are already bombing IS positions in Syria. It is well-known that Russia has been calling for the formation of a broad coalition with the participation of global and regional powers to wage war against this evil, which Russia regards as a direct threat to its national security. Suffice it to say that from one single area in the Volga region, which is famed for its tolerance, no fewer than 200 people have already left to fight on the side of IS. This is to say nothing of the North Caucasus. The task of forming such a broad coalition is still far from being fulfilled.
Third, the moderate Syrian opposition forces, which are leading the fight on two fronts, are much weaker than the terrorists and are losing ground. According to Russian experts, the opposition controls about 5% of Syria’s territory, while almost half of the country is in the hands of IS. Under these circumstances, assistance to Damascus is viewed exclusively in the context of its struggle with the jihadists.
While Moscow has been particularly vocal in recent months on national reconciliation and developing contacts with many groups in the Syrian opposition, it continues to believe that the Syrian government is an ally to those who are fighting against IS and considers this fight a priority. As a Russian official told Al-Monitor on the condition of anonymity, “We believe that we aren’t helping President [Bashar al-] Assad as such, but the Syrian state, whose legitimate government sits in Damascus.”
According to reports, deliveries of arms and equipment from Russia to Syria have indeed increased. Some Russian media, citing conflict expert Yuri Lyamin — who blogs at imp-navigator — revealed a rise in the number of ships passing through the Black Sea straits in August and September. Lyamin speaks of the landing ships Novocherkassk, Azov, Karolev, Caesar Kunikov, Nikolay Filchenkov, as well as — for the first time — civilian ferry Alexander Tkachenko. Weapons, equipment, ammunition and supplies were delivered; trainers and advisers were dispatched.
Particular attention is being paid to the delivery of six supersonic interceptor MiG-31 fighter jets to Syria, in partial fulfillment of a 2007 contract, according to a Turkish news agency. It is clear that, due to their characteristics, these planes cannot be used to combat IS and are instead solely intended to protect the country’s airspace in view of potential external threats. These aircraft are able to control a frontline of 800-900 kilometers (497-559 miles).
Unsurprisingly, these reports are generating a flurry of rumors about Moscow’s direct involvement in the armed confrontation with Islamist extremists in Syria, something the Kremlin denies. When a reporter at the East Economic Forum, held Sept. 4 on Russky Island, asked whether Russia is ready to fight in the Middle East, President Vladimir Putin answered that it would be premature to address the subject: “We are considering various options, but what you mentioned is not on the agenda.”
These assurances, however, have failed to allay the concerns of the West, including the United States, as Secretary of State John Kerry told his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in a telephone conversation Sept. 5. According to the anonymous source, one may wonder why Western air forces are allowed to strike IS positions inside Syria, while the Syrian air force — equipped with Russian weaponry — isn’t. At the same time, Russian public opinion is clearly against the direct participation of Russian troops in combat operations in the Middle East.
Russia, however, also delivers a large amount of humanitarian aid to Syria. Bulgaria’s decision to close its airspace Sept. 1-24 to Russian aircraft carrying humanitarian aid drew a negative reaction in Moscow. To reach Syria there are other air corridors, though it appears Greece granted a US request to cancel overflight permits for Russian airplanes bound for Syria. Russia has demanded an explanation from the authorities of these countries, and efforts to close down an air corridor between Russia and Syria — which journalists call the “Syria express” — are unlikely to succeed.
Another hot topic being discussed in the world media is the potential establishment of a full-fledged Russian naval base in Syria, in addition to the Russian navy’s logistic support station in Tartus, where a total of 50 people serve. Citing a source in the military-diplomatic field, the Sept. 3 issue of the Russian newspaper Argumenty Nedeli reported the possibility that Russia could install such a base in the coastal town of Jableh — which has a population of 80,000 people — near Latakia, “for the benefit of the navy, air force and special operations forces.”
For some analysts this is totally unrealistic. Nevertheless, the newspaper hypothetically broached the possible deployment at this base (were it to be built) of Pantsir S1 and Bastion missiles, Buk-M and even S-300PMU2 air-defense systems, which — provided the Syrian interceptor fighter jets were also deployed there — could foil any plan to enforce a no-fly zone.
One shouldn’t link Moscow’s plans to continue providing assistance to Damascus to Tehran’s plans. Iran is pursuing its independent policy toward the Syrian crisis, guided by its own national interests. Russia is doing the same, while also taking into account its developing relations with the Arab Gulf states. But could it be that the scale of the fight against IS in Syria will expand without the creation of a broad coalition of regional and global players, and even the necessary coordination — a fact that can only hinder success in this struggle?
Other questions are in order: How will the unfolding new round of confrontations affect prospects for a Syrian peace process? Will the intensified war of external actors — Western states and some regional countries — with IS and other terrorist groups stall progress toward implementing the provisions of the Geneva communique issued June 30, 2012, to end the civil war? The fact that lately Russia has dramatically broadened diplomatic contacts with various opposition groups, as well as meeting with Syrian officials, Western and Arab statesmen and diplomats, confirms Moscow has an interest in finding a political solution to the Syrian crisis. On this basis, it supported the plan of international mediator Staffan de Mistura, the United Nations’ special envoy for the Syria crisis. Will he be able to stop the bloodshed in Syria?
Suggest the following----- reread both of the above articles and then ask the question is the second one from a Russia writer--Russian propaganda????
In an effort to change the demography, Assad regime is inflaming the refugee crisis http://www.wsj.com/articles/assad-re...sis-1442014327 …
BREAKING: Syrian Rebels control Ammunition Depot 402 near Dahiya Assad district in #Damascus. #Syria
Syrian informational warfare is in progress----
Source of story that Saudi Arabia is offering to build 200 mosques in Germany for incoming refugees is the pro-Assad newspaper al-Diyar.
Last edited by OUTLAW 09; 09-12-2015 at 08:24 PM.
A very brutal assessment of the Obama failures in Syria-----
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/view...-on-Syria.html
Obama has a ‘heart like railroad steel’ on Syria
Saturday, 12 September 2015
Hisham Melhem
Former President George W. Bush bequeathed to Barack Obama a precarious and partially broken Arab World. A spectacularly ambitious imperial attempt at remaking the region, beginning in Mesopotamia, crumbled mightily in the inhospitable desert of Iraq.
The dream of planting a Jeffersonian democracy in the land of the two rivers, metamorphosed into an unprecedented sectarian bloodletting. Bush’s freedom agenda, coming after he admitted – correctly – that for more than fifty years U.S. administrations neglected human rights in the Middle East in the name of maintaining stability, the free flow of oil, and striking alliances against the Soviet Union, was ill-conceived, naively pursued, and badly executed.
Bush’s ‘War on Terrorism’ was equally flawed; Al-Qaeda was cut to pieces, but like the mythical Hydra it metastasized and produced the monstrous ‘Islamic State’ (ISIS). But hard as it is to conceive, President Obama will bequeath to his successor a breathtakingly pulverized – figuratively and, yes, physically – region, where in some states like Syria and Iraq whole communities have been uprooted and once great ancient cities have been ransacked, and precious cultural and religious jewels have been destroyed.
“The President will be judged as an accomplice in the historic betrayal of the Syrian people, and in the creation of the worst refugee problem in the Middle East in a century.”
There are no more streets in some Syrian cities; The Assad regime turned them into shallow valleys of broken concrete, twisted metal and shattered personal artifacts indicating that they were once full of life. If hell has streets, they will surely look like the streets of Syria’s cities today. It shall be written, that the words of a sitting American President in the second decade of the 21st century justifying his inaction and his inane silence in the face of the staggering savagery of the Syrian regime – which repeatedly used chemical weapons, barrel bombs, medieval sieges and starvation against his own people – were stunning in their moral vacuity. The President of the United States will be judged as an accomplice in the historic betrayal of the Syrian people – and, to a lesser extent, the Iraqi and Libyan peoples – and in the creation of the worst refugee problem in the Middle East in a century.
Whose responsibility is it anyway?
Surely, the primary responsibility for the agonies of the peoples of the Middle East lies in the hands of the political and cultural classes that inherited the new political structures erected in modern times by the colonial powers over the remnants of old civilizations.
True, European powers drew artificial boundaries – most countries have such borders – not taking into consideration the wishes of the affected peoples, whose promises were rarely honored. This left behind wounds that have yet to heal. But in subsequent years, the ideologues of Arab Nationalism and Political Islam, the military strongmen who perfected military coups along with some atavistic hereditary rulers maintained the ossified status quo or destroyed nascent and relatively open, diverse societies and representative forms of governance in countries like Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Tunisia.
However, Western meddling and military intervention contributed to the rise of Arab autocracy and despotism. The American invasion of Iraq did not cause sectarianism in that tortured land; that dormant scourge was awakened by years of Ba’athist despotism and Saddam Hussein’s decision to invade Iran in 1980.
But the way the American invasion was conceived and executed accelerated Iraq’s descent into the abyss. Hence America’s partial political and moral responsibility for Iraq’s current torment. President Obama’s eagerness to disengage himself and his administration from Bush’s Iraq burden explains his reticence to push for a residual force after 2011, or to seriously and personally continue to engage Iraqis and help those forces willing to live in a unitary civil state, his deafness to repeated warnings that former Prime Minister Nuri al Maliki’s sectarian policies were deepening the sectarian fissures, makes him a partial owner of Iraq’s chaos.
A red (like in blood) line
In neighboring Syria, decades of military rule, and Ba’athist tyranny that was punctuated by violent upheavals and dark periods of repression, gave way to a tremendous popular and peaceful uprising in the spring of 2011 following those in Tunisia and Egypt.
“Assad, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, and the rulers of Iran took the measure of President Obama and they knew that they would get away with murder. And they did.”
The Assad regime responded by the application of gradual violence against a civilian movement calling for change, an end to the state of emergency, and political representation. Every qualitative violent escalation on the part of the Syrian regime – the use of the air force, barrel bombs, Scud missiles and chemical weapons – was taken after carefully watching and gaging Washington’s reaction. Assad, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, and the rulers of Iran took the measure of President Obama and they knew that they would get away with murder. And they did, in Syria, Iraq and the Ukraine. In 2011 President Obama cavalierly called on Assad to ‘step aside’ without any serious thoughts to the options available to him after the inevitable ‘go ahead and make me’ that he was warned would come from Assad. During the deliberation that preceded the president’s call on Assad, a very experienced Syria expert cautioned against the move unless the President was willing to back his words with action. One young advisor to the President, his principle wordsmith, dismissed such prudent advice, saying with churlish arrogance betraying his own ignorance of Syria that Assad will soon be swept from power by the winds of the ‘Arab Spring’ just like Presidents Ben Ali in Tunisia and Mubarak in Egypt.
Unsheathing swords and cocking guns
For a President who defined his political career by words and speeches, Obama acts at times as if his words carry the power of actions. On his own initiative he drew a virtual red line for Assad in 2012, warning that his use of chemical weapons will mean that he has crossed that bloody line, a violation that will force the President to change his calculus.
It was supposed to be Assad’s Rubicon. Once again, the lisping tinhorn dictator of Syria (beautifully described by an astute American diplomat in a cable as the ‘self-proclaimed Pericles of Damascus’) paid no heed to the American President. In one attack in August 2013 against a suburb of Damascus more than 1400 Syrian civilians, many of them children, were killed by chemical weapons. The scorned President huffed and puffed and issued threats backed by dispatching military assets to the Syrian coasts. Then the President took a walk with another young advisor and supposedly saw the folly of delivering on his words, and once again he flinched. On August 31, 2013, another American day that should live in infamy, he informed a stunned world of his (in)decision. Mighty America shrunk on that day. The word of the American President was no longer the coin of the realm. One could imagine Putin’s smug smile, and almost hears Assad’s nervous loud laugh.
The Arabs of olden days used to say that an honorable man should not unsheathe his sword unless he intends to use it. For ordinary people this is unbecoming, like breaking your word or reneging on a promise. For a ruler it could be a fatal mistake. I remember after writing this observation that I was thrilled when I heard former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in a televised interview saying that he warned President Obama about issuing threats if he is not ready to act upon them. Gates reminded the President of a saying in the old West; don’t cock the gun unless you are willing to pull the trigger.
“For a president who did not want to do ‘stupid stuff’ in foreign policy, his approach to Syria is akin to a case of criminal negligence.”
President Lyndon B. Johnson went to his grave haunted by the ghosts of Vietnam. President George W. Bush will live the rest of his life being tormented by the nightmares of Iraq, even if he claims he is not. President Obama’s catastrophic policies towards Syria will be a blot on his legacy. For a president who did not want to do ‘stupid stuff’ in foreign policy, his approach to Syria is akin to a case of criminal negligence.
A damaged legacy
President Obama’s attitude towards Syria says a lot about how he sees American power and how he sees the Middle East. He seems to be always cognizant of America’s limited power, and what he perceives as its shrinking ability to still do great things on its own. In Libya, he pursued a limited military role, leading from behind and hoping for the best and placing his faith solely in air power. He shirked the tedious political follow-up after the fall of the Libyan dictator, and in fact he admitted to that error.
Early in his first term President Obama wanted to have a new beginning with the Muslim world. That took him to Ankara and Cairo to pursue that path. And he extended an open hand to the hostile regimes in Iran and Syria. He also tried to stop the building of Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories. Then he was hit in the face by the so-called Arab Spring where he reluctantly withdrew his support for Egypt’s Mubarak. In a few months his Middle East policies began to meet the hard men and the harsher realities of the region.
Continued........
Russian military is running the same drill for Syria as they did in the Ukraine--airborne and GRU/Spetsnaz first in followed by Russian mercenaries---there have been a series of social media reports of active recruiting by the FSB for mercenaries in the Donbass to travel to and fight in Syria.
Motorola--a war criminal in the Donbass who admitted killing over 14 UAF has been spotted now in Syria.
Same Russian non linear warfare concept now being seen in both countries.
This social media individual is providing some of the most telling imagery on Russian activities in both the Ukraine and Syria—and how much has the US spent on ISR—billions---
I am trying to collect as much imagery as I can from the last 24-72 hours so I'll be off-line for a while but I'll post something now
Syria : I am now convinced #Putin is making a major push in Syria. If I see it every western gov sees it. But will they call Putin out?
Syria : #Russia military forces assembling directly on multiple airfields equipped for heavy transports...
Finriswolf-- yes and full combat drills of Russian Central military district just finished yesterday. Some of them go to Syria now
Syria : If the estimate yesterday was 1000 Russian soldiers in Syria - I say there can be at least 4,000 end of week strictly air deployed
I think we can assume it won't be long before Russian planes start coming back from Syria with 'Cargo 200' shipments on board..
Syria #Russia #Taganrog 'Cargo' Airbase- Unit assembly directly on tarmac 4 fast deployment http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=47...34095&z=14&m=b … pic.twitter.com/8476mR2VAb
Russia will continue with military supplies to Syria, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies on Sunday.
"There were military supplies, they are ongoing and they will continue. They are inevitably accompanied by Russian specialists, who help to adjust the equipment, to train Syrian personnel how to use these weaponry," Lavrov said.
Last edited by OUTLAW 09; 09-13-2015 at 11:43 AM.
Russian military flights to Syria are ending in Iran and then being transported by Iranian military into Syria for Assad and Russia.
"Regular SyAAF IL-76T YK-ATA flight to Tehran crossing over Iraq right now" pic.twitter.com/Y39TomUJb2
Russia refuses to help Syrian refugees,while continuing to arm & support their arch nemesis http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...-refugees.html …
Russian AA-systems in Syria, for what? ISIS doesn't have an airforce. https://twitter.com/vorobyov/status/643014692378669056 …
No shortage of militias: Lebanese Communist Party guerrilla group to patrol the Beqaa Valley http://www.rt.com/news/314535-lebano...uerrilla-isis/ … pic.twitter.com/yPcyhBrjaW
Problem is: I dunno a of any Regional/EU/US Gov that denies the Assad/ISIS collusion..yet it still goes on
Last edited by OUTLAW 09; 09-13-2015 at 11:44 AM.
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