Syria in 2018-2019

**CrowBat** · 02-08-2018

Wait, wait, wait, wait... this is getting ever better and better.

Now, the glorious, non-biased, absolutely neutral German media is getting involved in this affair. The MSM forwards the Deutsche-Welle-report originally titled The USA Attacked pro-Assad Combatants (title was meanwhile changed to 'pro-Syria combatants')

Guess, the journo writing this means that the US mind-controlled 'pro-Syrian combatants' into attacking the area controlled by the US-supported PKK/PYD/YPG/SDF-conglomerate, so the USA could then 'attack'...

Man, I'm surprised it was the Deutsche Welle that came out with such a title: this is rather worth Der Spiegel.

- Ah, you don't know what's meant with 'pro-Syrian combatants'? That's a description happily used foremost by the Pentagon (not only by clueless journos from the MSM) to describe IRGC-QF-controlled troops.

'But Tom, you see IRGC everywhere'.

Yeah, I'm obsessed with the IRGC, and that without a reason - as obvious when one reads further down that report, where several Afghans of the IRGC-QF's Liwa Fatimiyoun are cited as killed in the US strike.

Instead, NO: nobody there - no Pentagon, no Kreml, no MSM - comes to the idea to call them what they are: Iran-controlled, foreign troops in Syria.

Yes, some of them have meanwhile got the Syrian citizenship - and that on order from the IRGC, as reported several times. But no, no, no and NO: there are no Iranian troops in Syria. Just like there are no US troops in Syria, and like Russians have been withdrawn on order from Putin.

You have any doubts about this? Please go and ask Trump, ask Putin, ask Israelis, and ask Saudis. If nothing else, they'll all tell you that all the Iranian troops are in Yemen.

Everything is better than to accept few simple truths. Essence of every war is money. Money buys supplies: 'beans, bullets, and gas' necessary for fighting. Money buys combatants too. No money = no war. Period.

Assad regime is known to have gone bankrupt already back in November 2011. News reels were full of corresponding reports back then. But no: please have the memory of the fish, dear reader, and never ask yourself how comes this regime remains capable of continuing the war 6 1/2 years later...?

But nah: Assad is surviving thanks to 'pro-Syria combatants'. Guess that should mean something like 'little green Mars People that took the wrong turn after passing Venus'...

**CrowBat** · 02-09-2018

Careful cross-examination of reports from the social media is leading to few very interesting conclusions regarding that 'Battle of the Conoco Oilfield': CENTCOM bushwacked an Iranian force near Dayr az-Zawr.

**CrowBat** · 02-10-2018

As usually, the MSM reporting is slow, superficial, and concentrating on sensations ('Israeli F-16 shot down'). Thus, here a summary of what's said to be going on over south-western Syria since early this morning (local time):

Reportedly, the brawl started with the IRGC sending one of its UAVs from T-4 AB (aka Tiyas/Tifor) in central Syria into the Israeli air space, early this morning. The IDF claimed this as shot down by one of its AH-64 Apache helicopters.

'In retaliation' for this 'aggression', the Israelis then started launching air strikes.

The 1st wave included activity of Israeli aircraft over northern Lebanon and...hm... actually over Jordan (or at least 'along the Syrian-Jordanian border). It reportedly hit some kind of an 'observation tower' at T-4. I guess that should mean the control tower there. It is possible that other objects at that air base have been hit, too: lately, there were rumours about the IRIADF (regular Islamic Republic of Iran Air Defence Force) deploying one of its MIM-23B I-HAWK/Shahin SAM-sites there (the IRGC has its own air defences, but these are only operating such Soviet/Russian-made systems like SA-6s, SA-15s and SA-17s).

Apparently on the way back from that attack, an F-16I was shot down - perhaps by an Assadist SA-5. One of crewmembers of the F-16I should've been seriously injured (apparently on ejection).

The 2nd wave, launched about one hour later, has hit multiple targets NW of Damascus and N of Qunaitra, foremost in the area around (FSyA-controlled) Bayt Jinn pocket. Also hit were unknown objects in the Qisba area (Damascene suburb) and around Dera'a.

As usually, slow and superficial reporting from the MSM...

The Israeli air strikes on Assad/IRGC-controlled parts of Syria are going on. Currently, the third wave is underway.

Along what the official IDF spokesperson says, this is a large-scale SEAD/DEAD operation:

...12 targets, including 3 aerial defense batteries & 4 Iranian military targets, were attacked. Anti-aircraft missiles were fired towards Israel, triggering alarms in northern Israel'...

The 3rd wave was underway around 1 hour ago and resulted in reported 'explosions everywhere around Damascus'.

Intensive activity of 'Syrian' air defences was reported, too. Between others, and in total, social media indicated firings of 20-25 S-200s/SA-5s, S-125/SA-3s, and Pantsyr S1/SA-19s so far.

**CrowBat** · 02-11-2018

Further to the 'Battle of Conoco oilfield', from 8 February: slowly, very slowly, pieces of the puzzle are coming together.

Inside the U.S. coalition attack on Syrian forces in Deir-ez-Zor

...Pro-government outlets have made various claims about their losses: that zero deaths occurred,5. that all deaths were among local tribesmen,6. or that only 25 National Defense Force (NDF) fighters died.7. However, loyalist martyrdom reports paint a very different picture.

Within 24 hours, 22 martyrs “of the American aggression in Deir Ez Zor” had been named and at least 30 bodies had been brought back to the hospital in Suqaylabiyah.8. Of these men, only two were Deir-ez-Zor locals of the Bagarra tribe: Laith and Ashraf al-Bashir, sons of the influential Sheikh Nawaf al-Bashir.9. Of the remaining 20 fighters, seven were from the coastal governorate of Tartous, five from the coastal governorate of Latakia, and eight from Hama.10. Two of the men from Tartous were high ranking officers: Brigadier General Yusuf Haider and Lieutenant Colonel Yasser Essa. Lieutenant Colonel Essa and eight other fighters were identified as members of the enigmatic “ISIS Hunters,” a small Russian-equipped, well-trained, and well-armed militia historically operating in Syria’s east.11. Brigadier General Haider was identified by a relative as a Russian linguist.12.
...

Furthermore, in June 2017 the St. Petersburg-based Fontanka organisation broke the news that the new gas and oil company Euro Polis and the state-owned General Petroleum Corporation had signed contracts granting them the rights to 25% of any oil and gas production at facilities captured by “its contractors” from ISIS.18. This was confirmed by the Associated Press in December 2017.19. The Fontanka report further identified “ISIS Hunters” as holding “contractual obligations” to Euro Polis for securing those oil and gas fields. Fontanka also published a video filmed by Russian fighters near Palmyra, Homs, identical to an earlier video published by the official ISIS Hunters Twitter page.20.
...

Shortly after the skirmish, a mid-level Syrian fighter posted his account of what happened on Facebook: “At around 10:45pm last night, the Syrian Arab Army and its friends began the battle for the liberation of the Conoco gas fields controlled by the Kurdish militias.”21. Two sources close to another Russian private military contractor operating in Syria, Wagner PMC, further claimed there were Russian casualties in the battle.22.23. The high concentration of ISIS Hunters among the attacking forces, the presence of a Russian linguist, and the intention of seizing the largest gas fields in Deir-ez-Zor implies that this attack was instigated either by Wagner PMC or by Russian leaders within the ISIS Hunters, potentially at the behest of General Petroleum Corporation.
...

Now, this is making things as complicated as it's explaining them.

Crucial is the notion that - according to this article - the push for Conoco oilfield was financially motivated. It's simply so that the contractor gets 25% of the oil revenue from captured facilities. This prompted multiple groups into getting involved in the race.

Mind: oilfields are private ownership of strategic importance. Nothing that belongs to whoever stumbles into one. Wars, uprisings, insurgencies, proxy wars, legitimate or illegitimate governments, mass murderers or whatever is in power - or not: there are contracts for oilfields, assigning the ownership to specific parties. In this case it's the Conoco. And Conoco gives 25% of the profit to anybody 'liberating' its facility there.

Along that line, no surprise that multiple parties got involved ... or that the US-supported PKK/PYD/YPG/SDF-conglomerate 'defended with all means on hand': i.e. the PKK rose the US flag like its underwear and the CENTCOM was promptly on the scene.

That's pure war profiteering - by all the involved parties. At least two of these paid a hefty price for losing that race.