Aiding
Kuffars
or
Shiite
Safavids Against
ISIL
Is As
Impermissible
As Aiding
ISIL!
Another High-profile Hezbollah Figure Samir
Kantar Perish In Syria
Samir Kantar, a Lebanese who was convicted of carrying out one
of the most notorious attacks in Israeli history and spent nearly three decades
in an Israeli prison, has been killed by an Israeli airstrike near the Syrian
capital, the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah group said Sunday.
Hezbollah said Kantar, known in Lebanon as "The Dean of Lebanese Prisoners" for
being the longest-held prisoner in Israel, was killed along with eight others in
the strike in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana Saturday night.
Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV said two Israeli warplanes that violated Syrian airspace
fired four long-range missiles at the residential building in Jaramana Saturday
night. It aired footage of what it said was the building, which appeared to be
destroyed. Kantar's brother, Bassam, confirmed his death in a Facebook post
Sunday.
There was no immediate comment from Israel. The Israeli news website Ynet ran a
headline Sunday saying: "The account is now closed."
Israeli warplanes have struck targets inside Syria several times during the
country's nearly five-year conflict although it has rarely confirmed its
involvement.
Kantar's killing, however, would mark the first Israeli assassination of a
senior figure inside Syria since Russia launched its military operations in
Syria on Sept. 30 in support of President Bashar Assad.
Israel's defense minister has said that Russia and Israel have worked out an
open communication system "to prevent misunderstandings." That raises the
question of whether the Russians would have been informed by Israel about the
operation to assassinate Kantar.
Kantar and four Hezbollah guerrillas were freed in 2008 in exchange for the
bodies of two Israeli soldiers captured by Hezbollah in 2006, whose capture
sparked a 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah. His release was highly
controversial in Israel, where he is believed to be the perpetrator of one of
the most grisly attacks in Israeli history.
Kantar was imprisoned in 1979 in Israel and sentenced to three life terms after
he and three other Lebanese infiltrated the Jewish State in 1979 and staged an
attack in the northern coastal town of Nahariya, killing a policeman and then
kidnapping a man, Danny Haran, and his 4-year-old daughter and killing them
outside their home.
Israel says Kantar, who was 16 at the time, beat the girl to death by bashing
her head with a rifle butt. He denies this, saying the girl was killed in the
crossfire. As the attack unfolded, the girl's mother, Smadar Haran, hid inside a
crawl space inside their home and accidentally smothered their crying 2-year-old
daughter, fearing Kantar would find them.
The widow, Smadar Haran, told Israel's Army Radio Sunday that Kantar's killing
was a "historic justice."
Israel held on to Kantar for decades, hoping to use him as a bargaining chip to
win new information about an Israeli airman whose plane crashed in Lebanon in
1986. It ultimately traded him in 2008 along with four other Lebanese prisoners
in exchange for the bodies of two of its soldiers.
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah insisted at the time that Kantar be
included in any swap.
Kantar, 53, received a hero's welcome upon his return to Lebanon. Assad awarded
him the country's highest medal during a trip he made to Damascus that year.
Soon afterward, Kantar, a Druze, joined Hezbollah, his role growing quietly
within the group's ranks particularly following the group's involvement in the
civil war in Syria in support of Assad's forces.
Kantar is the most high profile Hezbollah fighter to be killed since last year.
In January 2014, the Lebanese group accused Israel of carrying out an airstrike
on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights, which killed several Hezbollah members
and a prominent Iranian general. Among the Hezbollah members was Jihad Mughniyeh,
the son of Imad Mughniyeh, a top Hezbollah operative assassinated in 2008 in
Damascus.
Hezbollah, which has sent thousands of its fighters to Syria to help shore up
Assad's forces, reported Kantar's killing but did not immediately vow revenge
for his killing, as it did for Mughniyeh's killing.
Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen TV said Kantar had been living in the targeted
building for a year. The station, which is close to the Syrian government and
Hezbollah, said Kantar and one of his aides were killed.
Al-Mayadeen's correspondent in Damascus later said that along with Kantar, "a
resistance commander from the Golan" was also killed. It identified him as
Farhan al-Shaalan.
The UN Resolution Is Unfair - The National
Coalition For Syrian Opposition
By Fatah Al-Rahman Youssef
President of the National Coalition for Syrian Opposition Dr. Khaled Khoja
described UN Resolution 2254 as unfair because it put ''both the executioner and
his victim in the same slot''. He also expressed in a phone call to Asharq Al-Awsat
that the Syrian Opposition's displeasure with the resolution and said that the
Security Council's decision demolished the results reached in the Riyadh
conference.
The President of the National Coalition confirmed that despite the Opposition's
efforts to assemble a negotiating committee, naming a general coordinator and
establishing the committee's general secretariat, the resolution was declared
and established in submission to the Russian orientation.
At the same time observers consider the resolution an international unanimous
decision on the Syrian crisis made without any of the five major powers in the
Security Council referring to their veto power.
Karim Bitar Senior Fellow at the Institute for International and Strategic
Affairs in Paris (IRIS) said that the resolution did not make a ceasefire
compulsive, which could possibly ruin everything.
A day after the resolution was announced, Russian President Vladimir Putin
declared that his country was ready to provide more military support in Syria,
adding that Moscow had not yet exhausted all its weaponry, confirming Russia's
willingness to go an extra mile if necessary.
Putin attended a gala reception to mark Security Agency, held in Moscow Kremlin,
and praised the performance of his pilots and security agency workers, showing
off their competence in utilizing developed weaponry.
Amid these declarations the Syrian Opposition factions fought battles in the
strategic al-Nuba mountain in Latakia, after defeating Assad's forces that were
supported by Russian air cover. Field sources said that Russian aircraft carried
out a series of intense airstrikes covering Assad's troops enabling them to
recover al-Nuba zone.
Russia's Putin Sees No Hope To Repair
Relations With Turkey
Despite Ankara's attempts to ease tensions with Moscow, Russian
President Vladimir Putin said he sees no hope for repairing relations with
Turkey and continued his threats and aggressive rhetoric in the annual press
conference held on Thursday with over 1,400 journalists.
"It is hard for us to reach an agreement with the current Turkish leadership, if
possible at all," Putin said, adding that Turkey's downing of the Russian
warplane was "an act of enmity," the reasons for which he did not understand.
NATO, the U.S. and several EU states confirmed Ankara's documents that show that
despite 10 warnings, the Russian warplane violated Turkish airspace. "What have
they achieved? Maybe they thought that we would run away from there [Syria]. But
Russia is not such a country," Putin said.
Russia has increased its presence in Syria and deployed air defense systems.
Putin said that Turkey would likely not be able to penetrate Syrian airspace,
revealing an aim of deploying S-400 air missile defense systems in Syria. Russia
had earlier acknowledged that the system was deployed to protect its own
aircraft.
On Syria and its president, Bashar Assad, Putin said that he would never agree
to any outside force deciding who should rule Syria and that there is no way to
resolve the Syria crisis other than a political solution. He said that Moscow
supports, in general, Washington's initiative to prepare a resolution on Syria
at the U.N. Security Council, adding that the draft resolution is acceptable as
a whole. When asked about Russia's future presence in Syria, Putin said that he
does not know if Russia will need its military base in Latakia, a Syrian port
located in the northeast and a province partly inhabited by Turkmens, after its
bombing campaign ends. He added that Moscow possesses weapons powerful enough
"to hit anyone" thousands of kilometers beyond Russia's borders.
Hours after the Russian Defense Ministry reported that one of its ships, the
destroyer Smetlivy, fired a warning shot to avoid a collision with a Turkish
fishing vessel 22 kilometers from the Greek island of Lemnos last week Sunday,
Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said that Turkey is "not in favor of tension."
"We have read the Russian statement," Çavuşoğlu told reporters in Rome, where he
had been following an international conference on Libya. "But we are always
saying [that] we are not in favor of tension. We are in favor of overcoming
tension through dialogue," Çavuşoğlu added, claiming that Ankara's initiatives
following "the sad event [of downing the Russian warplane] of Nov. 24 had always
been in that direction."
In Thursday's news conference, Putin has also commented on Donald Trump's
running for presidency as the Republican presidential candidate. The Russian
president praised Trump's talents and lauded his calls for better ties with
Russia.
Putin called Trump an "absolute front-runner" in the presidential race and a
"bright and talented person." He added that he "certainly welcomes" Trump's
calls for better U.S.-Russia ties.
Putin had said earlier he was ready to work with the eventual winner in the
presidential race. And Trump has said he could work with the Russian leader.
"I think that I would probably get along with him very well," Trump said of
Putin in an October interview with CNN. "And I don't think you'd be having the
kind of problems that you're having right now."
Regarding the stalemate in Donbass region in eastern Ukraine and ongoing clashes
between Russian separatists and Ukrainian army, Putin said Kiev have not been
completely fulfilling aspects of Minsk deal relating to special status for
eastern regions.
He urged the Ukrainian government to swiftly approve legislation on holding
local elections in Ukraine, but he says the Ukrainian authorities were dragging
their feet on the issue. He added Russia wants the conflict settled and is ready
to use its influence with the rebels in eastern Ukraine to reach a compromise.
Russian Intervention In Syria Continues To
Lead To More Bloodshed, Says German Envoy
Germany's new ambassador to Ankara, Martin Erdmann, said that
Turkey and Germany share similar views with regard to Russia's intervention in
Syria and underlined that Russia's intervention will only lead to more bloodshed
and the persistence of conflicts.
Speaking to Daily Sabah for an exclusive interview, Erdmann expressed Germany's
contentedness regarding a new dynamism in Turkish-EU relations and indicated
that the latest migration wave has caused some unexpected developments both for
Turkey and Europe, eventually bringing the societies closer.
Concerning comments that argue Turkey will turn into Europe's "open-air refugee
camp" after the Turkish-EU refugee deal, Ambassador Erdmann stressed that they
don't agree with these comments and underlined that this is not the opinion of
Germany.
Ambassador Erdmann is an experienced diplomat who accomplished various NATO
duties during a significant part of his career.
Erdmann believes that in the midst of this world full of conflicts, the Atlantic
Alliance and NATO stand as a solid rock rising amongst the waves of the sea and
underlined that after the recent tension with Russia, NATO clearly demonstrated
that it is in solidarity with Turkey.
In respect to the perception among the Turkish public that Germany supports the
PKK and the PYD, Ambassador Erdmann emphasized that the PKK is recognized as a
terrorist organization in Germany and that they support neither the PKK nor the
PYD and underlined that the PYD does not have a ground of legitimacy.
DS: After Russia intervened in Syria and the Russian jet violating Turkey's
airspace was downed, tension in the region has risen.
How does Germany regard the latest developments?
To begin with, the views of Turkey and Germany with regard to Russia's
intervention in the region are similar.
We feel a deep sorrow due to Russia's intervention in Syria. Russia's
intervention will only lead to more bloodshed and the persistence of conflicts.
Russia's interventions in Syria are ongoing against Syrian opponents rather than
DAESH. Of course, as part of the Vienna process, we need all parties, including
Russia, for a political solution.
DS: Do you expect any political resolution from the ongoing dialogue in Vienna?
Introducing a solution to conflicts can only be possible under certain
circumstances.
Of course, a military solution cannot be imagined. Within this framework, all
the parties and sharers are required to be at the table according to our view.
But Assad cannot be a part of the solution. He can only act as a means in the
path leading to the solution.
DS: So, can we argue that the policies of Turkey and Germany regarding the Syria
issue and the anti-DAESH fight are compatible?
I would like to underline that our approaches are very similar. To be more
specific, Turkey maintains its fight against DAESH.
Likewise, Germany will take effectual measures as of January.
For military interventions, Germany provided support by assigning six
Tornado-type jets and deploying them at the İncirlik base.
A feeder line aircraft was also provided. All this military equipment aims to
support the international coalition in its fight against DAESH.
In this respect, Germany started its anti-DAESH activities for the first time,
just as Turkey did.
Therefore, Germany and Turkey's approaches for fighting DAESH are similar.
DS: While France's Syrian policies previously indicated that no resolution could
be achieved with the Assad regime, they have lately started to develop some
other discourses suggesting that an alliance can be made with the Assad regime
for a resolution.
Is any similar change planned with regard to Germany's Syrian policies and how
does Germany evaluate the changing discourse of France?
The attacks in France, of course, caused a tremendous shock; a great tragedy was
witnessed there.
After the Ankara attack on Oct. 10 and the Paris attacks following it, we have
all been in a state of alert.
It was clearly understood that the fight against DAESH must be maintained by
using every means possible.
Now, I attribute changing attitudes in the international coalition with regard
to initiating military intervention to the horrendous terrorist attacks
experienced lately.
In the anti-DAESH fight, a resolution was put into force on an international
scale by the Security Council.
This resolution also formed a basis for Germany for a military contribution.
DS: A schedule was arranged regarding a transition period for Syria in the
latest meetings of the Vienna negotiations.
And recently, the Russian ambassador remarked that common terrorists and
opponents must be listed.
What do you think about that?
Is it necessary to prepare such lists?
This should, of course, be decided by the Syrian opposition.
They have to decide that on their own and among themselves.
They will determine who will sit at the table with them as active agents.
I do not think it would be right to dictate this with exterior interventions.
DS: A new chapter was opened last week in Turkey's EU accession negotiations,
and Turkey expects five new chapters to be opened in 2016.
A new momentum seems to have been achieved in the Turkey-EU process following
the agreements Turkey and the EU made a few months ago.
How do you evaluate this process through the lens of Germany?
On Dec. 15, it was decided to open a new negotiation chapter.
Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu went to Brussels within this scope along with
the EU minister.
It was decided to open Chapter 17 on economic and monetary policy.
The opening of five new chapters on other subjects in 2016 must be approved by
the member states. We are glad that the process has gained a new dynamism.
We are particularly pleased with the new momentum achieved between Turkey and
the EU since the summit organized in November.
The latest migration wave has caused some unexpected developments both for
Turkey and Europe and eventually rendered the societies closer.
In this way, a brand new period was introduced in the EU negotiation process,
and Germany is very pleased with that.
DS: How do you evaluate comments arguing that Turkey will turn into Europe's
"open-air refugee camp" following the agreement on migrants between the EU and
Turkey?
I definitely do not agree. I would like you to know that a bilateral migration
dialogue exists between Turkey and Germany parallel to the EU Action Plan in
Europe. We would like to present aid and assistance to Turkey in tackling this
migration wave.
We especially want to give support in decreasing the number of transit refugees
heading to Europe via Turkey.
For those reasons, I do not agree with the open-air camp arguments.
This is not the opinion of Germany. If Europeans had demanded Turkey shelter
refugees from various countries, this would not have been a fair share of
responsibility.
What was the actual result supposed to be? Turkey was supposed to accept
refugees from countries other than Syria, which we call third countries.
This would be possible through introducing visa requirements for countries that
do not have visa requirements to cross into Turkey and through providing border
safety.
DS: There are some remarks that the EU made concessions to Turkey and even gave
up its fundamental values due to the agreement on migrants. What do you think
about that?
I should underline that this is definitely not the case, and the EU will never
allow such a thing. The community acquis is valid for all 28 member countries
and candidate countries that are to join the EU in the future.
Europe cannot possibly do this in another way since the values of the EU are
essential and the acquis constitutes the values. Therefore, internalizing these
values is expected from all countries that wish to join the EU. To express more
clearly, the EU has a set of values.
Consequently, no concessions will be made to anyone with regard to the refugee
issue.
The EU cannot give up its values, which were built with decades of efforts, only
because of opportunistic considerations.
But we would like to advance with pragmatic methods without limiting ourselves
only to doctrines.
DS: As a diplomat assigned to various NATO duties during a significant part of
your career, what do you think about the future of NATO?
What would you like to say about the future of NATO in the context of criticisms
suggesting that NATO remained silent when Russia annexed Crimea and afterwards
and did not give a common and sufficient reaction after the Russian jet was
downed?
Take a look at the world. In which part of the world does stability exist today?
The region that can be shown as the most stable one in the world is the
Euro-Atlantic zone (which extends from Vancouver to Lake Van).
This zone can be defined as stable, but beyond this is "a ring of fire," to
borrow Johnny Cash's words.
Ukraine, Crimea, Georgia and Nagorno-Karabakh are among the regions in which
suspended processes and conflicts are witnessed.
Syria, Iraq, Libya and many others can be added to the list.
In the midst of this world full of conflicts, the Atlantic Alliance and NATO
stand as a solid rock rising amongst the waves in the sea.
We are used to taking this stability for granted. The reason underlying NATO's
strength is its deterrent character.
As a matter of fact, an actor creating violence cannot know what kind of
measures NATO would take.
After a NATO meeting about the downed Russian jet, Secretary General Stoltenberg
issued a statement.
Just as all the other member countries are required to be protected in the
presence of a risk against territorial integrity, Turkey is required to be
protected in the same way, and this aspect clearly demonstrates that NATO is in
solidarity with Turkey.
We Germans were proud to help Turkey with the defense mission as part of NATO by
deploying Patriots around Kahramanmaraş province.
DS: In Syria, the withdrawal of the Patriots is ongoing despite the rising
tension, and this is highly criticized by the Turkish public.
How do you regard the decision of withdrawing German Patriots?
NATO air defense and the protection of Turkey will be maintained even though the
Patriots are withdrawn. The Standing Defense Plan (SDP) is available for that.
However, a misconception that NATO defense would end with the withdrawal of
Patriots prevails in public. Contrarily, air defense is an everlasting process;
it will continue as it continues now.
The Patriots only constitute a precautionary reinforcement. So, the air defense
will continue to protect Turkey even though the Patriots have been withdrawn.
As someone who worked for NATO for years, I can explain to you how air defense
operates.
Air defense is collectively implemented among the allies.
The authorized institution for that is NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR),
which is commanded by General Philip Breedlove. The person we call SACEUR is
responsible for the air command area there.
As the chief commander of the Standing Defense Plan system, SACEUR constantly
updates the system.
SACEUR can demand reinforcements everyday within its own authorization for the
continuity of NATO air defense. Due to this, Turkey is not left alone.
I also would like to add that not only German Patriots, but also U.S. and
Netherlands Patriots were withdrawn. A system exists only at İncirlik, which
belongs to Spain.
For this reason, we are very pleased that Tornado planes and refueling airplanes
were deployed at İncirlik Air Base again instead of the Patriots even though the
Patriots were withdrawn. Tornado planes can be utilized for air defense purposes
if required.
DS: There is a common perception among the Turkish public that Germany supports
the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
Could you comment on that?
In the first place, the PKK is recognized as a terrorist organization in
Germany. Of course, we do not provide military support to the PKK; this is
absurd.
We do not support the PYD either. The PYD does not have a ground of legitimacy.
We support peshmerga units in North Iraq that fight against DAESH.
DS: Lately, a news story claiming that DAESH uses German weapons was released.
What do you think about that? Can such a thing be possible? Germany has sent six
Tornado airplanes to fight against DAESH, so how is it possible to deliver
weapons to DAESH?
The question that should be asked is where they obtained those weapons. It is
clear that they did not obtain them from us.
DS: There are some allegations that fugitive former prosecutors Zekeriya Öz and
Celal Kara, who are members of the Gülenist Terror Group, requested political
asylum from Germany. What is your view on the subject? Did Turkey request the
return of the former prosecutors from Germany?
Turkey has made such a request, but we have no clue about the whereabouts of the
prosecutors.
DS: What are your thoughts on Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of
the Occident (PEGIDA) and rising anti-Islamic tendencies in Germany?
Germany is a hospitable and friendly country. Since Jan. 1, 2015, Germany has
hosted more than one million refugees, most of whom are Muslim.
Apart from that, 10 percent of the German population is of migrant origin, which
means that about nine million people out of 82 million of the overall population
are of migrant origin.
If you visit Germany, you can see a minaret in almost every city. Germany is an
open-minded country towards people with different faiths, especially towards
Muslims.
Extremists do exist in all societies and communities in the world. The same goes
for Germany. PEGIDA represents an extreme political group in Germany, which does
not reflect the general idea prevalent in society.
It only represents the opinion of a very small group. PEGIDA holds
demonstrations only in certain regions of Germany and the demonstrations are
seldom organized. And when such demonstrations take place, reactions by many
citizens are shown against them.
DS: Would you like to make any additional comment on Germany-Turkey relations?
I have been acting as the German ambassador to Turkey for four months. I am
really happy and proud to represent Germany in such a significant country.
Based on my own experience as a diplomat working for 33 years, I can say that
relations between Turkey and Germany have a unique intensity, and I can always
witness that intensity during the course of my daily work.
More than three million people of Turkish origin live in Germany, while more
than five million German tourists visit Turkey annually.
There are more than 64,000 Turkish-based businesses in Germany, and these
companies make a contribution of 45 billion euros to Germany's gross domestic
product.
Turkey-Germany relations have an intensity that cannot be compared with any
other place in the world.
Consequently, two countries with such intense relations are ideal partners for
each other.
We have what you do not have, and you have what we do not have. And we are
becoming good partners by combining these factors.
Russia Blamed For Deadly Air Strike In
Syria's Idlib
At least 44 people were killed and scores wounded on Sunday in a
suspected Russian air strike on a crowded marketplace in Idlib province,
activists have told Al Jazeera.
The strikes hit the town of Ariha, which is controlled by the Army of Conquest,
a rebel alliance which includes the al-Nusra Front, the UK-based Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights said.
In addition to the market, several other areas of the town were hit, the group
said.
Local news channel Ariha al-Youm reported that cluster bombs were used in the
raid by a Russian fighter jet.
The pro-opposition Orient TV reported an initial death toll of 40.
However, Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Syrian Observatory, put the death
toll much higher, saying at least 60 people were killed and wounded in the
attack.
Officials at the Russian defence ministry could not immediately be reached for
comment.
The Army of Conquest alliance seized Ariha in May after heavy fighting with
forces loyal to the Syrian army, in an offensive that resulted in the entire
province falling into rebel hands.
The Russian air force has conducted air strikes in support of President Bashar
al-Assad since September 30.
Moscow says it targets the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and other
"terrorists", but critics accuse it of targeting other rebel groups more than
ISIL.
Russian air strikes have previously hit several Army of Conquest positions in
Idlib province.
The province is not a stronghold of ISIL, which controls wide areas of eastern
Syria.
Blast Hits Military Bus In Syrian Capital:
Witnesses
At least 10 people were wounded on Sunday in an explosion that
hit a military bus in the Mazzeh residential district of western Damascus,
Syrian state television reported.
The official SANA news agency said the blast was caused by a bomb, and an AFP
journalist saw blood on the floor of the vehicle, which had had its windows
blown out.
Earlier, witnesses told AFP that casualties were likely in the explosion which
was described as ''violent''.
Syria Regime, Iran, Russia Making Extensive'
Use Of Cluster Munition: HRW
Human Rights Watch charged Sunday that Syrian government forces
and their Russian allies have been making ''extensive'' use of cluster munitions
against rebel groups since late September.
The New York-based rights watchdog said in a report it had documented the use of
cluster munitions on 20 occasions since Russian and Syrian forces launched their
assault on Sep. 30.
HRW ''collected detailed information about attacks in nine locations that have
killed at least 35 civilians, including five women and 17 children, and injured
dozens,'' the report said.
All the bombs were either made in Russia or the former Soviet Union, the rights
group said.
''Syria's promises on indiscriminate weapons ring hollow when cluster munitions
keep hitting civilians in many parts of the country," HRW's Ole Solvang said in
the report.
Solvang urged the U.N. to ''get serious about its commitment to protect Syria's
civilians by publicly demanding that all sides stop the use of cluster
munitions.''
Cluster munitions contain dozens or hundreds of bomblets and are fired in
rockets or dropped from the air.
Widely banned, they spread explosives over large areas and are indiscriminate in
nature, often continuing to maim and kill long after the initial attack when
previously unexploded bomblets detonate.
Russia launched an aerial bombing campaign against opponents of President Bashar
al-Assad on Sep. 30.
More than 250,000 people have been killed since Syria's conflict erupted in
March 2011, and millions more have fled their homes.
Turkey Not To Pay Compensation For Russian
Plane Shooting, Says Foreign Ministry
In response to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Meshkov's
statement on Wednesday which read Turkey should guarantee that shooting down a
Russian military plane will not happen again in the future, the Turkish Foreign
Ministry said only minutes later, if there is no other violation in the future
by Russia, another plane crisis would not repeat itself.
Meshkov had also said that Turkey should pay compensation for last month's
incident, to which Turkey's Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgiç said, Turkey
will not pay such compensation.
On November 24, two Turkish F-16 fighter jets on an aerial patrol intercepted a
Russian warplane within engagement rules.
The intruding aircraft was warned about the violation 10 times within five
minutes before it was shot down.
NATO later confirmed the accuracy of the radar trace data that Turkey shared
which clearly showed that the Russian warplane violated Turkish airspace.
This was not the first time Russian fighter jets had violated Turkish airspace.
In early October, Russian warplanes had breached Turkish airspace for which
Russian officials apologized and pledged that no such incident would be
repeated; Turkey had also renewed its warning to implement engagement rules,
including military response against violations of Turkish airspace.
President Barack Obama admitted that ''lone wolf'' Daesh attacks
present a vexing new security challenge Friday, even as he assured Americans the
Daesh group can be defeated. Obama capped a week in which he has tried
repeatedly to reassure a jittery Americans that his administration can
neutralize the terror threat, with an end-of-year press conference that only
underscored the tough task ahead.
''It is very difficult for us to detect lone wolf plots,'' Obama acknowledged.
''Despite the incredible vigilance and professionalism of all our law
enforcement... you don't always see it.
''This is a different kind of challenge than the sort that we had with an
organization like Al-Qaeda,'' Obama said.
''Essentially, you have ISIL (Daesh) trying to encourage or induce somebody who
may be prey to this kind of propaganda.''
Iraqi strike may be mistake by two sides, says Pentagon chief
The American airstrike that may have killed a number of Iraqi soldiers on Friday
seems to be ''a mistake that involved both sides,'' US Defense Secretary Ash
Carter said Saturday. He called Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi to express
condolences.
Speaking to reporters during a visit to the USS Kearsarge in the Arabian Gulf,
Carter said the incident near the western Iraqi city of Fallujah was
''regrettable.''
''These kinds of things happen when you're fighting side by side as we are,''
Carter said. He said the airstrike Friday ''has all the indications of being a
mistake of the kind that can happen on a dynamic battlefield.''
Carter, who spent two days in Iraq this past week, called Abadi from the USS
Kearsarge, an amphibious assault ship supporting coalition missions in Iraq and
Syria against Daesh militants. The Kearsarge carries a Marine expeditionary unit
and naval aircraft.
The Pentagon chief did not provide details about the airstrike, which the US
military headquarters in charge of the war effort in Syria and Iraq said was one
of several it conducted Friday against Daesh targets. A US military statement
said the airstrikes came in response to requests and information provided by
Iraqi security forces on the ground near Fallujah, which is in Daesh control,
and were done in coordination with Iraqi forces.
A senior US defense official said there was fog in that area and that weather
may have played a role in the incident. The official was not authorized to
discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Carter said he told Abadi that the US was investigating and would work with the
Iraqis.
Asked if he was worried the deaths might further anger Iraqi citizens who may
not be happy with the American and coalition presence in Iraq, Carter said, ''I
hope Iraqis will understand that this is a reflection of things that happen in
combat. But it's also a reflection of how closely we are working with the
government'' of Iraq.
Jordan's Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh has expressed his
country's appreciation of Saudi Arabia's efforts for hosting the recent
conference in Riyadh for Syrian opposition.
Judeh said the convening of Syrian opposition leaders in Riyadh paved the way
for launching a political process which, everyone hopes, would lead to a
political solution to the crisis.
He said UN Security Council's resolution No. 2254 draws a road map for achieving
a political solution in Syria.
He said the unanimous adoption of the resolution in New York offers the required
momentum to achieve a political solution to the Syrian crisis.
Friday's New York talks were the first by the International Syria Support Group
since Saudi Arabia hosted the coalition of Syria opposition groups in Syria.
The UN resolution marks the start of a sustainable path for a political solution
that forms the basis for a comprehensive cease-fire, with the exception of
terrorist organizations such as Daesh so that international efforts could be
focused on eradicating terrorism.
The UN-backed road map was described as unrealistic by the Istanbul-based
National Coalition, the main Syrian opposition grouping.
The resolution ''undermines the outcome of the meetings of revolutionary forces
in Riyadh and waters down previous UN resolutions concerning a political
solution in Syria,'' coalition head Khaled Khoja said on Twitter.
Related report Page 6
Fellow coalition member Samir Nashar said: ''Given the reality on the ground and
the impasse on the fate of Bashar Assad, the agreement is absolutely not
applicable.''
US Secretary of State John Kerry emphasized that victory over Daesh hinges on a
peaceful settlement in the broader Syrian civil war.
''We know that Daesh can never be allowed to gain control in Syria so we have a
global imperative here to deal with a terrorist entity but also to end the civil
war,'' he said, using an Arabic acronym for IS.
''President Assad in our judgment... has lost the ability, the credibility to be
able to unite the country and to provide the moral credibility to be able to
govern it.''
Turkey Joins Saudi-led Islamic Military
Alliance Against Daesh (i.e. ISIS), Iran-Sponsored Hezbollat And Their Likes
Turkey says it welcomes the formation of a 34-state Islamic
military coalition to combat terrorism and agrees to join the coalition
announced and led by Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday 34 nations have agreed to form a new "Islamic
military alliance" to fight terrorists like Daesh (i.e. ISIS) and Iran-Sponsored
Hezbollat with a joint operations center based in the kingdom's capital, Riyadh.
The announcement published by the state-run Saudi Press Agency said the alliance
will be Saudi-led and is being established because terrorism "should be fought
by all means and collaboration should be made to eliminate it."
"The countries here mentioned have decided on the formation of a military
alliance led by Saudi Arabia to fight terrorism, with a joint operations centre
based in Riyadh to coordinate and support military operations," the statement
said.
Turkey, the only country in the alliance that is also a NATO member, welcomed
the new coalition. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu called it the "best response
to those who are trying to associate terror and Islam."
"We believe this effort by Muslim countries is a step in the right direction,"
Davutoğlu said.
The statement said Islam forbids "corruption and destruction in the world" and
that terrorism constitutes "a serious violation of human dignity and rights,
especially the right to life and the right to security." It cited "a duty to
protect the Islamic nation from the evils of all terrorist groups and
organizations whatever their sect and name which wreak death and corruption on
earth and aim to terrorize the innocent."
The new counterterrorism coalition includes nations with large and established
armies such as Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt as well as war-torn countries with
embattled militaries such as Libya and Yemen. African nations that have suffered
militant attacks such as Mali, Chad, Somalia and Nigeria are also members.
Saudi Arabia's regional rival, Shiite Iran, is not part of the coalition. Saudi
Arabia and Iran support opposite sides of in the wars raging in Syria and Yemen.
Saudi Arabia is currently leading a military intervention in Yemen against
Shiite Houthi rebels and is part of the US-led coalition bombing the Sunni
extremist Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group in Iraq and Syria.
The United States has been increasingly outspoken about its view that Gulf Arab
states should do more to aid the military campaign against the ISIL militant
group based in Iraq and Syria.
In a rare press conference, 30-year-old Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister
Mohammed bin Salman told reporters on Tuesday the new Islamic military coalition
will develop mechanisms for working with other countries and international
bodies to "coordinate" efforts to fight terrorism in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Egypt
and Afghanistan but offered few concrete indications of how military efforts
might proceed. He said their efforts would not be limited to only countering the
ISIL group.
"There will be international coordination with major powers and international
organizations ... in terms of operations in Syria and Iraq. We can't undertake
these operations without coordinating with legitimacy in this place and the
international community," bin Salman said without elaborating.
"Currently, every Muslim country is fighting terrorism individually ... so
coordinating efforts is very important," he said.
He said the joint operations center will be established in Riyadh to "coordinate
and support military operations to fight terrorism" across the Muslim world.
Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab neighbors have been locked in nine months of
warfare with Iran-allied rebels in neighboring Yemen, launching hundreds of air
strikes there.
Especially after a rash of attacks on Western targets claimed by ISIL in recent
months, the United States has increasingly said it thinks that firepower would
better be used against ISIL.
As a cease-fire is set to take hold in Yemen on Tuesday alongside United
Nations-backed peace talks, Riyadh's announcement may signal a desire to shift
its attention back toward the conflicts north of its borders.
ISIL has pledged to overthrow the monarchies of the Gulf and have mounted a
series of attacks on Shiite Muslim mosques and security forces in Kuwait and
Saudi Arabia.
Smaller member-states included in the coalition are the archipelago of the
Maldives and the Gulf Arab island-nation of Bahrain, which is home to the US
Navy's 5th Fleet.
Other Gulf Arab countries such as Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are
also in the coalition, though notably absent from the list is Oman, a neighbor
of Saudi Arabia. In recent years, Oman has maintained a neutral role and has
emerged as a mediator in regional conflicts, serving as a conduit from the Gulf
Arabs to Iran.
However, Iraq and Syria, whose forces are battling to regain territory taken by
the ISIL group and whose governments are allied with Iran, are not in the
coalition.
A Jordanian government spokesman confirmed the Hashemite Kingdom is part of the
coalition. Spokesman Mohammed Momani would not comment specifically on the
alliance but said "Jordan is always ready and actively participates in any
effort to fight terrorism."
Benin, while it does not have a majority Muslim population, is another member of
this new counterterrorism coalition. All the group's members are also part of
the larger Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which is headquartered in
Saudi Arabia.
Supports For Newly Formed Islamic Coalition
Against Daesh (i.e. ISIS), Iran-Sponsored Hezbollat And Their Likes
The British Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed London's will
to cooperate with the Islamic Coalition military, the formation of which was
announced by Saudi Arabia. The Arab spokeswoman for theBritish Foreign Ministry,
Farah Dakhlallah, told Asharq Al-Awsat: ''We want to observe countries from all
over the world playing their roles in fighting terrorism. We are looking forward
to receive extra details from KSA on the Islamic Military Coalition in order to
look for the best means of cooperation with them against ISIS''.
This British endorsement for the new coalition coincides with Daily Telegraph's
article on Britain's readiness to provide aircraft support for the Islamic
Military Coalition as, according to military sources, Britain decided to send
Special Forces to fight terrorist organizations in Syria within weeks.
International parties wanting to join the new coalition forces are increasing.
Uganda's ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Dr. Rashid Yahya Semuddu,
told Asharq Al-Awsat that his country is ready to join the coalition and is
waiting to make the necessary arrangements. He added: ''We will do what we will
be asked once we figure out what Saudi Arabia wants Kambala, being part of the
Organization of Islamic Cooperation and a close friend to the kingdom, to
contribute to.''
Moreover, the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov announced
Russia's support for the new coalition. This came after Lavrov's meeting with
his Bahraini counterpart, Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, in Moscow. Lavrov
said: ''We expect this initiative to motivate all the Islamic countries to unite
against any act of terrorism or any attempt to manipulate religion''.
In a related report, officials announced that gunmen from ISIS launched an
attack on a Turkish military camp in Mosul, Iraq, causing the injury of four
Turkish soldiers.
China Supporting Saudi-led Islamic Alliance
Adel Al-Jubeir Saudi Foreign Minister announced that China approved the
establishment of an Islamic Military Coalition against terrorism, and expressed
its willingness to cooperate.
Al-Jubeir's announcement came after a meeting with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi
last Friday on the sidelines of the International Syria Support Group meeting in
New York. The Saudi Foreign Minister also affirmed the strong relationship
between Saudi Arabia and China, and confirmed efforts were underway to develop
them so they cover all arenas.
Chinese Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Li Chengwen, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the
cooperation between the two countries encompassed various political, economic,
military, and security domains.
The ambassador also indicated that Saudi Arabia and China share the same opinion
on the necessity of fighting terrorism in all its forms and making arrangements
for similar causes of common interest.
''China supports the Saudi political efforts within other international ones, in
the fight against terrorism which has no religion, culture, or land and also to
promote regional and international security and peace,'' he added inviting
international efforts to unite and collaborate in fighting terrorism in all
regions of the world.
Ambassador Chengwen also indicated that common efforts between Riyadh and
Beijing are being coordinated to fight terrorism in all its forms. He explained
that terrorism is everybody's enemy threatening the whole global community
entirely, adding that it is imperative to separate terrorism from any religion,
culture, or nation.
Saudi efforts on fighting terrorism were praised by Chengwen, who revealed Saudi
Arabia's early caught concern and Riyadh hosting the International
counterterrorism conference.
''Each country in the world has a responsibility to spread peace and security and
fight terrorism at the same time; as there are various experiences that could be
exchanged among countries for them to benefit from in the war against terrorism''
US Treasury Confirms DAESH (i.e. ISIS) Is
Selling A Great Deal Of Oil To The Assad Regime
ISIS militants are engaged in oil trade worth as much as $40
million a month with significant volumes sold to the government of Syrian
President Bashar Assad and some finding its way across the border into Turkey,
senior U.S. Treasury official Adam Szubin said on Thursday.
"ISIL [DAESH] is selling a great deal of oil to the Assad regime," Szubin,
acting under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence with the U.S.
Treasury, said at Chatham House in London.
"The two are trying to slaughter each other and they are still engaged in
millions and millions of dollars of trade.
"The volumes we are talking about and the amounts of money we are talking about
are very sizeable," Szubin said.
He said a "far greater amount" of ISIS oil ends up under Assad's control while
some is consumed internally in ISIS areas and some ends up in Kurdish regions
and Turkey.
"Some is coming across the border into Turkey," Szubin said.
ISIS militants have made more than $500 million from black market oil sales and
looted up to $1 billion from bank vaults in Syria and Iraq, he said in prepared
remarks.
"Our sense is that ISIL is taking its profits basically at the wellhead and so
while you do have ISIL oil ending up in a variety of different places that's not
really the pressure we want when it comes to stemming the flow of funding - it
really comes down to taking down their infrastructure," he said.
Russian Airstrikes Kill 41, In Syria's Aleppo,
Including 15 Children
41 people were killed and another 65 injured Saturday in Russian
airstrikes that targeted Aleppo province, Syrian Civil Defense sources told
Anadolu Agency.
The sources in the towns of Atarib and Munbij said that a Russian airstrike
targeted a residential area in Munbij, leaving 30 people dead, including 15
children.
Another 11 people were killed in another airstrike on Atarib.
Meanwhile, local activists told Anadolu Agency that Syrian regime forces
bombarded Eastern Ghouta on Saturday in areas that include Hamuriye, Sakba, Kafr
Batna and Jasrain, leaving scores dead. Exact figures, however, were not
available.
Russia began air operations in Syria on Sept. 30 with the aim of supporting the
embattled regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
While the Kremlin says the airstrikes target the DAESH (i.e. ISIS) militant
group, some members of the western NATO alliance believe Russia is targeting
groups opposed to Assad, including some that enjoy U.S. and Turkish support.
At least 250,000 people have been killed since the Syria conflict began in 2011,
according to UN figures.
How Former Baathists, Saddam's Men Help DAESH
(i.e. ISIS) Rule
Saddam Hussein-era officers have been a powerful factor in the
rise of DAESH (i.e. ISIS), in particular in the Sunni militant group's victories
in Iraq last year. ISIS then out-muscled the Sunni-dominated Baath Party and
absorbed thousands of its followers. The new recruits joined Saddam-era officers
who already held key posts in ISIS. The Baathists have strengthened the group's
spy networks and battlefield tactics and are instrumental in the survival of its
self-proclaimed Caliphate, according to interviews with dozens of people,
including Baath leaders, former intelligence and military officers, Western
diplomats and 35 Iraqis who recently fled ISIS territory for Kurdish Regional
Government.
Of ISIS's 23 portfolios, equivalent to ministries, former Saddam regime officers
run three of the most crucial: security, military and finance, according to
Hisham al-Hashimi, an Iraqi analyst who has worked with the Iraqi government.
Iraq's Finance Minister Hoshyar Zebari, a Kurd who spent years opposing Saddam's
regime, said the ex-Baathists working with ISIS provide the group with highly
effective guidance on explosives, strategy and planning. "They know who is who,
family by family, name by name," he said. "The fingerprints of the old Iraqi
state are clear on their work. You can feel it," one former senior security
official in the Baath Party said. In many ways, it is a union of convenience.
Most former Baathist officers have little in common with ISIS. Saddam promoted
Arab nationalism and secularism for most of his rule. But many of the ex-Baathists
working with ISIS are driven by self-preservation and a shared hatred of the
Shiite-led government in Baghdad. Others are true believers who became
radicalized in the early years after Saddam's ouster, converted on the
battlefield or in U.S. military and Iraqi prisons.
One former intelligence commander who served in Iraq's national intelligence
service from 2003 to 2009 said some ex-Baathists pushed out of state agencies by
Iraq's government were only too happy to find new masters. "ISIS pays them," he
said. A few Sunni lawmakers hope that former Saddam-era officers might be
persuaded to abandon their ISIS allies. But a senior official close to Iraqi
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said dealing with them was difficult because the
Baathists are so deeply split, with some supporting ISIS and some opposed. "Who
are they?" he asked. "Some wave olive branches. Others still wave a gun." A
spokesman for Abadi, Saad al-Hadithi, said the Iraqi government opposes
negotiations with the Baath Party. "There is no space for them in the political
process," he said. "They are banned under the constitution."
Baathists began collaborating with al-Qaida in Iraq, the early incarnation of
what would become ISIS, soon after Saddam Hussein was ousted in 2003. Saddam had
run a brutal police state. The U.S. occupation dissolved the Baath Party and
barred senior and even middling party officials from joining the new security
services. Some left the country, others joined the anti-American insurgency. But
then the Baathists and militants disagreed over who should be in charge. Many
ex-Baathists struck an alliance with the U.S. military and turned on the
militants. By 2014, the Baathists and the militants were back to being allies.
As ISIS fighters swept through central Iraq, they were joined by the Army of the
Men of the Naqshbandi Order, a group of Baathist fighters. The Naqshbandi and
smaller groups of Saddam-era officers made up the majority of fighters in the
initial stages of last year's military onslaught, according to Sunni tribal
leaders, Baathists and an Iraqi security commander. It was the Naqshbandi who
rallie locals in Mosul to rise up against Baghdad, and who planned and commanded
many of last year's military advances, according to Iraqi officials and Abdul
al-Samad al-Ghrairy, a senior official in what's left of the Baath Party. Within
days, though, ISIS "took the revolution from us," said Ghrairy. "We couldn't
sustain the battle."
In Tikrit, ISIS fighters opened a jail and released up to 200 followers. More
ISIS fighters poured into the city, many of them with heavy machine guns. These
men "took all the army's weapons and didn't give the Naqshbandi any. They kicked
them aside," a senior security official in Salahuddin said.
Soon after the fall of Tikrit in June 2014, leaders from the main factions of
the Sunni rebellion met in the house of a Baath Party member. According to the
senior security official, Tikrit tribal leaders and Baath officials, ISIS told
Baathists they had a choice: Join us or stand down. Some Baathists abandoned the
revolt. Others stayed, swelling the ranks of ISIS with mid-level security
veterans. That has boosted ISIS's firepower and tactical prowess. "This is not
the al-Qaida we fought before," said a prominent Sunni from Mosul who battled
ISIS's forerunners. "Their tactics are different. These are men educated in
military staff college. They are ex-army leaders. They are not simple minds, but
men with real experience." Both Ghrairy and Khudair Murshidy, the Baath Party's
official spokesman, told Reuters that the party's armed wing is frozen in the
aftermath of its defeat. ISIS, they added, had killed some 600 Baath supporters
and Naqshbandi fighters. "Their policy is to kill everyone, destroy everyone,"
Murshidy said. "They create fear and death everywhere and control areas. Many
people have joined them now. At first they were a few hundred, now they are
maybe more than 50,000."
ISIS Says It Was Behind Deadly Attack In
Syria's Homs
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group said it was
behind a deadly attack in the central Syrian city of Homs on Saturday that
killed at least 16 people and wounded dozens more.
''Abu Ahmed al-Homsi parked his car in the Zahra neighborhood and exploded it
among the 'rafidis' before detonating his explosives belt,'' an ISIS statement
said, using a derogatory term for Shiites.
The statement said the twin blasts in a pro-regime area of the city killed more
than 25 people and wounded 70. Earlier, the provincial governor and a monitoring
group said 16 people died and 54 were wounded, speaking of a single explosion.
A vehicle bomb detonated close to a hospital in the mainly Alawite neighborhood
of al-Zahra in the east of Homs city, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
monitoring group said.
The second large blast, originally suspected to have been a bomb, appeared to
have come from an exploding gas canister and wounded people who had come to tend
to victims of the first explosion in the densely-populated neighborhood, state
media said.
State television had earlier described the attack as ''two large terrorist
explosions.'' News agency SANA said the vehicle bomb had been packed with 150 kg
of explosives. It published a photo of two men carrying a woman away from
burning wreckage.
Footage on state television showed a chaotic scene with black clouds of smoke
rising above twisted metal debris. People stumbled over the rubble as they tried
to ferry people away from the site.
'Dialogue' With DAESH (i.e. ISIS) Terrorists
Necessary: Dalai Lama
DAESH (i.e. ISIS) terrorist organization harms Islam through its
intolerance, but "dialogue" with the militants is vital, the Dalai Lama said in
an interview reported on Monday by the Italian daily La Stampa.
"Islam is a religion of peace. Those who are intolerant harm their own faith and
their own brothers," the Tibetan spiritual leader was quoted as saying in
Bangalore, southern India, where he took part in a seminar on peace and the
economy.
Even so, "There has to be dialogue, with ISIS as well," the Dalai Lama said,
using an alternative acronym for ISIS.
Asked how this should be achieved, he replied, "Through dialogue. One has to
listen, to understand, to have respect for the other person, regardless. There
is no other way."
The US-led coalition formed in October 2014 has been conducting airstrikes
against ISIS, an offshoot of Al-Qaeda terrorist organization which carries out
brutal executions, abductions and rapes in areas under its control in Iraq and
Syria, and conducted a wave of terror operations abroad in Paris, Ankara and
North Africa.
At Least 40 Killed In Russian Air Attack On
Marketplace In Syria's Idlib Province
At least 40 were killed, 70 injured in a Russian air attack on a
busy marketplace in Syria's Idlib province on Sunday morning, Anadolu Agency
reported.
The attack occurred in the town of Ariha, 15km south of Idlib city, a monitoring
group reportedly said.
Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Observatory, said a total of at least 60
people had been killed and wounded in the attack. The pro-opposition Orient TV
reported an initial death toll of 40.
Officials at the Russian defense ministry could not immediately be reached for
comment. The Russian air force has been conducting air strikes in support of
President Bashar al-Assad since Sept. 30. It says it targets the ISIS and other
"terrorists", but critics accuse it of targeting moderate opposition fighters as
well as civilians.
Vladimir Putin Facing Defeat In Syria To
Result To Using Nuclear Missiles In The Middle East
Vladimir Putin has floated the notion of using nuclear weapons
against members of the Islamic State, according to quotes published by the
Kremlin. The state's press service claimed on Wednesday that the Russia's
President and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu discussed launching nuclear-tipped
cruise missiles at Isis positions in Syria during a recent meeting at the
Kremlin.
Shoigu told the president that conventional Kalibr cruise missiles had already
been fired from the Rostov-on-Don submarine in the Mediterranean. Putin added
that the Kalibr missiles could be equipped with a nuclear warhead, but said he
hoped they would "never be needed."
"We must analyse everything happening on the battlefield, how the weapons
operate," Putin said. ''The Kalibrs and KH-101 have proved to be modern and
highly effective, and now we know it for sure -- precision weapons that can be
equipped with both conventional and special warheads, which are nuclear.
''Naturally, this is not necessary when fighting terrorists and, I hope, will
never be needed,'' he added.
Moscow launched its air campaign against targets in Syria on September 30. Last
month, Russian authorities revealed its refurbished National Defence Control
Centre, a monstrous, fortified operations base in he heart of the capital next
to the Moskva River from which military officers oversee attacks.
Only 9 percent of Russian strikes
target ISIS, Turkey says
Turkish Presidential Spokesman İbrahim Kalın on Wednesday said that only 9 to 10
percent of Russian airstrikes in Syria targeted ISIS, while the remaining 90
percent targeted moderate opposition forces.
Speaking at a press conference, Kalın said that Russian airstrikes mainly
targeted the moderate opposition forces and Turkmens rather than ISIS.
He said that Turkey opened İncirlik base to hit ISIS terrorists and has deported
over 2700 suspects, most of who arrived from Europe to join ISIS in Syria.
"It is not possible to resolve the refugee crisis, -which has become a global
concern- without finding a resolution to the Syrian conflict" Kalın said, adding
that the moderate opposition forces should move in unison and cohesively.
With regards to the tensions between Turkey and Russia, Kalın said that it is
significant to utilize diplomatic efforts.
"Turkey does not have a problem with Russia striking ISIS targets in Syria, as
it also fights against the terrorist organization" Kalın said, adding that
Turkey is against Russia targeting civilians rather than ISIS.
Turkey's foreign minister has called on Russia to end ''provocative acts'' after
Turkish media captured images of a Russian soldier apparently pointing a missile
launcher as his warship navigated through the Bosporus on its way to the
Mediterranean.
Mevlut Cavusoglu said Monday Turkey had had made the necessary response over
Sunday's incident which came amid escalating Russian-Turkish tensions following
Turkey's downing of a Russian plane.
Cavusoglu did not provide details but said: ''The ship's passage in such a way
was an openly provocative passage. This has to end.''
The minister renewed a call for the two sides to overcome tensions through
diplomatic means and for Russia to halt punitive sanctions on Turkey.
Cavusoglu added: ''We are asking Russia to act as a more mature state.''
Turkey Accuses Russia Of 'Ethnic Cleansing' In
Syria
Turkey's prime minister has accused Russia of attempted ''ethnic
cleansing'' in northern Syria, saying Moscow was trying to drive out the local
Turkmen and Sunni Muslim populations to protect its military interests in the
region.
Ahmet Davutoglu's comments could further harm strained relations between Moscow
and Ankara, already at their worst in recent memory after Turkish forces downed
a Russian warplane near the Turkish-Syrian border late last month.
''Russia is trying to make ethnic cleansing in northern Latakia to force (out)
all Turkmen and Sunni population who do not have good relations with the
regime,'' Davutoglu told foreign reporters in
''They want to expel them, they want to ethnically cleanse this area so that the
regime (of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad) and Russian bases in Latakia and
Tartus are protected,'' he said, speaking English.
The Turkmens are ethnic kin of the Turks and Ankara has been particularly
angered by what it says is Russian targeting of them in Syria.
Davutoglu said Russian bombing around Azaz, also in northwest Syria, was
designed to cut supply lines to Syrian groups opposed to Assad, Moscow's ally,
and ultimately to benefit ISIS militants.
Both Moscow and Ankara have repeatedly accused the other of helping ISIS. Both
deny the charge.
Turkey, a member of NATO and of the U.S.-led coalition that is bombing ISIS in
Syria, has long called for Assad's overthrow. Russia began intervening directly
in Syria's civil war in late September with air strikes in support of Assad.
The intervention has had unintended consequences, notably when Turkey shot down
the jet, saying it had strayed into Turkish airspace, an allegation Russia
denies.
Davutoglu said Turkey was ready to work with Russia to prevent similar incidents
happening again.
Syrian Opposition Talks Open in Saudi Arabia
To Overthrow The Assad Regime With All Its Pillars And Symbols
Syria's fragmented opposition and rebel groups sought common
ground on Wednesday ahead of planned negotiations to end a conflict which has
devastated the country and drawn forces from Cold War and Middle East rivals
into ever deeper combat operations.
The talks in Saudi Arabia mark the most ambitious attempt yet to unify President
Bashar al-Assad's enemies around a joint political platform - seen as a crucial
first step to finding a peaceful end to four years of war and battling Islamic
State.
The powerful Kurdish YPG is among several groups excluded from the talks and
those there are deeply divided over central issues like how to manage a
transition from Assad and the role Islam should play in Syria.
But two delegates found solace in what they described as a lack of any major
rupture so far among those present.
"It went well. Very positive. We discussed many things. Tomorrow we will discuss
a document of general principles," said one opposition member. The groups hoped
to complete the talks on Thursday, but they may continue into Friday, he said.
A member of the Western-backed Syrian National Coalition said there had been
broad agreement: "We discussed the main problems relating to the dialogue, the
transition and all modalities related to the political process. Most of them
agreed."
In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters initial
reports were "that it's off to a positive start and that they are beginning to
make ... some progress."
More than 100 delegates were invited to the Riyadh meeting, including from the
Islamist insurgent group, Ahrar al-Sham, founded by militants with al-Qaeda
links, as well as opposition figures who have been based in
government-controlled Damascus.
While most agree on a call for Assad to go, despite signs that some Western
backers have softened their demands after recognizing that military force has
failed to topple the president, rifts in opposition ranks are still clear.
Before the talks opened on Wednesday, Ahrar al-Sham complained that some
delegates were "closer to ... the regime" than to the opposition. One activist
in exile declined to attend alongside those who "support an Islamic emirate" in
Syria.
International efforts to resolve the conflict which has killed 250,000 people
and displaced 12 million have been lent added urgency by a wave of deadly
attacks across the world claimed by the Iraq- and Syria-based Islamic State of
Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and by an escalating refugee flow which has caused a
crisis in Europe.
Major powers agreed in Vienna last month to revive diplomatic efforts to end the
war, calling for peace talks to start by Jan. 1.
That prompted Saudi Arabia, which projects itself as a leader of the Middle
East's Sunni Muslims, to summon the mainly Sunni opposition and rebel groups.
The move angered rival Shi'ite Iran which said the initiative threatened to harm
the Vienna process.
The emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, whose country is also a
major supporter of the Syrian rebels, said the Riyadh meeting represented a
"golden opportunity (for the Syrian opposition) to unify their ranks and
coordinate their steps beyond setting up a negotiating team".
Army advances
Intensified diplomacy has been accompanied by greater military intervention by
foreign powers.
Russia has carried out 10 weeks of air strikes, halting rebel gains, and Iran
has also given Assad military support and said ousting Assad would be a "red
line" for Tehran.
Western powers have stepped up attacks on ISIS while Saudi Arabia, which backs
the rebels, says an expanded military option remains open.
Last month NATO member Turkey shot down a Russian plane it said flew into its
air space, highlighting the danger that Syria's multi-faceted war could spark
yet wider conflict.
Russia's air campaign has helped the Syrian army, backed by Hezbollah fighters
and the Iranian military, to halt a rebel advance over the summer which had
threatened Assad's control over the main population centers in western Syria.
Russian air strikes, while containing rebel advances, have not decisively tipped
the war in Assad's favor.
On Wednesday, scores of people left the last area held by insurgents in the city
of Homs, a center of the uprising against Assad which broke out in March 2011.
About 750 people are expected to leave the Waer district under a local truce
between the government and rebels.
Further north, Syrian government troops backed by Iranian forces have edged
closer to a major rebel-controlled highway near Aleppo. They appeared to be
trying to cut the main Aleppo-Damascus highway that fighters use to transport
supplies from rebel-held Idlib province to the north.
For Saudi Arabia, which has been fighting since March in neighboring Yemen,
Syria has been a secondary battlefield in its regional struggle for influence
with Iran. But the kingdom still views the Syrian civil war as central to that
rivalry.
Ahrar al-Sham said the Riyadh meeting, which opened at a luxury hotel amid high
security, must stand by demands including "the complete cleansing of the
Russian-Iranian occupation of Syrian land, and the sectarian militias which
support it".
"Overthrow of Assad"
It called for the "overthrow of the Assad regime with all its pillars and
symbols" and putting its members on trial.
Syrian security and military institutions must also be dissolved it said,
putting it at odds with world powers which agreed in Vienna last month that
state institutions be kept intact in any transition of power.
Other rebel factions at the Saudi talks include the powerful Islamist force,
Islam Army, and a dozen groups which describe themselves as elements of the Free
Syrian Army (FSA).
The head of one FSA armed group said the first day of talks was focused on
discussing opposition demands and drafting a concluding statement.
"The principles are the unity of Syrian land, the civilian nature of the state,
and the unity of the Syrian people," he said. Ahrar al-Sham said Syria's
"Islamic identity" should be maintained.
Hadi al-Bahra, a senior member of the opposition National Coalition, said there
was a positive atmosphere and "no differences among the delegates" so far.
"Everyone senses the importance and sensitivity of this stage", he tweeted.
Although scores of people were asked to attend, the Kurdish administration that
runs swathes of north Syria was not invited.
Rebels in western Syria do not trust the main Kurdish militia, the YPG, because
they say it cooperates with Damascus rather than fighting it.
Delegates said there was some Kurdish representation, but a Western diplomat who
follows Syria said this week the meeting had not brought together as many Syrian
factions as hoped.
"It is not all-encompassing. It is not the consolidated, overall opposition
platform," the diplomat said.
Criminal Complaint Filed Against Putin For
Insulting President Erdoğan
Mair Akkar, a suspect in the Ergenekon case, filed a criminal
complaint on Wednesday against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Deputy
Defence Minister Anotoly Antonov on grounds of "insulting the President" and
"defamation."
In the letter of denunciation he submitted to the Ankara Public Prosecutor's
Office, Akkar said that the President can be criticized as long as "the
boundaries of criticism are not exceeded."
"This is a democratic right but we cannot turn a blind eye to defamation against
our President by other Presidents or officials," he said, adding that Russian
officials should be punished for their defamation and smear campaign -which was
initiated as retaliation to Turkey's downing of a Russian SU-24 warplane that
violated its airspace - that the family of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is
allegedly "involved in oil trade with DAESH (i.e. ISIS) terrorist organization."
Akkar demanded in the letter that a criminal case against Putin and Antonov be
initiated.
A warplane of unknown nationality, which turned out to be a Russian-made SU-24
jet, entered Turkish airspace on November 24. It was downed by Turkish F16
fighter jets patrolling the border, upon the Russian pilot's refusal to quit
Turkish airspace despite 10 warnings.
Russia later claimed responsibility for the jet which fell in the Bayırbucak
region in Syria bordering the Yayladağı district of southern Hatay province in
Turkey. NATO confirmed the validity of the information disclosed by Turkey
regarding the airspace violation.
In early October, Russian warplanes had also violated Turkish airspace and
Russian officials had apologized for the incident saying that it would not be
repeated. Later on, Turkey again declared that rules of engagement including
military response would be implemented.
Russia Trying To Carry Out Ethnic Cleansing in
Syria's Latakia, Turkey PM Davutoğlu Says
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu Wednesday said that
Russia is trying to carry out an 'ethnic cleansing' in Syria's Latakia against
the Turkmens in the region.
"They want to expel them, they want to ethnically cleanse this area so that the
regime (of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad) and Russian bases in Latakia and
Tartus are protected," he said, speaking English.
The Russian airstrikes were 'strengthening' ISIS in Syria and Turkey's
coordination with United States on fight against ISIS has improved, Davutoğlu
told foreign reporters in Istanbul.
Commenting on the Russian jet downed by Turkish military, Davutoğlu said, "We
are ready to work" with Russia to prevent repeat of such an incident in the
future. But he also warned that without proper coordination over operations in
Syria there will always be a risk of "accidents or unintentional confrontation".
The prime minister has also touched upon on Turkey's relations with the EU,
saying he is "very optimistic" a new era is starting in relations with the
European Union and he expects a deal on migrants and visa liberalisation to be
completed within the next nine months.
"We are starting a new era with the EU, I am very optimistic, a very good
start," Davutoğlu said.
"Visa liberalisation for Turkish citizens and (a) readmission agreement will be
completed in the next six months, or nine months latest."
Bulk Of DAESH (i.e. ISIS) Arsenal Made In
Former Soviet States: Improvised Weapons The Main Issue
The majority of weapons used by DAESH (i.e. ISIS) come from
supplies plundered from the Iraqi military and mainly consist of stock designed
or manufactured in former Soviet bloc states, according to Amnesty
International.
Advances made across northern Iraq last year, particularly the capture of Mosul,
gave ISIS access to a huge stockpile of arms that also included modern U.S.-made
weaponry.
"We have been able to see what type of weapons they have got but in terms of
quantity it's very difficult to know that," Patrick Wilcken, an arms control
researcher at Amnesty, told Anadolu Agency.
"However, what we can say is that the top one is definitely Russian and former
Soviet Union weapons. So it's Russian and Eastern European and it's their
standard equipment that they are using."
Wilcken said the U.S-made and NATO equipment in ISIS's hands was a result of
arms transfers made to Iraq since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
He added that the bulk of ISIS's arsenal was old and dated from the 1980s and
1990s.
"The 1980s was a crucial era for arms buildup and that was the time of the
Iran-Iraq War, when Russia was the principal supplier of Iraq," Wilcken said.
"But I think it's important to remember that just because the weapons are old
does not mean that they were necessarily transferred in the era they were
manufactured.
"And a lot of old Warsaw Pact stock has been transferred by the U.S., the U.K.,
other coalition members, during the occupation of Iraq and post-2003. And even
more recently, supplies to Kurdish forces in post-, mid-2014 were mainly old
Warsaw Pact stock."
ISIS also buys weapons from corrupt members of the Syrian military and on the
"illicit market that runs across the borders," Wilcken added.
"There does seem to be a lot of reports of illicit traffic. And it would be
surprising if there wasn't illicit traffic given that the whole region is in
conflict."
Improvised weapons the main issue
Although ISIS fighters have an essential stock of weapons - consisting mainly of
Kalashnikov assault rifles and RPG-7 grenade launchers but also including
Russian armored vehicles and tanks and U.S. Humvees - Wilckin said the main
issue was not its conventional armory but improvised weapons.
"It is the improvised weapons and explosives that IS are using that has caused
the most casualties in Kurdish peshmerga forces and is a really serious
problem," he said, using an alternative acronym for ISIS.
In a report issued this week, Amnesty documented the group's use of arms and
ammunition.
"Taking Stock: The Arming of Islamic State" reported on the use of arms supplied
by at least 25 different countries including Russia, China, the U.S. and EU
states.
Most weapons had been looted from Iraqi army stocks. Weapons captured in Syria
also form part of the arsenal.
"Much of IS' substantial military stocks date back to the 1980s and 1990s, drawn
from the vast quantities of arms and ammunition that have been supplied to Iraq
by all permanent members of the Security Council and others since the 1970s,"
according to the report.
This includes equipment from "irresponsible arms supplies to Iraq organized by
permanent members of the Security Council and their allies" during the Iran-Iraq
war and arms supplied to Iraq by the U.S.-led coalition and other states since
2003.
"From 2003 to 2007, the U.S.A. and other coalition members transferred more than
1 million infantry weapons and pistols with millions of rounds of ammunition to
the Iraqi armed forces, despite the fact that the army was poorly structured,
corrupt and ill-disciplined," Amnesty reported.
"Hundreds of thousands of those weapons went missing and are still unaccounted
for. During this period, illicit markets flourished, as did covert supplies from
Iran, making arms and ammunition readily available to armed groups operating in
Iraq."
Moscow Admits Economic Sanctions On Turkey
Affecting Russian Prices
Economic sanctions imposed on Turkey have caused an increase in
prices in Russian shops, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Wednesday.
Revealing that the government was trying to come up with a compensation formula,
Medvedev told Russian TV that tourism ties to Turkey and Egypt could be rebuilt.
Following Turkey's shooting down of a Russian military jet over the Turkey-Syria
border last month, Russia imposed a range of unilateral sanctions on Turkey,
including a ban on food imports, an end to visa-free travel and calls for
tourists not to visit Turkey.
"The resolutions against Turkey are not sanctions but defense reactions of the
state," Medvedev said.
Egypt is bidding to fill the trade gap with Turkey caused by Russian sanctions
however experts say the country is unable to replace the prohibited or
restricted goods for import to Russia from Turkey with Egyptian goods.
"The sectors of the economy that will be under sanction are not clear at the
moment but it looks like agricultural products will be the largest. Egypt is an
importer of food so the country is unable to fill this. If textiles and
manufactured goods are targeted then this is at least an area Egypt does export
- however, the spare capacity to increase exports is minimal and we would have
to see sanctions in place for at least a year before Egypt could increase
production," Edward Coughlan, head of Middle East & North Africa Analysis, told
Anadolu Agency.
"Most of Turkey's exports to Russia consist of intermediate manufactured parts
and it's not clear whether these will be sanctioned given the possible adverse
consequences for Russian firms. Even if they were, Egypt will not necessarily be
the beneficiary of Russian firms having to find these parts from elsewhere,"
Jason Tuvey, an economist with Capital Economics said.
The Nov. 24 downing of a Russian SU-24 bomber came after the crew ignored
repeated warnings from the Turkish military and violated Turkey's airspace.
Russia denies the claims.
Goods boycotted by Russia offered to
public for free
The owner of a local market chain in the Kadirli district of Osmaniye
distributed 10 tons of citrus fruit for free to locals in reaction to Russia's
sanctions on Turkish goods.
A businessman in Kadirli had an interesting response to the sanctions imposed by
Russia on Turkish exported goods after Turkey downed a Russian aircraft that
violated its airspace. Kasım Yasdıoğlu, the owner of a local market chain that
has eight branches in Kadirli, purchased five tons of tangerines and five tons
of tomatoes, which were to be exported to Russia but were instead rejected and
returned to their producers by Russian customs - and distributed the fruits for
free to the locals at the stand he established.
Banners read, "Free tomatoes and tangerines in spite of Russia," and "If you
don't buy it Russia, we will distribute it for free." The locals initially
showed surprise, but after a while formed long queues to receive the free goods.
Yasdıoğlu said that he is personally boycotting Russian products in reaction to
Moscow's rejection and boycott of Turkish goods. "I bought the goods returned by
Russia from their producers out of my own pocket and distributed them to the
consumers here. So, they can return our goods as long as they want to, I will
continue distributing them for free," Yasdıoğlu said.
Canada Will Pullout From Bombing ISIS 'Within
Weeks'
Canada's new Liberal government will act within weeks to fulfill
a campaign promise to withdraw six fighter jets that have been attacking ISIS
positions in Iraq and Syria, a top official said on Monday.
The Liberals, who took power last month, say Canada can contribute more
effectively to the U.S.-led campaign against the militants by assigning more
troops to train Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq.
''It's a matter of weeks, not months,'' Foreign Minister Stephane Dion told
reporters when asked when the jets would be pulled out. Dion's comments were the
most specific so far from a cabinet member about when the planes would return
home.
''We're carrying out two percent of the air strikes. We're going to do something
more efficient for the coalition,'' he said.
Diplomatic sources say the United States, France and Britain have privately
expressed their unease about Canada's pledge on the grounds it could undermine
the effort to contain ISIS.
The Liberals of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took office after defeating the
Conservatives, who took the decision to send the jets and trainers to the Middle
East.
In Parliament on Monday, the Conservatives noted that when U.S. President Barack
Obama on Sunday cited close allies who were taking part in the operations
against ISIS, he had not mentioned Canada.
''Why is the prime minister stepping back from the fight when our allies are
stepping up?'' asked interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose.
Trudeau replied that he had ''engaged with our allies on these issues, and they
reassured me that we are continuing to be helpful''.
Turkey Maintains Iran's Policies In Syria,
Iraq Is Sectarian
Turkey has strong differences with Iran over policy in Syria and
Iraq, and Tehran's sectarian policies are a danger to the region, but there is
no crisis between the two countries, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu
said on Monday.
In a separate story, the foreign minister has also called on Russia to end
''provocative acts'' after Turkish media captured images of a Russian soldier
apparently pointing a missile launcher as his warship navigated through the
Bosporus on its way to the Mediterranean.
The minister renewed a call for the two sides to overcome tensions through
diplomatic means and for Russia to halt punitive sanctions on Turkey.
Cavusoglu added: ''We are asking Russia to act as a more mature state.''
Turkey has long maintained friendly ties with Iran and Russia, who are both
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's close allies.
Turkey's shooting down Russian military jet is a serious blow for President
Vladimir Putin's calculated air offensive in Syria's Latakia. The offensive has
not only harmed the Turkmen brigades who are basically holding the border area
with other moderate rebels, but also strategically targeted Turkish plans for
the Azez-Jarablous line.
Make no mistake, Turkey's response was an expected move considering its rules of
engagement and also its several diplomatic warnings against Russian incursions
into Turkish airspace. However, this incident is not only a Russian-Turkish
brawl; it is a fight concerning all the parties involved in Syria in which the
U.S. and Russia engage in clashing strategies. Russia props up the regime of
Syrian President Bashar Assad with its air power and lends financial and
logistical support while the U.S.'s only concern in the country is containing
and destroying DAESH (i.e ISIS). Despite the recent Syria talks, these two
separate strategies have been on a collision course for a while. Weakening the
moderate Syrian rebels is obviously also harming the war against ISIS, and the
Azez-Jarablous line was particularly important in all of this.
International media outlets, specifically Turkish ones, missed the story
published on Nov. 1 by the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA), ushering the news that
Turkish and American jets bombarded ISIS strongholds in northern Syria, in
coordination with the Syrian opposition groups including Turkmen fighters. That
was a first operation jointly conducted by Turkey and U.S.-backed Syrian
opposition forces against ISIS. It was a clear sign that Turkey was adamant to
clean ISIS from the last part of the border it holds. Since then, Turkey's air
campaign around the Mar'a line intensified. An anti-ISIS coalition press release
last week indicated that allied forces hit the area at least a dozen times in a
day. One of the crucial ground forces in this area is Turkey-backed Turkmen
groups.
While Turkey is trying to rid ISIS from this area, Russian war planes plowed the
Turkmen mountain region on the west throughout the week and undermined Turkish
plans for the Azez-Jarablous by risking all of northern Syria held by the
opposition. It might be natural for Assad forces to secure Alawite-dominated
Latakia and extend its rule over the border - the domestic repercussions in
Turkey of Turkmen refugees running from the Russian airstrikes and the public
outcry against Turkish inaction also must be noted. But ruining Turkey's plans
to keep a specific territory along the border from both ISIS and the PKK-linked
Democratic Union Party (PYD) is something that has deeply concerned Ankara. The
failure of this plan would give significant leverage to the PYD's ambitions to
connect Tal Abyad to Afrin, which is one of the government's nightmares
considering the possible Kurdish state that could come to fruition in the
future.
The immediate reaction from U.S. officials was supportive but it is clear that
Washington is not a big fan of such serious escalation. The U.S. State
Department's spokesperson, Mark Toner, avoided confirming that Russia had
specifically been hitting the Turkmen rebels. He said the U.S. cannot verify the
reports. Despite Turkey's intensive diplomatic work, including a phone call from
Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioğlu to Secretary of State John Kerry over the
issue, the U.S. is not convinced that the composition of the rebels in the area
only consists of Turkmens. Peculiarly enough, he admitted that Russia targeted
moderate Syrian rebels along the border, without specifying their locations.
The impact of this incident to crucial Syria talks is negative, and there is a
chance that the retaliation game would be in play for quite some time. Yet, it
is very possible that Russia would ramp up its support for the PYD, both
diplomatically and militarily, and continue to target Syrian rebels even more
forcefully. Expect some bold moves by Russia, but their response is likely to be
in Syria rather than on any diplomatic front.
This is why Turkey will require NATO support more than ever in the coming days.
It will also be under even more self-pressure to act swiftly to clear the
Azez-Jarablous line.
Peril Posed By Putin In The Middle East Runs
Parallel To ISIS
Soon after Syria downed a Turkish F-4 jet in 2012, Turkey
announced to the world that it had instituted new military rules of engagement (MRoE)
on the border with its southern neighbor. It had underlined its determination to
strike at any violation of its airspace that emanated from Syria. A Syrian
helicopter that tested the new move in 2013 was promptly shot down.
Operating near the border, Russia recently began its own air offensive in
support of the Assad regime and violated Turkish airspace twice early in
October. However, Turkey chose not to put these new rules into effect, opting to
warn Russia instead. Even U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at the time shared
his concern over the possibility of the repeat of such serious transgressions.
The following days and weeks saw Turkish and Russian officials discuss how to
avoid such incidents on five separate occasions. Each time, Russia was told that
the rules of engagement would be implemented to the letter and warned about the
deadly consequences repeating their actions. Russian officials said these were
momentary lapses due to navigational errors and assured Turkey that they will be
more careful in the future.
Russia's decision to launch airstrikes in Syria in September sparked the tensest
crisis with Western powers since the end of the Cold War. On Nov. 24, while
Russia was once again raining bombs on anti-Assad opposition groups and Turkmen
villages, two Russian fighter planes approached the border with Turkey, with one
violating its airspace. According to a statement by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK),
the as of yet unidentified jet that violated the airspace was warned 10 times in
five minutes, with each warning repeatedly ignored by the pilot. Then the F-16
fighter planes that were ordered into the air proceeded to strike the plane in
accordance with the international accepted rules of aerial engagement.
This, without doubt, is a serious crisis. This will definitely be a watershed
moment in Turkish-Russian relations.
Russia's total disregard of the international system was already apparent by the
way it behaved in Ukraine and Crimea. Russia's acts were in total contravention
to the accepted modes of international conduct and its repeated violations of
the airspaces of NATO member countries places it at an international threat
level at least equal to that of DAESH (or ISIS) in the eyes of the West. A
report by the European Leadership Network released in March this year showed
Russian aircraft posed a threat scores of times to NATO armed forces and
civilian flights in the English Channel, Baltic Sea, Black Sea and North Sea.
Russia clearly poses a threat to the international system and, when one delves
deeper, its conduct is no different from that of ISIS. Russian President
Vladimir Putin now accuses Turkey of stabbing him in the back. Turkey has been
observing Russia's actions in Syria since September with growing concern.
Moscow's priority is not to fight ISIS but to prop up the Assad regime while
securing its military installations in Latakia.
Russia should stop trying to fool the international community by claiming to be
fighting ISIS, and the international community, in turn, should stop being so
gullible. Putin, in an effort to justify his ambitions in the Middle East to his
people, is exploiting the tension and trying to portray Turkey as the aggressor.
His aggressive efforts to broaden Russia's zone of influence over the energy
transportation routes of the Middle East and energy supplies in the Eastern
Mediterranean can be ascertained by just a quick look at what he has done.
This growing threat from Russia should be dealt with by the U.S. and other NATO
allies as a paramount security issue. Turkey is not alone in its concern over
Russia's actions in the region. Saudi Arabia and Israel are also worried about
the escalating Russian and Iranian involvement in Syria.
NATO should continue to support Turkey's security establishment against any and
all threats emanating from Syria. Russia is harming its own interests by losing
a friend like Turkey, which is its largest commercial partner in the region.
Moscow, which everyone knows is not above exploiting its energy riches as a ploy
to dominate its neighbors, should be aware of the fact that it is losing the
trust of its commercial partners as a secure energy source. Such acts will
definitely push its trade partners to seek other avenues. Turkey thought the
crisis in October had ended with a mutual understanding but Moscow's decision to
take on Turkey means Russia is actually taking on NATO.
Such a senseless escalation will push Moscow to the margins of the international
community and will hurt its commercial and strategic interests.
Turkey 'Fully Justified' In Shooting Russian
Warplane, Former NATO Official Says
Turkey had the right to shoot down a Russian fighter jet
violating its airspace, a former U.S. representative to NATO said, adding that
the incident should not come as much of a surprise.
In fact, the incident was one "that was waiting to happen," Ivo Daalder told
Anadolu Agency. "The way Russia has used its military forces not only in Syria
but around NATO territory ... was bound to lead to this kind of incident."
He added: "Turkey was fully justified after having repeatedly warned Russia to
shoot down an airplane that was entering its airpsace."
The SU-24 was shot down early Tuesday after being intercepted by two patrolling
Turkish F-16s acting within Turkey's rules of engagement.
The Russian aircraft was warned about the violation 10 times within five minutes
before it was shot down. NATO has confirmed the accuracy of information shared
by Turkey about the violation.
In early October, Russian warplanes had twice violated the airspace. Russian
officials apologized and pledged that no such incident would be repeated.
Tuesday's incident prompted an emergency NATO meeting in which the alliance
expressed solidarity with Turkey.
NATO "needs to be prepared to defend NATO territory and the Turkish decision to
shoot down the aircraft was an indication of that," according to Daalder.
He said the alliance should also "declare its interest in sitting down with
Russia to work out procedures to ensure that these kinds of accidents and
incidents don't happen in the future".
"I think that's where focus now needs to be -- not at the kind of bluster or
escalation that we are seeing coming out of Moscow," he added.
Meanwhile, U.S. Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush expressed support for
Turkey's decision to shoot down the Russian warplane.
"Turkey is a NATO ally, they are an integral part if we're to be successful in
the fight against [ISIS] and to change regimes, to take out [Syrian President
Bashar al] Assad, it used to be our objective," Bush told CNN on Wednesday.
"If we are serious about that, Turkey needs to be an ally and we need to show
support. I think President Obama was correct to say that every country has a
right to self-defense" he added.
PM Davutoğlu, Italian PM Renzi Speak Over The
Ohone On The Downing Of Russian Jet
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu held a phone conversation with
his Italian counterpart Matteo Renzi late Wednesday regarding Turkey's downing
of a Russian fighter jet.
According to prime ministry sources, the Turkish premier informed Renzi that the
SU-24 fighter jet was downed after it violated Turkish airspace. Italian PM
thanked Davutoğlu for the briefing and congratulated him on the formation of the
64th Turkish government.
Both leaders agreed on continuing bilateral talks at the Turkey-EU summit which
will be held in Brussels on Sunday.
On Tuesday, two Turkish F-16 fighter jets on an aerial patrol intercepted a
Russian warplane within engagement rules when it intruded Turkish airspace near
the Turkey-Syria border.
The intruding aircraft was warned about the violation 10 times within five
minutes before it was shot down.
Russia's Defense Ministry confirmed that one of its Russian SU-24 fighter jets
had been shot down, crashing in the Syrian region of Bayırbucak, close to the
Yayladağı district of Turkey's southern Hatay province.
NATO confirmed the accuracy of the radar trace data that Turkey shared which
clearly showed that the Russian warplane violated Turkish airspace.
Ricciardone: Russia's Intensions Unclear,
Their Aircraft Fly Far From ISIS Targets
Commenting on the Turkish Air Force downing a Russian warplane
near the Syrian border after it violated Turkish airspace, former U.S.
Ambassador to Ankara Francis Ricciardone told Daily Sabah that Russia, unlike
Turkey, has not made its intentions in the Syrian crisis explicitly clear.
The Russian fighter jet was downed near the Turkmen-populated region of Latakia,
where there is no DAESH (or ISIS) presence. Ricciardone said Russian aircraft
were "evidently" flying far from any route that would be necessary to support
multinational efforts against ISIS.
Daily Sabah: How do you interpret NATO member Turkey's airspace being violated
by a Russian fighter jet that was a region where there is no ISIS presence?
Francis R Ricciardone: At least three years ago and since then, Turkey has
repeatedly made clear its rules of engagement with respect to its airspace on
the Syrian border. The Syrian regime and Russia have violated Turkish airspace
several times. In each incident, Turkey has issued warnings directly to the
foreign pilots involved, and subsequently in public and through official
channels to the countries involved. In those cases when Turkey has fired on the
intruding aircraft, it evidently did so only after they failed to respond to the
warnings.
Only the Russian side can explain their intended targets and why they were in or
even close to Turkish airspace. It will be interesting to see whether they offer
any public statements as to why their aircraft were flying in that region,
evidently far from any route that would be necessary to support multinational
efforts against ISIS.
DS: What does Russia actually want at a time when the two sides came together in
Vienna to find a solution to the chaos in Syria? Could Russia's move be
interpreted as a threat to the region?
FR: You raise this question because in this incident as in others recently,
Russia, unlike Turkey, has not made its intentions explicitly clear. Turkey has
clearly and emphatically stated its intentions and purposes over the past
several years with respect to protecting its airspace along the Syrian border,
and again following recent incidents. I would not presume to speak for Russian
intentions. If Russia does not clarify its intentions publicly and credibly, it
will be important nonetheless for Moscow and Ankara to communicate clearly with
each other through their bilateral diplomatic channels. The same is also true if
Russia wishes to play an influential role in multilateral diplomacy with respect
to Syria, as at Vienna.
3) What will NATO's response be to the incident in terms of Turkey's security?
Will the incident have an impact on the security of energy transfer into Turkey?
FR: This incident demonstrates the continued importance of the NATO alliance for
all its members and Turkey's ever-important role as NATO's southeastern flank.
There can be no question of NATO's solidarity with Turkey in this matter.
As for Turkey, Russia, and the global energy transits, Turkey's geography
dictates that it will remain pivotally important as a global energy transit
route from north to south t, and from east to west. Turkey depends on Russia for
a large proportion of its gas supplies, but in return, Russia depends on Turkey
as an important export route for its gas. Moreover, Russia has a strong stake in
exporting its nuclear energy technology, and Turkey is a prime customer. So, it
seems to me both countries have a certain interdependency on energy issues. This
can be a healthy and stabilizing factor, provided Turkey continues to seek to
diversify its energy partnerships.
Turkey's 'Right To Defend Airspace' Should Be
Respected, UK PM Cameron Says
British Prime Minister David Cameron has told the members of
parliament in the House of Commons that the United Kingdom should "respect
Turkey's right to protect its airspace just as we defend our own".
Cameron was answering questions from MPs on Wednesday a day after Turkish F-16s
downed a Russian warplane which violated Turkish airspace.
"The facts from this are not yet clear; I think we should respect Turkey's right
to protect its airspace just as we defend our own. But it is very important that
we get to the bottom of what has really happened," Cameron said.
On Tuesday, two Turkish F-16 fighter jets on an aerial patrol intercepted a
Russian warplane within engagement rules when it intruded into Turkish airspace
near the Turkey-Syria border.
The intruding aircraft was warned about the violation 10 times within five
minutes before it was shot down.
Russia's Defense Ministry confirmed that one of its Russian SU-24 fighter jets
had been shot down, crashing in the Syrian region of Bayırbucak close to the
Yayladagı district of Turkey's southern Hatay province.
NATO confirmed the accuracy of the radar trace data that Turkey shared which
clearly showed that the Russian warplane violated Turkish airspace.
This was not the first time Russian fighter jets had violated Turkish airspace.
In early October, Russian warplanes had breached Turkish airspace for which
Russian officials apologized and pledged that no such incident would be
repeated.
Turkey had also renewed its warning to implement engagement rules, including
military response against violations of Turkish airspace.
Security forces in Russia's southernmost republic of Dagestan
keep devout Muslims under surveillance, routinely raid their homes and haul them
to police stations to give DNA samples and fingerprints. So it was no surprise
to many in the village of Komsomolskoye that Rashid Magomedov fled to Syria to
join DAESH (or ISIS), leaving behind a pregnant wife and two children. The
30-year-old had been detained several times, spent two months in jail on charges
that later were dismissed and complained that police repeatedly planted weapons
at his home as a pretext to arrest him. "The fact that he left for Syria the
police are to blame. They wouldn't leave the boy alone," said Magomedov's
father, Zaynudin.
The heavy-handed security presence in the predominantly Muslim area is an
outgrowth of two separatist wars in nearby Chechnya in the mid-1990s that spread
an Islamic insurgency throughout the North Caucasus region of Russia. Militants
carried out many attacks, including suicide bombings and kidnappings, to pursue
their goal of establishing Islamic fundamentalism, or simply to seek revenge
against corrupt officials. This culture of violence has fostered a generation of
hardened fighters, which combined with the continuing crackdown by police and
other security forces, has made areas like Komsomolskoye a fertile recruiting
ground for ISIS.
Few efforts are made by Russian authorities to stop young men from leaving. Many
in Dagestan see the intimidating security presence as not only fueling the
exodus but also serving to rid the region of potential militants by encouraging
them to flee. Almost everyone in Komsomolskoye knows someone who has left for
Syria. Dagestani police put the number at 11, but when residents are asked to
list those who have left, the count is far bigger. Regional police say nearly a
third of the estimated 3,000 Russians who are believed to have gone to fight
alongside ISIS militants in Syria are from Dagestan, a republic of 3 million
people. They are men and women from both rich and poor families, from
religiously conservative villages to very secular towns. Komsomolskoye is one of
several villages in Dagestan where security officials routinely announce
"counterterrorist operations" and send SWAT teams to raid houses of suspected
militants at the break of dawn.
The main road in and out of the village is guarded around the clock by security
officers with automatic weapons, and hundreds of residents are kept under
surveillance, their names kept on a so-called Wahhabi list. Those on the Wahhabi
list can expect to get stopped at police checkpoints, where they can be detained
for hours. They are visited at home and get phone calls at any time of day from
police inquiring about their plans and whereabouts. They are often required to
provide DNA samples and fingerprints.
Magomed Magomedov, deputy editor-in-chief of Dagestan's respected weekly
Chernovik, said the authorities' systematic repression of the ultra-conservative
Salafi Islam community is pushing its members to the margins of society. "If
someone goes to the wrong mosque, he knows that when he leaves he could be taken
to the police station, where he would be questioned, he would be fingerprinted
for the 20th time," said the editor, who is not related to the Magomedov family
in Komsomolskoye. "This system of keeping people on edge alienates and embitters
them, and one in 10 may just decide to take radical steps and go to Syria."
Russian officials have defended the police profiling and raids on the homes of
suspected militants, describing them as steps designed to stave off
radicalization and deter possible terrorist attacks. Officials at Dagestan's
Interior Ministry did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
The Associated Press spoke to more than a dozen residents and activists who
described how ISIS extremists use the resentment over the police tactics as a
way to recruit new followers. After Friday prayers last week, police rounded up
about 50 worshippers at the main Salafi mosque in Dagestan's capital of
Makhachkala. The men were taken to the police station, and some were
fingerprinted and asked to give blood samples, according to the Caucasian Knot,
a major Russian website that covers the region.
Russia's air campaign in Syria that began Sept. 30 has not received unanimous
support among Muslims in Dagestan because President Vladimir Putin is seen as
siding with Syria's Bashar Assad in a war against the Sunni opposition. Most
Russian Muslims are Sunni.
Putin said one of the goals of the air campaign in Syria was to prevent Russians
fighting alongside ISIS from coming back. Most of the young people fleeing
Dagestan to escape repression and police persecution have no intention of ever
returning because they would almost certainly face long prison terms.
When Rashid Magomedov left in February, he told his family he was going to Egypt
to study the Quran. "He didn't say he was going to Syria, he said he was going
to study," said his wife, Assiyat, as she held her 8-month-old son, Musa, on her
lap. Her tablet computer has a photo of her husband, smiling with curly black
hair. Her last message from him was via a smartphone at the end of June, saying
he was going away for 10 days. By July, word reached the village that he had
been killed in Syria. After his death, she was visited by law enforcement
officers, who continue to keep tabs on her and her children.
Is A Russia-Turkey War On The Horizon After
Airspace 'Breaches?'
By Menekse Tokyay
Turkish media has now become accustomed to waking up to each new day to a ''hot
potato.'' This time, it was Russia. Early Tuesday, Turkey shot down a Russian
warplane near the Syrian border, which Ankara believes was the latest violation
of its airspace.
Since 2012, when a Turkish F4 jet fighter was downed by Syria, Turkey has
adopted strict rules of engagement by regarding any naval, air or land forces
vehicle approaching its territory from Syria as a potential threat.
According to statements from Turkish officials, the aircraft's pilots, flying at
an altitude of 19,000 feet, were warned 10 times during a period of five
minutes, and were asked to change their direction immediately, but these
warnings went allegedly disregarded and the aircraft entered within 15
kilometers of Turkey's border for 17 seconds.
Following the violation, Turkey hit the jet and it crashed on the Syrian side of
the Turkish-Syrian border, with many speculations about whether the two pilots
are dead, captured by the Turkmen rebels, or have been picked up by the Syrian
army after they parachuted out of the jet.
For its part, Russia denies any violation and insists that the aircraft had been
attacked when it was 1 kilometer inside Syrian territories. Russian President
Vladimir Putin warned Turkey of ''serious consequences for Russian-Turkey
relations,'' and termed it as a ''stab in the back carried out by the
accomplices of terrorists.''
Ramifications
In a second blow, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov cancelled his
previously planned visit to Turkey scheduled for Wednesday. He also advised
Russians not to visit Turkey. Russia also announced it had suspended all
military contacts with Turkey for now.
In another move that is likely to affect Turkey's tourism revenues from the 3.5
million Russian tourists picking Turkey each year, Russia's Federal Agency for
Tourism recommended the suspension of all sales of tours to Turkey, a call
immediately heard by Natali Tours, one of Russia's largest tour operators.
In a statement published on the government website on Wednesday, Russian Prime
Minister Dmitry Medvedev said that Turkish companies could lose their market
share in Russia following the alleged cancellation of some important joint
projects after this incident.
Contrary to what was feared by some analysts, Russian Deputy Minister of Energy
Anatoly Yanovsky quickly announced that gas supply to Turkey will continue
without interruption. Turkey still receives about 60 percent of its natural gas
from Russia as its main provider.
Proxy war?
Metin Gurcan, a security analyst and a former special-forces officer, expects a
far-reaching retaliation from Russia.
''This retaliation may take the form of a proxy war which will be supported by
unidentifiable actors on the ground as well as terror waves inside Turkey,''
Gurcan told Al Arabiya News.
Gurcan also noted that Russia will take this opportunity to give further support
to the PYD and the PKK by taking steps that would increase their international
legitimacy.
''It is also possible that Russia will impose tough sanctions on the energy
sector and initiates cyber attacks to critical infrastructure in Turkey, such as
electricity and water,'' he also warned.
Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan chaired a security meeting immediately
after the jet was shot down to discuss the issue, while NATO urgently called an
extraordinary meeting of its ambassadors.
"We stand in solidarity with Turkey and support the territorial integrity of our
NATO Ally, Turkey,'' NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in his
statement following the meeting, and added: "I look forward to further contacts
between Ankara and Moscow and call for calm and de-escalation.''
Similarly, during a joint press conference at the White House on Tuesday, U.S.
President Barack Obama and French President Francois Hollande urged Russia and
Turkey to avoid any kind of escalation that would be extremely damaging.
History of escalation
This was not the first time that Russian military incursions reached a dangerous
level in the region and raised the prospect of a direct confrontation between
Turkey and Russia, a NATO member with the Alliance's second biggest army.
On October 3 and 4, Russian warplanes had violated Turkey's airspace along its
southern province of Hatay bordering Syria, and they were intercepted by Turkish
fighter jets before they exited. And ten days after, the Russian air force
officially had informed the Turkish military that measures would be taken to
prevent any repetition of violations of Turkish air space again.
Turkey and Russia have been already at odds regarding Syrian conflict,
particularly due to Russia's military backing for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The location of where the plane crashed was also close to the region where
Russian and Syrian aircrafts have been allegedly targeting Turkmen fighters - a
highly sensitive issue for Turkey who has repeatedly declared its readiness to
intervene in helping Turkmen rebels in Syria.
Sinan Ulgen, a former Turkish diplomat who now chairs the Istanbul-based Centre
for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies (EDAM), believes that Russia's
violation of Turkish airspace was an intentional and conscious move for testing
the determination of Turkey in applying its rules of engagement.
''In recent times, Turkey hasn't strictly applied its rules of engagement over
similar breaches. Following intense contacts with a high-level Russian
delegation that visited Turkey, Russians had apologized and promised it will
never happen again,'' Ulgen told Al Arabiya News.
According to Ulgen, taking a firm stand on this issue was important for Turkey
to sustain the credibility of these rules.
''I don't expect that this incident would result in a long-term confrontation,
because Turkey has concrete evidence and maps showing the violation of airspace.
Russia's response would determine whether there will be an escalation over the
bilateral ties,'' he added.
Bombing of Turkmens in Syria cannot be
legitimized, PM Davutoğlu Says
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu on Wednesday criticized Russia's
operations in the Bayırbucak region of the Latakia Governorate in Syria, saying
attacks on Turkmens could not be carried out under the pretext of fighting Daesh
(i.e. ISIS).
Speaking at a meeting of the ruling AK Party a day after Turkey downed a Russian
jet near the Syrian border, Davutoğlu said Ankara was keeping communication
channels open with Moscow.
Davuoğlu said the government did not want to fuel tensions with "our friend"
Russia.
"We have no intention to strain (ties) with the Russian Federation," he said.
"Russia is our friend and our neighbor."
"We have very strong economic, commercial and cultural bonds with Russia," he
said, adding that Turkey does not have an eye on any country's soil. Targeting
Russia or any other country is out of the question", he said.
But he warned that it was Turkey's "natural right" to protect its borders and
national security.
Turkmens [also known as Turkomans], have come under the spotlight amid Russian
and Syrian regime airstrikes against the civilian population living in northern
Syria, including in the Latakia region, where a large number of Turkmens have
been living for hundreds of years.
Turkey has been actively supporting Turkmens through humanitarian and diplomatic
channels.
Amid Russia's recent attacks, Turkey summoned the Russian envoy and put forward
concern about Russia's attacks on civilians in the region.
Russia claims the airstrikes target ISIS terrorists, despite criticism from the
international community blaming Russia for targeting moderate opposition forces.
Ukraine closes its airspace to Russia
Meanwhile, Ukraine's prime minister says his government has decided to close the
country's airspace to all Russian planes.
Ukraine last month banned all Russian airlines from flying into Ukraine but
Russian planes have been allowed to fly over its territory.
The decision to shut the airspace was announced by Arseny Yatsenyuk at a
televised government session on Wednesday. It comes as tensions simmer between
Russia and Ukraine following Russia's annexation of Crimea last year and a
separatist war in eastern Ukraine which has killed more than 8,000 people and
left parts of the industrial heartland in ruins.
The Russian gas monopoly Gazprom earlier on Wednesday announced that it was
cutting off gas supplies to Ukraine because the country had not paid in advance
for supplies.
No ISIS In Bayırbucak Turkmen Region Bombed By
Russians, Only Civilians, Erdoğan Says
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday dismissed Russia's
claims and underscored that there are no Daesh (i.e ISIS) terrorists in
Bayırbucak region of Latakia Governorate in Syria and underscored that Turkmen
civilians were there.
"Some say there is ISIS in that area. There are no ISIS terrorists in Bayırbucak
region of Latakia, ISIS is in Jarablous" Erdoğan said at a meeting of the
Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organization
of the Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC).
With regards to the downing of the Russian warplane by Turkey on Tuesday,
President Erdoğan said that the jet was shot in Turkish airspace but crashed
inside Syria.
He noted that Turkey did not know about the identity of the jet before shooting
it down
President Erdoğan also underscored that Turkey does not want any escalation with
Russia over the downing of the warplane on the Syrian frontier, while he pledged
that Turkey would always defend its borders.
"We have no intention to escalate this incident. We are just defending our
security and the rights of our brothers," he said, and added that no one should
expect Turkey "to remain silent" when its border security is being violated. He
reiterated once again that Turkey is against all types of terrorist
organizations and the Assad regime, while noting that Turkey will do its best to
ensure peace and security for the people of Syria.
Erdoğan noted that parts of downed Russian warplane landed inside Turkey,
injuring two Turkish citizens.
He said that Ankara had previously conveyed its sensitivity regarding the
violations and had done its best on its part to avoid such an incident. "The
only reason that such an incident did not take place before is Turkey's good
faith and its restraint. Turkey is not on the side of tension, crisis and
animosity," he said.
During his address, the president called ISIS, al Qaeda, Boko Haram and al-Shabaab
shadowy structures and criminal networks. "Their priority is to kill those
Muslims who do not share their views. They damaged Muslim countries, our values,
the best work of our culture, libraries, scholars and schools," Erdoğan said,
calling for a united front against these terrorist networks.
On Tuesday, Turkey shot down a Russian SU-24 warplane that violated Turkish
airspace at the Turkish-Syrian border after repeatedly ignoring warnings
according to the Turkish military, in line with the rules of engagement.
Downing Of Russian Jet Hardly A Surprise:
Putin's Plot To Regain Russia's Lost World Stage Is Falling Apart Fast
By Justin Bronk
The shooting down of a Russian Air Force Sukhoi Su-24 jet by Turkish F-16
fighters after it reportedly violated Turkish airspace is a dangerous escalation
in the context of Russia's continuing confrontation with NATO in Eastern Europe
and Syria.
However, it should not come as much of a surprise.
Turkish authorities claim that the Su-24 fighter bomber ignored repeated
warnings over the course of five minutes on Tuesday and was then shot down after
violating Turkish airspace near Yayladagi, Hatay.
Russia claims that the Su-24 did not cross the Syria-Turkey border and was,
therefore, illegally attacked.
This version of events, however, does not fit with an established pattern of
repeated violations of NATO airspace by Russian military aircraft over the past
18 months.
In October 2014, and in June and July this year, for example, Russian military
aircraft repeatedly violated Estonian airspace and since 2013 have also violated
the airspace of NATO-partner nations Sweden and Finland.
On October 3 and 4, Russian Su-30SM and Su-24 jets violated Turkish airspace
repeatedly in the same Hatay province where Turkey claims the Su-24 entered its
airspace on Tuesday, before it was shot down.
During these October airspace violations, which Russia admitted to, a Russian
Su-30SM fighter actively locked on to the Turkish F-16s sent to intercept it
with its radar for over five minutes - an aggressive action outside of the
accepted military procedures for such encounters.
Despite the provocative action, the Russian Ministry of Defence claimed that the
violations of Turkish airspace on consecutive days in early October were an
accidental result of pilots getting lost.
This is not a credible explanation since modern combat aircraft such as the
Su-30SM have sophisticated navigation systems and the Russian Air Force crews
sent to Syria will be highly trained and selected, precisely because the
operational environment is so congested and highly sensitive.
In terms of Tuesday's incident, the multiple pieces of footage showing the Su-24
falling in flames show a clear blue sky which would further aid navigation by
visual means.
Russia has, in other words, been probing Turkey's airspace and patience since
October this year, and NATO airspace for much longer than that.
However, it should not come as a surprise that further violations would result
in a plane being shot down.
Turkey has consistently responded to Syrian incursions by using its modern
US-supplied F-16 fighters to shoot down intruders.
In 2013, a Syrian Air Force Mi-17 helicopter and a Mig-23 fighter bomber were
destroyed in two separate incidents after they entered Turkish airspace.
The Turkish Air Force shot down another Syrian Mig-23 in March 2014 after it
ignored repeated warnings.
Furthermore, on October 16, a small drone of unknown nationality but suspected
Russian origin was shot down in a similar fashion.
Syria has also previously shot down Turkish military aircraft which have entered
Syrian airspace.
In other words, the airspace on the Syrian-Turkish border is a known
high-tension front line where lethal force is regularly employed if warnings are
ignored.
Within this context, the aggressive Russian Air Force actions in probing Turkish
airspace and locking onto its fighters last month were treated with significant
restraint by Turkey.
However, Turkey and NATO made it clear that such violations must stop and that
any repetition would be "highly dangerous".
If, as Turkey claims, the Su-24 shot down on Tuesday did violate Turkish
airspace and ignore repeated warnings, it should not come as a surprise to
either side that it was shot down, however destabilising the results may be.
Much will now depend on how convincingly Turkey and NATO can show whether the
Russian jet did indeed enter Turkish airspace, and how the tightly
Kremlin-controlled Russian media chooses to spin the story for the Russian
public.
Putin most likely knows that a routine provocation has, for once, been met with
force and he has only his own policies to blame.
However, he cannot be seen to admit any such thing in public.
Therefore, he must continue to claim publicly that Turkey is villainously
stabbing Russia in the back in the midst of her heroic battle against the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group.
The fact that there are no ISIL forces near that portion of the Syrian-Turkish
border, and that the Su-24 was most likely engaged in continued Russian air
strikes against Turkmen rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad as part of the
Free Syrian Army, will doubtless stay off the Russian script.
In any case, it is vital in the coming days that leaders on both sides try to
avoid more inflammatory rhetoric and avoid further escalation.
With so many military forces pursuing their own, often conflicting, agendas in
Syria and the wider region; the world cannot afford to risk brinkmanship over
this incident.
Justin Bronk is a Research Analyst in Military Sciences at the Royal United
Services Institute.
Al-Jazeera, Agencies, EsinIslam.Com
& Several News Outlets
Russia Says One Pilot, Rescuer Killed In
Downing Of Fighter Jet
A Russian pilot was shot dead from the ground after Turkey
downed a Russian fighter jet in Syria and another soldier died during the rescue
operation, Russia's military general staff said on Tuesday.
A helicopter that was searching for the crew of a shot-down warplane in Syria
was shot down by rebel fire and one serviceman was killed, Russian military
sources said.
A spokesman for the general staff, Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi, was quoted by
Russian news agencies as saying Tuesday that the Mi-8 chopper was one of two
taking part in the search operation. The rest of its crew were evacuated and
taken back to the air base used by Russia in Syria.
The Russian Defense Ministry has suspended military contact with Turkey over the
incident and a Russian warship will be deployed to waters off Syria's western
Latakia province, Russian news agencies reported.
Earlier in the day, Turkish media sources reported that two pilots were alive
and Ankara is in contact with Syrian opposition for the release of the pilots.
Russian Helicopter Shot Down By Syrian Opposition, Makes
Emergency Landing Close To Latakia
Syrian fighters destroyed a Russian helicopter with a missile,
shortly after they forced it to make an emergency landing in a nearby
government-held area in Syria's Latakia province on Tuesday, the Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights said.
A Syrian insurgent group, recipient of U.S. Tow missiles, said its fighters hit
the helicopter with an anti-tank missile while it was in the air and put out a
video showing the helicopter being blown up after one of its fighters struck it
with another missile.
Rami Abdulrahman from the Observatory, which tracks the conflict in Syria though
a wide network of sources, said at least ten people were on the helicopter when
it was hit by the fighters but they were all evacuated when it landed and before
the missile destroyed it.
The Russian defense ministry did not answer calls from Reuters seeking comment
on the reports about the helicopter.
Nusra Front Confirms Its Success In ISIS Leaders Killed In A
Suicide Bombing
Syria's al-Qaida offshoot said on Monday it had killed leaders
of an insurgent group it says is linked with DAESH in a suicide bombing of its
headquarters in the south of the country.
Nusra Front and DAESH are the two most powerful rebel groups fighting government
forces in Syria and have been fighting each other since 2013 largely because of
a power struggle between their leaders. A Nusra Front Twitter posting on Sunday
night said Abu Ali al Baridi, the leader of the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigades, had
been killed alongside other top leaders in a "heroic" suicide bombing, but gave
no further details.
A source in the area said a suicide bomber had blown himself up in a building in
the Yarmouk Martyrs' stronghold of Jamla, a town near the Syrian Golan Heights
and close to the border with Israel and Jordan in southwestern Deraa province
Nusra Front also called on DAESH fighters, who number about 2,000 and who have
acquired a large arsenal of weapons including tanks seized from Syrian army
garrisons in the border area, to surrender themselves, a source in the area
said.
Along with fighters from Ahrar al-Sham, Nusra Front have been fighting the
Yarmouth Martyrs for months, trying to more of the border area that was formerly
patrolled by U.N. troops. Baridi, known as "The Uncle", was purportedly shown in
a video this year pledging allegiance to DAESH's leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi.
But the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade have publicly denied any ideological or
organizational links with DAESH, and say Nusra Front is trying to discredit
them.
US air strike kills ISIS Libya head,
Pentagon says
A senior leader of the ISIS terrorist group in Libya was killed in an overnight
air strike by the United States forces, the Pentagon announced on Saturday.
The statement added that two F-15 aircraft were used in the attack.
Four years after the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi, ISIS has steadily grown in
Libya's chaos, controlling the city of Sirte, and worrying Western governments
who fear it can only become stronger.
Abu Nabil, also known as Wissam Najm Abd Zayd al Zubaydi, was an Iraqi national
and an al-Qaeda operative, it said in a statement.
Obama Insists Early Russian Airstrikes Did Not Target ISIS;
Assad Must Go
During a press conference on Sunday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,
U.S. President Barack Obama said Russian airstrikes appear to be aimed at
opposition forces instead of DAESH.
"Russia needs to make a strategic decision to go after the ISIS [DAESH] group,
not the moderate opposition forces trying to topple Syrian President Bashar
Assad," Obama said, adding "Assad has to go."
"Nearly two dozen nations including Turkey have taken action against ISIS so
far, we will ultimately destroy them," Obama said, emphasizing that the U.S. led
coalition is determined to eradicate DAESH.
The almost five years of fighting between the Assad regime and rebels created a
vacuum that has allowed DAESH to thrive in both Syria and Iraq. The terrorist
group is now setting its sights on targets outside its stronghold, including the
attacks in Paris that killed 130 people and wounded hundreds more.
The U.S. and its international partners would not relent in their fight against
the terrorist organization, Obama said, insisting that the world would not
accept attacks by extremists on civilians anywhere in the world.
The U.S. held firm to its calls for Assad's departure, with Obama insisting that
the war could not end unless the Syrian leader steps down.
"I do not foresee a situation in which we can end the civil war in Syria while
Assad remains in power," Obama said.
Top diplomats from 17 countries met in Vienna Saturday to discuss a way out of
Syria's nearly five-year conflict, which has left more than a quarter of a
million people dead.
They produced a two-year timetable: a transitional government would be formed
and a new constitution written within six months, to be followed by
internationally monitored elections within 18 months after that.
But in a recent television interview with Italy's Rai television, Assad said
there could be no transition schedule for elections while swathes of Syria
remained out of government control.
"This timetable starts after starting defeating terrorism. You cannot achieve
anything politically while you have the terrorists taking over many areas in
Syria," he said.
"If we talk after that, one year and a half to two years is enough for any
transition."
Middle East Chaos, Violence Will Not End With ISIS Defeat
The chaos and violence gripping the Middle East are not likely
to evaporate even if the forces arrayed against DAESH manage to crush the brutal
army and its drive to establish an Islamic caliphate in Iraq and Syria and
beyond.
The national structures and boundaries created by European colonial powers after
the Ottoman Empire was dismantled at the end of World War I are collapsing or
already have disintegrated. That has unleashed powerful centrifugal forces that
are melting the glue that was holding together increasingly antagonistic
religious and ethnic populations. The mix of Muslims Sunnis, Shiites, Alawites
Christians and the big ethnic Kurdish populations in the north of both Syria and
Iraq are a stew of ancient discontent, sectarian frustration and flagrant
injustice. Those social explosives were detonated by the upheaval unleashed by
the U.S. war in Iraq and the civil war in Syria. "The level of damage that has
been done by the United States in Iraq and the civil war in Syria is probably
irreparable," said Wayne Merry, senior associate at the American Foreign Policy
Council.
In Iraq, Saddam Hussein and his fellow Sunni Muslims a minority in that country
ruled brutally over the majority Shiite Muslims. The United States removed
Saddam and eradicated his Baath Party structures, most famously the army.
Washington then oversaw the establishment of a new government that is
fundamentally controlled by the Shiites. That new structure subsequently
disregarded the needs and rights of the Sunnis.
While the U.S. military still controlled the country, radical Sunnis came
together under the banner of al-Qaida in Iraq in a force arrayed against
American forces, moderate Sunnis and the Shiites majority. Shiite militias
formed to attack from the other side and a civil war erupted. That was only
tamped down when Washington instituted the surge of more troops and began paying
Sunni tribal leaders and their fighters to turn their guns on fellow Sunnis in
al-Qaida. With the departure of U.S. forces in 2011, al-Qaida regrouped in the
Sunni regions of Iraq and became DAESH, the terrorist organization that also
spread into the void created in neighboring Syria by the civil war there, now in
its fifth year. Estimates have put DAESH control of territory as much as one
third of both countries. Particularly important is the terror organization's
control over the cities like Raqqa in Syria and Mosul in Iraq.
For months, the United States has bombed DAESH positions with some success and
now France and Russia have joined that effort. Russia turned its attention to
DAESH after a bomb, claimed by DAESH, brought down a Russian airliner over
Egypt. The French reacted after DAESH attacks in Paris. Military and
intelligence experts had said, before the airliner bombing, that Russia had
primarily targeted opponents of Syrian leader Bashar Assad who are not allied
with DAESH but deeply involved in the civil war, fighting to overthrow Assad.
The Obama administration insists Assad must be removed. Russia and Iran say he
must be part of a political solution, at least temporarily. Regional powers
Saudi Arabia and Turkey want him gone.
Many analysts saw Russian involvement in Syria as an attempt to save the Assad
regime. Syria was a last outpost of Russian influence in the Middle East, home
to Russia's only Mediterranean port and a big customer for Russian weapons. The
appeal of DAESH in Syria grows from the same root as it does in Iraq. And that
is the sense of Sunni disenfranchisement.
In Syria, unlike Iraq, it is longstanding. Assad is an Alawite Muslim, a subset
of Shiism. He and his father before him ruled brutally over the Sunni majority
in Syria, much as Saddam killed and brutalized the Shiite majority in Iraq. And
none of that deals with the complication added to the chaos in both countries by
the ethnic Kurdish drive for a homeland. The Kurds have big populations in
northern Iraq, Syria and Iran. And they have periodically been at war with
Turkey, where they live in huge numbers in the southeast of that country.
The Kurds have been the strongest American partners in the fight against DAESH,
battling often with significant success as a U.S.-allied ground force against
DAESH. They also have created a virtually autonomous, self-governed region in
Iraq and control significant Iraqi oil reserves. U.S. backing for the Kurds puts
the United States at odds both with NATO ally Turkey, which is also an enemy of
Assad in Syria and the Shiite-dominated U.S.-backed Iraqi government in Baghdad.
Former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on CNN's "State of the Union" on
Sunday that a military victory over DAESH will not end the chaos in the Middle
East unless the United States, other countries in the region, Russia, Europe and
Iran join together to create a "platform of political stability." But how can
such a platform be created in a region that has been unable to overcome a
1,300-year schism in Islam, the Kurdish drive to create a country that the
ethnic group has never had and the attendant complications mixed in by a
plethora of other religious and ethnic minorities.
The defeat of DAESH, if it happens, will not solve those deep and underlying
divisions. A final political solution likely will require the resettlement of
large populations driven from their home territories by the Iraq war, the Syrian
civil conflict and the expansion of DAESH. It will require compromises that
haven't been made for centuries. It is a huge mission that will take a long time
to accomplish if it ever can be.
Russia, Assad Strike At Turkmens, Giving ISIS A Free Hand In
Syria
Russia continues to bomb Turkmen villages in the Bayırbucak
Turkmen area in northern Syria to bolster the Damascus regime, which it has been
a staunch ally of since the beginning of the crisis, and Turkish officials are
alarmed with the intensified airstrikes on the Turkmen-populated region, which
was previously under the control of moderate Syrian opposition groups. Following
the developments, a closed-door security meeting was held at Çankaya Palace
headed by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu on Sunday. Turkish officials continue
to keep in touch with U.S. officials, who had an opposing stance since the
beginning of Russia's air campaign.
Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar, Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioğlu,
Interior Minister Selami Altınok and National Intelligence Organization (MİT)
Chief Hakan Fidan together with several senior bureaucrats attended the meeting.
Moscow claimed that the airstrikes, which started after receiving parliamentary
approval and followed a military buildup in Syria, aimed to support the forces
of Syrian President Bashar Assad against DAESH. However, Turkey and the West
have accused Russia of targeting moderate fighters opposed to Assad, many of
which are supported by Turkey and the U.S.
There have been reports of many casualties from the attacks on the area, while
the sound of explosions coming from the region was heard in the border town of
Yayladağı in Turkey's Hatay province.
Previously, Sinirlioğlu called U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry Friday night
to discuss the airstrikes.
The Foreign Ministry summoned Russia's ambassador to Ankara over the bombings
and requested that Russia promptly end the operation.
The late night phone conversation in which the two top diplomats evaluated the
situation after the offensive on the Turkmen region came on orders from
Davutoğlu.
Ankara also sent a letter to the term president of the U.N. Security Council to
demand that the issue be handled immediately.
Sources added that Davutoğlu was informed by Akar by phone regarding the latest
situation in the region.
At the Prime Ministry, Fidan also briefed the Davutoğlu on the issue. Ankara had
requested that Russia promptly end this operation, Foreign Ministry spokesman
Tanju Bilgiç said on Friday, adding: "Our warnings and request have also been
communicated to the Russian deputy foreign minister and special presidential
representative for the Middle East, Mihail Bogdanov."
"If any attack is mounted against civilians on Turkey's border, even with
cluster munitions shelling, so as to draw the people living there toward Turkey
and lead to a further refugee flow, all involved will be held responsible,"
Davutoğlu told the media in Istanbul on Friday.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency on Sunday, Khaled Khoja, the head of the Syrian
National Council opposition group underlined that Russians must stop its
offensive against opposition groups and civilians, saying: "If Russia wants a
political solution, it should force the regime to sit at the negotiation table.
Moreover, it should allow the political solution to be negotiated between the
regime and the opposition, but especially the application of the U.N. Security
Council's Resolution 2165 in which delivering humanitarian aid to besieged areas
is stipulated."
He said: "This situation shows that Russians have no serious intention to
contribute to a political solution and that they are an occupying power."
Almost 40,000 Syrian Turkmens fled from their homes to safer villages near the
Turkish border Saturday following attacks by Syrian and Russian forces.
Bayırbucak Turkmen area is in the immediate vicinity of Turkey's Yayladağ border
crossing.
After the offensive, a number of Turkmens also entered Turkey at the Yayladağı
border crossing in southeastern Hatay province. The Disaster and Emergency
Management Authority (AFAD), the Turkish Red Crescent and other humanitarian aid
organizations began sending humanitarian aid including tents, food and
mattresses to displaced Turkmens.
A mobile bakery in Yayladağı also started producing bread to be delivered to
Turkmens fleeing to safer villages near the Turkish border. Muhammed Komurcu, a
Syrian Turkmen Association official, told Anadolu Agency that the number of
internally displaced people has doubled. Mokhtar Fatih Mohamed, head of a
Turkmen doctors group in the Bayır Bucak region, told Anadolu Agency on Friday
that the Turkmen-majority area is about to fall to regime forces, which may
cause 15,000 Turkmen to flee to Turkey.
Turkmens are a Turkic ethnic group based with minority populations in Syria and
Iraq where they live alongside large Arab and Kurdish populations. The Turkmen
community in these countries includes both Sunnis and Shiites and shares
cultural ties with Turks.
Syria's devastating civil war, now in its fifth year, has left at least 250,000
people dead, according to the U.N.
France Hits Back At Russia Over Syria Bombing Campaign
France dismissed Russian suggestions on Friday its air strikes
against oil installations in Syria were illegal, saying they were ''an
appropriate and necessary riposte'' to attacks by Islamic State of Iraq and
Syria (ISIS).
President Francois Hollande will travel to Moscow on Nov. 26 as part of an
effort to create a grand coalition to fight ISIS, despite differences over the
future of Syrian President Bashar al-Asaad, whose key backers are Russia and
Iran.
Paris launched air strikes against the militant group's Syrian stronghold in
Raqqa this week following attacks that killed 130 people in Paris on Nov. 13.
It has previously targeted oil installations under the control of ISIS and said
it aimed to cut the group's main revenue stream.
Russian Foreign Ministry official Ilya Rogachev earlier on Friday criticised
France's justification for the attacks, that they were self-defense according to
Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. He said that was misplaced because
Paris had not sought approval from the Syrian government.
''We cannot support such actions because they are being carried out without an
agreement of the Syrian government,'' he told Kommersant daily.
''The bombing of oil infrastructure is based on ... quite different reasons and
they are not justified by self-defense,'' he added.
''As Bashar al-Assad and Islamic State (ISIS) are equal priority enemies for
them, they inflict damage to both of them by such hits. Please note, the French
do not bomb the same targets in Iraq.''
France has called for Assad to step down after a political transition, and its
Western allies have criticized Moscow for mostly focusing its raids in Syria
against Western-backed rebel groups.
''The French strikes against oil sites controlled by Daesh (ISIS) are part of
legitimate self-defense,'' French Foreign Ministry spokesman Romain Nadal told
reporters on Friday.
''They are a necessary and proportionate response to the attacks carried out by
Daesh,'' he said.
Russia this week launched massive strikes on Raqqa in response to confirmation
that the group had blown up a plane full of Russian tourists over Sinai in
Egypt.
On Wednesday Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said if the West wanted an
international coalition against ISIS, it must drop its demands for Assad's
ouster.
These days I find myself in a permanent state of shock, horror and confusion. We
live in a world where human life is devalued, where barbarism, racism and
bigotry are the new norm. Watching the news is depressing. Desperate people
fleeing conflicts finding all doors barred. Women enslaved and abused and
children's bodies seen mangled by shrapnel.
And who would have thought that Paris, the City of Lights, would ever go dark,
the army would be deployed in the streets or that a government decree would be
issued silencing anyone who disseminates theories at odds with the government
line as ''a conspiracy theorist''. I won't be surprised if an Orwellian-type
'thought police force' is established. People have questions, but aren't getting
answers and that's the problem.
I'm angry too that so many fingers in western capitals are pointing at Islam as
the cause of all evils when my faith, one of peace and tolerance, has been
hijacked by creatures without souls. When I listen to statements from the mouths
of American politicians I can hardly believe what I'm hearing.
Donald Trump has vowed to close all mosques and force Muslim Americans to carry
special identity cards. What next? Will they be told to pin green crescents on
their lapels in the same way the Jews of Germany had to sport yellow stars? Many
of his Republican rivals are using the vilification of Muslims as a vote-getting
ploy.
Likewise Britain, France and Belgium are planning the closure of certain mosques
and community centres. Muslims are being asked to disassociate themselves from
terror although they are the ones who've suffered most from terrorism over the
years. Also, Syrian refugees risking their lives to reach Europe have become
pariahs overnight.
A Rhode Island state senator, Elaine Morgan, is calling for Syrian refugees to
be placed in camps ''segregated from our populace''. ''The Muslim religion and
philosophy is to murder, rape, and decapitate anyone who is non-Muslim'', she
says. Presidential hopeful Ben Carson compares the refugees to ''rabid dogs''.
All of this hate on the part of politicians merely because fake Syrian passports
were deliberately planted close to the bodies of suicide bombers in Paris.
A few questions
In all honesty, I don't know what to believe any more. Like so many others, I
need answers to these perplexing and very troubling questions:
Why was ISIS permitted to expand over great swathes of Syria and Iraq?
According to Fox News, declassified Pentagon documents dated 2012 obtained by
Judicial Watch under the Freedom of Information Act ''predicts the rise of ISIS
and the establishment of a caliphate''. In this case, why did Obama say in
September 2014 that its rise took the U.S. by surprise?
Is there any truth to statements from the President of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov
and NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden to the effect that the self-ascribed ISIS
Caliph Baghdadi, alleged to be formerly known as Simon Elliot , was trained by
the Mossad? It wouldn't be the first time. Morten Storm, a convert to Islam,
reveals in a book that he was formerly undercover agent for western intelligence
agencies tasked with infiltrating Islamist organisations.
Why was ISIS's de facto capital Raqqa permitted to carry on business as usual
under U.S.-led coalition airstrikes? And as was quoted in the Washington Free
Beacon and elsewhere, Rep. Ed Royce, the Chair of the House Foreign Affairs
Committee complained that ''the pilots come back to talk to us, they say
'three-quarters of their ordnance we can't drop, we can't get clearance even
when we have a clear target in front of us'?'' Is he right?
Why did it take so long for the U.S. to bomb convoys transporting ISIS stolen
oil? And when they were following Russia's intervention, why, according to the
Wall Street Journal, were fliers dropped alerting the drivers to abandon their
trucks before they were hit? Which states are buying that oil via third parties?
Are there banks laundering the group's income from oil, gold and stolen
artefacts?
When the British terrorist ''Jihadi John'' and the head of ISIS in Libya,
Wissam Najm Abd Zayd Al-Zubaydi, were so easily pinpointed by surveillance
satellites and assassinated, why is it that Baghdadi is so hard to locate and
why weren't highly visible convoys of the terrorists' SUVs struck?
Which country or countries are supplying ISIS with heavy weapons? And why are
the Kurds and the recognized Libyan government battling ISIS being deprived of
such weapons?
There is a video of President Putin telling journalists at the recent G20
summit that ISIS is being financed by businessmen from 40 countries including
those from G20 member states, adding that he provided examples ''based on our
data''. If he's correct then, why aren't those concerned being tracked down and
arrested?
Why did Israel open its hospitals to treat injured Al-Qaeda and Nusra Front
fighters, as revealed by the Wall Street Journal? Similarly, the Turkish
newspaper Sunday's Zaman quotes a nurse working in a hospital in Mersin saying
she's sick of treating ISIS fighters. The Washington Post asserted it was told
by ISIS commander, ''We used to have some fighters - even high level members of
ISIS - getting treated in Turkish hospitals.'' If that's so, what was the reason
for treating monsters, who execute children, bury women alive and place men in a
wire cage to be drowned, with such compassion?
Who are the so-called 'moderate rebels' the Obama administration is backing
after they've been grouped together under the new banner ''Victory Army'' and
are reports that they are fighting alongside Al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat Al-Nusra
accurate?
Why is it that President Obama and David Cameron shirk from branding the Muslim
Brotherhood - the ideological forerunner of all Takfiri groups - as terrorist?
Early last year, an alleged British lobbyist for the Muslim Brotherhood was
invited to meet President Obama at the White House. In February this year, a
Muslim Brotherhood Judge was pictured making the four-fingered Rabaa sign at the
State Department following his meeting with officials and when White House
spokeswoman Jan Psaki was questioned by reporters she appeared to show that she
had no issue with the photograph - a poke in the eye to the Egyptian government.
This month, however, lawmakers in both the House and the Senate are pushing for
a bill to be passed that would declare the Brotherhood a terrorist organization.
I don't have access to insider intelligence but let me put it this way. When the
pieces of the jigsaw are fitted together something doesn't smell right.
After Paris, the world is gung ho to exterminate ISIS. France is cooperating
with Russia to bomb them mercilessly. Yet Obama says they are contained and his
strategy is working even as they threaten to turn the White House black,
announce New York and Washington are next and are believed to be developing
chemical weapons. You couldn't make this up!
Charles Krauthammer writes in The Telegraph that while France is creating a
coalition to destroy ISIS, Obama ''responded to Paris with weariness and
annoyance. His news conference in Turkey was marked by a stunning tone of
passivity, detachment and lassitude, compounded by impatience and irritability
at the very suggestion that his Syria strategy might be failing.''
Rather than falsely blame Muslims for the rise of ISIS, there may be other
shoulders on which at least some of the blame should fall. It's time they were
exposed.
__________ Khalaf Ahmad al-Habtoor is a prominent UAE businessman and public figure. He
is Chairman of the Al Habtoor Group - one of the most successful conglomerates
in the Gulf. Al Habtoor is renowned for his knowledge and views on international
political affairs; his philanthropic activity; his efforts to promote peace; and
he has long acted as an unofficial ambassador for his country abroad. Writing
extensively on both local and international politics, he publishes regular
articles in the media and has released a number of books. Al-Habtoor began his
career as an employee of a local UAE construction firm and in 1970 established
his own company, Al Habtoor Engineering. The UAE Federation, which united the
seven emirates under the one flag for the first time, was founded in 1971 and
this inspired him to undertake a series of innovative construction projects -
all of which proved highly successful.
Russia 'Must Change Strategy' In Syria If It Wants To Join
US-Led 'Anti-ISIS' Coalition - State Dept.
Russia is not welcome to join the US-led coalition in Syria, as
France has proposed, until it changes its ''focus'' and stops ''propping up''
Assad, the US State Department said.
''If other nations not in the coalition [the US-led coalition] want to join it
and become part of it and focus on the fight against ISIL [Islamic State/IS,
formerly ISIS/ISIL] that's a conversation we're certainly willing to have,'' US
State Department spokesperson John Kirby said.
An appeal to expand the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State came from French
President Francois Hollande three days after deadly attacks in Paris a week ago.
Stating that ''France is at war,'' Hollande called for the creation of a ''large
coalition,'' which could unite forces with Russia ''to achieve a result that has
taken too long.''
The grand coalition is going to be the focus of separate talks President
Hollande will have with his American and Russian counterparts in coming days.
The French leader is expected to hold talks in Washington on November 24 and in
Moscow on November 26.
However, the US State Department says that Russia's involvement in the coalition
would depend on Moscow's ''commitment.''
''But in order for that to work, every member of the coalition has to have the
same focus on defeating ISIL, and thus far we, talking about Russia, haven't
seen that same commitment,'' Kirby said, referring to Russia's support for Assad.
''It's inconsistent with the goals of the coalition, which is to defeat ISIL, if
you're also propping up the Assad regime.''
Washington has reiterated that there would be no discussions until Moscow
changes its strategy: ''If Russia is serious about this, about going after ISIL,
and changing the calculus of military activities it's conducting inside Syria,
then it's great and we will be willing to have a discussion with them about how
they might be able to contribute to the coalition operations.''
The statement has prompted Said Arikat, Washington Bureau Chief for Al-Quds, to
ask Kirby to clarify what the coalition's priority actually was, because ''the
issue of Assad keeps coming up all the time.''
''So what's the core goal? To beat Assad or ISIS? On a scale of one to ten - is
one larger than the other?'' Arikat asked Kirby.
Despite, as is claimed by the State Department, the main goal of coalition being
defeating Islamic State and curbing terrorism, President Assad remains a serious
concern for Washington.
''There is nothing in the coalition's mandate to remove Assad from power,''
Kirby responded, adding that removing the current Syrian government would be
''mutually supportive'' in beating IS and ''keeping them out.''
''But militarily, specifically militarily, the goal of the coalition to counter
ISIL is about countering ISIL,'' the State Department spokesman said.
'We want to make no mistake'
Part of Friday's press briefing was dedicated to the US-led mission's efforts in
and around Syria.
''We started the coalition last year, and didn't focus on foreign fighters and
other issues initially,'' Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to
Counter ISIL, Brett McGurk, said. The US is now going to focus on putting
pressure on the''heartland of ISIL'' and its links with Raqqa and Mosul.
Syrian Rebels Backed By US And Turkish
Airpower Take 2 Border Villages From IS
Syrian rebels backed by Turkey and the United States have seized
two villages from Islamic State (IS) jihadists close to the Turkish border after
fierce fighting, Turkish official media said on Sunday.
The state-run Anatolia news agency said that ethnic Turkmen fighters had
captured the villages of Harjaleh and Dalha in northern Aleppo province from IS
forces.
The ground offensive by the Turkmen fighters, strong allies of Turkey in its
push to oust Bashar al-Assad, was backed from the air by US and Turkish fighter
jets, it added.
Six Turkish F-16s, four US F-15s, an American AC-130 and three drones were
involved, the report said, without specifying if any targets were hit.
Some 70 IS jihadists were killed in the fighting, it added.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed that the
villages had been captured from IS but said the campaign had been waged by
rebels and Islamist factions and not just Turkmen fighters.
Turkish officials have in the last days said a major joint air operation against
IS with the United States was planned, with Turkmen forces fighting on the
ground.
They said the aim is to clear of jihadists a 98 kilometre (61 mile) stretch of
Syria's northern border with Turkey still controlled by IS.
The special US envoy for the anti-IS coalition, Brett McGurk, had on Friday also
indicated that the operation was imminent.
'Now we're going to start pushing them (IS) back,' he said in Washington.
Turkish media reports described the operation as the first step in Ankara's plan
for creating a so-called safe zone in northern Syria that could eventually house
some of the 2.2 million Syrian refugees hosted by Turkey.
But American officials have expressed skepticism over the idea, with President
Barack Obama saying at the G20 summit in Turkey on Monday that a true safe zone
needed ground operations.
'How would it work? Would it become a magnet for further terrorist attacks? And
how many personnel would be required, and how would it end? There's a whole set
of questions that have to be answered there,' he said.
Over 400 Iranian Troops Killed In Syria Since Start Of Civil War
Over 400 Iranian troops have been killed in Syria since the
beginning of the country's civil war, according to Iranian media.
On Wednesday, the semi-official Tasnim News Agency said four more Iranian
revolutionary guards were killed in Syria in the latest incident.
Revolutionary Guard is a military or paramilitary elite unit that plays the role
of key protection force of the new regime in a country which has experienced a
revolution.
Forces from Iran's Revolutionary Guards -- a branch of Iran's Armed Forces often
called a "paramilitary elite unit" -- have lost 54 military personnel, including
three high ranked officers, while supporting Bashar al-Assad's regime forces
against the Syrian opposition.
On Oct. 23, Fars News Agency had quoted General Ramazan Sharif, spokesman of the
Revolutionary Guards, as saying that "Iran increased the number of its soldiers
in the region" as part of a new ground offensive in Syria.
Turkey and Iran have been pursuing different policies regarding the war in
Syria. Iran strongly backs Syrian President Bashar Assad while Turkey has called
on him to step down and condemned his regime's massacres of opposition forces
and civilians.
With the support of Russian airstrikes, forces loyal to the Syrian regime army
and allied Iranian and Hezbollah forces are preparing for a ground offensive
against opposition forces in Aleppo, two senior regional officials familiar with
the plans said in October.
"If Syria makes a request (for Iranian forces), we will study the request and
make a decision," Alaedin Boroujerdi, the chairman of the Iranian parliament's
national security and foreign policy committee, had said back in October.
"What's important is that Iran is serious about the fight against terrorism," he
added. "We have supplied aid and weapons and sent advisors to Syria and Iraq."
At least 250,000 people have been killed since the Syria conflict began in 2011,
with 7.6 million internally displaced and over four million having fled to other
countries.
Iran a bigger threat than ISIS: Israeli
minister
Israeli defence minister Moshe Yaalon said that DAESH terrorist organization is
a bigger threat for his country on Monday in an interview with Israel Radio.
Stating that Iran's presence in the region worries him, he claimed that the
atrocities in Syria are "empowering" Iran.
Acknlowledging that there are a few DAESH cells in the West Bank, he added that
Israel "deterred" DAESH from attacking the country from Syrian territory under
its control.
The minister said that DAESH hasn't opened a front against Israel because "they
would simply get hurt." In a statement last summer, DAESH vowed to "destroy"
Israel and kill every single Jew. Later in the summer, six Arabs were arrested
by Israeli forces for allegedly having ties with DAESH.
Israel has stated before that majority of the Arabs living in the country are
against the terrorist organization, which the country stated as the main reason
DAESH cannot find ground to rise in power in Israel.
With Assad Gone And Iran Evicted From Syria, ISIS Can Be
Defeated - Former Italian FM
Newsweek - Images of people pouring out of a concert hall, many
wounded and others lying face down in a pool of blood. Explosions during a
football match and looks of fear, pain and horror.
This is what the world saw in France last week, something it saw less than a
year ago and in previous yearsacts of violence and the terrible wounds they
leave on innocent people.
Just as summer turns into autumn, autumn to winter and winter to spring, this
attack is also part of a cycle, and there is a good chance it will be followed
by another in the near future. Islamic fundamentalist organizations such as the
Islamic State militant group (ISIS) are trying to overpower Western democracies
on our own soil, and we must act urgently to halt their advances.
This, unfortunately, is the new reality faced by the Western world. It
constitutes an incredibly difficult challenge, no doubt, but if we address it at
its roots, we can break this cycle of violence, death and fear.
Syria and Iraq are ISIS's hub, a base for organization, recruitment, training
and weaponry, and the West must intensify its campaign to end this epicenter of
evil. However, attacks against ISIS alone will not stop the cycle of violence.
We have to fight against the triggers of radicalization as well and combat this
cancer at its root.
That means the West ought to be unequivocally decisive in pressing for the
ouster of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, whose carnage against the Syrian
people amounts to a crime against humanity and has provided the unsavory social
and political circumstances for the rise of ISIS. At the same time, we need to
work urgently to eliminate the sectarianism being spread by the Iranian regime
and its allies in the region.
Here in Europe, any broad reaction of collective punishment against Muslim
immigrants would be not only horribly unjust but also dangerous. Eight people
caused last week's reign of violence. That's a minuscule percentage amongst a
huge number of refugees and an even smaller percentage amongst a population that
represents over 10 percent of France.
Let's instead remember recent history. It was a Muslim who saved Jews during the
attack last January on a Jewish store and a Muslim policeman who was killed
defending Charlie Hebdo journalists who ridiculed his faith. These immigrants
are escaping horrors perpetrated by the same people who carried out or were the
root cause of last week's attack in Paris.
Focusing on the extremists amongst a largely peaceful population means focusing
on ISIS and also on Iran and its proxies.
Before ISIS, Iran invented the notion of exporting Islamic extremism; propped up
regimes in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere; and encouraged them in the implementation
of sectarianism and rampant bloodshed. Even if the Shiite militias that acted as
killing squads against Sunnis in Iraq, or perpetrated widespread massacres in
Syria, didn't entirely cause ISIS's rise, they undeniably added fuel to the fire
and continue to do so.
There should be zero tolerance by the West for Iran's nefarious meddling in
Syria, and, as members of Syria's pro-democracy opposition have said, there
should be no question about giving Tehran a say over Syria's political future.
If the U.S. invasion in Iraq has taught us anything, it is that imposing an
ideology that is not popularly supported, from the outside alone, is a
disastrous policy. Instead, working with moderate stakeholders committed to
inclusive rule, similar interests and, if possible, similar values is a far
better path to take.
That means working with Kurds and moderate forces in Syria to replace Assad and
battle ISIS, but it also means working with those same allies against Iranian
extremism. Luckily, in that case, we have a large, organized partner with whom
we share not only the goal of inclusive rule, or even interests, but also
values. That group is the National Council of Resistance of Iran ( NCRI ).
Maryam Rajavi , president-elect of the NCRI, a moderate Muslim woman leader who
is fiercely anti-fundamentalist, said immediately after the Paris attacks that
fundamentalism under the name of Islam has nothing to do with this religion,
whether it is under the pretext of Shiite extremism or under ISIS's Sunni brand.
Such anti-human crimes have nothing to do with Islam, and such evil is the enemy
of peace and mankind wherever it exists.
Moderate policies at home, including identifying with moderate Muslims who are
our allies, coupled with military countermeasures that strike ISIS in its lair,
are the best defense France and indeed the West can produce. But any gains will
soon dissipate if we're striking at one extremist group while ignoring another.
A piecemeal solution is going to be short-lived. To not see more carnage next
season, the order will be to get rid of Assad as expeditiously as possible and
stop Tehran's meddling in Syria as his main backer.
Let there be no illusion. Assad and Iran make up the second half of this
extremist equation, and we must work with moderate allies to combat them as
well. Only then will we be able to break this cycle of violence.
Vienna, Amman Cast Doubt On Speedy Syria Transition
Vienna and Amman believe it is too early to expect a speedy
political transition in war-torn Syria, Austrian President Heinz Fischer said
Wednesday after meeting King Abdullah II.
''I believe that neither I nor the king of Jordan would dare to entertain the
hope that it would be a matter of just a few weeks,'' Fischer told APA news
agency after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday that Syria could be
weeks away from a ''big transition''.
''We are on the right track, but it would be premature to make a statement about
the time needed to solve the problems,'' he added.
Fischer's statement came after a working lunch with King Abdullah II in Vienna,
who did not make any statements to the press.
In a visit to Paris on Tuesday, Kerry said an agreement reached at talks in
Vienna between deeply divided countries such as Iran, Russia and Saudi Arabia on
a path to elections in Syria was a ''gigantic step''.
''We are weeks away conceivably from the possibility of a big transition for
Syria,'' he said.
Global diplomats agreed in Vienna Saturday on a fixed calendar for Syria that
would see a transition government in six months and elections within 18 months.
A final statement after the meeting said that the goal was to bring Syrian
government and opposition representatives together by January 1.
The fate of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad remains unclear, and opposition
members have branded the plan unrealistic.
US Says Assad's Fate To Be Decided In International Talks
Embattled Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad's fate will be decided
in international talks in the coming weeks, the United States said Thursday,
brushing off his rejection of moves to sideline him from peace talks.
'In the multilateral sessions, which will continue to occur going forward, the
role of Assad in this transition will be spelled out,' State Department
spokesman John Kirby said.
Under a framework agreed to last month in Vienna by 17 nations and three
international bodies including the United Nations , Syrians are due to start
political discussions on or after a target date of January 1.
Selected leaders from both Assad's regime and opposition groups deemed
acceptable -- that is, not 'terrorists' -- by the international stakeholders
will have six months to draw up a constitution and 18 to organize elections.
The United States and its allies hope that a ceasefire between the government
and moderate rebels will allow Assad to leave power peacefully while local and
foreign forces focus their fire on the Islamic State group.
But Assad's allies Russia and Iran arguing that Assad's fate should be decided
by the Syrian people alone and the beleaguered strongman has himself rejected it
outright.
Assad's government refers to all of its opponents -- fighters and activists
alike -- as 'terrorists.'
The United States and its Arab allies argue it will be impossible to lure the
opposition to the table if it is not clear when Assad, whom they blame for
starting the war and killing thousands of civilians, will go.
'Nothing has changed,' Kirby said. 'We want a transition to a government that is
free of Assad and representative and responsive to the Syrian people.
'So, obviously, there is going to have to be a process for that change to occur,
that transformation to occur. Exactly what Assad's role in that is going to be
has not been completely hashed out.
Saudi To Continue Support For Syrian Rebels If Assad Does Not Leave
Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said on Saturday that his country would continue
to support Syrian rebels if President Bashar al-Assad could not be removed
through a political process.
''We will support the Syrian people,'' Adel al-Jubeir told journalists on the
sidelines of international Syria peace talks in Vienna.
''We will support the political process that will result in (Assad) leaving, or
we will continue to support the Syrian opposition in order to remove him by
force.''
Tunisia Group Claims Beheading Of Teen Shepherd For ISIS
A militant group claimed the beheading of a young Tunisian
shepherd on behalf of ISIS, accusing him of having informed the army about their
movements in the central province of Sidi Bouzid, in a video posted on the
Internet Sunday.
The killing of 16-year-old Mabrouk Soltani on November 13 sparked anger in
Tunisia. His killers ordered a 14-year-old who was working with him to bring the
victim's head wrapped in plastic to his family.
The video, the authenticity of which could not be confirmed, claimed the young
shepherd gave information on ''the soldiers of ISIS'' to the Tunisian army.
''This is the fate of all those in the ranks of the tyrants of Tunisia against
Jund al-Khilafa (the soldiers of the caliphate),'' the video said, written in
Arabic.
Jund al-Khilafa is the Tunisian branch of ISIS.
The video then shows the shepherd, looking scared, answering questions from a
speaker whose voice seems to have been altered.
With his hands tied behind his back, the boy claims to have been paid by a
soldier to monitor the activities of militants in the area.
The miitants claims the boy ''squealed'' on them for money while the young
shepherd insists that he has none.
The video ends with the killing of the boy and a song threatening to ''come to
decapitate'' others.
According to the Tunisian authorities, Soltani was murdered by militants as he
was tending his sheep on Mount Mghila.
Last month, another civilian, also a shepherd, was abducted and killed by
militants in the central-west province of Kasserine.
Tunisia has faced an upsurge in jihadist violence since its 2011 revolution, but
security forces are usually the target.
Several dozen soldiers and police have lost their lives in attacks, most of
which are claimed by Al-Qaeda's North African branch.
ISIS claimed an attack that killed 38 foreign tourists at a seaside resort near
Sousse in June, and another that killed 21 foreigners and a policeman in Tunis
in March.
In mid-November authorities arrested seven women accused of posting propaganda
on the Internet on behalf of Jund al-Khilafa.
Syria: 25 Assad Troops Killed In Battles Near Damascus As U.S.
Eyes Russia-Iran Split in Bid to End Syria Conflict
Dozens of Assad troops have been killed and wounded in recent
attacks staged by Syrian rebels near Damascus, Orient TV reported.
25 Assad troops were killed and a number of others wounded during an attack by
the rebels in the town of Dir Salman.
Assad's forces had launched a three-front attack yet the rebels were able to
surprise the Assad forces and surround them in Dir Salman, killing dozens of
them. A large number of Syrian Army armored vehicles were also destroyed.
U.S. Eyes Russia-Iran Split in Bid to
End Syria Conflict
The Obama administration and European and Arab allies are seeking to peel Russia
away from its alliance with Iran, a partnership that has bolstered Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad, said senior diplomats involved in efforts to end
Syria's lengthy conflict.
The efforts, which have unfolded quietly through meetings involving Russian
President Vladimir Putin and Middle Eastern leaders, are meant to coax support
from Moscow for a limit on Mr. Assad's time in power. Such a step would solidify
an emerging international coalition and help clear the way for a more concerted
military effort to counter Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.
Iran is seen as a brake on those efforts because of its more staunchly pro-Assad
position, which it wants the Kremlin to support. If Russia holds fast to Iran
and Mr. Assad, it would undermine hopes for an international consensus.
A senior U.S. official on Tuesday said Washington has seen ''increased tensions
between Russia and Iran over the question of the future of Syria.''
U.S. and European officials also said they believe Iran's elite military unit,
the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has withdrawn some troops from Syria in
recent weeks, because of a strain on its resources. A number of senior IRGC
officers have been killed in Syria in recent months.
The murderous attacks on French civilians enjoying a night out
in Paris were proof, were any needed, that the war in Syria and Iraq will not be
contained there.
The deaths and the propaganda victory from the Islamic State jihadist group will
intensify pressure on world capitals to find a resolution to the conflict.
But they will also exacerbate political disputes over how to deal with the
refugee influx, the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and military
intervention on the ground.
And this comes against the backdrop of an intensified counter-terrorism campaign
on the streets of Europe which could alienate Muslim minorities and stir
anti-refugee sentiment.
'It's not a war of ideas anymore,' said Patrick Skinner, a former CIA case
officer now with security consultancy the Soufan Group, of Europe's struggle
with extremism.
Initial signs point to the attack being exactly of the kind experts have been
warning of for years: European Islamists radicalized in Syria and returning
home.
'That it happened was not a surprise. You cannot have this kind of situation
lasting for years and not have this kind of attack,' Skinner told AFP.
French security forces have a good reputation in counter-terrorism -- 'world
class,' Skinner said -- but even they missed a seven-strong cell planning a
complex attack.
'It's inevitable, and it's going to happen again,' he said.
Middle East analyst Salman Shaikh, the former head of the Brookings Doha Center
and founder of his own consultancy, spoke to French officials just hours before
the attacks.
France, he said, has been the most firm among Western countries in backing the
'principled' stance that Assad, the main author of Syria's misfortunes, must
stand aside.
Against that view is the one pushed by Assad's ally Russia, that the regime is a
bulwark against the Islamic State and must remain in place while a political
solution is sought.
'It may have some effect,' Shaikh told AFP from Paris. 'I don't think so,
because the French have been quite resolute. They don't want to follow the
Russian narrative.
'Syria can't be contained, so we have to resolve it, not just militarily but
also politically,' he said.
Shaikh echoed Western leaders who argue IS will be defeated only when Sunni
Arabs alienated by Assad's brutality have space to join the fight against the
jihadists.
'Daesh won't really be on the back foot until Syria's ... opposition rebel
groups unite against them,' Shaikh said, using an Arabic acronym for the Islamic
State group.
'At the moment they are just trying to resist or survive the Russian attacks
against them.'
Whether by coincidence or design, the Paris attacks were launched on the eve of
talks in Vienna among 17 countries to find a political solution to the Syrian
conflict.
- Notorious mouthpiece -
Had the assault not taken place, the debate would have come against the backdrop
of two victories for the US-led coalition against the Islamic State -- the fall
of the Iraqi town of Sinjar to Kurdish forces and the death in Syria of
notorious IS mouthpiece 'Jihadi John.'
Saturday brought another tactical victory when the Pentagon announced that the
IS leader -- an Iraqi -- in Libya had been killed in an air strike.
But instead, European powers attended the talks amid a terrifying new security
environment in which lone wolf jihadists and organized IS cells could strike at
any time.
The apparent IS bombing of a Russian passenger jet leaving a Sinai resort on
October 31 -- along with bomb attacks in Beirut and Ankara -- also underline how
the war in Iraq and Syria has spilled over and is spreading.
Already, US and European anti-immigration politicians have begun citing the
attacks as a reason to block the flow of refugees from Syria.
Refugee advocates insist Syrians are fleeing violence, not seeking to spread it,
while the best way to counter jihadist propaganda is to show Western compassion.
- 'Many tragedies to come' -
For Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
any counter-terror campaign will win only tactical victories so long as wars in
the Islamic world continue.
'The struggle to change this reality will, at best, be a long, long struggle,
and there will be many tragedies like Paris to come,' he said in a CSIS op-ed
published Saturday.
'Real victory can only be won by years of reform within the Islamic world, and
outside aid that does as much as possible to help create governments that rule
through success, rather than through repression.'
The polarized debate will only increase tensions ahead of tests such as France's
regional elections next month, which could see victories for the anti-immigrant
Front National.
'It's a gift from the extremist gods to have this happen at this time,' Skinner
said, warning the attack and the French response could mark a turning point in
European society.
'This is exactly what the terrorists wanted. They didn't want us talking about
Sinjar or the death of their spokesman Jihadi John,' he told AFP.
Skinner warned that European capitals would now be forced to debate issues of
security and immigration policy and make 'huge societal changes under duress.'
Such forced decisions are often wrong-headed, but the threat is real and attacks
will continue. 'It's not an existential threat, but it's a serious threat,' he
said.
U.S. President Barack Obama entered office with a commitment to end his
country's over-expansive involvement in the Middle East. In the twilight months
of his presidency, however, he faces the stark reality that the United States
and its partners' security cannot be guaranteed with a hands-off approach to
regional problems.
Obama's legacy may not be so much defined by a rapprochement with Iran or a
free-trade tilt to Asia, but how he responds to the challenge of the Islamic
State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the wake of the Paris attacks, and what risks
he is willing to take to secure America's future and prosperity. Events, which
often shape opinion polls and drive Obama's foreign policy more than strategic
design and intent, may force him to take more risks than he initially expected.
Wrong bet
While it is too early to say to what degree he will go to respond, it is hard to
see how, with deepening Russian and French involvement in the anti-ISIS campaign
and a public outcry at home, Obama could sit on the sidelines when the security
of the United States and its allies is threatened.
The most hawkish response so far has been a call to send U.S. ground forces into
Syria and Iraq. For Obama, who has defined his legacy on ending two wars in the
Middle East, he is unlikely to take such an option - even if it is necessary -
based on his stated proclivity against such an option, and the risks he faces in
response from his Democratic Party base.
Washington arguably has placed too big a bet on trying to suspend Iran's nuclear
program without investing time and resources to confront larger challenges to
international security: ISIS and Iran's regional behavior.
These two challenges are arguably interrelated. Tehran's expansive behavior,
from Yemen to Syria, helped stoke the sectarianism that has helped fuel ISIS.
Iran's mismanagement of Iraq, and its support of the Syrian regime, have enabled
ISIS to form a state in both countries.
Sustainable path
A more sustainable path would be to reinvigorate ties with regional and
international partners, and enhance current assets employed, including expanding
military options. One critical area is the need to rebuild and strengthen the
critical alliances that have underwritten security in the region since the end
of the Cold War. Obama has devoted too many resources and time to building new
relations with Iran, at the expense of maintaining strong partnerships with
America's longstanding regional allies.
In the aftermath of Paris, Obama should reinvigorate cooperation with the United
Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Jordan against the common threat of global
extremism. Washington should enhance its support for the Gulf Cooperation
Council (GCC) in its efforts to resolve Yemen's civil war. Yemen's future
stability is essential for ensuring that the state does not become a deepening
outpost for ISIS.
Washington should more robustly support Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi
in his efforts to bring stability and economic prosperity to his country, and
also to address the deepening crisis in the Sinai. The United States should also
continue to back efforts to resolve Libya's civil war, and work with Egypt and
the UAE to roll back ISIS's territorial expansion.
Washington should increase diplomatic pressure to make the Vienna talks a
sustainable path for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's eventual departure from
power. Equally, more pressure needs to be put on Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi's
government to make meaningful reforms to empower Sunni communities in Iraq.
Without inclusive governance in Syria or Iraq, ISIS's reign of terror will be
seen by some as a better alternative to sectarian rule from Damascus and
Baghdad.
Washington needs to deepen its support for GCC security through enhanced
military cooperation and deepening investment in member states'
counter-insurgency capabilities. Without such action, Obama risks leaving a
legacy defined more by inaction than pro-active and sustained American
leadership to confront common global challenges.
___________ Andrew Bowen, Ph.D., is a Senior Fellow and the Director of Middle East
Studies at the Center for the National Interest.
Security Council Calls For Eradicating ISIL
Safe Havens In Syria And Iraq: Russia's War Crime In Liberated Areas
The United Nations Security Council this evening called on all
countries that can do so to take the war on terrorism to Islamic
State-controlled territory in Syria and Iraq and destroy its safe haven, warning
that the group intends to mount further terror attacks like those that
devastated Paris and Beirut last week.
In a unanimously adopted resolution, the 15-member body declared the group's
terrorist attacks abroad ''a global and unprecedented threat to international
peace and security'' following the ''horrifying terrorist attacks'' it
perpetrated recently in Sousse (Tunisia), Ankara (Turkey), over Sinai (Egypt)
with the downing of a Russian plane, and in Beirut and Paris.
It warned that the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), or Da'esh as it
is also known, ''has the capability and intention to carry out'' further strikes
and called upon ''Member States that have the capacity to do so to take all
necessary measures, in compliance with international law, in particular
international human rights, refugee and humanitarian law'' on its territory.
It called on Member States to intensify efforts to stem the flow of foreign
terrorist fighters to Iraq and Syria and to prevent and suppress the financing
of terrorism, and reaffirmed that those responsible for terrorist acts,
violations of international humanitarian law or violations or abuses of human
rights must be held accountable.
It cited ''the continued gross, systematic and widespread abuses of human rights
and violations of humanitarian law, as well as barbaric acts of destruction and
looting of cultural heritage'' carried out by ISIL.
The resolution also expressed deepest condolences to the victims of the
terrorist attacks and their families and to the people and Governments of
Tunisia, Turkey, Russia, Lebanon and France, and to all Governments whose
citizens were targeted in these attacks and all other victims of terrorism.
''By its violent extremist ideology, its terrorist acts, its continued gross
systematic and widespread attacks directed against civilians, abuses of human
rights and violations of international humanitarian law, including those driven
on religious or ethnic ground, its eradication of cultural heritage and
trafficking of cultural property,'' ISIL constitutes ''a global and
unprecedented threat to international peace and security,'' the Council
stressed.
It also cited the group's its control natural resources in Iraq and Syria and
its ''recruitment and training of foreign terrorist fighters whose threat
affects all regions and Member States, even those far from conflict zones.''
Russia's War Crime In Liberated Areas
Russian warplanes used banned phosphoric bombs on the village of Beneen near the
city of Idlib and areas in Hama Province, Al Jazeera TV cited the armed Syrian
opposition reporting. These airstrikes resulted in large blazes in these regions
and a number of locals lost their lives.
These same scenes were repeated in south Aleppo and Russia warplanes dropped
such bombs on the city of Hazer located south of Aleppo, the state-run SANA
reported in Syria.
Phosphoric bombs were banned based on the 1980 Geneva Agreement and the use of
such arms are considered a war crime.
Turkish PM: We must create a safe zone
in Syria
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said in an interview with Al Jazeera TV
that his country has been emphasizing for a long time that a safe zone must be
established in Syria to allow the Syrian people travel to Turkey in safety and
provide support for Syrian refugees in their country. Guarantees should be made
to have terrorist groups distanced from Turkey's borders, have them destroyed
and establish a safe zone that will play a role in the establishment of the
future of Syria. Turkey has not received any support in this regard, he added.
Hezbollah Supporters, Commanders Questioning Militia's Role in
Syria, Say Analysts
A surge in casualties and a lack of a clear regional policy are
driving Hezbollah supporters and senior members to raise questions about the
Shi'ite Lebanese group's role in Syria where it is fighting rebels trying to
topple the government of President Bashar Al-Assad, according to analysts and
experts familiar with the inner circle of the militia.
Ali Al-Amin, a Lebanese political analyst and researcher, spoke of ''major
objections within the group over its performance in Syria'' after it recently
suffered great losses in lives at the hands of Syrian rebel groups.
The latest such episode came Monday when the Iran-affiliated group announced the
deaths of eight fighters who fell during battles in Syria.
The growing state of restlessness with the ''absence of prospects for victory
[in Syria]'' has exceeded the Lebanese group's support base to its leadership,
according to Amin.
''The debate has moved to the inner circle of the group represented by its jihad
council, with voices starting to question how after all the sacrifices they made
in Syria, the Russians came and took all of their achievements,'' Amin said.
A key ally of Assad, Russia increased its military presence in Syria last month
and launched a series of airstrikes which it said targeted the Islamic State of
Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group. However, analysts argue that the Russian buildup is
meant to shore up Assad's forces and their Hezbollah backers weakened by a
series of gains by rebels.
Hezbollah's dead in Syria were not limited to highly trained fighters but also
included dozens of high-ranking commanders, the latest of whom was Hassan
Hussein Al-Hajj, aka Hajj Maher, a founder of the pro-Assad militia.
Hajj was killed by Syrian rebels in the El-Ghab valley north of Hamah province
earlier this month and was described by Hezbollah as ''a senior commander'' who
was close to the group's leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Amin said: ''Hezbollah's losses in Syria exceeded expectations and its elite
Al-Radwan battalion has been greatly exhausted to the extent of disintegration
after the loss of its commanders and professional fighters in the Zabadani
battle.''
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on the condition of anonymity, a Free Syrian Army (FSA)
source said: ''The FSA's information confirms that Hezbollah's dead reached
1,263 until the end of last week, most of them from the elite forces, something
which has greatly hit the group's morale.''
Latest deaths reported by local media come days after top
commander was also killed while helping Syria to battle ISIL
Two senior commanders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have been
killed in Syria, according to Iranian media.
Hamid Mokhtarband and Brigadier General Farshad Hassounizadeh died while
assisting the Syrian government's battle against ISIL on Monday, reported the
Tasnim and Fars news agencies and Press TV.
Their deaths come after another top commander, General Hossein Hamadani, was
killed on Thursday night on the outskirts of Aleppo.
Press TV reported that Hassounizadeh was in Syria to "defend the holy shrine of
Hazrat Zeinab, the granddaughter of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), in the
country's capital of Damascus."
The Islamic Republic denies having any military forces in Syria, but says it
offers "military advice" to Assad's forces in their fight against "terrorist
groups".
An IRGC statement on Friday said that Hamadani had been advising the Syrian
military and defend Shia shrines in the country.
Iran is the main regional ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and has
provided military and economic support during Syria's four-year-old civil war.
Assad's other longtime ally, Russia, launched its air campaign in September,
saying it would target ISIL. Its planes, however, have also hit other rebel
groups opposed to Assad, including groups backed by Washington.
More than 250,000 people have been killed in Syria's civil war, which began in
2011.
Sinai: Where Cowardly Putin Running Chicken -
Russian Government Suspends All Flights to Egypt On Attacks Advice
Russia's Putin has ordered
suspensioin of all passenger flights to Egypt on Friday after a deadly plane
downing by the Sinai group affliate of ISIL at the weekend as Western
intelligence officials rallied aroubd their ''chatter'' to support their
assessments that the jet was brought down by an external attack or a force on
board.
Analysis believe Pax Americana might be unravelling in the Middle East, but
Russia's indiscriminate bombing shows that outside powers will continue to use
violence and dictators for regional hegemony.
Russia mourned the victims of its biggest ever air disaster after a passenger
jet full of Russian tourists crashed in Egypt's Sinai, killing all 224 people on
board.
The Airbus A321-200, operated by the Moscow-based Metrojet airline, was downed
in a remote mountainous part of the Sinai Peninsula 23 minutes after taking off
from Sharm el-Sheikh on Saturday morning.
Information intercepted by U.S. and British spies suggested a bomb may have been
carried onto the Russian plane that crashed in the Sinai Peninsula last week,
The Times reported in its Friday edition.
The Times newspaper reported the information came to light after a joint
U.S.-British intelligence operation ''used satellites to uncover electronic
communications'' between Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants in
Syria and Egypt, without giving a source for the information.
''The tone and content of the messages convinced analysts that a bomb had been
carried on board by a passenger or a member of the airport ground staff,'' the
newspaper reported.
The British and U.S. governments have said it is possible an explosive caused
the Saint Petersburg-bound jet to crash in the Sinai Peninsula after taking off
from the red sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, killing all 224 people on board.
New intelligence
British and U.S. spies intercepted ''chatter'' from suspected militants and at
least one other government suggesting that a bomb, possibly hidden in luggage in
the hold, downed the airliner, Western intelligence sources said.
The intelligence sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the
sensitivity of the situation, said the evidence was not categorical and there
was still no hard forensic or scientific evidence to support the bomb theory.
Britain, which said a bomb planted by an Islamic State affiliate may have caused
the crash, Ireland, Germany and the Netherlands, had already suspended regular
flights to Sharm al-Sheikh where the downed Russian airliner originated. Turkey
said on Friday it was also cancelling flights to the Egyptian resort.
Britain temporarily suspended flights between Sharm el-Sheikh and Britain due to
the intelligence, and warned against all but essential travel by air to the
resort due to new intelligence.
Flights from Sharm el-Sheikh to Britain are due to resume on Friday, with
airlines laying on extra routes to get stranded travelers home, but passengers
will only be allowed to fly with hand luggage due to a request from the British
government.
The Telegraph reported that ''crucial intelligence'' came to light after British
and US intelligence services ''went back over communications of known fanatics in
the region''.
''Their trawl revealed 'chatter' in the days before the crash pointing to an
imminent attack,'' the Telegraph reported, without giving a source for the
report.
ISIS has claimed responsibility for the disaster, but the idea has been played
down by Russia and Egypt, which is keen to protect its valuable tourism industry
and has urged patience until the results of an investigation into the crash are
known.
US President Barack Obama also said he believes there is a "possibility" a bomb
brought the plane.
"I think there is a possibility that there was a bomb on board and we're taking
that very seriously," Obama says in a radio interview.
Russian intervention in Syria could be the biggest threat in decades to Pax
Americana in the Middle East - although the alternative on offer appears to be
equally as damaging.
Following talks on Thursday in London with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi,
Cameron defended his decision to suspend flights to Sharm el-Sheikh and make
public his belief, based on intelligence reports, that a bomb was the likely
cause of last week's crash, which killed 224 people.
Russia's decision may be the first sign that Moscow, which launched air strikes
against Islamist fighters including Islamic State in Syria more than a month
ago, is attaching credibility to the theory that militants put a bomb on the
aircraft.
Putin acted after Alexander Bortnikov, the head of Russia's FSB security
service, recommended that Russia suspend all passenger flights to Egypt until it
knew exactly what caused the crash.
''The head of state agreed with these recommendations,'' Dmitry Peskov, Putin's
spokesman, was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.
He said the government would find a way to bring Russians back home and would
open talks with Egyptian authorities to improve flight safety. Peskov later told
reporters the suspension would remain in place until such time as the Kremlin
was satisfied that security had been sufficiently improved.
''I think that since Putin made the decision to cancel flights, most likely there
is a genuine suspicion that it was a terrorist act. And of course, then it is
correct to cancel the flights because it means it is dangerous to fly there,''
said Maria Solomatina, 27, an IT consultant who has a ticket to travel to Egypt
in mid-November.
A Sinai-based group affiliated with Islamic State, the militants who have seized
swathes of Iraq and Syria, has claimed responsibility for the crash, which, if
confirmed, would make it the jihadist organisation's first attack on civil
aviation.
The fate of Egypt's tourist industry, a vital source of hard currency for a
struggling economy, is at stake as well as the credibility of President Abdel
Fattah al-Sisi's claims to have brought under control the militants fighting to
topple his government.
The crash has put Egypt's airport security measures in the spotlight.
KLM introduced new security measures on its trips from Cairo to Amsterdam.
Passengers will only be allowed to take hand luggage onto the flight, Egyptian
airport security sources said on Friday.
Several passengers instead opted to take different flights. KLM Flight 554 left
Cairo on Friday morning with only 115 passengers out of its 247 registered ones
as a result.
Agencies, EsinIslam.Com,
Al-Araby al-Jadeed & Several News Outlets
Heavy Assad Regime Losses in Hama Despite Russian Supports Of Ceaseless
Killings Of Syrian Civilians
By Anas al-Kurdi
Syrian opposition forces recaptured two villages in the Hama countryside,
west-central Syria, on Friday, after they were seized by government troops as
part of a major offensive that began last month in face of Russia's relentless
aggresions and brutes against the Syrian civilian population.
"Opposition fighters captured the villages of Atshan and Um Hartain in the
northern and eastern Hama countryside this morning, a month after they were
seized by the regime with the assistance of Russian airstrikes," the director of
the Hama Media Centre, Yazan Shahdawi told al-Araby al-Jadeed.
The London based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that at least 16
pro-regime fighters were killed in the fight for the two villages.
Meanwhile, the media office of Ajnad al-Sham, one of the rebel groups that took
part in the battle, has claimed that 50 regime troops have been killed.
Rebel fighters also seized two regime tanks and a Kornet missile system from the
village of Um Hartain, Shahdawi said.
The villages are situated in a strategic location overlooking a number of
pro-regime villages and on the route between the northern and eastern
countryside of Hama. This development will enable rebel forces to cut off the
regime's supply route in the Hama countryside.
Rebel forces have recently captured a number of other villages in the Hama
countryside allowing them to ensure their supply lines and movements.
Meanwhile, the Hama Media Centre reported that over 100 regime forces were
killed and many others captured in the strategic town of Morek, north of the
city of Hama, which was seized by rebel factions on Thursday.
The recent rebel advances in Hama have been the largest since the regime
launched its offensive on the area last month with the assistance of Russian
airstrikes.
Agencies, EsinIslam.Com,
Al-Araby al-Jadeed & Several News Outlets
Blast in Lebanese Border Town Targets Syrian Clerics As Syrian Refugee Children
Are 'Forced To Kneel Before Lebanese Flag'
An explosion rocked the town
of Arsal on Lebanon's border with Syria, targeting a meeting of the Qalamoun
Muslim Scholars Committee.
At least nine people were killed in the explosion, including the chairman of the
committee, Othman Mansour (Syrian), and several others were wounded.
The body of a suicide bomber who may have detonated the explosives was
reportedly taken to a hospital in Arsal.
According to several reports, the alleged suicide bomber was riding a motorcycle
when he detonated the explosives.
It was first not clear if the explosion was the result of a car bomb or if
explosives were planted in a shop.
The Qalamoun Muslim Scholars Committee is considered to be a moderate group of
religious scholars who deal with legal matters concerning the Syrian refugees
who reside in Arsal, such as marriages, divorces, and minor disputes.
Local sources have said that Islamic State group and the Nusra Front who are
holed up in the rugged mountains around Arsal were not happy about the
committee's independent activities in the town.
Syrian refugee children 'forced to
kneel before Lebanese flag'
In the latest in a series of documented abuses against refugees, an undercover
crew from a Lebanese television show has filmed children at a Lebanese public
school apparently being made to kneel before the national flag in what appears
to be punishment.
"Talk Straight", aired by the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation on November 2,
said the children were Syrian and Iraqi refugees, and, citing witness reports,
alleged that the practice was widespread in other schools.
Lebanon, a tiny Arab Mediterranean nation of four million, is struggling to cope
with millions of Syrian, Iraqi and Palestinian refugees.
However, there have been repeated complaints of systematic racism in the country
targeting refugees and foreign domestic workers.
Chemical Bashar: Mustard Gas Use In Syria Conflict Confirmed
Mustard gas was used during
summer fighting in Syria but it was not clear by whom, the global chemical
weapons watchdog said Thursday, while extremists seized a key town from regime
forces.
The deadly gas was used in the flashpoint town of Marea in the northern province
of Aleppo on 21 August, a source from the Organisation for the Prohibition of
Chemical Weapons [OPCW] told AFP.
"We have determined the facts, but we have not determined who was responsible,"
the source said.
Syrian rebels and aid groups said that at the end of August dozens of people
were affected by a chemical attack on Marea, where moderate opposition rebels
and militants from the Islamic State [IS, formerly ISIS] group were battling.
Doctors Without Borders [MSF] said it had treated four civilians from one
family.
Patients at a MSF hospital in Aleppo said they saw a "yellow gas" when a mortar
round hit their house.
Meanwhile, bolstered by a Russian air campaign launched in September, President
Bashar al-Assad's forces have been fighting to retake territory lost to rebels
in the country's brutal four-year war but have failed to score significant
gains.
On Thursday an extremist faction, Jund al-Aqsa, was reported to have seized the
last government-held town on the main highway between Syria's second city Aleppo
to the north and the city of Hama to the south.
They "seized full control of the town of Morek after a fierce offensive", said
the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group.
Jund al-Aqsa boasted of victory in Morek on its Twitter account but a Syrian
security source insisted fighting was ongoing and denied a major setback.
Morek has changed hands several times in the conflict, with government troops
last retaking it in October 2014.
Major fightback
Last month, Syrian troops launched a major fightback in Hama province with
Russian air support, with the main Aleppo highway a main objective.
It was one of a number of counter-offensives the Damascus regime has launched
since Moscow intervened.
Regime forces scored a rare win Wednesday, recapturing from IS an alternative
route further east that provides the government's sole link to neighbourhoods of
Aleppo under its control.
Advancing IS forces had severed the road last month, cutting off food and
supplies to tens of thousands of civilians in the west of Aleppo city.
For the first time since IS had cut the road, trucks of fruits and vegetables
arrived in regime-held neighbourhoods of the city, residents said.
IS has continued advancing in various parts of Syria, despite the Russian
strikes and more than a year of air raids targeting the group by a US-led
coalition.
On Thursday the Observatory said that at least 22 civilians were killed along
with several IS fighters in air raids on the Syrian town of Bukamal, near the
Iraqi border, but did not say which nation carried out the strikes.
Russia said its air force carried out strikes near the IS-held ancient city of
Palmyra, bringing to 263 the number of targets Russian jets have hit in the past
two days.
And France, which joined coalition operations in Syria last month after
previously carrying out strikes in Iraq, said on Thursday it would deploy its
Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier to better fight the jihadists.
More than 250,000 people have been killed in the war, which began in 2011 and
has frequently spilled across the border.
On Thursday, six people were killed in a suicide attack at a meeting of Muslim
clerics in the Lebanese town of Arsal, a security source told AFP.
Arsal is a Sunni Muslim enclave in mainly-Shia eastern Lebanon and hosts many
Syrian refugees as well as rebel fighters in the surrounding countryside.
It was not immediately clear who carried out the attack.
The UN envoy for Syria, meanwhile, will brief the Security Council next week
after holding talks in Damascus, Moscow and Washington.
THE SOLDIERS OF THE KHILAFAH
WERE ABLE TO DOWN A RUSSIAN PLANE OVER WILAYAT SAYNA
ISLAMIC STATE SAYNA'
17 MUHARRAM 1437
THE SOLDIERS OF THE KHILAFAH
WERE ABLE TO DOWN A RUSSIAN PLANE OVER WILAYAT SAYNA'. IT WAS CARRYING MORE THAN
220 RUSSIAN CRUSADERS. ALL OF THEM WERE KILLED, AND PRAISE IS FOR ALLAH. THIS IS
TO SHOW THE RUSSIANS AND WHOEVER ALLIES WITH THEM THAT THEY SHALL HAVE NO SAFETY
IN MUSLIM LANDS OR AIRSPACE, AND THAT THEIR DAILY KILLING OF DOZENS IN SHAM VIA
THEIR AIRSTRIKES SHALL RESULT IN THEIR DEMISE. AS THEY KILL, THEY WILL BE KILLED
BY THE PERMISSION OF ALLAH. ALLAH IS IN CONTROL, THOUGH MOST PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW.
Russian Metrojet's Airbus A-321 Downed As The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria
(ISIS) Egyptian Affiliate Group Welcome Putin To Hell In Their Own Fashions And
Terms
ISIS has released several high profile evidences
to assert their claim of responsibility for the Russian plane crash which
claimed the lives of some 220 Russian passengers and crew confirming their
action was in response to Russia's decision to bomb Islamic fighters in Syria in
a bid to prop up Basher al-Assad's murderous regime.
THE SOLDIERS OF THE KHILAFAH WERE ABLE TO DOWN A RUSSIAN PLANE OVER WILAYAT
SAYNA'. IT WAS CARRYING MORE THAN 220 RUSSIAN CRUSADERS. ALL OF THEM WERE
KILLED, AND PRAISE IS FOR ALLAH. THIS IS TO SHOW THE RUSSIANS AND WHOEVER ALLIES
WITH THEM THAT THEY SHALL HAVE NO SAFETY IN MUSLIM LANDS OR AIRSPACE, AND THAT
THEIR DAILY KILLING OF DOZENS IN SHAM VIA THEIR AIRSTRIKES SHALL RESULT IN THEIR
DEMISE. AS THEY KILL, THEY WILL BE KILLED BY THE PERMISSION OF ALLAH. ALLAH IS
IN CONTROL, THOUGH MOST PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW.
ISLAMIC STATE SAYNA'
17 MUHARRAM 1437
As security forces discovered the wreckage in a remote mountainous area in an
area containing many ISIS-affiliated groups yesterday afternoon, German airline
Lufthansa said they will no longer fly over the Sinai peninsula 'as long as the
cause for [the] crash has not been clarified'. Air France later said the same.
Impacts Of ISIL Attacks On Putin:
German airline Lufthansa has said they will no longer fly over the Sinai
peninsula 'as long as the cause for the crash has not been clarified'.
A spokeswoman for the airline said 'security is our highest
priority', adding that it would use detours to service airports in the region.
Air France has also confirmed that it will not be flying through the restive
area until the reasons behind the crash become clear.
Meanwhile, British Airways has reportedly ordered its pilots to avoid low flying
over Egypt in the wake of the deadly crash.
Hundreds of flights, carrying British passengers to tourist hot spots such as
Sharm el-Sheikh, will continue to fly over the region.
But pilots have been secretly told to be more cautious about their altitude amid
concerns of a terror attack,The UK
Sun reports.
The maximum height a surface-to-air missile could strike is thought to be 25,000
feet.
Did the Americans expect the Putin's actions against the Syrian population to be
punished this early and at this scale of life wasting. It certainly looks so,
especially, that Obama likes to position himself an expert in
war games anytime Putin tries to show he's calculative in his rivalry
with the American leadership in the world stage.
Thursday October 8,
2015, US defence secretary Ashton Carter predicted reprisal attacks on Russian
soil over Vladimir Putin's military campaign to prop up Bashar al-Assad's
regime.
Moscow will soon start paying the price for its escalating military intervention
in Syria in the form of reprisal attacks and casualties, the US defence
secretary has warned, amid signs that Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies are
preparing to counter the Russian move.
Ashton Carter was talking at a meeting of Nato defence ministers in Brussels on
Thursday during which the ministers agreed to increase a Nato response force
intended to move quickly to flashpoints.
Riyadh's anger over Vladimir Putin's intervention was reflected in a statement
by 55 leading clerics, including prominent Islamists, urging ''true Muslims'' to
''give all moral, material, political and military'' support to the fight against
Assad's army as well as Iranian and Russian forces.
''Russia has created a Frankenstein in
the region which it will not be able to control,'' warned a senior Qatari source.
''With the call to jihad things will change. Everyone will go to fight. Even
Muslims who sit in bars. There are 1.5 billion Muslims. Imagine what will happen
if 1% of them join.''
In his remarks, Carter said that the Russian military campaign, including
airstrikes and ship-launched cruise missiles, were not targeting Isis but
represented a Russian decision ''to double down on a longstanding relationship
with Assad''.
''They have initiated a joint ground
offensive with the Syrian regime, shattering the facade that they are there to
fight Isil [Isis],'' he added. ''This will have consequences for Russia itself,
which is rightly fearful of attacks. In coming days, the Russians will begin to
suffer from casualties.''
Carter said that Russian missiles had been fired without giving notice to other
states in the region and came within a few miles of hitting a US drone over
Syrian airspace.
''We've seen increasingly unprofessional behaviour from Russian forces. They
violated Turkish airspace ... They shot cruise missiles from the Caspian Sea
without warning,'' the defence secretary said.
Russian Metrojet's Airbus A-321 Downed As The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria
(ISIS) Egyptian Affiliate Group Welcome Putin To Hell In Their Own Fashions And
Terms
Russians have started counting their body bags in hundreds as Egyptian
affiliate of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group managed to have
downed a Russian passenger jet that crashed in the Sinai Peninsula, killing all
224 people onboard.
Russia's transport minister Maksim Sokolov lost in sorrow as he struggled to
find words to qualify the accuracy of the latest information in comments cited
by Russian news agencies.
''We are in close contact with our Egyptian colleagues and aviation authorities
in the country. At present, they have no information that would confirm such
insinuations,'' he added.
Meanwhile, Egypt has recovered the black box of a Russian airliner that crashed
Saturday in the restive Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people on board, the
prime minister's office said.
According to the office of Prime Minister Sharif Ismail said, he black box was
recovered from the tail of the plane and has been sent to be analyzed by
experts, and that rescuers had recovered 129 bodies from the site of the crash.
The prime minister confirmed that it was impossible to determine the cause of
the Russian plane has not been drowned until the black box was examined,
pointing out that no ''irregular'' activities were believed to be behind the
perish of the Metrojet's Airbus A-321 with registration number EI-ETJ that
crashed in Egypt's Sinai peninsula as Reuters reported.
The ISIS affiliate, which is very active in the Sinai, had circulated a
statement on social media claiming responsibility for the crash, saying it
brought down the aircraft in revenge for Russian air strikes against militants
in Syria.
''The soldiers of the caliphate succeeded in bringing down a Russian plane in
Sinai,'' its statement said.
News agencies have reported significance in the movements of the Egyptian groups
and their abilities depsite several military experts contacted by AFP said
playing down the likeliness of ISIS militants in Sinai possessing missiles
capable of shooting down a plane flying at 30,000 feet without other powerful
supports from the region.
But they did not discount the possibility that a bomb may have been planted on
the plane, or that it could have been hit by a rocket or missile as it lost
height due to technical problems.
The plane - an Airbus A321-200 operated by Russian carrier Kogalymavia - also
known as Metrojet - had reportedly split in two. Other bodies had been found
strapped to their seats.
An Egyptian security officer at the site told Reuters by telephone that his team
extracted "at least 100 bodies and the rest are still inside," the officer, who
requested anonymity, said.
Most of the passengers on board are believed to be Russian tourists. But
analysts say the passengers are likely to include a large pack of Russian army
personels and their family assigned to tasks including undecover and
participation in Russia's ondoing slaughters of the Syrians.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered Russian what he described as rescue
teams to visit the site of the crash, while Egypt's prosecutor general has
ordered an investigation.
Russian officials began searching the Moscow offices of Kogalymavia, and have
seized documents, Russian state TV reported.
"Military planes have discovered the wreckage of the plane... in a mountainous
area, and 45 ambulances have been directed to the site to evacuate dead and
wounded," a cabinet statement said earlier.
Putin declared a day of mourning after the incident in Egypt.
Al-Jubeir: Hard To Envision Iran Role in Syria Solution As Syrian Rebels
Receive Weapons For Aleppo Battle
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said on
Monday it was difficult to envision a role for Iran in Syria peacemaking efforts
due to its military role in the conflict there.
Al-Jubeir made the statements during a joint conference with Germany's foreign
minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who arrived in Riyadh from Iran on a mission
largely focused on seeking ways to end the war in Syria.
Jubeir repeated Riyadh's view that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is
supported by Iran, had to leave power if peace was to be achieved.
"The question is: what must Iran do to be part of the solution in Syria? The
answer is very simple:
"It has to withdraw from Syria and it has to stop supplying weapons to Bashar
al-Assad's regime and it has to withdraw the Shi'ite militias that it sent ...
and then it can have a role," Jubeir said, adding that Iran was now an "occupier
of Arab lands in Syria".
Saudi Arabia believed Assad must step down as soon as a transitional body was
set up in line with the Geneva peace talks of 2012, he said.
"After the formation of this governmental body, President Assad must step down.
If it is a matter of months, two or three months or less, that is not important.
But Assad has no future in Syria," Jubeir said according to an Arabic
translation of his comments made in English at the news conference.
The idea that Assad might stay until elections were held and that he could
participate in these elections had no prospect, he added.
Tehran has armed the Syrian government and, by backing Lebanese Hezbollah
fighters, helped Assad combat rebels seeking to end his rule in the
four-year-old conflict.
Jubeir said he hoped Iran would stop interfering in the affairs of regional
countries, like Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
"We are determined to confront any Iranian moves and we will do everything we
can with what we have in political, economic and military means to protect our
lands and people."
Syrian rebels receive weapons for
Aleppo battle
Rebels battling the Syrian army and its allies south of Aleppo say they have
received new supplies of U.S.-made anti-tank missiles from states that oppose
President Bashar al-Assad since a major government offensive began there on
Friday.
Rebels from three Free Syrian Army-affiliated groups contacted by Reuters said
new supplies had arrived since the start of the attack by the army backed by
Iranian fighters and Lebanon's Hezbollah.
But officials from one of the groups said that while new quantities had arrived,
the supplies were not enough for the scale of the assault. They declined to be
identified due to the sensitivities of the matter. "A few will not do the trick.
They need dozens," said one of the officials.
A number of rebel groups vetted by states opposed to Assad have been supplied
with weapons via Turkey, part of a programme supported by the United States and
which has in some cases included military training by the Central Intelligence
Agency.
Rami Abdulrahman, director of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights which monitors the Syrian conflict, said rebels had hit at least 11 army
vehicles with guided anti-tank missiles near Aleppo since Friday.
Turkey Shoots Down Drone At Syria Border: The Russians Have Been Warned
Turkish jets shot down an unidentified drone
that had violated Turkey's airspace at the border with Syria, the military said.
The alien, unmanned aerial vehicle which entered the country's airspace on
Friday from Syria continued to advance despite three warnings, the Turkish
military said.
The plane "was shot down by Turkish planes patrolling the border in line with
the rules of engagement", a statement said.
Earlier in October, Turkey complained about Russian warplanes violating its
airspace, intrusions that also drew strong condemnation from Turkey's NATO
allies.
On Friday, Russia said it has agreed all technical questions for Syria flight
safety with the United States after Turkey downing the plane.
Turkey's NTV television, without citing its sources, said the object was a
drone, and it had fallen three kilometers (1.85 miles) inside Turkish territory.
Television pictures showed the military examining the crash site. The location
was not specified.
Turkey had earlier this month bitterly complained about two violations of its
air space by Russian warplanes operating in Syria.
Russia's air strikes in Syria mean that Russian and NATO planes are now flying
combat missions in the same air space for the first time since World War Two,
heightening concern that the Cold War enemies could fire on each other.
The Russian air force officially informed the Turkish military on Thursday about
the violations by Russian jets earlier this month, and about steps it would take
to prevent a repetition.
Turkey has also reported unidentified aircraft and Syria-based missile air
defence systems harassing its warplanes several times in recent months.
Since 2013, Turkey has shot down a Syrian military jet, a helicopter and an
unmanned surveillance drone that have strayed into Turkish airspace. The
incidents occurred after it changed its rules of engagement following the
downing of a Turkish fighter jet by Syria.
Turkey has also reported numerous incidents of harassment of its F-16 jets
patrolling the Syrian border by Syrian fighter planes or Syria-based
surface-to-air missile systems locking radar on them.
To ease tensions with Russia, a high-level Russian delegation led by the
country's deputy air force commander held talks on Thursday with Turkish
military officials in Ankara. The military said the sides had discussed measures
Russia was taking to avoid further incidents.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Moscow that it would lose a lot if
it destroyed its friendship with Ankara, adding that his country would not
remain patient in the face of violations of its air space by Russian warplanes.
Turkey on Thursday said it summoned the Russian ambassador to Ankara for a
second time after a new incursion by a Russian fighter jet on Sunday.
The first reported violation of Turkish airspace took place on Saturday,
prompting a sharp warning from Turkey that future violations could lead to an
implementation of the rules of engagement and condemnation from NATO.
Turkey is a member of the alliance.
The Russian embassy confirmed that "such an incident took place", according to
the Interfax news agency.
Russia last week began bombing what it says are Islamic State in Iraq and the
Levant (ISIL) group targets in the Syria, though the air strikes seem to be
largely hitting different opposition groups fighting President Bashar al-Assad.
The strikes seem to be focused on frontline areas where Assad's forces are
facing losses to the rebel factions, especially in the provinces of Idlib and
Hama in the north.
These areas have no ISIL presence.
Russia is a firm backer of Assad, while Western nations and Turkey say Assad has
lost the legitimacy to continue in power over the longer term.
Russia has also been accused by Western officials and activists on the ground
that many of the targets since the beginning of its campaign on Wednesday were
civilian.
Turkey warns Russia over airspace
violation
Turkey's prime minister says Russia has described its warplane's violation of
Turkey's airspace as a "mistake" while calling the country's entry into the
conflict in Syria as an escalation.
Ahmet Davutoglu, speaking in a live interview on HaberTurk TV on Monday, said
that Turkey's rules of engagement were clear, whomever violates its airspace.
A Russian aircraft entered Turkish airspace near the Syrian border on Saturday,
prompting Turkey to scramble two F-16 jets to intercept it and summon Russia's
ambassador in protest.
"The Turkish armed forces are clearly instructed. Even it is a flying bird it
will be intercepted," Davutoglu said.
He warned Turkey's enemies and allies not to infringe its air space but he
dismissed the notion of tensions with Russia.
Jens Stoltenberg, NATO secretary-general, said he was convening a meeting of the
military alliance's ambassadors on Monday afternoon to discuss Russia's
"unacceptable violations". Turkey is one of NATO's 28 member states.
Feridun Sinirlioglu, Turkey's foreign minister, contacted his Russian
counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, warning him not to repeat similar incidents.
US Military Chief Says Russian Measures
Intensify Syria Civil War
The United State has warned that Russia's
decision to join forces with Syria in air strikes against ISIS will only help to
intensify the instability in Syria and make the civil war there more vicious,
RTT reports indicate.
During a Pentagon news conference in the wake of these
developments, US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the Russian position of
supporting the regime of Bashar al-Assad and its desire to take on extremist
groups such as the Islamic State represent a contradiction.
'Fighting ISIL without pursuing a parallel political
transition only risks escalating the civil war in Syria - and with it, the very
extremism and instability that Moscow claims to be concerned about and aspire to
fighting,' he said. 'So that approach is tantamount to pouring gasoline on the
fire,' according to Carter.
The secretary restated the American position, saying that a lasting defeat of
ISIL and its terrorist allies can be achieved only in parallel with a political
transition in Syria. 'We will continue to insist on the importance of
simultaneously pursuing these two objectives,' he said.
But Russian aircraft struck targets around Homs in Syria
Wednesday and Thursday. A Russian officer notified personnel in the U.S. Embassy
in Baghdad of the strikes an hour before they launched. No coalition aircraft
were in the region at the time, and Carter said he doubts any ISIL terrorists
were in the area struck.
Russian and coalition officers will meet in the next few days
to 'deconflict' air operations. The meeting will allow a flow of information
between coalition forces and Russian elements to maintain the safety of U.S.
personnel in the region, Carter said.
The meeting also will be an opportunity to ensure that any
additional Russian actions do not interfere with the coalition's efforts to
degrade and defeat ISIL, he added.
The secretary stressed that the more-than-60-nation coalition
is battling ISIL 'across the physical, virtual and ideological battle space,'
conducting more than 7,100 air strikes at ISIS' operational core and logistics
arm. 'The coalition will continue to fly missions over Iraq and Syria as
planned, as we did today, in support of our international mission to degrade and
destroy ISIS.'
Carter said the U.S. talks with the Russians over Syria do not
indicate a lessening of America's strong condemnation of Russian aggression in
Ukraine, nor do they change U.S. sanctions and security support in response to
those destabilizing actions.
Carter made it clear that if Russia wants to end its
international isolation and be considered a global power, it must stop its
aggression in eastern Ukraine and its occupation and attempted annexation of
Crimea, and live up to its commitments under the Minsk agreement.
More Iranian Revolutionary Guards' Generals Perish In Syria
More senior officers from Iran's Revolutionary Guards generals were slain
fighting ISIL militants in Syria, Iran's Tasnim news agency reported, ahead of
a planned offensive by Syria's army backed by Tehran.
Major General Farshad Hasounizadeh and Brigadier Hamid Mokhtarband, commanders
in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), perished in confronting the
ISIL fighters on Monday, Tasnim said late on Tuesday. It did not say where they
were fighting.
Iran has sent thousands of troops into Syria in recent days to bolster a
planned ground offensive against insurgents in Aleppo by the Syrian army, which
will also be supported by Russian air strikes, two senior regional officials
told Reuters.
The government of President Bashar al-Assad has been strengthened by two weeks
of Russian air strikes that the Kremlin says are targeting ISIS. The United
States says they have also targeted other rebel groups.
Another senior Revolutionary Guards commander, Hossein Hamedani, was killed
last week while advising the Syrian army near Aleppo.
Tehran is Assad's main regional ally and has provided him with military and
economic support during Syria's civil war, now in its fifth year.
11 more of Iran's IRGC proxsies killed
in Syria
Eleven members and proxies of the Revolutionary Guards dispatched by Iran to
Syria have been killed in recent clashes, the mullahs' state-run media
reported.
These IRGC members and proxies were killed by Syrian opposition fighters in a
recent ground attack by Assad's military and militia forces dispatched from
Iran to areas near Hama in Syria, Orient TV reported.
These 11 individuals include an Iranian colonel by the name of Alireza Ghanvati,
8 Afghan and 2 Pakistani militants.
Putin Admits Russia Aiming To Help Assad In Trouble As Syria Rebels Using More
Forces, Equipment In Front Lines
The Russian leader confirmed the allegations that his main goal in intervening
in Syria was to prop up embattled leader Bashar Assad, The Hill reported.
'Our task is to stabilize the legitimate government and to create conditions
for a political compromise ... by military means, of course,' Russian President
Vladimir Putin said in an interview with Russian state television, according to
a translation from CNN.
'The units of international terrorists and their ilk have no desire to
negotiate with the Syrian government, who is almost sieged in its own capital.'
Putin's comments will come as little surprise to watchers of the region, who
have noted Moscow's recent support for Assad, a longtime ally.
In recent weeks, Russia has begun and dramatically increased a military
campaign to support Assad at the expense, according to reports, of CIA-backed
rebels and other groups trying to force him out of power.
The Kremlin has insisted that any rebels fighting against Assad's government
are ''terrorists'' the term Putin used to describe enemies of his friend Assad
and Tehran. The White House has opposed that narrative, though its attempts to
support moderate rebels in the region have been decidedly unproductive.
The Obama administration has said that ''greater than 90 percent'' of Russia's
airstrikes have been against opposition groups, not the Islamic State in Iraq
and Syria (ISIS).
Human Rights Watch has echoed accusations by Syrian activists that Russia was
behind the use of new advanced cluster munitions in Syria by dropping them from
warplanes or supplying them to the Assad government.
The Pentagon says the vast majority of Russian strikes have been against
opponents of President Bashar al-Assad, whose forces have made gains since
Russian military intervention on September 30.
Government forces have pushed to regain the Sahl al-Ghab plain, which is
adjacent to Latakia province, the heartland of Assad's regime. Now the Syrian
army is focusing its fight on the village of Kafr Nabudeh.
Capturing Kafr Nabudeh would cut off a major highway, giving the pro-government
forces access to the northwestern province of Idlib.
Syria rebels using more forces,
equipment in front lines
Syrian fighters are dispatching more men and arms to the front lines, Reuters
reported on Tuesday, including a significant number of anti-tank missiles.
Their goal is to confront and defeat ground attacks by Assad's forces and its
allies as they are backed by Russian airstrikes.
With support provided by the Lebanese Hezbollah and Iranian proxies, the Assad
regime is attempting to force the rebels out of the western areas of Syria,
Reuters added. However, its forces have suffered heavy casualties so far.
At least 25 Assad troops were killed in Hama recently.
US-led coalition forces have parachuted ammunition to Syrian rebels fighting
the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group, according to a US
official.
Elissa Smith, a spokesperson for the US defence secretary, said on Monday that
the airdrop took place in northern Syria on Sunday.
"This successful airdrop provided ammunition to Syrian groups whose leaders
were appropriately vetted by the United States and have been fighting to remove
ISIL from northern Syria," she said.
"The airdrop includes small arms ammunition. Due to operational security we
will not have any further details about the groups that received these
supplies, their location, or the type of equipment in the airdrop."
Meanwhile, Russia - which believes it is wrong of US to arm the groups that
Washington calls "moderate" - intensified its air strikes on Monday in central
Syria.
Highest Ranking Khomeini General Hosain al- Hamadani Slain At The Hand Of ISIL
In The Battle Of Kwayres Airbase Near Aleppo
By Aminah Khouri
Khomenist regime in Tehran has confirmed the slaughter of its highest ranking
Iranian general to be killed in Syria's four-year-long civil war. Iranian
general Hosain al- Hamadani was killed with some of escorts when IS targeted
them near Kwayres airbase east of Aleppo yesterday, was the supervisor on the
operation of breaking the siege imposed on the airbase of Kwayres by IS
militants. It is noted that the regime forces and allied militiamen have started
a military operation to retake the airbase and nearby areas in late September.
Sporadic clashes took place after midnight between the regime forces, backed by
Shiites and Russians, against the rebel and Islamist factions on the outskirts
of Karm al- Tarrab neighborhood near al- Nayrab airbase in the east of Aleppo
leading to killing of a media activist in a rebel battalion.
The slay of Iranian Revolutionary Guards general near Aleppo, where he was
fighting alongside the Syrian army on their battle against Islamic State of Iraq
and the Levant (ISIL) fighters has rocked the regime and their supporters in
Tehran and Moscow. The killing has further exposed the Khomeini regim's denial
of having any military forces in Syria, misleading the international communities
that it has only offered "military advice" to Assad's forces in their fight
against the opposition groups.
In the biggest deployment of Iranian forces yet, Reuters news agency reported
last week that hundreds of troops had arrived since late September to take part
in a major ground offensive planned in west and northwest Syria.
Iranian politician Esmail Kosari said Hamadani helped coordination between
Syrian armed forces and the voluntary forces in their fight against the Syrian
opposition.
Hamedani was commander of an IRGC unit, Tehran's Mohammad Rasoulallah Corps,
when street protests erupted over the presidential elections. Gen. Hassan
Firouzabadi, chief of staff of Iran's Armed Forces, in remembering Hamedani's
career, praised his efforts in ''confronting the American coup in the sedition of
2009.''
Hamedani's most recent role was helping to establish a people's militia in
Syria. "For years, Hamadani played a very important role in Syria as an adviser
... he played an important role in preventing the fall of Damascus. Then he
returned home at the end of his assignment," Kosari told the semi-official
Tasnim news agency.
"He returned to Syria for a few days because of his deep knowledge about the
area ... and he was slain in Syria."
In March 2015, in discussing his role in Syria, Hamedani said, ''Iran's advisory
actions revolve more around monitoring and activating mobilization centers with
a cultural focus. We did not try to engineer the behavior or try to use designed
principles, rather we spent time with practical steps to create unity and
honor.''
Throughout his career, Hamedani had held a number of other important posts as
well, including commander of IRGC ground forces, deputy head of Basij and senior
advisor to IRGC.
Hamedani has helped the The Iranian regime creating several Shiite and Christian
'youth organizations' in Syria so they can receive the clerical regime's message
'more explicitly' and in the near future 'devote their life' to it.
A state-run website quoted Brigadier General Hossein Hamadani, IRGC's deputy
commander as saying: ''To strengthen morality in that country (Syria) we have
created groups known as Keshab (youth) specifically for Sunni, Alawite,
Christian and Ismaili teenagers.''
''We have created these group to pass on our message more explicitly. These
measures have reached a point that fortunately our young religious students have
become the pivots of the cultural activities in Syrian cultural activities in
Aleppo Province.''
Hamadani said the IRGC has succeeded in 'exporting the culture of sacred war and
the establishment of Basij' in Syria.
His remarks come days after remarks by senior cleric Mehdi Taeb, the head of the
so-called ''Ammar Garrison'',warning that hardships in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and
Yemen will come in the near future.
Speaking in Qum on Sunday, Taeb, who is inKhamenei's inner circle, said: ''As we
move on the hardships will become more and more. The current situation in the
world is like a major surgery which Iran, more than any other country, would
have a share of this burden and if people do not resist and are not able to
tolerate it, this surgery would be a failure.''
During the past week the Iranian regime's forces in Syria have had many
casualties including high ranking commanders.
Hundreds of members of the Iranian regime's Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC) are
fighting against opposition forces in southern Syria, according to reports by
Syrian opposition sources.
The remains of sixteen Iranian Revolutionary Guards and their Afghan mercenaries
who were recently killed while fighting for Bashar Al-Assad in Syria have been
buried in Iran in the past few days.
Funeral services for the seven Afghans, identified as Reza Bakhshi, Mohmoud
Hakimi, Javid Yousefi, Nematollah Najafi, Ghassem Sadat, Hossein Hoseini and Ali
Reza Tavasooli, were held last week in the city of Mashhad.
Ali Reza Tavasooli, one of the most prominent foreign mercenaries of the Iranian
regime fighting for Syrian dictator Bashar Al-Assad was killed on few daus ago
in the southern province of Daraa.
Tavassoli, who commanded a brigade of Afghans dispatched by the Iranian regime
to Syria, was close to Qassem Suleimani, the commander of the Iranian regime's
terrorist Quds Force.
Mohammad Sahebkaram Ardekani, another IRGC commander, was killed in Syria on
March 3 and his remains will be transferred to Iran in the coming days.
Assad, Iran And Russia Are Losing: Over 150 Assad Army Soldiers, Russian Officer
Killed Near Hama
The first Russian officer was killed in heavy clashes erupting in the
battlefronts of Murk, located north of the city of Hama in Syria, between Assad
soldiers and members of the Free Syrian Army, Orient TV reported.
Over 150 Assad troops were also killed in this intense fighting on Thursday, the
Hama news network reported. A number of Assad army officers were also amongst
those killed.
Pro-Assad regime websites admitted to the death of 55 of these military
soldiers.
Russia helicopter shot down, 4
passengers killed near Hama
Syrian armed opposition forces were able to shoot down a Russian military
helicopter in northern Hama Province on Thursday, killing 1 Russian officer and
three Russian soldiers, Orient TV reported.
Around noon on Thursday four helicopters were flying over the battlefronts and
they were seeking to transport a number of Assad regime commandoes to the area.
Syrian fighters targeted these choppers flying at low altitude, shooting down
one of the helicopters.
US official: 4 Russian cruise missiles
fired from Caspian Sea landed inside Iran soil
Various US officials on Thursday revealed four of the cruise missiles launched
by Russia on Wednesday from the Caspian Sea landed in Iran, while they were
actually targeted for Syria.
These US official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said it is not clear
how much damages these missiles have left inside Iran.
The Russian Defense Ministry has refused to make any comment regarding these
reports in international news agencies. Kremlin announced on Wednesday its
forces launched 26 cruise missiles from the Caspian Sea on targets located in
north and northwestern Syria.
Iran has also refused to
show any response to the landing of Russian missiles inside its soil. However,
on Wednesday the mayor of the town of Takab in West Azerbaijan Province
(northwestern Iran) reported an unknown object landing and windows of some homes
in this area shattering due to the impact. A local website in Iran reported
similar incidents occurred in the city of Saghez in Kurdistan Province.
ISIL Advances On Aleppo Despite Russia Airstrikes As Obama Calls Russia Action In Syria 'Recipe For Disaster'
ISIL fighters have seized villages close to the northern city of Aleppo from
rival insurgents, a monitoring group said on Friday, despite an intensifying
Russian air-and-sea campaign that Moscow says has targeted the militant group.
News of the advance came as the United States announced it was largely
abandoning its failed program to train moderate rebels fighting ISIS and would
instead provide arms and equipment directly to rebel leaders and their units on
the battlefield.
The Obama administration is grappling with a dramatic change in the
four-year-old Syrian civil war brought about by Moscow's intervention in support
of President Bashar al-Assad.
The Pentagon said on Friday it expected to hold new talks with Russia's military
on pilot safety in Syria's war as soon as this weekend, as the former Cold War
foes seek to avoid an accidental clash as they carry out rival bombing
campaigns.
Russian air strikes
The Russian defense ministry said stepped-up air strikes on rebel positions in
Syria killed 300 anti-Assad rebels and that it hit 60 ISIS targets over the last
day. There was no independent confirmation of the death toll.
About 200 insurgents were killed in an attack on the Liwa al-Haqq group in Raqqa
province while 100 died in Aleppo, the defense ministry said. Two ISIS
commanders were among the dead in Russia's most intense raids since it launched
strikes in Syria 10 days ago. In previous updates Russia has reported hitting 10
targets daily.
However, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the fighting,
said there had been no significant advances by government forces backed by
allied militia in areas where ground offensives were launched this week. ''It's
back and forth,'' said Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Observatory.
Iran commander killed
Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard Corps said separately that one of its generals
had been killed near Aleppo, once Syria's most populous city. Iran, like Russia
an Assad ally, says it has advisers in the country.
ISIS is now within 2 km of government-held territory on the northern edge of
Aleppo, which has suffered widespread damage and disease during the civil war
that erupted in the wake of protests against Assad.
Syria's military, backed by Russia, Iran and allied militias, has launched a
major attack in Syria's west to recapture land lost to non-ISIS rebels near the
heartland of Assad's minority Alawite sect. That area is considered vital to
Assad's survival.
Obama: Russia action in Syria is
'recipe for disaster'
US President Barack Obama has warned Russia that its bombing campaign to support
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will suck Moscow into a quagmire that will be
hard to get out of.
Obama said Russia was also failing to distinguish between Islamic State of Iraq
and the Levant (ISIL) fighters and more moderate rebels in Syria.
"An attempt by Russia and Iran to prop up Assad and try to pacify the population
is just going to get them stuck in a quagmire and it won't work," Obama told a
White House news conference on Friday.
"From their perspective, they're all terrorists. And that's a recipe for
disaster."
Russia continued bombing Syria on Friday for a third straight day. Targets have
included ISIL's main stronghold in Raqqa, but also the provinces of Hama, Aleppo
and Idlib where few ISIL fighters operate.
Obama said he would not turn the Syrian civil war into a "proxy war" between the
US and Russia. "This is not some superpower chessboard contest," he said.
Activists and residents of the city said ISIL had cancelled Friday prayers and
emptied mosques there, fearing further attacks.
"The residents are very afraid, especially if the Russians are going to operate
like regime planes by targeting civilians," said activist Abu Mohammad from
Raqqa.
On Thursday, Russian jets hit areas in the suburbs of Hama and Idlib, all areas
under the control of loose coalitions of rebel groups, including the
Western-backed Free Syrian Army.
52 Saudi Clerics, Scholars Call To Battle Russian Forces In Syria
By Huda Al-Saleh
Fifty two Saudi inciters, both academics and clerics, have called on the public
to ''hurry'' to Syria where they should be fighting Russian forces.
The clerics, some of which are members of the International Union of Muslim
Scholars, called on ''all those who are able, and outside of Saudi Arabia, to
answer the calls of jihad'' and to fight alongside one of the extremist groups
facing Russian forces.
According to experts, by issuing this statement, inciters seek to implicate
Saudi, Gulf, and Muslim youths in the fight against Russian forces, mirroring
Al-Qaeda's and the Taliban's recruitment of young fighters during the
Afghan-Soviet war.
The statement also called for Syrian opposition fighters to ''unify their front''
and urged those with capabilities to fight and expertise to remain in Syria and
not leave.
The statement comes after the Saudi Ministry of Interior raided a house where
its residents manufactures bombs in a residential area in Riyadh. The house was
run by a Syrian man with the help of a Filipina woman who prepared and sowed
explosive belts.
The statement also comes days after authorities found and detained Islamic State
of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) cells, mostly comprised of militants who returned from
areas of conflict.
The invitation to join the conflict conflicts with a Saudi decree announced in
March 2014 which listed ISIS and the Al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, the Muslim
Brotherhood, the Saudi Hezbollah, the Houthi group, AQIP, and Al-Qaeda in Yemen
and Iraq.
The decree also criminalizes taking part in combat outside of Saudi Arabia, or
belonging to extremist groups or groups designated as such by the regional or
international arena.
Some of the clerics who signed the statement previously issued fatwas on the
events in Syria and providing guidance to fighters under extremist groups in the
embattled country.
A relationship with the son of Abdullah Azam
The
direct relationship between a number of the signatories to the statement without
Abdullah al-Azam, who is the son of Palestinian Abdullah al-Azam living now in
Jordan, was also noticeable.
Al-Hazifa did not hesitate to show its direct relationships with the fighting
factions in Syria and its attempts of making reconciliation between them. He
even interfered to release the mother of one of the female broadcasters in an
Arab channel in rural Damascus after it was arrested by the Army of Islam. He
said: ''If there was in any way a bypass from the Army of Islam's side, I am
ready to fix it and would provide any other service you might require from the
Army.''
Through the follow-up of one of the signatories, Dr. Mohammed Musa al-Sherriff,
the size of the special relationship he has with one of the heirs of Abdullah
Azam who was the professor al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden appears too.
On the other side, the International Union of Muslim Scholars released a similar
statement calling for ''the support of the fighting in Syria and providing it
with money and any other means of cooperation each according to his abilities
and jihad spirit as support can be provided too with money and prayers.''
1,549 People Killed by Assad Regime in September, Including 223 Children
A report prepared by the Syrian Coalition's media office shows that 1,549
people, including 223 children and 152 women, were killed by the Assad regime
backed by Russia and Iran during September, in addition to 50 more killed under
torture in Assad's prisons.
The report shows that 52% of the victims were recorded in Rural Damascus and
Aleppo, with 462 and 349 people killed in these two provinces respectively.
A 17% increase in the number of victims was reported after the Russian military
intervention, while the ratio of children killed rose by 27% since then. The
ratio of women killed also rose by 24% since Russia began launching airstrikes
in Syria.
In August, meanwhile, 1,852 people were killed by regime attacks on rebel-held
areas, mostly using rockets and barrel bombs. The victims included 214 children,
172 women, and 57 detainees killed under torture. (Source: Syrian Coalition)
France Opens Probe into Assad Regime for Crimes Against Humanity
France has launched a probe into Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime for
crimes against humanity, a judicial source said Wednesday.
Paris prosecutors opened a preliminary inquiry on September 15 into crimes
committed by the Assad regime between 2011 and 2013, the source added.
The French investigation is largely based on evidence from a former Syrian army
photographer known by the code-name "Caesar," who defected and fled the country
in 2013, bringing with him some 55,000 graphic photographs.
Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said France had a "responsibility" to take
action.
"Faced with these crimes that offend the human conscience, this bureaucracy of
horror, faced with this denial of the values of humanity, it is our
responsibility to act against the impunity of the assassins," Fabius said in a
statement.
These "thousands of unbearable photos, authenticated by many experts, which show
corpses tortured and starved to death in the prisons of the regime, demonstrate
the systematic cruelty of the Assad regime," Fabius added.
The inquiry will be led by France's war crimes body but Fabius also called on
the UN and particularly its International Commission of Inquiry on Syria to
press on with their investigations.
Presenter:In the name of Allah the most gracious, the most merciful.
All praise is due to Allah and the prayers and peace of Allah be upon the
Messenger of Allah and upon his family and companions, and whoever allies with
him.
To Proceed:
The fighters of Jabhat un Nusrah have withdrawn from their guard posts against
the Khawarij in the region of Northern Aleppo in the background of the Turkish
intervention project in the North. And this withdrawal has been preceded by
attacks on the Division 30 which Jabhat un Nusrah considered to be the new arm
of America in the region, and that resulted in the arrest of its leader and a
number of its members and the killing of others.
And ridiculously, David Patraeus offered a suggestion to the American
administration to interact with the moderate circles within Jabhat un Nusrah to
fight against ISIS. While Jabhat un Nusrah has previously clarified its position
regarding some of these issues, there are however a number of questions which
are being circulated in the media.
To answer these and other points, Al Manaarathul Baydhaa hosts Sheikh Abu
Abdullah aShaami, a member of the Shura council of Jabhat un Nusrah and a member
of the General Religious Committee.
In the beginning, we would like to welcome Sheikh Abu Abdullah - May peace,
mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you, may Allah lengthen your life, our
generous Sheikh!
Sheikh: And may peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you. May
Allah lengthen the lives of all of you!
Presenter:Let us begin along with you, our Sheikh with the most
important subject which has stirred up a lot of controversy in the recent period
in which Turkey has announced its intention to intervene in the region of
Northern Aleppo to confront ISIS and PKK, and has announced the formation of a
coalition with a number of other countries to carry out that campaign, at which
some of the factions declared their participation in this campaign. But Jabhat
un Nusrah issued a statement in which they announced their withdrawal from the
guard posts against the Khawarij in the region of Northern Aleppo, giving a
number of reasons for that. So what is the reality of the stance of Jabhat un
Nusrah towards this intervention? And why did you withdraw from the guard posts
against the Khawarij?
Sheikh: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All
praise be to Allah, the Lord of all that exists. And the best of prayers and the
perfect peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and his family and his companions.
As for what follows,
Before speaking about the stance of Jabhat un Nusrah towards this Turkish
intervention and the reasons for our withdrawal from the guard posts against the
Khawarij, we must speak on how the situation was before the intervention. And
the reality of the situation of Aleppo, and specifically Northern Aleppo, before
the Turkish intervention in it, is as the following: We have a number of
enemies, and there are the PKK who are trying to reach the area between Tell
Abyad and Afrin, and there are the Nusayris who are attempting striving to reach
Nubal and Zahra, to encircle the city of Aleppo and to separate between the
north and the west, and so as a consequence, the crossing of Bab u Salaam would
fall.
And there are the Khawarij who are trying to expand towards the area of Northern
Aleppo where there is a front between us and them - I mean by them, the factions
with Jabhat un Nusrah against ISIS. There is a front for guarding that extends
for around fourty to fifty kilometers, and Jabhat un Nusrah was guarding around
five to seven kilometers.
When the international coalition began to strike us and ISIS, we took an
internal decision to not advance towards the area of Northern Aleppo and to try
to restrict ourselves to only repel the transgression of ISIS in case they
advance towards us.
And we remained in this condition for a long period guarding these regions and
with these guard posts, and we did not enter into any operation's room with the
factions which are being supported by MOC or others. But we secured the guard
posts to defend against the transgressions and attacks of ISIS on us and on the
rest of the Muslims.
What happened recently was that Turkey is in fear of the expansion of PKK
towards its southern borders which will bring about the establishment of a
Kurdish state on the southern border of Turkey. And this is the real reason for
the intervention of Turkey.
And from what we see of Turkey is that they aren't serious in attacking the
group ISIS, at least not at this stage.
Presenter:But why do you see it as so?
Sheikh : We can see the reasons for that by observing the relations between
Turkey and ISIS, and that becomes evident within a number of points, amongst
them is the fact that Turkey benefits economically from ISIS and vice versa.
Presenter:How is that?
Sheikh: That is through the smuggling of oil. Since the prices of fuel in
Turkey are very high, this oil is sold and smuggled through the borders which
brings in benefits for ISIS in the form of a strong economy, and similarly it
brings in benefits for the Turkish economy. And this exists and it cannot be
denied.
And amongst them is the Turkish consulate. And that is when Mosul was captured,
a number of diplomats in the Turkish consulate fell as captives into the hands
of ISIS. And then prisoner exchange was carried out in a clearly smooth manner.
And amongst them is the issue of the grave of Sulayman Shah which existed in the
region that ISIS controlled, where the Turkish soldiers were moving to and fro
successively and guarding it under the shade of ISIS presence until the Turkish
government came forward using military force and took away this grave to a place
where it sees to be suitable for it.
Add to that the issue of Ayn Al Arab ''Kobani'', where the battle that took place
between ISIS on one side and PKK with support from the international coalition
on the other side, was bringing in benefits for the interests of Turkey and it
was neither benefiting the interests of ISIS nor PKK as hundreds were killed
within ISIS, and on the other hand hundreds were also killed within the
Kurdistan Worker's Party.
The point is that, all this means that Turkey does not want to lose these
relations with the Khawarij, and it does not want this military force which
confronts PKK to be lost, and it means as a result that Turkey is in fear of its
national security from PKK and not from the Khawarij. And so it does not want
this power which is attacking PKK to be struck with force. This is our analysis
of the situation of Turkey as per our observations on it during the past period.
The new incident which happened recently is that Turkey's fear over its national
security from the establishment of a Kurdish state on its southern borders has
pushed Turkey to intervene by taking the form and the name of 'safe zone' or
'demilitarized buffer zone' or name it whatever you like as is being spread in
the media. So Turkey convinced some of the factions, that it will make a safe
zone that extends from Jarablus till Azaz and that it will cover the air space
for these factions that join with them while they (the factions) advance on the
land.
And the reality of the matter is that since the time Turkey has made this
announcement until today, it has not attacked ISIS with the same ferocity by
which it has attacked PKK. And it is using this as a cover for its attack on PKK,
because its real interest is in striking PKK.
And based on this, regarding what is taking place in the northern region, our
initial position towards the factions and towards the intervention was that we
sat with whomever we could sit from those factions and clarified to them the
Islamic position, some views of which we can mention after a little while, and
we also clarified to them the political position apart from what is the
religious position for that. In fact Turkey is not serious, i.e. we clarified to
them that they depending on Turkey will not bring them any benefit. And if we
wanted to come a little in the religious position, then Jabhat un Nusrah has
clarified in its official statement the impermissibility of joining the Turks in
an alliance like this.
Presenter:Yes, but the statement was a short summary. You have
mentioned the impermissibility of joining. Are there details for the judgment on
joining an alliance like this?
Sheikh: We can explain that in a little detail, and we say by seeking the
help of Allah:
The one who looks at what is happening in the north and the statement of the
people of knowledge about it will find that some of them have spoken about it
considering it as seeking help (Istianah), while others see it as alliance (Tawalli)
or giving support (to disbelievers). But in any case, we have never seen any of
the scholars even those who have described it to be giving support (to the
disbelievers) or as alliance (Tawalli) or giving victory (Muzaahara) - they have
NOT made Takfeer on any of these categories but rather, they have excused them
with a number of excuses.
And if we look into the issue considering it as Istiaanah (seeking help), then
the scholars from the four Madhabs (schools of jurisprudence) and others are
divided into two categories regarding the matter of seeking help. Amongst the
scholars are those who prohibit it absolutely and do not permit it, and they use
as evidence the Hadith of the Prophet (saw) ''Go back, for I do not seek help
from a Mushrik''.
And there are scholars who see it as permissible but with strict conditions.
And we see that these conditions, if we take the sayings of those who permit
seeking help (Istianah), we see that these conditions have not been fulfilled in
the case of the northern region. And this does not mean that we see that what is
happening is ''seeking help'' but rather the reality of what is taking place in
the northern region is that Turkey convinced these factions to join with them.
So the matter in reality is not that of seeking help even if some of the
factions see it like that, which means that the factions that have joined Turkey
for that are interpreting it as seeking help from Turkey or they are
interpreting that the banner will be their banner. What is meant is that, during
our discussions with them, they told us that ''the banner is ours and we are the
ones who are on the land and Turkey will not be able to do anything if we do not
accept it''. So they are interpreting that the banner is theirs, and they are
interpreting the matter to be that of joint interests, and they are interpreting
this to be under the category of seeking help.
In all cases, the summary of these interpretations, even if we say that this is
Tawalli (ie. allying with the Kuffar), this person who is confused, is excused
due to the existence of these kinds of interpretations and doubts in this
situation.
As for us, our beliefs in regards to the matter which is taking place in the
north is that it is not seeking of help in the same form that we study in the
books of our four Fuqaha (jurists) and of others, because the matter is more
than that of seeking help, as Turkey and others have declared more than once
that they intend to establish a safe zone or demilitarized zone or name it what
you like, and it is possible that it includes the interim (temporary)
government, interim government of the coalition at any moment and by the
national army protecting it. This means even if we say that this is seeking of
help, as long as they have declared this intention, then saying this to be
seeking of help will be impermissible for those who say that seeking help is
permissible. This is on the one hand.
On the other hand, America and Turkey has recently made a full arrangement in
which Turkey will enter under the shade of the standing international coalition
basically before Turkey intervenes in the north, whereas Turkey has handed over
the Incirlik base and the bases for drones and others as such.
So whoever looks at the matter from the angle of only that of seeking help and
not seeking help must look at the complete picture. Through that, we say that
what is happening here is not Istianah (seeking help)-not for us to make Takfeer
on the factions or to remove them from the religion of Islam and such. No, not
for that! It is only for us to cause them to fear Allah, glory be to Him Most
High, so that they may be intimidated and be deterred and come back from what
they were upon, because this is a matter that is not permitted in the religion,
and neither does it serve in terms of benefits and politics. It is not
permissible in the religion and is not beneficial politically or militarily.
And that which will prove to you that the matter is not Istianah (seeking help)
as seen by some of the factions, is that its timing came at a time which is not
in the benefit of the factions, nor in the benefit of the revolution and those
who speak about the benefits of the people of Shaam and so on. So what is to be
done basically is that we and the factions sit and lay down the priorities and
then we look after that as to what is our priority and we move on. And
mobilizing towards the northern region was not a priority in regards to the
factions except until Turkey convinced them for it.
We say this, because we see that what is taking place in the northern region is
a diversion of the military strategy over which the factions had agreed upon
while Jayshul Fatheh was advancing towards the forests and the mountains of the
Nusayris and towards Hama and the villages of the Nusayris, and also the
advancements in the south on the one hand and the dangerous reconciliations with
the Nusayri regime on the other hand. So this diversion of the military compass
for the factions will cause a breach in the military preferences, and it does
not benefit the people of Shaam nor their revolution, even if some of them make
it appear to be so based on this.
Presenter: Yes, but despite you presenting the religious point of
view, you have towards the end handed over the guard posts to some of those
groups who have announced their joining of the coalition or their participation
in this coalition!! And many of those who are looking at this matter consider
that to be coordination with them and cooperation with them, and perhaps that
may also be considered as joining the coalition in one form or the other.
Sheikh: Before we get into the discussion as to whether it is withdrawal
or handing over, I would like to mention something: That this matter, when the
intervention happened, we sat and made consultation and laid down a number of
solutions, amongst which was to withdraw. I mean, we told them that we may
withdraw at any moment.
As for the initial decision which we issued in that meeting, it was that we will
protect our guard posts against the Khawarij and we will not coordinate with any
faction that joins Turkey, and if the Khawarij advances towards us then we will
resist their attacks and we will not join.
But because of the incidents speeding up quickly in Aleppo, it presented the
brothers in Aleppo with two options: That they either join this group or
withdraw, and we were very keen in not joining i.e. to stay without joining. And
when this thing became impossible for us, then the brothers began to withdraw.
And at the time of withdrawing, they did not inform us about it. But in general,
our choice was to withdraw in case of any emergency happening and it did indeed
happen. I mean, the brothers believed that what makes it obligatory for us to
withdraw had taken place and so they withdrew.
The issue of this withdrawal.., of course, the brothers abandoned their guard
posts and instead of them, others came forward who filled these posts. And we
seek refuge in Allah from leaving these posts for the Khawarij, because if we
give these posts to the Khawarij, they will bring destruction upon properties
and lives and blood and honour of the Muslims by violating them because they
consider us and the factions as apostates. Moreover, it is also possible that
they carry out a number of operations against the Muslim public claiming that
they are a shield since in their view we are apostates and we are using the
common Muslims as shields, similar to how they are doing now in Marea and
elsewhere.
And that primarily, my dear brother, it is a withdrawal. I mean we have
withdrawn. And whoever speaks on the matter as to whether it is a withdrawal or
handing over, and handing over to Jabhat Ash Shaamiya, (The Levant Front) or to
others etc., or those who are by signals making Takfeer on Jabhat un Nusrah
because it has handed over to those who are coordinating with Turkey, and Turkey
is with the coalition and so on, then it is more possible that they make Takfeer
on us if we stay there (without withdrawing), and so they will come and say,
''You are staying in a region that is under the coverage of the coalition and you
are advancing and guarding on the land''. So in either ways, the one who does
that will do that (accuse us) and it does not concern us.
And before asking about the judgment on Jabhat Ash Shaamiya (The Levant Front)
and of other factions that have joined Turkey, and before asking about the
judgment over this action itself, I mean before we ask as to what is the verdict
on Shaamiya and what is the verdict on the action that Shaamiya has done, we ask
''Is the difference amongst the present day scholars regarding the scene that is
taking place in the north as to whether it is a permissible type of seeking
help, or a forbidden one, or whether it is Tawalli (alliance with the Kuffar),
or that they are excused or not excused, this difference, is it a difference of
Aqeeda that is related to Imaan and Kufr and Al Walaa wal Baraa, or is it a
difference in Fiqh? I mean that specifying the type that is taking place, it is
a difference in Fiqh between the people of knowledge. There may come one who
says that this is a forbidden way of seeking help and hence he does not declare
the one who does that to be a Kaafir. And there may come one who says that this
is a permissible way of seeking of help. And there may come one and say this is
Tawalli (alliance with the Kuffar) and so on and so forth.
So what is meant is that the basis of the difference amongst the people of
knowledge in specifying as to what type it is, is a difference of Fiqh over
which the one who disagrees is not declared a Kaafir. This is on the one hand.
On the other hand, we have clarified and continue to clarify that these factions
whatever may be our judgment over the action, our judgment on these factions is
that they are Muslims, and still are Muslims, those factions who joined Turkey.
But in reality they are in a great danger because they have joined Turkey
considering it to be a Turkish intervention. And Turkey has made arrangements
with America and America is with the international crusader coalition fighting
against us day and night, even if it did not fight Jabhat un Nusrah, so joining
the international coalition is a very big issue.
And hence we advise these factions on the necessity of returning back to the
internal rows of the Mujahideen and let our decisions be made internally by the
Mujahideen, and let us look at the real benefits of the people of Shaam which we
agree upon away from the interventions of the west and the east and the foreign
countries, because this is not permissible in the Shareeah and is not useful
from political and military perspective. And Allah knows best.
And those from the group ISIS or others who declare us to be disbelievers for
the matter that we have handed over or withdrawn from the guard posts and that
we have become as per their description as they say - Sahawaat and so on, then
we tell them: ''You have done a number of actions which are even more clear in
the scales of the Shareeah than that which you are accusing us of. And you are
declaring Jabhat Ash Shaamiya to be disbelievers and after that you are
declaring us to be disbelievers if we hand over these posts. And we and you
agree that the Nusayris are disbelievers. This is something that no two will
disagree upon. And you have several times withdrawn from some of the posts and
the Nusayri army advanced towards it without you being compelled to do that. And
that was only to put pressure on us and on the factions as had happened in
Tha'ana and in Sheikh Zayaath in Aleppo, and as had happened in Sheikh Najjar
where the main reason for the fall of the industrial city of Sheikh Najjar into
the hands of the Nusayri government was because of the Khawarij permitting the
Nusayri government to pass through the area from where they would besiege us.
And when they besieged us, it compelled the brothers to withdraw and Sheikh
Najjar fell.
And similar to that is what happened in Deir Zour where the Mujahideen from
Jabhat un Nusra and other factions who were almost a thousand in number were
present inside the city of Deir Zour and they only had one single supply line
which was called ''Jisr As Siyaasiya'' through which ammunition and food and
drinks would enter, and through which the injured would be transported and
medical care would come in, that is, it was their only artery, and the remaining
areas were completely besieged by the Nusayri regime. And they did not have any
supply line other than this. And then these Khawarij came and cut off this line,
which means that they completed the siege with the Nusayris. And this condition
remained for more than two or three months until the brothers were compelled to
withdraw and thus many were killed, some of them at the hands of these Khawarij,
and some of them got arrested, and some of them such and such and so on. And
amongst them was the leader of Jabhat un Nusra in the city of Deir Zour at that
time Abu Hazem Al Balad, may Allah have mercy on him.
So what is meant is that the Khawarij group did a number of things even before
declaring Jabhat un Nusrah to be disbelievers and they would call it as ''joint
benefits''.
Presenter:May Allah reward you well, our Sheikh for these details.
Sheikh: And you too.
Presenter:Since a few days, the media have circulated the suggestion
of David Patreaus, the ex-director of the American intelligence agency, which he
presented to the American administration regarding seeking assistance from the
moderate movements inside Jabhat un Nusrah in the fight against the group ISIS.
So what is your comment on that? And are there any channels of communication
between you and the American administration?
Sheikh: In fact, as you have mentioned in the beginning, that this
statement is ridiculous. And if we wanted to look at this statement and in what
context it comes, then the one who observes the manner of America's dealing with
the field of Shaam from the beginning until now will find that it is
characterized by confusion. And this statement is no more than a proof for this
general characteristic. Since after America prepared several of its projects for
which it spent long months and a lot of Dollars, Allah glory be to Him Most High
enabled Jabhat un Nusrah to attack them within a few days. So America may have
gone mad and thus David Patreaus went and stated these declarations saying that
they will bring out from Jabhat un Nusrah ''moderates'' and fight alongside them
against the Khawarij groupt ISIS as if we are not their enemies!
In any case, this is a proof for the ruin and failure and confusion of the
American administration in their administration of the battle that is taking
place in Shaam and also for the vision being blurred.
The second issue: Perhaps what is aimed at by this statement is not the
Khawarij, not the group ISIS. And it is only an attempt to cause problems inside
Jabhat un Nusrah. So then it could be aimed inside Jabhat un Nusrah and not
towards the Khawarij group basically.
The third issue : Who are the moderate ones for America? The moderate one for
America in our dictionary is one who is a traitor to his religion and his
nation. So there is no one moderate in Jabhat un Nusrah as per the meaning
intended by America.
Presenter:So does that mean that you are now denying the presence of
movements within Jabhat un Nusrah? I mean we always hear about there existing a
movement that calls for Jabhat un Nusrah to break up from Al Qaida group, and
there is a movement that is inclined to harshness and the ideology of the
Khawarij. I mean do you deny the presence of these movements inside Jabhat un
Nusrah?
Sheikh: My noble brother, there are no movements inside Jabhat un Nusrah.
Jabhat un Nusrah is one group, its path (Manhaj) is one, it has a political and
methodological and religious vision which is one. This statement that we hear
from some analysts and the statements that we hear from here and there, it is a
shame that they appear in some of the media. This indicates a very very poor
reading on the reality of Jabhat un Nusrah, and it is centred around some of the
internet users and some who tweet, and they try to pick from them some random
information blindly, and after that they come and build their long and broad
analysis.
As for it being inside Jabhat un Nusrah, then it does not know of such a thing,
even though there are in it some of the brothers from Jabhat un Nusrah who may
put up some tweets which everyone knows do not represent Jabhat un Nusrah nor
our path. And they are merely the behaviour of individuals which does not go up
to represent a movement. So the sole movement of Jabhat un Nusrah which is the
sole group, is known, and there does not exist inside Jabhat un Nusrah a
movement that inclines towards harshness and a movement that inclines towards
appeasement, a movement that wants to make treaties with the countries
surrounding the region, a nationalistic movement, a movement that wants
nationalism and regional borders, a movement that deals directly or indirectly
with Qatar and Turkey reaching all the way to the Americans. All of this does
not exist.
Presenter:But what about the intention to split from Tanzeem ul Qaida?
There are individuals who are linked to the group Jabhat un Nusrah who have
spoken on this issue.
Sheikh: We as regards to our relations with the group Tanzeem Qaidathul
Jihad, it is that of a religious Bay'ah (pledge) on our necks for doing Jihad in
the path of Allah glory be to Him Most High to this group. This is something
that we consider to be part of our Jihad in the path of Allah Most High under
the umbrella of a single group and before us hearing about all of that. And that
in our Ijtihad (opinion) by which we obey Allah Most High, will accomplish
religious benefits and political benefits for us and for the people of Shaam and
the Muslims in general as Allah glory be to Him Most High has urged us towards
unity. And if our enemies are fighting us globally, then we must also at least
have connections with the rest of our brothers who are waging Jihad in the other
lands as the enemy is one.
Iran is fighting us in Yemen and is fighting us in Iraq and is fighting us in
Lebanon and in Shaam. And similar to that is America. So our enemies cannot be
restricted to Bashar and his gang.
And we have said several times that Tanzeem Qaidathul Jihad is a group and we
are under it. And we have said more than once and before that it was said by
Sheikh Dr. Ayman Al Zawahiri, may Allah preserve him, that when the people of
Shaam in their revolution reach a stage of establishing an Islamic state or an
Islamic government, then our group will not go out of this general scheme in the
shade of what the people of Shaam agree upon by establishing an Islamic state
and an Islamic government which calls for judging by the Shareeah, and is based
on consultation (Shura) and spreads justice etc. This has been stated by us
repeatedly several times.
Some may have understood us as that when we reach this stage and this group
called as Jabhat un Nusrah is dissolved into this state, this then is the
calling of now for breaking of ties. And this is a stage that we have not yet
reached. We have also told to some of the factions who insist a lot over this
issue that we do no see any religious benefit of breaking of ties from the group
Qaidathul Jihad in this stage, and our relation with them is not an opportunist
pragmatic relation just like how some are describing us to be, rather it is a
relation based on religion. I mean we feel that it is an obligation on our necks
to fulfill this Bay'ah (pledge) which we have pledged. And we also do not see
that our Bay'ah to Tanzeem Qaidathul Jihad conflicts at all with the interests
of the people of Shaam and the revolution of the people of Shaam and of the
Muslims in Shaam and outside Shaam.
Let us suppose that we have broken our connection with Tanzeem Al Qaida. Will
America change its stance towards us? That will never happen, ''And never will
the Jews or the Christians be satisfied with you until you follow their
religion''. (Quran 2:120)
Mursi was not AlQaida and offered all the compromises and despite that they set
up a plot against him and deposed him.
Similarly Saddam Hussein was not Al Qaida and despite that when he opposed the
plans which America aimed for, they fabricated some things and overthrew him.
What is meant by that is that, our connections with the group Qaidathul Jihad is
that of a religious Bay'ah which is obligatory on our necks. When we reach the
stage of establishing a state or an Islamic government, then at that point
naturally all the groups will dissolve into that which is greater than it, as
stated by Sheikh Usama may Allah have mercy on him, ''The interest of the state
takes precedence over the interest of the group (Jama'ah), and the interest of
the Ummah takes precedence over the interest of the state''. And all the groups
that have requested from us this matter, we have discussed with them at length
that we do not see any religious benefit at this stage by breaking connections
with the group Qaidathul Jihad.
And then why all this noise about the issue of Al Qaida and breaking of
connections with Al Qaida? We are Tanzeem Al Qaida. Jabhat un Nusrah is Tanzeem
Al Qaida. It is one the branches of the global Tanzeem Qaidathul Jihad. And we
from the time of our beginning, by the grace of Allah glory be to Him Most High,
we believe that we have not been negligent in defending our people, the Ahlu
Sunnah Wal Jama'ah in Shaam. And Jabhat un Nusrah by the grace of Allah glory be
to Him Most High, is a strong military arm of the Ahlu Sunnah in Shaam and
offers for the Ahlu Sunnah as much as it can in line with the conditions of war,
services related to water, electricity, flour and so on.
We offer the people what we can in terms of security through courts and the
judiciary.
We deal with a lot of the groups for military and service and so on. And this
thing that we do in Shaam is the path (Manhaj) of the group AlQaida in general.
So why all this insistence for us to break connections with Tanzeem Qaidathul
Jihad? We will not change whether we break our ties or don't break. This is what
we are.
Then we say to some of these groups that have ties with Turkey and Qatar with
support and ammunition and so forth, and it increased recently to join a
coalition: Why do you disapprove of us and blame us for our ties with Tanzeem
Qaidathul Jihad which is a tie that makes us feel honoured, while you have ties
with countries that send to you intelligence agencies to meet with you? And you
know who are those intelligence that meet with you. So why do you blame us while
you do not look at yourselves?
Presenter:Coming back to the suggestion of Patreaus, aren't you and
America and some other countries united based on a common enmity towards the
Khawarij or against ISIS?
Sheikh: The reality is, the term ''common enmity'' or ''joint enemy'', is a
term that needs to be paused upon. If you intend to mean like how Rome was a
joint enemy to the Messenger of Allah (saw) and to Persia for example, then yes.
But if you intend as intended by some of the media that are speaking on the
subject saying that there is Jabhat un Nusrah that has an enemy called ISIS and
America has an enemy called ISIS, then the matter is different. We reject this
term as we are enemies to America from every point of view. I mean the enmity
between us and America is the enmity between faith and disbelief. It is a
complete disassociation, and we disassociate from America because they are the
enemies of Allah and His messenger and of the believers, and no relation can
unite us with them. They are Kuffar (disbelievers) and we are Muslims. So the
enmity based on faith, politics and military are all present, on top of the
enmity based on faith due to them being disbelievers and we Muslims. So America
is a direct enemy that is carrying out attacks against us morning and evening by
their planes and drones. This is on the one hand.
As for the Khawarij, they are our enemies, true. But our enmity towards the
Khawarij is due to their them exiting and abandoning - I don't say the whole of
the religion as we do not see them to be disbelievers, but they got misled by a
great deviance which is the deviance of the Khawarij. So we fight against them
for this reason, which means that they are still in the general sphere of Islam.
And hence, we do not consider it permissible for us or for others, to the extent
that we do not even think, just think, of seeking help from America or to
coordinate with them or declare or allude to cooperate with them in attacking
ISIS, since ISIS is still in the general sphere of Islam despite the severe
differences between us and them and the severe enmity between us and them, but
it has not reached to the level where we consider them to be Kuffar.
And even if we accept the saying of those who say that the Khawarij are Kuffar,
we do not permit ourselves to seek help from America, the great open Kaafir
enemy against these Khawarij. We do not permit this ever.
So the reason we are hostile to the Khawrij is not the same for which America is
hostile to the Khawarij. And both these sides are completely different. And we
do not meet with America over this point neither from far nor near.
And we at this point, don't do the deeds which ISIS has done. I mean when the
Division 30 came to our brothers and our soldiers who were guarding the fronts
of fighting against the Khawarij in the Northern area, and they requested from
them the guard posts of Jabhat un Nusrah against the Khawarij so that they may
take their place, and told them that ''we cannot fight Jabhat un Nusrah, and it
is only to fight against the Khawarij'', the brothers in Jabhat un Nusrah refused
there to hand over the guard posts. So then the American crusader planes came
and bombed the guard posts in which we were guarding against the Khawarij group.
This thing did not prevent the Khawarij group from advancing towards us. This is
something that we will not do. I mean, if the American planes were to bomb the
Khawarij in the Northern area, we will not exploit this to advance towards them.
But they are doing this.
Presenter:As Division 30 has declared to you that they do not want to
fight you and they only want to fight the Khawarij, why then did you fight
against them and arrest their leaders and did what you have done?
Sheikh: With regards to Division 30 in short, the slogan is ''attack the
Khawarij'' but we are the next target, if not the first one! I mean, we know that
Division 30 is a distinct American project as they have been trained by trainers
from America through the medium of some countries. And America states openly
without stating indirectly, that this is their new project, after Allah glory be
to Him Most High enabled us to subdue Hazem and Maroof. So they are building a
project, but they have learnt from the previous experiences. They see that
Jabhat un Nusrah has a popular support amongst the Muslims. As for the Khawarij
group, it does not have that. So in the first stage, it would be to only strike
the Khawarij.
We have in a nutshell attacked Division 30 as they represent the new arm of the
American project in the North. And if we don't cut it off in the beginning
itself, it will expand and encroach upon beyond the North. So when Division 30
asked us for the guard posts against the Khawarij and we did not give that to
them, the American planes came and bombed us. This is one issue.
The second issue is that it is not a secret which we are disclosing. This is in
fact known to all that this Division which they call as ''National Army'' or a
part of the national army is trained by the Americans, and they have been
supervising their training from the beginning.
The third issue is that whether these soldiers carry out the wishes of America
or they don't, they are but at the end and on the whole, an American project. So
we look at them and deal with them on this basis.
I am here not speaking about the issue of declaring a group or individuals to be
disbelievers etc., but I am speaking on the basis that this is dangerous project
which can attack us at any moment. And it is a distinct American project because
America wants to make a political solution and a national army and a government
and so forth. So this is a part of it. This is one issue.
The second issue is that when the brothers attacked Division 30, the American
planes and drones bombed us and killed around seventeen brothers who we consider
to be martyrs. We ask Allah glory be to Him Most High to accept them with Him.
And this is a proof for the one who may doubt that.
If some people accuse us that we attacked Division 30 to please the Khawarij
then why do we guard against the Khawarij for all the previous periods? Why do
we fight against the Khawarij in the south? Why have we fought the Khawarij in
the east and more than seven hundred brothers of ours became martyrs and gone up
in fierce battles against the Khawarij in the east?
Why all these bidding against us a lot? If we wanted to defend these Khawarij
then why don't we fight the groups which are guarding against them in the north
and the south? Why don't we do that? We do not do that. We are not hired either
for the sake of the Khawarij nor for the sake of America or for others. We have
our independent identity, and we have our priorities based on which we move on,
and we try as much as we can to be in agreement with the Muslim factions on the
land of Shaam to achieve the goals of the people of Shaam through victory and
empowerment, if Allah Almighty wills. We are not concerned by the Khawarij or
other than the Khawarij. And it is not necessary that if America is an enemy of
the Khawarij and the Khawarij the enemies of America, that we become lackeys
following this or that. We are the enemies of America, and we are the enemies of
the Khawarij, and we do not coordinate either with America or with the Khawarij.
Presenter:Sheikh Abu Abdullah Ash Shaami, may Allah reward you well
for this interview. We ask Allah to facilitate for us more interviews in the
coming times, by the permission of Allah Almighty.
Sheikh: If Allah wills. And may Allah reward you well, and bless you.
Presenter:We also say many thanks to our brothers everywhere who are
listening. And may peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you.
Putin's Attempts to Save Assad Slammed As East
Ghouta Protest Against Russia's Military Intervention in Syria
Member of the Syrian Coalition George Sabra said that the Russian aggression
against civilians in Syria is a military and political counter-attack designed
to impede reverse the course of political solution.
Sabra pointed out that ''the Russians are trying to rehabilitate the Assad
regime, engage him in a political solution and then assign him a role in the
future of Syria. The international community however will not accept the idea
because Assad has so far adhered a military solution, while his main backer Iran
have not yet recognized the Geneva I Communique.''
Sabra wonders ''how can a political solution be built on the survival of Assad
who is responsible for the most heinous crimes against the Syrian people?"
He also said that ''Russian President Putin's attempts to rehabilitate the Assad
regime are doomed as it has allowed the surge of extremist groups and summoned
extremist militias such as the Hezbollah militia, Iraqi militias, and the
Revolutionary Guard Corps. The rise of ISIS obviously came obviously as a
response to the regime's brutal war on the Syrian people.''
''After all this bloodshed, there can be no return to the status quo ante of the
outbreak of the revolution, and this is what Russia is seeking to do in Syria."
East Ghouta Protest Against Russia's Military Intervention in Syria
The Syrian Coalition's office in East Ghouta and a number of revolutionary and
civil bodies organized a sit-in in besieged east Ghouta a protest against the
Russian intervention in Syria.
Protesters held placards condemning and denouncing the massacres committed by
the Russian air force began against civilians and rejecting all forms of foreign
intervention in Syria.
Member of the Syrian Coalition Mohammed Khair al-Wazir said that the direct
Russian intervention along with Assad's wholesale crimes are a stain at the
forehead of the UN Security Council which has so far failed to bring peace to
Syria and punish the Assad regime.
Al-Wazir described the Russian intervention is a direct occupation of Syria,
adding that it violates international law which is supposed to achieve security
and peace around the world and prohibits foreign occupation of independent
countries.
Head of the Syrian Coalition's Office in east Ghouta Saed Flitani stresses that
the Russian intervention came to fight against the Syrian people and their
revolution and to fight ISIS which Assad allowed to grow and surge in the
region.
President Khoja Calls on UNSC to Condemn Russia Airstrikes in Syria
President Khoja calls on the international community to condemn the Russian
aggression on Syria inflicting many casualties among the civilian population,
killing over 60 people including women and children.
In a letter addressed to the president of the UN Security Council, the Spanish
Ambassador Roman Oyarzun, Khoja calls for taking immediate action to stop
Russia's brutal air raids on Damascus, Homs, and Hama, where civilian homes,
hospitals, and mosques are destroyed by these attacks.
''Under the false pretence of engaging in counter-terrorism operations, Russian
forces indiscriminately bombed civilian areas, killing innocent men, women and
children,'' Khoja said.
He added that ''these indiscriminate aerial attacks are part of an overt and
calculated attempt by Russian forces to aid and abet the Syrian regime's war on
civilians. They are designed not to counter terrorist extremist groups like
ISIS, but to support the Assad regime's indiscriminate slaughter of civilians.''
''By involving itself so directly in the killing of innocent Syrians, Russia
makes itself a direct party to the Syrian conflict and risks implicating itself
in war crimes. Russia's actions violate not only the Fourth Geneva Convention
relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War but also the
Security Council resolution 2139, which demands that all parties to the conflict
distinguish between civilian populations and combatants and refrain from
indiscriminate attacks and attacks on civilians.''
The letter went on: ''Russia's actions will have consequences-not merely for
Russians inside Syria, but for the fight against ISIS. Russian forces'
indiscriminate slaughter of civilians will fuel extremism and exacerbate the
refugee crisis. Like Assad's barrel bombs, Russia's unwanted invasion will serve
as a recruiting tool for ISIS and will make Syria-and the world-less safe.''
''On behalf of the people of Syria, I appeal to Member States of the Security
Council to work with urgency to condemn in the strongest terms Russia's illegal
military aggression in Syria and pursue all means necessary to stop the
indiscriminate aerial bombardment in Syria, including through the enforcement of
a ban on aerial bombardment: a no-bombing zone. If Russia-as party to the
conflict-will not allow the Security Council to act, Member States must
themselves ensure the protection of civilians.''
Syrian Coalition, Agencies, EsinIslam.Com
& Several News Outlets
Russian Strikes Kill At Least 50 Syrian
Civilians, Including Five Children
Syria's main opposition group said Russian air strikes killed at least 50
civilians, including five children, Radio Free Europe reported on Thursday.
Khaled Khoja, head of the National Coalition, which includes
opposition groups supported by the West, said local activists have identified 36
people who died in the central province of Homs.
'All of the casualties were civilians,' Khoja said on the sidelines of the
United Nations General Assembly.
'So it was very obvious that the Russian intervention was to
support the regime, to support more killings inside Syria, and will create a
more chaotic atmosphere.'
The strikes also hit a base for the Free Syrian Army, but
resulted in no casualties, he said.
US President Barack Obama took the podium at the UN General
Assembly on Monday to denounce those who support leaders like Syria's Bashar Al-Assad,
accusing him of slaughtering children.
The barb, a direct attack on Russia and Iran for their ongoing
military backing for Syria's beleaguered regime, came shortly before Moscow's
President Vladimir Putin was to speak.
Obama said some states prefer stability over the international
order mandated by the UN Charter, and try to impose it by force.
''We're told that such retrenchment is required to beat back disorder, that it's
the only way to stamp out terrorism or prevent foreign meddling,'' he said.
In accordance with this logic, we should support tyrants like Bashar al-Assad
who drops barrel bombs to massacre innocent children, because the alternative is
surely worse.
France investigates Syria's Assad for
crimes against humanity
France is investigating Bashar al-Assad over alleged crimes
against humanity, the Paris prosecutor's office said on Wednesday, launching a
case that highlights divisions among major powers over relations with the Syrian
leader.
The investigation, which is also examining claims of torture
and kidnapping by Assad's forces, was opened "on the basis of indications
received from the foreign ministry" on Sept. 10, an official at the prosecutor's
office said.
An estimated 250,000 people have been killed in Syria's
four-year civil war between Assad's troops, rebel groups and Islamic State of
Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants, and a further 11 million displaced.
The ministry's dossier drew on some 55,000 photographic images
smuggled out of the country by a former Syrian army officer, showing 11,000
alleged victims of forces loyal to Assad, according to various media reports.
The competence of French courts to try those held responsible
may hinge on the identification of French nationals among the victims. Even in
that event, the prospect of a trial in France would appear remote.
In the face of sustained Russian support for the Syrian
president, France recently joined other western powers in softening earlier
demands that Assad leave office as a precondition for peace talks.
US President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on Monday
to look for a diplomatic end to the war but clashed over whether Assad should
retain power.
US military chief says Russian measures intensify Syria civil war
The United State has warned that Russia's decision to join forces with Syria in
air strikes against ISIS will only help to intensify the instability in Syria
and make the civil war there more vicious, RTT reports indicate.
During a Pentagon news conference in the wake of these developments, US Defense
Secretary Ash Carter said the Russian position of supporting the regime of
Bashar al-Assad and its desire to take on extremist groups such as the Islamic
State represent a contradiction.
'Fighting ISIL without pursuing a parallel political
transition only risks escalating the civil war in Syria - and with it, the very
extremism and instability that Moscow claims to be concerned about and aspire to
fighting,' he said. 'So that approach is tantamount to pouring gasoline on the
fire,' according to Carter.
The secretary restated the American position, saying that a lasting defeat of
ISIL and its terrorist allies can be achieved only in parallel with a political
transition in Syria. 'We will continue to insist on the importance of
simultaneously pursuing these two objectives,' he said
But Russian aircraft struck targets around Homs in Syria
Wednesday and Thursday. A Russian officer notified personnel
in the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad of the strikes an hour before they launched. No
coalition aircraft were in the region at the time, and Carter said he doubts any
ISIL terrorists were in the area struck.
Russian and coalition officers will meet in the next few days to 'deconflict'
air operations. The meeting will allow a flow of information between coalition
forces and Russian elements to maintain the safety of U.S. personnel in the
region, Carter said.
The meeting also will be an opportunity to ensure that any additional Russian
actions do not interfere with the coalition's efforts to degrade and defeat ISIL,
he added.
The secretary stressed that the more-than-60-nation coalition
is battling ISIL 'across the physical, virtual and ideological battle space,'
conducting more than 7,100 air strikes at ISIS' operational core and logistics
arm. 'The coalition will continue to fly missions over Iraq and Syria as
planned, as we did today, in support of our international mission to degrade and
destroy ISIS.'
Carter said the U.S. talks with the Russians over Syria do not
indicate a lessening of America's strong condemnation of Russian aggression in
Ukraine, nor do they change U.S. sanctions and security support in response to
those destabilizing actions.
Carter made it clear that if Russia wants to end its
international isolation and be considered a global power, it must stop its
aggression in eastern Ukraine and its occupation and attempted annexation of
Crimea, and live up to its commitments under the Minsk agreement.
France opens probe into Assad regime for
crimes against humanity
France has launched a probe into Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime for
alleged crimes against humanity, a judicial source said Wednesday, after world
powers sparred at the United Nations over the embattled leader's fate.
Paris prosecutors opened a preliminary inquiry on September 15 into alleged
crimes committed by the Syrian government between 2011 and 2013, the source told
AFP.
The French investigation is largely based on evidence from a former Syrian army
photographer known by the codename "Caesar," who defected and fled the country
in 2013, bringing with him some 55,000 graphic photographs.
Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said France had a "responsibility" to take
action.
"Faced with these crimes that offend the human conscience, this bureaucracy of
horror, faced with this denial of the values of humanity, it is our
responsibility to act against the impunity of the assassins," Fabius said in a
statement sent to AFP.
While Assad is unlikely to ever take the stand in a French court, the inquiry
could add to political pressure on the Syrian leader in the midst of a
diplomatic row between the West and Russia and Iran over his fate.
The Syrian conflict has taken centre stage at the UN General Assembly, where US
President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have clashed
over how to bring an end to Syria's civil war.
'Assad's secret killings'
On Tuesday, Obama said removing Assad was a vital step to defeating Islamic
State jihadists, who have taken advantage of the chaos in Syria to bring large
parts of the country and neighbouring Iraq under its rule.
Syria's four-year war has killed more than 240,000 people and Western diplomats
have accused Damascus of killing more Syrians than IS by dropping barrel bombs -
charges the government denies.
The brutal conflict has also displaced millions of people, a key driver behind
Europe's refugee crisis.
The photographs that Caesar brought out of Syria show people with their eyes
gouged out, emaciated bodies, people with wounds on the back or stomach, and
also a picture of hundreds of corpses lying in a shed surrounded by plastic bags
used for burials.
Entitled "Assad's secret killings," the dossier is being used by international
bodies including the UN as part of an investigation into the regime's role in
"mass torture".
The Syrian government has branded the report "political".
These "thousands of unbearable photos, authenticated by many experts, which show
corpses tortured and starved to death in the prisons of the regime, demonstrate
the systematic cruelty of the Assad regime," Fabius told AFP.
The inquiry will be led by France's war crimes body but Fabius also called on
the UN and particularly its International Commission of Inquiry on Syria to
press on with their investigations.
Syrian Coalition Appeals to the Free World to
Protest Against Russia Aggression
The Syrian Coalition appeals to Syrians, Arabs and the free world to raise
their voice high and protest in front of the Russian embassies of against its
aggression on the Syrian people.
Secretary-General Mohammed Yahya Maktabi said that Syrian Revolution turned from
a revolution against an authoritarian regime to the national liberation movement
against the Russian and Iranian invasion of Syria.
''Today Syrians are facing multi-faceted invasion and terrorism; the
Russian-Iranian invasion and the terrorism practiced by the Hezbollah militia,
ISIS and other sectarian foreign militias.''
He stresses that every Syrian has a great responsibility to face the hard
circumstances Syria is going through, praising the Syrian rebels who are
countering the invaders. ''Though outnumbered and under-equipped, the faith
Syrian rebels have in their cause is matchless and is enough to provide with the
courage and determination till the liberation of all Syrian territory.''
Khoja to De Mistura: Russia Aggression
Undermines Political Solution
President Khoja that Russia's aggression against Syria undermines political
settlement based on the Geneva I Communique during a meeting with UN envoy
Staffan de Mistura in New York yesterday.
At meetings held with Danish Foreign Minister Kristian Jensen and
Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Coordinator of Emergency
Relief Stephen O'Brien, President Khoja said that the regime's attacks on
civilians would further exacerbate the refugee crisis.
Khoja stresses that the escalating regime's atrocities require greater and more
effective response from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs, particularly as the Assad regime violates all
international agreements on delivery of humanitarian aid in Syria.
Vice-President Hisham Marwa and member of the political committee Fuad Aliko met
with political director at the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
Assistant Secretary in the Multilateral Policy Office in the Australian Foreign
and Trade Ministry.
Marwa and Aliko expressed appreciation for Lithuania's positive position at the
UN Security Council in defense of the people of Syria, specifically its paying
of the attention to the humanitarian crisis and the need for accountability.
They discussed the refugee crisis during the meeting with the Australian
official, pointing for the need to a comprehensive approach by all members of
the European Union to bear equal responsibility in the reception of refugees.
They also discussed the tragic humanitarian situation in Syria, while Marwa
praised the role of Australia at adopting the UN Security Council Resolution
2139. (Source: Syrian Coalition)
Russia, US clash at UN over parallel Syria air campaigns
Russia and the United States faced off at the United Nations on Wednesday over
parallel air campaigns in Syria, with both sides claiming legitimacy for their
actions but differing over the role of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Russia launched its first air strikes in Syria since the Middle Eastern
country's civil war began in 2011, giving only an hour's notice to the United
States, which has led a coalition of Western allies and regional states that has
been flying missions there for a year.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the Security Council that Moscow
would liaise with the U.S.-led coalition, and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry
later said military-to-military talks could begin as early as Thursday.
But a joint media appearance by the two could not paper over their differences,
with Moscow saying it was hitting Islamic State militants and Washington
questioning this and suggesting Russia's aim was to prop up Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad.
The United States, France and other allies questioned whether the Russian planes
had hit Islamic State positions, saying they were in fact aimed at
Western-backed rebels who have fought both Islamic State and Assad's forces.
Kerry told the Security Council that the U.S.-led coalition would keep flying,
saying it had done so on Wednesday. ''These strikes will continue,'' he said.
The Russian attacks occurred before Moscow and Washington had begun agreed talks
on averting clashes between different militaries in the theater of battle. U.S.
President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin, meeting at the
United Nations on Monday, had agreed that such consultations would take place.
Putin, speaking in Moscow, said the air strikes would be limited and said he
hoped Assad was ready for political reform and a compromise for the sake of his
country and people.
Growing big-power tension
Reflecting growing tension between the big powers, Kerry phoned Lavrov early on
Wednesday to tell him the United States regarded the strikes as dangerous, a
U.S. official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The Homs area attacked by Russian planes is crucial to Assad's control of
western Syria.
Insurgent control of that area would bisect the Assad-held west, separating
Damascus from coastal cities where Russia has military facilities.
''We must not and will not be confused in our fight against ISIL with support for
Assad,'' Kerry said, using an acronym for Islamic State. ''ISIL itself cannot be
defeated as long as Bashar al-Assad remains president of Syria.''
But he said if Russia was genuinely committed to fighting Islamic State, ''we are
prepared to welcome those efforts and to find a way to deconflict our operations
and thereby multiply the military pressure on ISIL and affiliated groups.'' The
head of the Syria opposition, Khaled Khoja, said the Russian air strikes had hit
four districts, killing 36 civilians, but no rebel fighters.
''Russia is intervening not to fight ISIL, but to prolong the life of Assad and
support the continuous killing on a daily basis of civilians,'' Khoja told
Reuters in an interview, adding that the areas targeted were where opposition
groups had defeated Islamic State a year ago.
Russian draft
Russia circulated a draft Security Council resolution that Putin has said would
be ''aimed at coordinating the actions of all forces that confront Islamic
State.'' Lavrov said it would be discussed over the next month.
The draft, seen by Reuters, welcomes efforts of countries fighting Islamic
State, al Qaeda, Nusrah Front and other linked groups and calls upon them ''to
coordinate their activities with the consent of the States, in the territories
of which such activities are conducted.''
The U.S.-led coalition informed Syria when it began air strikes a year ago but
did not seek permission. Coalition members say they are acting in collective
self-defense at the request of neighboring Iraq. Russia has justified its
strikes by saying Syria requested its military assistance.
The Russian draft resolution also asked states combating extremist groups in the
region to submit periodic reports to the council on their activities.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Paris would only support the
proposal if three conditions were met. He said Russia needed to state clearly
who the enemy was, push Assad to stop indiscriminate barrel bombing of
civilians, and make clear that Assad would not be in government after a
political transition.
Russia's recent military buildup in Syria and its support for the Assad regime,
all in the name of destroying ISIS, triggered a new wave of political posturing
and diplomatic traffic. Given the connection between Mr. Assad's bloody war and
Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) terrorism, however, new attempts to
save the Assad regime are bound to deepen rather than resolve the Syrian crisis.
Every barrel bomb Mr. Assad drops on Syrian civilians is creating new recruits
for ISIS. Every chemical weapon used is giving new ammunition to violent
extremist groups in Syria and beyond. Every violation of international law and
war crimes committed by the criminal Assad regime over the last three years has
made ISIS and similar groups stronger, not weaker.
One cannot help but ask why the Assad regime that has both intelligence and
firepower thanks to the support of Russia, Iran and Hezbollah, kills countless
Syrians, bombs cities and forces millions of people to flee their homes is yet
to engage in any serious military fight against ISIS. Why, for instance, does
Assad's army not target Raqqa, ISIS's headquarters in Syria, when it bombs
people in Damascus and Aleppo? The same question applies to ISIS: how is that
ISIS has killed so many people, but has yet to carry out any major attack on the
Assad regime?
The Assad regime and ISIS feed off each other and benefit from the barbarism of
the other. As a matter of fact, they are working together to weaken and destroy
the moderate Syrian opposition and the hopes for a democratic and pluralistic
Syria.
The French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius had already noted last February that
"we have proof that when ISIS has acquired oil, it has sold oil to the [Bashar
Assad] regime." He added that "officially they are combating each other but in
fact they are very often helping each other." The EU Commission released a
sanctions list on Mach 6, 2015 identifying several businessmen as "middlemen"
for buying oil from ISIS and selling it to the Assad regime.
ISIS has become a convenient tool in the Syrian war. Everyone uses it to justify
its policies in Syria and Iraq. Russia refers to it to justify its support for
the Assad regime. Iran and Hezbollah send in foreign fighters by using the same
pretext. The Assad regime kills indiscriminately in the name of fighting
terrorism. Given its convenient use, it is hard to believe that the Assad regime
wants ISIS to be destroyed.
This has been Mr. Assad's calculation from the outset: find a way to lure
violent extremists into the Syrian war and tell the world that he is fighting
for a secular Syria against radical lunatics. Unfortunately, he appears to have
won some customers in the West.
Those who claim that the Assad regime should stay to reduce the threat of ISIS
are putting the horse before the cart. It was the Assad regime that created the
conditions in which ISIS flourished and spread. Contrary to what Mr. Putin says,
it will be a colossal mistake to fail the Syrian people again in order to save
what President Obama called a tyrant.
The Iranian and Russian motives for supporting the Assad regime are clear. Iran
sees Mr. Assad a key ally and wants to protect him at all costs. This is part of
Iran's regional policy of supporting pro-Tehran governments and militia groups
through proxy wars. The focus on ISIS allows Iran to divert attention from its
support for one of the most oppressive regimes in the Middle East.
For Moscow, the naval base in Lataika is important but only a part of the story.
Thanks to the inaction of the Western alliance, Russia is now building up a
considerable military presence in Syria. The primary goal of the Russian-Iranian
alliance is not so much to defeat ISIS as to ensure a political outcome that
will be favorable to them. There is no compelling reason why it should not be
possible to destroy ISIS while getting rid of the Assad regime at the same time.
Furthermore, Russia's open support for the Assad regime serves as a convenient
distraction from its maneuvers in Ukraine and Crimea. It is no coincidence that
Mr. Putin, who attended the U.N. General Assembly after a 10-year absence, now
has the world talking about his Syria move rather than the illegal annexation of
Crimea and the ongoing war in eastern Ukraine.
There is no doubt that Russia and Iran should be part of any broader regional
effort to resolve the Syrian crisis. But this does not mean accepting their
support for a criminal regime as a given.
The refugee influx and the dramatic picture of Aylan Kurdi drew the West's
attention to the Syrian crisis, even if only momentarily. Ending the war in
Syria is crucial for resolving the refuge crisis. But there is no solution
without addressing the root cause of the problem. As the French President
Hollande noted during his U.N. speech, "Assad is at the root of the problem and
cannot be part of the solution."
The solution lies in empowering the moderate Syrian opposition so that they can
lead the political process, protect the Syrian people and establish a new Syria
based on the rule of law, democracy, pluralism and transparency. Creating safe
zones would be a first step in the right direction to give the Syrian people a
breathing space against the onslaught of the Assad regime on the one hand and
ISIL on the other.
Al-Attiyah: Initiatives not Based on Assad's Departure will Fail
Qatar's foreign minister Khaled al-Attiyah said on Tuesday that the root cause
of the problem in Syria is the Assad regime, and namely Bashar al-Assad. ''Any
initiatives that are not based on the Geneva I Communique, which are acceptable
to the Syrian people, and on the formation of a transitional governing body that
excludes Assad, will not see success,'' Attiyah told Al-Hayat newspaper in an
interview.
Referring to the Russian initiative put forward by Russian President Vladimir
Putin at the 70th session of the UN General Assembly, Attiyah said that the
Russian position is not new and has not changed on Syria.
''Having been fighting on five fronts for over four years, the Syrian people
however have not succumbed to its adversaries.''
''Actions, rather than just words, are needed if the international community
wants to salvage Syria. Any political settlement, whether based on the Geneva I
Communique or on any other initiatives, must take the demands of the Syrian
people into consideration. A barrel bomb that falls on women, children and the
elderly leads to the same result when a terrorist who cut off heads. By failing
to recognize the demands of the Syrian people, they will be left with two bitter
options, either the Assad regime or ISIS.''
Al-Attiyah also pointed out that the Syrian people took to arms only after the
Assad regime launched a brutal crackdown on the popular uprising from the very
first day. ''Syrian rebels are defending themselves, their honor, their property
and against the Assad regime's attempts to change Syria's demography.''
On September 27, the Syrian Coalition's political committee met with
representatives of the rebel factions operating in Syria to discuss the latest
political developments. They emphasize rejection of any presence of Bashar al-Assad
in the transitional period or in Syria's future as well as of all attempts to
re-market the Assad regime which caused the death of hundreds of thousands of
Syrians, destroyed their cities and infrastructure, and forced millions out of
their homes.
In a statement released following the meeting, the two sides stated that the
Russian military build-up in Syria to protect Bashar al-Assad from falling does
not serve a political solution, stressing that Russia has never been a mediator
in the conflict but a partner to the regime. They also stress this military
presence will further complicate the situation in Syria and exacerbate the
suffering, murder and the destruction in Syria. (Source: Syrian Coalition)
Turkey's Davutoğlu renews call for Syria no-fly zones at UN
Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has said more must be done to protect
Syrian civilians and urged the international community to set up safe areas
within Syria to help stem the flood of refugees into his country.
Davutoğlu said Turkey has done "more than its share" to resolve the Syrian
refugee crisis, saying Turkey now shelters 2 million Syrians and is home to more
refugees than any other place in the world.
Davutoğlu spoke at the annual meeting of the United Nations
General Assembly, where world leaders are grappling with a multitude of global
crises, including the fight against terrorism - the Islamic State of Iraq and
the Levant (ISIL) in particular - and easing the refugee crisis in the Middle
East and North Africa.
In his address to the UN General Assembly Davutoğlu pledged
"Our doors will remain open. Our hearts will remain open," to the continuing
flood of refugees fleeing chaos and civil war in neighboring Syria. Davutoğlu
called on fellow leaders "to act swiftly to provide (Syrians) with safety in
their homeland, a safe area, free from aerial bombardment by the regime," a
reference to the idea of establishing no-fly zones over Syria that has gained
momentum during talks over the last week.
Davutoğlu also called for the removal of President Bashar al-Assad,
saying "Anyone thinking of a solution to the Syrian crisis must think of a Syria
without Assad, a vicious tyrant killing indiscriminately with chemical weapons
and barrel bombs."
Speaking to journalists earlier in the day, Davutoğlu said he
discussed the possibility of forming a trilateral mechanism during meetings with
the two leaders this week and ''in principle'' both US President Barack Obama and
Russian President Vladimir Putin considered this a worthwhile approach.
Davutoğlu said the consultations regarding the trilateral
mechanism are ongoing.
''It seems that there are no problems regarding the formation
of a trilateral framework,'' the interim prime minister said, noting that the
mechanism would not exclude related parties and adding that communication with
the foreign ministers of Iran, Saudi Arabia and Qatar is ongoing. ''It's
important to be able to act together on humanitarian issues,'' he stated.
Davutoğlu also noted that the stances of Turkey and the US on
the Syrian regime are clear, and that while differences with the Russian
position remain, Turkey and the US will attempt to overcome them via bilateral
and trilateral dialogue.
Russia's military buildup in Syria appears to have forced the
US, Turkey and others to see that they cannot ignore Moscow, and that Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad may survive for some time.
Russian Airstrikes Are a Bold Aggression, Fuel Terror, and Undermine a Political
Solution
Press Release
Syrian Coalition
September 30th, 2015
The Syrian Coalition strongly condemns the brutal bombing carried out by Russian
warplanes on civilian targets in rural Homs and rural Hama, causing civilian
casualties; including women and children.
While this aggression by Russia is not justified, violates Syria's sovereignty
and is illegal, it calls to question Moscow's international commitments,
including the commitment to the Geneva I Communique, which prohibits the
escalation of violence and calls for taking action to reduce violence.
The Russian air strikes, which killed about 40 people today, together with
reports about Russia deploying special military units to military facilities and
airbases in Syria in preparation for ground operations, represents bold
aggression against the Syrian people in all its components. While they reinforce
the belief that Moscow has become a partner to the Assad regime in committing
war crimes and crimes against humanity and against Syrians, they undermine
Russia's claims about seeking a political solution and about commitment to
international law. Russia is in fact popping up a crumbling regime that has lost
all legitimacy to rule.
We in the Syrian Coalition hold Russia legally and morally responsible for
civilian casualties in Syria, an aggression that was carried out in partnership
with the Iranian regime. We stress that Syrians have the right to
internationally sue Russia for this aggression.
The Arab League must condemn this aggression, and convene an emergency session
to discuss its implications. The UN Security Council must also act to oblige
Moscow to immediately stop its aggression and fully withdraw its forces from all
Syrian territory.
The world should realize that the Russian government's aggressive behavior
directly fuels the forces of terror, especially as it follows in the footsteps
of the Assad regime in the targeting of civilians to kill and displace them.
Davutoğlu 'pleased' with allies' support for
long sought-after safe zone in Syria
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu was "pleased" to hear that the leaders of three
fellow NATO members were extending their support to the idea of establishing a
safe zone in northern Syria, a policy Ankara has pursued for the last two years.
Speaking to reporters in New York on Tuesday, Ahmet Davutoğlu cited recent
discussions with the leaders of the U.S., the U.K. and France over the creation
of a zone inside war-torn Syria to deal with the current refugee crisis. "I am
very pleased to observe that the three leaders see Turkey's demands on a safe
zone as more than needed and right during our discussion both with Mr. Hollande,
Mr. Obama and Mr. Cameron," he said.Davutoğlu added that the idea of
establishing a safe zone is not related to Turkey's national interests, "but
rather to prevent the spread of the refugee problem while keeping the refugees
in Syria and offering the best services [to them] in Syria, ensuring everyone
remains in their homeland in the safe zone." He added what made him happy was
the handling of the refugee crisis by every country at the U.N. General Assembly
meetings, saying: "It is an important step."
Europe is facing its biggest refugee crisis in decades, with thousands of asylum
seekers from Middle Eastern and African countries trying to reach the continent.
The majority of these are Syrian refugees seeking to flee a civil war that has
claimed more than 250,000 lives since 2011 and resulted in one of the largest
refugee exoduses since World War II.
The U.N. refugee agency says of the latest million people to flee Syria, 95
percent of them have gone to Turkey, which presently hosts more refugees than
any other country in the world. Of those in Turkey, more than 2 million are
Syrian.
Furthermore, France will discuss with its partners in the coming days a proposal
by Turkey and members of the Syrian opposition for a no-fly zone in northern
Syria, French President Francois Hollande said on Monday.
Struggling with more than 1.8 million Syrian refugees, Turkey has long
campaigned for a "no-fly zone" in northern Syria to keep ISIS and the PKK's
Syrian affiliate the People's Protection Units (YPG) from its border and help
stem the tide of displaced civilians trying to cross.
France has also previously pushed the idea that has gained some traction in
Europe with hundreds of thousands of Syrian and Iraqi refugees fleeing the
region to Europe with little hope of seeing an end to the crises.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius "in the coming days will look at what the
demarcation would be, how this zone could be secured and what our partners
think," Hollande told reporters on the sidelines of the annual United Nations
General Assembly. "Not only would it protect those living in these zones, but,
and this is the idea behind it, refugees could return to this zone," Hollande
said.
Hollande said such a proposal could eventually be rubber-stamped with a U.N.
Security Council resolution that "would give international legitimacy to what's
happening in this zone."
Security Council diplomats have said that Russia, which backs Syrian President
Bashar Assad in the civil war, would not support any such resolution.
Turkey had proposed the establishment of a safe zone that would both help
Syrians fleeing their homes as well as refugee-taking countries who will be
relieved of the heavy burden refugees place on host countries. The safe zone,
which would be accompanied by a no-fly zone jointly protected by several
countries, has not come to fruition yet as the international community remains
reluctant to establish such a zone.
"Turkey suggests forming a safe zone for refugees," a senior Turkish official
said. "Otherwise a new wave of refugees will probably become inevitable. This
issue has to be resolved within Syria," the official said, also calling on
partners the U.N., European Union and the United States "to focus on the root
cause."
Joint Statement on the Latest Developments and Implications of the Political
Process in Syria
Joint Press release "Original in Arabic"
Syrian Coalition
Political Committee
October 03, 2015
Political offices of the undersigned rebel factions and the Syrian Coalition's
political committee held a meeting and thoroughly studied the proposals put
forward by the UN envoy Staffan de Mistura, namely the ''work groups" initiative.
After in-depth reviewing of the regional and international reality engulfing the
Syrian arena as well as recent sensitive developments with profound field and
political influence, and out of our concern for the possibility of launching a
new failed political process costing Syrians even more thousands of lives, and
more destruction to the remnants of the country's infrastructure, we affirm the
following points:
First: Participants in the meeting emphasize their commitment to reaching a
political solution to achieve the goals of the revolution, preserve the identity
of the Syrian people and end their suffering. This political process however
must ensure that the current regime is not reproduced or that its head and
pillars, whose hands are stained with the blood of Syrians, are given any role
in the transitional political process or in Syria's future.
Second: While forces of the revolution and the opposition have always dealt
fully positive with the UN envoy despite the absence of any practical results on
the ground, they emphasize they will continue to positively deal with the United
Nations in order to achieve the interests of the Syrian people.
Third: The Syrian people have completely lost confidence in the ability of the
international community to support their cause after five years of regime crimes
committed against them with Iranian military support, Russian political coverage
and a legitimacy that the international community still insists on providing to
the murderous regime. The current popular outrage must be taken into account in
any political process which must be preceded by real steps to win the confidence
of the Syrian people. The most important of these steps is to explicitly declare
that the head of the regime and its pillars cannot be given any role to play in
the political process.
Fourth: Bashar al-Assad has no place in any political process depending on the
following legal and practical reasons:
Bashar al-Assad inherited power in an entirely illegal way.
Bashar al-Assad became a war criminal the moment he began killing Syrians who
peacefully demanded their rights. He used illegal chemical weapons against
innocent civilians. These crimes have been documented by neutral international
organizations to prevent any doubt in the matter.
Bashar al-Assad and his regime have shown utmost reluctance to engage in any
political process, have not abided by any declared truces, and have shown
non-cooperation with the international community purely with humanitarian
issues. All of this has left him with no credibility or confidence.
While Bashar al-Assad and his regime have failed in their alleged war against
ISIS or to achieve any intellectual or field victory against this extremist
organization, there is compelling evidence on full coordination between the two
sides and the role Assad's regime plays in the emergence of ISIS.
Bashar al-Assad has opened the doors of Syria to foreign militias who commit the
worst sectarian massacres at the same time as fuelling sectarian rhetoric, which
deprives him of any eligibility to participate in any political process that
aims to unite the country.
Finally, Bashar al-Assad has handed over Syria to Iranian and Russian invaders,
thus committing an unforgivable act of betrayal to the country's history, its
future and dignity.
Fifth: We consider that dissolving the security agencies and the restructuring
of the military institution directly responsible for killing Syrians an
essential item for any political solution. This beleaguered and crumbling
military institution has turned into sectarian militias led by Iran. It cannot
therefore form the nucleus of a national army, nor can it be trusted by the
Syrian people to restore security and stability to the country.
Sixth: The formation of a transitional governing body is a process of full
transfer of power in which Bashar al-Assad and pillars of his regime have no
place. We emphasize the need to preserve state institutions and prevent their
disintegration as they belong to the Syrian people, and to prevent the country
from sliding into more chaos.
Seventh: We consider that proposing the "work groups" initiative ignores the
majority of the relevant United Nations resolutions on Syria, particularly
resolutions 2118, 2165 and 2139. This initiative is in fact a complicated
political process that requires confidence-building between the Syrian people on
the one hand and the party that will sponsor the political process, namely the
United Nations. Confidence-building can only be achieved through the
implementation of the above-mentioned UN resolutions that the Syrian regime has
so far disabled them.
Eighth: We consider that the "work groups" initiative in its current form and
its unclear mechanisms provides the perfect environment to reproduce the regime.
These ''work groups'' must instead be based on clear principles regarding
standards for selecting the participants in these groups and the final vision
for the solution.
Ninth: We condemn Russia's direct military escalation in Syria and consider the
Syrian regime fully responsible as it has turned Syria into a hotbed for foreign
intervention. The silence of the international community also bears
responsibility for this escalation and represents a point of no return in the
relationship between the Syrian people and Russia. This escalation clearly shows
that Russia is not serious or sincere in its commitment to the political
process, and that it has never been a honest mediator but a party to the
conflict and a key ally of the criminal regime.
Tenth: While forces of the revolution and its institutions reaffirm commitment
to our people, we vow to exert the utmost efforts to close ranks and correct
previous mistakes. We also vow that the revolution will remain faithful to its
principles and the blood of its fallen heroes, and that we will strike a balance
between achieving our objectives and safeguarding our fundamental principles. We
also pledge to alleviate the suffering of our people, expedite victory and to
dedicate our political and military capabilities for this purpose.
Accordingly, the ''work groups'' initiative in its current form is unacceptable
neither practically nor legally process unless the above-mentioned points are
taken into consideration and the ambiguities shaping the mechanisms of this
initiative are resolved.
Rebel factions:
Ahrar al-Sham Movement
Jaish al-Islam
Islamic Union of Ajnad al-Sham
Al-Sham Legion
Al-Sham Revolutionaries
The Levant Front
Al-Rahman Corps
Homs Corps
Al-Mujahideen Army
Fastaqim Kama Umert Conglomeration
Ajnad al-Sham
Noureddine Zanki Movement
Homs Liberation Movement
The South's 1st Army
Al-Yarmouk Army
The 1st Corps
Al-Tawhid Army - Homs
The Tribes Army
Division 101
Division 13
Amoud Horan Division
The Tribes Corps
Tahrir al-Sham Division
The Central Division
Division 16 Infantry
Sultan Murad Aldin Division
The 1st Coastal Division
Fajr al-Tawhid Division
Salahuddin Division
Division 24 Infantry
Al-Qadisiyah Division
Shabab al-Sunnah Division
Ossoud al-Sunnah Division
Fallujat Horan Division
March 18 Division
The 69th Davison- Special Tasks
Ahrar Nawa Division
Khaiyalet al-Zaidi Division
Shuhadaa' al-Hirak Division
Al- Sham Unified Front
Al-Asala wal Tanmiya Front
Ansar al-Islam Front
Al-Inqath Fighting Front
Suqur Jabal al-Zawiya Brigade
Fursan al-Haqq Brigade
Farouk al-Janoub Brigade
Shuhadaa' al-Islam Brigade
Al-Fatah Brigade
Al-Siddiq Brigade
Talbeesah Brigade
Ahbab Omar Brigade
Ahfad al-Rassoul Brigade
Jisr Houran Brigade
Tawhid Kataeb Houran
Tafas Brigade
Al-Muhajirin wal Ansar Brigade
Youssef al-Azmah Brigade
Omar al-Mukhtar Brigade
Shabab al-Huda Brigade
Al-Sahel 10th Brigade
Al-Furqan Brigades
Suqur al-Ghab Brigades
Ansar al-Sham
Abnaa' al-Qadisiyah
Al-Safwah Battalions
Al-Omari Brigades Conglomerate
Izraa' Brigades Conglomerate
Regiment 111
The 1st Regiment
The Artillery Regiment
The FSA Brigades in Hasaka.
Obama announces 3 new countries in anti-ISIS coalition
President Barack Obama on Tuesday announced new partners in the anti-ISIS
coalition.
"The United States established and is leading a coalition of more than 60
partners committed to degrading and ultimately destroying ISIS, and today
welcomed new coalition members Malaysia, Nigeria, and Tunisia to join those
efforts," Obama said.
Obama's announcement came during a counter terrorism summit on the sidelines of
the UN General Assembly meetings in New York.
The American leader acknowledged that the campaign to counter militants would
experience certain setbacks but was sanguine about end results.
"Ultimately I am optimistic, in Iraq and in Syria ISIS is surrounded by
communities, countries and a broad international coalition committed to its
destruction," he said. "We see that ISIS can be defeated on the battle field
where there is sound organization and a government and military coordinating
with this coalition, and our diplomatic efforts."
In Iraq, he said Mosul, Ramadi and Fallujah are still under ISIS control but
one-third of populated areas have been retaken from the militants.
But in Syria, Obama's hopes versus the realities on the ground have not exactly
been in sync as the coalition allegedly suspended a train-and-equip program for
Syrian opposition groups after the Pentagon confirmed trained fighters handed
over some of their equipment to al-Nusra Front, a radical group fighting in
Syria.
At the Pentagon, spokesman Peter Cook denied that the beleaguered program has
been canceled, but reiterated that it is under review and "there are changes
being considered."
He said training is ongoing, but did not confirm any formal changes to the
program.
The coalition has trained only about 120 fighters, nearly half of whom are
currently unaccounted for.
Separately, the U.S. issued a total of 35 terrorist designations on Tuesday,
blacklisting ISIS' Caucasus and Sinai affiliates, an Indonesia-based ISIS-linked
group, and a group called the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Khorasan",
which the State Department said is led by former Tehrik-e-Taliban commander
Hafiz Saeed Khan.
Jund al-Khilafah in Algeria, which abducted and beheaded French national Herve
Gourdel, and is linked to ISIS, was also designated.
French and British nationals were among the 35 individuals and groups
blacklisted by the State and Treasury departments. All of their property within
the U.S. has been frozen, and U.S. nationals are prohibited from conducting
business with them or on their behalf.
Meanwhile, Russia has deployed heavy weapons and troops inside Syria to support
the Assad regime and to conduct its independent campaign against ISIS.
Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin have voiced opposing views about a
political transition in Syria.
Washington wants Assad to relinquish power but Moscow strongly stands behind the
Syrian dictator and urges international support for Assad.
Obama reiterated his position Tuesday with respect to Assad's future, calling
for his removal.
He also said that Muslims are exposed to ISIS's extremism.
"Violent extremism is not unique to any one faith, so no one should ever be
profiled or targeted simply because of their faith," he warned.
The U.S.-led coalition has been fighting ISIS militants for more than a year at
a cost of nearly $3 billion, following the militants' upsurge in Iraq early last
June when ISIS began capturing large swaths of territories in Syria and Iraq.
Despite the enormous costs and resources invested in the fight, the outcome
still hangs in the balance.
London (CNN)ISIS' existence is the result of international inaction against the
Bahsar al-Assad regime, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu told CNN's
Christiane Amanpour on Monday.
ISIS "is a product of a crisis, not only a cause of a problem," he said.
His comments come days after his country launched airstrikes against the
terrorist group in Syria for the first time, and a week after reaching an
agreement allowing America to use Turkish bases for its own missions against
ISIS.
The combined effect will be to create a de-facto safe area on a portion of the
Syrian border. (A senior U.S. official denied there will be a formal no-fly
zone, but admitted to CNN the agreement would have "nearly the same effect.")
"If that was done before, [the] Assad regime wouldn't be killing so many people,
or pushing them to Turkey, Jordan, or Iraq or Lebanon. There wouldn't be any
place or power vacuum for Daesh, for ISIS, to be active," Davutoğlu said
"Assad lost this legitimacy long before; unfortunately, because of inactivity of
international community, he continued his crimes, and he created a power vacuum
-- he admitted this vacuum a few days ago -- and ISIS filled this vacuum."
"Eliminating ISIS is of course a strategic objective, but there should be some
other elements," he said. "We have to have a strategy about the future of
Syria."
"If there is one person who is responsible for all these terrorist crimes and
humanitarian tragedies in Syria, it is Assad's approach, using chemical weapons,
barrel bombs against civilians."
Davutoğlu said that while most of the international community agrees al-Assad
has no place in the "new Syria," what the "the method" is for achieving that
change is an open question.
He called once again for more robust support for "moderate opposition forces"
and said "there may not be a need" for international forces to directly battle
the regime.
Turkey's strikes against ISIS coincided with a barrage of attacks against the
Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, in Northern Iraq, with whom the government has
waged a long war campaign, and which recently declared a 2013 ceasefire to be
over.
"Eliminating ISIS is of course a strategic objective, but there should be some
other elements," he said. "We have to have a strategy about the future of
Syria."
"If there is one person who is responsible for all these terrorist crimes and
humanitarian tragedies in Syria, it is Assad's approach, using chemical weapons,
barrel bombs against civilians."
Davutoğlu said that while most of the international community agrees al-Assad
has no place in the "new Syria," what the "the method" is for achieving that
change is an open question.
He called once again for more robust support for "moderate opposition forces"
and said "there may not be a need" for international forces to directly battle
the regime.
Turkey's strikes against ISIS coincided with a barrage of attacks against the
Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, in Northern Iraq, with whom the government has
waged a long war campaign, and which recently declared a 2013 ceasefire to be
over.
Brett McGurk, the State Department's deputy special envoy for the coalition
against ISIS, told Amanpour the ability to fly missions out of Turkey -- rather
than, for example, the Gulf -- "will have a really dramatic impact."
How the United States coordinates with the moderate opposition on the ground is
"something that we still have to work out with Turkey."
Davutoğlu denied that his country's strikes in Syria were a "sudden turn."
"We have been very active against any terrorist presence on Syrian soil," he
said.
After an attack last week in the Turkish border town of Suruc killed more than
30 people, he said, "it became a necessity to get rid of ISIS from our border."
McGurk said ISIS controls about 90 kilometers of Syria's border with Turkey.
A safe area in Syria would, Davutoğlu said, create a refuge for those fleeing
Syria's 4-year-long war and establish a buffer zone with terrorist and "regime
attacks."
"To have a safe area for [moderate opposition forces] to control and to receive
refugees there will be a strategic asset for the future of Syria and to fight
against terror at the same time."
Turkey's strikes against the PKK present a more difficult scenario for the
government.
Despite the decadeslong insurgency, and accusations that the PKK were behind a
recent attack that killed two Turkish police officers, the group's Iraqi and
Syrian counterparts have been one of the most effective fighting forces against
ISIS.
Davutoğlu said the strikes were only against the PKK -- not the Kurds as a group
-- and said "this is a combined fight against terror, against any type of
terrorist activity."
Ertuğrul Kürkçü, honorary president of the pro-Kurdish Turkish HDP Party, said
the strikes against the PKK were "not an actual security measure against the
Turkish guerrillas," but rather "preparing the ground for early elections."
The HDP Party denied the ruling AKP party a majority in elections last month.
The country may need to hold a new snap election if the AKP is unable to form a
coalition.
"All political actors should be united against terrorism," Davutoğlu said. "Only
HDP rejected this request because they had some links with PKK."
Putin sees the Middle East as another region on his global chessboard that can
serve as a spoiler of Western policy.
In the late 1970s, the Soviet Union sent dozens of "advisers" to Afghanistan. By
the early 1980s, these advisers turned into hundreds of thousands of troops who
fought in a war that, in part, brought the Soviet Union to its knees.
Today, Russia makes no secret of the fact that it has "advisers" in Syria. Even
more, Russian warships have been called into Syrian ports, and Russian warplanes
and helicopters can be spotted on Syrian airfields. Social media accounts have
shown Russian soldiers on the ground in Syria. There have even been reports that
Russia is building a military base in Syria.
The actual number of Russian troops and the extent of their involvement in
day-to-day combat in Syria are not yet clear. If there is a large number of
Russian soldiers on the ground, their presence will not be kept a secret for
long.
The Kremlin's soldiers in Syria are bound to stick out like a sore thumb. Even
in eastern Ukraine - which shares so many similar cultural, linguistic, ethnic,
and religious traits with Russia - Moscow has failed spectacularly at keeping
the presence of its troops a secret.
Russia's goals in Syria
When US President Barack Obama said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad "has
to go", he did nothing to back up his words; when Russian President Vladimir
Putin said that Assad will remain in power, he did everything to back up his
words.
Obama's weakness and Putin's willingness to show strength have led us to the
situation we find in Syria today.
Russia's ultimate goal in Syria is the preservation of the Assad regime. If
Assad goes, Russia stands to lose its only naval base in the Mediterranean Sea
at the port city of Tartous. As Russia's only port in the Mediterranean - and
its only toehold in the Middle East - this would be a major blow to Moscow.
Even if Assad hangs onto power, he will never control all of Syria as it once
was. Putin knows this. Therefore, it is likely Moscow will help shore up Assad's
defences in the region around Latakia - where he maintains his strongest
support. Luckily for Putin, this is also where his naval base is located.
Middle East spoiler
Putin sees the Middle East as another region on his global chessboard that can
serve as a spoiler of Western policy. Deep down, Putin does not care if the
Middle East burns or if thousands die. For Putin, the perception of the US
failing in the Middle East is a victory for him. Keeping a naval base for Russia
is merely an added bonus.
Assad is happy to play host to the Russians, no matter what the cost.
There has been a lot of focus on Iran being the primary guarantor of the Assad
regime's survival. Though Tehran plays an important role in this regard, it
should not be overstated.
While Iran can fund a war in Syria using proxies, it is only Russia that has the
national resources and the expeditionary military capability to intervene in a
meaningful way to prop up the regime.
More importantly, for Damascus, only Moscow has the right to veto on the UN
Security Council that can delay, block, or frustrate international efforts that
could result in the removal of Assad.
Russia acts, the West reacts
Obama believes that saying something is the same as doing it - that delivering a
speech is the same as implementing policy. This is the main difference between
Obama and Putin, and between the West and Russia.
Russia acts and then the West reacts.
This is a common theme between the West and Russia all over the world: With
recent developments in eastern Ukraine, the testing of NATO, the Iranian nuclear
deal, and now, Russian ground troops in Syria, it is clear that Russia has a
strategy to achieve its national objectives. The West does not.
Until there is real leadership in the West, clear goals are defined, and a
coherent and unified strategy is developed to achieve those goals, Russia will
continue to run rings around the West in places like Ukraine and Syria.
How much Russian blood and treasure Putin is willing to spend to prop up Assad
and keep its naval base in Syria remains to be seen; but one thing is for
certain: Russia is playing a deadly game in Syria.
Although the situation in Syria is, in many ways, different from Afghanistan in
the late 1970s and '80s, there are some notable parallels between the Soviets'
incremental escalation in Afghanistan and what Russia is doing today in Syria.
Before the Russian people realise what is going on, "advisers" quickly turn into
soldiers, and soldiers quickly come home in body bags.
With the Russian economy in tatters, oil prices down, and the frozen conflict in
eastern Ukraine, can Putin really afford another military adventure abroad?
The answer is he can, but the poor Russian people cannot.
Luke Coffey is a research fellow specialising in transatlantic and Eurasian
security at a Washington DC-based think-tank. He previously served as a special
adviser to the British defence secretary and was a commissioned officer in the
United States Army.
We Revolted For Freedom and Dignity, and We Will Still Say "No" To Assad and His
Gang
Press release "Original in Arabic"
Syrian Coalition
September 27, 2015
While our people continue to bleed heavily and in various forms, the most
painful of which is caused by Assad's brutality, and while his Russians and
Iranians friends blatantly and flagrantly intervene without any real response
from the friends of the Syrian people, lenient positions have been recently
expressed towards a mass-murderer whose crimes against humanity in Syria have
long been proved. Assad must rather be referred to international courts, and
Syrian rebels must be supported as they face the regime and international
terrorism.
In addition to the dubious silence by those who have begun embracing prospects
for a political solution and reassuring the murderer, rewarding him and ignoring
the victim, they even put pressure on the suffering victim. We therefore do not
expect any logical prospects from such improvised tracks that are trying to
establish phony stability that may explode more violently and engender more
chaos that will threaten the whole world.
Russia's military build-up in Syria, which amounts to direct occupation,
especially at the coastal area, risks further fueling the conflict and acts as a
prelude for partitioning our country. Besides violating Syria's sovereignty and
being aimed at popping up the regime rather than for fighting terrorism as some
claim, this intervention is intended to fill the vacuum which should have been
filled by the Syrian people.
We in the Syrian Coalition have always been committed to reaching a just
political solution, and in the Geneva I Communique and the UN Security Council
resolution 2118 we have seen a realization and an implementation of this
solution. However, it is greatly astonishing how aggression and tyranny are
regarded as pillars for this solution, and we condemn the ongoing attempts to
re-market the murderous Assad regime and its head. We therefore call upon our
brothers and our friends to reaffirm their commitment to support our people.
Before any other consideration, we reiterate that our people and their
revolution has a right that must be regained, and that they will remain the
reference and the decider of any outcome. These attempts to rehabilitate Assad
will only serve to increase our people's determination to achieve victory and
build a democratic civil state. For this, we call upon the active and
influential rebel forces to raise their voice, close their ranks and reach a
unified position with the free political opposition.
Finally, despite all the suffering, the world will hear the word ''no'' from us.
We rose up to regain freedom and dignity that both urge us to say "no" to Assad
and his gang and to whoever tries to re-habilitate him. Our revolution will turn
into a popular resistance that will not succumb to tyranny or aggression.
Glory for our fallen heroes.
Recovery for the wounded.
Return for the displaced from their homes.
Freedom for the prisoners.
Long live Syria and the Syrian people, free and with honor.
Reports: Iranian troops in Syria for joint offensive
Reuters says Iranian reinforcements to aid Syrians and Hezbollah allies in
operations backed by Russian air strikes.
Reports from Lebanon say hundreds of Iranian troops have arrived in Syria in the
last 10 days and will soon join government forces and their Lebanese Hezbollah
allies in a major ground offensive backed by Russian air strikes.
Reuters news agency reported on Thursday the arrival of the Iranians quoting two
Lebanese sources.
"The [Russian] air strikes will in the near future be accompanied by ground
advances by the Syrian army and its allies," said one of the sources familiar
with political and military developments in the conflict.
"It is possible that the coming land operations will be focused in the Idlib and
Hama countryside."
Al Jazeera could not independently verify the report.
The two Reuters sources said the operation would be aimed at recapturing
territory lost by President Bashar al-Assad's government to rebels.
If true, the development points to an emerging military alliance between Russia
and Assad's other main allies - Iran and Hezbollah - focused on recapturing
areas of northwestern Syria that were seized by opposition fighters in rapid
advances earlier this year.
"The vanguard of Iranian ground forces began arriving in Syria: soldiers and
officers specifically to participate in this battle," the second source said.
"They are not advisers ... we mean hundreds with equipment and weapons. They
will be followed by more."
Iraqis will also take part in the operation, the source said.
Thus far, direct Iranian military support for Assad has come mostly in the form
of military advisers.
Iran has also mobilised Shia units, including Iraqis and some Afghans, to fight
alongside Syrian government forces.
Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese Shia group, has been fighting alongside the
Syrian army since early in the conflict.
The Russian air force began air strikes in Syria on Wednesday, targeting areas
near the cities of Homs and Hama in the west of the country, where Assad's
forces are fighting an array of rebel groups.
The stated target of the Russian air strikes, the Islamic State of Iraq and the
Levant (ISIL) group, is based mostly in the north and east.
An alliance of opposition groups, including the Nusra Front and Ahrar al-Sham,
made rapid gains in Idlib province earlier this year, completely expelling the
government from the area bordering Turkey.
About one-half of the refugees streaming out of Syria are children, making this
an enormously difficult matter. Many of the refugees racing towards the European
Union are unaccompanied minors, including many very young children. There are
reports of 3-month old infants being put on inflatable boats in this desperate
exodus from the vortex of destruction that was once Syria, The Hill reported.
Indeed, Syria is no more. It is a Humpty Dumpty that fell off the wall and then
was crushed by Hama rules. Hama rules were developed by Bashar Al Assad's
father. When the city of Hama in Syria started an Islamist rebellion Hafez sent
troops in, killed thousands, and cemented them over. Bashar has proven to be
much worse than even his murderous father. Bashar drops barrel bombs,
essentially oil barrels filled with explosives on anyone that is walking,
sleeping, praying, having a rare family dinner, dreaming and about to be dead.
Much of the world is joint and severally liable and culpable for this ethical
and moral nightmare. We have failed the Syrian children in the worst sort of
ways: from neglect, from lack of backbone to stand up for what is right, and
from the moral turpitude that often passes as strategic thinking.
The U.S. did little when it could have done much early in this nightmare. It has
been generous with aid money, but has been parsimonious with real strategic and
moral thinking.
The Russians blocked any real attempts to solve this issue early on in an
attempt to keep a Navy Base, their people on the ground and their weapons still
flowing, and Syria was one of Russia's biggest arms markets. They are now
sending aircraft, advisors and more to Syria to support the mass-murdering,
nation-destroyer, Assad.
The Iranians are supporting Shia militias, sending some of their own people, and
are sending Afghan fighters from Iranian camps to fight on the side of Assad.
Iran also supports Hezbollah of Lebanon, which is also in the fight beside Assad.
ISIS is the spawn of the Iraq wars of the last decades, the collapse of Syria
and Iraq, the vernal selfishness of many of the outside and inside parties
involved, money coming from various parts of the world to support them, and also
a lot of sociopathy and psychopathy. The 10 percent rule applies to this group.
Turkey has done much for the refugees that it has taken in. It has been one of
the most generous countries to them.
Lebanon is being overrun with refugees. The last time that happened, then with
Sunni Palestinians and this time with Sunni Syrians, the demographics of the
country went topsy-turvy and a civil war broke out that cost almost 200,000
lives. Jordan is facing a flood of refugees to add to the Palestinians and
others it has taken in. Its future is at risk. The entire region is at risk from
the spread of an ideology or murder and revenge that could take down many more
places if it is not stemmed now.
The EU is looking at one of the worst refugee crises in its modern history. The
entire EU experiment is at risk as border, economic and other tensions mount.
Ultra-right wing extremist groups are also growing in the EU as their economies
continue to stagnate and people are looking for scapegoats.
The refugee children, some of them very young, are caught in this dangerous,
swirling vortex. What would you feel like as a young child of 5, 10 or even 15
running from such violence and fear and then into the unknown?
The average time a refugee is a refugee in 19 years. Can the Middle East and the
EU deal with that one? What will these children of war and exodus be like when
they grow up?
Where are the world's strategic and moral
leaders on this? Where are the creative leaders who can turn this around?
Sullivan is a professor of Economics at the National Defense University and an
adjunct professor of Security Studies at Georgetown University. The opinions
expressed are his own.
'Russian raids in Syria harming civilians, not Daesh'
DUBAI: Russian airstrikes in Syria had caused civilian casualties while failing
to target the hard-line Daesh militants, a top Saudi diplomat said on Thursday
as he sought an end to the raids.
In remarks at the United Nations in New York, Saudi Ambassador Abdallah Al-Mouallimi
suggested that both Russia and Assad's other main ally Iran cannot not claim to
fight Daesh ''terrorism'' while at the same time supporting the ''terrorism'' of the
Bashar Assad regime.
Al-Mouallimi expressed ''profound
concern regarding the military operations which Russian forces have carried out
in Homs and Hama today, places where ISIS forces are not present. These attacks
led to a number of innocent victims. We demand it stop immediately and not
recur.''
''As for those countries that have claimed recently to join in
the fight against ISIS terrorism, they can't do that at the same time as they
support the terrorism of the Syrian regime and its terrorist foreign allies like
Hezbollah and the Quds Force and other terrorist sectarian groups,'' he added in
comments broadcast by Al-Arabiya television.
ISIS is an acronym for Islamic State, also known as ISIL. It
is also widely known among Arabs as Daesh.
Lebanon's Hezbollah Shiite militia openly fights on behalf of
Assad's government, and the Quds Force, part of Iran's elite Revolutionary
Guards, is also widely believed to be aiding Damascus.
Russia on Wednesday launched its first air strikes in Syria
since the country's civil war began in 2011, giving an hour's notice to the
United States, which has led a coalition of Western allies and regional states
flying missions for a year.
Russia's move looks likely to chill a tentative detente begun
this year between Russia and Saudi Arabia despite their backing for opposing
sides in Syria's conflict and their differences over the issue of Iran's nuclear
program.
In June, the atmosphere appeared to improve when Deputy Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Salman led a delegation of Saudi officials to Moscow and
signed military and energy agreements.
The trip raised speculation about closer ties between the two
countries. But that prospect now appears in question.
In an interview with Al-Hayat newspaper published on Thursday,
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said the two countries had many common
interests on which to develop ties, but he noted continuing ''lack of agreement''
on Syria.
''I visited Russia, as did other Gulf officials. You know of
the (positive) atmosphere that prevailed two months ago,'' Jubeir was quoted as
saying. ''But all of a sudden Russia stepped up its military role in Syria and
announced its political position backing Assad.''
Russia and China vetoed in February 2012 a UN Security Resolution drafted by
Saudi Arabia and backed by the West that Assad should step down.
It remains unclear whether Gulf Arab states would want the
Syrian rebels they fund to engage Russian forces in battle a prospect that
would further upset the regional balance of power.
''The solution (in Syria) does not depend on Russia,'' Jubeir
told Al-Hayat. ''The principle is, firstly, that there is no role for Bashar
Assad in Syria's future. The second principle is to maintain the civil and
military institutions in Syria in order to avoid chaos.''
A third point was to form a transitional council of all
Syrians to help Syria move to a new stage, he said.
Syria's Al Nusra Re-emerging As Key Rebel Fighting To Overthrow Tyrant Bashar
al-Assad
By Mark Corcoran
Jabhat al-Nusra, or the Al Nusra Front, is an Al Qaeda affiliated Sunni Islamist
group, now re-emerging as one of the dominant rebel factions fighting to
overthrow the regime of Syria's president Bashar al-Assad.
Al Nusra's stated aim is the establishment of a Sunni Islamist Emirate across
the Levant region
Al Nusra tightens grip on parts of Syria while world watches IS
While international attention has focussed on the spectacular gains of IS in
eastern Syria and Iraq - Al Nusra has quietly consolidated its hold on parts of
northwest Syria.
In contrast to IS, most of Al Nusra's members are Syrian, although the movement
has attracted smaller numbers of Australians and other foreigners to its ranks.
Spokesman Mostafa Mohamed Farag is the most highly ranked Australian, but
another prominent recruit was Mohammed Ali Baryalei, a charismatic
Afghan-Australian from Sydney who travelled to Syria where he joined Al Nusra in
about April 2013.
The ABC's 7.30 program reported that within two months he switched allegiance to
Islamic State, as IS grew in stature to become the dominant Islamist group.
In March 2015, Al Nusra suffered a major setback when the group's veteran
military commander Abu Human al-Shami was reportedly killed in a US air strike.
Rami Abdulrahman, who runs the anti-Assad Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
which tracks the war in Syria using sources on the ground, told Reuters that Abu
Humam was more important than Al Nusra Front's supreme leader, al-Golani.
Despite al-Shami's death and the targeted killing of many other key commanders,
Al Nusra has since achieved a remarkable string of military victories in Syria's
northwest, capturing the city of Idlib, overrunning a strategically significant
military base, and seizing large quantities of weapons from rival militant
groups.
After two years of being overshadowed by IS, the group enjoys a resurgence in
popularity, with fighters once more returning to join its ranks.
Politically, Al Nusra has attempted rebrand itself as a less extremist
alternative to Islamic State.
The gulf state of Qatar has reportedly tempted the leadership to formally break
ranks with extremism, in return for more weapons and cash and leadership of a
more 'moderate' Gulf-led anti-Assad coalition.
Despite all these, the Al Nusra Front has re-affirmed its Al Qaeda affiliation.
ISIS Executes Over 3,000 In Syria In Year-long 'Caliphate'
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group has executed more than 3,000
people in Syria, including hundreds of civilians, in the year since it declared
its self-described ''caliphate,'' a monitor said on Sunday.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based group monitoring
Syria's conflict, said it had documented 3,027 executions by IS since June 29,
2014.
Among those executed are 1,787 civilians, including 74 children, said the
Observatory.
Members of Sunni Shaitat tribe account for around half of the civilians
murdered.
ISIS killed 930 members of the clan in Deir Ezzor last year after they rose up
against the extremist Sunni Muslim group.
The toll also includes recent mass killings by ISIS in the Syrian Kurdish town
of Kobane, which the jihadist group re-entered briefly this week after being
expelled in January.
The monitor said it had counted at least 223 executions in the border town this
week.
The Observatory also documented 216 ISIS executions of rival rebel factions and
Kurdish fighters, as well as the executions of nearly 900 regime forces.
ISIS has also executed 143 of its own members it accused of crimes including
spying, many of them captured as they were trying to desert the group, the
Observatory said.
And at least 8,000 ISIS militants have been killed in battles and U.S.-led air
strikes, added the monitor.
ISIS emerged in Syria in 2013, growing from Al-Qaeda's one-time Iraq affiliate
and initially seeking to merge with Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate Al-Nusra Front.
When Al-Nusra refused the merger, the two groups become rivals, and ISIS went on
to announce its ''caliphate'' in territory in Syria and Iraq last year,
proclaiming its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi ''Caliph Ibrahim.''
Al-Qaeda-led Rebels Al-Nusrah Take Idlib's Last Syria Regime Bastion
After violent clashes,al-Nusra Front and its allies in the Army of Conquest -
Jaish al-Fatah in Arabic - capture Ariha
A rebel coalition led by the Syrian affiliate of al-Qaeda stormed and seized the
last regime-held city in Idlib province on Thursday, as Iraq exhumed the remains
of 470 jihadist victims.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said al-Nusra Front and its allies in
the Army of Conquest - Jaish al-Fatah in Arabic - captured Ariha after fierce
clashes with regime forces including their Hizbollah allies, who were seen
withdrawing.
The rebel sweep saw their fighters quickly enter outer districts of Ariha, Rami
Abdel Rahman, the Observatory head, told AFP.
"Jaish al-Fatah has taken full control of the city of Ariha after a lightning
offensive that ended with a heavy pullout of regime forces and their allies
Hizbollah from the western side of the city," he said.
The coalition confirmed the takeover of Ariha on Twitter, saying it seized the
city in just six hours.
Earlier, Mr Abdel Rahman said: "There was heavy shelling and rocket fire, then
they stormed the city. They have entered the city and are engaged in fierce
clashes on its peripheries."
Ariha, which was home to 40,000 people before the conflict began, was the last
remaining government-held city in Idlib province bordering Turkey.
"The march of lions has begun ... LET Allah liberate Ariha," the Army of
Conquest's official Twitter account posted as the attack began.
The Britain-based Observatory said late Thursday that dozens
of military vehicles were seen withdrawing from Ariha.
The Army of Conquest coalition has won a string of victories
in Idlib, including taking the provincial capital on March 28 and the key town
of Jisr al-Shughur on April 25.
Most recently, the rebels seized the massive al-Mastumah
military base and overran a hospital complex where regime soldiers were trapped.
Many government forces retreated from these areas to Ariha,
which Abdel Rahman said was heavily defended by fighters from Iran and Lebanese
Shia movement Hizbollah.
The Army of Conquest vowed to consolidate its control of Idlib
province, where before the latest attack the regime still held Ariha, the Abu
Duhur military airport and a sprinkling of villages and military posts.
In the fight against the separate Islamic State of Iraq and
the Levant (Isil), the Pentagon said on Thursday US-led coalition had hit
targets in both Syria and Iraq.
Aircraft targeted Isil with six strikes in Hasakeh and Deir
Ezzor provinces, while in neighbouring Iraq warplanes launched a total of 20
strikes against the jihadists.
Iraq's health minister said on Thursday authorities there have
exhumed the remains of 470 people believed to have been executed by Isil near
Tikrit last year in what became known as the Speicher massacre.
"We have exhumed the bodies of 470 Speicher martyrs from
burial sites in Tikrit," Adila Hammoud told reporters in Baghdad.
In June 2014, armed men belonging or allied to Isil abducted
hundreds of young, mostly Shia recruits from Speicher military base, just
outside the city of Tikrit.
They were then lined up in several locations and executed one
by one, as shown in pictures and footage later released by Isil on the internet.
Assad Troops abandon their last military base in
Syria's Idlib province
In the latest blow to the government of President Bashar Assad, the Syrian army
retreated Tuesday from its last major base in northeastern Idlib province,
abandoning the Mastoumeh stronghold to an Islamist-led rebel force.
The estimated 400 men withdrew with most of their equipment to nearby Ariha, a
town of 70,000. The convoy of 20 or more trucks and at least seven tanks
traveled over farm roads through olive groves starting in the middle of the
night Tuesday. It came under rebel fire en route, resulting in the loss of
several dozen soldiers and a number of armored vehicles, the pro-rebel Masar
Press agency reported.
Not until Tuesday morning did rebels attack the camp itself, capturing three
tanks and some large artillery pieces, according to a Syrian reporter at the
scene whose name McClatchy is withholding for his safety.
Moderate rebel commanders, who were closely monitoring the situation but did not
take part in the offensive, said negotiations had been going on for weeks to
ensure a complete withdrawal of the army from what was once a key supply road
linking Latakia, the province that is dominated by Assad's Alawite sect, with
Aleppo, once Syria's commercial center and now contested between various rebel
groups and the government.
It's not clear exactly what deal was struck between the military and the rebel
forces, which include Jabhat al Nusra, al Qaida's affiliate in Syria, another
extremist group, Jund al Aqsa, the Islamist group Ahrar al Sham and two others.
Heavy fighting continued Tuesday evening as rebels seized at least one
checkpoint just outside Ariha and were fighting for a second.
With the loss of Mastoumeh, the government now controls only the Abu Duher
airport in the east of the province and a hospital-turned-base in the town of
Jisr al Shugour that has been under rebel siege for the past two weeks. Moderate
commanders said they expect the government's troops to leave Ariha at their
earliest opportunity because they no longer can be supplied by road.
EDITORS: STORY CAN END HERE
(As posted from Comments by Br. Kaukab Siddique on his Newtrend
Magazine)
Mastoumeh is the latest in a string of defeats for the Syrian military in the
past two months. Islamists led by fighters from Nusra seized Idlib, the
provincial capital, on March 28. On April 25, a combined force that included
U.S.-backed moderate rebels seized Jisr al Shugour, a strategic town on the main
east-west highway. Two days later, a combined rebel force seized the Qarmeed
base on the same road. Since then, rebel forces in different configurations have
seized outposts and checkpoints every few days.
Although some foreign observers credit rebel gains to increased collaboration
between three regional powers supporting the rebels - Turkey, Saudi Arabia and
Qatar - moderate commanders said the real explanation was closer to the ground.
This is that all groups, with the exception of the extremist Islamic State,
decided to put aside their past enmities and to organize coordinated assaults on
the regime using a joint operations room.
Once a political indoctrination camp for elementary schoolchildren that the army
seized in 2011 in the early days of Syria's unrest, the Mastoumeh base became a
symbol of Assad's resort to violence in May of that year, when townspeople from
Ariha marched on it, chanting, "The people want the government to fall."Troops
opened fire, killing at least 11 civilians.
Alhamadee is a McClathy special correspondent --
Courtesy Miami Herald.
Syrian Opposition Launches Assault On Daraa
City
A rebel alliance, including al-Qaeda's Syria affiliate al-Nusra Front, attacked
government-held parts of the southern city of Daraa on Thursday, a monitoring
group said.
The alliance, also involving Ahrar al-Sham, bombarded government positions with
mortar and artillery fire, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
However, sources on the ground told Middle East Eye that the attack was
implemented by the Southern Front coalition.
"The operation, led by Sharif Mahameed, was corrdinated and executed by the
Souther Front," the source said. "Nusra Front and Ahrar al-Sham were barely
involved in today's attacks."
Syria's official SANA news agency said "terrorists hit neighbourhoods of Daraa
city with mortar rounds and gas canister bombs," adding that there were reports
of casualties.
"Army units foiled attempts by terrorist groups to attack several military
positions in Daraa province destroying several armoured vehicles and killing
dozens of terrorists," state television said.
It made no mention of fighting inside Daraa city, parts of which are already
under opposition control.
Around 70 percent of Daraa province is under the control of rebel groups, who
have made several advances in the region in recent weeks.
In early June, rebels from the Southern Front coalition seized the 52nd Brigade
base and advanced to the border between Daraa and Sweida, a mainly Druze
province to the east which is largely government-controlled.
Financial Times: Syria Is A Dilapidated Regime With A Worn-out Army
The Financial Times published a report on Wednesday, June 24 on
the situation in Syria saying Bashar Assad forces have in the past few months
suffered numerous decisive military blows in the country's central, eastern,
northern and southern regions.
Four years into the war nothing is left of the army but a
worn-out army. This force is in a defensive position and has been strengthened
by the Hezbollah and Iran's Revolutionary Guards. Damascus is currently under
Assad's control, but it can soon be threatened by opposition military forces in
the south bound to take complete control of Deraa.
Australian MP: 2,000 Hezbollah military forces killed in Syria
Australian MP Michael Danby from the Labor Party wrote an article in the
Australian daily shedding light and condemning Iran's meddling in the Middle
East.
As the definitive US State Department report said over the
weekend, Iran still supports Hezbollah, which the Americans describe as an
international terrorist organization, the article reads.
Two thousand of Iran's Hezbollah proxies have been killed in
Iran's attempt to preserve Syria's Assad regime.
Syria: Dozens Of Assad's Foreign Foot
Soldiers Killed in Aleppo
Syrian rebels have taken over the Rashedin neighborhood in Aleppo, saying they
killed dozens of Iranian, Afghan and Lebanese foot soldiers Orient TV reported
on 22 June 2015.
The rebels killed 60 Shiite Iranian and Afghans in the battle
to liberate Rashedin located in northern Aleppo. The rebels have now reached the
New Aleppo areas, considered one of the most important under Assad control. Many
of Assad's forces were forced to flee the area due to the heavy rebel attacks.
In response Assad dispatched its air force to bomb the
residential areas, in addition to heavy artillery, helicopter gunships and
barrel bombs. The rebels say they are now advancing towards Assad's last bases
in the western neighborhoods of the city.
Syrian government forces have dropped
barrel bombs on Aleppo nearly daily this year, amounting to the war crime of
targeting civilians, Reuters cited U.N. investigators saying on Tuesday 23 JUNE
2015.
This year, government planes and helicopters have bombarded
areas of eastern Aleppo province, 'mostly barrel bombings - on a nearly daily
basis,' the independent experts said. Its bombing of towns and cities in Deraa
and Idlib had also intensified.
'The continuing use of barrel bombs in aerial campaigns
against whole areas, rather than specific targets, is in violation of
international humanitarian law and, as previously documented, amounts to the war
crime of targeting civilians,' the report said.
The investigators, who have drawn up five confidential lists
of suspected war criminals on all sides, warned: 'The flight paths of
helicopters responsible for the dropping of barrel bombs are being documented.
Those in command of the bases and airstrips where helicopters are loaded and
from where they take off must be held accountable.'
U.S. ambassador Keith Harper denounced the Damascus
government's use of barrel bombs and imprisonment of 'tens of thousands of
Syrians, subjecting them to torture, sexual violence, inhumane conditions and
denial of fair trials'.
Over 1 Million People Call For No Fly
Zone in Syria
According to the Syrian National Coalition's official website, various
organizations have called on US President Barack Obama to establish a no fly
zone for Syrian civilians that have been murdered and killed by Assad's daily
bombings for the past four and a half years.
These organizations issued a statement published in the New
York Times asking Mr. Obama, what are you waiting for? They published the image
of a small child managing to survive after a chemical attack by the Assad
regime. This statement refers to the fact that 1,093,775 people have signed this
letter calling on the US to protect Syrian civilians through true measures
against the Assad regime's killings and terrorism.
Latest IS Victories: Half of Syria now under Caliphate Control: 200 of Assad's
Elite Troops wiped out in
By Jamaat al-Muslimeen Virginia
With the capture of Palmyra, the Islamic State militants now control half of
Syria and most of the country's oil wells, according to the Syrian Observatory
for Human Rights, making it the group with the most territory under its
authority among the myriad factions fighting in the country's civil war.
Its vast terrain inside Syria stretches from the group's westernmost strongholds
in Aleppo province to its core territory in northeastern Syria down to central
Syria, with footholds in Damascus.
Palmyra's location in Syria's heartland offers the militants several important
advantages, said Faysal Itani, a resident fellow at the Atlantic Council. The
town can now be used as a launching pad to threaten government positions and
supply lines south of Aleppo and east of Homs and Hama, and open up a new
approach to Damascus, seat of Assad's power.
IS can also threaten regime supply lines to the eastern city of Deir el-Zour,
where government forces are still holding out against the militants.
"If IS manages to cut off Deir el-Zour, it is likely that the city would fall,
essentially ending regime presence in that province, and consolidating IS' core
territory," he said.
The fall of Palmyra follows major setbacks for Assad in northern and southern
Syria. "This is simply an indication of how overstretched the regime is," Itani
said.
Most Notorious Prison broken by IS. Christian Prisoners too were Freed.
In taking Palmyra, IS also seized control of the notorious Tadmur Prison,
freeing some of those imprisoned inside, said Bebars al-Talawy, a Homs activist.
The government had already transferred thousands of detainees from the prison to
a jail near Damascus as IS attacked the city, al-Talawy said. Thousands were
believed to still be inside, he said, but he couldn't provide precise figures.
The prison survives in the collective memory of Syrians as the place where
dissidents were held for decades and prisoners tortured.
A report by a local Lebanese station that 27 Lebanese prisoners, including some
jailed since the 1980s, were among those freed from Tadmur triggered confusion
in Beirut among families of missing Lebanese, many of whom believe their loved
ones have been languishing in Syrian prisons for decades.
An amateur video posted online purported to show IS fighters inside the Tadmur
Prison setting fire to a giant poster of Assad and cheering. The video and its
location could not be independently verified but appeared genuine and
corresponded to other AP reporting of the events.
[Courtesy
Seattle Times: May 21 As
posted from Comments by Br. Kaukab Siddique on his Newtrend Magazine]
'Over 11,000 Syrians Tortured To Death' Since
2011
Majority of tortured victims suffered at hands of pro-Assad forces: SNHR
The number of Syrians tortured to death since the outbreak of the March 2011
uprising has reached 11,429, said a report by UK-based Syrian Network for Human
Rights (SNHR).
The overwhelming majority of the victims had suffered at the hands of forces
loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, SNHR noted.
The report, released on 26 June and titled "The United Nations International Day
in Support of Victims of Torture", said the victims included 157 children and 62
women.
Islamic State militants and various rebel groups also tortured tens of people,
regardless of their age and sex, the report said.
Three or four Syrians on average die because of torture every day, according to
the report, which stressed that the worst types of tortures worldwide have been
observed in Syria.
Torture is one method of killing by pro-government forces, SNHR Head Fadhil
Abdulghani said in the report.
According to UN, torture is a crime under international law; it is absolutely
prohibited and cannot be justified under any circumstances.
Meanwhile, the European parliament reportedly rejected holding in its public
exhibition areas a major public show of photographs that document torture in
Assad's government institutions, deeming then too "disturbing".
A similar exhibition, however, was allowed to take place at the UN headquarters
in New York in March.
Separately, a number of Syrian witnesses told Vanity Fair magazine of the
horrors that were taking place in some of Syria's military hospitals, where they
had worked before fleeing the country.
Some of the tortured victims "had acid on their hips. I could see straight
through to the bone," one witness recalled, while another witnessed "wrapping
men's genitals so tightly with a rubber glove that the pressure would cut off
circulation".
"Sometimes the Mukhabarat [Syrian intelligence] guys would pee on the wounds.
Other times they would dip a prisoner's bandages in toilet water and put them
back on," one witness told the magazine.
Sometimes even the torturers were subjected to suffering. On one occasion, a
lieutenant in the Syrian intelligence was ordered to torture his own cousin, who
was suspected of belonging to the opposition.
'Over 11,000 Syrians Tortured To Death' Since
2011
Full translation of the first part of the interview by
al-Jazeera. Translated by Dutch Mujāhidīn in Syria
Ahmad Mansour: ''May peace be upon to you and the mercy of Allah and His
blessing. I greet you and welcome you in a new episode of the program 'without
borders' from one of the liberated territories in North Syria. Were the recent
military victories took place, which were achieved by Jaysh Al-Fath by its
shadow on the battlefield in and outside Syria, and Jabhat An-Nusra is
considered as one of the essential pillars of Jaysh Al-Fath. Although it is
described different from the others by the US, saying it is a terrorist
organization.
In the same time the Syrian regime is bombing the bases of Jabhat An-Nusra and
its men, the American planes and the US coalition planes are also bombing the
same targets. The bases of Jabhat An-Nusra and its leaders were hit by these
missiles, after the US places Jabhat An-Nusra and IS (the Islamic State) in the
same scale, despite the big differences between them in thought and beliefs and
even military.
Jabhat An-Nusra was founded in the month January 2012 after Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani
came back from Iraq, where he traveled to mid March 2003 to fight the American
troops who occupied Iraq at that time. Al-Joulani came back to Syria and
published his first publication in it on 24 January (2012) in which he announced
the founding of Jabhat An-Nusra. In it he said 'it strives to return the
Governance of Allah back on earth and to take revenge for the violated honor and
split blood'. Jabhat An-Nusra shocked by its strong and racing operations in its
beginning against the Syrian regime and its intelligence positions in the
capital Damascus.
And when Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islam State in Iraq and the
Levant, announced the fusing of Jabhat An-Nusra with the Islamic State, Jabhat
An-Nusra announced its renewal of allegiance to Dr. Ayman Az-Zawahiri in the
month of April 2013, refusing what Al-Baghdadi announced. Jabhat An-Nusra was
drawn in to fight with the Islamic State, in which the Islamic State took power
of many territories which were under the control of Jabhat An-Nusra, including
the Syrian territories which are rich of oil resources.
In our episode today we will try to understand the goals and strategy of Jabhat
An-Nusra, and the reality of their aims. With the consideration that it one the
main operating military powers at the moment in the battlefields of Syria, which
is striving to the fall of the regime. And our dialogue today is with the
founder of Jabhat An-Nusra, Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani. Abu Muhammad we greet you
welcome, I thank you for choosing the broadcast Al-Jazeera and the program Bilaa
Hudood (without borders) for this dialogue. I have tens of questions which maybe
are shared by tens of journalist, over all corners of the world, who have asked
you for a interview, but you chose us over the others.
I want to start with the recent victories achieved by Jaysh Al-Fath of which
Jabhat An-Nusra is considered one of its pillars. The liberation of Idlib, and
the military camp Al-Mastouma, and very recently the state hospital in Jishr Al-Shughour.
What is the military strategic importance of these victories?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''In the name of Allah, all praise is due to Allah, and
blessings and peace be upon the Prophet, his family and his companions. As for
what follows, first of all these territories which are consider to be liberated
recently are the first defense lines for the coast areas. The whole territory
between Ladikiya and Idlib was defended by the regime with large military
equipment, like Qarmeen, Mastooma, the town Ar-Rihaa and Jish Al-Shoughour and
many other checkpoints which fall in this category like Hanbal, and Al-Qiyasaat,
and Frayqa, and so forth. These territories are considered the first defense
lines for the coast areas. These territories are Sunni, and then come the
territories in which the Nusairy Al-Lawites reside. They are considered first
defense lines for the Nusairy territories, which the regime gives more
importance than others. The battles were in the Sunni territories, and now they
have moved to the (Nusairy) territories in which the regime enjoys popular
support.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''Now you are not further than 30km away from Al-Qirdaha, the
capital of the Al-Lawites, like it is been nicknamed, the town of the Assad
family; in it is the grave of Hafid Al-Assad, the father. Many Al-Lawite
strongholds are now just a stones-throw away from you. What is your future
battle, or what is your vision concerning the Al-Lawite territories, in the
shadow of what has been said; that Jabhat An-Nusra is planning a historical
massacre on the Al-Lawites in the territories Al-Ladiqiya and Al-Sahil (the
coast)?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''First of all, the Nusayris or the Al-Lawites have
committed very big massacres against the Sunnis. This regime, since it gained
power forty years ago or so, is built in its fundamental basics upon the Al-Lawite
and Nusayri origin. They are the ones who committed massacres in Hamaa, they are
the ones dropping explosive barrel bombs on the inhabitants and Muslims, in all
the territories, they are the ones torturing in prisons, they are the ones
raping women and killing children, they are the ones who caused millions of
refugees to flee all over the world, some drowned at sea, some of them are
begging for livelihood, some of them live in refugee camps in the surrounding
countries. They are responsible for killing approximately a million of Sunnis in
Shaam.
That's why there are very big confrontations between Sunnis and Al-Lawites. They
hurt and wounded the Sunnis very very much. Of course Bashar Al-Assad does not
fight himself, he fight with these people, these factions, and those that ally
with them of course. There are also people amongst the Sunnis who ally with the
regime of Bashar Al-Assad. Not only Al-Lawites; but they are the root of power.
They are the cord of the regime; who come from these territories. These
territories were save for the last four years, they were not confronted with
attacks, because the first lines of fire were against the regime, and these were
in the Sunni territories. But now the battle has moved in its beginning to the
Al-Lawite territories.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''Some (Al-Lawite) towns are not further away from your fire range
than 3km?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''We have indeed surrounded them. The Al-Lawites today
understand that this regime is not capable of protecting them. They've built his
throne, the regime exploited this sect a very great deal in order to built the
throne of the Assad family. But now the sorcery turned against the sorcerer, it
turned in to loss. (Having said that) In reality the battle in Shaam will not
end in Al-Qirdaha (the Al-Lawite capital). It will end in Damascus. The end-stop
of this battle will be in Damascus. That's why we put all of our importance in
that which will help extinguish this regime. The Al-Alawites indeed help built
it, but our war is not vindicatory. Even though we consider the Al-Lawites as a
sect which left the Religion of Allah, by the words of the (Islamic) scholars
and jurist. They are not considered as a sect which belongs to the people of
Islam, they left the Religion of Allah and Islam. As for us, we today do not
fight except against those who raise their weapons against us. We fight against
those who fight us.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''So your jurist stance in what you are doing, is defending
against the attacking enemy, and not gaining victories to build a state?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''Yes, we differ with others in this. We are still in
the stage of defending against the attacking enemy. We today fight against those
who fight us, whether they be from the Sunnis or not, and there are people from
amongst the Sunnis who fight us.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''So all the fronts who do not raise their weapons, you do not
fight against them?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''At this moment we do not fight those who do not fight
against us. There are Druze towns who do not support Bashar Al-Assad and do not
fight, they are present in the liberated territories and they are not harmed.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''Now that you opened the subject of the Druze towns, I was
surprised in the past couple of days when I was traveling in many of the
liberated territories. I traveled hundred of kilometers and saw more than ten
Druze towns, I was surprised that you are the ones who protect these people.
There were also Christian towns. So this was surprising to me.''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''As fo the Druze, we approach them with Dawah. We sent
many preachers to them, they taught them the Aqeedah (Islamic fundaments)
mistakes which they made, and we saw that they refrained from these Aqeedah
mistakes which they made.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''But you do not occupy their towns and destroy their homes, you
do not confiscate their belongings, you do not destroy their places of worship,
you do not do these things at this moment?''
Abu Muhammd Al-Joulani: ''No no, absolutely not. As for the places of worship, if
there was something that goes against the Sharia, than we deal with it in
accordance with the Sharia. If there are grave-temples which they visit, we
consider this as Shirk (polytheism), the Islam considers this as Shirk with
Allah the Almighty, so we withhold them from this. We said we sent people to
them who correct their Islamic beliefs, they teach them the things with which
they left the religion of Islam. As for transgressing against them, this
absolutely did not happen. Likewise the Nusairi Al-Lawites today, after all the
massacres they committed, our religion is a religion of mercy, we are not
criminal killers, we fight those who fight against us. We fight and stand
against oppression. Even the Al-Lawites, if we show them their mistakes and the
reasons for why their Religion, and they refrained from this, and dropped their
weapons, and distances themselves from the deeds of Bashar Al-Assad, if they do
this than they are not only save from us, moreover we will take the responsibly
of protecting them and defending them. Because they will have returned to their
Religion, and distanced themselves from the tyrant Bashar Al-Assad, and become
our brothers. We will protect them the same way we protect ourselves.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''Are you now at this moment sending this clear message to the Al-Lawites?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''Of course, if the Al-Lawites at this moment take a
decision, not a general decree, but each town (or village) distances itself from
Bashar Al-Assad and distances itself from his deeds against the Sunnis, and
holds its men back from fighting with Bashar Al-Assad in his ranks, and refrains
from the mistakes in Islamic fundaments which put them outside their Religion,
and return back to the Islamic faith; by this they will become our brothers. We
will defend them, like we defend ourselves. And we will forget all the wounds
between us and them. Because we will consider them on deviance in the past.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''Forgive me here to cut you off, can we consider this a official
statement from you to all the Al-Lawite towns, with all its inhabitants, men and
women, and everyone who is under your fire range?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''Yes of course, and this is even something which we are
already implementing at this moment on the ground. We at this moment for example
have soldiers who have fought with the regime for four years, and they without a
doubt killed Sunnis and so forth. Sometimes we also surround a specific area,
than this soldier comes out and surrenders himself, he says he wants to
surrender himself, so we let him leave to his relatives in security and
reassured, he only has to distances himself from what he did. Even if he killed
thousand men from us.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''Before Jishr Al-Shoughour was fallen in your hands, the national
hospital, and I was there I followed the battle from the beginning until it was
sieged. Before it fell, a day or two, some soldiers surrendered themselves.''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''He who surrenders himself before we capture him, gain
power over him in a fierce battle, he may leave in security and reassured to his
relatives, we will not harm him.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''Can I consider this an invitation to all the soldiers who are
fighting in the army of the regime?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''This is something we are already implementing and many
people know this, even the soldiers of the regime know this issue. When the
airport Abu Dhuhoor was besieged many people came out (and surrendered
themselves), and this happened many times, not just once of twice in order to
take this specific instance as evidence. It happened many times. Sometimes the
regime frightens them that 'Al-Nusra will slaughter you' or 'those Mujahideen
will slaughter you' and 'Jaysh Al-Fath will kill all of you'. But the opposite
happened. And there are those who were convinced by their relatives to surrender
themselves to us, even after they fled from the besieged areas. I am talking
about a soldiers now, who raised his weapon against us, and distances himself
from the regime, and his deeds, and came and surrender himself and gave up his
weapons, and left in security to his relatives. So how about sects? If it
returned to the Religion of Allah the Almighty, and distanced itself from the
brutal killings of the regime against the Muslims and the Sunnis, they will than
become our brothers. We will protect them from that which we protect ourselves
from. I am saying this because this is the fundament of our Religion, I am not
saying this because we are fleeing from the accusation of oppressing minorities,
and similar propaganda.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''The important question now revolves around this; the western
media outlets focus a lot about your stance towards other ethnicities and
religions.''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''We do not care about what the west says, what we care
about is implementing the Sharia of Allah the Almighty. The Sharia of Allah is
very vast, we do not need the west to explain to us what human and animal rights
are. The west always tries to play with balances, they want Shaam to be ruled by
a minority and not by a majority. A minority which they can control. That's why
they want Bashar Al-Assad to stay in power. They at least want the remnants of
this regime to stay, if Bashar cannot stay in power, at the end of this road. So
we refuse to let Islam be a prisoner confronted by these accusations. We have
the pure Religion of Allah the Almighty, we deal with everyone around us with
the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (SalAllahu Alayhi wa Selam),
and we are not ashamed of anything, there is nothing which makes us uneasy. The
Christians of example, there is a very big propaganda campaign about the fate of
the Christians. The Christians generally stand in the ranks of the regime at
this moment, and we said that we at the moment fight against those who fight us.
We do not fight against the Christians in a general way; we fight against those
that fight against us. But even if we reached an Islamic rule, and we wanted to
implement the Sharia on Allah's earth, than I see that the Christians have
advantages in the shadow of the Islamic rule.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''I want to talk about the Christians at this moment, and not in
the shadow of the Islamic state which you will maybe govern in the future.''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''The situation of the Christians at this moment is that
we do not fight against those who do not fight against us, and the Christians
are not fighting at this moment (as a whole). If we implement the Islamic rule
in the region, they will be judged according to the Islamic rule we will govern.
The issue of paying Jizya only applies to those who are able to pay it, and
those who are not able do not have to pay it.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''But now you are not requesting anything from them?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''No at the moment we are not.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''And you do not take any women as slaves (war prisoners), like
the media is claiming, and so forth?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''We are not at war with the Christians at the moment,
we at the moment do not blame the Christians for what America is doing. And we
do not blame them for what the Christians Copts in Egypt are doing for example.
Around Medina, in the time of the Prophet (SalAllahu Alayhi wa Selam), there
lived twelve Jewish tribes. But he did not blame Ghaybar for what Banu Quraydha
did, and he did not blame Banu Quraydha for what Banu Qaynuqa' did. Everyone is
responsible for his own deeds which deserve to be punished singular from the
other. The punishment should be equal to the deed.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''There are Shia villages besieged by you in these territories, in
Reef Idlib for example, in Al-Qu'a and Qfarya, in Aleppo indeed.''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''These were military barracks of the regime, and they
still are, these are villages fighting against the Muslims and Sunnis. They
abduct from the Sunnis in their neighboring villages. The regime shot canons and
missiles from these villages on all their surrounding territories. These are
villages fighting in a complete sense, so they are besieged at the moment. They
are besieged after the regime left Idlib, so yes they are under blockade.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''The deadline you gave to the Al-Lawites, do you give an open
deadline or closed deadline, while the battle is ongoing and you can enter their
territories at any moment? Some villages even, when you reached certain
territories, you knew that the inhabitants of some surrounding Al-Lawite
villages fled to other villages out of fear for you.''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''By Allah, the organization of Jaysh Al-Fath is based
on mutual consultation (Shura). I am talking about the vision of Jabhat An-Nusra
at the moment, and I do not think that there is someone who disagrees with me in
Jaysh Al-Fath on this. But the basis is built on Shura. And this issue about a
certain deadline is not discussed (yet). But what I said is in the context of
our understanding of the Book of Allah the Almighty, this should be the context
of our dealings with these groups (sects).''
Ahmad Mansour: ''Is Jasyh Al-Fath which consists of seven main fighting groups,
and I talked to some responsible in them, a strategic coalition between Jabhat
An-Nusra and these groups or is just a tactical stage?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''Jaysh Al-Fath began as an operation room in the
liberation of Idlib, this gathering was blessed, so it became which is known as
Jaysh Al-Fath and was based upon mutual consultation (Shura), without looking at
the one who is leading this army, it is based on the basis of Shura between all
the groups. It is not a coalition between Jabhat An-Nusra and all these groups,
no it is a coalition between all these groups together with each other. So these
groups are not at one end and Jabhat An-Nusra at the other end. Since we began
this project we consult with all these groups in military work.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''How do you look at these groups from a fundamentally religious
perspective (Aqeedah), your allies?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''They are Muslims, even if they differ somewhat with
us. There are some groups which have some mistakes, we overlook these mistakes,
because of the enormous severity of the battle.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''An how do you look at the general Muslims in the territories
which fall under your control?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''The Muslims of course are Muslims..''
Ahmad Mansour: ''You do not excommunicate (Takfir) them?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''We do not make Takfir on the Muslims, excommunicating
a Muslim needs a religious decree (fatwa) by those specialized in knowledge, and
then the general Muslims can copy the decrees of those in knowledge. We say that
if a specific incident took place, there was an incident with a Muslim from
amongst the Muslims. Then a student of knowledge, someone who is exerting his
effort in gaining knowledge, would be asked to look in the case and decree like
a judge if this person left Islam.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''So Jabhat An-Nusra does not excommunicate a Muslim, except those
who are excommunicated by the Sharia texts? And what about the accusations that
you are Takfiris?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''This is like the accusation 'the terrorist'. The same
goes for 'the Takfiri' in this case. This is an accusation of hostility, against
whomever they want to demonize. They have prepared an accusation for everyone,
which they let loose on him, until they drive away the people from him. This is
the basis (of these accusations).''
Ahmad Mansour: ''Some groups in Jaysh Al-Fath, who are with you in the same
coalition as you are in, are known to have foreign connections and get forgein
backing. From where do you get your backing?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''Our assistance comes from the war spoils which Allah
let us take from the regime, and these territories are vast and broad, there are
many liberated areas and many commerce from which we benefit in these areas. And
the land of Shaam is a rich country; it does not need someone to give it
charity. If the backing has conditions to it, than it is a very dangerous kind
of assistance, which leads to politicizations in the future. We, and to Allah
belongs all praise and virtue, refused to sit even once with intelligence
services or any government department or government representatives, and did not
accept anything from them.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''You do not have any connection with any intelligence service or
any foreign country?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''We absolutely do not have any links with any of them.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''And you do not get any backing from certain Islamic countries
which aid some groups?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''We do not receive any backing from any country, which
ever country it may be.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''Are the domestic capabilities inside Syria enough to finance a
war?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''I want to explain something here, there is an illusion
present in some fighting groups concerning their connections to these (foreign)
assistance. First of all, there is no backing without set conditions. There are
conditions set on these groups, and it is not necessary that they say 'we set
this and that as a condition'. Sometimes they are directed while they do not
know. For example, there is an importance on the battlefield to wage war in
Aleppo, than the backers of these groups come and say 'we see the tragedy in Homs and what is happening there, here take this aid to open the road to Homs'.
But the reality is that the battlefield needs an operation in Aleppo and not
Homs. So they direct these fighting groups in this direction so that they can
build a political case for a peace treaty, or something else the UN
representatives want, in Aleppo. Thus these fighting groups turn away from an
essential battle, and maybe it is the other way around and it is Homs which
needs this, but they direct them to Aleppo. So this is a type of pressure, and
not a direct condition (which they set). These people know how to negotiate with
them.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''So does this mean that the ones who are directing the battles in
Syria are the foreign backers, because they direct the battles by their
backing?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''No not to this degree, there are groups which they do
not control in the least like Jabhat An-Nusra, and we gather all the other
groups in a battle, when we open a certain front all these groups come and join
us.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''These fighting groups like you are present in Syria, but how did
you establish yourselves by the domestic resources in the vast liberated
territories, while they receive foreign aid even though they are like you and
could use domestic resources?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''The problem is that these groups are built upon this
fundament, they depend on foreign backing, and I have researched some of this
assistance, and I found out that this assistance is very meager and it is not
worth to sit with them for it. It comes in the form of some supplies and the
like. And you and everyone saw on the television and so forth, that all these
fighting groups own army tanks for example, so does this backing consist of army
tanks? Army tanks are taken as war spoils. As for finance, they are not financed
to build their organization on it, they finance them only for a specific battle
for example. These groups have not researched this issue much and leaned upon
foreign backing. We of course see a danger for these groups and the battlefield
if this assistance continues like this. It is necessary that there be an
independent decree. The devil uses gaining of provisions as one of his
pathways.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''Did any country or organization or secret service offer you
backing?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''We did not open this space for such offers to begin
with, everyone knows our opinion very good; we do not accept any backing, we do
not even accept these people to send us a messenger. This door is completely
closed as far as we're concerned, we will not open it. We are devoted to stay
free and independent in decisions and decrees, but these groups lean primarily
on their foreign provisions and finance.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''I have traveled a couple of days in Idlib, Aleppo, and
surrounding territories, I traveled hundreds of kilometers, talked to people,
and found out that the territories are wealthy, they are completely self
sufficient from foreign aid. But at the same time I found out that people do not
pay taxes, they do not pay anything which you could impose on them. Even
electricity and water if free, in the territories in which there is electricity
and water. So from where do you get your backing?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''The Prophet (SalAllahu Alayhi wa Selam) said 'My
provision is placed beneath the shadow of my spear'. Our finance comes primarily
from the war spoils we take from the regime army.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''Is this enough? The territories which you control are vast?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''As for supplies and the likes, it is enough by the
blessings of Allah the Almighty. And there are some trades we conduct in some
liberated territories, and we also develop some war spoils we take. There are
different revenues, which are enough to make us self sufficient. And since a
short while we have been collecting financial aid from Muslims outside Syria,
but in some periods it is difficult and they are prevented from doing so.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''So you accept financial aid from Muslims, but from individuals
and not from countries?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''Yes individual aid from Muslims indeed.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''If some countries were prepared to give some aid without any
conditions, would you accept it?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''We do not accept anything from countries and
governments because there is no such thing as unconditional aid. Even if they
claim so, the reality contradicts this, the same will happen as it did with some
fighting groups, they are pressured.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''But you accept the aid from Muslims?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''Yes we accept from the general Muslims and this is Halal for us to do so.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''And this is enough for you to continue this long battle?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''With the permission of Allah, the good is abundant and
vast, all thanks belongs to Allah. And Allah does not forget anyone. And the
people love Jabhat An-Nusra, they love the organization of Al-Qaedah. They
empathize with us from this perspective. And we hope from all Muslims that they
finance the Mujahideen, that they finance the people of Jihad in the field of
Jihad, and that they send from their money to Shaam.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''Does this mean that the liberated territories are self
sufficient enough and financially capable to aid Jabhat An-Nusra and other armed
groups to wage a prolonged war against the regime?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''Of course especially if all these efforts are
combined, because these recourses are divided amongst us, these groups and
platoons. If these efforts were combined under one framework than they would be
completely self sufficient, by the Will of Allah, from their foreign aid. And
even if they received some foreign aid as a side note, there maybe wouldn't be
any problem. But that the decrees of some of these groups, or their motivation
is robbed, or that they are pressured to make specific public announcements or
say specific things in order to please the backers, than these groups would be
robbed of their motivation. And we would pass trough stages much more difficult
than those we passed in an earlier period. If these decrees are kidnapped by
others, not in the hands of these fighting groups, than this will be a problem
on Shaam. Foreign powers only care about their own benefits, their emotions are
not moved by the children and women who are killed and the people who are made
homeless. Their emotions are not moved in the least, they only care about their
benefits, so they direct these groups in the direction of their benefits.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''I have studied many decrees the last couple of days that many of
these fighting groups who are allies with you in Jaysh Al-Fath are pressured at
the moment to expel Jabhat An-Nusra from the coalition, or leave with it, in
order for the foreign aid to continue.''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''They are not capable of doing so, Jabhat An-Nusra is
not a negligible source on the battlefield, all praises are due to Allah
everyone knows that Jabhat An-Nusra is the spearhead in this war, with the
cooperation with all the other factions, we will not downplay the rights of
anyone. Look at the operations in Daraa, and in Al-Qalamoon, in Homs, in Hamaa,
in Idlib and in Aleppo. All the factions know that Jabhat An-Nusra is not a
secondary source on the battlefield, rather it is an essential source which
cannot be ignored. Many people know this, and Jabhat An-Nusra cannot be
sidelines at any possible moment. With the blessing of Allah we have a popular
presence amongst the people, we have many public services running, and we have
military operations which absolutely cannot be ignored. Furthermore we do not
need anyone to accept us or not, we work for the cause of Allah the Almighty.
And many truthful factions, even if some of its leaders were afflicted by
psychological insecurities and turned away from some its values, many soldiers
of these factions and leaders stick closely to us by the blessing of Allah.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''The USA describes you as a terrorist organization since 2012,
the UN blacklisted you. The American planes at this moment, together with the
Syrian planes, side by side in the Syrian air, is executing bombardments on your
bases. I was in a place a couple of days ago and there were heavy bombardments
in it, I later found out that it were bases of Jabhat An-Nusra. On the last day
I went to this place and I found out that the buildings were evaporated. There
were no remnants at all of these buildings, I do not know what type of weapons
they used. In found some shrapnel, I tried to pick it up but it was very heavy.
Not only Jabhat An-Nusra is fighting against the regime, it is in a joint war
along with other parties.''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''There is of course a big international coalition
active on the Syrian battlefield; against the Iranian coalition, with the Nusairys and Hizbullah, and the Syrian regime, and with regional powers, and
with the international coalition and some factions that helped the international
coalition, and also against the group known as the (Islamic) State. So there are
big challenges for Jabhat An-Nusra. As for the international coalition, and the
hypocrisy of the West, than this is known and exposed, it does not need any
explanation or elaboration. This is their role in any place and at any moment.
They are the ones who created these leaders and these tyrants, and they are the
ones who are honored by protecting them. And the international community knows
fully well that the ones who have the most impact on the Nusayri regime are
Jabhat An-Nusra, so that's why they try to weaken us by false claims like saying
that there is a 'Khorasan group'. There is no organization named the Khorasan
group, all these bases were bases of Jabhat An-Nusra, and all those who were
killed are from Jabhat An-Nusra, and some civilians who they also hit by these
bombardments.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''I found the place of the so-called Khorasan group, I went there
and I asked the inhabitants, and I got to know that those who were killed were
from the people of the village?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''There is nothing called the group of Khorasan, we only
heard about this from the Americans. The field is exposed for everyone among the
people, and there are no secret and public organizations, all the organizations
are public and exposed. There is Jabhat An-Nusra, and there are people from
Khorasan who waged Jihad in Afghanistan and Pakistan and came to the Syrian
battlefield, yes these people are present amongst our ranks. The Americans of
course claimed that they tried to attack America and that they pose a threat,
and these kinds of claims, but the Americans could not prove anything about this
claim, and it is not the case.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''Is it possible that Syria turns into a battlefield with a battle
between Jabhat An-Nusra and the West?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''As for Jabhat An-Nusra, the guidelines we received
from Dr. Ayman, may Allah protect him, is that the importance of Jabhat An-Nusra
in Shaam consist of extinguishing the regime and its symbols, its allies I mean
like Hizbullah and others, and to cooperate with the factions who strive for a
rightly guided Islamic governance which the Muslims can enjoy. And the
guidelines we got is that we refrain from using Shaam as a base to attack the
West and Europe, so that we not disturb the current ongoing battle. Maybe the
organization of Al-Qaedah executes this, but not from Shaam. These are
guidelines and the decree we received from Dr. Ayman.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''So this strategy at this moment is only restricted to Shaam?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''Yes Shaam and Hizbullah.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''What if American bombardments continued against you and your
bases?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''The good is open and it is a right for every person to
defend himself, (so yes) the good is open. The guidelines we received until now
is to refrain from attacking the West and America from Shaam. And we abide by
the guidelines of Dr. Ayman, may Allah protect him. But if this situation
continues like this I believe that there will be outcomes which will not be in
the benefit of the West and not in the benefit of America.''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''The good is open and it is a right for every person to
defend himself, (so yes) the good is open. The guidelines we received until now
is to refrain from attacking the West and America from Shaam. And we abide by
the guidelines of Dr. Ayman, may Allah protect him. But if this situation
continues like this I believe that there will be outcomes which will not be in
the benefit of the West and not in the benefit of America.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''What is your view about the American role in the Syrian war?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''Its role is supporting the regime.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''America is supporting the regime?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''Yes America is supporting the regime and is showing
hypocrisy in the media; that it is with the Syrian people and against this
regime. But America is supporting the regime in every possible way. The most
noticeable way they are supporting the regime is by bombing Jabhat An-Nusra
which is defending the Muslims, and everyone can attest to this. So why are they
targeting it? Especially when we create pressure against the regime it starts
their attacks against Jabhat An-Nusra. The American role with the international
coalition is a role of drugging these peoples and the people of Shaam, until it
reaches a political solution of agreement, of course this agreement will be on
the blood of Sunni Muslims. Whether Bashar stays in power or was removed and the
regime stayed, Bashar was not the one who did the killing and slaying himself,
he rather gave the orders, and the model of this regime did not change. America
wants for Shaam what happened to Yemen, that once face leaves and that another
face replaces him, in any case there must be a government which kneels for the
American dictation. America describing every organization and government, is
actually a description for everyone who leaves the international and the
American dictation. So their role is one of major support for the regime, their
importance is only drugging these peoples by some conferences like Geneva 1, 2
and 3, the Arabic conference, one global conference after the other, etc.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''You did not participate in any of these foreign political
conferences which the West organizes about the Syrian issue and its solution.''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''We mentioned in the previous meeting that even the
children of Syria do not accept this, everyone in Shaam agrees on this issue.
Nobody talks about this except for a few politicians who live outside Syria and
who do not feel the pain of the Muslims in Shaam in the first place. This is
something which is clear to the young and the old. The people choose, and they
know that the Mujahideen with the power of their weapons will change this
situation that they are in, not the conferences of Geneva and not the meeting in
Washington or with the UN, and so forth.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''From the things I have witnessed when I traveled between the
villages and towns from Aleppo to Idlib and other places, is that the people in
the territories who consist of approximately five million Syrians, live in
almost complete security except for the barrel bombs which are dropped by the
regime and likewise some of the coalition airstrikes against them. Is there
coordination between the planes in the Syrian airspace?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''Of course, this matter is known to everyone, the no
such thing as one airspace for two different airplanes, this goes for commercial
airlines so how about military airplanes? There are air lines for commercial
flights, a Saudi and a Turkish airline go up and they have to coordinate between
each other, so how about military flights? Do you believe that an American
airplanes enters an airspace while at the same time there is a fighting airplane
of the Syrian regime present without them coordinating between each other? How
can this be?''
Ahmad Mansour: ''Do you accuse America of coordinating with the regime in the
airstrikes?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''We have evidences for this. This is something obvious,
it's obvious.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''What kind of evidences do you have?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''We have camera images of American airplanes and Syrian
airplanes.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''Some of the Mujahideen showed me some images in my travels
saying these are American airplanes and right after that they showed me Syrian
airplanes. And is was surprised about this issue, how is it possible for two
airplanes from two governments to fly together in such harmony.''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''Yes and in the midst of a warzone airspace, if it was
a neutral airspace maybe, but in a warzone airspace.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''But you have evidences for camera images?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''Yes we have camera images if you wish we could provide
them to you.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''Yes please if you could provide them. The countries which
support the regime in Syria are eager to prevent the fall of Damascus, and in
your vision at the moment you said something which maybe sounds strange to many
people, that the first country eager to prevent the fall of the Syrian regime is
the United States of America. What about the direct support from countries in
the surrounding region of the Syrian regime, and is also eager to prevent its
fall.''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''You mean like Iran or Hizbullah?''
Ahmad Mansour: ''Like Hizbullah, since you are involved in battles with them, and
Iran.''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''Well, as for Hizbullah. Hizbullah knew from the
beginning of the Jihad (in Syria), not from the beginning of the revolution,
they knew that the brutality and criminality of this regime was capable of
extinguishing these protests which occurred at the beginning. But then they saw
the emergence and of Jihad, the Mujahideen and the flags of Jihad, they saw the
situation took a seriousness turn at that time. They completely realize that the
fate of Hizbullah is strongly and integrally and publicly connected to the fate
of Bashar Al-Assad. The elimination of Bashar Al-Assad, means the elimination of
Hizbullah automatically. If Bashar Al-Assad was eliminated it is only a matter
of time for Hizbullah. Hizbullah has many enemies in Lebanon, and these enemies
will become stronger and their voices will raise, just by the disappearance of
Bashar Al-Assad. Because Bashar Al-Assad is the public backer of Hizbullah.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''And not the opposite?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''No not the opposite, at the moment Hizbullah is
assisting Bashar Al-Assad because of the condition the regime has reached, and
it trying with everything it has, it is trying in vain with everything it got to
rescue what is left of the live of Bashar Al-Assad. Because they know that the
end of Bashar Al-Assad means its own end. So they entered a war, despite their
knowledge about the losses which they will confront, big losses whether on the
public or political level, and even on the military level, it entered an
inadequate but necessary war, from their perspective. They know this very well
from the beginning of the situation. And we, until this very moment, despite the
battles which are ongoing in Al-Qalamoon, Jabhat An-Nusra and other factions in
Shaam did not built a large offensive against them yet, we are fighting against
Hizbullah at the moment with the very small numbers we have in Al-Qalamoon.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''But Hassan Nasrallah talked about the battle in Al-Qalamoon,
that it is a decisive battle and they have achieved victories by which he
expelled the Syrian rebels?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''Hizbullah is trying to frighten the Lebanese, that
there is danger approaching Lebanon, but the reality is that the danger is
approaching Hizbullah and not Lebanon. Lebanon has no connection to this danger.
So he is trying to mobilize all these available recourses in Lebanon with the
pretext that this a danger to everyone and not only on him. That's why the
battle in Al-Qalamoon is indeed decisive for him, as far as he is concerned.
Because he is trying to protect his Western borders and some Shia towns.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''And as far as you are concerned?
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''The battle there is a guerilla war, and by the
blessings of Allah we have great trust in Allah the Almighty and after that in
the brothers who are present there. If we were not busy in some battles against
the Syrian regime, and if the organization known as the (Islamic) State did not
set up roadblocks between us and them,..''
Ahmad Mansour: ''About the organization known as the (Islamic) State, is true
that they attacked you in the back in Al-Qalamoon?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''Yes, there is battle going on against the regime on
one side and against Hizbullah on the other..''
Ahmad Mansour: ''What is the benefit for organization of the (Islamic) State, to
attack you, the Mujahideen, while you are fighting against Hizbullah and the
regime?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''The regime is fighting from one side, and Hizbullah is
fighting from another side, and the organization of the State on another. They
see that there is a meeting of benefits or something similar, they did this more
than once, in Hasakah, in Deir Zor, even in Aleppo, they did this more than
once. They use the attacks of the regime against us in a certain position, thus
they attack from another position, and from weak points in other positions. This
is a policy of theirs which they maybe abide by.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''What is the strategic and military importance of the region Al-Qalamoon,
which made the leader of Hizbullah, Hassan Nasrallah, eagerly to engage this
vast region, whether it be in the media or military?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''As for Hizbullah, there are borders from their side
which border Shia town there, and he considers these borders as being part of
Lebanon, so he tries to secure them to the best of his capability. And as for
us, it is an important center from which we can enter Damascus, it is one of the
centers from which you can enter Damascus, if we would start a battle in
Damascus in the future. And as for us also, the people of Al-Qalamoon are our
people, some of the brothers who fight there are from the people of Al-Qalamoon.
These are their towns and lands from which they were expelled last year, and
they are trying to liberate it again.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''When I tried to understand the vastness of the battle on the
map, I found out that it spanned over more than 70km, and the mountainous
territory is very harsh.''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''Yes, it is not as easy as the people vision.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''But will you enter in other battles with Hizbullah, or are you
content after withdrawing?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''The battle is ongoing, these territories are not like
towns, in order to say that we lost this and that, there are mountains present,
with hills and so forth. This creates maneuvers, you leave this hill and then
move to that hill, these are the characteristics of guerilla warfare. Not like
what is happening at the moment in Idlib, and in other territories, like Daraa
and others; they have evolved to military wars. But as for Al-Qalamoon than we
are still in the stage of guerilla warfare.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''So the war will expand in Al-Qalamoon?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''The battle will expand, we will not be divided by this
matter, we will stay focused on Damascus and on the fall of this regime, if it
falls, than the situations will automatically change. And I want to stress out
that the fall of Bashar Al-Assad will not take very long, the battle is in its
end phase, I do not want to be too optimistic, but the battle is going really
well and is entering its end by the Will of Allah.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''Here I have my doubts about the battle of Damascus that it is a
decisive battle.''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''Hizbullah is a matter of time, with the fall of Bashar
Al-Assad it will automatically draw back to the south, even its presence is
going to be in position of negotiation, this will happen without us entering
Lebanon. This will happen by the forces which are already present in Lebanon.
And I call from this seat all the forces and parties who are present in Lebanon
to understand what I am saying fully well, and to direct itself towards it.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''Are you calling the Syrian-Lebanese forces, which doesn't ally
with the Syrian regime, to participate in the fall of the regime?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''Of course, because it is in all our benefit.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''What for benefit do they have in the fall of Bashar Al-Assad?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''Lebanon is living in oppression from the regime of Bashar Al-Assad for nearly forty years, and all the Lebanese know the bitterness
which they taste from the authority of the regime. It is true that the regime
withdrew from Lebanon in 2005 after they killed Rafic Al-Hariri, but they left
the country in the hands of Hizbullah which is not less brutal and criminal than
the regime of Bashar Al-Assad. So after the regime withdrew he trusted
everything in the hands of its ally Hizbullah, the strongest in Lebanon. So
that's why Hizbullah made many adversaries in Lebanon, and it is impossible for
Hizbullah to govern Lebanon with that which its wants. Lebanon is very complex.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''Hassan Nasrallah many times said that the regime in Syria will
not fall because of the assistance of Hizbullah and his support side by side. If
it not were for Hizbullah, Bashar Al-Assad would have fallen a long time ago?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''This is a claim bigger than its extent in the reality,
there are many militias which the regime of Bashar Al-Assad used. And he leaned
a lot on the army he had, this regime is not this insignificant, we are fighting
against this regime and it is a fierce enemy who has big capabilities. Hizbullah
is assisting it, but not only them, they are just in the spotlights. There are
tens of Iraqi battalions which came and assists the regime, there are factions
from Afghanistan, etc.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''Can you give an estimate of how many soldiers of Hizbullah
assist the regime?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''In reality we cannot, we do not have the information
to do so.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''What are the important front were they could be found?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''They are strongly and publicly present in Al-Qalamoon,
and in other places like in East Ghouta for example, or in the failed attack
they executed in Al-Qunaitira, they and the Iranians and these other parties,
they have turfs in nearly all the places but most of them are advisory and the
like. They are present in nearby Shia territories like Nubl and Zahraa, and the
Shia territories Al-Fu'aa and Kfarya. It is not due to the power the regime that
they are able to create these gaps and inactivity, it is due to the internal
differences and infighting which occurred; the regime took advantage of this and
made these approaches.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''But the battle in Syria, is it indeed a decisive war for
Hizbullah?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''Yes it is a decisive war for them, we said that their
fates are strongly intertwined.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''Hizbullah stand next to Al-Assad to protect itself primarily
before it is protecting the Syrian regime?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''This and that both.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''Does the fall of the Assad regime mean the end of Hizbullah in
Lebanon?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''Of course, Hizbullah knows its own situation very
well. If Shaykh Abu Malik, may Allah protect him, in Al-Qalamoon and his few men
are fighting and did all these damage to Hizbullah and bewildered them, and made
the issue of Hassan Nasrallah an issue of 'the fate of whole Lebanon'. How then
if Jabhat An-Nusra, or Jaysh Al-Fath completely, or the different factions who
fight Hizbullah, were to seriously build a battle against Hizbullah? What will
be their fate?''
Ahmad Mansour: ''Are you convinced that the battle against Hizbullah is coming
without a doubt?''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''Of course, it is a coming battle. Even if they take
Al-Qalamoon at this moment, or they don't. I have mentioned, and I will stress
this again so that the viewers understand this well, is that the fate of
Hizbullah is connected to the fate of the regime of Bashar Al-Assad. The
elimination of Bashar Al-Assad means the elimination of Hizbullah.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''I have many themes remaining; the role of Iran in the whole
region, its assistance to the Syrian regime; you relation with the organization
of the (Islamic) State, and the big problems whether in beliefs or military
between you and them; your vision for the future of Syria, and the future of the
regime, and the future of the continuous battles in Syria. I welcome you in a
next episode. I have taken a lot of your energy and time, and thank you for your
participation. I insisted much on you to show your face to the people, but
because no one knows you until this moment I have respected this matter. And I
thank you for it. I just wanted to explain to the people why you do not show
your face.''
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: ''Many people know me, but our policy is not to expose
ourselves in the media.''
Ahmad Mansour: ''Maybe you will fulfill our request in the next episode. I thank
you. And likewise I thank the viewers for your attentive listening, follow us
next week to complete our dialogue with the leader of Jabhat An-Nusra, and its
founder in Syria, Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani. In closing I salute you, this was
Ahmad Mansour greeting you from one of the liberated territories in North Syria.
May peace be upon to you and the mercy of Allah and His blessing.''
Warning: George Galloway Is
A Strong Supporter Of Assad's Tyranny -
Pseudoleftism And The Self-Destruction of George Galloway
Note George Sabra
George Galloway is not someone to be allied with. Every political cause he
champions becomes damaged; everything he gets involved in becomes a scandal.
Members of the British parliament are expected to be hypocritical, ego-driven,
and self-serving at times - they are politicians, after all - but Galloway
exhibits all three traits constantly and with a uniquely manic ferocity.
Despite his politically destructive and wholly opportunistic behavior, he is
undoubtedly popular among British Muslims; their support remains important to
keeping him in the House of Commons. This enduring support will not be easily
undone even though it has outlived its legitimacy.
The onset of the ''global war on terror'' after Al-Qaeda's destruction of the
World Trade Center saw Muslim communities in the West come under sustained
attack by the state, the media, the political parties, by institutional and
individual bigots. Very few social forces and very few persons swam against this
tide of Islamophobia; Galloway was one of them. Many Muslims will be forever
grateful that this white Catholic Labour Party man stuck up for them when he had
everything to lose and nothing to gain from doing so and are willing to overlook
his crass defense of Muslim-murdering tyrants.
We are running ahead of the story.
As the war in Afghanistan wound down and the war in Iraq wound up, Galloway was
expelled from the Labour Party for bucking Prime Minister Tony Blair's pro-war
pro-Bush line. He encouraged British troops to disobey their orders to prosecute
a patently illegal war and hailed Iraqi resistance to the American-led
occupation:
''These poor Iraqis - ragged people, with their sandals, with their Kalashnikovs,
with the lightest and most basic of weapons - are writing the names of their
cities and towns in the stars, with 145 military operations every day, which has
made the country ungovernable by the people who occupy it. Most of the
children, most of the schools, most of the buses, were bombed by the United
States. Let's keep this clearly in perspective: Most of the children who died in
Iraq were killed by George Bush, not by Zarqawi. Most of the schools that were
wrecked, buses that were bombed, hospitals that were destroyed, lives that were
taken, were taken by George Bush, not by Zarqawi. Most of the operations which
they carry out are against the occupying forces and their collaborators, and
this is normal in every liberation struggle.''
For this, Galloway became a hero not only to Muslims but to the millions around
the globe who marched to stop the invasion before it began and to end the
occupation once the invasion was a done deal. Both groups were either unaware of
or downplayed Galloway's predilection for befriending tyrants since beggars
can't be choosers. Besides, pro-war neoconservative rightists like Christopher
Hitchens tarred every opponent of the 2003 Iraq war as being 'pro Saddam,'
robbing the charge of any sting even when it was true as in Galloway's case. He
damaged the campaign to end murderous U.N. sanctions imposed on Iraq after the
Gulf War of 1991 as a worthy pro-people humanitarian project by spending
Christmas with Saddam Hussein's deputy prime minister, Tariq Aziz, and
personally telling the Butcher of Baghdad, ''I salute your courage, your
strength, your indefatigability.''
Galloway has always acted as the tribune of the hangman in the name of his
victims.
The invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq was an unmitigated disaster that
propelled Galloway to the peak of his power, influence, and moral stature in
British politics. The bloody madness that tore occupied Iraq apart seemed to
vindicate his reactionary brand of anti-imperialism that insists Western
governments are always and everywhere more reactionary than any other social
force, that they are always and everywhere the main enemy of progress and
civilization, and that they can do no right and no good abroad regardless of
context. This brand of anti-imperialism is unfortunately not unique to Galloway
but is the common property of the British liberal and far left generally and the
Stop the War Coalition (StWC) specifically. In 2003-2005, these elements tried
to capitalize on the political wind in their sails by creating a party to the
left of Labour called Respect. Its main constituencies? The millions of people
fed up with Labour's slavish devotion to Bush's wars and the Muslim community,
the main victims of the Tory-Labour post-September 11 Big Brother state.
Galloway's expulsion from Labour and affiliation to the newly formed Respect
party freed him from any serious institutional checks and balances to say and
act however he pleased. This obnoxious loud-mouthed minnow swimming in Labour's
vast ocean became a big fish in a very small pond overnight.
The first sign that Galloway's ego unchained would be a problem for the
fledgling Respect project came in 2006 when he unilaterally decided to appear on
the reality-TV show Celebrity Big Brother alongside weighty intellects such as
Dennis Rodman and Jodie Marsh after being elected as Bethnal Green and Bow's MP
on the Respect ticket. The Socialist Workers Party (SWP), the single largest
organized and active organization operating within Respect, did nothing to bring
Galloway to heel over this decision. For many voters, Galloway behaving
boorishly in trite personality conflicts while wearing red pajamas would be
their first encounter with Respect and Respect activists were forced to endure
the embarrassment engendered by the party's most powerful member as he played
house with celebrities for pay.
The SWP preferred working with (and manipulating) star individuals on platforms
over building up Respect from the grassroots level upwards into real fighting,
mobilizing party complete with the necessary transparency, inner-party
democracy, accountability, and formal structures that alone could keep the new
party reasonably healthy. Galloway, as the other main force in Respect, had the
same preference.
Later, Galloway partially reversed himself and warned that Respect needed a more
professional apparatus and serious fund-raising to avoid collapsing. The SWP
reacted in horror at the prospect of creating a real alternative to itself and
responded with a reversal of its own, not only ending its collaboration with
Galloway to keep Respect from developing organizationally but splitting Respect
in two in an attempt to maintain bureaucratic dominance. The SWP succeeded in
holding onto a shell of the Respect project while Galloway took its meager
living innards, almost all the non-SWP elements, with him under the name of
Respect Renewal. Only after their ugly divorce did the SWP raise a hue and cry
over Galloway's appearance on Celebrity Big Brother.
Although Galloway was blameless for the SWP's unprincipled secession, he bears
responsibility for collaborating with them beforehand to keep the party
underdeveloped, its rank and file powerless, disenfranchised, and disorganized,
which made the subsequent infighting all the more destructive, bureaucratic, and
vicious.
With the SWP gone, Galloway was free to rule the roost in Respect and it was not
long before he led it to defeat, infamy, and utter ruin.
In 2010, he decided not to run for re-election for the Bethnal Green and Bow
House of Commons seat but instead for the newly created Poplar and Limehouse
seat; Respect's candidate for his seat would be Abjol Miah. Galloway's decision
to lead Respect into a two-front war was disastrous; Respect lost both races,
leaving the party without a seat in parliament. In 2012, he won a by-election in
Bradford prompted by the Labour MP's resignation, but this success was
short-lived. Later that year, Birmingham councilor, spokeswoman for the city's
central mosque, and StWC leader Salma Yaqoob resigned from Respect after
distancing herself from Galloway's defense of Julian Assange, the arrest-dodging
Wikileaks founder with an active warrant on his head for a Swedish rape charge.
Galloway said (among other vile things) that, even if the accounts of Assange's
accusers were completely accurate, that ''not everybody needs to be asked prior
to each insertion.'' Yaqoob's resignation over this was soon followed by activist
Kate Hudson's on the same grounds. Less than a year later, Respect lost its
entire local council presence in Bradford when five people resigned following a
dispute with Galloway over whether he should run for mayor of London.
George Galloway whittled Respect down to his ego and his dwindling band of
sycophants and managed to get banned by the National Union of Students from any
of their events over those rape remarks along the way.
Amazingly, Galloway's voracious appetite for destroying his own credibility and
damaging his favored causes was not sated by these dubious achievements. He
revealed his true value for the lives and well-being of Muslims by relentlessly
defaming the people's uprising against his new favorite tyrant, Bashar al-Assad,
and he got paid £50,000 a year by the Iranian government to do it. Their pied
piper was promoted to paid piper.
So whenever Galloway speaks about Syria, just remember: money talks.
After al-Assad gassed over 1,400 Muslim men, women, and children in the suburbs
of Damascus on August 21, 2013, Galloway blamed the Israelis and the anti-Assad
rebels for the attack even though all of the evidence pointed to the regime's
guilt. His Holocaust-denialism is symptomatic of the fog of lies
'anti-imperialists' and the far left resorted to to smother any attempt by
progressives to analyze (much less side with) the popular uprising in Syria. He
has been at the forefront of this buffoonery and cornered the market in the
newest cottage industry on the left: fascist apologism. His politics and
worldview are best described as ''social fascism'' - socialism in words, fascism
in deeds.
Galloway's blind support for the murderous regime in Damascus completely
blindsided him when it murdered British doctor and humanitarian hero Dr. Abbas
Khan. Dr. Khan travelled to Syria to treat victims of the regime's war on the
Syrian people people and their health care system; he was captured and tortured.
The Assad's Foreign Ministry made contact with Galloway and arranged to hand Dr.
Khan over to Galloway's custody as a ''gift'' to the British people but killed him
only a few days before he was scheduled to be freed.
Galloway maintains that 'rogue elements' within the regime killed the doctor to
humiliate the man he calls ''his Excellency'' - Bashar al-Assad - because he is
simply incapable of comprehending that this is a rogue regime, a type of regime
not seen since the days of Adolf Hitler, one entirely without scruples, honor,
decency or even a shred of normalcy. Khan's mother declared simply, ''They killed
my baby. They killed him, it's a murder. George Galloway didn't help.'' As she
travelled to the Geneva peace talks to confront her son's killers, Galloway sat
in a studio taping his Russia Today show, Sputnik: Orbiting the World with
George Galloway,where he dutifully promotes conspiracy theories about the Syrian
revolution in true space cadet fashion.
Khan's family continues the quest for justice began by Abbas in the small but
growing pro-revolution solidarity movement while Galloway stands with Abbas'
killers, with the regime that has used the very same weaponry of cluster bombs
and collective punishment tactics against the Syrian people he denounced the
imperialists for using against the Iraqi and Afghan peoples. Today, he denounces
Muslims who travel to Syria to fight a pro-imperialist fascist in terms lifted
from the script George W. Bush used during the Iraq war. He has 'forgotten' the
praise he lavished on freedom fighters battling fighter jets and tanks with
nothing more than Kalashnikovs and homemade bombs and 'forgotten' the critical
distinction he drew then between the minority of Al-Qaeda extremists and the
heroism of the broad majority, of tens of thousands of protesters forced to take
up arms and become rebel fighters to save their lives and the lives of their
families.
Nowadays Galloway lies, Muslims die.
notgeorgesabra.wordpress.com
Syria Forces Execute 10 Children Of Rebels: Monitor
Ten children were among at least 48 people killed
in a Syrian village this week when regime forces executed six families of rebel
fighters, a monitoring group said on Saturday.
Tuesday's executions took place in the village of Rityan, north of second city
Aleppo, after regime forces entered that day during an offensive aimed at
cutting rebel supply lines to the Turkish border, the Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights said.
The Britain-based monitor said that villagers had discovered the bodies when
they returned to their homes after the regime forces withdrew a day later.
Five women and 13 rebels from the six families were among the dead.
'The troops and militiamen knew exactly where they lived,' Observatory director
Rami Abdel Rahman said.
'There was no resistance except in one house where a rebel opened fire at troops
before being executed along with his family,' he added.
Activist Mamun Abu Omar said some of the bodies had been mutilated.
The heavy fighting claimed the lives of 129 regime loyalists and 116 rebels,
according to an Observatory toll.
While the ground offensive failed, regime warplanes kept targeting rebel areas
of Aleppo city and other parts of the country.
On Saturday, eight people -- among them two women and two children -- were
killed when a barrel bomb hit a building in an opposition-held area of Aleppo
city, once Syria's commercial capital.
According to the monitoring group, they were the latest of nearly 6,000 people
killed across Syria since the UN Security Council passed resolution 2139 on
February 22 last year.
The Observatory 'has documented the killing of 5,812 civilians, including 1,733
children, 969 women and 3,110 men in barrel bombings and (other) air raids' over
the past year.
The raids have continued despite Resolution 2139, which ordered all sides to end
their 'indiscriminate employment of weapons in populated areas, including
shelling and aerial bombardment, such as the use of barrel bombs'.
Syria's conflict began as a peaceful pro-democracy revolt but morphed into a
civil war that has killed more than 210,000 people since March 20 11.
Syria, Aleppo: 300 killed and more than
100 of Assad forces captured in battles of Aleppo
The Public Association of Syrian Revolution announced that the Syrian fighters
have taken leap advances in Aleppo Northern district and have seized 'Arab
Sollom' area in Aleppo Northern district.
According to what Syrian fighters have said their clashes with Assad forces have
been intensified. Assad forces had to retreat from many axis.
The Public Association of Syrian Revolution said that 'Al-Mallah' region in
Northern Aleppo has been captured by Syrian opposition fighters. The operation's
headquarters of liberating Aleppo announced that around 300 Assad forces have
been killed and approximately 100 others captured.
Despite having backup forces consist of Hezbollah militias and Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Afghani mercenaries, the Assad forces were
defeated and had to retreat from all Aleppo Northern fronts.
Fightings On All Fronts; Assadites Try To Seize Initiative
The Assad regime troops launched an offensive in
Daraa, Quneitra, and Damascus a few days ago. The command of Assadites claim
they had captured Deir Maker, Deir Adas and a few other villages. Fierce
fightings are continuing outside the city of Kafr Shams.
The most bloody battles are taking place for the city of Douma. Assadites were
able to reach the farms of Reyhan. However, on the outskirts of Douma, advance
of infidels was stopped. Infidels are actively using aviation. Hundreds of
civilians were killed and wounded as a result of bombardments. Dozens of dead
children are reportedly among them.
Against this background, the Dawla al-Islamiyya/Islamic State (IS) units tried
to organize an attack north of Damascus. Accurate information about the
situation in this area is not available.
The Command of the Jaish al-Islam/Army of Islam (AI) warned of massive rocket
strikes on positions of Assadites in Damascus, in response to bombardments of
Douma. Previously, such strikes have already been successfully organised and
infidels suffered significant losses.
Meanwhile, in the Province of Aleppo, fierce fightings are continuing to take
place between Kurds and the IS. Kurdish groups recaptured more than 160
settlements from the IS. According to the data of the Syrian Monitoring Group (SMG),
Kurds captured from the IS more than 2 thousand square kilometers of territory.
Their units are aimed to attack the towns of Tel Abyad, Jarablus, Manbij and
Seren.
According to the command of Yekineyen Parastina Gel/People's Protection Units (PPU),
Kurdish groups supported by the Jaish as-Suri al-Ḥurr/Free Syrian Army (FSA)
units, Iraqi Peshmerga groups US aviation reached the borders of the Province of
Raqqa.
Nevertheless, despite the triumphant Kurds, mobile units of IS, apparently,
continue to operate in the vicinity of the town of Kobani (aka Ayn al-Arab,
renamed by the IS into the Ayn al-Islam).
Last weekend, local sources reported that US aircraft has again bombed the
neighbourhood of Kobani. Kurdish commanders admitted the fact of fightings,
reported losses on both sides.
Fightings are ongoing in the provinces of Hasaka and Deir ez-Zor. In Deir ez-Zor,
confrontation between IS and Assadites in the battle for the airport, in the
last few days, is positional. The parties exchanged artillery and mortar fire.
In Aleppo fighting are taking place in the town of Mleiha, Aleppo districts of
Handarat and Layramoun (aka Balleramoun). The combined forces of the Jabhat an-Nusra/Victory
Front (VF), Jabhat Ansar al-Deen/Supporters of Religion Front (SRF) (that Jaish
al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar/Army of Emigrants and Supporters (AES) is a part of) and
other Islamic brigades participate in positional battles around Shiite villages
of az-Zahra and Nubl.
Islamic brigades also counter-attacked Assadites in the Provinces of Homs and
Hama. The most fierce fightings are taking place for the area of Ras al-Makta.
In Idlib, combined forces of the Islamic brigades from the city of Binnish
attacked Assadites in the town of al-Fuah and the village of Kafriya. After two
days of fighting, the battle is now mainly of a positional nature.
Fierce fightings continue in the north-west of the city of Daraa, in rural areas
around Damascus and Quneitra. According to the data of the SMG, in these areas
are operating the combined forces of the Lebanese Shiite gang of Hezbollah under
the command of the main Shiite commander Mustafa Badr al-Din, the Iranian
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) under the command of General Qasem Soleimani
and troops of Assadites.
They are opposed by the units of VF and several smaller Islamic brigades. The
most fierce fightings are taking place in Quneitra in the village of Kafr Nasej.
Assadites actively use aviation.
Fightings Between Mujahideen And pro-Western Groups
Fighting between the Syrian arm of al Qaeda and
Western-backed groups in northern Syria spread from Aleppo province into
neighboring Idlib on Friday, reports Reuters.
Clashes began on Thursday when the al Qaeda Syria wing, the Jabhat an-Nusra/Victory
Front (VF), seized positions from the Harakat Hazzm/Movement of Steadfastness
(MS) west of Aleppo.
A MS official said by telephone to Reuters clashes had spread to Idlib and that
his group had retaken some areas previously controlled by the VF.
"There is now fighting in Idlib, in the Jabal al-Zawiya area", he said. He said
in Aleppo province the two groups were also fighting in Atarib, a town 20 km (12
miles) from the Turkish border.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said heavy fighting overnight focused on
the Regiment 46 base in western Aleppo and overlapping areas between Aleppo and
Idlib province, where the VF pushed out pro-Western rebels from many areas in
October.
The Observatory, which monitors the war, said pro-American MS had captured some
small checkpoints in Idlib.
The VF said it was forced to act after MS detained two of its fighters and
captured its weapons and offices. It said its forces had captured the Sheikh
Suleiman base from MS, about 25 km west of Aleppo, on Thursday.
"It's probably most accurate to view this as the latest instance of VF efforts
to expand their areas of dominance in Idlib and Aleppo at the expense of
Western-backed factions, which they are gradually seeking to eliminate from the
north", said Noah Bonsey, senior analyst on Syria with International Crisis
Group.
Meanwhile, the command of the VF accused of the fighting its opponents who,
according to al-Qaeda, tried on US instruction to expand its influence at the
expense of capturing some of the key positions. The clashes began after MF and
other groups of the Jaish as-Suri al-Ḥurr/Free Syrian Army (FSA) suddenly
detained 11 Mujahideen of the VF near the village of Ashrafiya.
The command of the MS denies the allegation that their group is supported by the
US. The command explains that in fact they had have received some minor
assistance from a number of Western countries, including anti-tank missiles of
American production, to fight the Assad regime.
Meanwhile, according to reports from the Syrian town of Kobani (aka Ayn al-Arab)
renamed by the Dawla al-Islamiyya/Islamic State (IS) into Ayn al-Islam, the
Kurdish gangs of Yekineyen Parastina Gel/People's Protection Units (PPU) managed
to repel the IS from this settlement, with air support by the US, units of the
FSA and the Iraqi armed groups Peshmerga.
According to a statement of the Kurdish command, they also captured from the IS
12 villages in the vicinity of Kobani. On Thursday and Friday, fierce fighting
took place for the villages of Sheeran, Sheikh Goban, Kavrik, Ber-Omar, Tafsho
and Svetk.
In turn, the command of the IS reported that they had shot down a plane of
Assadites near the town of Bir Kasab. The pilot was killed.
That didn't take long. Less than a day after the
U.S. military announced its Spring offensive against ISIS, seasoned military
officers said the plan was unworkable.
Skepticism about the U.S. and Iraqi military plans for the next phase of the
ISIS war begins inside the Pentagon.
Less than 24 hours after U.S. military officials publicly detailed their plans
for a spring offensive on ISIS-held Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, many
within the Pentagon privately questioned whether that timetable was plausible.
They said that they were dubious that their partners in the Iraqi militarythe
troops supposed to lead the offensivewould be capable of conducting such a
campaign by then.
"I really doubt it is going to happen that soon," said one military officer who,
like several others, served in Iraq between 2003-2011 and spoke on condition of
anonymity. "And if it does, it will take months."
The largely Shiite troops of the Iraqi army are unlikely to risk their lives to
win back a Sunni dominated city, several U.S. military officers told The Daily
Beast on Friday. Indeed, when ISIS stormed the city last June, Iraqi forces
walked away, leading the U.S. and 60 other nations to form a coalition against
the terror group.
Even if the Iraqi troops do stand up and fight the self-proclaimed Islamic
State, having a Shiite force move in and potentially ravage a major Sunni city
in a bid to save it could have adverse affects on the Sunnis in Iraq and broader
Sunni Arab world. Sectarian tensions, particularly in Iraq, run that deep.
"I cannot believe that Shiites would fight for Mosul," one officer who served in
the restive Sunni province of Anbar during the Iraq War told The Daily Beast.
So far, there is no evidence of a strong Sunni-majority Iraqi Army brigade, and
U.S. Central Command has said it will take at least eight brigades to win back
the city.
In the absence of such a force, it is not clear that the Sunni-dominated city
would welcome those troops. Many Sunnis feel betrayed by Iraq's Shiite-dominated
central government, and all indications are that Shiite militias are becoming
increasingly powerful in Iraq as the war against ISIS drags on, only confirming
Sunni residents fears.
Critics inside the U.S. defense community note that the battle for Mosul could
be much harder than the coalition's fights so far to reclaim cities from ISIS.
It took 112 days for a capable Kurdish ground force and U.S.-led air campaign to
win back the small northern Syria city of Kobani.
In many ways, Kobani was one of the easier fights the coalition could've picked.
ISIS wasn't particularly well-entrenched there. And the city had been largely
abandoned when the ISIS attempted to take it. In other words: the coalition's
airstrikes could be relatively indiscriminate without risk of civilian
casualties.
Mosul, on the other hand, is arguably the capital of ISIS's Islamic caliphate in
Iraq. ISIS's fighters have moved in and out of the city for the last decade,
first as members of al Qaeda in Iraq.
"They will fight for Mosul. This is not like Kobani, which was peripheral," one
U.S. military official told the Daily Beast.
Mosul is a heavily populated city, where ISIS forces have already built trenches
and barriers. ISIS reportedly maintains security forces, collects taxes, and
controls government buildings there. Where Kobani was aspirational for the
group, Mosul is key.
"They will fight to the last drop of blood defending Mosul, and for them this
battle could define their existence. Losing Mosul means a final defeat for
Islamic State in Iraq," a retired army general living in Mosul told Reuters last
month.
Before the Syrian civil war in 2011, Kobani had roughly 45,000 people. Around
that time, there were roughly 1.5 million souls in Mosul. Kobani was all but
destroyed in the aftermath of the ground and air campaign. The broader Sunni
Arab world would likely not accept the same fate for a city as important as
Mosul.
"The outrage in the Arab world if you do to Mosul what you did to Kobani,
primarily with Shiite and Kurdish forces, would create a firestorm. The
integrity of the city needs to be protected," said Derek Harvey, director of the
University of South Florida Global Initiative for Civil Society and Conflict,
and a former advisor to former Iraq commanders Gens. Dave Petraeus and Raymond
Odierno.
Just last month, Kurdish Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani said he did not think
the Iraqi army would be ready before the fall to take back Mosul. In an
interview with Reuters, he said the two best Iraqi divisions are currently
protecting the capital and there were not sufficient sources to replace them
should a Mosul offensive began.
Asked by Reuters last month about plans touted by Iraqi and U.S. officials for
an offensive by June on Mosul, Barzani said: "March, definitely not. June, also
I doubt it."
On Thursday, a U.S. CENTCOM official briefed reporters and telegraphed the
upcoming Mosul operation. The official, who would not be named as a condition of
the briefing, said an Iraqi force of as many as 25,000 troops could launch an
offensive as early as April or May. The forces, which would be made up, in part,
of six Iraqi army brigades and three Kurdish peshmerga units would take on an
ISIS force of as many as 2,000, the official said.
The official called it an Iraqi plan that the U.S. will assist with. But he
would not say how the American forces would help.
Defenders of the war plan announcement noted that ISIS has been anticipating a
counteroffensive since June 10, when its forces moved in, faced relatively
little counterattack, claimed the city, and seized much of the Iraqi army's
U.S.-provided weapons and equipment, including tanks and Humvees.
The longer the U.S. and Iraqi forces wait, the more entrenched ISIS becomes in
Mosul.
"The stronger the defenses get to be, the stronger their caliphate becomes in
Mosul," the defense official said.
There was little cost to telegraphing the operation, this official added. ISIS
has already dug trenches and bolstered their forces. Announcing that a counter
offensive is imminent does not change what ISIS already is doing. In the last
month, U.S. and coalition air strikes have increasingly focused on Mosul. There
have been airstrikes every day in the last week, striking at least 19 targets,
according to coalition press releases. There were just six airstrikes during the
first week of the year.
Defenders of CENTCOM were quick to dismiss concerns of sending a Shiite
dominated force to Mosul, calling the military an "Iraqi one, not a Shiite Iraqi
Army."
Mosul has been perilous for U.S. and Iraqi forces from the earliest days of the
U.S. invasion. In July 2003, Saddam Hussein's sons, Uday and Qusay, were
discovered hiding in Mosul. The city quickly became a hotbed for al Qaeda in
Iraq, which would eventually become ISIS. The U.S. launched its first campaign
to take back the city from Sunni extremists in 2004, and then again in 2008,
along with Iraqi forces. The fighting lasted for several months, on and off.
The CENTCOM official told reporters Thursday that if the Iraqi Army was not
ready, they would move the date back. But Harvey said there already were costs
to announcing the operation.
"The worst thing you could is telegraph it, go after it and fail," Harvey said.
And neither [the peshmerga nor the Iraqi security forces] is good at this kind
of fighting."
Situation in Kobani; Fightings in Aleppo, Shellings of Damascus
The command of the Kurdish group Yekineyen
Parastina Gel/People's Protection Units (PPU) declared that its forces managed
to repel Dawla al-Islamiyya/Islamic State (IS) from over 100 settlements around
the town of Kobani with the help from the US air force and the Iraqi Kurdish
Peshmerga.
IS troops are retreating from the Kurdish areas after the failure of over a
4-months long siege of the town of Kobani (aka Ayn al-Arab, which was renamed by
the IS into Ayn al-Islam), in which up to the outbreak of hostilities about 60
thousand people lived. Accurate data on the losses of the parties in the fierce
fighting for Kobani is not available.
The Kurds say that they lost more than 600 people, and the losses of the IS is
several times larger. The command of the IS does not give any information on
this account.
Nevertheless, according to the same Kurdish sources, at least 200 Kurdish
villages remain under the IS control, and fightings continue. Active military
confrontation between the Kurds and the IS was observed in the city of Ras al-Ayn
in the Province of Hasaka.
Local sources reported that after the retreat from Kobani, IS forces attacked
the positions of the Jabhat an-Nusra/Victory Front (VF) in northern Aleppo.
Fierce fightings have been taking place there for a few days already. No details
were given.
In turn, IS officials claim that fightings are ongoing in the area of the town
of Dabiq against Jaish as-Suri al-Ḥurr/Free Syrian Army (FSA) and other groups
who were trying to push back the IS forces from the area.
Some local sources gave information about "a tactical retreat" of IS forces from
the towns and villages in the Province of Aleppo, including Jarabulus, Sarah and
al-Bab. However, a Syrian monitoring group denied this data. According to the
group, the IS still controls these settlements.
Massive air raids of Jordanian aircraft on IS positions in the city of Raqqa and
other territories have also been reported. In Amman, they say that in 3 days
they made 56 sorties and that it was the revenge for the execution by burning a
Jordanian pilot. The royal Jordan's regime threatens with a large-scale war
against the IS. However, according to experts, Jordan is not capable of real
large-scale military operations because of the weakness of its army.
Meanwhile, in another part of Syria, forces of Jaish al-Islam/Army of Islam (AI)
and other Islamic brigades continue fierce battles with the advancing army units
of Assadites who stormed the city of Douma and other parts of Eastern Ghouta.
Three days ago, rocket and artillery units of the AI struck a massive blow to
Assadites in Damascus. The infidels sharply intensified bombardments of Eastern
Ghouta.
Assadites' media claimed that the brother of the head of AI, Zahran Alloush, had
been killed during the fightings. Details are not known.
The IS command reports on fightings continuing in the area of the air force base
in the Province of Deir ez-Zor. The positions of Assadites are subjected to
massive artillery and mortar fire. In response, Assadites bombed positions of
the IS using helicopters and airplanes.
The command of Assadites, in turn, claims that they had captured most of the
village of Haweeja Saqr in Deir ez-Zor, but on the outskirts of Muhasana
fightings are ongoing with many fighters killed.
Syrian rebels on Wednesday regained much of the
territory north of the city of Aleppo lost to government troops in fierce
fighting the previous day in clashes that left more than 100 dead on both sides,
activists said.
The violence came as U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura said he received a government
commitment to suspend airstrikes on the city of Aleppo for six weeks, which
would allow a proposed U.N. plan to 'freeze' hostilities in the country's
largest city to be tested.
An activist in Aleppo said most rebel factions will abide by a truce if the
government stops airstrikes and releases detainees, starting with female
prisoners.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and
Turkey-based activist Bari Abdellatif said rebels regained control of the
villages of Ratyan and Dweir Zeytoun early Wednesday. The Observatory says 70
troops were killed in Tuesday's fighting.
The Observatory and Hamed, the Aleppo-based activist, said fighting is now
concentrated in the village of Bashkoy, just north of Aleppo. They said rebels
were fighting against Syrian troops backed by members of Lebanon`s Hezbollah
group.
An amateur video released by rebels showed the bodies of some 25 Syrian soldiers
and pro-government gunmen in Aleppo`s northern suburb of Mallah lying in a muddy
open field.
The video appeared genuine and corresponded to other Associated Press reporting
of the events.
The Observatory and the Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen TV said some 30 Syrian
soldiers were able to reach the besieged, predominantly Shiite village of Zahraa
north of Aleppo for the first time since 2012.
Hamed denied that troops were able to reach Zahraa, adding that the village and
nearby Nubul are still encircled by rebels.
In the spring of 2011, hundreds of thousands of
Syrians rose up in protest to demand democracy and freedom and an end to the
dictatorship of President Bashar al-Assad. The response of the regime was to
escalate the methods of repression that had been tried and tested against
political opponents since the 1970s: arbitrary detention, disappearance and
torture.
I worked as an Arabic teacher in the Damascus suburb of Germana, where my
husband and I lived. We were both activists in a left-wing opposition party that
had been suppressed for decades. I also founded an organization called Syrian
Women for a State of Citizenship, which has been active since the start of the
revolution. We worked to create economic opportunities for women and to promote
peace and reduce conflict between armed factions at a local level.
I was first arrested on July 20, 2011, for participating in a peaceful
demonstration in downtown Damascus. Along with six other activists, I was beaten
with fists and an electric rod by members of the shabiha, the Baathist militia
loyal to the Assad family. The regime gave these thugs a blank check to
terrorize anyone suspected of opposition sympathies. They abused and manhandled
us, before handing us over to the police. We were held by the criminal security
branch in effect, the secret police for 12 days, and then appeared in court
before a judge, who granted us bail. We later received summonses, but we never
showed up; eventually, the case against us for an "unlawful demonstration" was
dropped.
As the security situation deteriorated through 2012, the regime's tactics became
harsher. By some estimates, more than 200,000 people have been detained as
political prisoners, including thousands of women, and even young children.
On Dec. 30, 2013, I was arrested again, when I went to a passport office to
apply for a visa to attend a women's conference sponsored by the United Nations
. An arrest warrant was also issued for my husband, but he succeeded in going
into hiding for the duration of my second detention. This time, I was fired from
my job.
The worst thing about detention was not knowing whether it would ever end. I
could have been killed at any time prisoners die by the score every day from
the effects of torture. I feel lucky just to be alive.
We were isolated from the outside world and had no access to lawyers. For more
than a month, I shared a prison cell with more than 30 women who were all
detained for different charges, either because of their relief activities in the
besieged areas, their personal or family ties with members of the armed
opposition, or as a result of a false security report. The cell was about 50
square feet, dark and cold, with no ventilation.
Torture was routine. Anyone who has been detained in Mr. Assad's prisons will
know these details. There are about 40 documented techniques, including
suspending prisoners by their arms from the ceiling, electric shocks, beatings,
cigarette burns and pulling nails. The screams of the tortured were unbearable;
I nearly lost my mind in there.
More than 60 men were held in a neighboring cell. Regardless of the charge, the
guards called us all terrorists and beat everyone. The number of detainees went
down as some died, and up again as more were brought in. Some were forced to
sleep next to corpses before the dead were disposed of. Among the living, our
exhausted bodies became infested with lice; we got rashes and skin infections.I
was fortunate not to be harmed physically, unlike a doctor held with me who was
falsely accused of kidnapping a Syrian Army soldier. They hung her from her hair
instead of her wrists, and kept dousing her body with cold water and s
ocking her with electricity until she lost consciousness for days at a time.
We were interrogated for long hours, and the interrogators kept us in a state of
stress all day and all night. I was blindfolded, handcuffed and dragged to the
interrogation room.
The interrogator would slap me in the face again and again, ordering me to sign
blank sheets to which he would later add false confessions.
During this second detention of about 40 days I was transferred from one
facility to another, until I was lucky enough to be released in one of the first
"reconciliations," a cease-fire agreement between the army and rebels. These
often resulted after the regime had besieged an area and subjected its
population to starvation; the armed resistance had to lay down its weapons and
cede control of the area under the terms of the deal, which included prisoner
exchanges.
Once I was out, my husband who had stayed only because of our two children
fled across the border to Lebanon. I was confined to Damascus and banned from
traveling. Because Syrian law does not recognize women's rights, I also lost
guardianship of our sons. Finally, a judge granted me temporary custody and a
temporary travel permit. So we left for Beirut and have applied for asylum, but
we are stuck without work, and with our children out of school.
We who have seen the inside of Mr. Assad's jails call on the international
community to stand against the catastrophic brutality in Syria. The first step
toward a solution must be an end to the killings, detentions and disappearances.
International observers must be permitted to visit the prisons to monitor the
condition of detainees.
Despite the dire security situation, I intend to go back to Syria if I get the
opportunity. Eventually, there will have to be an end to this terrible armed
conflict, and I believe that to guarantee their rights, Syrian women, too, must
have a role in negotiating any final agreement.
This article is by an Arabic teacher and Syrian activist.
The Military Interference Of Iran In Syria - A Chronicle Of Rafidi Deceptions And
Lies
Syrian oppositional groups have repeated for a
long time that Iran is actively suppressing the Syrians and their revolution by
siding with the Pharao and Yazid of our time, Bashar Al-Assad, the Alawite,
secular and Bathist tyrant. Not just ideological and logistical aid but rather
military aid, Iranian troops actively fighting the Syrian resistance.
All these reports by the Syrian oppositional groups were
dismissed by Iran, its stooges and cheerleaders after a number of embarrassing
blunders on the Iranian side and victories on the side of the resistance
fighters who managed to capture video material of known Iranian Revolutionary
Guards who activerly operate in Syria. This exporsure led finally to the
addmission of Hassan Nasralla(t)'s that the Hezbolla(t) are actively operating
in Syria to defend Shia places of polytheism (shrines), particularly the shrine
of lady Zaynab in Damascus.
In this article we'd like to show in chronological order of
how deceptive the Rafidi regime of Iran is, the very same regime that tried hard
(to save its face as long as possible) dismiss ANY (let alone military)
involvement in Syria. You will be shocked of how blatantly Iranian officials
lie, whether Revolutionary Guards or the unholy 'Aytollahs'.
The Syrian revolution is an on-going one, so are the Rafidi regimes blatant and
shameless lies in regards to its military interventions and activities in Syria.
Let us start by going a bit back in the past, the year 2012, where whining and
wailing Revolutionary Guards were caught in Syria. This is where Iran's highest
ranking officials, including revolutionary guards and clerics started to deny
the interference of Iranian troops in Syria. The sheer hypocrisy is that these
very same Rafidite Safavid Takfiris, the enemies of the Prophet's companions and
wives, have the audacity to others as 'Takfiri groups' and the likes of Saudi
Arabia, Qatar etc. as supporters of the alleged 'Takfiris' who make up lies
against Iran (i.e. that Iran is military wise involved in Syria).
Iran's lie #1
Iran Denies Syria Captives Are Revolutionary Guards, THE PILGRIM'S TALE
On 06/08/2012, pro-Iranian, Russian sources reported that the Iranian foreign
ministry denied on Monday that the 48 Iranians kidnapped in Syria on Saturday
were members of the elite Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
"We strongly deny the information disseminated by certain media that our
kidnapped pilgrims are members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. All of
them are pilgrims who came to Damascus to visit its shrines," Iranian Deputy
Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said.
So these man that were captured by the FSA were only average Iranian 'pilgrims'
(to shrines, as it's common in the polytheistic religion of the Twelver Rafidah
Shia) the Iranian regime claimed. A likely story!
Since the stupidity of this narrative was just too obvious (literally all of
these captured men had Revolutionary Guard Identity Cards!), the Iranian
hypocrite regime started to change the narrative. The mess was done though, they
even made themselves look more ridicolous as they already were. Only two days
after the report about the captured Revolutionary Guards, precisely 08/08/2012
the very same Russian and pro-Iranian news agency (and of course all Iranian
news agencies too) reported that the captures 'tourists and pilgrims' where in
fact RETIRED Revolutionary Guards. How sweet indeed!
Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi denied they had any military role at present
and reiterated that pilgrimage to Damascus shrines was the only purpose of their
journey.
"Some of those pilgrims used to be Revolutionary Guards members, some of them
are retired servicemen," the minister said.
Aren't they smart the Safavids?! Masters in inventing lies and ridicolous
narratives, first they say they were pilgrims, then they had to change the
narrative to 'retired Revolutionary Guards' pilgrims. Yeah, it must be
absolutely common to visit a shrine in a country were a civil war is going on (a
bunch of men only, not a single women or child), as a bunch of 'retired
Revolutionary Guards. The plain truth is, Digarban, a website that monitors the
country's conservatives and their online activities, reported that at least
seven guards commanders were among the released prisoners. "Abedin Khoram, the
[current] commander of the Revolutionary Guards' division in Orumieh is among
those released who have returned to Iran," it reported. Not to mention that
these 48 'pilgrims' were traded for 2100 Syrian prisoners!
Iran's lie #2
Contradictions over Contradiction, admission, then denial
As a matter of fact some Iranian sources (even before the even of the captured
'retired Revolutionary Guards' confirmed Iran's MILITARY involvement in Syria,
but these were quickly removed and denied by other Iranian sources.
Contradictions after all, very common when lying has become a habit.
THE GUARDIAN reported on Monday the 28 May of 2012 an apparent slip-up and
blunder of a senior commander in Iran's Revolutionary Guards has admitted that
Iranian forces are operating in Syria in support of Bashar al-Assad's regime.
Ismail Gha'ani, the deputy head of Iran's Quds forces (the external arm of the
Revolutionary Guards), tasked with overseas operations, said in an interview
with the semi-official Isna (The Iranian Student News Agency) news agency: "If
the Islamic republic was not present in Syria, the massacre of people would have
happened on a much larger scale."Isna published the interview at the weekend but
subsequently removed it from its website.
Admitting, then removing the report! In fact, it gets worse, for high ranking
Iranian officials later on claimed that Iran has no military presence in Syria!
Iran's lie #3
The head of the Revolutionary Guards in Iran suddenly claims Iran has no
MILITARY presence in Syria!
Yes, you heard right, after 'retired Revolutionary Guard pilgrims' tale, after
the admission of the deputy head of Iran's Quds force, suddenly the HEAD of the
Revolutionary Guards in September 2012 claimed that Iran has no military
presence in Syria! Some members of Iran's elite Quds force were in Syria but
this does not constitute 'a military presence' according to the notorious liars
of the Rafidite Safavid regime.
Army commander gives clear sign of Tehran's continuing support for Assad's
regime but denies troops signify military presence.
In a clear public signal of Tehran's continuing support for Assad, the commander
of the Islamic republic's elite military formation said that a number of members
of the IRGC's Qods force were in Syria, though General Mohammad Ali Jafari gave
no further details and claimed this did not constitute "a military presence".
It's worth mentioning that General Mohammad Ali Jafari who by the way is THE
IRGC Commander (commander of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution
of Iran), is the same bluffer who became a laughing stock after Iran expressed
the hope that Syria will strike back at Israel after the apparent Israeli raid
on one or two targets in Syria, presumed to be a chemical/biological weapons
plant and a shipment of advanced anti-aircraft missiles. Middle East Online,
however, remembers that only weeks before Iran declared that any Israeli strike
on Syria will be considered an attack against Iran and Iran would retaliate.
That statement, the latest of a long line of similar declarations, was made by
Ali Akbar Velayati, assistant to the Supreme Leader Khamenei. Iran went so for
to claim that a Syrian response is imminent, and 'will put Israel in a coma.'
Tehran also announced that thousands of Israelis are preparing to leave the
country in anticipation of the massive Syrian response. Now did ANY of that
happen? Did Iran ACTIVELY fight Israel and retaliate?! Did a SINGLE Israeli
suffer since the Syrian revolution, either from Iran or its proxies (the party
of Satan in Lebanon, Bashar etc.?) Of course not! Iran is busy killing Muslims,
Sunnis, particularly the Syrian ones who oppose the Iranian slave Bashar.
Taghoot Khamenei with Mohammad Ali Jafari (left) and Yahya Rahim Safavi
(center), former commander of the IRGC
Iran's lie #4
May 2013 and Iran still lies to the world
PRESS TV (Iranian mouthpiece in English language) reported on May 25, 2013 that
Iran denied any military presence in Syria!
The Iranian ambassador to the United Nations has dismissed claims about Iran's
military presence in Syria and the shipment of arms by the Islamic Republic to
the Arab country."Despite the unfounded allegations, no Iranian military forces
or advisors are present in Syria, but, unfortunately, certain regional countries
are interfering in Syria's internal affairs and fanning the flame of the
conflict in the country by sending arms to extremist and terrorist groups,"
Mohammad Khazaei said.
Iran's lie #5
June 2013 and Iran still keeps lying
On the 16/06/2013 a Russian pro-Iran news agency reported how Iran was about to
send a contingent of Iranian Revolutionary Guards, precicely 4,000 troops to
Syria to aid the Kafir Bashar Assad's Alawite forces to suppress the Syrian
people and their revolution. Two days later, on the 18/06/2013, the very same
Russian and pro-Iranian regime news agency reported a denial, as usual the
Iranian regime was quick to deny the obvious and stated that 'Iran has no plans
to send troops to aid Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces in the ongoing
civil war there'.
Iran has no plans to send troops to aid Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces
in the ongoing civil war there, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said on
Tuesday, rejecting media reports claiming Tehran was set to intervene directly
in the fighting.
"We categorically deny this information," Seyed Abbas Araqchi said, adding
Tehran has never and would never send its troops to Damascus. Syria's government
forces have all the necessary means to fight against "terrorists acting in
Syria," and "Iran has no need to provide military aid to Syria's authorities,"
he said.
The Tehran Time also reported the same news:
TEHRAN - Iran has denied Saudi Arabia's recent claims that the Islamic Republic
has been involved in the Syrian crisis, calling Riyadh an accomplice of Takfiri
terrorists in their crimes against the defenseless people of Syria. Speaking at
a news conference with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Jeddah on Tuesday,
Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said that the kingdom
"cannot be silent" about Iranian intervention and called for a resolution to ban
arms flows to the Syrian government, Reuters reported.
Claims? Iran standing for the dfenseless people of Syria?! So Saudi Arabia is an
'accomplice of Takfiri terrorists' for supporting the resistance of the Syrian
people against the Kafir, Alawite and mass-murderer Bathist Bashar Al-Assad and
Iran by supporting Bashar is defending the Syrians?!
Iran's lie #6
It's Rouhani's turn to lie and to deny in June 2013
Next we'd like to remind you of what the new Rafidi Mullah president of the
Safavid state shamelessly claimed, as been reported on the mouthpiece channel of
the Iranian regime in the west, PRESS TV on June 24, 2013.
[Rohani] "The Islamic Republic of Iran's policy is to help the regional nations
and governments, and I do not believe that problems in the region, particularly
in Syria, can be solved militarily, but we seek [to help establish] a ceasefire
in Syria to prevent [further] killings," Rohani said in a telephone conversation
with Lebanese President Michel Sleiman on Sunday.Rohani dismissed any foreign
meddling in Syria, stressing that the Syrian nation should determine its own
destiny."
Alright, how relieved we are, the Iranian Rafidite Safavid regime just wants to
'help' its (Sunni) neighbours. Now the world, the Islamic Ummah has witnessed
how their help looks, how the Iranian regime is ready to back a Bathist and
secularist mass-murderer like Bashar with the help of other major Kafir forces
(and TRUE allies of Iran), such as Russia and China.
Iran's lie #7
September 2013 and Iran and its allies still lie and deny the obvious
And if you fancy official Iranian sources, than don't worry, their stupidity,
lies and hypocrisy has been recorded on the whole net:
Spokeswoman Denies Iran's Military Presence in Syria
September 17, 2013 - 11:16 - IRANIAN TASNIM NEWS AGENCY
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Iran does not have official military presence in Syria,
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman underlined, and added that Tehran advocates
political solution to the crisis in Syria.
Iran has no military presence in the crisis-hit Syria, said
Marziyeh Afkham in her weekly press conference, when asked about Iran-Syria
cooperation in defense fields.
The slaves of the Rafidah in Tehran and Qom, the Syrian regime
who literally sold their souls and the lives of their people for Rafidi were of
course quick to repeat the same lie.
The following swine is not the Jew Sharon, but the Syrian Foreign Minister Walid
al-Moallem (the one who stated that Bashar's Syria is will prevent the emerge of
an Islamic state!), the shameless liar also denied claims about Iran's military
presence in Damascus, saying Tehran always seeks a political solution to the
crisis in Syria. What a joke! Of course it was reported by the joke of a news
agency and channel, PRESS TV, the mouthpiece of the Iranian regime, on Jun 24,
2013.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem has categorically denied claims about
Iran's military presence in Damascus, saying Tehran always seeks a political
solution to the crisis in Syria.
Speaking to reporters in Damascus on Monday, Moallem said claims by certain
countries supporting terrorism that Iran has military forces in Syria are just a
rumor.
Iran has repeatedly expressed its opposition to any foreign intervention in
Syria's internal affairs, stressing that inclusive dialog and national
reconciliation as well as free elections are the keys to resolving the unrest in
the Arab country
What the Rafidite Safavid enemies of the Ummah didn't calculate is that Allah is
the best of the planners and will expose them sooner than they might have
thought.
"They were plotting and Allah too was planning, and Allah is the Best of the
planners" [Qr'an 8: 30]
Allah is the best planner, and steadily the two camps - one which is the camp of
Kufr (Rafidi Iran, Russia, China and Israel that despite its opposition to Iran
PREFERS a secular-Alawite lead Syria over any strong Sunni state) and one which
is the camp of Iman (the Syrian people and resistance) are being more and more
distinguished so that there might be no excuse for anyone to side with the
truth. In fact, Rafidite Iran and their allies are exposed at their OWN hands,
for recently some Mijahideen in Syria, the Daoud brigade, a group based near
Idlib, in northwest Syria, overran a government position and captured videos of
interviews given by Iranian commanders fighting in Syria. The ORIGINAL captured
videos, surfaced online on September 9, are in Farsi and show the extent to
which the Iranians are involved in the genocide against our Ahl Al-Sunnah
brothers and sisters in Syria.
Now we don't like Al-Jazeera as well, but as you might predict (after reading
all the blatant lies of the Iranian officials), this video is not a fake, it's
just the manifestation of how Iran is getting exposed and the Revolutionary
Guards in the clip are real and Al-Hamdulillah dead. They were publically
celebrated as REVOLUTIONARY GUARDS and martyrs by the Iranian regime:
An official Iranian website published photos of Ismaïl Haydary's (Revolutionary
Guard commander in the clip) funeral, which took place in Iran, describing him
as a "martyred general" and - like Mohsen - as a "defender of the Sayyida Zaynab
shrine". Portraits of him displayed at his funeral clearly show that he is the
same man featured in the videos.
The Syrian officers in the short documentary above and in other high quality
videos (such as this one Youtube) do not seem troubled by the presence of a
camera. All the videos are filmed in rather high quality, and the frame is
stable. This lends credence to the claim that the footage was filmed with a
camera and not a mobile phone. Perhaps not coincidentally, in late August, when
the two Iranians seen in the videos were killed, a Persian news site mentioned
that an Iranian filmmaker by the name of Hadi Baghbani had died in Syria.
According to this site, Baghbani was killed by "Salafists" while filming "the
Syrian army's progress in its battle against jihadists".
The numerous details cited above point to the authenticity of
these videos. They show that Iranian military officers are helping supervise
soldiers in Syria's regular army . This is a claim that the Syrian opposition
groups have repeated for a long time, from the beginning of the Revolution to
this very day, but until now all of these evidence were dismissed by Iran, like
when the Syrian resistance captured a some of these (whining) Revolutionary
Guards:
Of course you won't find PRESS TV and other Iranian mouthpieces reporting these
contradictions, lies and deceptions since lying and deceiving is part of their
Rafidite creed, so don't expect much from them, they lie through their teeth in
the age social media, turning Syria into Bahrain and Revolutionary Guards into
'pilgrims'. The Islamic Ummah will never forgive the crimes of the Kisra, Pharao
and Yazid Khamenei, the Revolutionary Guards, the Rafidite regime and the
'Ayatollahs' against the Syrian people, their mask has fallen and they have
exposed themselves at their own hands and their the Rise and Fall of Iran in
Arab and Muslim Public Opinion has become a reality that will open the eyes of
many Muslims around the world, especially those who were fooled by the empty
chantings of 'death to America/Israel' of the Iranian regime.
Sons Of Sunnah in Iran
Former ISIS Supporter
And Cleric Saudi Preacher Tells Of Life Under
Al-Baghdadi's Caliphate
A Saudi preacher who had escaped the Islamic State
of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) after having joined it has come out against the group,
criticizing its "distorted" version of Islam.
Sheikh Mani'i Al-Mani'i had shocked many last year when he announced on Twitter
that he had joined "the land of Jihad" and that he pledged allegiance to ISIS.
After several months the preacher fled the group and surrendered himself to the
Saudi embassy in Turkey.
He recently appeared on a Saudi television channel recounting his experience
under ISIS.
"I found that instead of freedom, and instead of freedom of belief, they force
people to accuse of infidelity those that they think are infidels," the preacher
said of ISIS militants.
He added that ISIS militants even regard the people Makkah, the birthplace of
Islam, as infidels.
The preacher warns Saudi youth not to listen to ISIS propaganda, saying the
religion that the militant group tries to promote is nothing close to the
religion of Islam he knows.
"It is not the Islam that I know," he said.
"I was prevented from traveling, my passport was taken away, and I was also
forced to pledge allegiance to the organization," he added.
Monitor: Syria Regime Strikes Kill 82 After
Rebels Surprised Resistance On Damascus
Dozens of Syrian regime strikes on an opposition-held area near Damascus have
killed at least 82 people, a monitor said Friday, in the deadliest such
onslaught since November.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitor, said the new toll
in the Thursday air strikes on the Eastern Ghouta region included at least 18
children.
The regime assault, which also killed 16 rebel fighters, involved more than 60
air strikes, as well as surface-to-surface missiles, the Observatory said.
It was the deadliest aerial attack by government forces since November 25, when
95 people were killed in air strikes on Raqa, the self-proclaimed capital of the
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria group.
Thursday's strikes came after a rebel group in Eastern Ghouta fired a barrage of
at least 120 mortar rounds and rockets into Damascus, killing 10 people, among
them a child.
Residents said the capital was quiet on Friday and that the mortar and rocket
fire appeared to be over.
But regime air strikes were continuing in Eastern Ghouta, the Observatory said.
The key rebel bastion on the outskirts of Damascus has been under siege for
nearly two years, leading to food and medical shortages.
Since mid-2012, the government has carried out frequent air raids there and on
other on rebel-held areas.
Rights groups accuse it of indiscriminately killing both civilians and
insurgents.
More than 200,000 people have died in the Syrian conflict, which began with
anti-government protests in March 2011 and escalated into a civil war.
Turkey Detains Five Suspected ISIS Members
This Week: Army
By Tulay Kardeniz
Turkish authorities have detained a man alleged to be a member of Islamic State
in the southeastern city of Gaziantep, the army said on Thursday, bringing the
number of suspected militants seized this week to five.
The announcement comes after months of criticism from Ankara's Western partners
over its perceived reluctance to crack down on Islamist fighters using the
country to travel into neighboring Syria.
"Security forces caught a Daesh member (on Wednesday) in Gaziantep. A judicial
process has been started," the Turkish General Staff said in a statement on its
website, employing an acronym for Islamic State widely used in the region.
On Monday, four people thought to be Islamic State members were apprehended by
security forces during traffic control in Gaziantep's Oguzeli district, a
separate army statement said.
The nationality of the detainees was not clear.
Turkey's 900km-long border with Syria has proved difficult to police since the
start of the Syrian conflict nearly four years ago. Critics have suggested
Turkey is reluctant to tackle the problem of extremists for fear of becoming a
target.
Turkey has opened its doors to nearly 2 million people who have fled the
conflict in Syria, but it has so far played only a minor role in the fight
against Islamic State. Officials cite disagreements over strategy and security
concerns as reasons.
The city of Gaziantep, which lies around 50km from the border, has developed
into a hub for aid workers responding to the humanitarian fallout in Syria.
Jordanian Airstrikes Kill 55 ISIS
Militants
Jordanian fighter jets flew over the hometown of a pilot killed by Islamic State
of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group and the capital Amman on Thursday after
completing a mission, state television said without giving the location of their
sortie, Reuters reported.
However, Iraqi media said that the Jordanian airstrikes have killed 55 ISIS
militants including a senior commander known as the "Prince of Nineveh."
Jordan's 'severe' response to ISIS after it killed an air force pilot by burning
him alive, came just hours after King Abdullah vowed to avenge Maaz al-Kassasbeh's
death.
"The blood of martyr Maaz al-Kassasbeh will not be in vain and the response of
Jordan and its army after what happened to our dear son will be severe," Said
King Abdullah in a statement released by the royal court on Wednesday.
Jordan had previously been divided on its participation in airstrikes against
ISIS, with many question why the country was involving itself in the fight.
But it was a divide that largely vanished after the revelation of Kassasbeh's
brutal execution.
Jordan's information minister, Mohammad al-Momani told AFP: Amman was "more
determined than ever to fight the terrorist group Daesh." And a government
spokesman said Jordan would step up its role in the U.S.-led fight against the
militant group.
King Abdullah cut short a visit to Washington, returning to his country where he
held emergency talks with his military.
But before his return to the Middle East he met with President Barack Obama, who
slammed the pilot's killing as an act of "cowardice and depravity," and he
offered the king "his deepest condolences" White House spokesman, Alistair
Baskey said.
Meanwhile Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said radical Islam's
"cruelty knows no borders, the greatest threat to humanity would be if these
extremists get their hands on nuclear weapons," referring to Iran's nuclear
program.
The airstrikes came just hours after Jordan executed two militant prisoners in
response to the killing of Kassasbeh.
But the pilot's father told Reuters the two executions were not enough to avenge
his son's death, adding: "I want the state to get revenge for my son's blood
through more executions of those people who follow this criminal group that
shares nothing with Islam." Safi al-Kassasbeh told Reuters.
The rout of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) from the long-embattled
Syrian border town of Kobane is a sign that the militant group can be weakened
and beaten, experts told Al Arabiya News.
The fight over Kobane - which began in September last year - reached a
conclusion this week after Kurdish fighters aided by heavy coalition airstrikes
regained full control of the city, an event hailed by U.S. Secretary of State
John Kerry as a "big deal."
ISIS's defeat in Kobane "demonstrates that it is more adept at propaganda,
terrorism and light guerrilla warfare than it is about performing as a
significant military force when faced by a determined enemy," said Michael Ryan,
a scholar at the Washington-based Middle East Institute and the author of
"Decoding al-Qaeda's Strategy: The Deep Battle Against America."
The group's "actual fighting force is probably much smaller than its overall
reported numbers might suggest and thus the loss of hundreds of fighters is
likely a significant blow to its power base," he added.
Although ISIS is "far from defeated" in Syria and Iraq, the loss of Kobane is a
major blow to the group and shows that it "can be beaten," Ryan said.
But the success in the ground campaign by Kurdish fighters - including the
Peshmerga from Iraq's Kurdistan - could have come much faster if the Kurds were
better equipped by their Western allies, some experts say.
"One of ISIS's primary assets since June 2014 has been the aura of momentum
generated by its military gains," said Noah Bonsey, a Syria analyst at the
Brussels-based International Crisis Group, referring to the group's sweeping
takeover of the Iraq's second largest city of Mosul in summer last year.
"The battle of Kobane halted that momentum in Syria, and in that sense ISIS's
loss there is significant," he added.
Hilal Khashan, a political science professor at the American University of
Beirut, said that there is "no question" that ISIS has been contained.
"ISIS is sustaining tremendous losses and, even though it has not yet been
decimated, it is only a question of time before it is convincingly defeated."
But the Kurds and the U.S.-led coalition - as well as other groups fighting ISIS
on the ground in Syria and Iraq - should not rest on their laurels.
"We should not be surprised if [ISIS] attempts further attacks against Kobane in
the future in an attempt to erase what is widely perceived as a defeat," said
Ryan.
ISIS's steady stream of recruitment - with new fighters reportedly continuing to
trickle in - could preserve the group's staying power, Bonsey said.
The resolve of Arab countries to combat ISIS may have been strengthened this
week after the release of a gruesome video showing the burning alive of captured
Jordanian fighter pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh at the hands of the militants.
News of his killing spurred Jordan - a neighbor of Iraq and Syria and an ally in
the U.S.-led coalition - against the group to step up its bombing campaigns,
reportedly killing 55 militants on Thursday.
Additionally, such "Medieval thinking cannot possibly win against the 21st
century," said Khashan. "ISIS is out of place and out of time."
The Situation In Syria, 2014
By Thomas van Linge and Pieter Van Ostaeyen
In March 2014 the Syrian war entered its fourth year. With over 76.000 deaths
reported 2014 was the deathliest year of the conflict. 2014 saw the rise of the
"Islamic State", a group which, at the end of 2013 was just one of many factions
fighting the regime. At the end of the year the Islamic State controlled roughly
30% of the country. 2014 was the year in which Homs, the 'capital of the
revolution' fell to the regime and its allies. But 2014 was also the year in
which the Free Syrian Army (which was declared dead by some at the end of 2013)
made a comeback in several parts of the country.
First half of January
Syria started 2014 with yet another conflict. A vast majority of the factions in
the rebel movement began fighting against militants of ISIS, an al-Qaeda
originated group which was very unpopular among the mainstream opposition for
its hostility towards other factions. Within two days rebels led by the Syria
Revolutionaries Front (an FSA coalition in Idlib province) expelled ISIS from
Harem, Salqin, Kafranbel, Ma'arat al-Numan, al-Bara, Kafr Zita and ad-Dana.
While in Aleppo a new rebel group under the name 'Jaysh al-Mujahideen' expelled
ISIS from Mare', Sawran, Atarib, Tell Rifaat and Aleppo city.
Rebels also managed to temporarily expel ISIS from al-Bab and Manbij, but were
pushed back here, while in the meantime ISIS took complete control of the city
of ar-Raqqa, pushing out all other rebel factions. Forces of the Syrian regime
managed to take advantage of this new conflict and advanced from the Aleppo
international airport to al-Zarzur, just north of it.
In the Northeast of the country the forces of the YPG launched an offensive at
the end of 2013, capturing the town of Tall Birak and completely surrounding
Tall Hamis, capturing a lot of ground from Islamist rebel forces (mainly ISIS,
Jabhat an-Nusra and Ahrar as-Sham). But facing heavy resistance in this Arab
dominated area which made them suffer heavy losses; the YPG was forced to
retreat in January 2014 in what would become their biggest defeat thus far.
In the South the rebels made some smaller advances; capturing the national
hospital in Jasim, which was the last regime position in the town. And gaining
some ground in Sheikh Maskin, which was besieged by regime forces.
Second half of January and first half of February
Despite defeats in ar-Raqqa and east Aleppo the rebel offensive against ISIS
continued into February. Rebels expelled ISIS members from brigade 46 in west
Aleppo, Bab al-Salam border crossing near Azaz and the town of Binnish in Idlib.
ISIS retreated all its forces from Deir ez-Zor province to the north in order to
prevent a wider conflict with rebel-aligned tribes in the area. However in
Hasakah province ISIS overpowered all other rebel groups who all ended up
swearing allegiance to the group.
In Northern Hama rebels launched an offensive against the regime, advancing all
the way east to the village of Maan and capturing the town of Morek, by which
they effectively cut the road to Khan Shaykhun (the last remaining regime-held
city in Southern Idlib). But regime forces managed to expel the rebels from
Souran, which is located just south of Morek. In the Qalamoon mountains near
Damascus, the regime, backed by foreign Hezbollah forces, started to intensify
its attacks on the rebel-held town of Yabroud. In the Southern part of the
country rebels launched a new offensive in Southeast Quneitra, capturing several
smaller villages.
Second half of February and first half of March
At the end of February ISIS pulled all its remaining forces out of west Aleppo,
abandoning towns like Azaz, al-Rai, Mayer, Darat Izza and Anadan, which were
immediately taken over by local rebel forces. ISIS also pulled out of Latakia
province, abandoned its remaining areas in Idlib and was pushed out of Markadah
in Hasakah province.
The rebels themselves lost ground to the regime, whose forces in Aleppo advanced
from Zarzur and reached the outskirts of the industrial city of Sheikh Najjar.
Regime forces also managed to push rebels back from Maan village in Hama and
closed in around Yabroud.
The regime offensive around Yabroud made rebels in the desert area east of the
Qalamoon Mountains intensify their attacks on the regime. Rebels also pushed
into Khan Shaykhun and controlled the city center in a matter of days, after
which fighting was mainly concentrated on the checkpoints around the city.
Second half of March and first half of April
In response to the regime push east of Aleppo, rebel forces started to advance
on the western outskirts and in the southwest of the city. After gaining
complete control over the suburbs of Maarat al-Artiq and Layramoun, rebels
entered al-Wafa and al-Zahraa districts in west Aleppo. In the meantime rebels
crossed into the Ramousah district of the city, gaining some ground and cutting
the main highway connecting regime-controlled Aleppo to the international
airport. In Idlib province rebels captured several regime checkpoints on the M5
highway, cutting off the regime bases around Ma'arat al-Numan from Khan Shaykhun.
Rebels also made a significant push in the Latakia Mountains, where they
captured the town of Kesab, taking the last remaining border crossing with
Turkey from the regime, they even managed to reach a small beach at the
Mediterranean. Rebels also made some small advances in the south where they
captured the Daraa central prison and the silos near Daraa, cutting the
regime-held part of the city from its remaining border crossing with Jordan.
Rebels gained complete control of the road between the towns of Tasil and Dael.
Other rebel forces seized several military installations in the desert east of
Dumayr, capturing dozens of tanks from regime forces.
But they also suffered some major defeats. In the Qalamoon Mountains the
rebel-held towns seemed to fall like dominos. After the rebel stronghold of
Yabroud was taken by regime and Hezbollah forces Falitah fell, which was
followed by Ras al-Maarra, Maaloula, Rankus and Telfita. In Homs province rebels
were forced to retreat from the historic castle Krak des Chevaliers which was
besieged by the regime for quite some time. Rebels lost ground to ISIS as well;
first the group took complete control of the road going from ar-Raqqa to as-Sukhna
in the dessert, then they started to push towards the Euphrates River, capturing
several small villages including Markadah and Muweeleh along the way. ISIS
fighters also expelled rebels from Tabni, and captured the small villages of
Kabajeb and as-Sulah on the road between as-Sukhna and Deir ez-Zor city.
ISIS consolidated its positions around the YPG-controlled Kobanê canton and
conducted new attacks on the area but was met with heavy resistance by the YPG
forces who had prepared for this.
Second half of April and first half of May
In the midst of spring the regime achieved several major victories against rebel
forces around the country. The biggest victory was the complete capture of the
city of Homs, which was ever since the beginning of the uprising considered the
symbol and hearth of the revolution by rebel forces. The regime managed to
regain complete control over the city center after a deal was reached with the
rebels in which the remaining rebels in the city were allowed save passage
towards the northern countryside. In the Qalamoon mountains the rebels seemed to
had completely collapsed after regime and Hezbollah forces recaptured Assal
al-Ward and made dozens of rebel formations in the region either flee across the
border, retreat to the desert or surrender. In the South regime forces managed
to make a push from Sheikh Maskin into the rebel stronghold of Nawa, recapturing
almost half the city. In Aleppo regime forces advanced in Sheikh Najjar, inching
closer towards the Aleppo central prison which was besieged by rebels for over a
year. And in Latakia regime forces used the small beach, captured by rebels in
March, as a beachhead for an offensive to recapture Kesab.
Rebels had to suffer defeats to ISIS as well; the group launched a big offensive
in Deir ez-Zor, capturing several villages and they effectively besieged
rebel-held Deir ez-Zor city (in unofficial cooperation with the regime) after
advancing alongside the Euphrates River to the city entrance.
Rebels did however manage to take some ground as well; in Daraa they took over
brigade 61, situated on Tall al-Jabiyah which overlooks Nawa. In Khan Shaykhun
rebels took control of more regime positions. In the desert area near ad-Dumayr
rebels captured the cement factory and the Khan abu-Shamat military base, and in
Hama rebels took control of tall Malah and the Khattab munition depot. FSA
rebels, which resided in the Kobanê canton, launched (in cooperation with the
YPG) a small offensive on ISIS, taking several small villages near Tall Abyad.
Second half of May
in the second half of May regime forces made a final push towards the Aleppo
central prison and managed to reach it, breaking the year long rebel siege and
putting more pressure on the rebel-held part of Aleppo city. Rebels on the other
hand managed to capture the Salam checkpoint and the Khazanat army base,
consolidating their control over Khan Shaykhun and the surrounding area. Rebels
captured the village of Qanafiz and tried to advance towards the Hama - Aleppo
highway in an attempt to cut it. In the Qalamoon region some rebel groups who
were assumed to have been dissolved reappeared and took some ground around
Zabadani. ISIS continued to advance into rebel-territory and captured the town
of al-Busayrah on the river banks of the Euphrates. ISIS also recaptured the
village of ar-Rai and surrounding area in northern Aleppo and managed to
establish its own little enclave in the Northern Homs countryside. In Hasakah
city tensions between the YPG and the regime escalated into fierce clashes which
reportedly ended in the death of dozens of fighters on both sides and a new
fragile truce without any significant changes on the ground.
First half of June
In this short period ISIS swept across Iraq, capturing major cities including
Mosul, Tikrit, Hawijah and Tal Afar. During this time they put all their
operations in Syria to a halt which gave FSA remnants in ar-Raqqa province a
change to start a small offensive, which resulted in them capturing al-Hazimah,
just north of the ISIS capital of ar-Raqqa. Regime forces took control of the
town of Kesab, after it was under rebel control for over 2 months, forcing
rebels back into the mountains to the southeast. Rebels increased their attacks
on regime held Jisr al-Shughur in Idlib province and made a modest comeback in
the Qalamoon Mountains where they'd shifted to guerilla tactics in order to
counter regime and Hezbollah forces. Other than these developments this was a
relatively calm period during the war.
Second half of June
After ISIS achieved many victories in Iraq it started to shift its focus back to
Syria again. After ISIS fighters captured the Iraqi side of the border they
started to attack Syrian rebels on the other side which resulted in the fall of
Abu Kamal into ISIS hands. ISIS fighters also entered Muhassan, took control of
the entire eastern river bank of the Euphrates between Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor,
dominated the western desert area in Deir ez-Zor province and launched a new
offensive in rebel-held Aleppo province, capturing several villages around
Akhtareen. Rebel forces in east Hama seem to have disappeared as ISIS fighters
started to show up in villages like Salba and Aqaribat. Rebels increased their
attacks on regime and Hezbollah forces in Qalamoon and captured the military
site on Tall Jumou in Daraa, which opened another road to Nawa. But they failed
to push the regime back in Aleppo. On June 29th ISIS declared the
re-establishment of the Caliphate and hence changed its name in the Islamic
State (from now on referred to as IS)
First half of July
This short period saw the complete collapse of rebel forces in Deir ez-Zor
province. Under IS military superiority village after village fell until all
rebel forces in the province either left, disbanded or joined the organization.
IS took over rebel frontlines in Deir ez-Zor and was now directly facing the
regime.
The rebels which choose to flee the province moved temporarily to the mountains
north of Palmyra, to later move to other rebel areas in Daraa or Idlib. IS
continued to push into Aleppo province and entered Akhtareen were it was met by
fierce rebel resistance. The regime advanced in Aleppo as well and took full
control of Sheikh Najjar after having battled rebels for it for months. Rebel
forces took over the village of as-Saen in northeast Hama, but failed to advance
further to the Hama - Aleppo highway. The conflict between rebels and IS reached
eastern Ghouta as well, as rebels almost destroyed the entire local branch of
the organization.
Second half of July
In late July IS launched several major offensives against regime forces
throughout the east of the country. The fighting started with IS capturing the
Shaer gas fields, north of Palmyra, in which IS fighter killed hundreds of
regime soldiers. Several days later regime forces managed to recapture the
majority of the gas fields. A few days later IS fighters overran Division 17, a
major regime army base just north of Raqqa city, again inflicting heavy losses
among regime forces. In Hasakah province IS fighters pushed into the 121st
artillery brigade, just south of the city, and forced regime forces to retreat
to Hasakah. In order to prevent IS from taking over Hasakah city the regime
asked the YPG for help, allowing them to move freely in all regime areas in the
city and de-facto giving them complete control over the city.
But in Deir ez-Zor province IS was facing an uprising as members of the
rebel-linked Sheitat tribe kicked out IS of several villages between Mayadeen
and Abu Kamal and put up road blocks in order to prevent IS fighters from
reentering.
Rebel forces launched an offensive in northern Hama province, managing to
capture the town of Khattab, reaching the outskirts of Arzeh, Qomhana and even
Hama city, and getting within firing range of the Hama military airport. In the
South rebels captured the village of Sheikh Saad and its surrounding military
sites, opening up the southern road to the embattled city of Nawa.
First half of August
Several days after the YPG took over responsibility of Hasakah IS fighters
entered the Gweiran neighborhood in the south of the city and fierce fighting
between the two sides followed. In ar-Raqqa province IS fighters overran Brigade
93, capturing dozens of functioning regime tanks. IS fighters also managed to
capture the towns of Akhtareen and Dabiq in Aleppo province, and crushed the
tribal uprising in Deir ez-Zor, killing hundreds of local tribesmen. In Idlib
province Jabhat al-Nusra started to show a growing hostility towards other rebel
groups as they expelled all other rebels from the border town of Harem.
Second half of August
Rebels continued to advance in northern Hama province and managed to recapture
their former stronghold of Halfaya and the village of Arzeh, but they failed to
capture the town of Mhardeh or advance any further towards Hama or its military
airport. After months of fighting regime forces pushed remaining rebels out of
the town on Mleiha near Damascus, forcing rebels to retreat further into eastern
Ghouta. In the Golan Heights rebels pushed regime forces out of what's left of
the provincial capital of Quneitra after capturing the border crossing with the
occupied part of the Heights. IS fighters launched several waves of attacks on
the Tabqa airbase, just south of Thawrah, which was the last regime-held area in
the entire Raqqa province. After suffering some significant losses IS fighter
overran the airbase, capturing and killing hundreds of regime soldiers and
completely ending the Assad regime in Raqqa.
Fighting between rebels and IS intensified as well on the frontline in Aleppo
province, although neither side managed to take any ground. IS fighters in the
northern countryside of Homs decided to retreat from their enclave and left
their positions to be taken over by rebels.
Heavy fighting occurred as well between IS fighters and the YPG around the town
of Jazaa, near the border with Iraq. IS fighters sought to capture the town but
YPG forces put up heavy resistance, combating IS in the town for days.
First half of September
In early September regime forces launched a counter offensive in northern Hama
and recaptured all areas lost in the rebel offensive in a matter of days. They
even pushed rebels back beyond the pre-offensive lines. In the South however
rebels made some significant advances, taking over the entire southern half of
the Quneitra province and moving up all the way to Deir Addas and Deir Makir,
just several km away from breaking the regime siege on several rebel areas in
western Ghouta.
IS fighters started to close in on the city of Salamiyah in eastern Hama, a city
which is dominated by the Ismaeli sect, a religious minority in the country. But
in Hasakah IS fighters lost ground to regime and YPG forces in the city and were
pushed back from Jazaa by the YPG.
Second half of September
IS launched a very big offensive on the YPG controlled Kobanê canton and broke
through all the YPG lines, capturing hundreds of small villages and causing mass
exodus of the local Kurdish population towards Turkey. FSA remnants in Raqqa
province abandoned their remaining positions and went to Kobanê to reinforce the
YPG forces who were now encircled in the city by the IS on 3 sides and Turkey to
the north. Meaning IS controlled Raqqa province 100%. IS fighters were also
closing in again on Jazaa in Hasakah province, but they were pushed out of the
Gweiran neighborhood in Hasakah city by regime forces. In Aleppo regime forces
advanced from the central prison and captured the villages of Handarat and
Safyat, just north of the city, cutting off another supply line to rebel-held
Aleppo. And in eastern Ghouta regime forces recaptured the town of Adra after it
was under rebel-control for almost a year. In the South however rebels continued
to advance and overran a major military facility on Tall al-Harra near the town
of al-Harrah in a matter of days.
First half of October
IS continued to advance on Kobanê and managed to capture up to 70% of the city,
cornering YPG and allied forces in the northwest of the city. But YPG forces
prevented IS from taking full control and recaptured Tall Shair, just west of
the city, after heavy bombardments by coalition warplanes.
The remaining FSA rebels in eastern Aleppo, under the banner of the 'Dawn on
Freedom brigades', entered Kobanê to help the YPG as well. In Daraa province FSA
rebels took full control of the town of al-Harra without facing much regime
resistance and managed to repel several regimen counter-pushes in the following
days.
Second half of October
In Idlib province (mainly the Jabal az-Zawiya area) fighting broke out between
the Syrian Revolutionaries Front (SRF) and fighters of Jabhat an-Nusra. Jabhat
an-Nusra fighters managed to expel the SRF from the area and much of Idlib
province, establishing themselves as the dominant force in this rebel-held
region.
In Northern Hama regime forces recaptured the strategic town of Morek after
rebels managed to fiercely defend it for months, in the meantime the regime was
able to repel rebel-counter attacks on northern Aleppo and captured a major part
of the Hawija island in Deir ez-Zor city, threatening to besiege IS fighters in
the city. But the regime suffered some big losses in the Homs desert where IS
fighters captured the Shaer gas fields again and advanced all the way to the
Tayfur military base.
And in the south the FSA captured several regime checkpoints along the main
highway to the border, cutting Damascus off from its last border post with
Jordan.
First half of November
After Peshmerga forces from the Kurdistan Regional Government arrived in Kobanê
the Kurds made some significant advances in the city and countryside west to it.
In the Homs desert regime forces managed to recapture the Shaer gas fields,
pushing IS fighters to the field outskirts once again. Regime forces in the
south tried to defeat rebels in Sheikh Maskin but were met by even heavier rebel
attacks from outside the besieged area. In a matter of days rebels broke the
siege on the city, expelled regime forces from most of it and even overran all
military bases between Sheikh Maskin and Nawa, establishing full control over
Daraa's second city.
Second half of November
IS fighters made a surprise appearance in Rif Dimasq, after they captured the
Bir Qassab area, south of Damascus, from rebel forces. In Hasakah province IS
fighters made some advances south of al-Qamishli and captured several villages
along the Syrian-Iraqi border. In Aleppo province rebels tried to advance
towards as-Safira and captured a few villages.
First half of December
After years of attacking the regime bases around Ma'arat an-Numan rebels were
finally able to capture all the bases and checkpoints around the city and on the
M5 highway, killing dozens of regime forces and seizing a lot of weapons. Regime
forces in the meantime advanced further west in northern Aleppo and captured
most of the Mallah farms, putting more pressure on rebels in the city.
IS fighters launched a big offensive on regime forces in Deir ez-Zor and reached
the eastern edge of the Deir ez-Zor military airport. Rebels launched a counter
attack on IS fighters in the Rif Dimasq Desert and recaptured the Bir Qassab
area.
Second half of December
After the Peshmerga in Iraq broke the siege on Mount Sinjar YPG forces in Jazaa,
pushed south towards the border to open the road leading north to the mountain.
YPG fighters in cooperation with regime forces managed to repel a IS attack
north of Tall Hamis as well. IS fighters in the Qalamoon Mountains continued to
grow in the meantime, forcing other rebels to pledge allegiance to the group.
Rebels in the Latakia Mountains stepped up attacks on the regime and managed to
made some small advances near Kesab, which they lost months before.
First half of January 2015
The cold winter weather caused the war to freeze up on most fronts, and the
country witnessed a relatively peaceful period, if only for a few days. In
Aleppo province a new rebel group emerged called 'Jabhat as-Shamiah', a
unification of a lot of major Aleppo groups including Jaysh al-Muhajirin, the
Nour al-Din Zengi Brigades and the Aleppo forces of the Islamic Front and ADF.
The new coalition proved to be somewhat successful as they managed to recapture
the Bureij area, weakening the regime belt around the city.
Possible evolutions in 2015
One thing that can be said with most certainty is that IS fighters will be
pushed out of Kobanê city soon, YPG resistance, Peshmerga artillery and
coalition airstrikes have made them lose ground for weeks now, and after they
lose the city they will most likely be pushed out of most of the former canton
as it is a flat area, were they are very vulnerable to airstrikes. It is not
unthinkable that they will lose most of their ground in Aleppo province as well
this year as the US has pledged to start training FSA rebels this spring and it
is being rumored that col. Oqaidi of the FSA is planning to set up a Southern
Front styled FSA coalition in the north. IS fighters will most likely be able to
hold on to ar-Raqqa but will face a growing tribal resistance as rebel remnants
in the province are increasing guerilla attacks on them. In Hasakah a new
conflict has emerged between the YPG and the regime and it will be interesting
to see if this will be the end of the Assad regime in the northeast or even if
the US which has now allied itself with the YPG will be drawn into a minor
conflict with Assad.
In Idlib province SRF rebels are planning to make a comeback (one which will be
welcomed by the US) so a new wave of potential fighting between rebels will
probably mean the remaining regime areas in the province will be save. The
regime will most likely continue to make gains around Damascus, certainly as
Jaysh al-Islam has started fighting the FSA linked Jaysh al-Umma in eastern
Ghouta. But to the south the regime will most likely lose more ground (possible
the entire Daraa province) to the Southern Front FSA rebels which have proven to
be the most successful of all rebels in 2014. It is not unthinkable that in this
scenario the Druze of Suwayda will start rejecting the regime and create their
own autonomies region (similar to Rojava). Whether the regime will succeed in
besieging Aleppo city is questionable, rebels are putting up a very heavy fight
and several international powers (including Turkey, Saudi Arabia and even
France) have signaled that they want to prevent such a scenario. But both rebels
and regime seem to be and continue to be determined to capture Aleppo. Which
shows that after two years the common saying is still relevant; 'the victor of
Aleppo will be the victor of the war'.
Mask Off America-Iran Secrete
Collaboration
In Fightings In Syria And Iraq: Iran Warplanes Target Mujahidun In Clearest Sign
Yet Of US Partnership
When you see a warplane overhead in Iraq, and its backing Assad's Ba'thi
army, Baghdad's Shiite militia and Kurdish Peshmerga forces in a battle against
the Mujahidun, especially the Syria resistance power-base of Jabhat An-Nusrah
and the Islamic State Of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), you automatically think of
the United States. They are, after all, the one with hundreds of planes in the
area doing that.
But according to news reporters,
including the antiwar's Jason Ditz video released today shows that their
''anti-Mujahidun coalition'' isn't the only ones, as an Iranian F-4 Phantom is
seen backing Kurdish fighters in trying to retake a pair of lost towns.
The plane caught on video backing Iranian staunch ally tyrant
Assad and Kurdish Ba'thist party forces clearly confirms that Iran is involved
in the ISIS war is hardly news, but the use of a warplane in a traditional US
role is a major story, as it is all-but-impossible that Iran would be doing so
without direct coordination with the US.
The US is desperate to the point of paranoia to say they
''control the airspace'' in Iraq, and having other nations' warplanes just flying
around willy nilly would make no sense, and would almost certainly make those
planes a target. Iran would not be sending warplanes into Iraqi airspace in
mid-US war, and in the vicinity of several US warplanes, without the US having
confirmed that it was okay with them.
The US continues to deny any coordination with Iran and Syria
on the ISIS war, but this denial seems to be primarily a diplomatic ploy at this
point, and has no bearing on the policy.
Fierce Fightings In Idlib And Aleppo.
Bombardments Of Deir ez-Zor And Raqqa. Fightings In Kobani
By Markaz Kavkaz
Assadite command declared that on Wednesday,
November 26, units of the Jabhat al-Islamiyyah/Islamic Front (IF) were driven
away from the military base of Hazanat (1.5 km. south-east of the city of Khan
Shaykhun) in the Province of Idlib. The offensive was conducted from the town of
Mork in the neighbouring Province of Hama.
According to the infidels, fierce battles lasted for a few hours and in the
evening the base was captured. However, the IF command has denied Assadites'
version, stating that the base is still under the control of IF. Local activists
also denied information about the capture of the base, saying that fightings
were taking place on the road between base Hazanat and a tank battalion in Mork.
On Thursday, it was also reported that more than 500 fighters from the
pro-Western faction of Suqour al-Sham/Falcons of Levant (FL) in the Province of
Idlib defected to the Ahrar ash-Sham/Free Men of Levant (FML) and gave the oath
to Emir of FML.
Infidels meanwhile announced the successful offensive in the north-eastern
Province of Hasaka. Assadites claimed that they drove the Dawla al-Islamiyya/Islamic
State (IS) units away from settlements of al-Khair and al-Jammu. However,
independent confirmation of this information is not available. Propaganda of
Assadites often conveys misinformation, which is normally later refuted by local
sources.
Fierce fightings between the IS and the troops of the Assad regime for the
Shaar gas field continue in the Province of Homs. Sources pass on information
about the losses on both sides.
Meanwhile, in the Province of Aleppo, units of the Jabhat Ansar al-Deen/Supporters
of the Religion Front (SRF) (including Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar/Army of
Emigrants and Supporters (AES)) and Jabhat an-Nusra/Victory Front (VF) have been
continuing operations against the infidels in villages of Nubl and Zahra.
After the attack on Zahra, units of the Mujahideen took control of the high
ground above the village and all its surroundings have been under a siege. East
districts of Zahra near Aleppo-Azaz highway have been taken over by the units of
advanced assault units. Assadites actively used aircraft, conducting 10-15
sorties a day. During the fightings, 40 to 60 Shia militants and Assadites have
been killed.
In turn, infidel information sources reported that regime had bombed the
headquarters of IS in Deir ez-Zor. The positional battles have been ongoing
between the opposing sides. Earlier, aviation of Assadites raided the centre of
IS, the city of Raqqa. As a result of indiscriminate bombings, dozens of
civilians were killed, mostly women and children. A large number of civilians
have been injured and maimed.
Information from Kobani (aka Ayn al-Arab), renamed by the IS into Ayn
al-Islam, is still highly controversial. The Kurdish command and the Jaysh as-Suri
al-Ḥurr/Free Syrian Army (FSA) conduct active propaganda, telling about their
progress, while local sources report conflicting data.
Aircraft of the US and its allies among the Arab puppet regimes continue
bombardments of the positions of the IS. During the day, on 26 of November, at
least 10 flights have been conducted. Also, street battles are ongoing. Parties
use small arms and heavy weapons.
It is to be recalled that fightings for Kobani have been ongoing for 74 days.
Obama Dismisses Pentagon Chief, Enemy Of
Intensification Of War Against Islam
On November 24, Obama fired his defense minister Hagel because he opposed
the American attacks, on the orders of Obama, on Syria and new attack on Iraq.
Hagel, a Vietnam War veteran, lobbied the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and
Iraq, and survived in his office for only 2 years out of 4 intended, because
Obama changed his mind about leaving Afghanistan.
Hagel expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that once Obama got into Syria,
why he bombs Mujahideen, instead of bombing Assad.
A former republican senator Hagel - an outspoken critic of the war on Islam
during times of Republican Bush administration and author of the plan of
reorientation of US troops away from Muslim countries and into the Pacific
against Red China and reduction of US military spending. Obama reneged on his
previously announced plan and reinforced the war on Islam.
Russian propaganda, which is in the regarding Americans in field of genocide
of Muslims to be "holier than the Pope," i.e., took a long time thinking about
how to file a politically incorrect for Russia news, and after hours of
deliberation, coordination and linkages, Russians came out with this - "Pentagon
was liberated from the Republican Minister".
25 Iranian Revolutionary Guards Killed In Shiek-Meskin
Orient television network reported that a number of Asssad's militia
commanders have been killed by Syrian moderate rebels in Daraa province. The
groups, 'National Defense' and 'popular committee' in which these militants
belonged to also came under the FSA mortar fire which at least killed 3 of the
commanders.
On Sunday, an explosion in 'Maghara' district of Basri al-Sham killed 3 other
commander of Assads' militant forces.
Witnesses in Shiek-Meskin said following last few days of fighting, bodies of
the Iranian regime's revolutionary guards are still on the ground and that Assad
forces have not been able to collect the bodies.
Free Syrian Army fighters now have 25 bodies of the Iranian regime's
assassins and mercenaries.
Orient Television report notes that identification cards of some of these
mercenaries have been collected and the FSA has put them on the internet.
Obama Dismisses Pentagon Chief, Enemy Of
Intensification Of War Against Islam
By Markaz Kavkaz
On November 24, Obama fired
his defense minister Hagel because he opposed the American attacks, on the
orders of Obama, on Syria and new attack on Iraq.
Hagel, a Vietnam War veteran, lobbied the US withdrawal from
Afghanistan and Iraq, and survived in his office for only 2 years out of 4
intended, because Obama changed his mind about leaving Afghanistan.
Hagel expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that once Obama
got into Syria, why he bombs Mujahideen, instead of bombing Assad.
A former republican senator Hagel - an outspoken critic of the war on Islam
during times of Republican Bush administration and author of the plan of
reorientation of US troops away from Muslim countries and into the Pacific
against Red China and reduction of US military spending. Obama reneged on his
previously announced plan and reinforced the war on Islam.
Russian propaganda, which is in the regarding Americans in
field of genocide of Muslims to be "holier than the Pope," i.e., took a long
time thinking about how to file a politically incorrect for Russia news, and
after hours of deliberation, coordination and linkages, Russians came out with
this - "Pentagon was liberated from the Republican Minister".
25 Iranian revolutionary guards killed in Shiek-Meskin
Orient television network reported that a number of Asssad's militia commanders
have been killed by Syrian moderate rebels in Daraa province. The groups,
'National Defense' and 'popular committee' in which these militants belonged to
also came under the FSA mortar fire which at least killed 3 of the commanders.
On Sunday, an explosion in 'Maghara' district of Basri al-Sham
killed 3 other commander of Assads' militant forces.
Witnesses in Shiek-Meskin said following last few days of
fighting, bodies of the Iranian regime's revolutionary guards are still on the
ground and that Assad forces have not been able to collect the bodies.
Free Syrian Army fighters now have 25 bodies of the Iranian
regime's assassins and mercenaries.
Orient Television report notes that identification cards of
some of these mercenaries have been collected and the FSA has put them on the
internet.
Turkish President Promises To Help US
Against IS, But On Condition Of Overthrow Of Assad
US Vice President Joe Biden met yesterday in Istanbul with Turkish President
Recep Erdogan. They discussed the situation in Syria, including the need for
regime change in this country, according to Turkish and Western media.
During the meeting, US Vice President has promised to give $
135 million to help Syrian refugees. The money will be distributed between
Turkey and other countries that are hosting Syrian refugees. The funds are
intended for the purchase of food for the refugees.
It is to be recalled that in Turkey alone hosting about 1.6
million Syrians who have fled their country because of the ongoing war.
Besides, the parties discussed the steps against the ad-Dawla al-Islamiyya/Islamic
State (IS). Turkish sources said that Erdogan reiterated his position on this
issue - Turkey would help the United States only if Washington took real effort
to overthrow the Assad regime.
It is to be recalled that Ankara is seeking to establish a
no-fly zone over Syria, as well as the creation of a buffer zone along the
Syrian-Turkish border. Washington does not support this idea.
In Istanbul took place a small protest demonstration against
the visit of Biden, whose members called him "to go home". Recently in Turkey,
several American sailors during the on-shore leave were beaten up.
In October, Biden said that in the beginning of the war in
Syria, Turkey unwittingly contributed to the growth of the IS, "allowing
jihadists across the border", and that Erdogan allegedly admits.
This provoked an angry rebuke from the Turkish president, who said that his
relationship with Biden would stay in the past.
The surrounding of the vice president said that he had
apologized for his careless statements, but Biden insists that he has not
apologized, but merely explained that he was misunderstood.
Meanwhile, fightings in Kobani (aka Ayn al-Arab, which was renamed by the IS to
the Ayn al-Islam), a Kurdish city bordering with Turkey, continues. Information
about the situation in and around the city is still controversial.
Kurds from Yekineyen Parastina Gel/People's Protection Units (PPU)
again report about their success, claiming that they control 70% of the city.
However, in an interview with Iranian media, a Peshmerga (the gangs of the Iraqi
Kurds) commander said that the IS is holding half of Kobani. At the same time,
he announced that the IS supposedly "does not represent a serious threat to the
city" because IS is "under huge pressure from Kurdish forces and air strikes".
Kurdish sources write that additional gangs of Peshmerga were
prepared in Iraq to be sent to Syria. At the same time, according to sources in
Syria, IS command sends reinforcements from the city of Raqqa in Kobani.
Against the background of the fightings, the informational
confrontation is also continuing. IS released a new video with the British
journalist John Cantlie, who for 9 minutes reads the text from a sheet.
A clip with 43-year-old Cantlie is made in the manner of
previous videos by IS. In a new video John Cantlie, dressed in an orange
jumpsuit (as Mujahideen prisoners at the US Guantanamo concentration camp), says
that he had long resigned to the fact that, most likely, he would share the fate
of his "inmates".
He also said that Britain and the United States refused to
negotiate for the release of prisoners, and mentioned that in July US troops
attempted to release the prisoners, but failed because they were moved to
another location.
The US military says it has airdropped weapons, ammunition and medical
supplies to Kurdish forces defending the Syrian city of Kobani against
Islamic State militants. Kobani air drops likely to anger Turkish
government, which opposes sending arms to Kurdish rebels in Syria
The air drops on Sunday were the first of their kind and followed weeks of
US and coalition air strikes in and near Kobani, near the Turkish border.
The US earlier said it had launched 11 air strikes overnight in the Kobani
area.
In a statement on Sunday night, US Central Command said US C-130 cargo
planes made multiple drops of arms and supplies provided by Kurdish
authorities in Iraq. It said they were intended to enable continued
resistance to Islamic State efforts to take full control of Kobani.
The air drops are almost certain to anger the Turkish government, which has
said it would oppose any US arms transfers to the Kurdish rebels in Syria.
Turkey views the main Kurdish group in Syria as an extension of the Turkish
Kurd group known as the PKK, which has waged a 30-year insurgency in Turkey
and is designated a terror group by the US and by Nato.
Senior US administration officials said three C-130 planes dropped 27
bundles of small arms, ammunition and medical supplies. The officials spoke
on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House.
One official said that while the results of the mission were still being
assessed, it appeared that ''the vast majority'' of the supplies reached the
intended Kurdish fighters.
The official also said the C-130s encountered no resistance from the ground
in Syria during their flights in and out of Syrian airspace.
In a written statement, Central Command said its forces had conducted more
than 135 air strikes against Islamic State forces in Kobani.
Erdogan Says Turkey Won't Allow US Arms
Transfers to Kurds: Turkey Remains Suspicious Of Kurdish Fighters
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned today that Turkey will never
approve any US proposal to transfer weaponry to the PKK, YPG and other Syrian
Kurdish fighters.
Erdogan noted that the PKK is considered a terrorist organization in both Turkey
and the US, and that he considered the PYD (the YPG's political wing) equivalent
to the PKK as well.
He went on to say he was surprised that the US would ''talk openly and expect us
to say yes to such a support to a terrorist organization.'' The US State
Department met with them last week.
It's not an easy choice for the Turkish government, which is increasingly
opposed to the ISIS presence along its border, but sees bolstering Kurdish
factions that span both Syria and Turkey as a long-term risk for them.
Turkey has been fighting the PKK and other Kurdish factions off and on for over
30 years now, and those groups have never had any real imprimatur or armament
from any foreign powers before. If those groups are suddenly awash in US arms,
they may find a new war on Turkey every bit as appealing as the war on ISIS.
Turkey Remains Suspicious Of Kurdish
Fighters
Ankara has refused to rearm beleaguered Kurdish fighters, who complain they are
at huge disadvantage in the face of Islamic State's weaponry, much of it seized
from the Iraqi military when it took the city of Mosul in June.
Turkey views the YPG with suspicion for its longstanding links with the
Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a 30-year armed campaign for
self-rule in Turkey.
President Tayyip Erdogan was quoted in local media on Sunday as saying Ankara
will never arm the YPG through its political wing, the PYD.
"There has been talk of arming the PYD to establish a front here against the
Islamic State," he said.
"For us, the PYD is the same as the PKK, it's a terrorist organisation.
"It would be very, very wrong to expect us to openly say 'yes' to our NATO ally
America giving this kind of support. To expect something like this from us is
impossible."
This stance has angered Turkey's own Kurds, who comprise about 20 per cent of
the population. Riots in several cities earlier this month killed more than 35
people.
Reuter, Agencies Kai Pfaffenbach Contributed To This Report
Turks Tell Where They Plan To Establish
So-called 'Buffer Zone' In Syria
By Markaz Kavkaz
Prime Minister of Turkey Ahmet Davutoglu told about Ankara's plans to create a
so-called "buffer zone" in Syria, bordering Turkey.
"Buffer zone" should stretch from the Mediterranean to Iraq. At the same time
Mr. Davutoglu argues that it is not about a war zone, but about a humanitarian
zone "under military protection".
In the opinion of Ankara, this area should be a safe zone for civilians and
involved the implementation of a no-fly zone.
In an interview with Al Jazeera the Turkish PM reported some of the details of
these plans. "Buffer zone", in his opinion, should extend from the Turkish
border and further to the north of Latakia, in some areas in Hasaka, and should
include Jarabulus, Ayn al-Arab (aka Kobani), Tel Abyad, Idlib and Afrin "to
protect local people - Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen".
Mr. Davutoglu said that the so-called "depth of safe zone" may vary depending
more or less on "humanitarian situation" in these areas. In this case, the
Turkish Prime Minister has confirmed that Turkey would not accept any unilateral
action without UN Security Council decisions and support "of the international
coalition".
He pointed to the importance of the introduction of a no-fly zone, recalling
that this practice had been used in Iraq under Saddam Hussein.
Turkish and Western media are reminded that Turkey has been facing Western
pressure and internal protests of Kurds, because of its position of
non-interference in hostilities in Syria.
US and its allies urge Turkey to start a ground operation against the Ad Dawla
al-Islamiyya/Islamic State (IS). Pressure increased after the IS units took over
most of the city of Ayn al-Arab with a predominantly Kurdish population.
Kurds accuse Turkey of inactivity. Western countries are pushing Turks for the
invasion. Possible seizure of Kobani has been touted as "a very dangerous
precedent with serious consequences".
Ankara responded to claims that it will not allow itself to be drawn into a war
in Syria. According to the Turkish government, any military action ought to be
done together with NATO and other countries.
PM Davutoglu countered criticism of Turkey, saying: "The fall of Ayn-al Arab
could really sadden us, and we will do everything to stop it, but where were
they when Raqqa fell? Where where they when Jarabulus, Mosul fell?"
Meanwhile, the fightings on the border with Turkey, in the area of Kobani are
continuing. US and its allies continue to bombarding the IS positions. Warplanes
of Jordan and Saudi Arabia are also participating in the bombardments.
It is known that the military junta of Egypt sent to Jordan 27 of its pilots to
participate in air raids on Syria.
Stop the Killing: In Approaching The Nightmare
Of Renewed, Expanded U.S. War In Iraq
By Kathy Kelly
On August 9, 1983, three people dressed as U.S. soldiers saluted their way onto
a U.S. military base and climbed a pine tree. The base contained a school
training elite Salvadoran and other foreign troops to serve dictatorships back
home, with a record of nightmarish brutality following graduation. That night,
once the base's lights went out, the students of this school heard, coming down
from on high, the voice of Archbishop Oscar Romero.
"I want to make a special appeal to soldiers, national guardsmen, and policemen:
each of you is one of us. The peasants you kill are your own brothers and
sisters. When you hear a man telling you to kill, remember God's words, 'thou
shalt not kill.' No soldier is obliged to obey a law contrary to the law of God.
In the name of God, in the name of our tormented people, I beseech you, I
implore you; in the name of God I command you to stop the repression."
The three in the tree with the loudspeaker weren't soldiers - two of them were
priests. The recording they played was of Archbishop Romero's final homily,
delivered a day before his assassination, just three years previous, at the
hands of paramilitary soldiers, two of whom had been trained at this school.
Fr. Larry Rosebaugh, (who was killed in Guatemala on May 18, 2009), Linda
Ventimiglia, and Fr. Roy Bourgeois, (a former missioner expelled from Bolivia
who was later excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church because of his
stance on women's ordination) were sentenced to 15 -18 months in prison for the
stirring drama they created on the base that night. Romero's words were heard
loud and clear, and even after military police arrived at the base of the tree
and stopped the broadcast, Roy Bourgeois, who would later found a movement to
close the school, continued shouting Romero's appeal as loudly as he could until
he was shoved to the ground, stripped, and arrested.
In approaching the nightmare of renewed, expanded U.S. war in Iraq, I think of
Archbishop Romero's words and example. Romero aligned himself, steadily, with
the most impoverished people in El Salvador, learning about their plight by
listening to them every weekend in the program he hosted on Salvadoran radio.
With ringing clarity, he spoke out on their behalf, and he jeopardized his life
challenging the elites, the military and the paramilitaries in El Salvador.
I believe we should be trying very hard to hear the grievances of people in Iraq
and the region, including those who have joined the Islamic State, as regards
U.S. policies and wars that have radically affected their lives and well-being
over the past three decades. It could be that many of the Iraqis who are
fighting with Islamic State forces lived through Saddam Hussein's oppression
when he received fierce and unconditional support from the U.S. during the
Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. Many may be survivors of the U.S. Desert Storm
bombing in 1991, which destroyed every electrical facility across Iraq. When the
U.S. insisted on imposing crushing and murderous economic sanctions on Iraq for
the next 13 years, these sanctions directly contributed to the deaths of one
half million children under age five. The children who died should have been
teenagers now, --are some of the Islamic State fighters the brothers or cousins
of the children who were punished to death by economic sanctions? Presumably
many of these fighters lived through the U.S.-led 2003 Shock and Awe invasion
and bombing of Iraq and the chaos the U.S. chose to create afterwards, using a
war-shattered country as some sort of free market experiment; they've endured
the repressive corruption of the regime the U.S. helped install in Saddam's
place.
The United Nations should take over the response to the Islamic State, and
people should continue to pressure the U.S. and its allies to leave the response
not merely to the U.N. but to its most democratic constituent body, the General
Assembly.
But facing the bloody mess that has developed in Iraq and Syria, I think
Archbishop Romero's exhortation to the Salvadoran soldiers pertains directly to
U.S. people.
Suppose these words were slightly rewritten: I want to make a special appeal to
people of the United States. Each of you is one of us. The peoples you kill are
your own brothers and sisters. When you hear a person telling you to kill,
remember God's words, 'thou shalt not kill.' No soldier is obliged to obey a law
contrary to the law of God. In the name of God, in the name of our tormented
people, I beseech you, I implore you I command you to stop the repression."
The war on the Islamic State will distract us from what the U.S. has done and is
doing to further create despair, in Iraq, and to enlist new recruits for the
Islamic State. The Islamic State is the echo of the last war the U.S. waged in
Iraq, the so-called ''Shock and Awe'' bombing and invasion. The emergency is not
the Islamic State but war.
We in the U.S. must give up our notions of exceptionalism, recognize the
economic and societal misery our country caused in Iraq, recognize that we are a
perpetually war-crazed nation, seek to make reparations, and find dramatic,
clear ways to insist that Romero's words be heard: Stop the killing.
U.S. Military: Airstrikes Against ISIS Won't
Save Key City Of Kobani
U.S. airstrikes "are not going to save" the key Syrian city of Kobani from being
overtaken by ISIS, said Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby.
"I think we all should be steeling ourselves for that eventuality," he told
reporters in a daily briefing Wednesday.
"We are doing everything we can to halt" ISIS' progress against the town, but
airstrikes alone cannot stop the Islamist militants, Kirby added.
"We've been very honest about the limits of air power here. The ground forces
that matter the most are indigenous ground forces, and we don't have a willing,
capable, effective partner on the ground inside Syria right now -- it's just a
fact," he said.
The greater U.S. strategy, Kirby said, is to degrade ISIS' ability to sustain
itself.
Several senior U.S. administration officials said Kobani will soon fall to ISIS,
which calls itself the Islamic State.
They downplayed the importance of it, saying the city is not a major U.S.
concern.
But a look at the city shows why it would mark an important strategic victory
for the militants. ISIS would control a complete swath of land between its
self-declared capital of Raqqa, Syria, and Turkey -- a stretch of more than 100
kilometers (62 miles).
Holly Yan, Josh Levs and Elise
Labott, CNN
Kurds Threaten Turkey With War In Event Of
Kobani Falls
By Markaz Kavkaz
The command of the Partiya Karkerên Kurdistan/Kurdistan Workers' Party (KWP)
said that in the event of Kobani (ak? Ayn al-Arab) falling, groups of the KWP
renounce agreement with Ankara and start military action against Turkey.
According to the Kurdish communists, Turkey is obliged to help Kobani and not
allow the Ad Dawla al-Islamiyya/Islamic State (IS) to capture the city on the
Turkish-Syrian border. Kurds also demand to allow pass through Turkish territory
its units for deployment to Kobani.
On Monday, US officials said that Ankara had agreed about the use of air bases
for strikes against "jihadists in Syria". However, an hour after this, the
Turkish authorities denied this statement, saying they did not give anyone
permission to use air bases for bombardments.
Meanwhile, conflicting information is reported from Kobani. Fox News citing
sources of IS reported that the city was captured and the Kurds left it. NBC
News denied the data referring to the official representative of the Kurdish
Democratic groups Yekineyen Parastina Gel/People's Protection Units (PPU), which
is fighting against the IS in Kobani. CNN in its report said that over the past
24 hours the situation in Kobani has not changed.
Nevertheless complete clarity on the situation in Kobani on a Tuesday night is
not available. On Monday, the IS conducted 6 martyrdom operations, attacking
Kurdish groups in explosives-laden trucks.
In turn, the US aircraft continued bombardments of the positions of the IS in
Kobani and its surrounding areas. It is reported that aircraft of Saudi Arabia
has also participated in the raids. In total, according to the western media,
raids have been carried out on the 4 directions.
Syrian Kurds And Regime Fighters Execute ISIS
Teenager: Kobani Fight Escalates as ISIS Picks Up Shelling
The fierce battle for the Syrian border town of Kobane continues with Islamic
State (IS) fighters attacking Kurdish forces with mortars and car bombs, local
sources say.
Islamic State militants who control much of Syria and Iraq, fired 44 mortars at
Kurdish parts of the town on Saturday, some of which fell inside nearby Turkey,
according to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Four more were fired on Sunday, it said.
The month-long battle for Kobane has ebbed and flowed.
A week ago, Kurds warned the town would fall soon and the US-led coalition
stepped up air strikes on IS, which wants Kobane to consolidate its position in
northern Syria.
The coalition has bombed IS targets in Iraq since August and it extended the
campaign to Syria in September after IS made huge territorial gains.
Raids by IS fighters around Kobane intensified, with the fate of the town seen
as an important test for US president Barack Obama's campaign against the
Islamists.
NATO member Turkey, whose forces are along the border overlooking Kobane, is a
reluctant member of the coalition, insisting the allies should also confront
Syrian president Bashar al-Assad to demand an end to the civil war that has
killed almost 200,000 people since March 2011.
"We had the most intense clashes of days, perhaps a week last night. [Islamic
State] attacked from three different sides including the municipality building
side and the marketplace," journalist Abdulrahman Gok said in Kobane.
"Clashes did not stop until the morning. We have seen lots of damaged cars on
the streets and unexploded mortar shells," he said.
A fighter from the female units of the main Syrian Kurdish militia in Kobane,
YPG, said Kurdish fighters were able to detonate the car bombs before they
reached their targets.
"Last night there were clashes all across Kobane ... this morning the clashes
are still ongoing," she said on Sunday.
The Observatory said 70 Islamic State fighters had been killed in the past two
days, according to sources at the hospital in the nearby town of Tel Abyab,
where IS bodies are taken.
The group said some Syrian Arab fighters from the Revolutionaries of Raqqa
Brigade, fighting alongside Kurdish fighters, had executed two Islamic State
captives.
"One was a child of around 15 years old. They shot them in the head," a
spokesman said.
Islamic State have also used executions throughout their campaigns in Syria and
Iraq, killing hundreds of their enemies and civilians opposed to their cause,
according to IS videos and statements.
Hundreds of thousands have fled their advance. Turkey hosts about 1.5 million
Syrian refugees, including almost 200,000 Syrian Kurds from Kobane.
Kobani Fight Escalates as ISIS Picks Up
Shelling
The Syrian Kurdish border town of Kobani (Ayn al-Arab in Arabic) is seeing a new
round of escalated fighting today, with Kurdish fighters saying they're seeing
the most intense clashes in at least a week there.
ISIS has been moving on the town for over a month now, and finally started
taking parts of the town a little over a week ago. US airstrikes and a surge of
Kurdish fighters chased them out, temporarily, but the battle continues.
With ISIS forces now back to the outskirts of town, it's also giving ISIS a
chance to bring their artillery to bear more safely, with scores mortar shells
raining down on Kobani, and some even crossing into neighboring Turkey.
US warplanes continue to pound ISIS as well, though the Islamist fighters have
changed tactics to make themselves tougher targets, and reports are that recent
strikes killed at least 10 civilians in the area.
ISIS has seized hundreds of villages around Kobani in the past month, but has
yet to take the border town itself. Hundreds of thousands of Kurdish civilians
from the area have fled into neighboring Turkey.
Reuter, Agencies Kai Pfaffenbach Contributed To This Report
At Least 70 ISIS Bodies Dropped Off At Syrian
Hospital, Opposition Says
ISIS has apparently taken a heavy hit over the past several days. The bodies of
at least 70 fighters for the terror group have been dropped off over four days
at a hospital in the Syrian town of Tal Abyad, a Syrian opposition group told
CNN. Tal Abyad is on the Turkish border and about 80 kilometers (50 miles) from
Raqqa.
The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria took control of Raqqa last year. ISIS uses
the once-liberal city as a kind of headquarters where it applies its hardline
interpretation of Islamic law, terrorizing the population.
Kurdish and Iraqi forces have been battling ISIS on the ground. With the help of
airstrikes from an international coalition led by the United States, the foot
soldiers are now focused on pushing ISIS back from its relentless attempt to
take Kobani, a Kurdish town on the Syrian-Turkish border.
It's unclear who dropped the bodies of the ISIS fighters off at the hospital,
but it was likely other fighters from the militant group, because they control
Tal Abyad.
Sources who work in local medicine confirmed the events to the Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights, a group that promotes ending the longstanding
regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The group is based in London and
first formed when violence broke out in Syria in 2011, much of it geared toward
ousting al-Assad.
Kobani now is the scene of an unrelenting battle. On Sunday, the brief moments
of calm were punctuated by sounds of firing from both sides. ISIS has shelled
the city at least 16 times, sources say, while coalition planes fly low
overhead.
The strategy against ISIS is working, said U.S. Central Command Gen. Lloyd
Austin on Friday. He also said that Kobani could fall.
U.S. warplanes struck only twice Friday and Saturday in the city, Central
Command said, both times targeting ISIS fighting positions. That's far fewer
strikes than days before. U.S. jets flew at least 14 missions near Kobani on
Thursday and Friday, the military reported.
It will take "strategic patience" to beat ISIS, Austin said.
The U.S. has generally downplayed the importance of Kobani as a key city in the
battle against the militants.
However, if ISIS takes Kobani, that would mean it would control land between
Raqqa and Turkey -- about 100 kilometers (60 miles).
CNN Ashley Fantz Contributed To This Report
Opposition Accuses Turkish Government Of
Supporting ISIS
By Markaz Kavkaz
Turkey opposes the Assad regime and the Ad Dawla al-Islamiyya/Islamic State
(IS), said Prime Minister Ahmed Davutoglu, reported Turkish media. According to
him, the main reason for all the problems in Syria is the Assad regime.
He denied the words of the head of the opposition Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi/Republican
People's Party (RPP) Kemal Kilicdaroglu that Turkey's government supports the
IS.
According to Davutoglu, if Kilicdaroglu has evidence that the Turkish government
"supports terrorists", he must show it to the public.
The head of the opposition RPP said on the eve that the government of Turkey
supports the IS in Syria and Iraq.
Earlier on Wednesday, Davutoglu said that Turkey is "the only force that will be
able to protect the rights of residents of the Syrian city of Kobani".
Meanwhile, the fightings for Kobani (aka Ayn al-Arab) is continuing. Information
reported from the place is highly controversial. On Wednesday, the command of
the Kurds has acknowledged that the IS units captured 30% of the city. On
Thursday, they said, as a result of air strikes, IS units retreated, retaining
only a few houses on the outskirts of Kobani.
However, on Friday a number of Arab media and the "Syrian monitoring group"
reported that the IS units again moved to the center of the city and captured
the headquarters of the Kurdish group Yekineyen Parastina/People's Protection
Units (PPU). According to Al-Arabiya, the IS controls up to 40% of Kobani.
Meanwhile in Turkey, the actions of Yazidi Kurds and supporters of the Partiya
Karkerên Kurdistan/Kurdistan Workers' Party (KWP) are continuing. KWP and
Yazidis demand from Ankara to send units to Syria to protect Kobani.
Mass pogroms are taking place in the Turkish provinces of Diyarbakir, Mardin,
Siirt, Mus, Van and Batman. Yazidi Kurds and supporters of the KWP attack the
Muslim Kurds, who in turn are organized into self-defense units.
Classes suspended in the schools of the Turkish provinces of Diyarbakir, Hakkari,
Van, Batman and Tunceli. In addition, all flights to the province of Diyarbakir
in south-eastern Turkey of the aircraft belonging to Turkish Airlines have been
suspended due to the worsening situation.
A statement on the situation in the regions where there have been riots was made
by Interior Minister of Turkey Efkan Ala, reported the news agency Anadolu.
The victims of the riots in Turkey became 31 people, 221 injured. According to
him, during the riots, were killed two police officers and 139 were injured.
Completely destroyed or damaged: 1113 buildings - 212 schools, 67 police
stations, 25 buildings administrations, 29 offices parties, children's shelters,
blood donation centers of the Turk Kizilayi/Turkish Red Crescent (TRC), 780
municipal and other facilities.
Private cars, vehicles belonging to administrative bodies, ambulances and police
cars have been also burned down, a total of unusable cars reached 1177.
UN Calls On Turkey To Allow Kurdish Groups To
Pass Through Its Territory To Help Kurds In Kobani
By Markaz Kavkaz
UN urged Turkey "to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe" in the Syrian Kobani,
which, as stated by UN, is bound to happen in the case of Ad Dawla al-Islamiyya/Islamic
State (IS) units capture the city.
UN envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura said that in the event of a fall of Kobani,
the IS would have access to 400 kilometers of the Syrian-Turkish border. "We
would like to appeal to the Turkish authorities in order to allow the flow of
volunteers at least and their own equipment in order to be able to enter the
city and contribute to a self defence operation".
Earlier, the same appeal to Ankara was made by the leader of Iraq's Kurds
Barzani, who asked to authorize the transfer of Peshmerga forces to Kobani
through Turkey. There was no response to his plea.
Turkish armoured units have been guarding the border for about a week now. West
led by the US is increasing pressure on Ankara to encourage Turkey to invade
Syria. Earlier Mistura said that "Turkey has been very generous and took more
than 200 thousand refugees from Kobani, but now we need more concrete actions".
Meanwhile, the Turkish authorities have rejected allegations that civilians are
remaining in Kobani who are at risk of "massacre". According to the
representative of the Turkish government, the only groups that are left fighting
in Kobani are - quote: "two terrorist organizations and there are no".
Moreover, Ankara considers the Kurds fighting the IS in Kobani to be a branch of
the Partiya Karkerên Kurdistan/Kurdistan Workers' Party (KWP), which is included
in the official list of the so-called "terrorist organizations" in Turkey, as
well as in the US and the EU.
On Friday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, while in Trabzon, said commenting on
the riots in the Kurdish regions as a result of which more than 30 people were
killed and hundreds injured:
"Turkey is not a country which would determine its domestic and foreign policy
based on the violent acts of terrorists and drifters".
Earlier, officials of the Turkish government declared that "the Assad regime is
more dangerous than the IS".
Meanwhile, fightings continue in Koban. According to Western and Arab sources,
IS units captured half of the city (see the video, shot by IS). Earlier, it was
announced about the capture of the headquarters of Kurdish Yekineyen Parastina
Gel/People's Protection Units (PPU) group.
France And America Learn The Truth Meaning Of
Khorasan - The Mujahidun Without A Border
The United States has concocted a new terror threat, known as the Khorasan
Group, to satisfy the UN Charter which allows the use of force without
authorization in case of an ''imminent threat,'' says an analyst.
''The very idea of the Khorasan Group is a fiction spun out of thin air to
satisfy the UN Charter, which specifies that one nation may not attack another
without UN Security Council approval, unless it is confronted by an 'imminent
threat','' political commentator James Henry Fetzer told Press TV via email on
Monday.
Fetzer, professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota Duluth, explained that
the fabrication of this latest threat by the US to justify its bombing campaign
in Syria is in line with ''a reversal of US foreign policy'' since Sept.11, 2001
attacks.
''The claim by the new director of the FBI that
the Khorasan Group is planning to attack the US (but he can't say whether that
might be in days, weeks or months) is simply more transparent nonsense being
espoused by government officials in their fabricated attempts to justify US
bombing in Syria...,'' Fetzer said.
From Paris To Khorasan - There's Always
Another Way
Before the U.S. stepped up its air offensive against al Qaeda
and ISIS targets in Syria and Iraq on Sept. 22, the U.S. government had urged
several news outlets including ABC News to withhold details about an al Qaeda
cell officials called the "Khorasan Group," which the defector had joined in
Aleppo, Syria. McClatchy reported the Frenchman apparently survived the American
strikes.
The Khorasanis were a specialized team of seasoned jihadis who fought together
in the Afghanistan-Pakistan conflicts but were little known outside intelligence
circles until days before the strikes. They have been sheltered by al Qaeda's
Syrian affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra, according to U.S. officials.
European intelligence officials told McClatchy the French ex-spy either defected
from France's military intelligence or its foreign intelligence service, the
General Directorate for External Security (DGSE). McClatchy said it was unclear
if the officer's al Qaeda sympathies were possibly overlooked during vetting or
if he came around to them later.
The only publicly identified member of the Khorasan Group is Muhsin al-Fadhli, a
33-year-old Kuwaiti believed to have once been a confidant of Osama bin Laden.
Al-Fadhli was a senior figure in al Qaeda's operations in Iran and is accused,
among other things, of facilitating the terror group's former affiliate in Iraq.
The U.S. government offers a $7 million reward for information leading to al-Fadhli's
capture.
Two U.S. counter-terrorism officials told ABC News Monday that despite social
media claims by al Qaeda operatives that al-Fadhli died in the U.S. onslaught
last month, there is no evidence he was actually killed. Al-Nusra in the past
faked the death of another senior operative using social media claims.
Likewise, there is no evidence any senior leader of ISIS has been killed in the
daily air attacks by American and coalition aircraft and cruise missiles, which
have limitations on how such "high value" targets are identified, an
intelligence official told ABC News.
Asked about the spy-turned-terrorist, an official with the French Foreign
Ministry said today it would not comment on "rumors in the press."
U.S. Strikes On Al Qaeda-Linked Khorasan
Group Failed: Sources
U.S. airstrikes in Syria in September that were aimed at a
faction of al Qaeda militants said to be plotting attacks against the West
failed to deliver a decisive blow against them, U.S. officials familiar with the
operation said late this week.
While U.S. intelligence agencies are still assessing the results of the Tomahawk
cruise missile strikes, three U.S. officials said indications are that many
suspected leaders and members of the Khorasan Group escaped, along with
high-tech explosive devices they were said to be preparing to attack civil
aviation or similar targets.
"They thought people were there but they were not there," said one U.S. official
familiar with the Obama administration's plan.
This official and others spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the Sept. 22
airstrikes, many details of which are classified.
The targets of the strikes were fighters from the Khorasan Group, which is how
the U.S. government refers to a cell of al Qaeda veterans who had relocated to
Syria from the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region.
A White House spokesman declined to comment on the strikes' effectiveness.
In the aftermath of the strikes, U.S. officials have dialed back their warnings,
saying that any planned attacks by Khorasan may not have been imminent.
The U.S. government still maintains that the group is sufficiently skilled and
well armed to launch a surprise attack against the West.
The sources who spoke about the strikes said that since the raids apparently
missed their main targets, Khorasan members are likely still actively planning
attacks.
The U.S. attack on the Khorasan Group's base was part of the first night of air
strikes that were launched in Syria last month by the United States and allies.
Subsequent strikes have primarily targeted militants from Islamic State, which
has seized territory in Syria and Iraq.
Reuter Mark Hosenball and ABC News James Gordon Meek and Rym Momtaz
Contributed To This Report
No Way Back For Kobane: The Fall Inevitable In
A War Of Aggression Doomed For Failure - The Spectacular Display Of America's
Weaknesses And Limitations
A Turkish military officer who did not give his name said confirmed on Tuesday
that the flag was that of ISIS, which has seized swathes of territory in Syria
and Iraq in recent months.
An AFP photographer reported that seeing two flags, black with the Arabic
lettering of the group, from the Turkish side of the border. One flew on a
building while another larger flag was planted on a hill in the eastern part of
Kobane.
Idris Nahsen, the deputy foreign minister of Kobane region, told AFP by
telephone he could not confirm if ISIS jihadists were inside the town.
Kurdish officials have said in the last days that ISIS militants were advancing
to several hundred meters of the city but were meeting with tough resistance
from Kurdish fighters.
Earlier on Monday a news agency reported that the Islamic State of Iraq and
Syria (ISIS) had raised its flags on a building on the eastern side of the
Syrian town of Kobane where ISIS militants have been fighting Kurdish forces for
three weeks.
A black flag belonging to the group was visible atop a four storey building
close to the scene of some of the most intense clashes in recent days, images
shot by Reuters TV from neighboring Turkey showed.
Erdogan Warns Syria's Kobane About To
Fall To ISIS
Also in a sign of panicking Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on
Tuesday that the Syrian northern town of Kobane was about to fall to the Islamic
State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Erdogan made the comments during an address to
Syrian refugees at a camp in Gaziantep province, near the border with Syria.
The Turkish leader said aerial bombardments alone may not be enough to stop ISIS
and called for support of opposition forces.
"There has to be cooperation with those who are fighting on the ground."
Just days ago, Turkey said it wouldn't let Kobani fall.
Staffan de Mistura, the U.N. envoy to Syria, warned that the world would regret
the ceding of more territory to ISIS, which has gained swathes of areas in Iraq
and Syria for its so-called ''Caliphate.''
"The world, all of us, will regret deeply if ISIS is able to take over a city
which has defended itself with courage but is close to not being able to do so.
We need to act now," he said in a statement.
"The international community needs to defend them. The international community
cannot sustain another city falling under ISIS," he insisted.
A day after the ISIS militants raised their flags in eastern parts of Kobane,
clashes with Kurdish militias spread on Tuesday to new areas in the west and
south, according to a monitoring group.
ISIS militants appeared unimpeded by U.S.-led coalition air strikes, which
targeted their positions in the area early on Tuesday.
ISIS militants began advancing on Kobane three weeks ago, quickly capturing a
string of villages surrounding the town and prompting some 186,000 residents to
flee into Turkey.
ISIS is hoping to seize the town to cement its grip over a long stretch of the
border between Syria and Turkey.
US Helicopter Strikes Against ISIS Increase Shootdown Risk:
Low-Flying Apache Helicopters Could Be Easy Targets
On Sunday, the Pentagon had announced that its air war against
ISIS in Iraq was now including attacks by AH-64 Apache attack helicopters,
operating out of the Baghdad airport and carrying Hellfire and other missiles.
Officials are presenting the helicopters as likely to be more accurate than the
warplanes flying 30,000 feet overhead, in spite of a long line of civilian
casualties caused in helicopter attacks during the last Iraq war.
The big difference, rather, is that the Apaches are far more likely to be shot
down by ISIS, flying at much lower altitudes more readily reached by the
shoulder-fired missiles ISIS is awash in, provided to target Syrian helicopters
doing the exact same thing
The eventuality of such a shootdown is likely to mean US ground troops sent on
rescue missions to try to recover the downed pilots. This could end up being the
pretext for launching a ground operation against ISIS, and such an incident
seems only a matter of time.
Syrian Kurds: Airstrikes Against ISIS Aren't Working: Strikes
Focus on Ayn al-Arab, But Aren't Stopping ISIS Advance
Since the US began its air war against ISIS in Syria last
week, the majority of the strikes have centered around the Kurdish town of
Kobani, trying to stop ISIS from taking the key town along the Syria-Turkey
border.
The Kurdish forces still trying to defend the town, however, warn that the
airstrikes aren't working, and that ISIS is simply evading the strikes and
continuing its advance against Kobani (Ayn al-Arab in Arabic).
The Kurdish fighters on the ground tried to spin this as proof that they need
ground troops and heavy weapons to fight ISIS, adding to a chorus from
Congressional hawks like Sen. Lindsey Graham (R - SC) demanding an immediate
ground war in Syria.
The reality, though, is that this is just one more sign that the ISIS war in
general was ill-conceived and not going to work, and while some factions on the
ground might squeeze near-term benefits out of a dramatic further escalation,
the war itself seems to be continuing on in spite of its own failing nature,
with a momentum all its own.
Agencies, EsinIslam.Com
& Several News Outlets - Antiwar Jason Ditzo Contributed To This Report
Russian Intelligence Center Captured -
Fightings Continue In Kobani, Handarat And Lebanon
By Markaz Kavkaz
The Russian-Syrian center of the radio and electronic intelligence on the border
with "Israel" has been captured in In Syria by the units of the al-Jaish as-Suri
al-?urr/Free Syrian Army (FSA).
"On October 5, 2014 the rebels of the FSA captured a joint Russian-Syrian centre
of radio and electronic intelligence (the so-called Center-C) located on
Mountain Tal al-Hara, near Daraa, in southern Syria, near the Syrian-Israeli
demarcation line", says the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies.
In the video shot inside the building one can see the stands with visual
agitation, emblems of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of
Defence of Russia and Intelligence Directorate of Syria, as well as a map with
printed on it image of the operational situation in the Northern Military
District of "Israel".
In Tel Aviv, they commented on the video, stating that the Russian military in
Syria are engaged in intelligence activities directed against "Israel" (see the
video outside the center of intelligence, the video continues here).
Meanwhile, fierce fightings are continuing in Kobani. Ad Dawla al-Islamiyya/Islamic
State (IS) units are storming the positions of the Kurdish groups. Major events
unfolded on the eastern outskirts of the city, where the units of IS were able
to gain a foothold in few city blocks.
Sources in Syria reported that the IS uses heavy artillery and mortars they
obtained after the fleeing of the army of Shiite regime in Iraq's Mosul. Kurds
complain that they do not have enough weapons to counter the IS.
Earlier, IS units seized the high hill above the town, and the towers of radio
repeaters. Arab media and local sources have reported high intensity and
ferocity of the battle for Kobani.
Meanwhile, in the area of the central prison of Aleppo Assad's troops went on a
massive offensive. They managed to capture the village of Handarat after some
groups of local Syrians from different units operating in the area left their
positions without any warning.
Units of the Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar/Army of Emigrants and Supporters (AES)
and other units included in the Jabhat Ansar al-Din/Front of Supporters of
Religion (FSR) were deployed to the place a breakthrough of Assadites.
During a fierce counter-attack, which lasted two days, the Mujahideen managed to
repel Assadites away from Handarat. As of Monday morning, the infidels took
defensive positions on the outskirts of the village, holding in their hands some
of the houses.
Assadites actively use the aircraft, trying to prevent the assault of the
Mujahideen.
Sources from the scene report that the units of the AES and other groups from
the FSR attacked the infidels in Aleppo's Layramoun (aka Balleramoun) district
and captured a former school building, thus cutting off one of the main supply
lines used by Assadites in Handarat.
It is reported that the commanding officer leading the troops of the regime in
Handarat is an army general from Iran, who masterminded a large-scale offensive.
Meanwhile, the units of the Jabhat an-Nusra/Victory Front attacked the Shiite
gangs of Hezbollah in Lebanon. During the attack on Sunday, Mujahideen were able
to eliminate at least 18 Shiite militants and seize many military hardware.
How ISIS Is Using Enemies Iran And US
Ammunitions In A Flow Supplies
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden apologized to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday over
recent remarks he made suggesting Gulf states had supported extremist groups in
the region. Saudi Arabia is the third state Biden has apologized to over remarks
he made at Harvard University last week. He apologized to Turkey and the United
Arab Emirates last weekend for having said U.S. allies in the region were partly
to blame for the rise of ISIS in Syria.
However since the Vice President's gaffe, many commentators have noticed
America's usual policies of looking the order way during weakness and defeats,
pointing out that the ISIS do not need much help from the neighbouring Muslim
states. Ammunitions reach the Mujahidun at ease. ''Ending up arming the brave on
the battlefields and at friends' backyards is what happens naturally when you
chose to arm the cowardly,'' no observed.
Where Does ISIS Get Its Ammunition? New
Report Finds Arms Manufactured in Over 20 Countries
Hanna Sender writes:
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) are firing American bullets. An
investigation by the European Union-funded Conflict Armament Research group
found the Sunni militant group, formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and
Syria or ISIS, primarily used ammunition manufactured in the United States,
China and Russia.
Investigators recovered more than 1,700 small-caliber munitions from the Kurdish
regions of northern Iraq and northern Syria from July 22 to Aug. 15 to determine
the origin of ISIS ammunition.
Of the 1,730 cartridges in the sample, 73 percent were manufactured in China
(445), the Soviet Union (338), the United States (323) and the Russian
Federation (154). Cartridges dated from 1945 to 2014, with 10 percent
manufactured after 2010.
The presence of recently manufactured Iranian ammunition, if transferred
deliberately, is an indication Iran violated a 2006 U.N. Security Council
Resolution that prohibits Iran's export of ammunition. Ten cartridges
manufactured in Iran after 2010 were recovered as part of the sample.
Nearly half of the recently manufactured ammunition used by ISIS are 7.62 x 54R
mm-caliber ammunition used in PKM-pattern general-purpose machine guns and
rifles; 5.56 x 45 mm-caliber ammunition, a standard NATO caliber used by Iraqi
defense and security forces, was the second-most-popular caliber recovered.
Despite its popularity, the 7.62 x 39 mm-caliber ammunition used in Kalashnikovs
made up only 5 percent of the sample. Turkish 19 mm pistol ammunition, however,
comprised a sixth of the sample and was found in both Iraq and Syria.
The Center for Public Integrity said between capturing arms on the battlefield
and using oil sales revenue to purchase weapons, ISIS has had little trouble
procuring large quantities of ammunition. "The fact that the armaments have such
disparate sources -- some were even made at a major U.S. munitions plant in
Missouri -- provides a cautionary note as Washington prepares to undertake
expanded shipments of military supplies, including small arms, to rebel groups
in Syria and to a revived Iraqi Army force."
ISIS Guide Explains How To Shoot Down US
Apache Helicopters
Just days after the United States began using Apache helicopters against the
Islamic State group in Iraq, ISIS has responded by producing a guide to shooting
down the iconic aircraft. The guide, which has been circulating on social media,
explains in minute detail how to use portable surface-to-air missiles, such as
the Russian-made SA-16 and SA-18 and the American FIM-92 Stinger, against the
attack helicopter.
The Stinger was heavily used during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the
1980s, when the shoulder-fired missiles provided by the U.S. to mujahideen
fighters proved very effective at shooting down Soviet helicopters. They also
saw use against Russian aircraft during the first and second Chechen wars, which
took place from 1994 to 1996 and 1999 to 2009, respectively. The guide will
serve as a reminder for the ISIS fighters who took part in those conflicts
before joining the ranks of the Sunni extremist group in Iraq and Syria. For new
recruits, the guide is a detailed primer on how to target successfully the
Apaches by defeating their countermeasures.
The introduction of the Apaches in Iraq comes at a time when ISIS is being
buoyed by the major advances it is making in Syria, where it is close to
capturing the strategically important town of Kobane, and Iraq's capital
Baghdad, where ISIS has come within shooting distance of the city.
But perhaps what makes the use of the aircraft most significant is that it
represents a significant escalation of the risk being taken by U.S. forces.
''Fixed-wing aircraft flying at 30,000 feet are completely immune from the type
of weapons that Islamic State fighters have, but a helicopter is not,'' said
Christopher Harmer, a former U.S. Navy aviator who is now an analyst at the
Institute for the Study of War, a think tank. ''When you're flying a helicopter
150 feet above the ground, that helicopter can be shot with a rocket-propelled
grenade or a heavy machine gun so yes, it is much more dangerous.''
The Boeing-made aircraft, known as the AH-64, is particularly accurate and adept
at operating in enemy territory at night, and has countermeasures to defeat
missiles that home in on the heat generated by its exhaust. However, the guide
points out each of the Apache's weak spots in order to inflict the most amount
of damage on the aircraft and ensure that the pilot and navigator are killed. At
least 10 Apaches have been shot down in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in
2003, according to a tally from several published reports.
The guide, posted by an ISIS supporter using the name Nasser Al-Sharia, says
that the aircraft should be ambushed at a distance of 1,500 meters or slightly
less than one mile, while the helicopter is in the clear line of sight of the
shooter. It then says that a sniper should shoot the crew as they try to bail
from the aircraft.
Another aircraft vulnerable to small arms and shoulder-fired missiles is the
A-10, whose introduction to Iraq may also be cause for concern; the shooting
down of one of the slow, low-flying jets may result in U.S. pilots being taken
hostage by ISIS.
International Business Times Christopher Harress
Bush Man Panetta Says '30-Year War' Against
ISIS While Biden Suggests Panetta Should Wait Until Obama Leaves Office to Say
That
Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta was harshly critical of President Obama's
handling of the new ISIS war, saying the US could have sustained the 2011 Iraq
occupation and started arming Syrian rebels even sooner than they did.
But perhaps the most eye-opening comment in has new book tour was that he
believes the conflict is a ''30-year war'' that will extend across the world,
including campaigns in Nigeria, Somalia, and Libya, among other places.
Panetta's new book, entitled Worthy Fights, argues that the Obama Administration
repeatedly erred by not taking more hawkish positions, including says the US
should've invaded Syria outright in 2013 instead of making the deal for Syria to
scrap its chemical weapons.
He went on to argue that the 30-year world war he envisions is a chance to
''repair the damage'' caused by lot launching massive wars in the previous few
years, calling the lack of wars ''missed opportunities.''
Vice President Joe Biden was quick to criticize Panetta, although not on the
content of his hawkish comments. Rather, Biden said it was ''inappropriate'' for
Panetta to criticize Obama at all, on anything, until after 2016, and that he
should ''at least give the guy a chance to get out of office.''
It is unclear how far afield, however, Panetta's assessment of a 30-year war
actually is from the Obama Administration's own vision of an open-ended
conflict, as officials have talked up the conflict lasting many years, and Obama
himself said the decisions of the war were to be made by the next president ''and
probably the one after that.''
Iraq Clears Aussie Troops for ISIS
Ground War: PM Ruled Out Any Foreign Troops in Iraq Only Last Week
Less than a week ago, Iraqi Prime Minister Hayder Abadi insisted that no foreign
ground troops would be welcome in his nation, and that he was confident the
Iraqi military could defeat ISIS with Western air support alone.
Today, Australian officials confirmed they've been given approval by the Abadi
government for the deployment of their special forces ground troops into Iraq to
fight against ISIS.
Australian officials familiar with the situation say that the approximately 200
troops will be ''bolstering local forces on the ground,'' and that part of their
mission will be spotting for US airstrikes.
The terms of the agreement with Iraq were not made public, but officials say
that the troops were given needed legal cover in case they end up killing Iraqi
civilians in the course of the conflict.
US Helicopter Strikes Against ISIS
Increase Shootdown Risk: Low-Flying Apache Helicopters Could Be Easy Targets
On Sunday, the Pentagon had announced that its air war against ISIS in Iraq was
now including attacks by AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, operating out of the
Baghdad airport and carrying Hellfire and other missiles.
Officials are presenting the helicopters as likely to be more accurate than the
warplanes flying 30,000 feet overhead, in spite of a long line of civilian
casualties caused in helicopter attacks during the last Iraq war.
The big difference, rather, is that the Apaches are far more likely to be shot
down by ISIS, flying at much lower altitudes more readily reached by the
shoulder-fired missiles ISIS is awash in, provided to target Syrian helicopters
doing the exact same thing
The eventuality of such a shootdown is likely to mean US ground troops sent on
rescue missions to try to recover the downed pilots. This could end up being the
pretext for launching a ground operation against ISIS, and such an incident
seems only a matter of time.
Agencies, EsinIslam.Com
& Several News Outlets - Antiwar Jason Ditzo Contributed To This Report
Any Attack On The IS To Be Regarded As An Act
Of Aggression, Assad And Iran Warn Turkey
By Markaz Kavkaz
Foreign minister of the Assad regime, Walid al-Muallem, said that a Turkish
attack on Ad Dawla al-Islamiyya/Islamic State (IS) would be regarded by Damascus
as an act of aggression. His warned Ankara on inadmissibility of an attack on
the IS. Al-Muallem made his threats after the decision by the Turkish parliament
to allow the Turkish army to participate in a so-called "anti-terrorist
operation against the IS".
"The declared policy of the Turkish government represents a real aggression
against a member of the United nations group", said Walid al-Muallem.
The warning came after the prime minister of Turkey, Ahmet Davutoglu, vowed on
Thursday night that Turkey would do everything to prevent the fall of the
Kurdish city of Kobani, and the parliament of this country allowed the
government to carry out military operations against the IS in Syria and Iraq.
In addition, the Assad regime turned to so-called international community with a
request to prevent Ankara "from ventures that threaten peace and stability in
the region". Assad called for an end to the "Turkish intervention in Syria's
internal affairs".
In turn, minister of foreign affairs of Iran, Mohammad Javad Zarif, also warned
Turkish authorities that participation of the Turkish army in operations against
the IS in Syria and Iraq might cause "dangerous consequences for the entire
region".
He stressed that Tehran opposes to actions of America and proxies in Syria and
Iraq.
Iran warned Turkey not to take any action against the IS during a telephone
conversation between Javad Zarif and Turkish foreign minister. He "criticized
methods chosen for the fight against terrorism, while expressing concern over
any action that may aggravate the situation".
"In the current situation, the regional states should act responsibly and avoid
aggravations", Tehran warns Ankara.
Meanwhile, the Turkish army opened fire Friday on positions of the IS near the
Kurdish city of Kobani. The army command said that the fire was opened in
response to the shelling of Turkish territory. The Turkish press writes that at
least 3 artillery shells "exploded on the Turkish side".
Besides, Turkish aircraft overflew the border with Syria and the city of Kobani,
but there is no data about possible bombardments.
The Turkish general staff continues to move armored units, missile systems and
missile defence systems to the Syrian border. The main Turkish forces approach
the border near the Sanliurfa Province, as Kobani is located to the south of it.
According to Turkish military, a threat of an IS breakthrough exists there,
which the army is to prevent. In addition, the movement of troops, according to
observers, is an evidence of possible plans of Ankara to create a buffer zone on
the border.
Turkey Charges Kurds To Join Ranks Of
Fightings Against al-Assad
Salih Muslim, the leader of the main Kurdish group in northern Syria, has been
urged by the Turkish intelligence authorities to bring his forces under the
ranks of the Free Syrian Army.
Muslim, the co-chair of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), had a lengthy meeting
with Turkish intelligence officials on Oct. 4 amid the ongoing jihadist siege of
the Kurdish-populated city of Kobane.
During the meeting, the Kurdish leader was urged to ''take an open stance against
the Syrian regime'' and join the ranks of the Free Syrian Army against President
Bashar al-Assad, according to sources familiar with the meeting.
Turkish officials signaled a restructuring of the Syrian opposition in the
upcoming period and urged the PYD to take part under the roof of the Syrian
opposition. Ankara also once again reiterated its expectation for the PYD to
distance itself from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), the sources
added.
As Muslim continues his efforts to obtain arms from Western countries for the
Kurdish forces of the Popular Protection Units (YPG), the military arm of the
PYD, he asked Ankara not to prevent the delivery of weapons after his request
from European countries and the U.S. was refused.
As Kobane is physically cut off from Qamishlo and other regions controlled by
the PYD, the Turkish border is the only path for assistance to the region.
Muslim also asked Ankara not to obstruct other Kurds in the region coming to
help Syrian Kurds' fight against ISIL, and to allow the PKK to send help to
Kobane through Turkey.
Muslim's visit came after Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) co-chair Selahattin
Demirtas requested help from the Turkish government in the Syrian Kurds' fight
against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). In a meeting with
Demirtas last week, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said he did not want Kobane
to end up in the hands of the jihadists.
The Turkish government had earlier expressed strong concerns about the
imposition of a de facto autonomous region in the north of Syria after the PKK-affiliated
PYD increased its control in the area.
Muslim had talks with Turkish officials on several occasions, though the PYD did
not reply positively to Turkey's demands. Ankara thereafter kept its distance
from the PYD and until the latest meeting had not even had talks with Muslim for
nearly one year.
180 Islamic State Fighters Released By
Turkey In Prisoner Swap For 46 Turkish Workers - That's A Nice ISIS Bargain
Turkey released 120 Islamic State militants in exchange for 46
Turkish consular workers and their families kidnapped by the Islamic State in
Mosul in June.
Israel's Haaretz wrote:
Officials in the British Defence Department have confirmed that two British
jihadists were released in a prisoner exchange between Turkey and the Islamic
State group, the BBC reported Monday.
According to the BBC report, the officials named the two British jihadists that
were released as a part of a group of 180 Islamic State militants released by
Turkey in exchange for 46 Turkish consular workers and their families kidnapped
by the Islamic State in Mosul in June.
The British newspaper The Times reported, based on documents it has obtained,
that among the jihadists released were three Frenchmen, two Macedonians, two
Swedes, a Swiss national, and a Belgian. According to the report the jihadists
were either held in Turkish hospitals and prisons, or were held by moderate
Syrian rebels.
The details of the prisoner swap, which took place last month, had gone
unreported until now. Two weeks ago, when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
was asked about the prisoner swap, he did not confirm the swap took place, but
didn't deny that it took place either.
A Kurdish Bolshevik Threatens Turkey With
Termination Of Truce If The Town Of Kobani Fells
By Markaz Kavkaz
The leader of Kurdish Bolsheviks, who is serving a life sentence in a Turkish
prison, threatened Turkey with termination of the truce in case of the seizure
of the Syrian town of Kobani (aka Ayn al-Arab), a regional center of the Kurds,
by Ad Dawla al-Islamiyya/Islamic State (IS) forces.
In turn, Turkish authorities have said they did not want Kobani to fall into the
hands of the IS and "will do everything they can" to prevent that.
Meanwhile, fightings for Kobani are intensifying. According to local sources,
the IS captured terrain at the southern entrance to the town. Inside Kobani,
intensive clashes continue, with the IS using artillery and heavy mortars seized
by the IS from the regime troops after the puppet army fled from Iraq's Mosul.
Sources in social networks report the IS moved additional forces to the region
from the province of Raqqa.
In turn, Turkey is preparing for a so-called "cross-border military operation"
in Syria and Iraq. The Turkish parliament gave appropriate powers to the
government to use armed forces in neighbouring states. In this case, the
language it used is quite ambiguous.
The parliament authorized the Turkish government "to conduct cross-border
operations against terrorist attacks from Iraq and Syria against Turkey".
In other words, if there are no "terrorist attacks", there will be no military
operations. On the other hand, it is not clear what Ankara considers to be a
"terrorist attack".
Meanwhile, the Kurds turned to the west asking to help them urgently with
weapons. American warplanes conducted several air strikes on the positions of
advancing IS units. There is no reliable information on the results of these
strikes.
Fightings For Kobani Intensify: Turkey
Threatens To Conduct 'Cross-border Operation'
By Markaz Kavkaz
Clashes between have been
intensified between the units of the Ad Dawla al-Islamiyya/Islamic State (IS)
and Kurdish militants in southern Syrian city of Kobani (aka Ayn al-Arab). IS
moved to the village of Sheran on the city's southern outskirts.
Fightings are also ongoing in the outskirts of the Zorava district, which is
controlled by Kurds from the so-called Yekineyen Parastina Gel/People's
Protection Units (PPS).
According to information distributed in social networks, the IS units are
assaulting Kobani from two sides. More than 300 towns and villages around the
city were left behind by Kurds. More than 130 thousands of Kurds fled to Turkey.
Deserted villages were captured by the IS.
Meanwhile, sources of the IS have reported that additional forces have been
transferred from city of Raqqa for the assault on Kobani.
According to local sources, the US warplanes have conducted air strikes on the
positions of the IS on the outskirts of the city. At least one of the attacks
hit the Kurdish positions. American aircraft mistakenly bombed an advanced
outpost of the PPS.
Turkey, meanwhile, is going to conduct the so-called "cross-border operation" in
Syria. The country's parliament is intended to give authority to the government
for such an operation.
Previously, the Turkish army deployed several dozen tanks on the border with
Syria. Local media reported that the IS units have allegedly surrounded the tomb
of Shah Suleiman, which is located on the territory of Syria, and guarded by the
Turkish military.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan denied the report, while threatening to
"expected reaction from Turkey if anything bad happens to its shrine".
It is to be recalled that the IS units have long been located a few hundred
meters from the tomb of Shah Suleiman. IS does not prevent the movement of
Turkish troops across the border and do not take any hostile action against the
tomb.
Earlier, the Turkish authorities have stated that they would not participate in
military actions against the IS and would not join the so-called coalition,
which was organized by the US with the puppet Arab regimes. However, in the last
few days Ankara began to change the tune and threating to conduct the so-called
"cross-border operation" in Syria.
On September 26, Erdogan held a telephone conversation with Obama. During the
talks, the Turkish President said that Ankara intended to "continue its joint
strategic activities with the United States in the fight against terrorist
organizations in the region, in particular the IS".
However, as the practice teaches, the rhetoric of the Turkish authorities is
often radically different from its actions, and there is no clarity in what
practical steps can be taken by Ankara in connection with the worsening military
situation on the border with Syria.
Meanwhile, Turkish sources report that recently the authorities of the country
have sharply increased activity in arresting the volunteers trying to get to
Syria through Turkey. In this case, the arrests are clearly selective.
Sentiment Divided At Haj Pilgrimage Over Role
Of Islamist Militants
Former Egyptian army officer Suliman Ouda minced no words as he climbed Mount
Arafat, denouncing Islamist militants in Syria and Iraq as terrorists.
But Syrian engineer Ahmed Orabi, standing nearby on the hill where Muslims on
their haj pilgrimage beg God's forgiveness, disagreed.
"Islam is about peace and kindness, not murder and violence, and I don't
consider these fighters in Iraq and Syria to be Muslims," Ouda told Reuters as
he joined the mass of pilgrims early on Friday. "They bring shame to the word
Islam."
Orabi, in his 40s, served time in Syrian prisons for criticising the government
of Syrian tyrant Bashar al-Assad before fleeing to Turkey. One of his sons was
still in jail.
"If the Islamic state, or Nusra, or any other group can fight the government,
I'm in full support of them," he said in a hushed voice.
"Bashar is the terrorist here, Iran is the enemy. And although I can't raise my
voice today and say that, I'm crying out to God in my heart to give victory to
those brave Islamic fighters."
The haj, a hectic journey that brings millions from around the world to Mecca
and Mount Arafat, is tinged this year with concerns over the threat posed by
Islamist militants who threaten to target allies of the United States, including
Saudi Arabia.
In past years, Shi'ite Muslim pilgrims airing political views were the main
threat for security forces keen to keep the haj free from politics. But the rise
of political Islam since the Arab Spring protests of 2011 has focused attention
on Islamist Sunni groups as a new potential source of friction.
While a systematic poll of pilgrims' views at the haj would be impossible, a
random sampling indicated sentiment is divided over Islamic State, who have
dominated the news since they captured Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, in
July.
Abdel-Rahman al-Gahtani, a Saudi haj organiser, said the militants, known in
Arabic as Daesh, gave Islam a bad name.
"Our sheikhs told us that Daesh are terrorists and we believe they are. Those
who kill in cold blood and make threats to kill innocent people are not Muslims
like us,'' Gahtani, who works at food and water distribution, told Reuters.
The sermon given by the preacher in the local Namira mosque on Friday included a
reference to the Islamic State and the pledge that "Islam is innocent of their
actions", pilgrims who attended said.
But Mohammed Askar, a Syrian teacher, said militants fired by religious zeal may
be the only way to topple tyrant Assad.
"I know America and the Gulf countries see the Islamic state as terrorists, but
they should not think that way," Askar said.
"These are the people who can fight to get rid of Bashar, and after Bashar is
gone I swear to you no one will want Islamic State. We are just using them."
HEIGHTENED SECURITY
Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, has funneled cash and arms to rebels
fighting against tyrant Assad in a conflict which has raged for three years and
killed nearly 200,000 people. But it has also consistently opposed Islamist
militants within the insurgency. Last week, Saudi air force planes pounded
targets in Syria in U.S.-led air strikes.
Security appeared much tighter than usual at this year's haj, with more men in
uniform deployed in holy sites and frequent vehicle checkpoints.
"I came to haj two years ago and I don't remember seeing so many special forces
as there are today," said Amr Abdallah, an Egyptian engineer on his way to the
summit of Mount Arafat. "They must be worried about the threat of Daesh."
Interior Ministry spokesman Major General Mansour al-Turki said the kingdom has
allocated more security personnel and National Guardsmen along its borders with
Iraq.
"We have enforced our security readiness at all the border of Saudi Arabia, the
northern border and the southern border," he told Reuters on the sidelines of a
news conference.
The authorities continue to warn pilgrims against any political protests. Last
week Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef told the Saudi state agency
(SPA) that Saudi Arabia will have a zero tolerance policy.
"Authorities will deal with all propaganda, intellectual and political slogans
because the purpose of haj is worship alone," Prince Nayef said in a statement.
The haj has attracted some 3 million people this year, including 1.4 million
from outside the kingdom. To the casual observer there appears to be fewer Iraqi
and Syrian pilgrims than last year, and many more visitors from Asia.
Saudi authorities have said that no restrictions have been placed on visas to
Syrians or Iraqi for political reasons, however.
"There are over 10,000 pilgrims from Syria this year and I'm not aware of any
restrictions placed on Iraqis or Syrians, every country has a quota and we
follow that system," said Major General Turki.
Reuters Reporting by Amena Bakr; editing by Sami Aboudi and Sonya Hepinstall
Saudi Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh'
Urges On Arafat Defeat Of Forces Sowing Chaos
Muslim leaders must strike the enemies of Islam with ''an iron hand,'' Saudi
Arabia's top cleric said during Friday prayers, in apparent condemnation of the
Islamic State jihadist group.
Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh's comments came after Saudi Arabia and
four other Arab nations joined the United States in aerial bombardment of the
ISIS militants in Syria.
Speaking to Muslims from around the world in an address during the annual hajj
pilgrimage, the mufti called on fellow Islamic leaders to ''hit with an iron hand
the enemies of Islam.''
The ISIS group has declared a ''caliphate'' straddling Syria and Iraq where they
have committed a spate of atrocities including crucifixions and beheadings.
''Your religion is threatened. Your security is threatened,'' he thundered,
according to the official Saudi Press Agency.
''These criminals carry out rapes, bloodshed and looting,'' he said, adding that
''these vile crimes can be considered terrorism'' and their perpetrators have
nothing to do with Islam.
''They are tyrants,'' he said, warning of ''their deviant ideology.''
The mufti spoke from Nimrah Mosque at Mount Arafat in western Saudi Arabia, home
to Islam's holiest sites.
Close to two million Muslims from around the world were gathered at Mount Arafat
for a day of prayer at the peak of the annual hajj.
The comments were the mufti's latest criticism of the extremists.
In August, he urged Muslim youth not to be influenced by ''calls for jihad ... on
perverted principles,'' and he described al-Qaeda and ISIS jihadists as ''enemy
number one'' of Islam.
The kingdom is seeking to deter youths from becoming jihadists after Syria's
conflict attracted hundreds of Saudis.
King Abdullah decreed in February jail terms of up to 20 years for citizens who
travel to fight abroad.
Agencies
Video Purports to Show ISIS Beheading of
Another British Hostage
An internet video released Friday appears to show the beheading of a British
hostage who had been captured by the Islamic State.
"I am Alan Henning. Because of our Parliament's decision to attack the Islamic
State I, as a member of the British public, will now pay the price for that
decision," Henning says in the video.
He is wearing an orange jump suit and the video resembles other beheadings
carried out by the Islamic State. Officials were in process of trying to
authenticate the video, in which a militant also threatens to execute another
American hostage.
"Obama, you have started your aerial bombard of Shams (Syria), which keep on
striking our people, so it is only right that we strike the next of your
people," a masked militant said.
If authenticated, this would be the fourth such video released by the Islamic
State. The militants have also released videos showing the beheading of American
reporters James Foley and Steven Sotloff and British aid worker David Haines.
The White House issued a statement from Obama late Friday, condemning "the death
of Alan Henning."
"The United States strongly condemns the brutal murder of United Kingdom citizen
Alan Henning by the terrorist group ISIL," the statement said. "Mr. Henning
worked to help improve the lives of the Syrian people and his death is a great
loss for them, for his family and the people of the United Kingdom."
Obama added, "Standing together with our UK friends and allies, we will work to
bring the perpetrators of Alan's murder - as well as the murders of Jim Foley,
Steven Sotloff and David Haines - to justice. Standing together with a broad
coalition of allies and partners, we will continue taking decisive action to
degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL."
Henning, 47, had joined an aid convoy and was taken captive on Dec. 26, shortly
after crossing the border between Turkey and Syria.
In a statement, the British Foreign Office said it was working to verify the
video. "If true, this is a further disgusting murder," the statement read. "We
are offering the family every support possible; they ask to be left alone at
this time."
British Prime Minister David Cameron on Friday said, "The brutal murder of Alan
Henning by Islamic State shows just how barbaric and repulsive these terrorists
are." He said Henning "had gone to Syria to help get aid to people of all faiths
in their hour of need. The fact that he was taken hostage when trying to help
others and now murdered demonstrates that there are no limits to the depravity
of these ISIL terrorists."
Cameron vowed, "We will do all we can to hunt down these murderers and bring
them to justice."
A U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of concerns of not
having permission to release the information, confirmed that Peter Kassig is
being held by Islamic State militants. The official declined to elaborate.
Henning, nicknamed "Gadget," had joined an aid convoy and was taken captive on
Dec. 26, shortly after crossing the border between Turkey and Syria. Earlier
this week, Henning's wife Barbara Henning asked the militants in a televised
plea: "Please release him. We need him back home."
She told the BBC that although some thought her husband was in the wrong place
at the wrong time, "He was in the right place doing the right thing." She said
her family was "at a loss" as to why Islamic State leaders could not "open their
hearts and minds to the truth about Alan's humanitarian motives for going to
Syria."
The taxi driver and father of two from Bolton, in northern England, was the only
non-Muslim in the convoy, CNN reported.
A video recorded before his capture shows Henning describing his volunteer work
in the region. "It's all worthwhile when you see what is needed actually gets
where it needs to go," Henning says in the video obtained by CNN.
Dozens of British Muslim leaders in a letter to the Independentlast month had
urged the Islamic State to release Henning.
"In Islam, concern for fellow humans and the duty to help everyone is a
religious obligation," the letter stated. "Anyone undertaking a humanitarian act
is paving his or her way to receive help from heaven."
Muslims were asked to show their support for Henning's cause, as well as that of
other Islamic State hostages, by using the hashtag #NotInMyName on Twitter.
Henning's gruesome murder comes after the militant group released a video Sept.
13 showing the apparent beheading of David Haines, another British aid worker.
That tape included a warning directed at Cameron. as well as a threat against
Henning's life.
Last month, the Islamic State released a chilling propaganda video the first
that doesn't depict a killing showing British journalist and hostage John
Cantlie speaking directly to the camera and promising to reveal the "truth"
about the Islamic State.
The Islamic State group has its roots in al-Qaida's Iraqi affiliate but was
expelled from the global terror network over its brutal tactics and refusal to
obey orders to confine its activities to Iraq. It metamorphisized amid the
bloody 3-year civil war in neighboring Syria, growing stronger to the point of
being able to launch a lightning offensive across much of northern Iraq, routing
security forces there.
The extremist group has been widely denounced by mainstream Muslim authorities.
Confronting Barbarism: ISIS, The United States
And the Consequences Of Torture
By Michael Meurer
In a televised address on August 7, President Obama announced that he had
ordered "targeted" US airstrikes in northern Iraq against the self-described
Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) on the pretext of a humanitarian
intervention to help stranded Kurds and US diplomatic staff in Erbil. In his
address, Obama said, "I will not allow the United States to be dragged into
fighting another war in Iraq." Just 47 days later, on September 23, a new phase
in the war on terror had been declared, and US bombing was expanded into Syria.
There is ample reason to believe that Obama's August "humanitarian bombing" of
ISIS targets in northern Iraq was equally about the protection of ExxonMobil and
Chevron oil and gas production facilities in Erbil. It was a costly action. On
August 19, US journalist James Foley was beheaded by ISIS in retaliation. On
September 2, Steve Sotoloff, another US journalist, was beheaded by ISIS in a
further act of retaliation. Both murders were accompanied by highly publicized
beheading videos, with Foley and Sotoloff forced by ISIS to wear symbolic orange
jumpsuits. A beheading video of British aid worker David Haines followed on
September 13, with Haines also mockingly clad by his ISIS captors in an orange
jumpsuit. President Obama's new war in Syria began 10 days later with full
Congressional backing. British Prime Minister David Cameron quickly endorsed US
bombing and received parliamentary approval for Britain to join the US campaign
in Iraq.
The New Yorker's John Cassidy has labeled this Obama's "YouTube war." The
carefully choreographed ISIS beheading videos, with their mocking use of orange
jumpsuits, were a major factor driving both public opinion and Obama's
decision-making. The actions of ISIS jihadists are barbaric, but they represent
something worse than publicized incidents of terrorist inhumanity. Yasser Munif,
co-founder of the Global Campaign of Solidarity with the Syrian Revolution,
believes the moral taunting on the beheading videos was designed to lure the
United States into wider war in the Islamic world, thereby elevating ISIS as the
primary anti-American force in the region. It is as if the moral compass of the
universe has gone tilt as the world descends into barbarism. The vertiginous
sense of suspended morality is heightened by tens of millions of TV viewers and
YouTube site visitors worldwide witnessing ISIS's open and brutal mockery of the
United States and United Kingdom on supposedly moral grounds as they commit
murder for the camera.
During September, with the ISIS beheadings and United States drive to war as
background, the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Obama administration have
also been forced into a debate over how to respond to an August 27, District
Court decision in New York ordering the release of 2,000 previously unpublished
photos of US torture, brutality and death at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison and
five other US detention facilities in Iraq and Afghanistan. The American Civil
Liberties Union (ACLU) has been seeking release of the photos since 2004 in a
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit. Obama and the DOD were opposed to the
release of these photos, years before ISIS emerged, on the grounds that the
images are so grisly, they would inflame anti-US sentiment in the Islamic world.
However, with the ACLU's litigation on the verge of success, the photos and the
war against ISIS have clearly become interrelated.
There is already a huge element of the absurd in the Obama administration's new
war scenario that should provoke further debate about overall US policy in
Central Asia. There are questions about the role that US and European actions
played in incubating and arming ISIS in Syria, as well as clear evidence that
Sunni distrust of the US-backed Shiite government in Baghdad has driven Iraqi
Sunnis reluctantly into the hands of ISIS jihadists. There are open divisions
and disagreements among national security experts in both parties and within
Obama's military team about threat assessment, tactics, timing and the need for
ground troops. Many activists on the ground in Syria question the motivation and
potential efficacy of US bombing in their country.
In spite of these lingering uncertainties, Obama seemed to be responding
primarily to the ISIS beheading videos in his September 24 speech to the UN
General Assembly, when he described ISIS as a "network of death" and noted that
their brutality "forces us to look into the heart of darkness." The clear
implication is that war policy is being hurriedly thrown together without sober
reflection because of a visceral reaction to globally publicized ISIS videos.
With the pending court order to release the previously unpublished Abu Ghraib
photos, the need for such reflection cannot be easily dismissed.
Should the photos be released? Should the United States openly look into its own
"heart of darkness" while confronting ISIS? The timing of this decision follows
more than a decade of official denial and obfuscation about the images. An
estimated 108 captives died in US prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan, including as
many as 26 that the DOD has classified as homicides. Obama and Cameron are right
to point out that ISIS jihadists are evil and lawless killers. Yet these photos
are not about ISIS except to the extent they have tried to co-opt the symbolic
imagery of orange US prison jumpsuits to rationalize their barbarity. Before
Obama's new war escalates out of control or drags on for months or years with an
inevitable need for ground troops, it seems advisable for the United States to
finally confront its own barbaric actions and failed strategic decisions in the
13-year-old war on terror - not because of ISIS, but in spite of ISIS.
Orange Jumpsuits and the Alternative
Reality of Torture
Nearly every news report explains that ISIS is making their victims wear orange
jumpsuits as a mocking reference to the orange jumpsuits worn by prisoners at
the US detention facility at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. It is seldom mentioned that
captives in the entire web of US prisons from Bagram in Afghanistan to Abu
Ghraib in Iraq, were also made to wear orange jumpsuits. Further, the photos of
torture, humiliation and death that have made it into the public domain from Abu
Ghraib are even worse than Guantánamo, making it a more potent symbol of US
human rights violations.
While the prison at Guantánamo is universally known, the public was unaware that
the secretive prison at Abu Ghraib existed - housed in a torture facility used
by Saddam Hussein before the US invasion - until a compact disc of digital
photos taken by guards was accidentally discovered and reported in 2003. These
images depicting widespread torture and violent abuse of prisoners by US troops
were subsequently featured in investigative reports by The New Yorker and 60
Minutes II in 2004. When the story finally broke, Bush administration officials,
from then Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to Bush himself, declared the
atrocities at Abu Ghraib to be the work of "a few bad apples."
A total of 11 low-level enlisted Army soldiers were eventually convicted on
charges varying from dereliction of duty to human rights abuses. A colonel was
relieved of duty and a lieutenant colonel received a reprimand. Brigadier
General Janis Karpinski, the commanding officer at the prison, was cited for
"dereliction of duty and shoplifting." In essence, no one was held responsible
except a few low-level scapegoats.
The abuses at Abu Ghraib did not happen in a vacuum. It quickly became clear
that Abu Ghraib was the end point in a causal chain that led all the way back to
the Bush White House and Justice Department, where top administration officials
were rewriting US laws defining torture. Following recommendations to President
Bush from then White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales, the United States
effectively opted out of the Third and Fourth Geneva Conventions on the rights
to humane treatment for both prisoners of war and civilians. The Third Geneva
Convention "bars torture, cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment, as well as
outrages against the human dignity of prisoners of war, or POWs."
The Unintended Consequences of Torture
Writing in Foreign Policy, Steven R. Ratner, an expert on international law who
has worked as an advisor to both the UN and the US State Department, makes it
clear that torture does not work as advertised:
Seasoned interrogators consistently say that straightforward questioning is far
more successful for getting at the truth. So, by mangling the [Geneva]
conventions, the United States has joined the company of a host of unsavory
regimes that make regular use of torture. It has abandoned a system that
protects U.S. military personnel from terrible treatment for one in which the
rules are made on the fly.
In losing sight of the crucial protections of the conventions, the United States
invites a world of wars in which laws disappear. And the horrors of such wars
would far surpass anything the war on terror could ever deliver.
The Bush administration also tried unsuccessfully to block the adoption of the
UN Convention Against Torture in the General Assembly after more than 10 years
of deliberation by UN member states. In spite of this failure at the UN, the
United States continued to opt out of the Geneva Convention against torture.
This was done by rewriting domestic laws on human rights and defining captured
prisoners as "unlawful enemy combatants" who had no legal standing as prisoners
of war, a decision that Obama continued to support until after his reelection in
2008. The Washington Post described the new regime of officially sanctioned
torture in 2004:
In fact, every aspect of this new universe - including maintenance of covert
airlines to fly prisoners from place to place, interrogation rules and the legal
justification for holding foreigners without due process afforded most U.S.
citizens - has been developed by military or CIA lawyers, vetted by Justice
Department's office of legal counsel and, depending on the particular issue,
approved by White House general counsel's office or the president himself.
In addition to the fabricated rationale for the invasion of Iraq and the
invention of concepts such as "pre-emptive war" and "unlawful enemy combatants,"
the entire world has become aware of US practices such as extraordinary
rendition (sending prisoners to countries outside the United States for torture
and interrogation), enhanced interrogation techniques (e.g., water boarding and
other forms of torture) and the continued operation of a string of prisons in
Afghanistan and Iraq that have been repeatedly investigated for fundamental
human rights violations.
Yet in August 2014, a 6,000 page, $40 million report produced by a months long
investigation into US torture techniques by the Senate Select Committee on
Intelligence was shelved after being heavily redacted by the CIA. Bowing to the
CIA and pressure from the Obama administration, committee chairperson Sen.
Dianne Feinstein (D-California) issued a statement that the report is being
"held for declassification at a later time."
The Long Road Back
War truly is hell. It always will be. Human rights violations occur in every
war. What is new since the dawn of the ill-defined and never ending war on
terror in 2001 is that the world's most economically powerful and heavily armed
superpower has begun to untether itself from its foundational democratic
moorings by making such violations a matter of de facto state policy -
unapologetically. When moral outrage was expressed by some US senators during
May 2004 hearings on the abuses at Abu Ghraib, Sen. James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma)
commented that he was "more outraged by the outrage" than by the overwhelming
evidence of abuse, torture and violation of internationally sanctioned human
rights.
Recent history in Central Asia makes it abundantly clear that the abandonment of
democratic ideals and values by powerful nations such as the United States and
Britain does nothing to stop terrorism and runs counter to the self-interests of
democracies. The long road back from the past decade of state-sanctioned torture
and systematic human rights violations begins with democratic openness.
The ACLU lawsuit is a timely case in point. The US Army still has more than
2,000 unreleased photos that document 400 cases of alleged abuse between 2001
and 2005 in Abu Ghraib and six other US prisons. Senators who have seen these
images say that many of the photos are worse than the images that have been
leaked from Abu Ghraib to date.
The ACLU won a FOIA suit in federal District Court on August 27, 2014, in which
Judge Alvin Hellerstein ordered the Department of Defense (DOD) to hand over the
photos unless they can conclusively prove that their release would endanger
American lives. If the judge maintains his ruling against the DOD, they will
almost certainly be encouraged by the administration to appeal the decision.
Obama has said that, "The most direct consequence of releasing them . . . would
be to inflame anti-American public opinion and to put our troops in greater
danger."
The ISIS beheadings give the Obama administration a seemingly urgent rationale
for continued secrecy in their refusal to release inflammatory photos of US war
crimes committed in Islamic countries. This argument overlooks the fact that it
is not possible to stop a descent into barbarism by consciously ignoring
history.
More than 100,000 prisoners have been run through the US complex of prisons in
Iraq since the US invasion in 2003. Ignoring this reality is no longer an
option. Releasing the photos and openly debating the actions and policies that
led to their existence would be a more courageous projection of democratic
values at this crucial juncture, sending a powerful signal that the United
States stands by its core democratic values even when it is least convenient. It
would also provide an opportunity for a much-needed reexamination of the
premises for Obama's proposed bombing adventure in Syria, and by extension, of
the longer-term war on terror. With Obama harking back to George W. Bush's
initial Iraq war authorization in 2002 to rationalize his actions, it is a
reexamination that is long overdue.