SYRIAN ARMY STAGES AIRSTRIKES ON ISIS HELD RAQQA

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHvKoF8vBImhW8K_KiRti40TyTuGx9Lg_6z1VenCkNmgk6dcheNP__aHYDyUCptImkPC5aFjGLgs6lcIdu4MQ_BbfNqc4Cq0WCHqBtsQ7vLxNT6vuNu5M3mAzwCEKil4Q2W8l7tam1SJw/s1600/00000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHvKoF8vBImhW8K_KiRti40TyTuGx9Lg_6z1VenCkNmgk6dcheNP__aHYDyUCptImkPC5aFjGLgs6lcIdu4MQ_BbfNqc4Cq0WCHqBtsQ7vLxNT6vuNu5M3mAzwCEKil4Q2W8l7tam1SJw/s640/00000.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> Syrian army warplanes carried out a wave of airstrikes in the Islamic State-held city of Raqqa, activists said, in rare attacks that coincided with the visit by a U.N. envoy to Damascus on Thursday.<br /> Two Syria-based groups as well as the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights say warplanes carried out at least 12 airstrikes across the city. They reported casualties but had no specific figures.<br /> <br /> It was not immediately clear what was hit.<br /> <br /> The city in northern Syria is the self-declared capital of the Islamic State group's so-called Islamic caliphate it has established across parts of Syria and Iraq. The region is often targeted by a U.S.-led coalition fighting IS from the air. The Syrians have occasionally targeted the city as well, but Syrian government airstrikes typically concentrate on other opposition-held areas of the country.<br /> <br /> Syrian President Bashar Assad reiterated in an interview with Russian media aired Wednesday that that the U.S. refuses to coordinate with his government in the fight against IS.<br /> <br /> For the U.S. officials, "if they cooperate with the Syrian army, this is like recognition of our effectiveness in fighting ISIS," Assad said, using another acronym for the group. He also said that his priority is "defeating terrorism" in Syria.<br /> <br /> Russia is trying to convince the West of the need to work with Syria in the fight against IS.<br /> Thursday's airstrikes on Raqqa coincided with a visit by the U.N. envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, to Damascus. De Mistura met with Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem, who repeated to him that fighting terrorism was the Syrian government's priority, according to the state-run news agency SANA.

SYRIAN ARMY STAGES AIRSTRIKES ON ISIS HELD RAQQA

Syrian army warplanes carried out a wave of airstrikes in the Islamic State-held city of Raqqa, activists said, in rare attacks that coin...

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US MILITARY “BOOTS ON THE GROUND” IN SYRIA; CONFIRMED

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN2_Vo1CH2l3N5q503KjLHeLylX-90ojxBb7qGI7afETssGg5wSwM8V-ws_vSt_hdPd8irhRBVzAB6101xaioZzb3YHMBvxwoIGF6sl7mjYAXkd7w0Fl-dJEArzUmuYUaEUjyBi9FJ8WM/s1600/00000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN2_Vo1CH2l3N5q503KjLHeLylX-90ojxBb7qGI7afETssGg5wSwM8V-ws_vSt_hdPd8irhRBVzAB6101xaioZzb3YHMBvxwoIGF6sl7mjYAXkd7w0Fl-dJEArzUmuYUaEUjyBi9FJ8WM/s640/00000.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> With the Russians on the ground at Latakia shoring up the Assad regime and with tensions between Washington and Moscow at a fever pitch over the Kremlin’s involvement, the Pentagon now says US boots are officially on the ground in Syria – you know, to help fight ISIS…<br /> <br /> <u><b>CNBC Tweeted:</b></u><i> "BREAKING: Defense officials tell NBC News that US special ops. forces are on ground in Syria assisting Kurdish forces in fight against ISIS"</i><br /> <br /> Of course, if true, the whole “assisting Kurdish forces” won’t go over well with Turkey’s Erdogan, the US’s brand new coalition partner against ISIS who has made no secret of his distrust for the YPG.<br /> <br /> Then again, there had to be some pretext for an imminent escalation with Russia and since it’s all a convoluted, bloody mess at this point, “helping Kurdish forces” is just as good as any other excuse we suppose.<br /> <br /> by Kurt Nimmo of InfoWars.com<br /> <div> <br /></div>

US MILITARY “BOOTS ON THE GROUND” IN SYRIA; CONFIRMED

With the Russians on the ground at Latakia shoring up the Assad regime and with tensions between Washington and Moscow at a fever pitch o...

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GEORGE SOROS IN SYRIA: ANOTHER COVERT OVERTHROW NGO

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaAmg7LatAfaVKKH12HwFT2wLCA2ZVvAR5xWLDp4v4UI74Fc6sBtAxy6S0uK75ci9tln7EF9yYcUed2pSCck9b8hsC2qeS-L-0DldKDOstkZN-MUzNJk5VO4HvI-DRToAWHGZyMDel6Cc/s1600/00000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaAmg7LatAfaVKKH12HwFT2wLCA2ZVvAR5xWLDp4v4UI74Fc6sBtAxy6S0uK75ci9tln7EF9yYcUed2pSCck9b8hsC2qeS-L-0DldKDOstkZN-MUzNJk5VO4HvI-DRToAWHGZyMDel6Cc/s640/00000.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;"><br /></span></span> <span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;">More than anything, this story – of the shady quasi-humanitarian organization known as the ‘White Helmets’, demonstrates just how these seemingly innocuous NGO front groups are being deployed as covert tools of international regime change project in Syria – helping to fulfill a primary foreign policy agenda for Washington, London, Tel Aviv, Riyadh and Doha’s joint venture in the region.</span></span><br /> <span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;"><br /></span></span> <span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;">The genius of the White Helmet operation is that they are even using crowd funding campaigns in order to raise money for this grey ‘revolution business’. In one of their recent campaigns entitled, “Support the women saving Syria from the bombs”, they managed to convince mostly westerners to donate $100,000 – money which will likely be spent to produce more ‘regime change’ propaganda – to be cleverly targeted back at liberal western audiences. A brilliant feedback loop design if there ever was one.</span></span><br /> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">One of the largest humanitarian organizations operating in war-torn Syria – the ‘White Helmets’ – has been accused of being an anti-government propaganda arm that encourages direct foreign intervention.</span><br /> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">In an article for the 21st Century Wire news service, investigative journalist and peace activist Vanesse Beeley says that the White Helmets use search and rescue activities as a cover-up to demonize Syrian President Assad and help terrorists.</span><br /> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The official website of the White Helmets says that its volunteers have already saved more than 20,000 people on all sides of the conflict, adding that the organization is following the principles of humanity, solidarity and impartiality outlined by the International Civil Defense Organization.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">However, according to Beeley, the White Helmets and other NGO’s such as the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, are used to justify the West’s policy of arming and supporting the insurgency in Syria.</span><br /> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg58p2ppHkMsBEhdqSBJ2h3fGGylz4-fju9rlhSNgr3udD4ogfq1PNMQVEuXxoTsPSRDTYGw1JKNz2Jo_x9vGnejtsWH0VYj7qjJGgq3fCRGk9WEioQR_e_fW_L8W6XBFnUk0_o1bEzxlo/s1600/00000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg58p2ppHkMsBEhdqSBJ2h3fGGylz4-fju9rlhSNgr3udD4ogfq1PNMQVEuXxoTsPSRDTYGw1JKNz2Jo_x9vGnejtsWH0VYj7qjJGgq3fCRGk9WEioQR_e_fW_L8W6XBFnUk0_o1bEzxlo/s640/00000.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <i>MONEY FOR REGIME CHANGE? White Helmet ‘heart string’ marketing campaign working as cointelpro propaganda.</i><br /> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Vanesse Beeley spoke to Sputnik tracing back to the roots of the White Helmets, “If you look at their creation in 2013, they were set up with funding from the UK, USA and Syrian Opposition Party. We immediately have the suspicion that there will be an element of impartiality within the organization.” </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">“White Helmets demonizes the Assad government and encourages direct foreign intervention. A White Helmet leader wrote a recent Washington Post editorial. White Helmets are also very active on social media with a presence on Twitter, Facebook etc.,” Beeley said.</span><br /> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">According to Rick Sterling’s article on the ‘Highly Effective Manipulators, he also elaborated that the “White Helmets is the newly created name for ‘Syrian Civil Defense.’</span><br /> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Despite the name, Syria Civil Defense was not created by Syrians nor does it serve Syria. Civilians from rebel controlled territory were paid to go to Turkey to receive some training in rescue operations. The program was managed by James Le Mesurier, a former British soldier and private contractor whose company is based in Dubai,” Global Research reported.</span><br /> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The claims regarding the number of people trained by the White Helmets and the number of people rescued are quite different. “The numbers are probably highly exaggerated especially since rebel-controlled territories have few civilians. A doctor who recently served in a rebel-controlled area of Aleppo described it as a ghost town.”</span><br /> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The White Helmets work mainly with the rebel group Jabat al Nusra (al-Qaeda in Syria). There are videos of the recent supposed chlorine gas attack which starts with the White Helmet logo and ends with the logo of Nusra. In reality, White Helmets is a small rescue team for Nusra/al-Qaeda, Beeley said.</span><br /> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">During her interview with Sputnik she gave further examples of the leaked videos that show that White Helmets do more than just rescue people.</span><br /> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">“If we at least start making people question this propaganda and if we make people appreciate that it is a very one sided story that is being portrayed to them, then we are breaking some strangle holds of these narratives,” Beeley told Sputnik.</span><br /> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">From 21 Century Wire</span>

GEORGE SOROS IN SYRIA: ANOTHER COVERT OVERTHROW NGO

More than anything, this story – of the shady quasi-humanitarian organization known as the ‘White Helmets’, demonstrates just how these s...

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NATO MUST STOP SUPPORTING TERRORISTS - ASSAD

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4pHUKb6Pao11tAtOp2GFQQapRZTu7VJYzo6i6mSef_hzMoMhc80hLy0FPQ2H1w87nt42dt9JdT09b4FCT2UmcNRhGArT7EgasHtwij4bgZkN2Ex80eJu32sQm3biJU310t4Z1M5fRQXU/s1600/00000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4pHUKb6Pao11tAtOp2GFQQapRZTu7VJYzo6i6mSef_hzMoMhc80hLy0FPQ2H1w87nt42dt9JdT09b4FCT2UmcNRhGArT7EgasHtwij4bgZkN2Ex80eJu32sQm3biJU310t4Z1M5fRQXU/s640/00000.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> Europe is now facing a major migrant crisis, with thousands of undocumented asylum seekers mostly from conflict-torn countries of the Middle East arriving to the EU with hopes for a better life.<br /> <br /> "If you are worried about them, stop supporting terrorists. That’s what we think regarding the crisis. This is the core of the whole issue of refugees," Assad said in an interview with Russian reporters.<br /> <br /> Bashar Assad called Tuesday on all forces in Syria to unite against terrorism.<br /> <br /> West Admits ISIL, Not Assad’s Gov’t Main Threat to Middle East – Lavrov<br /> <br /> "I would like to take this opportunity to call on all forces to unite against terrorism, because it is the way to achieve the political objectives which we as Syrians want through dialogue and political action," Assad said.<br /> <br /> The president underscored that a successful political dialogue in Syria is possible only after terrorism has been defeated in the country.<br /> <br /> "We have to continue dialogue in order to reach the consensus as I said, but if you want to implement anything real, it’s impossible to do anything while you have people being killed, bloodletting hasn’t stopped, people feel insecure," he said. "So, we can achieve consensus, but we cannot implement unless we defeat the terrorism in Syria."

NATO MUST STOP SUPPORTING TERRORISTS - ASSAD

Europe is now facing a major migrant crisis, with thousands of undocumented asylum seekers mostly from conflict-torn countries of the Mid...

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RUSSIA'S GAMBLE: STEPPING UP INVOLVEMENT IN SYRIA

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9EnTR50EBXnwUF6EhbYUwO6ZryrTxzWWumD8CGynwRiSjQEgHq9Qf-zhHDG5AsDTCUs7mRswfCn49wdOqlFLH0TU2QWPJUYueiorO-YERmj5Lp1UJ8ICysCgHDwvzSc8CWN1hgOE_5DE/s1600/00000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9EnTR50EBXnwUF6EhbYUwO6ZryrTxzWWumD8CGynwRiSjQEgHq9Qf-zhHDG5AsDTCUs7mRswfCn49wdOqlFLH0TU2QWPJUYueiorO-YERmj5Lp1UJ8ICysCgHDwvzSc8CWN1hgOE_5DE/s640/00000.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> In ramping up its military involvement in Syria's civil war, Russia appears to be betting that the West, horrified by the Islamic State group's spread and an escalating migrants crisis, may be willing to quietly tolerate President Bashar Assad for a while, perhaps as part of a transition.<br /> <br /> The logic is that prioritizing the fight with the jihadis means accepting Assad as the less bad option despite his own brutal acts, and might produce a more effective and coordinated fight in the air and on the ground.<br /> <br /> It also would reorganize an awkward situation in Syria, whereby the Assad regime and the U.S.-led coalition are actively fighting the same group but do not act like allies - as opposed to coordination the coalition maintains with the central Baghdad authorities in the parallel fight against Islamic State group in neighboring Iraq.<br /> <br /> Russia has no such complications.<br /> <br /> A longtime backer of Syria's government, Moscow has recently increased its military activity in Syria, sending military advisers, technicians and security guards with the main goal of setting up an air base near the coastal town of Latakia, a stronghold of the Syrian president. There are reports that the Russians had flown in troops and modular housing units. And Israel's defense minister, Moshe Yaalon, says he expects Russians to be fighting alongside Assad's troops.<br /> <br /> Even more than the concurrent assistance by Iran and proxy Shiite militias on behalf of Assad, Russian military intervention could potentially be a game changer in the Syrian conflict, tipping the scales in a spectacularly ruinous civil war that has killed a quarter of a million people and created a massive global humanitarian crisis.<br /> <br /> The degree and speed of the impact depends on scale. And there is also a chance that the Russian efforts could prolong the bloodshed, counteracting the various U.S. efforts to train and arm palatable rebel groups.<br /> <br /> Russia claims it is mainly motivated by fighting IS. But U.S. President Barack Obama cast the buildup as an effort to prop up Assad.<br /> <br /> Samantha Power, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, warned that "doubling down" on the Assad regime "is not a winning strategy." In an interview with CNN, she said that "Assad cannot be part of a solution ... because he gasses his people, uses barrel bombs against them and is responsible for one of the worst torture campaigns in modern memory." Even if "all you cared about is (Islamic State) this is not going to bring peace or succeed in defeating terrorism," she said.<br /> <br /> Despite such statements, evidence suggests Russian President Vladimir Putin believes the West can be swayed, if only informally. Moscow may also hope that a creatively constructive role in Syria might help improve ties with the West, ravaged in the wake of the Ukrainian crisis,<br /> <br /> "Putin has proven an excellent tactician on the Syrian crisis, and he currently likely senses a chance to increase Russia's prestige and influence with relatively little pushback from the international community," said Ayham Kamel, Middle East and North Africa director of the London-based Eurasia group.<br /> <br /> "Putin probably realizes that the U.S. and Europe are no longer enthusiastic about regime change in Syria and are more focused on the threat of the Islamic State," he added.<br /> <br /> Indeed, European leaders have recently begun voicing what many say the Obama administration will not say publicly.<br /> <br /> British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond told Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee that his government was willing to accept "compromises" with Russia and Iran that could see Assad play a role "for some months" in a transition process.<br /> <br /> A day earlier, Austria's foreign minister was even more direct, saying the West should involve Assad in the fight against IS. Sebastian Kurz's comments came during a state visit to Tehran, and reflected what some officials have been saying privately for months.<br /> <br /> "One should not forget the crimes that Assad has committed, but also not forget the pragmatic view of the fact that in this fight we are on the same side," Kurz said.<br /> <br /> A true Russian buildup could complicate future American military action in Syria, including a safe zone along the Turkish border which has been discussed with Ankara.<br /> <br /> While neither the U.S. nor its Saudi allies currently preoccupied with the war in Yemen are likely to openly confront the Russian deployment, both are likely to respond by stepping up their aid to anti-Assad rebels.<br /> <br /> It also carries risks for Russia, where memories of its 1980s struggles against Islamic fundamentalists in Afghanistan still sting: an increased Russian presence may itself become a target for Syrian opposition and jihadi elements.<br /> <br /> Syrian opposition member Badr Jamous warned that rebels will regard any foreign fighters deployed on the side of the government as a legitimate target.<br /> <br /> Moscow may also be trying to ensure it has a say in a future political settlement, as ideas percolate around the region. There are reports that Egypt, an erstwhile ally of Russia and China, is considering a rapprochement with Assad.<br /> <br /> The Russian moves follow the successful conclusion of the Iran nuclear deal, in which Moscow also played a key role. Both countries have a huge investment in the Syrian regime, which along with being a client state provides Russia with its only remaining Mediterranean and Middle Eastern base in the port of Tartus.<br /> <br /> A series of major defeats for the Syrian military may have hastened Russia's decision to intensify its activity in Syria. Extremists are estimated to be in control of half the ravaged country, while rebels backed by the U.S., Saudi Arabia and Turkey have made striking gains in the country's north and south, putting pressure on Assad's coastal heartland.<br /> <br /> There is speculation about whether the Russians may convince Assad to accept a face-saving transition process that incorporates the Western-backed rebels into a power sharing deal.<br /> <br /> But several Lebanese politicians with close links to the Syrian government who frequent Damascus say the Syrian leadership is confident of the support of its Russian and Iranian friends and does not feel threatened enough to negotiate.<br /> <br /> The extent of Moscow's involvement in Syria will likely remain sketchy until Putin speaks at the U.N. general assembly later this month.<br /> <br /> A Pentagon spokesman, Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, said Monday the U.S. is closely monitoring the buildup.<br /> <br /> "We have seen indications in recent days that Russia has moved people and things into the area around Latakia and the air base there that suggests that it intends to establish some sort of a forward air operating base," Davis said.<br /> <br /> He said the U.S. has concerns about ensuring that any Russian military air operations not come into conflict with U.S. and coalition airstrikes that are being conducted in other parts of Syria against Islamic State targets and that "things that continue to support the Assad regime ... are unhelpful and risk adding greater instability to an already unstable situation."<br /> <br /> A recent analysis by The Soufan Group, a New York-based private risk assessment company, predicted worsening conflict amid the regional maneuvering.<br /> <br /> "Already a lethal cauldron of regional proxy warfare, Syria will further deteriorate if the U.S. and Russia use both sides of the civil war as leverage against the other," it said.<br /> <br /> by Zeina Karam of Associated Press

RUSSIA'S GAMBLE: STEPPING UP INVOLVEMENT IN SYRIA

In ramping up its military involvement in Syria's civil war, Russia appears to be betting that the West, horrified by the Islamic Sta...

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IRAN SOLDIERS JOIN RUSSIA IN SYRIA? - ISRAELI REPORT

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggHRm9lQEvp0kJvbM3IsdZk-IlW3F2tcQGAJbxuOpKNkNtF9FWQn7TkEZVAaxQT5Xf43BhN-0QCZveR7IRtXhDD7uFAIF4vR2lqxqczpvCvSNxk9__2C-0B2GSfj4nAKJfylmA1WfGeDM/s1600/00000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggHRm9lQEvp0kJvbM3IsdZk-IlW3F2tcQGAJbxuOpKNkNtF9FWQn7TkEZVAaxQT5Xf43BhN-0QCZveR7IRtXhDD7uFAIF4vR2lqxqczpvCvSNxk9__2C-0B2GSfj4nAKJfylmA1WfGeDM/s640/00000.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <h5 class="entry-subtitle" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Oswald, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 5px;"> Iran's elite Quds Force to fight against U.S. proxies</h5> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> Hundreds of Iranian soldiers have been sent to Syria to to help Russia defend the al-Assad government, according to the Israeli media.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> Ynetnews, the English-language Israeli news website of Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel’s most-read newspaper, reports that Qasem Soleimani, commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force, is cooperating with Russia.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> An Israeli military source told Ynet Iran’s stepped up military involvement in Syria is “due to Assad’s crisis and under Russian-Iranian cooperation as a result of a meeting between Soleimani with Russian President Vladimir Putin.”</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> <br /></div> <h3 style="clear: both;"> <i><span style="background-color: #e69138; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Please note that the claim has not been independently verified. Given the levels of anti-Iran propaganda coming from Israel and anti-Russian propaganda out of the U.S. I would certainly refrain from drawing solid conclusions based on such 'reports'. </span></i></h3> <div> <i><span style="background-color: #e69138; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> “It’s hard to forecast whether Russia’s presence will decide the fate of Syria, but it will lengthen the fighting and bloodletting for at least another year because ISIS won’t give up,” the source said.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> On Thursday Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon told reporters the Russian presence in Syria is limited to military advisers, technicians and security guards primarily located at an air base near the coastal town of Latakia.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> “As far as we understand, at this stage we are talking about a limited force that includes advisers, a security team and preparations for operating planes and combat helicopters,” Yaalon said.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov admitted on Thursday Russia’s “humanitarian” flights to Syria include military equipment in addition to humanitarian aid.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> Iran has allowed Russian cargo planes to enter its airspace en route to Syria.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> “The Russian embassy has now received permission for all the requested flights of Russian planes carrying humanitarian aid to Syria,” the press attache of the Russian embassy in Tehran, Maxim Suslov, told Interfax.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> Previously, Bulgarian authorities said they would not permit Russian planes flying to Syria to use the country’s air space.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> by KURT NIMMO | INFOWARS.COM</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> <br /></div>

IRAN SOLDIERS JOIN RUSSIA IN SYRIA? - ISRAELI REPORT

Iran's elite Quds Force to fight against U.S. proxies Hundreds of Iranian soldiers have been sent to Syria to to help Russia defe...

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PUTIN ADMITS RUSSIAN MILITARY SUPPORT FOR SYRIAN ARMY

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3xr1j_yfOng6xe5B7Jz626HFvXLmnyENpqD1HTE0XZAWmr6y7eUFI54jmMJDlrJ0GkuwwqnnCYvAephHFwZBkZdJPBYrmxmq8oNcjZaw4eLgkoRB02Af_O0Sy5OHBWe3LGpvu7K5BEWQ/s1600/00000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3xr1j_yfOng6xe5B7Jz626HFvXLmnyENpqD1HTE0XZAWmr6y7eUFI54jmMJDlrJ0GkuwwqnnCYvAephHFwZBkZdJPBYrmxmq8oNcjZaw4eLgkoRB02Af_O0Sy5OHBWe3LGpvu7K5BEWQ/s640/00000.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> Vladimir Putin admitted on Friday during an economic forum in Vladivostok his country is providing Bashar al-Assad’s military with weapons and training.<br /> <br /> The Russian president said it was “premature” to talk about direct military support for the Syrian army but said Russia is “already giving Syria quite serious help with equipment and training soldiers, with our weapons,” RIA Novosti reported.<br /> <br /> Putin added his government has not ruled out direct military support in the future.<br /> <br /> He said supplies sent to Syria fulfill contracts dating back five to seven years.<br /> <br /> <br /> Russia has a naval facility in Tartus, Syria, on the Mediterranean. In November, 2011 a Russian flotilla led by the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov visited Tartus to show support for the al-Assad government at the outbreak hostilities between the government and US and Gulf Emirate supported mercenaries.<br /> <br /> On Thursday the Obama administration indicated it is monitoring reports that Russia is conducting military operations in Syria. The White House said any attempt by Russia to support the Syrian government would be “destabilizing and counter-productive.”<br /> <br /> On Wednesday state television in Damascus ran video footage of what appears to be Russian armored vehicles supporting Syrian troops fighting anti-Assad mercenaries in Latakia.<br /> <br /> Mercenary groups also posted images to social media they said showed Russian jets and drones operating over the Idlib province.<br /> <br /> Behind the Anti-ISIS Rhetoric<br /> <br /> During remarks Friday Putin said Russia would like to “create some kind of an international coalition to fight terrorism and extremism” and added to that “end, we hold consultations with our American partners.”<br /> <br /> He said he had “personally spoken on the issue with US President Obama.”<br /> <br /> Last September, however, the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, said the United States is presenting a “two-faced stance” and a “double standard” in the supposed war against ISIS in Syria.<br /> <br /> Evidence reveals jihadi terrorist groups in Syria are supported by the United States, a coalition of Gulf Emirate states led by Saudi Arabia, and Turkey.<br /> <br /> Over the last two years the distinction between “moderate” mercenary groups fighting to overthrow al-Assad and extremist groups such as al-Nusra and ISIS has all but disappeared.<br /> <br /> “Nowhere in rebel-controlled Syria is there a secular fighting force to speak of,” The New York Times reported in April 2013.<br /> <br /> In May a declassified US Defense Intelligence Agency document from 2012 revealed the United States and its partners supported the Islamic State and planned to establish a Salafist principality in Syria.<br /> <br /> According to investigative reporter Nafeez Ahmed, the “leaked document reveals that in coordination with the Gulf states and Turkey, the West intentionally sponsored violent Islamist groups to destabilize Assad, despite anticipating that doing so could lead to the emergence of an ‘Islamic State’ in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).”<br /> <br /> As Tim Anderson notes, cooperation between so-called “moderate” groups and ISIS is predicated on destroying “a common enemy in Syria: ‘the Nussayri regime,’ a sectarian way of referring to supposedly apostate Muslims,” namely the Shia Alawites that ruled the country prior to the mercenary war.<br /> <br /> Many Syrians view the US coalition ostensibly devised to combat ISIS in Syria as a ruse to take out al-Assad. Russia has also said it believes airstrikes aimed at ISIS are designed to overthrow the government.<br /> <br /> Russia’s involvement in Syria is an effort to help the government of al-Assad defend itself against the increasingly brutal proxy war pursued by the United States and its partners, although Russia has not explicitly stated this is the case.<br /> <br /> While the push for a no-fly zone in Syria enforced by the United States has lost momentum over the last few weeks, on Friday the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization in the US, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, joined the Syrian American Council and other groups in calling for one “to protect civilians from ongoing aerial attacks.”<br /> <br /> If the US and its partners eventually establish a no-fly zone in Syria, Russian aircraft supporting Syrian military operations would ultimately be targeted and the proxy war in Syria may escalate into a shooting war between the United States and Russia.<br /> <br /> by KURT NIMMO | INFOWARS.COM

PUTIN ADMITS RUSSIAN MILITARY SUPPORT FOR SYRIAN ARMY

Vladimir Putin admitted on Friday during an economic forum in Vladivostok his country is providing Bashar al-Assad’s military with weapon...

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RUSSIAN TROOPS ‘FIGHTING ALONGSIDE ASSAD’S ARMY AGAINST SYRIAN REBELS’

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYFI1rW-1ejraHTwSNL53gGg0ExAWPkwKfccCpegw3_RdwinY6aIxT2DRSadrQQPmEGp9x7qcj_7AJfHi7F-uR2O2C2gOZ7Msjfb7Rv0BafywXcS7Ug6-Nikjv17sGUh_BSiv7y8CTYUo/s1600/00000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYFI1rW-1ejraHTwSNL53gGg0ExAWPkwKfccCpegw3_RdwinY6aIxT2DRSadrQQPmEGp9x7qcj_7AJfHi7F-uR2O2C2gOZ7Msjfb7Rv0BafywXcS7Ug6-Nikjv17sGUh_BSiv7y8CTYUo/s640/00000.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> Russian troops are fighting alongside pro-Assad forces in Syria, state television in Damascus and several reports have claimed. The video footage claimed to show troops and a Russian armoured vehicle fighting Syrian rebels alongside President Bashar al-Assad's troops in Latakia.<br /> <br /> It is reportedly possible to hear Russian being spoken by the troops in the footage.<br /> <br /> In further indications of Russian "mission creep" in Syria, a Twitter account linked to Jabhat al-Nusra, al-Qaeda's Syrian branch, published images of what appeared to be Russian planes and drones flying over Idlib.<br /> <br /> And a Russian naval vessel was photographed heading south through the Bosphorus strait carrying large amounts of military equipment, according to social media and a shipping blog.<br /> <br /> While Russian military advisers are thought to have been in Syria for months, as the Kremlin tries to support its key Middle East ally, if confirmed, this would mark the first evidence of troops fighting on the front line.<br /> <br /> It is possible the Russians in the state television clip could have been contractors, thereby putting some distance between themselves and the Kremlin.<br /> <br /> An unnamed activist with the Syrian rebel group the Free Syrian Army told The Times: “The Russians have been there a long time.<br /> <br /> "There are more Russian officials who came to Slunfeh in recent weeks. We don’t know how many but I can assure you there has been Russian reinforcement.”<br /> <br /> Russia is also delaying the launch of an international investigation aimed at assigning blame for chemical weapon attacks in Syria, UN Security Council diplomats said on Wednesday, though Moscow's UN envoy said the holdup was for technical reasons.<br /> <br /> In a letter to the 15-nation council last week, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon outlined his plans for an investigation into toxic gas attacks in Syria, to be conducted by the United Nations and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).<br /> <br /> The council was supposed to respond to Ban's letter within five days. The deadline lapsed on Tuesday and no response has been sent.<br /> <br /> Several council diplomats said Russia, which holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council this month, was hesitating. Asked about it at a news conference, Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin played down concerns about a delay.<br /> <br /> "The most important thing is to make sure we know what is going to happen and the mechanism will work as effectively as it can," he said.

RUSSIAN TROOPS ‘FIGHTING ALONGSIDE ASSAD’S ARMY AGAINST SYRIAN REBELS’

Russian troops are fighting alongside pro-Assad forces in Syria, state television in Damascus and several reports have claimed. The video...

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RUSSIA TO BEGIN AIRSTRIKES AGAINST ISIS IN SYRIA

<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 5px;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisdGBC8QWx4VIeOy3wDlwmKfirlyOCgu7A-n8koS4ktjcR8E8kWOLQmmJulsOpjeAwjCY5lJc3Cm6Mhbl-r7DJFxeRp1nhIrLz-DROdH9f9_2pN8gg_mY8TvMB2F7jtztvQhur1sRwn1A/s1600/120514dhs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisdGBC8QWx4VIeOy3wDlwmKfirlyOCgu7A-n8koS4ktjcR8E8kWOLQmmJulsOpjeAwjCY5lJc3Cm6Mhbl-r7DJFxeRp1nhIrLz-DROdH9f9_2pN8gg_mY8TvMB2F7jtztvQhur1sRwn1A/s640/120514dhs.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Russian presence in Syria will increase likelihood of encounters with US (since the US and Israel are secretly funding and protecting Al-Qaeda or ISIS, or ISIL or IS or whatever they are choosing to call them this week.)</span></div> <div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 5px;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 1.1;">During a speech Sunday at the Citadel in South Carolina Republican presidential hopeful </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 1.1;">Scott Walker</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 1.1;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 1.1;">said ISIS would not be defeated in Syria until the government of Bashar al-Assad is brought down.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 1.1;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div> <div> <div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Government Puppet, Walker, said so long as Syrian President Bashar Assad “is still in power and Iran, his patron, has a base of operations in Damascus,” ISIS will not be defeated. </span></div> <div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <b style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">My Commentary:</b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"> (</span></span><i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Even though Assad has been fighting a war against ISIS for the last 4 years, while US has been '</span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">accidentally</span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">' air dropping weapons and supplies to them dozens and dozen of times. Aside from being in conflict together one has nothing to do with the other. ISIS are a group of Sunni extremists and Assad is an Alawite, which are considered infidels by the terrorist group. The US government preys on the public's ignorance on the matter and seems to be getting away with it for the most part. Assad is the ONLY one besides the Kurds and a small number of rebels, actually fighting ISIS in the area.</span></span></i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">) </span></span></div> <div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">“But let me be clear: Defeating ISIS and rolling back Iran will require a greater investment of U.S. resources,” Walker said. “Therefore, we must do more to recruit and support fighters in Syria who oppose both ISIS and Assad.”</span></div> <div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Earlier this month, the Obama administration authorized the use of airstrikes to counter ISIS in Syria, but Obama’s policy on Syria has prompted criticism by Republicans and Democrats alike, many whom want a more robust response to the terrorist group.</span></div> <div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">U.S. airstrikes, however, will soon face competition from Russia. </span><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Western diplomats say a Russian expeditionary force has arrived in Syria and will operate, according to the Israeli website</span><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"> </span>YNet<span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">, as a Russian forward operating base.</span></span></div> <div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">“In the coming weeks thousands of Russian military personnel are set to touch down in Syria, including advisors, instructors, logistics personnel, technical personnel, members of the aerial protection division, and the pilots who will operate the aircraft,” writes Alex Fishman.</span></div> <div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">“The current makeup of the expeditionary force is still unknown, but there is no doubt that Russian pilots flying combat missions in Syrian skies will definitely change the existing dynamics in the Middle East.”</span></div> <div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">The presence of the Russian military in the skies over Syria will increase the possibility of encounters with the United States, especially if the US adopts a more aggressive stance against the Syrian government.</span></div> <div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Earlier this month the United States began launching manned airstrikes against ISIS targets in Syria from the Incirlik Air Base in Turkey.</span></div> <div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Wwbd9b86SB0?rel=0" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 425px; overflow: hidden !important; width: 620px;" width="620"></iframe></span></div> <div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">by KURT NIMMO | INFOWARS.COM | AUGUST 31, 2015</span></span><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><i>with Comments by AlexxSounds of this site.</i></span></div> </div>

RUSSIA TO BEGIN AIRSTRIKES AGAINST ISIS IN SYRIA

Russian presence in Syria will increase likelihood of encounters with US (since the US and Israel are secretly funding and protecting Al...

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Is The Russian army is beginning to engage in Syria?

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOoSPkdt-Go3oUoBfd5mjv2eN1qDLMAU4kbeeGJ3TVwRDaLgEpb-VkEJkPiTsL0TNv7t3MRd745RMZYOm1fgxcgn3aU6gqWF5rkFIoxt7xBJrrvvk-VedGIIKG6G_IP8F0pURtkPefsBE/s1600/00000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOoSPkdt-Go3oUoBfd5mjv2eN1qDLMAU4kbeeGJ3TVwRDaLgEpb-VkEJkPiTsL0TNv7t3MRd745RMZYOm1fgxcgn3aU6gqWF5rkFIoxt7xBJrrvvk-VedGIIKG6G_IP8F0pURtkPefsBE/s640/00000.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> A profound and significant change has just occurred in the Levant – the Russian army has begun to engage against terrorism in Syria. Although Russia has been absent from the international scene since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and although it is moving with care, it has just created a Russo-Syrian Commission, has begun supplying weapons, sharing intelligence, and sending advisors. All of this is more or less coordinated with the White House.<br /> <br /> After having negotiated a regional alliance against the Islamic Emirate which implied Saudi Arabia, Syria and Turkey, Russia suddenly had to abandon its strategy after the Turkish turn-around. Ankara has in fact decided to break off its ties with Moscow, and has cancelled, without genuine motive, the contract for the gas pipe-line Turkish Stream, created, in partenership with Ukraine, an international Islamic Brigade intended to destabilise Crimea [1]. It has also come to the help of the Islamic Emirate in their fight against the Kurds of the PKK and the YPG.<br /> <br /> In the same way, the White House has been obliged to change its own strategy after the manœuvers by General John Allen, who agreed to help President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to create a « security zone »for the Islamic Emirate in Northern Syria [2].<br /> <br /> Finally, Moscow and Washington have coordinated<br /> - the removal of Patriot missiles stationed in Turkey ;<br /> - the creation of a Russo-Syrian military Commission.<br /> <br /> <b>The end of the no-fly zone</b><br /> The Patriot missiles had been installed by NATO in Turkey as from January 2013, in order to prevent the Syrian Air Force from deploying on the frontier. As a result, the jihadists of the al-Nusra Front (al-Qaïda) were able to seize the North of the country, and as from the summer of 2014, this no-fly zone was occupied by the Islamic Emirate.<br /> <br /> Thus, during the battle of Kobane, the Syrian Air Force were unable to bomb the Islamic Emirate, and Syria was obliged to attempt a land attack to save the city. Since it was unable to advance the last thirty kilometres, the Atlantist Press presented the Kurdish forces of the YPG as being independent of Damascus, although the Syrian Arab Republic had supplied it with weapons and was paying its soldiers.<br /> <br /> The Patriot missiles, initially deployed by Germany and Holland, are today German and Spanish. They will first of all be revised and modernised, then redeployed in Lithuania, at the Russian frontier.<br /> <br /> The entrance of the Russian army into the war against Syria<br /> Although Russia had abstained from participating in military operations since the beginning of the conflict, it has now created a Russo-Syrian Military Commission. And yet, NATO had organised all the events concerned in what was called the « Arab spring », including the war against Syria, and coordinated foreign jihadist groups and their Libyan and Syrian collaborators, called « rebels », from the Turkish base in Izmir [3], now also the location of LancCom (command of the land troops of the 28 member states of the Atlantic Alliance).<br /> <br /> Within a few weeks, many military advisors arrived in Damascus.<br /> <br /> Six Mikoyan-Gourevitch MiG-31’s were delivered. These planes are the best interceptors in the world. They had been bought in 2007, but the contract had been frozen. Their delivery is not affected by the arms embargo, since they can not be used in operations concerning the maintenance of law and order, but only for national defence, in this case, possible incursions by Israël or Turkey. Under various pretexts, these two states acted many time during the war to support the jihadists whenever they were in difficulty.<br /> <br /> So, on the 30th January 2013, Tsahal bombed the Centre for Military Research in Jemraya, under the pretext of destroying weapons that were destined for Hezbollah. In fact, the attack was intended to destroy a communications brief-case captured by the Syrian Arab Army, containing NATO satellite data, before they were able to decipher it [4]. The operation had been commanded by the Israeli Air Force in coordination with the Free Syrian Army, which in turn was directed by officers of the French Foreign Legion under the supervision of NATO’s LandCom.<br /> <br /> Simultaneously, and for the first time, the Russian army has just supplied satellite images to Syria. This decision, awaited for five years, inverses the military situation. Indeed, so far the jihadists have often escaped the Syrian Arab Army thanks to satellite images supplied by NATO in real time. Even though, over a six-month period, it would seem that NATO no longer shares its intelligence with the Islamic Emirate, but only with the al-Nusra Front (al-Qaïda).<br /> <br /> Finally, the Russian military advisors possess a wealth of information which they use in order to study the possibility of an international deployment under banner of the UNO. They have to present a report to the Kremlin which would also study the possibility of a Russian operation as well as a joint operation by the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).<br /> <br /> The CSTO will be meeting in Douchanbe, Tadjikistan, on the 15th September. A deployment by the CSTO had aleady been envisaged, in June 2012, during the preparation for the « Geneva Conference 1 » [5]. Indeed, this military alliance includes three states with a Muslim population – Kazakhstan, Kirghizistan, and Tadjikistan, who are better prepared than Russia to fight terrorists who claim to be Islamist. However, at the time, the CSTO had no agreement with the UNO to carry out peace operations. This situation was resolved on the 28th September 2012 – it could also be applied as well in Afghanistan as in Syria [6].<br /> <br /> <b>The limits of the cooperation between the Kremlin and the White House</b><br /> In any event, the cooperation between the Kremlin and the White House has its limits – Russia wants to eradicate the jihadists before they turn against her, while the United States hope that some of them could be re-activated in other conflicts, as was earlier the case in Afghanistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Chechnya and Kosovo.<br /> <br /> Already, certain elements of Daesh have arrived in Kherson (Ukraine), where a so-called « Crimean Government in Exile » already exists.<br /> <br /> It is apparent that from the US side, the withdrawal of the Patriot missiles is a trap. Washington would be happy for Russia to reduce the number of active jihadists, but at the same time, it would not be dismayed if it were to get bogged down in Syria. That is why the Russian bear is advancing prudently.<br /> <br /> Source: Thierry Meyssan, VoltaireNet, 24 August 2015. Translated by Pete Kimberley.

Is The Russian army is beginning to engage in Syria?

A profound and significant change has just occurred in the Levant – the Russian army has begun to engage against terrorism in Syria. Alth...

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