Emails of Ambassador Karlov’s killer were deleted after attack – report

From RT

January 27, 2017

The emails of the killer of Andrey Karlov, the former Russian Ambassador to Turkey, were deleted following the assassination, an investigation into the murder has shown, Daily Sabah newspaper reports, citing sources. The attacker’s computer and mobile phone were seized as part of the investigation, but all e-mail correspondence had been deleted at about 9:30pm, two and a half hours after the attack. Russia’s ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, was killed on December 19 by Mevlut Mert Altıntas, a police officer, during the opening reception of an art exhibition in the Turkish capital Ankara. The attacker was later killed in a shootout with police.

https://www.rt.com/news/line/

Project Censored: News media cover-up of reason for war on Syria — a natural gas pipeline route

Project Censored publishes a book annually of the top 25 unreported or under-reported news stories for the year. This year, the story of a major reason for the Syrian conflict was #8.

8. Syria’s War Spurred by Contest for Gas Delivery to Europe, Not Muslim Sectarianism

At least four years into the crisis in Syria, “most people have no idea how this war even got started,” Mnar Muhawesh reported for MintPress News in September 2015.

In 2011–12, after Syrian president Bashar al-Assad refused to cooperate with Turkey’s proposal to create a natural gas pipeline between Qatar and Turkey through Syria, Turkey and its allies became “the major architects of Syria’s ‘civil war.’” The proposed pipeline would have bypassed Russia to reach European markets currently dominated by Russian gas giant Gazprom. As a result, Muhawesh wrote, “The Middle East is being torn to shreds by manipulative plans to gain oil and gas access by pitting people against one another based on religion. The ensuing chaos provides ample cover to install a new regime that’s more amenable to opening up oil pipelines and ensuring favorable routes for the highest bidders.”

In 2012, the US, UK, France, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, along with Turkey, began to organize, arm, and finance rebels to form the Free Syrian Army, consistent with long-standing US plans to destabilize Syria. These nations formed a pact, “The Group of Friends of the Syrian People,” that implemented a sectarian divide and conquer strategy to overthrow President Assad. “It’s important to note the timing,” Muhawesh wrote. “This coalition and meddling in Syria came about immediately on the heels of discussions of an Iran-Iraq-Syria gas pipeline that was to be built between 2014 and 2016 from Iran’s giant South Pars field through Iraq and Syria. With a possible extension to Lebanon, it would eventually reach Europe, the target export market.” As MintPress News reported, access to oil and gas—not sectarian differences—is the underlying cause of the violent conflict and humanitarian disaster in Syria. “The war is being sold to the public as a Sunni-Shiite conflict” by the Friends of Syria because, if the public understood the economic interests at stake, “most people would not support any covert funding and arming of rebels or direct intervention.”

Based on secret US cables revealed by WikiLeaks, Muhawesh reported that “foreign meddling in Syria began several years before the Syrian revolt erupted.” US State Department cables from 2006 documented plans to instigate civil strife that would lead to the overthrow of Assad’s government. The leaks revealed the United States partnering with nations including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, and Egypt to fuel Sunni-Shiite sectarianism to divide Syria.

Although there is plenty of coverage in US corporate media about the violence in Syria and the refugee crisis that is sweeping Europe and reaching North America, this coverage has failed to address the economic interests, including control of potentially lucrative gas pipelines, that motivate the US and its allies.  (US corporate news coverage of the Ukraine crisis was comparable in that it too downplayed geopolitical oil interests as a source of tension among Russia, the US, and their respective allies, as Nafeez Ahmed has reported. See “US Media Hypocrisy in Covering Ukraine Crisis,”Censored story #9 from Censored 2015.) Instead, corporate news coverage has characterized the conflict in Syria as a battle for democracy that has been hijacked by Sunni-Shiite interests. For example, Oren Dorell of USA Today identified “a mind-boggling and dangerous stew of shifting and competing alliances” involved in the Syrian conflict—including groups categorized as progovernment, antigovernment, anti-Islamic State, and “other fighters”—but he did not address the gas interests that, according to Muhawesh’s reporting, ultimately underpin the conflict. Instead, much of what passes for news coverage in the corporate press adheres to a pattern that Muhawesh identified and critiqued as simplistic and “Orientalist,” framing conflict in the Middle East and especially Syria as sectarian in order “to paint the region and its people as barbaric.”


Mnar Muhawesh, “Refugee Crisis & Syria War Fueled by Competing Gas Pipelines,” MintPress News, September 9, 2015, http://www.mintpressnews.com/migrant-crisis-syria-war-fueled-by-competing-gas-pipelines/209294/.

Student Researcher: Salah Mouazen (Citrus College)

Faculty Evaluators: Andy Lee Roth and Lanette Granger (Citrus College)

8. Syria’s War Spurred by Contest for Gas Delivery to Europe, Not Muslim Sectarianism

To find out more information on this year’s stories and order the book: http://www.projectcensored.org

1,000s Turkish forces surround NATO’s Incirlik air base for ‘inspection’ amid rumors of coup attempt

From RT

July 30, 2016

Some 7,000 armed police in heavy vehicles surrounded the Incirlik air base used by NATO forces in Adana in what a Turkish minister called a “security check.” With no official explanation, speculations have arisen about a new coup attempt or VIP visit.

READ MORE: Anti-US rally staged at NATO Incirlik air base in Turkey (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Hurriyet reported earlier that Adana police had been tipped off about a new coup attempt, and forces were immediately alerted. The entrance to the base was closed off.

Security forces armed with rifles and armored TOMA vehicles used by Turkish riot police could be seen at the site in photos taken by witnesses.

Turkey’s minister for EU Affairs downplayed the situation in a Twitter post, saying a “security inspection” was carried out.

“We did the general security check. There is nothing wrong,” he tweeted from Adana.

Some supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have reportedly flocked to the cordon surrounding the base. The scene, however, did not appear as massive and tense as the recent Adana protests demanding for the base to be shut down.

On Thursday, a huge rally marched towards the NATO base, as people with loudspeakers chanted anti-American and anti-Israel slogans. The demonstrators claim that the US had a hand in the failed July 15 coup attempt in which 270 people died. Tens of thousands people, including members of the military, police, judiciary, media, and civil service, have been arrested in connection with the coup, which Turkish officials say was organized by US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, Erdogan’s former ally, who is now his most hated rival.

READ MORE: Anti-US rally staged at NATO Incirlik air base in Turkey (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

In the wake of the coup attempt, several military officials at the Incirlik Air Base, including its commander, General Bekir Ercan Van, were arrested on treason charges by Turkish authorities, which claimed that one of the rogue F-16 planes taking part in the rebellion to overthrow Erdogan’s government had been refueled there.

The general had even reportedly attempted to seek asylum in the US, but his plea was apparently rejected.

Incirlic Air Base is used by both the Turkish and US militaries and is vital to the US-led anti-terror bombing campaign in Syria and Iraq. It also serves as one of six NATO storage sites for US tactical nuclear weapons in Europe. The exact number of nuclear bombs kept at the base is unknown, although, according to various estimates, it may store up to 90 warheads.

The US-led coalition’s airstrikes had to be halted for several days when power was cut at the base. US military personnel stationed there had to switch to an internal power supply.

READ MORE: Local authorities block access to air base in Turkey that houses US nukes

The “inspection” at the base comes as the Turkish government announced a sweeping military reform on Saturday. In an interview with TV broadcaster A-Haber, Erdogan unveiled plans to scrap all military academies and replace them with a new national defense university.

The commanders of the different branches of the Turkish armed forces are to be put under the defense minister’s chain of command. In addition, Erdogan wants the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) and military chief of staff to report directly to him, which would require a new constitutional amendment to be passed by the parliament.

It also comes on the eve of a visit from a top US military official, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford, who is scheduled to arrive in Turkey on Sunday. Diplomatic sources quoted by Hurriyet claim Dunford will go visit both Ankara and Incirlik.

https://www.rt.com/news/354042-turkish-police-incirlik-nato-coup/

Leonid Ivashov: Russia won’t liberate the Europeans again

From Fort Russ

Leonid Ivashov

Pravda.ru, May 20, 2016

Translated from Russian by Tom Winter

World
In recent years, the geopolitical situation and the military-strategic balance of forces in the world is of ever growing concern. It increasingly sounds like the situation of 1939. There’s a smell in the air of a great war.

In the 90s, many representatives of the Russian ruling circles had the impression that the confrontation with the West was finally over. There was even talk about Russia’s accession into NATO, “the end of history” and so on. However, all that was just so long as the elite overseas powers felt that the destructive processes generated by the collapse of the Soviet Union, would be irreversible for Russia. Do not forget that the policy of destroying Russia still continued, but was veiled in the sweet voice of friendship and cooperation.

Vladimir Putin’s 2007 Munich speech was the first signal to the West to debunk the illusion of a weak Russia, the illusion it generated on its own through inertia beginning in 1991. The conflict in South Ossetia a year later came as a shock, after which Western powers took military confrontation “in a serious way.”

Today we see how disturbed the parity of forces in Europe has gotten in connection with the deployment of missile defense systems in Romania and Poland: in a few years Russia will not be able to launch a retaliatory nuclear strike.

What should be the asymmetric response of Russia to the new threats and challenges of the modern world? The president of the International Center for Geopolitical Analysis, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Colonel-General, ex-chairman of the “Union of Russian People,” Leonid Ivashov spoke to Pravda.Ru on these subjects.

“You have to understand that in the situation in Europe, that Europe is militarily colonized by the Americans. The Americans have advanced pro-American regimes in the Western European countries and have completely subjugated Eastern Europe. And there, with a base in Eastern Europe there is pressure on Germany, France, as well as, to a lesser extent, Britain. On the other side, the Turks are working on a flank against Europe; they, in concert with the Americans started this process with migrants of Muslim origin. And so Europe today is the victim of US policy, of transnational corporations, the Rothschilds, the Rockefellers. That is what is happening in Europe today.

Europe needs the threat of a bogeyman. And here they’ve made one up, Russia. And besides that, they lie so shamelessly, without paying the slightest attention to the balance of power. How could a country threaten NATO, that has several times less military capability? Especially in the western strategic direction. And in size of defense forces, and on the composition of military equipment, we are disadvantaged three or four times over, as well as in overall military equipment. Therefore, we can only be on the defensive, defend ourselves somehow, but as for offensive and striking groups, we have virtually none. But anything else is just false information and propaganda.

Our attempts to create something in the image of the Warsaw Pact have nothing to work on. We have no such countries in Eastern Europe ready to go to close military and military-technical cooperation. The Americans hold them all by the throat. But we have no need for allies like Poland, the Baltic States and Romania. It’s better they will be enemies.

Screen capture from video at site. Text at top: “Only a new Warsaw Pact could stop NATO aggression” Not the view of Ivashov: “We have no need for allies like Poland…”

What we need to do in this area?

“First: strengthen our military power, to bring it to the required level of defense.

“Second: become closer friends with Belarus and, of course, create a single defense space with Belarus. In addition, there must be political and diplomatic work. It is needful to discuss with Europeans what awaits them. We are not going to free them any more from their occupation, with any military support, not from the migrants, nor from the States, nor from the Turks, they shouldn’t expect it. And, of course, work actively with the Serbs, continue to work with the Bulgarians. Throughout the Balkans we should work actively through political, diplomatic, and economic means.

“Third: it is necessary to understand that it’s the Americans who are behind the whole process, the anti-Russian hysteria, and the process of increasing the power of NATO. So we need to create a military group that is capable to work on the territory of United States. The States are actively developing the missile defense system to neutralize our intercontinental ballistic missiles. So you need to create a bundle of high-precision tools. Cruise missiles to be based within reach of the United States. So it becomes possible to neutralize the US missile defense. We need a real threat to the United States, the foundation of all these processes. 

“When Americans feel threatened, as in 1962, then they themselves will be send invitations to the negotiating table and begin to negotiate.”

http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/05/we-need-real-threat-to-united-states.html

Editor: This partially explains the soft coups underway in Ecuador, Brazil, Venezuela, and the overtures to Cuba. The US government wants to put these countries under its control so there is no possibility of Russian bases or weapons a la NATO.

A weapon that also must be used is simply the truth about all the West has done and is doing — US, Great Britain, France, Netherlands, etc. Name the names, expose the deeds. Showing the Western soldiers who and what they are really fighting for may encourage them to stand down and stop this insanity. It may be that many soldiers want to be warriors for truth, freedom, and goodness.

“Suicide Bomber Battalion” formed on the Crimean border

From Fort Russ

Translated by Ollie Richardson for Fort Russ
9th April, 2016
 
The situation on the border with Crimea is far from ideal. Here, in cooperation with volunteers from the Aidar and Azov battalions, Crimean Tatar activists operate who, after their leader Refat Chubarov’s meeting with the Turkish leadership, started to form a national military unit. At the same time the Turkish authorities were equipping these units, the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko personally took a ride on the frigate “Hetman Sahaidachny” in Istanbul and brought them new uniforms.
Now the situation on the border with Crimea is on the verge of a social explosion. The excesses of the Tatar youths, among which activists of the extremist Turkish organization “Grey wolves” are seen, get on the nerves of the region’s people. It came to the point that the leaders of the Majlis demanded the Ukrainian authorities allocate them a portion of the territory of the Kherson region to create their own enclave.
The news that Crimean Tatars will ask for the most “appetizing” areas near the black sea coast is not much of a surprise as it has already happened in Crimea. Meanwhile, the Genichesk, Kalanchak, and Chaplynka districts are undergoing attacks on representatives of local business, during which the blockades by the activists extort financial support for their activities.
Now the passion has begun to subside a bit due to the fact that the activities of the organizers of the blockade of Crimea went far beyond the legal framework and drew the attention of the police and also the world community. In the end, they were forced to remove their posts and join the border guards, the so-called “public control” over the movement of people and goods across the border.
However, this activity also cannot fool anybody. Currently, there is a rapid formation of Crimean Tatar units. The “Crimea” Battalion had been previously created. Despite the number of volunteers falling short of a fully-fledged division, the soldiers have already been in the area of the ATO.
Currently the head of the Mejlis, Mustafa Dzhemilev announced the formation of a new battalion called “Asker”. He does not hide the fact that he supports bloody acts and the destabilization of the situation in Crimea. Volunteers who have been recruited in this formation called themselves the “Suicide Bomber Battalion” because they assert that they are prepared to “help” their compatriots on the Peninsula.
Despite the statement of Petro Poroshenko that Crimea will be returned peacefully, on March 21st, Chubarov spoke about a military solution to the issue. In his words, the Crimean Tatar units will follow the advancing units of the Ukrainian troops and will bring order to the territory.

On Ukraine’s support of ISIS

Posted on Doubting Steven
Source: Medium.com

2-29-16

Since complete international isolation of Islamists isn’t achieved, any military confrontation with ISIS would be inefficient. Meanwhile Middle Eastern terrorism gets support not only of Islamic countries but also of those ones that pretend to belong to European democratic community. Also this community seems to consider that relations with terrorist structures of such countries as Ukraine are a common thing. At any rate, neither Berlin, nor Paris, nor Rome have ever condemned Kiev or called to do away with the Dudayev battalion (an armed group of radical Islamists mainly consisting of Chechens but also including militants from other Caucasian regions, and some Ukrainians) or the Sheikh Mansur battalion (seceded from the Dudayev battalion, placed not far from the Mariupol city in south east of Ukraine). No one also demanded to eliminate either Hizb ut-Tahrir organization banned by the majority of civilized governments, the ultra-radical UNA-UNSO, or the Right Sector. However all those organizations have been openly fraternizing with ISIS and even blew horn about it until recently.
The leader of the UNA-UNSO Dmytro Korchynsky and his Right Sector counterpart Oleksandr Muzychko succeeded in Middle Eastern bridge building. The first one thought that terrorists had been the only Kiev’s allies in its fight against Russia and called Islamists for ‘taking a good aim’ at Russians. The other one was one of a general connecting links between Ukrainian ultra-nationalists and Islamists and liked to vaunt of success in dealing with ISIS. They say that the information about sale of Israeli and Soviet missiles and allegedly nuclear weapons elements to Daesh leaked to mass media due to his excessive garrulousness. However, after his death (which has been considered no-coincidence — he was killed during Ukrainian police-involved shooting) the leaks to the media died out. Some people believe that all relations with Ukrainian group of ISIS and its Syrian leaders have been monopolized by power structures annoyed with public rodomontade of Muzychko and his ‘associates’.
It is clear that there is no trustworthy information in this respect. This is just a buzz. But there is no smoke without fire. They say that regular (!) contacts with ISIS are under the jurisdiction the Verkhovna Rada MP and the Minister of the Interior’s adviser Anton Herashchenko (!) famous of his proposal to publish personal data of Russian pilots in Syria, so that the militants could have the opportunity to take revenge.
Apropos, Ukraine being represented by the secretary of the National Security and Defence Council Oleksandr Turchinov occurred to be nearly the only state applauding the attack on the Russian Su-24M bomber by the Turkish Air Force F-16 fighter. By doing so Kiev has distinctly defined which side it’s been standing and whom it’s been supporting. The speech of Ukroboronprom Deputy Director General responsible for Foreign Economic Activity Denis Gurak that Ukraine and Turkey had reached agreement on joint projects in many fields of defense industry, in particular aerospace, aviation, armor sectors and boosting security and protection in the Black Sea waters refers to the same.
On top of that Ukraine has given Turkey all scientific resources in the field of nuclear research remaining since Soviet times. Thus Ukrainian engineers of carbon-uranium commercial reactors meant for production of weapons plutonium participate in research works organized in Turkish Nuclear Research and Training Center. In this way, Islamists can gain access to technology of making plutonium nuclear bomb through the agency of Turkey!
It’s a remarkable fact that a representative of Syrian Turkomans Alparslan Çelik who is deemed to be responsible for the murder of the Russian pilot expresses thanks to Ankara and both ISIS and Ukrainian authorities as well in his appeal to Turkish government.
His appeal was detected by Anonymous Group on one of Islamist sites نداء الى تركيا و داعش و اوكرانيا.
There is every ground to believe that the alliance between Kiev and jihadists exists and that both sides have been actively engaging. For Ukraine, ISIS is a considerable leverage in its confrontation with Russia and an inexhaustible source of ‘black’ money at the same time. In particular ISIS supplies Ukraine with hit men from Turkey, Syria, Iraq and some former socialist republics for military conflicts in the territory of Novorossia. The most illustrative example of illegal export is a confession of the Kuwait ISIS group Osama Hayat of the deal to buy Chinese MANPADs FN-6 in Ukraine designed to engage low flying targets with maximum altitude of 3.8 km, which they conveyed through Turkey to Syria. The money was transferred through a Turkish bank.
The Islamic State has also created several bases for terrorists’ training (according to various opinions, the largest training camps have been located in the Dnipropetrovsk suburbs and Perevalnoye place) and ‘recreation camps’, where it is possible to buy legal Ukrainian IDs. In the view of the visa-free regime for Ukrainians, those jihadists with new legal status obtain a very easy access to the Western countries. As a result, Ukraine turns into a terminal for Islamists in their way to Europe and transient center for committing acts of terrorism in Russia and other countries.

Saudi troops into Syria: The “gates of Hell” will be open in the coming months. Three possible scenarios

Global Research, February 15, 2016
Elijah J M 14 February 2016

There are three possible scenarios in Syria

Participation of [Saudi] Arab troops  in Syria is not excluded.

A high-ranking officer within the joint operations room in Damascus, which includes Russia, Iran and Syria and Hezbollah said,

“ there are three possible scenarios in Syria:

The first is the [Saudi] Arab ground troops would enter Syria from the Turkish borders, in the area under the so-called “Islamic State” group (ISIS) on the long bordering front from Jarablus to Al-Ra’ee. This can be possible and quickly achievable if a kind of an agreement is reached between Turkey and ISIS. After all, the Jihadist group has to face either the Turkish-Arab forces – that could allow a possible exit – or the Russian-Iranian-Hezbollah forces where there will be no exit”.

The second scenario is through the Jordanian borders East of Syria up to Raqqa. A longer road but would allow Saudi Arabia to bring its logistic and armoured support to push all the way to the ISIS-controlled land. In both scenarios, these troops, Arabs or Turkish-Arabs, would not clash or contact or even walk into the Russia-Damascus and allies military operational stage.

The third scenario is that the Saudi are boosting the moral of the Jihadist by advertising a possible intervention so these don’t surrender easily and hold the ground for as long as possible.

The source said:

“Any scenario is linked to the will of the United States to be engaged in a war in Syria. This is exactly what the Saudi officials said. The U.S. is sending the Awacs aircraft because any U.S direct intervention on the ground is totally excluded. This could be the U.S. contribution, along the diplomatic effort in Geneva. Never the less, we build our military reaction based on the strong possibility that the Arab ground troops are most likely to invade Syria. These forces, under the title of defeating ISIS, won’t reach Raqqa overnight. Logistic support and troops movement from Jordan into Syria require between 3 to 4 months to be completed. These forces, in this case, are expected to advance from Jordan, into al-Badiyah and continue up north toward Raqqa, the northern Syrian city, as a possible scenario. Any potential contact with the Syrian forces could lead to a larger war”.

We do not exclude the fact that Saudi Special Forces could act behind ISIS lines to guide airtrikes or carry small scale attacks. None the less, these forces cannot contribute to defeat ISIS but in directing specific targets. Any attack that could weaken ISIS is considered to our advantage. The U.S. led coalition can bomb ISIS any time but no ground troops would be welcome. Moreover, no jet is allowed to enter the Syrian space without prior coordination with Russia, otherwise it will be considered as a potential target. This is also another fact to consider. Therefore, no one is willing to see a large scale war, mainly President Obama who has avoided to be entangled in the Syrian war for the last two years.

Russian Prime Minister Dimitry Medvedev said,

“all parties should sit down at the negotiating table instead of causing an outbreak of a new world war”, rumbling the drum of war in Syria. The Russian warning came after the confirmation of a spokesman for the Saudi Defense minister Ahmad Asiri “the Saudi Kingdom has announced the establishment of the new Islamist alliance to fight terrorism and is ready to carry out air and ground operations within the international coalition led by the United States in Syria.”

The aim of the [Saudi] Arab forces is to divide Syria is two parts: “Gharbistan” (western) and “Sharqistan”(Eastern) similar to what happened in Berlin after World War II.

In the first part, the Syrian army will continue fighting al-Qaeda and its allies with the support of Russia.

While in the second part, the [Saudi] Arabs would establish their forces to impose a political change and could destabilise the regime. In the meantime, the regime forces are at 60km from Raqqa, while, Turkey is at 180 km from ISIS main city. Therefore, if the idea to defeat ISIS is genuine, the U.S led coalition doesn’t need to intervene and walk all this distance from Turkey or Jordan to Raqqa. However, The race to Raqqa is declared, with the possibility or without the possibility of an [Saudi] Arab-Turkish intervention.

According to the source

“the gates of hell will be open in the next 3 months in Syria against al-Qaeda and its allies and also against ISIS. As agreed in Geneva between Russia and the United States, any cease-fire shall not include Jihadists and their allies. If Syrian opposition groups do not disengage from al-Qaeda, they will be considered legitimate targets because they become united as one group and will be dealt with accordingly”.

Al-Qaeda in Syria, known as Jabhat al-Nusra, is part of Jaish al-fateh, a coalition of many Syrian groups operating in northern Syria. Al-Qaeda and Jihadist movements are sending reinforcement to northern Aleppo in the last 48 hours, but used to maintain a strong presence around Nubbl and Zahraa, the two cities that Russia and its allies brock the siege imposed for over three and a half years. Al-Qaeda fighters pulled back toward the north of Aleppo fighting in Tal-Rifaat and others toward the south of Zahraa where they are fighting in Andan and Hay’yan.

According to the source, human and signal intelligence confirmed that

“Saudi Arabia has asked Syrian opposition associated and not-associated with al-Qaeda not to waive any proposition in the Geneva negotiations and not to hand over any city in Syria without fighting. Time is crucial and Saudi Arabia will continue its military support to the opposition, waiting for a new U.S. to be elected. The battle is expected to be more intense where everybody is holding the ground which indicates that the war is still far form being over”

original article in Arabic

http://www.alraimedia.com/ar/article/special-reports/2016/02/14/657188/nr/syria

http://www.globalresearch.ca/saudi-troops-into-syria-the-gates-of-hell-will-be-open-in-the-coming-months-three-possible-scenarios/5507857

The Turkish and Saudi intervention in Syria. Towards a broader war

Global Research, February 15, 2016
South Front 15 February 2016

The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allies are advancing to the West of the Raqqa province. Currently, the Syrian Armed Forces are approximately 35 km away from the Tabqa military airport — their primary objective in Raqqa at the moment. The Syrian forces are also pursuing to secure the Salamiyah-Raqqa highway.

The Kurdish fighters, backed by Russian warplanes are currently engaged in intense clashes with the terrorist groups at the Western entrance of the town of Tal Rifat town in the Aleppo province. It’s confirmed that several terrorists of al-Nusra, including their commander Abdulsalam al-Saan, were killed in the air raids in the area of Tal Rifat.

Since Feb.13, the Turkish army has been shelling Syrian government forces and Kurdish targets mainly in the area near the city of Azaz in northwestern Syria, including the Menagh military air base recently retaken from the Syrian al Qaeda affilate, al Nusra. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said German Chancellor Angela Merkel by phone on Feb.14 that Turkey’s military will continue to shell Kurdish YPG clashing ISIS in northern Syria.

In a separate statement, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Ankara and Riyadh may launch a joint operation to fight ISIS in Syria. Considering at least that Turkish elites are deeply involved in the oil smuggling with ISIS and Saudi Arabia is a main sponsor of the al Nusra terrorist group, the only real reason of this intervention could be an attempt to prevent the gains of the Syrian government’s forces and Kurds supported by the Russian Aerospace Defense Forces against terrorists in Northern Syria. If the terrorist groups are cut from the Turkish border, they will lost their main source of supplies and reinforcements.

Moreover, on Feb.14, Turkey has reportedly relocated 400 militants from Idlib province to Aleppo via its soil to block the Kurdish fighters’ rapid advances in Northern Aleppo province.

On Feb.13, it was discovered that a massive shipment of ground-to-ground “Grad” missiles has been sent by the US allies, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, to militants fighting against the Syrian government.

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Syria ‘negotiates’ with new attacks on terrorist supply routes

Global Research, February 02, 2016
Moon of Alabama 1 February 2016
531px-Syrian_Arab_Army_Flag.svg

The Syrian Arab Army launched a significant new offensive in north Aleppo today. It is another move in the battlefield negotiations that will decide this war.

The likely objective of the offensive is the creation of a corridor from north-west Aleppo to the besieged towns of Nubol and AlZaraa. The towns are under siege from Jahat al Nusra (al-Qaeda in Syria) and Ahrar al-Sham and are regularly shelled. Such a corridor would also cut through the insurgents main supply route from south-west of Aleppo to Turkey.

The offense has been in preparation for some time and runs in parallel (vid) with other operations in Latakia near the Turkish border, east of Aleppo and in the south. To protect against any Turkish adventure Russia beefed up the available air power. Four brand new Russian Su-35S multi-role fighters arrived in Syria. Russia would like to demonstrate their capabilities. Nine Syrian Mig-29 fighters have been upgraded (recom. reading) with new active electronically scanned (AESA) radars and new missiles. They now fly protective cover for Russian and Syrian ground attack fighters and helicopters against Turkish air interdiction. Syrian T-72 tanks have been upgraded with new defense measures against U.S. anti-tank weapons.


Map by @PetoLucembiggerfull HD

Throughout the last weeks several thousand newly trained troops arrived in the government held north Aleppo industrial zone. These have now launched the fresh attack in the north western direction (red arrows on the map) and already captured several villages. The attack was prepared by massive ground attack airstrikes which hit the frontline positions of the foreign supported insurgents’  as well as their ammunition transports (vid). (Interestingly the destroyed convoy was on a narrow, small road. That proves that major supply roads are no longer available or safe for the insurgents.)

The attack today forestalled planned counterattacks by various insurgent groups and Jabhat al-Nusra. The attacked insurgent units issued urgent requests for reinforcements.

There have been significant skirmishes between Turkey and Syria/Russia in the last days. Turkey claimed that Russian jets intruded its airspace which the Russians denied. It is quite possible that small intrusion happen as the Russian and Syrian ground attack jets bombard insurgents near the Turkish border in Latakia. But the Turks now have to watch out for ready-to-shoot Russian and Syrian air superiority fighters who only wait for a chance to avenge the earlier Turkish ambush of a Russian plane.

Today Turkish artillery fired (vid) against Syrian army positions in Latakia. The 1998 Turkish-Syrian Adana agreement which provided for largely demilitarized Syrian side of the border up to a depth of fifteen kilometer is clearly no longer in effect. Syrian artillery is active against insurgent groups which hide in “refugee camps” near the border. The Turks claim that these are ethnic Turkmen civilians but the video showing the damage in such a camp was released (vid) with the insignia of Jabhat al-Nusra. Some other fighters in the area are Turks from the fascist MHP party.

When the Syrian army and its supporters have cleared the Latakia area near Turkey Russia will install a new far reaching radar and a listening post on one of its hilltops. Such a station will allow the observance of all air and sea movements for hundreds of kilometers into Turkey. It will be part of the price Turkey and NATO have to pay for the ambush of the Russian plane.

Some people think that Turkey would invade Syria if the Kurds move further into the supply corridor north east of Aleppo the Islamic State uses for its dealing with Turkey. I very much doubt such a move as any intrusion into Syria would risk open war with Russia. The Turkish army would only launch that war under a explicit, written order. NATO would not support such a move and Erdogan alone would carry the full responsibility. Most Turkish people are well aware of the economic losses that follow Erdogan’s aggressive policies and would likely not support such a hopeless adventure.

Erdogan’s grandstanding and interference is no longer effective. The current UN talks in Geneva between the Syrian government and a Saudi supported group of the radical insurgents are a side show. The real  negotiations are on the battlefield and there the Syrian government and its supporters continue to improve their already superior position.

Russia waiting for explanation from NATO over shelling of Syrian territory from Turkey

Global Research, February 02, 2016
TASS 1 February 2016

Russia has “irrefutable evidence” of Turkey shelling Syrian territory from large-caliber artillery

MOSCOW, February 1. /TASS/. Russian Defense Ministry is waiting for explanations from representatives of NATO and the Pentagon of the actions of Turkish military which the ministry accuses of shelling the Syrian territory, official spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Monday.

“Those who warn us about consequences without understanding what happened, should first of all think about the trap their Turkish partners are dragging them into,” Konashenkov said.

Russian Defense Ministry has ‘irrefutable evidence’ of Syria’s territory shelling by Turkish troops

According to Konashenkov, Turkish military shell Syria’s territory from large-caliber artillery, and Russia has “irrefutable evidence” of these cases.

Turkish army's armored vehicles and tanks drive in Syrian town of Kobani, Feb 22, 2015

Turkish army’s armored vehicles and tanks drive in Syrian town of Kobani, Feb 22, 2015
© AP Photo/Mursel Coban, Depo Photos

The general said Russia’s military have received footage provided by Syria’s General Staff that shows deployment of large-caliber self-propelled artillery weapons in one of near-border areas. The ministry also received a video from Syria’s opposition showing the shelling of Syria, he said.

“This is called a fact. This is irrefutable evidence that Turkey’s armed forces shell near-border Syrian settlements from large-caliber artillery systems,” Maj. Gen. Konashenkov said.

He showed the journalists a video that pictured a part of the Syrian-Turkish border. “This facility is a Turkish frontier post where several months ago there were no firing points,” he said.

Speaking on Ankara’s new allegations that Russia’s Su-34 bomber violated Turkey’s airspace last week, Konashenkov said: “Those who warn us about consequences without understanding what happened, should first of all think about the trap their Turkish partners are dragging them into.”