People can read the thred and make up their own mind. I have better things to do than argue with someone for hours on the net. Just because you didn't use exact terms doesn't mean $#@!.
Oh, I see, the old dog whistle argument, I spoke in a secret code that sends the opposite message of what it looks like I said and is in opposition to everything I have ever said about the subject.Originally Posted by Origanalist
I might just as easily claim that you were a troll whose REAL purpose in posting here is to cause trouble and confusion and hurt the movement.
Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.
Robert Heinlein
Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler
Groucho Marx
I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.
Linus, from the Peanuts comic
You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith
Alexis de Torqueville
Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it
A Zero Hedge comment
See what you get for reading fake news now you are trying to emulate them. You need to watch more RPLR
LOLSee what you get for reading fake news now you are trying to emulate them. You need to watch more RPLR
That claim (which I did NOT make) is just as valid as Orig's stupid "dog whistle" claim about me, which is all I said about it.
Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.
Robert Heinlein
Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler
Groucho Marx
I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.
Linus, from the Peanuts comic
You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith
Alexis de Torqueville
Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it
A Zero Hedge comment
On the home front, President Putin is delivering on the promise that he made to his countrymen to win their War on Terror, having done so in only a third of his term (~2 years) and without dragging it on indefinitely like the US has done for over 8 times as long. Neither he nor his voters want to see Russia embroiled in what they always fear could become an Afghan-like quagmire by continuing military operations during what they believe to now be a solely “civil war” context. In addition, downscaling Russia’s involvement in Syria could allow the federal government to redirect hundreds of millions of dollars to domestic projects during President Putin’s expected fourth term, which boosts his populist credentials during this election season.
The other reason behind why Russia will probably focus mostly on diplomatic initiatives at this time is because of the role that this intricate process can play in promoting Moscow’s 21st-century “balancing” act in becoming the supreme stabilizing force in the Eurasian supercontinent. By withdrawing most of Russia’s Aerospace Forces from Syria and thereby creating the conditions whereby President Assad is prompted into making “political compromises” as a result, Russia expects to enhance its strategic relations with Turkey, the Kurds, Israel, and Saudi Arabia, all with an eye on furthering the prospects of the emerging Multipolar World Order in this pivotal location at the tri-continental crossroads of Afro-Eurasia.
Furthermore, by withdrawing right after accusing the US of provocative in-air maneuvers over Syria, Russia is extending an “olive branch” of “goodwill” to its Great Power rival and signaling that it’s eager as always to normalize relations if Washington is ready to reciprocate. The much-sought-after and so-called “New Détente” could finally make progress if Russia and the US reach a “gentlemen’s agreement” with one another over the fate of the Syrian Kurdish “federalists”, as appears to already somewhat be the case with both of them encouraging their on-the-ground partners of the SAA and SDF respectively to refrain from crossing the Euphrates River border between them.
Bearing all of the above in mind, the implications of Russia’s announced military withdrawal from Syria are much larger than simply signifying Daesh’s defeat, but point to a thought-out and far-reaching plan to prompt President Assad into making “political concessions” to the “opposition” as a means of enhancing Russia’s overall “balancing” role in the Mideast, all for the “greater good” of multipolarity. While there’s hope that this process could also yield a breakthrough in relations with the US, such expectations should understandably be tempered by the reality of the “deep state’s” War on Trump, though the prospects of “constructive” US-Russian interaction via the Syrian Kurds – particularly in the event that they succeed in “institutionalizing” their self-declared “federation” in northeastern Syria – shouldn’t be overlooked.
More at: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-1...sad-compromise
Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.
Robert Heinlein
Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler
Groucho Marx
I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.
Linus, from the Peanuts comic
You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith
Alexis de Torqueville
Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it
A Zero Hedge comment
An entire waste of hegemon money. good.
Trump Administration Bows To Reality, Accepts Assad In Power Until 2021 – Media
https://southfront.org/trump-adminis...medium=twitter
“Despite the deaths of as many as half a million people, dozens by chemical weapons, in the Syrian civil war, the Trump Administration is now prepared to accept President Bashar al-Assad’s continued rule until Syria’s next scheduled Presidential election, in 2021, according to U.S. and European officials. The decision reverses repeated U.S. statements that Assad must step down as part of a peace process,” the New Yorker wrote in the article entitled “Trump to Let Assad Stay Until 2021, as Putin Declares Victory in Syria” on December 11.
“Trump to Let Assad Stay Until 2021, as Putin Declares Victory in Syria” on December 11.
Lol,as if he has a choice.
Hegemons & proxies now attempt to publicly mock 'victory' & make Putin 'eat his words'.... no doubt in my mind.
Kurdish forces suffer big setbacks in Deir Ezzor amid endless ISIS attacks
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article...-isis-attacks/
US-backed, Kurdish-led forces operating in the southern countryside of Deir Ezzor province
have hit a virtual brick wall over the last fortnight, encountering fanatical resistance from ISIS.
Although accomplishing a number of key objectives over the last month in the region
such as reaching the Iraqi border and securing the strategic town of Al-Busayrah,
pro-Coalition forces are yet to complete the full clearance of ISIS from its last strongholds along the eastern shore of the Euphrates River
In particular, ISIS car bomb attacks and hit-and-run raids carried out from underground tunnels
have served to bleed the ranks of US-backed militias in southern Deir Ezzor.
Despite the fact that ISIS resistance remains as stubborn as ever,
Coalition warplanes have virtually ceased conducting operations over Deir Ezzor in the last week.
Furthermore, it has become apparent that the priorities of US-backed forces in southern Deir Ezzor province are somewhat confused.
On the one hand, Kurdish and Arab commanders present at the front are trying to dislodge Islamic State militants from the eastern shore of the Euphrates,
whilst on the other hand, their American overseers are trying to push jihadist fighters in the area to surrender (?)
for reasons that officially remain unclear.
The end result of this is that pro-Coalition fighters, close to ISIS positions (generally within visual range) but hesitant to attack,
are left exposed to small, but often very effective counter-attacks by terrorist forces.
Breaking: ISIS launches shock offensive against Syrian Army, crosses the Euphrates in force
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article...phrates-force/
Developing: ISIS allegedly captures strategic town in Deir Ezzor
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article...wn-deir-ezzor/
ISIS attempts to reestablish presence along western bank of the Euphrates River
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article...phrates-river/
This comes as the SAA crack troops are in the midst of re-deployment to Idlib.
Last edited by goldenequity; 12-12-2017 at 11:41 AM.
lol
Trump Says U.S. Has ‘Won’ Against Islamic State in Syria, Iraq
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic..._medium=social
---------
US Strikes Against Syrian Government Forces' 'Lawful Measures' - Trump
https://sputniknews.com/military/201...s-syria-trump/
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — President Donald Trump wrote in a letter to the US Congress on Monday that since the last periodic update report, the US Armed Forces participating in the anti-Daesh campaign in Syria have undertaken "a limited number of strikes against Syrian government and pro-Syrian government forces."
"These strikes were lawful measures to counter immediate threats to the United States and partner forces engaged in that campaign," Trump wrote.
In what universe?
And than this...:
Al Arabiya English-
BREAKING: US official: Tillerson will announce today that there is no place for Assad in Syria's future
sigh.
----------
Meanwhile in Aleppo...
Last edited by goldenequity; 12-12-2017 at 06:45 PM.
Most of the remaining Russian forces operating in Syria, including the Tu-22M3 long-range bombers and Beriev A-50 AWACSs are returning to home just days after President Vladimir Putin surprised the world by announcing that Russian military forces would swiftly withdraw from Syria – a promise that elicited accusations of insincerity from the West.
The first contingent of Russian aircraft left on Tuesday, according to Russia Today.
A Russian military police battalion of the Southern Military District arrived aboard two cargo aircraft in the city of Makhachkala, in the North Caucasus Republic of Dagestan, according to the Defense Ministry.
The ministry published a video of warplanes departing Syria at dawn followed by military accompanied by footage of soldiers’ relatives greeting them in Russia.
More at: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-12-12/russia
Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.
Robert Heinlein
Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler
Groucho Marx
I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.
Linus, from the Peanuts comic
You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith
Alexis de Torqueville
Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it
A Zero Hedge comment
again.. info overload... don't know how/where else to put all this...
Declassified Docs Prove US Repeatedly Promised Russia No NATO Eastward Expansion
https://sputniknews.com/world/201712...xpansion-nato/
'Perceived Threats'
US national security adviser: Qatar and Turkey are new sponsors of radical ideology
https://www.thenational.ae/world/the...ology-1.683989
McMaster, NSC: "Qatar & Turkey are new sponsors of radical Islamist ideology being advanced through charities, Madrassas & other social organizations.”
KSA used to be head of this "grave threat to all civilized people," but now it is #Turkey & #Qatar
(I'm getting dizzy following US threat perceptions )
Target: Lebanon
"To roll back Iran, the US needs to destabilize Lebanon", argues Badran @AcrossTheBay
"Lebanon’s stability, ... is not, in fact, a US interest." Hats off. Willing to blow up his own country to hurt Iran.
Last edited by goldenequity; 12-13-2017 at 05:32 PM.
again.. info overload... don't know how/where else to put all this...
Declassified Docs Prove US Repeatedly Promised Russia No NATO Eastward Expansion
https://sputniknews.com/world/201712...xpansion-nato/
'Perceived Threats'
US national security adviser: Qatar and Turkey are new sponsors of radical ideology
https://www.thenational.ae/world/the...ology-1.683989
McMaster, NSC: "Qatar & Turkey are new sponsors of radical Islamist ideology being advanced through charities, Madrassas & other social organizations.”
KSA used to be head of this "grave threat to all civilized people," but now it is #Turkey & #Qatar
(I'm getting dizzy following US threat perceptions )
Target: Lebanon
"To roll back Iran, the US needs to destabilize Lebanon", argues Badran @AcrossTheBay
"Lebanon’s stability, ... is not, in fact, a US interest." Hats off. Willing to blow up his own country to hurt Iran.
He wants to kill Lebanese civilians in order to hurt Hezbullah. terrorist logic.
The Spectator Index
ISRAEL: Intelligence Minister says that in case of a new war with Hezbollah, Lebanon will be 'returned to the stone age'.
EndGameShow-
Israel is aware that Iran has been building weapons plants in Lebanon. (uh huh)
"We have information that Iran is building advanced missile plants in Lebanon, and I want to emphasize that we have drawn a new red line, and we will not allow them to do this at any cost."-Haaretz
(like chemical weapons in Syria? Neocons R getting Lebanon fevvvaahhh. More cowbell.)
Iraq:
SURA-
#BREAKING - New #Kurdish Islamic group "The White Flags” led by pro-Barzani #KDP Assi Qawali abduct civilian lorry drivers near #Kirkuk. Group is accused by locals as working with remains of #ISIS to stroke tensions in Kirkuk.
David M. Witty
Iraqi PMU (Hashd) Asa'ib Ahl al-Haqq: we refuse to be incorporated into the Iraqi Armed Forces. We must be independent. We refuse to disband.
SYRIA
PESKOV ON U.S. ALLEGATION THAT VICTORY IN SYRIA IS NOT RUSSIA'S ACHIEVEMENT: AS SAYING GOES, 'DEFEAT IS AN ORPHAN AND VICTORY HAS MANY FATHERS'
PESKOV: RUSSIA READY TO GO AS FAR AS U.S. IS WILLING IN BUILDING BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP
Interfax
U.S. MILITARY PRESENCE IN SYRIA COMPLETELY DISREGARDS INT'L LEGAL NORMS - RYABKOV
(definition of a rogue state)
Tartus
Putin submits to State Duma agreement with Syria on expanding Tartus naval base
https://muraselon.com/en/2017/12/put...us-naval-base/
“The duration of the agreement is 49 years, it can be automatically prolonged for a period of 25 years in case neither of the parties send a written notification to the other at least one year before a period expires concerning its intention to terminate the agreement,” the document reads.
According to the agreement, Russia will use joint facilities free of charge.
“The naval base has full immunity from Syria’s civil and administrative jurisdiction. Its movable and immovable property is immune from search, seizure and other proceedings,” the document adds.
Besides, the agreement stipulates that Russia will operate the naval base. “Russia has the right to send the necessary number of troops to maintain the naval facility,” the document says.
Yusha Yuseef@MIG29_
Tartus 12 Pm , Russian missiles fly over Tartus now to areas inside Syria .
i can hear it while tweeting
(probably headed for Deir Ezzor..)
Deir Ezzor
US-backed Forces Gain More Ground In Euphrates Valley As ISIS Fiercely Attacks Syrian Army
https://southfront.org/us-backed-for...medium=twitter
ISIS crucifies captured Syrian Army soldier in rural Deir Ezzor
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article...al-deir-ezzor/
Large number of Syrian Army, Hezbollah reinforcements pour into Deir Ezzor to drive back ISIS
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article...ive-back-isis/
ISIS battle video: Syrian soldiers record their own death on camera
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article...ra-18-graphic/
In pictures: ISIS captures a handful of Syrian troops alive in southern Deir Ezzor
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article...rn-deir-ezzor/
US no longer has any reason to remain in Syria: Russian MoD
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article...a-russian-mod/
Cargo ship filled with Russian armored vehicles used to defeat ISIS leave Tartous – video
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article...tartous-video/
========
Syrian Army, IRGC ready forces for massive counter-offensive against ISIS in Deir Ezzor
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article...is-deir-ezzor/
Russian MoD accuses US-led coalition of creating militant ‘New Syrian Army’
https://www.rt.com/newsline/413395-r...od-accuses-us/
Russia’s Reconciliation Center for Syria has issued a statement accusing the US-led coalition of creating the so-called ‘New Syrian Army.’
The group comprises remnants of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS), the Al-Nusra Front and others,
and is based at a refugee camp in north-east Syria
which is located 20 kilometers from Al-Shaddadah town.
Local refugees, returning to areas freed from IS, say the refugee camp has been used by the coalition
as a training ground for militants for over six months.
Russian Embassy, UK-
@MOD_Russia : US training a “New Syrian Army” near refugee camp in Al-Hasakah to fight the government, core fighters of the group are ISIS terrorists allowed to leave Raqqa (as BBC has revealed)
Russian ambassador to UN doubts U.S. desire to resolve N. Korea problem peacefully
Interfax
MILITARY RESOLUTION OF KOREAN PENINSULA'S PROBLEMS MUST NOT BE ALLOWED - RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR TO UN
Interfax
Russia, China to coordinate efforts to prevent escalation of Korean Peninsula tensions - Russian Foreign Ministry
Putin: U.S. has de facto withdrawn from INF Treaty, Russia not going to withdraw from arms reduction treaties
NATO countries yield to U.S. on INF issue, this won't solve problems - Russian Foreign Ministry
By deploying missile shield to Romania, Poland, U.S. involves them in INF Treaty violation
Interfax
Samir
8 helicopters at the US base in Shaddadi which is still expanding. helipads were built end of October
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=36...27992&z=15&m=b
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DRP4x0fX4AA-5cG.jpg:large
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DRP46WgWAAAQIkU.jpg:large
Conflict News- @Conflicts · 45 sek.
BREAKING: Syria's Assad says US-backed Kurdish fighters are 'traitors' - @AFP
Hassan Ridha- @sayed_ridha · 9 sek.
President Assad on Kurd-led forces in E Syria: "Those who co-op with foreigners in their own country against their people/army, is a traitor."
"Macron: ISIS will be defeated in Syria by February 2018."
"It is primarily important for France that the coalition will make an end of ISIS" Macron emphasizes.
Macron commented on the subject at Sunday night on an interview to the France-2 television station.
"By February we will win the war in Syria, and Assad will still be there. We cannot be without contact with Assad's representatives".
Macron said that the French project in Syria is winning peace, where all minorities are safe: Christians, Shias, Sunnis.
Macron called Al-Assad an enemy of the Syrian people, but emphasized that he believes that Assad will stay in power for now.
"At some point Assad will have to account for his crimes against his own people in front of international court."
24 Resistance Axis
Regarding France, President Assad responded:
“Since the beginning, France has been the spearhead of supporting terrorism in Syria.
France’s hands are covered in Syrian blood & it has no right to evaluate any peace conference.”
Golan heights:
Al-Masdar News-@TheArabSource · 2 min.
Desperate jihadists trapped near #Golan Heights as Syrian Army troops storm last positions
Deir Ezzor
Brasco_Aad
Reports that the Russian Air Force will start conducting bombing raids against ISIS terrorists on the eastern banks of the Euphrates. US jets will stand down.
The Spectator Index
Congressmen ask US Department of Justice to open investigation into Bashar Assad's role in the killing of American soldiers in Iraq
Brasco_Aad
Syrian Deputy-Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad: ''The #SDF can become the new ISIS terrorist organization in Syria''
UN report uncovers Israel’s support for terrorist organizations in Syria
https://muraselon.com/en/2017/12/un-...zations-syria/
Tadef: Syrian Army, Turkey-led forces fight over key town in north Aleppo
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article...-north-aleppo/
BEIRUT, LEBANON (6:30 A.M.) – Firefights have broken out between Syrian pro-government forces and Turkish-backed militias
in the northern countryside of Aleppo province.
The basis for the exchanging of blows appears to be an ongoing dispute for control of a key town in the region.
On Wednesday afternoon, Syrian army-led forces and Turkish-backed fighters exchanged blows in and near the town of Tadef in northern Aleppo.
The town itself appears to be the reason for the armed dispute as neither of the two belligerents fully control it and yet seek to.
Tadef is about one kilometer south of the strategic crossroad town of
Al-Bab, which was surrendered by Islamic State fighters to Turkey-led forces after a three-month battle.
Control of Tadef itself is disputed, the frontier between government-held lines and militant-controlled territory runs right through the middle of the town,
with Syrian army-led forces holding positions in the south, and pro-Turkey fighters holding positions in the north.
US-backed forces start arresting Assad supporters after top Kurdish commander gets kidnapped
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article...ets-kidnapped/
STATE DUMA RATIFIES RUSSIA-SYRIA AGREEMENT ENLARGING RUSSIAN'S NAVY BASE IN TARTUS TO ACCOMMODATE SIMULTANEOUS PRESENCE OF 11 WARSHIPS.
Al-Masdar News-@TheArabSource · 6 min.
Speaker of Jordanian Parliament congratulates Syrian Army on victory over ISIS
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article...-victory-isis/
Israeli Army illegally builds on Lebanese land
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article...lebanese-land/
Deir Ezzor:
Hassan Ridha- @sayed_ridha · 19 min.
DeirEzzor Military Council backed by YPG/SDF launched attack on SAA-held Khasham town yesterday, a dozen SDF militants were killed/arrested
Golan heights:
Al-Masdar News-@TheArabSource · 36 min.
Syrian Army storms last jihadist stronghold near #Golan Heights
Syrian Army imposes fire control over Beit Jinn pocket
Syrian Army to Beit Jenn militants: No reconciliation or negotiations with traitors
Latest battleground footage of Syrian Army operations in Beit Jenn pocket
Idlib:
Muraselon News- @Muraselon · 1 min.
BREAKING: Tiger Forces unleash hell on Al-Nusra " HTS " in Idlib province
Hama:
Al-Masdar News-@TheArabSource · 5 min.
No quarter given to jihadists as Russian jets hammer northern #Hama
Russia ramped up its calls for the U.S. military to depart from Syria on Thursday, contending it has no substantial reasons to be in the country and its presence there "must end."
“Any reasons cited by the Americans to justify their further military presence... are just excuses and we think their presence must end," Alexander Lavrentiev, Russian President Vladimir Putin's envoy to Syria, told reporters. Lavrentiev was in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Thursday ahead of peace talks regarding the Syria conflict between Russia, Iran and Turkey, Reuters reports.
More at: http://www.newsweek.com/russia-tells...t-syria-756463
Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.
Robert Heinlein
Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler
Groucho Marx
I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.
Linus, from the Peanuts comic
You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith
Alexis de Torqueville
Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it
A Zero Hedge comment
Iraq, Syria: Australia To End Air Strike Campaign Against Islamic State
Australia's six Hornet jets are returning home but some 380 personnel will stay behind to train Iraqi forces.
More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/situa...-islamic-state
Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.
Robert Heinlein
Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler
Groucho Marx
I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.
Linus, from the Peanuts comic
You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith
Alexis de Torqueville
Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it
A Zero Hedge comment
A Televised Review of the Syrian Conflict (aka what you never, ever, never, ever ever ever see/hear behind the neocon curtain)
Last edited by goldenequity; 12-27-2017 at 09:14 AM.
wonderful video.
odds & ends...
Russia: Erdogan’s Statement That Assad Is ‘Terrorist’ Has No Legal Basis
https://southfront.org/russia-erdoga...medium=twitter
----------
MOSCOW SURPRISED BY PENTAGON STATEMENTS ON INTENTION TO STAY IN SYRIA UNTIL PROGRESS REACHED IN POLITICAL SETTLEMENT, THEY ARE NOT THE ONES TO DETERMINE DEGREE OF THIS PROGRESS - LAVROV TO INTERFAX
US military must leave all of Syria: Lavrov
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article...-syria-lavrov/
Americans must leave Syria after terrorists completely eliminated, which should happen soon - Lavrov
MOSCOW IS CONCERNED ABOUT WHERE TERRORISTS IN SYRIA GET WEAPONS THEY ARE CAPABLE OF FIRING SHOTS AT RUSSIAN BASES FROM - RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY
-----------
RUSSIAN SIDE HANDED U.S. AMBASSADOR PROPOSAL ON DEC 21 ON MUTUAL GUARANTEES OF NON-INTERFERENCE IN ELECTORAL PROCESSES, INTERNAL AFFAIRS - RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY
RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY: WASHINGTON REFUSED TO SIGN PUTIN-TRUMP JOINT STATEMENT ON NON-INTERFERENCE PREPARED AT HAMBURG G20 SUMMIT
----------
Russia-Japan
Enrico Ivanov
Deployment of #US missile defense systems in #Japan to affect Moscow-Tokyo ties, including the dialogue on peace treaty — diplomat
http://tass.com/politics/983539
►On December 19, the Japanese government made the decision to deploy two Aegis Ashore missile defense systems
Reuters World
JUST IN: Russian foreign ministry says planned U.S. missile defense system deployment in Japan is breach of landmark arms control treaty
Georgia-S.Ossetia
U.S. not allowing Georgia to sign non-use of force accord with S. Ossetia, Abkhazia - Bibilov
Interfax
Afghanistan
ISILCIA fully controls several Afghan districts, trying to gain foothold on border with Central Asian states - Foreign Ministry
N.Korea
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump
Caught RED HANDED - very disappointed that China is allowing oil to go into North Korea.
There will never be a friendly solution to the North Korea problem if this continues to happen!
FIFY...
@realDonaldTrump: Caught RED HANDED - very disappointed that US is allowing LETHAL WEAPONS to go into UKRAINE.
There will never be a friendly solution to the UKRAINE problem if this continues to happen!
US helicopters secure movements of Daesh leaders inside Syria
https://sana.sy/en/?p=122733
28 December، 2017
Hasaka, SANA-US helicopters evacuated on Wednesday leaders from Daesh (ISIS) terrorist organization in several areas of Deir Ezzor countryside to unknown place in Hasaka countryside.
Civil sources reported that a number of the helicopters came from the northern countryside Deir Ezzor and flew on a low altitude above al-Sad camp for the displaced and landed near al-Basel Dam to the south of Hasaka city carrying Daesh leaders.
The sources added that this is the second time when the US helicopters transport leaders of Daesh in similar conditions.
(free rides to Afghanistan?)
Last edited by goldenequity; 12-28-2017 at 05:53 PM.
Shocker. Russia making bases in Syria permanent- not closing them down or being withdrawn. Their last two withdrawls of troops were also not really withdrawls. http://www.dw.com/en/russia-to-exten...ria/a-41938949
Russia to extend Tartus and Hmeimim military bases in Syria
Russia has announced plans to dramatically expand its naval facility in Tartus and air base at Hmeimim, Syria. The deal will see Russia keep 11 warships off Syria's Mediterranean coast, including nuclear vessels.
Russia's upper house of parliament voted on Tuesday to extend the military's lease of its naval base in Tartus, Syria, by a further 49 years.
Following the vote, Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced plans to drastically expand the Mediterranean naval facility, creating space to keep 11 warships, including nuclear vessels.
Read more: Syrian opposition rejects Russian-backed Sochi peace talks
"Last week the Commander-in-Chief (Russian President Vladimir Putin) approved the structure and the bases in Tartus and in Hmeimim (air base)," Shoigu is quoted of telling a group of military officials. "We have begun forming a permanent presence there."
According to Russian media, the Tartus naval facility is currently only large enough to keep one Russian warship, the "Pyotr Velikiy."
As part of the agreement, Russia will also have indefinite access to the Hmeimim air base, from which it launched numerous airstrikes on Syrian rebel forces over the past two years.
Russia and Syria had initially agreed to a deal on permanent military bases back in back in January, although it was only formally endorsed by Russia's lower house last week and the upper house, otherwise known as the Federation Council, on Tuesday. The final agreement must still be signed by Putin before it comes into effect.
http://tass.com/defense/983473
Putin says Russian bases in Syria key element in defending national interests
MOSCOW, December 28. /TASS/. Russia’s Armed Forces bases in Syria play an important factor in safeguarding national interests, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a ceremony to award state medals to the servicemen who distinguished themselves during the operation.
"Two Russian bases - at the Hmeymim airfield and the Tartus port – will remain on Syrian soil and will operate on a permanent basis. This is a vital element in protecting our national interests and ensuring Russia’s security in one of key strategic directions," the Supreme Commander-in-Chief said.
Last edited by Zippyjuan; 12-31-2017 at 01:08 PM.
https://www.apnews.com/7f9e63cb14a54...hting-in-Syria
Thousands of Russian private contractors fighting in Syria
MOSCOW (AP) — Before he was killed by a sniper in Syria at age 23, Ivan Slyshkin wrote a poignant message on social media to his fiancee: “We will see each other soon — and I will hold you as tight as I possibly can.”
But Slyshkin’s name won’t be found among the Russian Defense Ministry’s official casualties in the fight against Islamic State extremists.
That’s because the young man who left his hometown of Ozyorsk in the Ural mountains was one of thousands of Russians deployed to Syria by a shadowy, private military contractor known as Wagner, which the government doesn’t talk about.
Slyshkin’s gravestone depicts him holding a machine gun, according to a local news website Znak.com that sent a reporter to his March 2 funeral in Ozyorsk, where friends said he joined Wagner to earn money to pay for his wedding.
“He was in Wagner’s group,” his friend Andrei Zotov told The Associated Press, adding that Slyshkin was killed as the security forces were advancing on the Al-Shayer oil field north of Palmyra.
“There are many good guys there. He volunteered to join the company,” Zotov said. “Like many Russian fighters, he wanted to solve his money issues.”
The St. Petersburg-based website Fontanka reported that about 3,000 Russians under contract to the Wagner group have fought in Syria since 2015, months before Russia’s two-year military campaign helped to turn the tide of the civil war in favor of Syrian President Bashar Assad, a longtime Moscow ally.
When Putin went to a Russian air base in Syria on Monday and told Russian troops that “you are coming back home with victory,” he did not mention the private contractors. Russian troops are expected to remain in Syria for years while the contractors are likely to stay to guard lucrative oil and gas fields under a contract between the Syrian government and another Russian company allegedly linked to a businessman known as “Putin’s chef” for his close ties to the Kremlin.
Proxy fighters like Slyshkin have played a key role in Syria. In addition to augmenting troops officially sent by Moscow, their secret deployment has helped keep the official Russian death toll low as Putin seeks re-election next year.
The Russian Defense Ministry has said 41 of its troops have died in Syria. But according to Fontanka, another 73 private contractors have been killed there.
The Kremlin and the Defense Ministry have stonewalled questions about Russians fighting in Syria in a private capacity. Private contractors have been used by countries like the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan for years; Russian law forbids the hiring of mercenaries or working as one.
But Russia has used such proxies before — in the conflict to help pro-Moscow separatists in eastern Ukraine since 2014. One Russian commander boasted of working alongside Russian troops who said they were “on vacation” while fighting in Ukraine.
The Defense Ministry has refused to say how many of its troops are in Syria, although one estimate based on absentee ballots cast in the Russian parliamentary election last year indicated 4,300 personnel were deployed there. That number probably rose this year because Moscow sent Russian military police to patrol “de-escalation zones.”
“The Russian people are not very enthused by the idea of an empire that would involve their boys coming home in body bags. There’s clearly a lack enthusiasm for this conflict,” said Mark Galeotti, senior researcher at the Institute of International Relations in Prague.
“By having this military company Wagner, they can have a force they can actually deploy ... but when people die, it doesn’t have to be announced,” Galeotti said.
Fontanka, which is respected for its independent reporting, has obtained what it described as Wagner’s spreadsheets and recruitment forms that indicate thousands of Russians have fought in Syria. Of about 3,000 Wagner employees deployed to Syria over the years, the single largest contingent at a given time has been about 1,500, said Denis Korotkov, a reporter for Fontanka.
Since 2015, at least 73 of them have died, he said.
Another investigative group, Conflict Intelligence Team, or CIT, put the number of private contractor deaths at 101. Both outlets say those are conservative estimates.
“The most important proof is people, dead and alive, who have said they are mercenaries and their relatives say there are mercenaries,” said CIT founder Ruslan Leviev. “How would hundreds of people all over the country collude and come up with the same story?”
http://www.newsweek.com/putin-assad-...reignty-766240
PUTIN VOWS RUSSIA WILL KEEP PERMANENT PRESENCE IN SYRIA
Vladimir Putin has a new year’s message for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad: Russia will continue to back Syria.
In an end of year greeting issued by the Kremlin, Putin insisted that he would “continue to render every assistance to Syria in the protection of state sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity,” Reuters reported.
Russia would back Syria “in the promotion of a political settlement process, as well as in efforts to restore the national economy,” the president said.
Happy New Year from Vlad
Russian military forces at the Hmeymim air base and the Tartus logistics center in Syria came under attack by what appears to have been a swarm of drones. Some thirteen small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) made the attack, six of which were diverted by Russian electronic warfare systems while seven additional aircraft were dispatched by Pantsir-S1 air defense batteries.
"During the hours of darkness Russian air defense facilities made clear 13 remoted unknown small-sized air targets approaching the Russian military assets,” the Russian Defense Ministry told the TASS news agency. “Ten combat UAVs were approaching Russia’s Hmeymim air base and three more - the logistics center of Tartus."
The Russians are asserting that the unmanned aerial vehicles—which appear to have indigenously manufactured—were constructed with the aid of a developed country.
More at: https://www.yahoo.com/news/russia-ca...010700010.html
SYRIAN MILITANTS OBTAINED TECHNOLOGIES MAKING TERROR ATTACKS USING DRONES IN ANY COUNTRY POSSIBLE - RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY: IFX
flying a RC toy with Centex is hardly anything new...
but
I've read that they were operated from 50+km and GPS guided.
you can see where multiple bomblets fit directly onto the vehicle controlled by servo-motor highlighted in yellow...
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DTCQOy_V4AAWMxf.jpg:large
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DTCQKs5U8AAtDn6.jpg:large
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DTCQMcUUQAAPt2U.jpg:large
US ‘concerned’ that drones used in attacks on Russian bases in Syria available in ‘open market’
https://www.rt.com/usa/415314-pentag...ones-concerns/
MILITANTS LAUNCHED DRONES AT RUSSIAN BASES IN SYRIA FROM DISTANCE OF OVER 50 KM, ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS COULD BE OBTAINED FROM ONLY ONE COUNTRY WITH HIGH-TECH CAPACITIES - RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY
Russian army repels attack by 13 militant drones on its Syrian compounds - MoD
https://www.rt.com/news/415276-syria...elled-attacks/
specialists are now examining the seized unmanned aircraft and the recovered data has already allowed the specialists to pinpoint the exact location from which the drones were launched. The examination also showed that advanced technologies were used in the drones’ construction. They “could have been obtained only from a country possessing state-of-the-art technologies, including satellite navigation and remote control of … explosive devices [for] release at certain coordinates.”
Last edited by goldenequity; 01-09-2018 at 07:03 AM.
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