US Bombs Syrian Gov. Forces

[enhanced_deficit]

Normally we should oppose spending US blood and treasure in elective foreign interventions and ill-thought out wars but in this case we may need to make an exception since Syria had violently opposed use of its air space by our closest ally/only non-racist democracy in mideast:

Syrian forces down Israeli F-16 near occupied Golan Heights

[goldenequity]

Deir Ezzor

Syria battles US in Deir Ezzor according the fresh reports.

Ivan Sidorenko
Heavy clashes between the #SAA & Allied Forces and SDF militias in the surroundings of Koniko oil field, amid violent explosions shaking the region

Looks like there is and ongoing battle between Syrian army and Kurdish collaborators for the last two days since US aggression....

►Funeral: 10 Elite Syrian Militia troops (ISIS Hunters) killed by US airtrikes in Deir Ezzor
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article...es-deir-ezzor/

On the night of Wednesday to Thursday, warplanes of the US-led anti-ISIS coalition bombarded
a government-held stronghold on the eastern shore of the Euphrates River.

Many of the fallen troops belonged to the National Defense Forces NDF (Syrian national paramilitary), others also belonging to the elite ISIS Hunters detachment.

Recently, a funeral was held at the town of Al-Suqaylabiyah for ten of the ISIS Hunters soldiers killed in the US airstrikes – many of them were Christians. (photos)
https://www.almasdarnews.com/wp-cont...-5-688x516.jpg
https://www.almasdarnews.com/wp-cont...10-688x516.jpg
https://www.almasdarnews.com/wp-cont...-6-688x516.jpg
https://www.almasdarnews.com/wp-cont...-6-688x516.jpg
https://www.almasdarnews.com/wp-cont...-7-688x516.jpg
https://www.almasdarnews.com/wp-cont...-5-688x516.jpg

[charrob]

Difficult to know how many Russian mercenaries were killed. Putin and the Russian government may be minimizing the casualties since there is an upcoming presidential election in Russia. Seems like articles are all over the place on this.

U.S. Strikes Killed Scores of Russia Fighters in Syria, Sources Say:



U.S. forces killed scores of Russian mercenaries in Syria last week in what may be the deadliest clash between citizens of the former foes since the Cold War, according to one U.S. official and three Russians familiar with the matter.

More than 200 contract soldiers, mostly Russians fighting on behalf of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, died in a failed attack on a base held by U.S. and mainly Kurdish forces in the oil-rich Deir Ezzor region, two of the Russians said. The U.S. official put the death toll in the fighting at about 100, with 200 to 300 injured, but was unable to say how many were Russians.

The Russian assault may have been a rogue operation, underscoring the complexity of a conflict that started as a domestic crackdown only to morph into a proxy war involving Islamic extremists, stateless Kurds and regional powers Iran, Turkey and now Israel. Russia’s military said it had nothing to do with the attack and the U.S. accepted the claim. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis called the whole thing “perplexing,” but provided no further details.

[…]

It’s not clear who was paying the Russian contingent, whether it was Russia directly, Syria, Iran or a third party. Reports in Russian media have said Wagner -- a shadowy organization known as Russia’s answer to Blackwater -- was hired by Assad or his allies to guard Syrian energy assets in exchange for oil concessions.

The death toll from the skirmish, already about five times more than Russia’s official losses in Syria, is still rising, according to one mercenary commander who said by phone that dozens of his wounded men are still being treated at military hospitals in St. Petersburg and Moscow.

Most of those killed and injured were Russian and Ukrainian, many of them veterans of the separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine, according to Alexander Ionov, who runs a Kremlin-funded group that fosters ties to separatists and who’s personally fought alongside pro-government forces in Syria.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...hters-in-syria

[goldenequity]

Difficult to know how many Russian mercenaries were killed. Putin and the Russian government may be minimizing the casualties since there is an upcoming presidential election in Russia. Seems like articles are all over the place on this.

Put these 2 headlines together:

Breaking: Syrian Army deploys massive reinforcements to Deir Ezzor for all-out offensive against #US-backed forces
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article...backed-forces/

The development comes one week after US coalition warplanes attacked Syrian pro-government forces
near the army-held town of Khasham on the east Euphrates shore,
killing at least 50 troops (with some sources saying the death toll exceeded one hundred).

Syrian Army Will Down Any Jet That Launches an Assault – Damascus
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/2...army-down-jet/

[charrob]

Put these 2 headlines together:

Breaking: Syrian Army deploys massive reinforcements to Deir Ezzor for all-out offensive against #US-backed forces
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article...backed-forces/

The development comes one week after US coalition warplanes attacked Syrian pro-government forces
near the army-held town of Khasham on the east Euphrates shore,
killing at least 50 troops (with some sources saying the death toll exceeded one hundred).

Syrian Army Will Down Any Jet That Launches an Assault – Damascus
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/2...army-down-jet/

Oh my God. This is really bad news that I would have missed. The question is whether Russia will back up the SAA if the SAA goes on the offensive against the SDF/U.S. east of the Euphrates. My gut says no: with a total population of less than half ours and a total defense budget of $50 billion, Russia can't afford a war with the U.S., and I think they know this. But you're right: the numbers of SAA and Russian Mercenaries killed by U.S. airstrikes must have been quite large for the SAA to be redeploying in such large numbers to Deir Ezzor and "building new fortified areas and trenches" on the West bank of the Euphrates. This is not good at all. Thanks for sharing. +rep if I could (You must spread some reputation around before giving it to goldenequity again.)

[Swordsmyth]

(You must spread some reputation around before giving it to goldenequity again.)

Covered

[charrob]

Covered

Thanks!

[Swordsmyth]

Thanks!

It's my pleasure, golden can't get enough rep as far as I'm concerned.

[charrob]

It's my pleasure, golden can't get enough rep as far as I'm concerned.

I agree.

[goldenequity]

========
FWIW
I am definitely of the opinion that we are not in the 'middle' of Ezekiel 38/39
because too many of the named alliances (tribal names from the 'Table of Nations' in Genesis) do not line up,
and
'Israel' seems completely 'out of character' (to say the least)
but
in a 'weird' way prophetically it's like it's being 'force fit'.

Almost like if you took biblical eschatology and turned it completely upside down.
Like a round peg being forcefully jammed into a square hole.
It's really bizarre imo.

We have in fact... 2 'armies' gathering on either side of the Euphrates.
but...
it's still completely contorted (imo) from this:

Revelation 16:12-15
The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east. And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. (“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”)

Don't you guys find things 'familiar' but just plain WRONG??

If 'someone' dries it up (upstream) it's REALLY going to be weird.

[Swordsmyth]

========
FWIW
I am definitely of the opinion that we are not in the 'middle' of Ezekiel 38/39
because too many of the named alliances (tribal names from the 'Table of Nations' in Genesis) do not line up,
and
'Israel' seems completely 'out of character'
but
in a 'weird' way prophetically it's like it's being 'force fit'.

Almost like if you took biblical eschatology and turned it completely upside down.
Like a round peg being forcefully jammed into a square hole.
It's really bizarre imo.

We have in fact... 2 'armies' gathering on either side of the Euphrates.
but...
it's still completely contorted (imo) from this:

Revelation 16:12-15
The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east. And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. (“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”)

Don't you guys find things 'familiar' but just plain WRONG??

Things will slowly continue to look more and more like the end-times as they approach.

[charrob]

========
FWIW
I am definitely of the opinion that we are not in the 'middle' of Ezekiel 38/39
because too many of the named alliances (tribal names from the 'Table of Nations' in Genesis) do not line up,
and
'Israel' seems completely 'out of character' (to say the least)
but
in a 'weird' way prophetically it's like it's being 'force fit'.

Almost like if you took biblical eschatology and turned it completely upside down.
Like a round peg being forcefully jammed into a square hole.
It's really bizarre imo.

We have in fact... 2 'armies' gathering on either side of the Euphrates.
but...
it's still completely contorted (imo) from this:

Revelation 16:12-15
The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east. And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. (“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”)

Don't you guys find things 'familiar' but just plain WRONG??

If 'someone' dries it up (upstream) it's REALLY going to be weird.

That's an incredible verse to find that is astonishingly similar to the present situation. It's horrifying that the psychopaths at the Pentagon are playing chicken with all of our lives (and the lives of the rest of the planet) at stake.

[pcosmar]

That's an incredible verse to find that is astonishingly similar to the present situation. It's horrifying that the psychopaths at the Pentagon are playing chicken with all of our lives (and the lives of the rest of the planet) at stake.

Getting closer all the time,, but not yet.
I do believe they are setting the stage..

These are "the beginning of sorrows". Things will get much worse.(more evil)

[charrob]

Getting closer all the time,, but not yet.
I do believe they are setting the stage..

These are "the beginning of sorrows". Things will get much worse.(more evil)

It wouldn't take much for things to happen quickly. Killing large numbers of Russians, even though they were contractors and not military, can't be setting well with Putin. imho, the only thing that has kept the wrath of Russia at a minimum when so many of their own were needlessly murdered is the Russian Presidential elections next month. Also, Russia could never compete with the U.S. in a conventional war; if they get pushed into a corner they may feel using nuclear weapons is their only defense. All of this in perspective of the endless U.S. aggression and violence overseas could change things very quickly.

[charrob]

Russia claims the pro-Syrian government forces were going after an ISIS cell in eastern Deir Ezzor. I pretty much thought the Kurds (with U.S. backers) controlled most of the territory east of the Euphrates with the exception of the small area captured by the SAA from ISIS east of the city of Deir Ezzor many months ago. But according to some recent articles in a Lebanese based news outlet, since Turkey began its invasion against them, the Kurds in the eastern Deir Ezzor province have since moved northward into the Raqqa and Hasakeh provinces to protect the border areas from Turkey, as well as the Afrin canton where current fighting is ongoing. What's left in the Deir Ezzor province is an arab militia known as the Deir Ezzor Military Council (DMC). The U.S. has now included them in the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). This militia is composed of 2 parts: a group of local arabs that joined ISIS in 2014 when ISIS took over the Deir Ezzor province; another group of al qaeda affiliated jihadists known as Nusra Front which fought ISIS in Deir Ezzor, lost, and then was brought into Jordan for retraining by the CIA.

All that said, it appears that the pro-Syrian government forces were actually, and truthfully, going after the DMC -- which were part of ISIS and al qaeda, and of which the U.S. State Dpt. is actually giving paychecks to. When the U.S. protected these jihadists, they killed the 200 or so pro-government forces that were legitimately going after actual terrorists. This explains a lot, as i was surprised when i thought the Kurds were involved, but apparently they were not. Here's the articles from the Lebanese based publication that discuss this:

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article...vince-sources/

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article...deo-exclusive/

Note I disagree there is any confirmation or proof given in the second article despite its title, however the article does provide a good background about this new U.S. backed militia operating east of the Euphrates called the Deir Ezzor Military Council (DMC) which I had not heard of before.

[Ender]

It's my pleasure, golden can't get enough rep as far as I'm concerned.

Agree- I can't rep him at the moment either.

[TheCount]

Ooh... i love this game.

Did any of you personally witness this bombing? Did you hear Trump himself give this order? No. If my instincts are right, Trump had nothing to do with this and was a call made by his generals or is largely exaggerated by the deep state.

Stop spreading Leftist Propoganda!

How'd I do?

Hillary would have bombed twice!!1

[charrob]

Russia Confirms Several Dozen Citizens Killed in US Strike:

Slain Included Many Citizens of Former Soviet States

Russia’s Foreign Ministry offered a surprising confirmation on Tuesday, saying that indeed “dozens” of the people killed in a recent flurry of US strikes against pro-government forces in Syria were either Russian citizens or citizens of other former Soviet states.

Reports are that hundreds of people were killed in the US attack on February 7, which the Syrian government described as a “massacre.” The slain were contractors for the ChVK Wagner company, which is employed by Syria’s government.

Russia has insisted that none of the slain were Russian military personnel, but had previously said only five Russian citizens were killed. As recently as yesterday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was calling reports of more Russians killed false propaganda.

US officials said that the killings were done “in self defense.” They suggested that the contractors had fired shots about half a kilometer from a base US troops were stationed at, and that they responded with intense shelling and strikes.

https://news.antiwar.com/2018/02/20/...-in-us-strike/