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Shin Bet operative killed by friendly fire after being mistaken for Palestinian assailant


RT
Thu, 10 Mar 2016 18:07 UTC
IDF soldiers
© Mussa Qawasma/Reuters
An operative of the Israeli Shin Bet security service was killed by friendly fire during an operation on the border with the Gaza Strip on Tuesday after being mistaken for a Palestinian attacker.

The shooting death of the agent identified as Amir Maimoni, 29, was first attributed to the activities of Palestinian militants, but Shin Bet chief Yoram Cohen confirmed in a statement that he was killed by mistake, AFP reports.

"Regrettably a tragic operational development took place in the field during the mission," Cohen said at Maimoni's funeral on Wednesday.

The Shin Bet chief said that another agent "misidentified and shot at Amir, hitting him" and "all efforts to revive him failed." At the same time, the circumstances of Maimoni's death are still being investigated, with Shin Bet providing no further details of the incident or the operation.

Meanwhile, former Shin Bet chief Avi Dichter has claimed that such incidents are very rare. "I remember such a mishap 20-something years ago," he told Israeli public radio Thursday.

Shin Bet Special Forces conduct operations near the border with the Gaza Strip in response to complaints from local residents, who reportedly hear digging noises in the area that could be a sign of activity by Hamas forces digging attack tunnels, Israeli Ynet News reports. The agents are involved in locating and destroying such tunnels.

Comment: Do the Shin Bet pose as Palestinians often?

Another Israeli False Flag?

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War Whore

US considers deployment of B-52 strategic bombers in Syria "against ISIS"

khaled Abd Elaziz
Global Research
Sun, 06 Mar 2016 20:12 UTC
The US is considering deploying its massive Boeing B-52 Stratofortress long-range strategic bomber against Islamic State, a report citing US Air Force officials says. The aircraft is capable of simultaneously dropping 32 tons of bombs.

The B-52s will replace several Rockwell B-1 Lancer supersonic strategic bombers, which had been striking terrorist positions near Kobani, Syria for several months and have now returned to their base in Texas, the Air Force Times reports. Defense officials also confirmed the information to Fox News.

It has not yet been disclosed how many B-52s will be deployed against the jihadists. It also remains unclear which European military airfield the largest American bombers will be operating from.

B-52 bomber

Comment: Wonder how these plans might be effected by the recent news that Putin is going to start pulling troops out of Syria.

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Camera

The "Caesar Torture Photos" fraud that undermined Syrian negotiations

Rick Sterling
Dissident Voice
Thu, 03 Mar 2016 20:15 UTC
Caesar torture photos
© Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Caesar (disguised in a hooded blue jacket) listens to his interpreter before he speaks to the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs in Washington DC.
A 30 page investigative report on the "Caesar Torture Photos" has been released and is available online here. The following is a condensed version of the report. Readers who are especially interested are advised to get the full report which includes additional details, photographs, sources and recommendations.

Introduction

There is a pattern of sensational but untrue reports that lead to public acceptance of US and Western military intervention in countries around the world:

* In Gulf War 1, there were reports of Iraqi troops stealing incubators from Kuwait, leaving babies to die on the cold floor. Relying on the testimony of a Red Crescent doctor, Amnesty International 'verified' the false claims.

* Ten years later, there were reports of yellow cake uranium going to Iraq for development of weapons of mass destruction.

* One decade later, there were reports of Libyan soldiers drugged on viagra and raping women as they advanced.

* In 2012, NBC broadcaster Richard Engel was supposedly kidnapped by pro-Assad Syrian militia but luckily freed by Syrian opposition fighters, the "Free Syrian Army".

All these reports were later confirmed to be fabrications and lies. They all had the goal of manipulating public opinion and they all succeeded in one way or another. Despite the consequences, which were often disastrous, none of the perpetrators were punished or paid any price.

It has been famously said "Those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it." This report is a critical review of the "Caesar Torture Photos" story. As will be shown, there is strong evidence the accusations are entirely or substantially false.
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People

Iran joins China and Russia as key guarantors of stability in the Middle East

Giancarlo Elia Valori
Russia Insider
Tue, 01 Mar 2016 20:19 UTC
Putin talks with world leaders
Europe too will ultimately have to rely on this axis for its security

The Russian Federation was one of the prime movers of the negotiations that resolved the Iranian nuclear issue through the P5+1 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran.

For Russia, the nuclear deal expands to the economy, as well to as the strategic reputation of an ally, namely Iran, which Russia needs, both in the Middle East and in terms of an increase in crude oil prices, a life or death matter.

Russia is not involved in the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran, supporting everything that can create better relations between the two Islamic nations, aware that tensions in the Middle East could cause a "domino effect".

If the Greater Middle East were to flare up, the Syrian crisis, the Shi'ite Houthi insurgency in Yemen, the destabilization of Shi'ite areas in the Saudi Kingdom and the de facto closure of the sea routes south of Suez, Russian engagement could not continue indefinitely without creating severe economic and strategic problems.

Not even Iran wants a real war along its borders, since it has every interest in taking full advantage of the new economic and political climate, especially with Europe, after the signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan.

But how is the management of the P5+1 agreement with Iran progressing, as the keystone of the entire Middle East system?
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Jet2

Kurdistan Gov't: Turkey's military operation against Kurds is genocide


Sputnik
Mon, 14 Mar 2016 11:20 UTC
crying woman
© Sertac Kayar / Reuters
Kurds mourn over graves of slain family and friends in southeastern city of Diyarbakir, Turkey, victims of Erdogan's cleansing operation.
The Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government considers the Turkish authorities' military operation against Kurds in southeastern Turkey to be genocide, the regional government's representative in Moscow said. In summer 2015, Turkey initiated a military campaign against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the country's southeastern regions, which have a predominately Kurdish population. Since the beginning of the campaign, Ankara has imposed several round-the-clock curfews, preventing civilians from fleeing regions where the military operations are being conducted.

"There is no doubt that civilians suffer the most... That is why the extermination of the Kurds is an actual genocide," Aso Talabani told RIA Novosti in an interview. Talabani stressed that there are no PKK militants in some of the cities Ankara is pursuing its military operation.

"Say there is one partisan in a house. But hundreds of ordinary people [also] live in that house. The Turks bomb that house from tanks and helicopters. To kill one militant, [they] have to kill a hundred of civilians," the official said. The Turkish General Staff estimates that over 1,000 Kurdish militants have been killed in the anti-PKK operation since mid-December. Kurdish activists, in turn, argue that most of the dead have been civilian victims.

PKK has been fighting for independence of Kurdish territories from Ankara since 1984. The group, which Turkey considers a terrorist organization, seeks to create a Kurdish state in parts of Turkey and Iraq.

Comment: As Turkey's Kurdish civilian toll mounts and life in these target areas becomes more than unbearable, Erdogan may find his actions speak much louder and more clearly than his threats, machinations and ugly words. Slaughtering civilians is the new civil war. Must have been a 'right of passage' for membership in NATO.

See also: Anti-PKK campaign in SE Turkey turns into a slaughter

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Erdogan slaughters Turkish civilians in Ankara and takes immediate vengeance on the Kurds

Harrison Koehli & Joe Quinn
Sott.net
Mon, 14 Mar 2016 22:10 UTC
ankara blast

The scene of the Ankara blast on March 13.
On Friday, March 11, the American embassy in Turkey warned American citizens of a "potential plot to attack Turkish government buildings and housing" in the Bahcelievler neighborhood of Ankara. Yesterday, a car bomb exploded just a few kilometers away, close to the Justice and Interior Ministries, a courthouse, and the former office of the prime minister, killing 37 and wounding 125. Turkish courts shut down access to social media in order to suppress sharing footage and coverage of the scene. This comes less than a month after another bombing in Ankara, which killed 29, and almost immediately after an interview with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was broadcast, in which he said that Russia has evidence that Turkish troops have crossed the border into Syria, having "already dug themselves in several hundred meters from the border in Syria." These events come on the eve of the resumption of the Syrian war peace talks in Geneva and the announcement by Putin that Russia would start to withdraw its forces from Syria.

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Jet2

New arms race: US, Russia and China compete to revolutionize warfare with hypersonic weapons

Rudy Panko
Russia Insider
Sat, 05 Mar 2016 15:16 UTC
hypersonic weapon

The race is on. And it's very, very fast.
Hypersonic weapons could make modern air defense systems obsolete -- and the US, Russia and China are rushing to develop them.

Capable of reaching speeds of 3,600 miles per hour or more, hypersonic weapons will "revolutionize military affairs in the same fashion that stealth did a generation ago and the turbojet engine did a generation before," according to a study released Tuesday by the Air Force Association's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. In other words: Hypersonic weapons could very well redefine the rules of modern warfare.

Not surprisingly, the US Air Force has called for a massive investment in hypersonic weapons development. These weapons would give the US an incredible edge over any potential military foe:
Once realized, the incredibly fast projectiles would allow the U.S. to strike targets deep in enemy territory, even if it were defended by anti-air systems, simply because of their speed would cut hours-long transcontinental flights down to minutes. The weapons also could lessen the threat to U.S. airmen, since piloted aircraft like fighter jets or bombers would be able to do their job faster.
But the US isn't the only country developing hypersonic weapons:
China and Russia are already investing in the technology, the report notes. Beijing has conducted at least five tests of its Wu-14 hypersonic strike vehicle in the last two years. That platform consists of launching a rocket to the upper atmosphere, then releasing a glider that reaches hypersonic speeds upon descent.

Meanwhile, Moscow plans to tests its new hypersonic weapon by 2020.

Comment: Always searching for the newest and best ways to kill thousands of people from thousands of miles away.

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Clipboard

Syrian ceasefire update: New opposition group formed at Russian air base, Russians dismayed at U.S.-vouched group's ceasefire violations


ITAR-TASS
Mon, 14 Mar 2016 18:30 UTC
hmeimim
© Valeriy Sharifulin/TASS More: http://tass.ru/en/world/862052

Comment: In the last two days, the Russians have had several consultations with local Syrians. This seems to be the result: an opposition group formed by real Syrians, not the violent hordes of foreign mercenaries and thrill-seekers supported by the U.S. and their allies. And while Russia continues to make constructive moves to foster actual democracy in Syria, the U.S.'s contrary intentions continue to be exposed. From today's bulletin on the results of the ceasefire:
In the course of the teleconferences, the Russian party expressed dismay at ceasefire violations near Kafr Nabudah (Hama province) carried out by opposition detachments, which had been put by the American party into list of detachments joined the ceasefire regime and located in assigned areas.
It was bound to happen sooner or later.


A new Syrian opposition group has been formed at a meeting at Russia's Hmeimim base and it may come to Geneva, Russian Ambassador to the UN and other international organizations in Geneva Alexey Borovavkin told TASS on Monday.

"We are pleased to note that the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, and his office have welcomed the formation of a new moderate opposition group," the diplomat said. "Staffan de Mistura has promised to negotiate the issue of inviting representatives of this group to the Geneva negotiations."

According to Borodavkin, this group comprises oppositionists who live and work in Syria but who have not been included in the political structure that is currently in power.
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Attention

'Objectives achieved': Putin orders start of Russian military withdrawal from Syria


RT
Mon, 14 Mar 2016 18:04 UTC
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu
© kremlin.ru
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu to start the withdrawal of forces from Syria starting Tuesday.

"I consider the objectives that have been set for the Defense Ministry to be generally accomplished. That is why I order to start withdrawal of the main part of our military group from the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic starting from tomorrow," Putin said on Monday during a meeting with Shoigu and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Moscow launched its anti-terror campaign in Syria on September 30 last year. Russia's participation in the operation, according to a previous statement by Putin, has its basis in international law and has been conducted "in accordance with an official request from the president of the Syrian Arab Republic [Bashar Assad]."

Comment: In the same conversation, Assad also expressed his hopes for the Geneva UN talks currently in progress:
"The Syrian leader underlined his readiness to implement the political process in the country," the [Kremlin] press service said in a statement. "He expressed hope that the full-format talks between the Syrian government and opposition in Geneva under the UN aegis will bring concrete results."
Moon of Alabama asks:
I believe that, for this to have happened, there must be a deal in place with the U.S. to wind up the Syria situation. What did Putin get in return? And what units will actually pull out? Three military cooks departing while civilians take up their jobs?

The tide of the war on Syria has changed. There is no longer a danger that Assad will lose the fight.

There were some Russian artillery and special forces units taking part in the ground operations in north Latakia. Latakia is now mostly cleaned up and the Russian bases there are no longer in danger. (The S-400 air defense will of course stay.) Will these troops now be pulled out?

Or is this, as announced, an "incentive" to put some urgency on progress in the Geneva negotiations? (An "incentive" that can be taken back should it not have the intended results.)


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Mail

Lavrov: 'Bring Kurds onboard' to peace talks in Geneva, ignore Turkey's opposition and ultimatums


RT
Mon, 14 Mar 2016 00:15 UTC
Syrian Kurds
© www.dailysabah.com
Of the Syrian Kurds, according to President Assad: They are not foreigners, they are fully integrated into society, some for many generations. They are part of the Syrian fabric.
Moscow strongly insists that the Kurds be invited to the the upcoming Syrian peace talks in Geneva, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, suggesting that leaving them out could endanger Syria's territorial integrity. "If the Kurds are 'thrown out' of the negotiations on Syria's future, how can you expect them to want to remain within this state?" Lavrov said in an interview with Russian REN TV channel aired on Sunday. "We believe that the process, which starts in Geneva, must necessarily include the Kurds, if we all mean what we say in declaring our commitment to Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity."

The minister also stressed that Russia will press the UN not to "surrender to 'ultimatums' and invite the Kurds to the table of the negotiation process right from the start." In mentioning ultimatums, Lavrov was apparently pointing a finger at Turkey, which strongly opposes the Kurds' involvement in the Syrian peace process, despite them being one of the most successful forces fighting Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) in Syria, along with the Syrian army.

According to the minister, while opposing the advances of the Kurdish forces, Ankara itself has been setting up certain zones of control within Syria. "While demanding that the Kurds be prevented from consolidating their positions in Syria, Turkey meanwhile has started to declare its sovereign right to create some sort of security zones on Syrian territory. According to our information, they have been 'entrenching' inside Syria just a few hundred meters from the border," Russia's top diplomat said.


Comment: UN envoy/mediator to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, agrees with Lavrov that Syrian Kurds, who occupy and control about 15% of Syria, are an important part of the country and should be allowed to express their opinions on Syria's future. As the deck is being stacked against Turkey's demands, all eyes will be on Erdogan.

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