Puppet Masters
Jaish al-Fatah, FSA, al-Nusra. Can you tell the difference?
... Consistent with UN Security Council Resolution 2254 and the statements of the ISSG, the cessation of hostilities does not apply to "Daesh", "Jabhat al-Nusra", or other terrorist organizations designated by the UN Security Council.There is a word missing in the above when compared to the relevant part of UNSC Res 2254:
... specifically by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as Da'esh), Al-Nusra Front (ANF), and all other individuals, groups, undertakings, and entities associated with Al Qaeda or ISIL, and other terrorist groups, ...The "associated" with Al Qaeda are not mentioned in the cessation document. In Idleb and other parts on north Syria Jaish al Fatah is the major terrorist alliance:
The Army of Conquest ("Arabic: جيش الفتح) or Jaish al-Fatah, abbreviated JaF, is a joint operations room of Islamist Syrian rebel factions participating in the Syrian Civil War.Leaving out the "associated" in the cessation of hostilities declaration gives room for Ahrar al-Sham and a few others, which are clearly "associated" with al-Nusra/al-Qaeda in their Jaish al-Fatah alliance, to take part in it.
...
At its founding, Jaish al-Fatah contained seven members, three of them — al-Nusra, Ahrar ash-Sham, and Jund al-Aqsa are directly connected to Al-Qaeda or have a similar ideology. With Ahrar ash-Sham being the largest group, al-Nusra and Ahrar ash-Sham together were reported to represent 90 percent of the troops. Another prominent Islamist faction in the operations room included the Muslim Brotherhood of Syria linked Sham Legion (Faylaq Al-Sham). Jaish al-Fatah collaborated with more moderate Free Syrian Army factions such as Knights of Justice Brigade.
© Goran Tomasevic / Reuters
"Defeating Daesh effectively can only happen through a legitimate Libyan government in charge of its own security," Frederica Mogherini told Journal du Dimanche in an interview published on Sunday.
Mogherini called Islamic State by the Arabic language acronym of the organization. IS has been gaining ground in Libya, seizing the city of Sirte and advancing on the oil-rich regions in the east of the country, which remains split between rival groups in the wake of the toppling of its leader Muammar Gaddafi by a NATO-backed uprising in 2011.
© Kremlin.ru
In this regard, and in furtherance of the February 11th decisions of the ISSG, the United States and Russia, as co-chairs of the ISSG and ISSG Ceasefire Task Force, announce the adoption on February 22, 2016, of the Terms for a Cessation of Hostilities in Syria attached as an Annex to this statement, and propose that the cessation of hostilities commence at 00:00 (Damascus time) on February 27, 2016. The cessation of hostilities is to be applied to those parties to the Syrian conflict that have indicated their commitment to and acceptance of its terms. Consistent with UN Security Council Resolution 2254 and the statements of the ISSG, the cessation of hostilities does not apply to "Daesh", "Jabhat al-Nusra", or other terrorist organizations designated by the UN Security Council.
Comment: Until this point, the U.S. has officially denied information of this type - explicit locations of their 'moderate' revels' - to the Russian military. Now it will just be a matter of whether or not the U.S. will correctly label its own 'moderate al-Qaeda rebels'. Will they try to paint their al-Qaeda-tied groups as 'moderate opposition', even if that violates the previous UN resolution? Either way, it seems like the Minsk protocols all over again. If the CIA's stooges paint themselves as moderates and agree to the ceasefire, the fighting will presumably stop. If they don't agree to ceasefire, they have exposed themselves as not being interested in a political process. However, just like the Minsk protocols, there is the possibility that guilty parties will not comply...
© AFP 2016/ OLGA MALTSEVA
Soldiers next Russian S-300 system
Soldiers next Russian S-300 system
Russia is set to deliver its first S-300 air defense systems to Iran as soon as Tehran clears the payment. This comes as terrifying news to the West and NATO, because it is going to mean an end to the "era of risk-free airstrikes," according to German weekly magazine Stern.
The surface-to-air missile system (NATO reporting name SA-10 Grumble) is a defensive weapon against aircraft, cruise and ballistic missiles, with a range of up to 200 kilometers, able to fire at multiple targets and down an aircraft as high as 20 km. Additionally, different modification of radars associated with the S-300 can track aerial missiles up to 1,000 km travelling at up to 10,000 km/h and cruise missiles up to 300 km away.
Its hit precision rate is up to 93 percent.
Comment: Russia's entry into the Middle East, whether it's providing arms to Iran or protecting Syria from Western-created terrorists, has completely changed the geopolitical game. The US no longer has carte blanche to engage in their imperial takeovers.
© SANA / Reuters
Syria holds a general election every four years, with the previous vote taking place in 2012.
The announcement comes hours after Russia and the US issued a joint statement on cessation of hostilities in this country, announcing February 27 as the starting date for the ceasefire.
Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that the truce will not include terror groups, such as Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) or Jabhat al-Nusra.
Putin called on Assad's government and the opposition to support the action plan agreed by Moscow and Washington.
© REUTERS/ Kayhan Ozer/Pool
On Monday, the Kremlin released details of the Syrian ceasefire plan the US and Russia agreed upon. The two countries had to conduct several rounds of secret negotiations before settling all details and making them public. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the plan of ceasing hostilities presents a "real step that can stop the bloodshed."
© Heinz-Peter Bader / Reuters
The event was to be held on International Women's Day, but was canceled two days after the invitations were sent, the Jerusalem Post learned on Sunday.
"In consideration for the concerns against some of the participants, the Austrian Parliament has canceled the event 'In Grandmother's Words: The Fate of Women in the Second World War,'" Parliament spokeswoman Marianne Lackner said.
"It had showed already that it is difficult to find witnesses for the project whose physical and health condition allows participation in the event. A short-term replacement of the podium is therefore not possible."
Comment: No, there can't be anyone speaking who dares to provide an alternate view of reality; despicable.
© REUTERS/ Master Sgt. Kevin J. Gruenwald
US F-22 Raptor stealth jet
US F-22 Raptor stealth jet
An upgraded version of the Chinese Phased Array Radar, as well as the KJ-2000 and KJ-500 airborne early warning and control systems could well cope with the task, People's Daily Online reported, citing military expert Yin Zhuo.
The remarks came after unconfirmed reports surfaced that the Chinese military detected F-22s over the East China Sea. The PLA is said to have sent helicopters and a warship to the area. In addition, fighter jets were prepared to join other forces if requested.
The incident took place on February 10.
Initial reports did not specify the type of the aircraft or the country the plane belonged to, but Yin Zhuo mentioned that if the planes were F-22s then the Chinese could track them.
"In fact - it's very possible that China can track the Raptor. Stealth is not a cloak of invisibility, after all. Stealth technology simply delays detection and tracking," defense expert Dave Majumdar wrote for the National Interest. "Even combat-configured F-22s are not invisible to enemy radar, contrary to popular belief."
© Murad Sezer / Reuters
Speaking at a news conference on Monday, Davutoglu announced an action plan to provide support for the tourism industry, including an $87-million government grant and setting up a facility to allow travel firms to restructure their debts.
"We believe Russian tourists will start coming back to Turkey," he was quoted as saying by the Daily Sabah, an English-language newspaper published in Turkey. Davutoglu added the current political tensions between Ankara and Moscow should not impact Russian "guests" who visit the country.
The government did not expect any shrinkage in tourism stemming from this issue, he added.
Comment: Davotoglu seems to be losing it (if he ever had to begin with). Could the Turks really not see this coming?! 1) Tourism is essential to the Turkish economy. 2) Russians made up a crucial number of those tourists. 3) Turkey shot down a Russian jet and facilitated the murder of its pilot. How in the world would that not affect tourism? The lack of foresight, and the sense of entitlement is alarming.
Meanwhile, at least certain elements in Turkey's government and military are backing down from its Syrian invasion rhetoric:
All the countries of the (NATO) coalition should participate in ground operations in Syria. This statement was made by Foreign Minister of Turkey Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.
The Turkish Minister added that the issue of conducting such operations is not on the agenda and is not worth it, RIA Novosti reported.
Comment: Exactly. But while the ceasefire may not hold (just look at Ukraine!), at the very least more so-called moderates will be further exposed as having close ties with al-Qaeda. And the U.S. will have even more egg on its face. Further reading: