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Shell-Holes from Terrorist Mortar Attack in Cathedral

The delegation entered Syria from Lebanon on March 5, with its first destination being the country's capital, Damascus. Firstly, the politicians met with religious figures.

"What the state media won't tell: On February 5, "moderate" terrorists from Eastern Ghouta shelled a Syrian Orthodox Church with mortars. The altar and floor were damaged, fortunately, no one was hurt," Blex wrote on Twitter.

The group held a meeting with Syrian Grand Mufti Ahmad Hassoun, who reportedly called for Syrian refugees to return home. Christian Blex posted a picture from the meeting on his Twitter:

"His excellence Syria's Grand Mufti has emphasized how important the separation of various religions from the state is for their peaceful coexistence in this country. It is also of particular importance to him that Christians in Syria have equal rights with people of other religions," Blex explained. ...

Desire to Restore Normal Diplomatic Relations

The AfD delegation also plans to hold meetings with senior Syrian officials and politicians. They have spoken to the minister of state for national reconciliation affairs about the Syrian government's program, aimed at reintegrating the rebels into peaceful life.

"The government grants amnesty to people willing to reintegrate into peaceful life, as long as they have not committed war crimes. There is a whole array of people, and even cities that are ready to reintegrate, seeking negotiations. [...] They also told us about the background of terrorist groups in Syria and foreign influence on these groups: some are financed by Turkey; others are funded by Saudi Arabia, Qatar or the United States. We have also found out that the United States maintains its bases in Syria in violation of the norms of international law," Blex elaborated.

"The meeting with Mr Ali Haidar, the minister for national reconciliation on Tuesday evening. He told us that over 100,000 former militants (fighting against the government) have returned to peaceful life following the amnesty. More than 100 municipalities and towns have been reintegrated into peaceful life."

Furthermore, it appears that Syria is in dire need of labor and would be glad if those Syrians who left for Germany returned home. Blex has also said that the minister of foreign affairs told the delegation that the officials were aware of Syrians with Islamist background living in Germany.

"He warned us against letting people who may be dangerous into the country. But he also wants to restore normal diplomatic relations with our country," Blex said, saying that another topic on the agenda was Turkey's military operation in Afrin, which has spurred outrage among Syrians.

Is Syria a Safe Country of Origin?

The first two days of the trip the group spent in Damascus, with politicians being impressed by the cleanliness of the streets and the peaceful life in the city. However, the AfD members preferred to steer clear of the territories being constantly shelled from Eastern Ghouta.

"I can only say that Damascus is worth visiting. People are polite and the food is very delicious. Nevertheless, keep in mind the old Arab saying: God bless those who pay visits - but short ones," he wrote on Twitter.

When asked whether Syria was a safe country of origin, Blex said that the first impression was that it was, although said that they could not make a conclusion based on what they had already seen.

"We didn't see any danger on our way from Lebanese border to Damascus. Certainly, there is some threat closer to the territories, where terrorists are, due to the shelling. But they are limited to several regions in Syria. As soon as we visit Homs and Aleppo, we will have a full picture of the situation. For now, I would share the US's evaluation and say that Syria is a safe country," Blex told Sputnik.

"At the fair in Damascus. Usual weekdays. Modern shops. Women in headscarves and without them. It's hard to believe that tens of thousands of Syrian men are in Germany now, and their families have yet to join them..."

If the 'master plan' of the Russian Federation was to weaken, disrupt, and destabilize Ukraine, then it only needed to operate according to normal capitalist procedures, demanded full immediate payment of lawfully incurred debt, and simply watch the Ukrainian government economically fall apart. Instead, every maneuver by the Russian Federation seemed more intent on maintaining the 'special' relationship between Slavic brothers.

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The US has admitted being faced with large scale desertions of its SDF proxy force in north-eastern Syria and has had no choice but to admit to an "operational pause" in ground activities in regions east of the Euphrates. This is due to Kurdish fighters who had fought under the SDF flag, leaving their posts in US occupied territory to travel west to the Afrin region in order to fight with their brethren against Turkish forces conducting Operation Olive Branch against YPG/PKK targets. Far from being an altruistic force, the Kurdish militants simply think that at this point in time, they have more to strategically gain by playing Turkey against Syria in Afrin than by cooperating with the US in its "mission guard the oil fields" in eastern Syria.

It isn't just that I believe the mainstream media narrative about the White Helmets is wrong; this narrative has been redundantly-exposed over the years. In September 2014, Canadian independent journalist Cory Morningstar investigated hidden hands behind flashy PR around the White Helmets. In April 2015, American independent journalist Rick Sterling revealed that the White Helmets had been founded by Western powers and managed by a British ex-soldier, and noted the "rescuers" role in calling for Western intervention-a No Fly Zone on Syria. (more on these articles below). This was months before Russian media began to write about the White Helmets.

Since then, Vanessa Beeley has done the vast amount of research in greater detail, doing on-the-ground investigations in Syria, including: taking the testimonies of Syrian civilians who had (often brutal) experiences with the White Helmets; establishing that the Syrian Civil Defense exists and has existed since 1953, but are not the White Helmets-which has misappropriated this name; establishing that the international body, the International Civil Defence organisation in Geneva, does not recognize the White Helmets as the Syrian Civil Defence; establishing that men now White Helmets members looted vehicles and equipment from the Syrian Civil Defence in Aleppo-and belongings from civilians; and establishing that White Helmets shared a building in Bab Al Nairab, eastern Aleppo with al-Qaeda and were present as al-Qaeda tortured civilians, among other points.

A total of 21 people were injured and three remain in hospital after the "incident involving attempted murder" which left the former Russian double agent, Sergei Skripal, in critical condition, British police have said.

"Multiple people have been treated, around 21 people, including the man and the woman found on the bench," the acting chief constable of Wiltshire Police, Kier Pritchard, told Sky News, referring to Skripal and his daughter. He also said that all those affected went through "the hospital treatment process" and, in particular, had blood tests.

The acting Wiltshire Police head also said an unspecified "smaller" number of the injured were police officers. He then added that only three people, including the former agent and his daughter, remain in hospital. The third person is a local police sergeant, identified as Nick Bailey.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd said earlier that the officer remains in "serious but stable" condition, adding that he "is conscious, talking and engaging." She also added that Bailey was "one of the first responders," who helped Skripal.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson, who has previously called for British fighters for Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) to be killed, said the Kremlin is becoming an "ever-greater threat" following the incident. Williamson said that Moscow has shown an "increasingly aggressive stance" and that the UK must change the way it deals with the Kremlin following the "disgusting attack."

The Russian Embassy to the UK has reiterated that it has received no information on the case from the British government. "Unfortunately, we have so far received no details on the substance of the case, which is rather worrying," a spokesperson for the embassy said. "Meanwhile, the Foreign Secretary's strongly anti-Russian statement in Parliament looks more like an attempt to send the investigation upon a political track.

"Although absolutely no facts were provided to the public, we see the issue being translated into the domain of Russia-UK relations, with an active support by the media. The parliamentary debate as well as the Government stance are a testament of London's growing unpredictability as a partner in international relations, whose policy towards Russia is inconsistent and looks rather miscalculated, not least in the eyes of the Russian public."
...
Rudd's avoidance of the UK/Russia issue follows the stance of Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who said on Tuesday that the UK would "respond appropriately and robustly" if a state is found to have been involved. Johnson didn't link Russia directly to the attack, but proceeded to attack the nation, stating that "in many respects a malign and disruptive force."

He also said the UK would reconsider its participation in the upcoming World Cup, which Russia is hosting. He said it was "very difficult to see how UK representation at that event could go ahead in the normal way" if Russian state involvement was proved. Later, a Foreign Office source said that Johnson's comments were not in reference to the England football team's participation.

Commander of Joint Forces Command Sir Chris Deverell said Russia had the capabilities to cripple the UK with cyberattacks on power supplies, air traffic control and even air conditioning. "What they seek to do is to steal, plant, distort, destroy our information," he said, according to the Daily Mail. "It could have very, very serious consequences for a lot of people... They don't care about innocent people going about their lives. They are quite honestly capable of anything."

Former FSB officer Andrey Lugovoy suggested that the poisoning of the ex-Russian double agent may be part of a British campaign to demonize Moscow. "I don't rule out that this is another provocation by British intelligence agencies," Lugovoy told the Guardian.

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