Puppet MastersS


Info

US-backed Iraqi forces advance on ISIS-held areas of Mosul as 750,000 civilians remain trapped


RT
Thu, 23 Feb 2017 16:14 UTC
CTS troops advance towards Ghozlani military complex, south of Mosul, Iraq
© Alaa Al-Marjani / Reuters CTS troops advance towards Ghozlani military complex, south of Mosul, Iraq February 23, 2017.
US-backed Iraqi troops have retaken Mosul's airport from Islamic State and stormed a military base in a bid to enter the militant-held western part of the densely-populated city, where up 750,000 civilians are now trapped.

"The Rapid Response Forces and federal police are fully in control of the airport of Mosul," state television said in a flash on its screen on Thursday afternoon, Reuters reported.

Attacking from the south, Iraqi forces reached the Ghazlani base near the airport in southwestern Mosul on Thursday morning, two special forces officers told AP, adding that there was fierce fighting going on between the Iraqi military and Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) militants near the besieged facility.
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Eye 1

Draconian legislation in UK leaves whistleblowers unprotected


RT
Thu, 23 Feb 2017 16:11 UTC
hacking
© Silas Stein / www.globallookpress.com
Protections for whistleblowers have become "ineffective" in the digital era thanks to stricter laws governing those attempting to leak national security information, a new study reveals.

According to research by the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (IALS) at the University of London, journalists receiving information from whistleblowers find it increasingly difficult to maintain their sources' anonymity because of the major interception of phone and online activities.

The study follows a proposal earlier this month to significantly increase prison sentences for those found leaking official information.

"Legal protections [for whistleblowers] have become ineffective," the report Protecting Sources and Whistleblowers in a Digital Age said.

"If covert powers are used, a journalist and a source will not know this has occurred - intrusion may become apparent only if the material is used in legal proceedings."
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Radar

Will it change anything? UK tracking 257 possible Saudi war crimes in Yemen


RT
Thu, 23 Feb 2017 16:06 UTC
fighter jet belonging to the Saudi-led coalition fires a missile over Sanaa
© Khaled Abdullah / Reuters
Britain is tracking 257 alleged breaches of international humanitarian law committed in Yemen by Saudi Arabia, a major UK arms customer, the government has admitted.

The numbers emerged in response to a parliamentary question put to Defense Secretary Michael Fallon by Scottish National Party (SNP) MP Margaret Ferrier.

"The Ministry of Defense (MoD) is tracking 257 allegations of breaches of international humanitarian law by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen," said Fallon.
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Jet5

Covering their tracks? RAF drones are working through 'kill list' of British citizens fighting for ISIS


RT
Thu, 23 Feb 2017 16:02 UTC
UK drone airplane
© Josh Smith / Reuters
British drone pilots are steadily working their way through a US-style kill list of UK citizens who are fighting with the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) in Syria.

Parliament and the public have not been officially informed of the assassination program, which has been underway for some time, the Daily Mail reports.

"When we know where they are we kill them," a defense source told the paper.

"Our priority is those plotting against the UK."

"We have found evidence of this. We are also helping the French who don't have our capabilities."

Comment: In other words, they're tying up loose ends to cover their tracks. Those Brits with ISIS got into Syria at the behest of UK intelligence. And this likely explains what really happened to this guy:

12 years after £1 million pay-off by UK government, British ex-Gitmo resident turns up as dead 'ISIS suicide-bomber' in Mosul

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Question

With Syrian peace talks in Geneva underway, how serious is Trump in combating terrorism?

John Wight
RT
Thu, 23 Feb 2017 15:47 UTC
UN building in Geneeva
© REUTERS/ Pierre Albouy
The timing of the CIA's decision to cease its funding of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) is significant. With the Geneva peace talks now underway, it suggests that, unlike his predecessor Barack Obama, Trump may be serious about combating terrorism.

Throughout the conflict in Syria, which has been raging now for six years, Washington's position has lacked clarity, intelligence, or any serious moral purpose. Instead, the Obama administration went out of its way to muddy the waters, embracing the nonsensical position of combating both terrorism and those fighting terrorism at the same time. The CIA's role in funding, arming, and training the FSA, the so-called moderate rebels, only succeeded in helping to prolong the conflict and, with it, the suffering of the Syrian people - half of whom are currently displaced both internally and externally, while well over 300,000 have perished.
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Black Cat

McCain secretly travels to Syria to meet with troops, leaders, opposition


RT
Thu, 23 Feb 2017 15:43 UTC
syrian SDF fighters
© Rodi Said / ReutersSyrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters. Northern Raqqa province, Syria.
Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) made a secret trip to a Kurdish-held region in northern Syria last weekend to speak with US military officials, rebel fighters, and leaders in the region.

On Wednesday, Julie Tarallo, a spokeswoman for McCain, confirmed that he'd made the trip, calling it a "valuable opportunity to assess dynamic conditions on the ground in Syria and Iraq."

Tarallo also praised President Donald Trump's late January order to conduct a a 30-day review of US strategy to combat Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL), saying that "Senator McCain looks forward to working with the administration and military leaders to optimize our approach for accomplishing ISIL's lasting defeat."

Comment: Given McCain's disdain for Trump, one might wonder how helpful these trips may be.

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Briefcase

Trump's Oval Office: White House staff may have more access to president than any in modern history

Annie Karni
Politico
Thu, 23 Feb 2017 05:04 UTC
Trump in the Oval Office
© Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump makes a call in the Oval Office on Jan. 28 alongside, from left, Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, Vice President Mike Pence, chief strategist Steve Bannon, press secretary Sean Spicer and then-national security adviser Michael Flynn.
When Omarosa Manigault, the former "Celebrity Apprentice" antihero-turned-White House adviser, needs to talk to President Donald Trump, she simply strolls into the Oval Office.

As assistant to the President and director of communications for the office of public liaison, Manigault enjoys what Trump aides refer to as walk-in privileges — meaning she doesn't need an appointment or permission to pop her head in and consult with the leader of the free world.

Her level of easy access marks a break from the previous administration, where President Barack Obama and his gatekeeper chiefs of staff kept at bay the number of aides, even senior officials, who simply walked in without an appointment. In contrast, Trump may have set up the most accessible Oval Office in modern history.

Along with Manigault, White House officials say, the list of aides with walk-in privileges includes chief strategist Steve Bannon, senior policy adviser Stephen Miller, chief of staff Reince Priebus, son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner, and counselor Kellyanne Conway.

White House Counsel Don McGahn has walk-in rights, as does senior communications aide Hope Hicks, and Keith Schiller, Trump's longtime private security aide who followed him to the White House. Trump's new national security adviser, Gen. H.R. McMaster, is also expected to be added to the informal list, according to a White House official.
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Info

Russia regrets Astana, Hmeymim opposition groups not invited to Geneva talks


Sputnik
Thu, 23 Feb 2017 14:08 UTC
UN building in Geneeva
© REUTERS/ Pierre Albouy
Russia regrets that Astana and Hmeymim platforms of Syrian opposition were not invited to the intra-Syrian talks in Geneva and believes it should be remedied in the future, Russia's envoy to the UN Office in Geneva Alexey Borodavkin said Thursday.

"We have always supported the idea that the united opposition should include all political forces that actually represent the Syrian opposition. Unfortunately, this has not been done this time... We deeply regret that Astana and Hmeymim groups were not invited to these talks. This is, of course, an omission. We hope that in time it will be remedied," Borodavkin told reporters in Geneva.

According to the envoy, the participation of a wide range of opposition groups is crucial for the success of the talks.
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Bad Guys

The West's 'counter-terrorism' campaign in Syria is a cover for imperialism

Mark Taliano
Global Research
Thu, 23 Feb 2017 12:43 UTC
Deep State
The "West" and its allies are not leading a "counter-terrorism" campaign in Syria. The publicly - disclosed, previously-planned Government-change war against non-belligerent, democratic, pluralist, secular Syria, is a terrorist campaign.

Known, documented, and amply proven, the West is using organizations, including ISIS and al Qaeda, in its attempts to destroy Syria[1].

We also know that the West used - and likely continues to use — depleted uranium ordnances throughout its illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq. Depleted uranium ordnances are weapons of mass destruction that continue to kill innocent Iraqis, and will do so for many years to come.
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Document

Russia urges US to avoid leaks, share Churkin's cause of death probe data


Sputnik
Thu, 23 Feb 2017 11:32 UTC
Churkin
© Associated Press Pohto/Jon Minchello
Moscow is surprised at media leaks of investigations into the cause of death of Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin and urges Washington to use official channels in sharing information of this kind, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.

Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the ministry "learned with bewilderment of leaks in the US media about the course of an investigation into the causes of the Russian ambassador's death."
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