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Bad Guys

Turkish shelling of Kurds in Syria could 'torpedo' the entire ceasefire

Rudy Panko
Russia Insider
Mon, 14 Mar 2016 03:56 UTC
Erdogan ISIS
With dozens of armed groups involved, the Russia-US brokered ceasefire in Syria was never going to be easy. But amazingly, the ceasefire is largely holding. Of course, there's always a few party poopers:
A Russia Defence Ministry center in Syria received reports on Saturday of Turkish shelling of Kurdish positions in Syria's Aleppo province, RIA news agency reported, while Turkey said it had been targeting Islamic State positions.
Were the "ISIS positions" in Turkey?

Comment: As if bombing Syria isn't enough, Lavrov has claimed Turkey's begun sending troops into Syria, committing themselves to a de facto invasion of the country. This is occurring as Russia, along with the Syrian Army, are making rapid progress towards ISIS' capital. Perhaps Erdogan's just feeling the heat as his dreams of toppling Assad fall apart, or perhaps Washington is using him for their own nefarious goals. Further reading:

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Pirates

Britain top dog in unregulated shadow world of mercenaries


RT
Sun, 13 Mar 2016 00:00 UTC
Black water mercenaries
© Ahmad Al-Rubaye / AFP
Britain has become the world's post-9/11 "mercenary kingpin" with hundreds of firms employing thousands of ex-military freebooters in a shadowy industry worth billions, a report by charity War on Want claims.

The report, titled 'Mercenaries Unleashed: The brave new world of private military and security companies,' examines the rise of the industry over the past 15 years. It argues that the time has come to ban mercenary firms and "end the privatization of war."

War on Want claims private military and security companies (PMSCs) are reaping massive profits from the war, instability and chaos which have accompanied the 'War on Terror.'

In a statement on the charity's website, executive director John Hillary said: "Private military contractors ran amok in Iraq and Afghanistan, leaving a trail of human rights abuses in their wake."
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Stormtrooper

Lavrov: Russia has evidence Turkish troops have moved into Syria, 'a creeping expansion'

Alexander Winning
Reuters
Sun, 13 Mar 2016 00:55 UTC
Lavrov
© Maxim Shemetov/ReutersRussian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during a news conference in Moscow, Russia, January 26, 2016.

Erdogan is playing a dangerous game in northern Syria

Russia has evidence that Turkish troops are on Syrian territory, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview broadcast on Sunday, accusing Turkey of a "creeping expansion" on its border with Syria.

The comments by Lavrov are the latest confrontation between Moscow and Ankara, after Turkish jets shot down a Russian warplane near the Turkish-Syrian border in November.
"Turkey has started to declare it has a sovereign right to create some safety zones on Syrian territory," Lavrov told Russian television channel Ren-TV. "According to our data, they have already 'dug themselves in' several hundred meters from the border in Syria. ... It's a sort of creeping expansion."
Lavrov also said that Russia would insist the United Nations invites Kurds to peace talks on the Syrian conflict despite Turkey's opposition.
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Hearts

Great moments in Idiocracy: Watch Trump make his peace with the war party


Dan Sanchez
Tue, 08 Mar 2016 00:00 UTC
Trump making his peace
Donald Trump at Wrestlemania XXIII

Comment: Though Trump is quite often called a 'populist', the truth is that he appeals to the lowest common denominator in American society. That anyone should take anything seriously from Trump - except perhaps for his islamophobic and fascistic rantings - seems to be, at best, an unwise way to think about what he actually is. Still, there are those who like his "independent" streak on foreign policy. And actually believe it. For those few of you out there who are willing to forgive Trump all his other massive failings because of his few well-reasoned remarks, this article is for you.



Just as Reagan Learned to Love Big Government

Many promoters of peace, while not necessarily supporting him, do hope that a Donald Trump presidency would curb or maybe even end the hyper-active militancy of the American empire. They see glimmers of promise in Trump's foreign policy statements.

For example, while his Republican rivals vie with each other over who will most antagonize nuclear Russia, Trump talks about getting along with Russian president Vladimir Putin. Trump also veers off the GOP script when he characterizes the wars in Iraq and Libya as "yuge" mistakes (if not monumental crimes).

"Wouldn't it be nice if we could get along with the rest of the world?" he recently asked. Trump often sounds like an non-interventionist, and many hope he will govern like one too.

Of course it's all just campaign talk, which is never to be trusted. However, some of the cautiously hopeful seem to suspend skepticism in this case on the grounds that, unlike most peace-talking candidates, Trump is genuinely "anti-establishment," and so is more likely to chart an independent course as commander-in-chief.

Comment: More 'TV personality' than anything else, Donald Trump proves that the Idiocracy is here: Now:



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Play

South Front: Russian and Iranian military upgrades shifting the global power balance


South Front
Sun, 13 Mar 2016 21:52 UTC
south front
Russia Defense Report: Russia's Anti-Missile Shield

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Light Saber

UN envoy supports Russian stance - Kurds should have a say on Syria's future at Geneva talks


RT
Sun, 13 Mar 2016 22:19 UTC
syrian kurds kobani
© Murad Sezer / ReutersSyrian Kurds from Kobani
Syrian Kurds are an important part of the country and should be allowed to express their opinion on the region's future at the Geneva talks, says Staffan de Mistura, the UN envoy to Syria, adding that there is no 'plan B' if negotiations fail.

"The Syrian Kurds are an important component of the country, so we need to find a formula in which they are able to express an opinion on the constitution and the governance of the country," de Mistura told Swiss Le Temps newspaper on Saturday. He added that he has "a mandate to find the formulas ... that are as inclusive as possible."

In another interview published on Saturday, de Mistura said there is no 'plan B' if the peace negotiations fail in Geneva. "The plan B, as far as we can see, is just a continuation of a horrible conflict which will go on and on and on," de Mistura told Al Jazeera.

"And you know who will be the only victims? The Syrian people. And I don't think there is a real plan B except for pushing hard for this to go on into a successful outcome of a political solution according to the Geneva Communique."
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Star of David

US willing to spend big on Israel to extend power in the Middle East


Sputnik
Thu, 10 Mar 2016 21:42 UTC
netanyahu Aipac
© AP Photo/ Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Associated Press/File PhotoIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Policy Conference in Washington
Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Israel on Tuesday, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a visit to the White House scheduled for later in March. Professor Ghada Talhami told Sputnik's Brian Becker that the relationship between Israel and the US is still defined by Washington lobbyists, and by America's dominating outlook.

The US has long turned a blind eye to Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian territories, and during Biden's previous official visit to Israel, the Netanyahu government announced the construction of additional settlements. According to Talhami, one of the reasons why the US cannot take effective action against Israel, America's biggest recipient of foreign aid, is the power of the Israeli lobby in Washington, DC.

"The work of the Israeli lobby has been unbelievable in the United States, to the extent that [Arabs in the US] call the United States Congress 'Israeli occupied territory'" Talhami said. "This is quite a machine; it has been built over the years and...has managed to restrain the chief executive in our government."
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Bomb

Supporting terrorists by proxy: Another CIA-backed group gives its weapons to al-Qaeda


Moon of Alabama
Sun, 13 Mar 2016 21:37 UTC
nusra
© REUTERS/ Khalil Ashawi
Syria's Idleb province is held by Jabhat al-Nusra, aka al-Qaeda in Syria, and Ahrar al Sham with a sprinkling of "moderates" added to the mix. While Nusra and Ahrar have support from Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, the "moderates" are supported by the CIA which provides them with anti-tank weapons.

When in 2013 these groups stormed government held positions in Idleb, Nusra, Ahrar and Islamic State Jihadis were leading the fighting and employed suicide bombers. Their attacks were supported by electronic warfare measures from Turkey which disabled the Syrian Army's communication. The CIA "moderates" were integrated as anti-tank teams using their U.S. supplied weapons in support of the Jihadi offense.

The U.S.-supported groups in Idleb are currently grouped under the moniker "Division 13" or "Brigade 13". The cessation of hostilities in Syria means that all these "moderates" in Idleb province have time to discuss their ideological differences. Jenan Moussa (@JenanMoussa) is the "Roving reporter Arabic Al Aan TV. Based in Dubai but roams around MidEast". She reports on Syria from a mostly pro-opposition standpoint and has long favored "moderate" as well as "not-so-moderate" Jihadis.

Comment: According to the AFP, Nusra also kidnapped many Division 13 members. Division 13 also released a video "showing apparent widows of FSA men killed in the conflict protesting against al-Nusra Front at a graveyard."

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Георгиевская ленточка

Serbian president praises Russian op in Syria - prevented ISIS from forming Kosovo-style state


RT
Sun, 13 Mar 2016 17:42 UTC
Serbian President russia syria kosovo
© Ivan Sekretarev / ReutersSerbian President Tomislav Nikolic
Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic has in an interview with RT drawn parallels between the case of the recognition of Kosovo's independence and Islamic State's attempts at establishing itself as a legitimate state.

Speaking to host Oksana Boiko on the Worlds Apart program, Nikolic hailed Russia's role in trying to resolve the Syrian crisis, slamming as biased claims that Russia started its operation in the Syrian conflict with malicious intent.

"If the United States intervened in Iraq, Libya and Syria with good intentions, why is it suggesting Russia has malicious intentions, especially since it has been shown that the Russian intervention in Syria against Islamic State [IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL] directly stopped the formation of a state in the way that was used earlier in Kosovo, and thank God we have our friends and protectors in the UN Security Council, particularly Russia, who will never allow that to be formalized in the UN," Nikolic said.

Comment: Indeed the partitioning of Yugoslavia and the subsequent slaughter was a wake-up call to the Russians of what NATO was capable of. Heading off a similar tactic with respect to ISIS/ISIL was a top priority for Russia.

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Document

SOTT Exclusive: Syrian ceasefire bulletin: Israel's collusion with the moderate terrorists exposed, increase in ceasefire violations

Harrison Koehli
Sott.net
Sun, 13 Mar 2016 18:30 UTC
syria
© AFP 2016/ STRINGER
Yesterday, two more Syrian towns joined the ceasefire agreement, making for a total of 44 who have signed on. The number of armed groups who have signed the truce remains 42, but active negotiations are being held with three more. Consultations have been ongoing with Syrian opposition political parties, religious leaders, and public representatives in business and industry.

The Russian monitoring group registered 10 ceasefire violations, including attacks on the Syrian army in Damascus and on Kurdish militias by the so-called moderate Free Syrian Army. It was an average day. However, today saw a threefold increase in violations, with 29 registered, mostly in Latakia, using large-caliber machine guns and mortars. Turkey continues to shell Syrian territory. The Russian Center for Reconciliation, which was set up in Aleppo yesterday, also went into operation, monitoring the ceasefire and humanitarian situation there.
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