Puppet MastersS


Blackbox

War is complicated: Helpful, 'simple' color chart 'explains' Syria conflict


RT
Fri, 19 Feb 2016 20:03 UTC
Conflict theorists and terror experts can pack up and go home: one researcher has finally devised a "simple" chart to comprehensively explain away the complexities of the Syrian War.

While the graphic created by Charles Lister - a fellow of the Middle East Institute in Washington - is described as "simple", the zigzagging colorful lines are pretty mindboggling.

The chart is a 'who's who' of forces fighting against each other in the conflict.

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Eye 2

World bully US State Dept. accuses China and Russia of increasing global tensions


RT
Fri, 19 Feb 2016 19:37 UTC
us Navy ships
© US NAVY / Reuters
A US State Department spokesman has taken a swipe at Beijing and Moscow, saying their militarization is making the world unsafe. John Kirby said this is a view shared by "much of the rest of the international community."

Spokesperson Kirby for the US Department of State told a press briefing on Thursday that US military expansion into Eastern Europe and the South China Sea is at the behest of its allies, while dismissing that this could be perceived as a threat by Russia and China.

"Our allies and partners, I think, find [it] pretty comforting and reassuring [that there is a] US military presence in the region, which will continue," Kirby replied when asked about NATO's move towards the east not being perceived as a threat, or US ships sailing into the South China Sea.

Comment: Any country that is not compliant to the US' wishes is considered a threat and must leave itself defenseless to prove they are not a threat. How ridiculous is that?

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Briefcase

It's all Russia's fault! Declassified papers reveal UK policy of accusing Soviets of everything


RT
Fri, 19 Feb 2016 19:26 UTC
London
© Andrew Winning / Reuters Michael Ford was stationed in London from 2013-2015.
Declassified papers from the British Cabinet Office have put an end to the long-standing myth of Moscow's unwillingness to cooperate with the West, revealing the UK's efforts to blame every problem on Russia.

The papers date back to 1983, when the UK Foreign and Cabinet offices were ecstatic at the outcome of the Madrid review conference on the implementation of the Helsinki Final Act on security and cooperation in Europe.

"... We now have a provisional mandate for a CDE (Conference on Disarmament in Europe) which establishes four basic criteria, all of which have required concession on the part of the Soviet Union and her allies," officials in Whitehall wrote at the time.
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Info

Some sanity: Moscow and Warsaw agree to keep cargo freight moving


RT
Fri, 19 Feb 2016 19:19 UTC
Russian transport trucks
© Wojciech Pacewicz / Reuters
Russia and Poland have agreed to allow cross-border cargo transportation to continue until April 15 while a new permit deal is negotiated, announced Poland's Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Jerzy Schmidt.

Russian and Polish truck drivers have been stuck at border crossings since the previous agreement expired on January 31. Polish trucks were allowed to leave Russia up until February 15.

"Yesterday Polish and Russian experts reviewed the transitional period and discussed permits for that period which expires on April 15," Schmitt said on Friday, adding the sides are to meet again.
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Bomb

The Ankara blast: A catastrophe of convenience

Ulson Gunnar
New Eastern Outlook
Fri, 19 Feb 2016 00:00 UTC
Ankara blast
© unknownAccusations fly and retaliation commences before the flames subside.
The fireball from this week's blast in Ankara had barely begun to fade before the world begun bracing itself for the predictable accusation that Syria's Kurdish YPG (People's Protection Units) were behind the blast. This is because Turkey has developed a transparently cynical strategy of staging blasts throughout its territory and beyond to stoke fears, justify condemnation and retaliation and demonize not only it own enemies, but those of its partners in NATO and particularly, those of the United States.

Syria's YPG was the obvious target of this blast and the barrage of accusations and threats that quickly followed because it is the YPG together with Syrian and Russian forces that now threaten to finally foil the US-NATO-GCC proxy by closing the Afrin-Jarabulus corridor, and specifically, the pivotal city of Azaz, located in Syria right along the Syrian-Turkish border.

For years Azaz has served as a nexus for foreign-backed militant operations not only in northern Syria, but as a logistical hub supplying terrorist operations all throughout the country. Its seizure by either Syria's Kurdish YPG or the SAA (Syrian Arab Army) would effectively hobble US-NATO-GCC's proxy war, at least in the north.

Comment: Without solid investigation and proof, the Ankara attack is a question mark. The most obvious scenario would be a false flag ploy by Erdogan, and/or his covert affiliates, giving him immediate retaliative provocation against the enemy of his desire: the Kurds.

See also: Syrian Kurds: Nothing to gain from terror attacks in Turkey

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Blackbox

More on the Azaz pocket: Who exactly are the SDF and Jaish al-Thuwar?


Moon of Alabama
Fri, 19 Feb 2016 17:30 UTC
azaz
© Twitter / @miladvisorYellow = Kurds. Green = CIA Rebels. Brown = Daesh. Beige = Syrian Army.
A few days ago we asked the speculative question: Are Green Berets Leading The YPG In Taking The Azaz Pocket? That question was, as we will see, wrong. It is not the YPG that is the relevant part here but some other groups fighting next to it. We wrote:
The Kurds in the Azaz pocket have also some support from a professional military. Their moves are very purposeful and controlled. They are clearly coordinated with the Syrian army. The coordination with the Russian airforce works well and there is ground fire coordination with the SAA.
...
Who are the professionals that are helping the YPG to take the Azaz pocket?

My first thought was of course Russian Spetsnaz. But I asked around and none of my usual sources would confirm this. The sources acknowledged that the YPG in west Syria has special force support but there was some quite unexpected silence over who these forces were. It is clear to me that these are not Syrian special forces. The YPG does not want to be seen as an adjunct to the Syrian government. No one would confirm to me that these are Russian forces even as that would be of no great surprise to anyone. This leads me to speculate that some U.S. special forces are directing the YPG in the Azaz pocket. This in coordination with the Syrian army and the Russians.
The idea presumed a split between the CIA, which arms the jihadis with TOWs and other toys, and the U.S. military, which helps the Kurds against the Islamic State jihadis in north-east Syria.

big

Comment: Any acknowledgment within the American military-intelligence establishment that Russia has the right strategy in Syria must be covert. If MoA's analysis is anywhere close to the truth, at least there are some sane individuals within the Pentagon. They may be crazy in all sorts of other ways, but all the situation in Syria right now requires is some basic pragmatism and common sense.

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Fire

Dick Cheney's toxic legacy: Media silence on the disastrous effects of burn pits

Justin Gardner
The Free Thought Project
Fri, 19 Feb 2016 17:38 UTC
dick cheney
The legacy of death and misery from the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan continues today, and, once again, Dick Cheney plays a central role. A new book by Joseph Hickman, a former U.S. Marine and Army sergeant, titled "The Burn Pits: The Poisoning of America's Soldiers" details how soldiers and local civilian populations were exposed to constant streams of toxic smoke from the burning of waste.

The infamous Kellog, Brown, and Root (KBR), which was a part of Dick Cheney's corporate empire under Halliburton, operated about 250 burn pits which contributed to the $40 billion that Halliburton made during the Iraq occupation. "Every type of waste imaginable" was burned, including "tires, lithium batteries, asbestos insulation, pesticide containers, Styrofoam, metals, paints, plastic, medical waste and even human corpses."

This reprehensible practice proves yet again that nothing is sacred when it comes to the military machine.

Just as the U.S. laid waste to Vietnam's human health and jungle environment with Agent Orange, it wrecked human health and environmental quality in Iraq. That country will suffer from this toxicity for decades, as evidenced by sharp increases in birth defects and cancer and leukemia rates.

Comment: Leaked Memo Exposes Toxic US 'Burn Pit' in Afghanistan Another 'Agent Orange scenario'?

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Magnify

Syrian Kurds: Nothing to gain from terror attacks in Turkey


Sputnik
Fri, 19 Feb 2016 13:18 UTC
kurds under attack
© www.makewarshistory.co.ukKurds subjected to a bombing for an attack they say they didn't perpetrate.
Syrian Kurds have nothing to gain from carrying out terrorist attacks on civilians in Turkey, Merab Shamoyev, the chairman of the International Union of Kurdish Public Associations, said Friday. The Turkish authorities blamed Kurdish organizations for Wednesday's blast in Ankara that killed 28 and left 61 people wounded.

"Syrian Kurds immediately denied these allegations. Why would Syrian Kurds do this? The Kurds currently have a good reputation," Shamoyev said during a press conference in Moscow. The politician added that the terror attack could have been a provocation carried out by Turkey's Justice and Development Party to justify Ankara's shelling of Syrian Kurds and to start a ground operation in Syria. According to Shamoyev, Kurds do not want to secede from Turkey and only desire autonomy.

In recent weeks, Turkish forces have repeatedly attacked Kurdish People's Defense Units' positions in northern Syria, claiming the Kurdish militia threatens Turkish security. The Kurds are a Middle Eastern ethnic group with a population of some 30-35 million, living mainly in Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria. They do not have their own state, however, the Kurds have made several attempts to gain independence and have already obtained autonomy within the framework of the Iraqi state.

Comment: As stated, it is unlikely the Syrian Kurds had anything to do with this attack. The co-leader of the YPG's political wing denied that the affiliated YPG perpetrated the Ankara bombing and said Turkey was using the attack to justify an escalation in fighting in northern Syria. Erdogan's rush to blame Kurdish organizations without facts or evidence, suggests all he needed was an excuse to increase the shelling of Syrian Kurds and expand his operation against Iraqi Kurds as well, which he did within two hours of the explosion.

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Jet1

Shame! British Air Force not targeting ISIS with Brimstone missiles in Syria


RT
Fri, 19 Feb 2016 17:10 UTC
tornado jet
© Stringer / Reuters
Britain's sophisticated air-to-surface Brimstone missiles have not killed any terrorists in Syria so far, although at least nine missiles have been fired. A single missile using radar homing and laser guidance technology costs £100,000.

The Huffington Post UK made a freedom of information (FOI) request to the British Defense Ministry and discovered the much-touted Brimstone missiles with promised standalone precision have not claimed any terrorist scalps yet.

After British MPs voted in favor of the Royal Air Force joining the Syria campaign in December, the expensive missiles were held back for at least the first month of operations.

Brimstone's first recorded deployment took place on January 10, the Independent reports. It was aimed against terrorist supply trucks in Raqqa. By the end of January, Brimstone missiles had been used in nine raids.

"We are playing a crucial role in a campaign that will take time and patience. Using the right weapon for each scenario, RAF jets have struck Daesh [Arabic acronym for Islamic State] almost 600 times," a British MoD spokeswoman said, adding that the RAF is driving Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) out of Sinjar and Ramadi in Iraq and has "severely weakened" key terrorist infrastructure in Syria.

Comment: So the UK's telling us they've bombed 600 targets over a period of 2 months, and killed 7 guys? Sounds legit... Not. The 'not targeting ISIS' knife cuts both ways, guys. Either you're fighting Daesh for real, or you're not. The answer looks pretty clear.

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Map

MSF doctors refused to disclose hospital coordinates to Syria and Russia


RT
Fri, 19 Feb 2016 16:57 UTC
msf hospital
© doctorswithoutborders / Instagram
Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) does not provide GPS coordinates of health facilities it supports in Syria to either Damascus or Moscow over fears of "deliberate" attacks, the medical charity said, blaming a recent strike on "probably" Syrian or Russian forces.

"We gave to the Russian ambassadors in Paris [and] in Geneva coordinates for three hospitals located in very intense conflict zones, but not for all of them, and it was a decision taken together with the medical staff of the health facilities that we support," said MSF operations director Isabelle Defourny.

At least 25 people were killed, including nine medical personnel and 16 patients, when airstrikes destroyed a hospital supported by MSF. Ten others were wounded when four missiles reportedly struck the hospital initially at around 9:00am local time Monday, according to accounts provided by medical staff on site. Forty minutes later, after rescuers arrived, the hospital was allegedly bombed again.

According to MSF, the coordinates had not been shared with the authorities or relevant Russian representatives because of safety concerns that were voiced by doctors operating in Syria.

Comment: Further reading on the recent reports of bombed hospitals in Syria: The Syrians and Russians do not deliberately target civilians (that's a job for the U.S., Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Daesh). That at least raises the possibility of an accidental strike of this hospital, given that MSF withheld vital information that would've protected it. But even more likely is that the U.S. is doing what they do best: lying. Knowing that the Russians don't know, it's entirely possible that the MSF hospital was targeted with the intention of blaming it on Russia.

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