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War Whore

Empire of whiners: US and Turkey criticize Assad visit to Moscow


RT
Thu, 22 Oct 2015 01:02 UTC
Image
© RIA Novosti / ReutersRussian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad enter a hall during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, October 20, 2015
The US and Turkey, two of the Syrian President Bashar Assad's key opponents, have not cheered his visit to Moscow, with the White House slamming it as a "red carpet welcome." Russian and Syrian leaders were meeting for crisis consultations and planning.

The White House criticized the way the Syrian leader was received, saying it resembled a "red carpet welcome." In that same statement, the US also accused Assad of using chemical weapons against his own people and questioned Russia's interests in a political transition of power in Syria.

"We view the red carpet welcome for Assad, who has used chemical weapons against his own people, at odds with the stated goal by the Russians for a political transition in Syria," White House spokesman Eric Schultz said.


Comment: There is absolutely no proof that Assad ever used chemical weapons. It's rather pathetic that the US is still pushing that ridiculous lie. There is, however, evidence that the US planned a chemical attack in Syria and blamed it on Assad:

Assad has stressed on multiple occasions in the past that Western claims that his government had used chemical weapons against the Syrian population are "an insult to common sense" and "nonsense."
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Bomb

Russian official: Anti-ISIL airstrikes must be combined with Syrian and Kurdish forces on the ground


Sputnik
Thu, 22 Oct 2015 12:52 UTC
Image
© AP Photo/ Alexander Kots
Anti-ISIL airstrikes will not be successful without a ground operation, Kremlin Chief of Staff said Thursday.

The ground operation against Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra in Syria must be carried out by the Syrian Army and Kurdish forces, Chief of Staff of Russian President's executive office Sergei Ivanov said Thursday.

According to Ivanov, anti-ISIL airstrikes will not be successful without a ground operation.

"No matter how much you bomb, without a ground operation airstrikes will not be successful. We saw this from the beginning and originally planned our actions with the understanding that our strikes will be coordinated with Syria's Armed Forces," he said. "In fact, [we are willing to work] with anyone who wants to counter terrorists, who cut off people's heads, rape women among other things."

Comment: Also see: The hidden history of Syria's 'civil' war - why the mainstream view is a lie

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Eye 1

The relationship between Israeli violence and propaganda - it's only getting worse

Yoav Litvin
CounterPunch
Thu, 22 Oct 2015 13:11 UTC
israelis arrested palestinians shot
© Marcel Leme/Youth Against SettlementsHadil al-Hashlamoun moments before she was shot by Israeli soldiers in Hebron on September 22, 2015.
In recent weeks the world is witnessing another round of violence in Israel/Palestine. Though we are accustomed to seeing the same tragic and violent scenario repeat itself, this time it is different. The current wave of resistance stems from a new generation of Palestinian activists who are not affiliated with a particular organization or faction. Protests include violent and nonviolent demonstrations as well as attacks on Israeli civilians in both the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) and Israel.

The disorganized and sporadic nature of this resistance has caught Israel off guard: whereas the government is accustomed to respond by mobilizing its military and propaganda (aka "Hasbara") outlets against predefined Palestinian targets such as Hamas, it currently lacks someone to hold directly accountable. As such, Israel has resorted to collective punishment of Palestinian society and inflammatory anti-Palestinian rhetoric. The latter has generated an environment whereby civilian/vigilante violence is currently surging in Israel.

Violence in various forms is necessary to maintain and expand the Israeli occupation in the OPT and for the domination of and discriminatory limitations placed on Palestinians who live as citizens within pre-'67 borders of Israel. For this purpose, the Israeli government enacts policies that have two goals: 1) segregation of Israelis and Palestinians and; 2) fragmentation of Palestinian society.

Comment: Israel's mask continues to slip, as citizens openly murder Palestinians without fear of reprisal, and their 'leadership' sounds more and more like bloodthirsty lunatics:

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Quenelle

WSJ poll claims Americans see Syria as threat - but the readers aren't buying it


Sputnik
Thu, 22 Oct 2015 13:07 UTC
Putin Assad Obama
© RIA Novosti/ AFP
A poll commissioned by NBC and the Wall Street Journal has apparently 'revealed' that a majority of Americans see Russia and Syria as "looming threats" to the US's security, with 3/4 of those polled saying that the countries are threats. However, according to user comments in the WSJ's own article, most readers don't seem to buy the poll's results.

The poll, conducted between October 15-18, asked 1,000 adults whether they believe that Syria and Russia "present a threat to the US." The results seemed alarming, with 23% of respondents saying that Syria is "an immediate threat," 56% answering that it would "likely [be] a threat soon," and only 16% answering that it is "not a threat."

Furthermore, if the polling is to be believed, Russia, a recognized global military power armed with nuclear weapons, was actually found to pose less of a threat than Syria, a country situated thousands of miles from the US and mired in a long and bloody civil conflict. 60% of those polled said that Russia poses a "long-term military threat," 14% responded that Russia poses an "immediate" military threat, and, "just 23% said Russia is not a military threat."

Comment: Most Americans probably don't think Syria is an immediate threat, but the Wall Street Journal has a neoconservative foreign policy to sell! The following polls reveal a much more realistic set of fears (and Syria and Russia aren't on the radar):

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Fire

Refugees should not be the target: Firefighters battle 5th suspected arson at Swedish refugee shelters in 2 weeks


RT
Thu, 22 Oct 2015 12:56 UTC
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© Adam Ihse / TT News Agency / ReutersA firefighter works to extinguish a fire that broke out early in the morning at an accommodation for asylum seekers, near Munkedal in Sweden October 20, 2015.
Firefighters in southern Sweden have doused the flames at yet another temporary facility for refugees and migrants. The fifth in a series of suspected arson attacks in the last two weeks comes despite tight security and secrecy over their locations.

Teams from three fire stations have been deployed to extinguish the blaze at a former retirement home in Oderljunga, being prepared to become a temporary asylum for refugees, The Local reports. The fire alarm at the facility went off at about 2:40 a.m. local time, regional newspaper Sydsvenskan reported.

The firefighters were able to put out fire almost immediately and save the building, which suffered only slight damage from the water that was poured on it and the smell of smoke that saturated the installation.

Comment: Thank goodness no one was hurt in the fire. Once again this anger is being directed to the wrong place.

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Propaganda

Iraq and 4+1 inflict huge defeat on ISIS - Western media silent


Moon of Alabama
Wed, 21 Oct 2015 12:43 UTC
baiji
© AFPAn Iraqi soldier displays the v-sign for victory during a military operation against Daesh in Baiji, Salahuddin Province, October 19, 2015
Yesterday saw a huge defeat of the Islamic State but "western" media hardly noted it.

Iraqi Hashd militia and the Iraqi army defeated the Islamic State fighters in Baiji refinery and Baiji city. This was a big success:
Footage aired by the state-run TV showed Iraqi troops waving flags from rooftops in Baiji as thick black smoke billowed into the air.
...
Baiji is the second most significant area recaptured in Salahuddin over the past months as pro-government forces retook the provincial capital of Tikrit in late March after weeks of clashes with the militants. The liberation of Baiji could be a prelude to Iraq's highly-anticipated offensive into Mosul, which has served as the de-facto capital of Daesh in Iraq.
The road from Baghdad to Mosul runs south to north through Balad, Samara, Tikrit and Baiji. Tikrit was liberated in March and the fight about the Baiji refinery and Baiji city had waged since. The victory now opens the road towards Mosul, Iraq's second biggest city and in the hand of the Islamic State.
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Target

No justice: US expands drone targeted assassination program in East Africa


Sputnik
Thu, 22 Oct 2015 12:26 UTC
US predator drone
© AFP 2015/ MASSOUD HOSSAINI
The US has expanded its drone program with a new base south of Djibouti's capital which allows the program to operate nearly unchecked.

The US has continued expanding its drone base operations in the tiny country of Djibouti, the Intercept found, as it continues War on Terror operations despite President Barack Obama's earlier pledges to end what has been dubbed an "eternal war."

The relocated and expanded drone base allows for targeted killing operations in Yemen and Somalia, which have killed hundreds of civilians while in the hunt for apparent al-Qaeda al-Shabab members. The base reportedly relocated from the air base operated in Djibouti's capital after local officials became alarmed by armed clashes.

"They're able to operate with much less oversight — not completely in secret — but there's much less chance of ongoing observation of how often drones are leaving and what they're doing," security analyst Tim Brown told the Intercept.

Comment: The 'exceptional' US doing what it does best.

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Snakes in Suits

Qatar upset their 'rebels' are losing in Syria: Threatens military intervention


Sputnik
Wed, 21 Oct 2015 18:44 UTC
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© AP Photo/ APQatar’s Foreign Minister Khalid al-Attiyah
Qatar who has been a major sponsor of jihadist groups fighting in Syria for years, now is actively considering a direct military intervention in the country, according to its officials.

Throughout Syria's bloody civil war, the government of Qatar has been an active supporter of anti-government militants, providing arms and financial backing to so called "rebels." Many of these, like the al-Nusra Front, were directly linked to al-Qaeda. That strategy has, of course, done little to put a dent in terrorist organizations in the region.

But as Russia enters its fourth week of anti-terror airstrikes, Qatar has indicated that it may launch a military campaign of its own.

Comment: These are some very bold statements from Qatar. Their only option is 'dialogue'. Do they really expect to use military force against Russia?

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Info

The hidden history of Syria's 'civil' war - why the mainstream view is a lie

Jonathan Marshall
ConsortiumNews.com
Mon, 20 Jul 2015 16:34 UTC

Comment: This article, published by ConsortiumNews in July of this year, tells the story that few in the West have heard. In contrast to the image of "evil Assad the dictator brutally suppressing peaceful protestors and killing his own people", the reality is not so cut and dried.


assad rally
© AFPTens of thousands of supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad took part in a rally in Aleppo, October, 2011.
Since the Syrian civil war began in 2011, nearly a quarter million people have perished and fully half of the country's inhabitants have been forced from their homes, creating the worst refugee crisis in the past quarter century. Meanwhile, the continuing advance of brutal Islamist factions — which a leading CIA officer in 2013 termed the "top current threat to U.S. national security" — makes the chances of restoring peace and human rights seem more remote than ever.

Many parties are to blame, but certainly among them are interventionists in the United States and its allies who rationalized supporting the Islamist opposition — and refusing to embrace serious peace negotiations — on the grounds that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is a uniquely evil dictator. That image of Assad grew directly out of his regime's brutal response to civilian protests that began in early 2011, soon after the start of the Arab Spring.

Summarizing the conventional wisdom, the International Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect notes that "The crisis in Syria was prompted by protests in mid-March 2011 calling for the release of political prisoners. National security forces responded to widespread, initially peaceful demonstrations with brutal violence. From summer 2011 onwards, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad refused to halt attacks and implement the meaningful reforms demanded by protestors. In July 2011, accounts emerged from witnesses, victims, the media, and civil society that government forces had subjected civilians to arbitrary detention, torture, and the deployment and use of heavy artillery."
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Magnify

WikiLeaks obtains CIA chief's hacked emails, threatens to publish them 'shortly'


RT
Wed, 21 Oct 2015 21:30 UTC
Director of the Central Intelligence Agency John Brennan
© Brendan McDermid / Reuters Director of the Central Intelligence Agency John Brennan
WikiLeaks has come into possession of the contents of CIA chief John Brennan's email account. Among the documents, from the period when Brennan worked in the private sector, are reports on Afghanistan and torture, and ideas for US policy towards Iran.

The emails, obtained by a hacker earlier this week, were from Brennan's private email account, which the CIA chief appears to have used to work on several intelligence-related projects in 2007 and 2008.

Focus on torture

The leaked papers include alleged drafts containing discussions about "challenges for the US Intelligence Community in a post cold-war and post-9/11 world," as well as proposals regarding "torture methods."

Among the documents harvested from Brennan's personal emails is a May 2008 letter from Christopher Bond, vice-chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, proposing a way to ban torture while continuing to interrogate "high-value detainees."

Both the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and CIA director at the time had objected to proposals limiting interrogation methods to the 19 techniques explicitly authorized in the Army Field Manual (AFM).

"Rather than authorizing intelligence agencies to use only those techniques that are allowed under the AFM, I believe the more prudent approach is to preclude the use of specific techniques that are prohibited under the AFM," Bond wrote. This would allow the use of interrogation methods not explicitly authorized in the manual, but still considered acceptable under the Geneva Conventions and other laws.
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