A US senator has slammed America's $500-million program to train "moderate" rebels in Syria, saying the money should go to aid refugees instead. Chris Murphy told Russian media his "concern" that the program could aid terrorists "turned out to be true."

"My concern from the beginning was that we were going to end up unwittingly aiding and abetting terrorist groups like al-Qaeda," Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, told Sputnik news agency, adding "I am sorry that my concern turned out to be true."


The senator has been repeatedly calling for the suspension of the US train-and-equip program in Syria that the chamber approved last September. The Pentagon was granted $500 million for the program in 2015 and has requested $600 million for 2016. The Obama administration's goal is to train 15,000 rebels in three years to fight the Islamic State terrorist group.

Just recently, Murphy also warned on his official webpage that "predictions that our assistance would end up aiding mortal enemies of the US like al Qaeda are now coming true."

The FSA is an armed Syrian opposition faction, considered "moderate opposition" by Western countries, fighting the regular Syrian army currently remaining loyal to President Bashar Assad since the beginning of a four-year civil war. On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow was prepared to contact the FSA and asked Washington for information regarding the group.

"We welcome [Russia's readiness to establish contacts with the FSA] and do not object to the meetings with Russian officials, but on the condition of ceasing airstrikes on positions of FSA units and the civilian population," Masri said.

He added that FSA leaders have been ready for dialogue with Moscow since the beginning of the civil war and have put forward proposals to send a high-level delegation to the Russian capital.

Russia would consider an Air Force operation against ISIS in Iraq if that country's authorities make such a request, Federation Council speaker Valentina Matviyenko told reporters, adding that Russia's only interest was in defeating ISIS.

"In case of an official address from Iraq to the Russian Federation, the leaders of our country would study the political and military expediency of our Air Force's participation in an air operation. Presently we have not received such an address," Matviyenko told reporters on Tuesday during an official visit to Jordan. She also asked the press "to stop reading tea leaves" before actual events take place.

"I want to emphasize that Russia has no other political objectives and no interests other than the defeat of ISIS [formerly ISIS/ISIL] and that differs us from other nations that participate in another coalition," Interfax news agency quoted Matviyenko as saying at a meeting with the head of the Jordanian Senate, President Abdur-Ra'uf Rawabdeh. She also said that Russian authorities understood the necessity of political reforms in Syria, but the final decision on the nature of these reforms and future head of the Syrian state must be made by Syrian people without any external pressure or direct interference of foreign nations.

A Palestinian woman has been shot after she tried to stab an Israeli with a knife in the Old City of Jerusalem, Israeli media reports say.

The woman approached a Jewish man from behind and stabbed him in the upper body near the Lion's Gate in Jerusalem, police spokeswoman Luba Samri told AP.

The details of the attack are not yet clear. Earlier, information emerged that the assailant, a Palestinian woman, was critically wounded. According to Yeshiva World News, the attacker was shot dead on the spot.

Why are American and NATO troops in Afghanistan?

What is the justification for waging war on a country of 28 million people?

What justifies Obama's military surge?

Both the media and the US government, in chorus, continue to point to the 9/11 attacks and the role of Al Qaeda led by "terrorist mastermind" Osama bin Laden.

The bombing and invasion of Afghanistan is described as a "campaign" against Islamic terrorists, rather than a war.

To this date, however, there is no proof that Al Qaeda was behind the 9/11 attacks.

Neither is there evidence that Afghanistan as a Nation State was behind or in any way complicit in the 9/11 attacks.

The Afghan government in the weeks following 9/11, offered on two occasions to deliver Osama bin Laden to US justice, if there were preliminary evidence of his involvement in the attacks. These offers were refused by Washington.

The Russian Defense Ministry and the Pentagon are working on an agreement to coordinate military flights in Syria, according to Russia's Defense Ministry.

"The Russian Defense Ministry has responded to the Pentagon's request and promptly considered the American proposal on coordination of actions in the framework of the fight against the terror group ISIS," Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said, as quoted by TASS.

He added that "in general, these proposals could be accepted for implementation."

The General Staff "in principle" supports the agreement proposed by US colleagues, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said on Tuesday.

"Unfortunately, the US is reducing our coordination only to its technical aspects - that is between our pilots during their missions," he said, following a meeting with Defense press attachés from several countries including the US.

Alexander Zhilin, Colonel in the army and military expert of the Russian Federation, explains in layman's terms Russia's national interests in supporting Assad.

A number of Russians, and Westerners as well, have some misunderstandings about Russia's involvement.

Zhilin explains why this is not an optional fight for Russia. In the event that Syria fell, it would free up ISIS fighters for a renewed campaign in Chechnya, Dagestan and east of the Caspian as well, pushing north from Afghanistan into former Soviet central Asia.

Recall that ISIS is a re-branding and broadening of the same Saudi (et al) backed network of 'foreign legionary' soldiers which previously was called Al Qaeda and the Maktab al-Khidamat network which preceded it.

The reason Putin will succeed where the US failed in its war on ISIS, is because the Russian air-strikes are going to be accompanied by a formidable mop-up operation that will overpower the jihadi groups on the ground. This is already happening as we speak. The Russian Air Force has been pounding terrorist targets across the Idlib Governorate for the last few days as well as ISIS strongholds in the East at Raffa. On Sunday, according to a report filed by South Front, roughly 700 militants surrendered to members of the 147th Syrian tank brigade shortly after bombers had attacked nearly cities of Mardeij, Ma'arat Al-Nu'man, Jisr Al-Shughour, Saraqib and Sarmeen. This is the pattern we expect to see in the weeks ahead. Russian bombers will soften targets on the frontlines, ground troops will move into position, and untold numbers of jihadis will either flee, surrender or get cut down where they stand. Bottom line: Syria is not going to be a quagmire as the media has predicted. To the contrary, Putin is going to cut through these guys like crap through a goose.

According to South Front: "Lieutenant General Andrey Kartapolov, head of the Main Operation Directorate of the General Staff of Russia's armed forces, said the strikes have significantly reduced the terrorists' combat capabilities." In other words, the Russian offensive is already producing positive results. This is no small matter. By most accounts, the conflict had deteriorated into a stalemate. Now, with Russia in the picture, that's changed. Now the table is clearly tilted in Syria's favor.

Also, according to an earlier report: "The positioning of Russian aircraft in Syria gives the Kremlin the ability to shape and control the battle-space in both Syria and Iraq out of all proportion to the size of the Russian force." ("International Military Review - Syria, Oct 5, 2015", South Front)

The Russian air-base at Latakia is perfectly situated for providing air cover or bombing terrorist targets across the country. The Russian airforce will also make every effort to cut off supply lines and escape routes so that as many jihadis as possible are liquidated within Syria's borders. This is why ISIS positions along the main highway to Iraq were destroyed on Sunday. The jihadi thugs will be given every chance to die in battle as they wish, but getting out alive is not going to be so easy.

Russian jets hit 12 Islamic State targets in the course of nearly 20 combat flights carried out in Syria on Tuesday, the Defense Ministry said. Command centers and training camps were destroyed in the attacks which threw the extremists into panic.

"Su-34, Su-24M and Su-25 have launched air strikes on 12 objects of logistic infrastructure, command posts, training camps and facilities of militants belonging to terrorist groups allied with Islamic State [IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL]," Igor Konashenkov, Russia's Defense Ministry spokesman said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Russian jets destroyed an Islamic State army munitions plant outside Damascus as well as two command centers in Deir ez-Zor, according to the ministry's statement. In the Idlib Governorate, a training camp for IS militants was eliminated, while several IS strongholds came under attack where ammunition depots were blown up.

US/NATO planes bombed a hospital operated by Doctors Without Borders in Afghanistan on Saturday. The attack lasted an hour, and continued even after medics "frantically phoned NATO and Washington" to tell them what they were bombing.

It was no use. The attackers already knew full well what their target was. Doctors Without Borders had long ago provided them with the GPS coordinates of their facilities. And the US-installed Afghan government, which had raided that very same hospital in July of this year, had requested the strike, claiming the hospital was being used by insurgents.