Tuesday, 8 December 2015

Fast-moving events in Syria and Iraq

Developments in the Middle East as well as elsewhere are fast-moving. They are complicated and convuluted.

For instance there is one group of Kurds (the Barzani clan in northern Iraq) being supported by Turkey while it suppresses another.

The conflict spans the whole world from Ukraine to the South China Sea. The Middle East is unique in that every power in the region as well as the large players are involved.

This was described by Mark Sleboda in a radio discussion yesterday as PROTO WORLD WAR 111.

Iran Has 'Irrefutable Evidence' of Turkey-Daesh Cooperation
Iran’s Expediency Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaie said earlier that Tehran was ready to provide Ankara with necessary information regarding Daesh oil trade with Turkey.


7 December, 2015


“Iranian military advisors in Syria have taken photos and filmed all the routes used by ISIL's oil tankers to Turkey. If the Turkish authorities are unaware of the Daesh oil sales in their country, then we can provide them with such intelligence,” Rezaie told reporters on Friday.

An undated still image taken from a video made available by the Russian Defence Ministry in Moscow, Russia December 2, 2015, shows the Turkish-Syrian border crossing. Russia's defence ministry officials displayed satellite images on Wednesday which they said showed columns of tanker trucks loading with oil at installations controlled by Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, and then crossing the border into neighbouring Turkey

Talking to Sputnik Persian in an exclusive interview, Iranian diplomat and analyst Seyed Hadi Afghahi said, “It is important to point out a few key points. Firstly, it is important to understand whether it is sure that the purchase by Turkey of Daesh’s stolen oil was carried out with the full knowledge of President Erdogan, his son and son in law.”

He further said that as evidence there have been two sets of documents. The first was presented at the press conference of the Ministry of Defense of Russia, where all the details have been made public such as snapshots and videos that clearly and conclusively prove what was said. “These materials do not cause any doubts about their authenticity. The reaction of Erdogan and Turkish authorities can say one thing: they were stunned and shocked that Moscow has such evidence. This significantly affected the position of Turkey's NATO allies.”

The analyst also said that it is not a secret that “our military advisers and trainers are in the immediate vicinity of the event. Our experts are involved in operations in three areas: strategic, tactical and informational. They are in contact with their Russian counterparts. Through the efforts of our countries (Russia, Iran, Syria, Iraq) the Information Centre for the fight against terrorists and Daesh was established.”

“In addition, our experts are working closely with the Syrian army, the soldiers of the Lebanese ‘Hezbollah’ in the conduct of the fight against terrorists. Therefore, any exchange of intelligence between our military agencies, and ways to monitor traffic of trucks with contraband oil, heading in the direction of Turkey, is gathered in photographs and videos.”

Aghahi said that if Turkish President Erdogan continues to deny this fact, “they will provide more irrefutable hard evidence such as photos, GPS navigation of the oil convoys and videos.”

The expert also pointed out that the most striking proof of Turkey's cooperation with Daesh is the destruction of the Russian Su-24 military aircraft by a Turkish fighter, in Syria, not in Turkey. So the materials that prove Turkey's cooperation with Daesh are a matter of honor for Iran and Russia.

“It is time for Erdogan to stop his attacks, renounce his ambitions and resign. Especially because today even Western leaders condemn the actions of Erdogan and publicly declare that there are direct oil deals between Turkey and Daesh. In particularly, this was said by the US finance minister,” Afghahi said.


“Germany also condemned the actions of Ankara. The immensely ambitious policy of President Erdogan fundamentally damaged relations with many countries. Ankara’s actions ranging from the downed Russian plane, disrespectful remarks against the Iranian authorities, and the illegal invasion by Turkish tanks in the territory of another state – Iraq, all point to the fact that Erdogan is trying to ignite flames of new war in the already unstable region,” Afghahi concluded.


Is Deployment of Turkish Troops to Iraq an 'Action Agreed With Washington'?



7 December, 2015

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said that the deployment of Turkish troops in Iraq occurred without the consent of Iraqi leadership and violates the sovereignty of the country. According to military expert Vladimir Bogatyrev, the move was coordinated with the US and is a “provocation”.

On Friday, media reported that up to 150 Turkish soldiers had entered  northern Iraq's Nineveh province. On Monday, their number reached 900 servicemen, the province's Governor Nawfal Akub told Sputnik.
The move was allegedly aimed to provide training to Kurdish Peshmerga fighters. However, the Iraqi authorities stated that the deployment of Turkish forces took place without official consent and constitutes a violation of the country’s sovereignty.
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi stressed that Iraq has the right to take any possible action, including an appeal to the UN Security Council, if the Turkish troops didn’t leave the country within 48 hours.
According to Russian military expert Major-General Vladimir Bogatyrev, Turkey’s actions are a provocation, coordinated with the US government.
"We have entered an entirely new phase of the fight against Daesh when all countries — NATO countries, primarily the United States and their closest aide and accomplice in the region, Turkey, the main interest of which is the liquidation of Assad’s regime — are attempting to implement their own interests. Therefore, it is, definitely, the Turkish provocation. And, of course, it was coordinated with the United States,” Vladimir Bogatyrev stated in an exclusive interview with Radio Sputnik.
According to him, Turkey in this case, is dependent on Washington and is acting according to its orders. It will try to avoid direct conflict with Baghdad, but at the same time use any opportunity to have their troops in place.
Previously, referring to the US military, Reuters reported that the deployment of the Turkish military in Iraq was agreed with the US-led anti-terrorist international coalition, but is not a part of it.
Bogatyrev believes that the United States is again acting in line with its standard policy.

"But when the Americans acted in a different way? They make people bump their heads and stage slaughters, sitting at the other side of the ocean and having only two land borders – with Canada and Mexico, where Chuck Norris alone is able to resolve all America’s problems," the military expert stated.



About half of Islamic State’s revenues come from 'taxes' extracted from the population and businesses on its territories with illegal oil sales the second most profitable activity, a new report suggests.

The analysis was conducted by IHS Conflict Monitor - a monthly survey of IHS Aerospace, Defense and Security on Iraq and Syria – and maintains that Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) has established an economic model that enables the group to finance its activities using the “inner” resources of the territories under its control.

Perhaps unexpectedly, the illegal oil trade is not the number one income industry for the terrorists. While oil contributes about 43 percent of revenues, taxation brings in as much as 50 percent of all income

Turkey Refuses to Withdraw Its Troops From Northern Iraq Despite Ultimatum


In the face of fierce protests from the Iraqi government and the international community, Turkey is refusing to withdraw troops from northern Iraq.


Things must be going well in the "war on terror," as the US Air Force just admitted that it is fast running out of bombs to drop on ISIS after "B-1s have dropped bombs in record numbers." As ZeeNews reports, Air Force chief of staff General Mark Welsh said as America ramps up its military campaign against the Islamist terror group, the Air Force is now "expending munitions faster than we can replenish them."


The US Air Force is fast running out of bombs to drop on ISIS targets in Syria and Iraq after its pilots fired off over 20,000 missiles and bombs since the US bombing campaign against the terror group began 15 months ago, its chief has said. 


Russian warplanes traced and targeted a long convoy of ISIL's oil tankers near the Syrian border with Turkey, sources said on Saturday.

A 170-tanker column of ISIL came under the massive strike of the Russian bombers as they were approaching the border with Turkey, sources said.

"All the tankers were destroyed in the Russian warplanes' airstrike," the sources added, and continued, "Scores of ISIL terrorists accompanying the convoy were also killed or wounded in the air attack."

Reports said earlier today that Turkey has refused US demands to stop oil smuggling and close the part of the border with Syria which is controlled by ISIL militants.

Ankara said that it is impossible to close the border and ISIL (Daesh) terrorists may boost their forces in response, according to the Hurriyet Daily News.





Ankara launched a new round of negotiations with the Franco-Italian concern Eurosam to install anti-missile systems on the border with Syria due to the worsening situation, a Turkish newspaper reported.

The Turkish authorities in connection with the deteriorating situation on the border with Syria have decided to install anti-aircraft missiles (SAMs) on the border. This decision has launched a new round of negotiations with the Franco-Italian concern Eurosam, newspaper Aksam reported on Monday.


Foreign investors flee from Turkey



The Turkish lira is facing its biggest annual fall since 2008 and is nearing new record-lows, as foreign investment continues to leave the country.
Investors from abroad have withdrawn $7.6 billion in assets this year, according to Bloomberg. This includes $1.4 billion in November, the month President Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (JDP) managed to win back the majority.

At first, market reaction was positive to Erdogan’s party win, but the escalation of tension with Moscow over the downed Russian warplane in Syria has shaken investors' nerves. Russia responded with measures intended to hit the Turkish economy where it hurts most, its tourism industry and exports to Russia.






1993, Aleppo, Syria --- Aerial view of the citadel. --- Image by © Frederic Soltan/Sygma/Corbis
An unedited update from a contact living in Aleppo city:~

“It all started around 11:15 am with an earthquake, which was caused by a “rebel” tunnel explosion close to the Gas Factory in Khaldiyyé area. All buildings were shaking from it. Then all types of clashes, missiles, rockets, mortars, and shooting with big machine guns were heard in the background.

Then the jets started bombarding their areas. Then the sirens were heard.
According to news, SAA and allies captured 4 villages in southern Aleppo province, and captured a large number of terrorists from different nationalities.....


Turkish Sultan Moves to Annex Iraq's Mosul
Fast developing story. Is Erdogan's real agenda coming to light? Ottoman Empire anyone?



The wannabe Sultan Erdogan did not get his will in Syria where he had planned to capture and annex Aleppo. The Russians prevented that. He now goes for his secondary target, Mosul in Iraq, which many Turks see as historic part of their country:

At the end of World War I in October 1918, after the signature of the Armistice of Mudros, British forces occupied Mosul. After the war, the city and the surrounding area became part of the Occupied Enemy Territory Administration (1918-1920), and shortly Mandatory Iraq (1920-1932). This mandate was contested by Turkey which continued to claim the area based on the fact that it was under Ottoman control during the signature of the Armistice. In the Treaty of Lausanne, the dispute over Mosul was left for future resolution by the League of Nations. Iraq's possession of Mosul was confirmed by the League of Nations brokered agreement between Turkey and Great Britain in 1926. Former Ottoman Mosul Vilayet eventually became Nineveh Province of Iraq, but Mosul remained the provincial capital.
Mosul, Iraq's second biggest city with about a million inhabitants, is currently occupied by the Islamic State.

On Friday a column of some 1,200 Turkish soldiers with some 20 tanks and heavy artillery moved into a camp near Mosul. The camp was one of four small training areas where Turkey was training Kurds and some Sunni-Arab Iraqis to fight the Islamic State. The small camps in the northern Kurdish area have been there since the 1990s. They were first established to fight the PKK. Later their Turkish presence was justified as ceasefire monitors after an agreement ended the inner Kurdish war between the KDP forces loyal to the Barzani clan and the PUK forces of the Talabani clan. The bases were actually used to monitor movement of the PKK forces which fight for Kurdish independence in Turkey.

The base near Mosul is new and it was claimed to be just a small weapons training base. But tanks and artillery have a very different quality than some basic AK-47 training. Turkey says it will increase the numbers in these camps to over 2000 soldiers.

Should Mosul be cleared of the Islamic State the Turkish heavy weapons will make it possible for Turkey to claim the city unless the Iraqi government will use all its power to fight that claim. Should the city stay in the hands of the Islamic State Turkey will make a deal with it and act as its protector. It will benefit from the oil around Mosul which will be transferred through north Iraq to Turkey and from there sold on the world markets. In short: This is an effort to seize Iraq's northern oil fields.

That is the plan but it is a risky one. Turkey did not ask for permission to invade Iraq and did not inform the Iraqi government.

The Turks claim that they were invited by the Kurds:
Turkey will have a permanent military base in the Bashiqa region of Mosul as the Turkish forces in the region training the Peshmerga forces have been reinforced, Hürriyet reported.
The deal regarding the base was signed between Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) President Massoud Barzani and Turkish Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioğlu, during the latter’s visit to northern Iraq on Nov. 4.

There are two problems with this. First: Massoud Barzani is no longer president of the KRG. His mandate ran out and the parliament refused to prolong it. Second: Mosul and its Bashiqa area are not part of the KRG. Barzani making a deal about it is like him making a deal about Paris.

The Iraqi government and all major Iraqi parties see the Turkish invasion as a hostile act against their country. Abadi demanded the immediate withdrawal of the Turkish forces but it is unlikely that Turkey will act on that. Some Iraqi politicians have called for the immediate dispatch of the Iraqi air force to bomb the Turks near Mosul. That would probably the best solution right now but the U.S. installed Premier Abadi is too timid to go for such strikes. The thinking in Baghdad is that Turkey can be kicked out after the Islamic State is defeated. But this thinking gives Turkey only more reason to keep the Islamic State alive and use it for its own purpose. The cancer should be routed now as it is still small.

Barzani's Kurdistan is so broke that is has even confiscated foreign bank accounts to pay some bills. That may be the reason why Barzani agreed to the deal now. But the roots run deeper. Barzani is illegally selling oil that belongs to the Iraqi government to Turkey. The Barzani family occupies  not only the presidential office in the KRG but also the prime minister position and the local secret services. It is running the oil business and gets a big share of everything else. On the Turkish side the oil deal is handled within the family of President Erdogan. His son in law, now energy minister, had the exclusive right to transport the Kurdish oil through Turkey. Erdogan's son controls the shipping company that transports the oil over sea to the customer, most often Israel. The oil under the control of the Islamic State in Iraq passes the exactly same route. These are businesses that generate hundreds of millions per year.

It is unlikely that U.S., if it is not behind Turkey's new escapade, will do anything about it. The best Iraq could do now is to ask the Russians for their active military support. The Turks insisted on their sovereignty when they ambushed a Russian jet that brushed its border but had no intend of harming Turkey. Iraq should likewise insist on its sovereignty, ask Russia for help and immediately kick the Turks out. The longer it waits the bigger the risk that Turkey will eventually own Mosul.

An Official of US-backed Syrian ‘Moderates’ Calls for ‘Exterminating’ Shiites

by Eric Zuesse


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Yemen’s independent Al Masdar News headlines on Monday December 7th, “U.S. Backed Syrian Opposition Official Calls for the Extermination of Alawites,” and Leith Fadel reports that:

“A prominent official from the U.S. backed Syrian Opposition has called for the extermination of Alawite [Syrian Shiite] Muslim villages after a series of defeats at the hands of the religiously diverse “Syrian Arab Army” (SAA) in the month of November. …

‘Abdullah Al-‘Ali – a former Aleppo-based attorney who has since moved to Turkey, where he works alongside the President of the Syrian National Council, Khaled Khoja, … advises followers and friends in the Free Syrian Army (FSA) to carry out deliberate sectarian attacks against Syria’s large Alawite Muslim population, which is also contrary to the message the Syrian National Council has attempted to spread to the western world about its secular nature.

“Exterminating Nusayri (derogatory term that is directed towards Alawites) villages is more important than liberating the Syrian capital,” says Abdullah Al-‘Ali. … Al-‘Ali’s sectarian post seems to be tolerated by his counterparts in the Syrian National Council as several members liked his message.”

Al Masdar News had previously been in the news itself during the 2011 Arab Spring demonstrations in Yemen against the Shiite President Ali Abdullah Saleh, when the newspaper’s photographer was killed by Saleh’s troops. The newspaper is strictly nonpartisan and opposed to all sectarianism.

A sectarian, pro-Sunni, newspaper owned by Sunni Qatar, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, bannered on December 2nd, “Syrian activists: Destroying Assad means destroying Islamic State group,” and reported that, “Many Syrian activists are frustrated by the UK debate on bombing the Islamic State group in Syria and feel that the cause of the problem, Assad, is being ignored completely.” Qatar’s royal family, the Thanis, have been major donors to jihadist groups, all of which are Sunni. The newspaper quoted a Sunni group saying that the West needs to concentrate upon destroying “the roots of the problem that allows IS to flourish: Assad and his atrocities.”

On November 18th, a U.S. Defense Department press briefing in Baghdad proudly announced the first U.S. bombing of ISIS oil tank trucks carrying Iraqi and Syrian oil stolen by ISIS, for sale in other countries, and announced:

“This is our first strike against tanker trucks, and to minimize risks to civilians, we conducted a leaflet drop prior to the strike. … It says, ‘Get out of your trucks now, and run away from them. … Warning: airstrikes are coming. Oil trucks will be destroyed. Get away from your oil trucks immediately. Do not risk your life.'”
Russia had already bombed, during the prior month and a half, thousands of such ISIS black-market oil trucks, and didn’t warn the people who were driving them.
ISIS is one of the many Sunni jihadist groups that are fighting in Syria to oust from power the secular Shiite Bashar al-Assad.

On November 24th, Michael Morell, Obama’s CIA Director during 2011-2013, explained on the PBS Charlie Rose show, “We didn’t go after oil wells, actually hitting oil wells that ISIS controls, because we didn’t want to do environmental damage, and we didn’t want to destroy that infrastructure.”



Turkish troops remain in Iraq despite the warning


Турция не выведет военных из Ирака, несмотря на требования Багдада


Ankara has not withdrawn, from Iraq, its military forces, despite the demands of Baghdad, Interfax reported with reference to the representative of the Turkish government. 
Earlier, Prime Minister of Iraq, Haider al-Abadi, had asked Ankara to withdraw its troops from Iraqi territory and gave them 48 hours. Otherwise, he would  go to the UN security Council.
According to media reports on December 5th, 150 to 300 Turkish military personnel invaded Iraq under the pretext of training fighters of the Iraqi Kurds, fighting on the side of the banned in Russia group ISIL. The Federal government of Iraq's permission was not obtained.

RUSSIAN NAVAL INFANTRY PREPARES ASSAULT ON PALMIRA


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Original published at warfiles.ru; translated from Russian by J.Hawk

More than 60 Russian Naval Infantrymen had arrived in the Homs Province. Their task is consulting with and training of Syrian troops in order to organize the assault on the ancient city of Palmira.
Prior to the arrival of the Russian Naval Infantry, Islamic State attacked the villages of Al-Bayarat and Al-Dawa. The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) was able to repel the attack and hold its positions.
After the arrival of the Russian Naval Infantrymen, the 67th Brigade of the 18th Tank Division as well as the National Defense Force fighters from Homs launched a counterattack under the command of Russian military advisors and recaptured the village of Al-Bayarat. Daesh militants were forced to retreat.
Pro-government forces, local militias, and Hezbollah fighters, in conjunction with Syrian and Russian aviation, are preparing to launch a large-scale operations to expel the radical Islamists from Palmira. On Saturday, December 5, heavy fighting resumed between the SAA and the terrorists West of Palmira. Daesh fighters were reported to have suffered heavy loses.

An American assesment



In the coming days, reports from the Middle East claim, Russia is contemplating almost doubling in the near term the number of its planes committed to the fight in Syria—from 35 to more than 50. Thereafter, Moscow could increase the number to 100. To accommodate them, it will be expanding a small presence at al-Sharyat air base near Homs, which features fortified hangars capable of withstanding direct shelling, where Russian attack helicopters are already based.

Russia will deploy “an intelligence and special forces brigade and support personnel, estimated to be about 1,000 troops in total” to al-Sharyat, which will be its second major airbase in Syria, reports the Times of London, citing local sources. Russia is also reportedly planning on deploying to the theater thermobaric rockets, which are fuel-air explosive weapons designed for high-temperature explosions and more devastating blast waves.

Further reports suggest Moscow is insisting that its Iranian and Hezbollah allies commit to an offensive against the ISIS-held towns of Qaryatayn and Palmyra, both of which are located near the airbase. Yesterday, the White House confirmed that Russia had slightly ramped up its efforts against the Islamic State in recent weeks.

And finally, there are rumors that Moscow is reaching out to the Syrian Kurds. The Turkish press is full of (shakily-sourced) reports that Russians are starting to provide air support to the PYD (whether de facto due to overlapping interests, or through outright coordination). According to al-Jazeera, Putin has called on the PYD to accept a settlement with Assad. While none of these reports should be taken as gospel, we do know that the PYD has previously sent a delegation to Moscow to try to open diplomatic relations. That some kind of negotiations are ongoing is not unlikely.

So what is going here? Vladmir Putin’s bid to keep his client, Assad, alive and gain a place at the negotiating tables as the future of Syria is working out pretty well, so it looks like he may be doubling down. Putin is a consummate opportunist. He may be trying to reach an accommodation with the Kurds that would accept Assad’s control over the part of Syria that Russia cares about—and tick off the Turks, to boot. He may also be considering boosting Russian commitment to fighting ISIS directly, rather than focusing exclusively on the rebels fighting Syrian government troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.

It looks like Putin’s doubling down on three fronts: militarily, by increasing his presence in Syria; politically, by increasing his potential leverage with regard to the final settlement of Syria; and on the broader international stage, by positioning himself as a greater part of the anti-ISIS fight that matters to much of the West.



Russia has started to deliver the powerful Almaz-Antey S-300 integrated air defense system to Iran, according to a top Kremlin official. The Iranians are receiving an upgraded version of the weapon called the S-300PMU-2 Favorit.

“The contract is in action. They’ve begun,” Vladimir Kozhin, a Russian presidential aide for military-technical cooperation told the TASS news agency.

Kozhin’s statement confirms an earlier report in which Iranian ambassador to Russia Mehdi Sanai said Tehran had received its first S-300 batteries. The S-300PMU-2 Favorit has a range of more than 120 miles and can hit targets as high as 100,000ft. The system can engage half-a-dozen or more targets simultaneously. Either version of the weapon is extremely capable and could render entire swaths of Iran nearly invulnerable to attack via conventional strike aircraft.

US Air Strikes against ISIS are Killing Children rather than Terrorists



Report says the U.S. tried to cover up the killings of six children and other civilians as monitor group says airstrikes have killed 250 civilians so far. The United States military has been accused of the killing of six children and three more civilians in Syria as part of an airstrike the U.S. air force had carried out back in August in the north city of Atmeh, an exclusive report by the Middle East Eye website said Thursday.


The accusation was made by the father of the six children, Muawiyya al-Amouri, who told the Middle East Eye that the U.S. government was trying to cover up the deaths of his family members as well as refugees who were staying at his home at the time. “A plane belonging to the alliance shelled my house with six missiles. They destroyed my house and my children died. I had some refugees in my home from Ariha [near Idlib city] who died as well,” Amouri said.


The alleged 'Turkmen' militia are not who they appear to be


Following the shoot-down of a Russian fighter jet over north Latakia the Turkish President Erdogan insisted that there were no terrorists in the area the Russians were bombing but only “Turkmen”. Today a Russian air attack in the area hit major “Turkmen” fighting positions but the death notices that follow do not fit Erdogan's “Turkmen” claims:

Dismissing Russian claims that the Russian plane had been on an anti-terror mission against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) jihadists in northern Syria, Erdoğan said, “No one should ever fool themselves: There are no Daesh [ISIL] elements in the Bayırbucak region where Turkmen live.”
Erdoğan also attacked those who criticized his government’s ostensible aid to the Turkmens.

“You know the famous MİT truck betrayal which took place right after the Dec.17-25 coup attempt, don’t you? There are some who still make their headlines for their newspapers without any shame. Those trucks were trucks taking aid to our Bayırbucak Turkmens. Some are saying, ‘Prime Minister Erdoğan was saying that there were no weapons inside those [trucks].’ What if there were, what if there weren’t? What are we saying: ‘We are taking humanitarian assistance there.’ Who are they? They are our mistreated and oppressed Bayırbucak Turkmen siblings. That’s what we did,” Erdoğan said late Nov. 24.

So there are just Turkmen, says Erdogan. And he finally admits that he sent them weapons.

But the “Turkmen” Erdogan speaks of are not the 100,000 or so ethnic Turkmen who for hundreds of years have lived in the area. The “Turkmen” who killed the parachuting Russian pilot was a Turkish radical nationalist who belongs to the fascist Grey Wolf organization.




At a Credit Suisse conference in West Palm Beach this week, representatives from major defense contractors spoke to their investors about how well business was going in these times of global war. Representatives from top firms like Raytheon, Oshkosh, and Lockheed Martin were in attendance, in somewhat of a celebration of the escalating conflict in the middle east and Africa.

Lockheed Martin Executive Vice President Bruce Tanner gave a speech openly praising the “indirect” benefits that defense contractors would see as a result of the war in Syria. A portion of his speech was captured on audio by someone inside and shared widely on the internet hours after the conference.

In the audio that was captured, Tanner discussed the many recent troubles in the Middle East, with an escalation of conflict in Syria and Turkey. He pointed out how these conflicts would lead to increased sales for their company.

Tanner said that the increased conflict would cause “an intangible lift because of the dynamics of that environment and our products in theater.”

According to the Intercept, during another speech at the conference, Wilson Jones, the president of the defense manufacturer Oshkosh, said that “with the ISIS threat growing, there are more countries interested in buying Oshkosh-made M-ATV armored vehicles.”

Raytheon Chief Executive Tom Kennedy also joined in the informal celebration, saying that his company was seeing “a significant uptick for defense solutions across the board in multiple countries in the Middle East.”

“It’s all the turmoil they have going on, whether the turmoil’s occurring in Yemen, whether it’s with the Houthis, whether it’s occurring in Syria or Iraq, with ISIS,” Kennedy added.

In addition to the growing wars, the contractors also celebrated the fact that the defense sector was recently granted a $607 billion budget by the government.

“Our programs are well supported [in the budget]. We think we did fare very well,” Tanner concluded.

A recent report by journalist Glenn Greenwald pointed out stock prices for weapons manufacturers sharply increased just after the terrorist attacks in Paris last month. Greenwald was following the tip of Brooklyn journalist Aaron Cantú, who posted screenshots for the recent stock performances of major weapons contractors on his Twitter page

Defense industry stocks this morning following Friday night's attacks in Paris:

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