ISIS advances after US airstrikes - and it's all "Putin's fault"

I can see it's going to be another busy day: I may not be able to post more than a summary with headlines.

How convenient. The US 'inadvertantly' hit a Syrian airbase and now ISIS is able to advance against the Syrian Arab Army.  Now we learn it's all Putin's fault! lol.

I hope the Russians can hit and send these terrorists back from where they came.

PS. This is an open declaration of war on Syria but one that is denied - something we have never seen in the history of war.  

This may be America testing Russia's resolve.

ISIS ADVANCES AMID NATO AIRSTRIKES AGAINST SYRIAN FORCES

ISIS militants launched the offensive after the US-led ‘anti-ISIS’ coalition’s airstrikes against the Syrian Arab Army in the province of Deir Ezzor

http://southfront.org/isis-advances-amid-nato-airstrikes-against-syrian-forces/

On Sunday, the US-led ‘anti-ISIS’ coalition poundend the Syrian Arab Army’s positions in the province of Deir Ezzor. 1 soldier was killed and half dozen others were wounded.

According to the reports, the military camp belonging to the SAA’s 137th Artillery Brigade in the village of ‘Ayyash was a main target of the US warplanes.

After the US air raids, the ISIS militants started a full-scale offensive on the villages of Ayyash and Bgelia in this area.

U.S. Officials Deny Bombing the Syrian Army in Deir Ezzor: Russians Blamed

http://www.almasdarnews.com/article/u-s-officials-deny-bombing-the-syrian-army-in-deir-ezzor-russians-blamed/

On Monday morning, U.S. military officials addressed the Syrian Government’s allegations that a member state from the U.S.-led Anti-ISIS Coalition struck the Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) positions in the Deir Ezzor Governorate’s northern countryside.

The U.S. military official vehemently denied any aggression towards the Syrian Arab Army in the Deir Ezzor Governorate, stating it was the Russian Air Force that was responsible for this abrupt airstrike that killed and wounded a number of soldiers at the village of ‘Ayyash on Sunday evening.

According to the U.S. military official, no Anti-Coalition Air Force was within 34 miles of ‘Ayyash, despite several ground reports from the Syrian Arab Army soldiers operating inside of this province in eastern Syria.

As a result of this “phantom” airstrike, 3 soldiers from the Syrian Arab Army’s 137th Artillery Brigade of the 17th Reserve Division were reportedly killed and another 13 were reported to be in critical condition.

The airstrike apparently struck a Syrian Arab Army camp outside of the ‘Ayyash storage base; this site was uncontested and not threatened by the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS).

However, following the airstrike, ISIS launched a powerful assault on the village of ‘Ayyash; this aforementioned village and its nearby Broadcasting Tower are mostly under the control of the Syrian Armed Forces.

Al-Masdar News caught up with the member of the Syrian Arab Army’s 104th Airborne Brigade (Republican Guard) that originally reported this news: 

according to a 1st Lieutenant from this brigade, the airstrike was not launched by the Syrian Arab Air Force, nor was the Russian Air Force involved in this unprovoked attack.

The 1st Lieutenant added that the Syrian Arab Army’s Central Command believes that the U.S. led Anti-ISIS Coalition is 100% behind this airstrike.

From RT

The US May Have Just Attacked the Assad Regime for the First Time

By Avi Asher-Schapiro

Vice,

7 December, 2015

The Syrian government is accusing the United States and its allies of striking a military camp on Sunday in what would be the first US attack on soldiers loyal to Bashar al-Assad.

Three Syrian soldiers died when missiles struck an army camp in the Deir al-Zor province, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said on Monday, calling the attack an act of "flagrant aggression."

Syria claimed that the attack was carried out by four coalition warplanes, which fired nine missiles, destroying three armoured vehicles, four military vehicles, heavy machine-guns, and an arms and ammunition depot. It's the first time since the Syrian civil war began nearly four and a half years ago that Syria has accused the US of directly attacking its army. Though it's well known that the CIA actively trains many of the rebel group's seeking to overthrow the Assad regime.

The US has repeatedly insisted that the US and its allies are not responsible for the attack.

"We've seen those Syrian reports but we did not conduct any strikes in that part of Deir Ezzor yesterday. So we see no evidence," said Colonel Steve Warren, spokesman for the coalition. "We struck 55 km away from the area that the Syrians say was struck. That was the only area in Deir Ezzor we struck yesterday," he said, adding that "there were no human beings in the area that we struck yesterday, all we struck was a wellhead."

Related: A Little Bombing, a Lot of Surveillance: What Britain Brings to the Syria Air War

Most of Deir Ezzor province is controlled by the Islamic State (IS), and has been under heavy bombardment by the US and its allies for over a year. The province is a key region for IS — it's home to much of its oil wealth in Syria, and it links the group's capital in Raqqa with territory under its control in western Iraq.

Over the past few weeks, the US and its allies have intensified attacks in Deir Ezzor, targeting IS oil infrastructure.

Though IS holds sway over nearly all of the province, a small sliver — including the Deir Ezzor airport — is still under Syrian government control. The city of Dier Ezzor itself is divided between IS and the Syrian army.

On Monday, the Syrian government responded angrily to the alleged attack on its installation, and used the opportunity to criticize the US's commitment to fighting the Islamic State.

"The aggression on the military post hinders the efforts aiming to fight terrorism and reiterates that the US-led coalition lacks seriousness and credibility in the fight against terrorism," the Foreign Ministry statement said.

The Foreign Ministry also penned a letter to the UN secretary general and the Security Council demanding "urgent measures," in response to the attack.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed that the strikes against the Syrian army did take place, and reported four killed and 13 wounded, but could not confirm the source of the attack.

Related: 'I Know You Are But What Am I': Turkey, Russia, and the Islamic State's Oil

Meanwhile, an anonymous Pentagon official told the Washington Post on Monday that Russia was responsible for the attack. That official said that the US was "certain" that Russia carried out the strike, but offered no further evidence or explanation. An activist with the group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently, based in Deir Ezzor, told VICE News that no one is sure who carried out the attack.

"But I think it was Russian airstrikes," he said.

The sky above Deir Ezzor has become crowded of late, with French, British, US, and Russian planes flying missions in the area. Since Russia began flying missions in Syria in late September, its strikes have largely targeted non-IS groups on the front lines in the Aleppo province. But in recent weeks, Russia has begun to target more IS positions in and around Deir Ezzor and Raqqa.

Since the Syrian army's positions in Deir Ezzor are just miles from the front lines with IS, it's conceivable that any of the powers operating in the skys could have mistakenly launched the attack. As of Monday, Russia did not comment on the anonymous accusations from the US blaming it for the strikes. 

Even the Guardian is reporting this

At least 26 Syrian civilians killed in suspected US-led airstrike

Anti-Isis strikes launched by US-led coalition on village of Al-Khan in Syria have left only civilians dead, according to monitoring group