Posts
CrossTalk
on Syria: Complicated Battlefield
The
plot dangerously thickens – with the UK voting to officially join
the Syrian conflict, the battlefield and airspace are now
precariously crowded. And since the U.S. and its allies are unwilling
to cooperate with the Syrian-led coalition, do one and all sides risk
miscalculation? Maybe this is what Washington wants…
CrossTalking
with Ammar Waqqaf, Akin Unver, and Daniel Lazare.
Shocking Admission: NATO ‘Okayed’ Turkey’s Downing Of Russian Jet
28
November, 2015
Lebanon’s
Druze leader, Walid Jumblatt, has claimed that Turkey shot down the
Russian jet on orders from NATO, and would never have done so on
their own accord.
Jumblatt,
a member of parliament and leader of Lebanon’s Progressive
Socialist Party, claims that “the
Turks cannot afford to shoot down a Russian plane, being a member of
NATO, without asking the permissoin of NATO. They have to ask NATO.
It’s NATO“.
His
statement adds further weight to the claims that the downing of the
Su-24 military aircraft was a deliberate act of war, perpetrated by
the U.S./NATO.
Breitbart.com reports:
“I
know that this jet was shot down by the Turks and directly [by] the
Cold War between NATO and Russia,” Jumblatt dded.
Asked
to confirm whether he was accusing NATO of approving Turkey’s
downing of the Russian jet, Jumblatt replied:
“I
think so, because such a major action cannot be taken on a local
level. A Turkish level. Because so many times the Turkish airspace
was violated. Now this is something else. It’s a new dimension in
international politics.”
Jumblatt
said this so-called new dimension is marked by the Turkey-Russia
confrontation.
“From
one side you have the Americans and their allies fighting ISIS. And
they are at odds with the Russian policy, because Russian policy,
from Ukraine to Crimea, there is tension about it. Now there is
tension about Syria. Russia favors the Syrian regime. Whereby NATO,
theoretically they want to topple the (Bashar) Assad regime. They
want a transitional period in Syria. These are the broad lines.”
The
Druze leader’s comments came as the confrontation between Turkey
and Russia escalated, and Russian President Vladimir Putin implied
that the U.S. may have passed Russian flight information to Turkey.
“The
American side, which leads the coalition that Turkey belongs to, knew
about the location and time of our planes’ flights, and we were hit
exactly there and at that time,” Putin said at a joint press
conference with French President Francois Hollande.
Putin
dismissed Turkey’s claim that it would have refrained from firing
on the aircraft if it had known it was from Russia.
“They
[our planes] have identification signs and these are well visible,”
said Putin. “Instead of … ensuring this never happens again, we
are hearing unintelligible explanations and statements that there is
nothing to apologize about.”
The
Turkish military claims it warned the Russian warplane that it was
violating Turkish airspace 10 times in five minutes. Russia says it
can prove its aircraft was flying over Syria and it received no prior
warnings.
Meanwhile,
Putin accused Turkey of accepting oil smuggled by ISIS.
“Vehicles,
carrying oil, lined up in a chain going beyond the horizon resembling
a living oil pipe. Day and night they are going to Turkey. Trucks
always go there loaded, and back from there – empty.
“We
assume that the top political leadership of Turkey might not know
anything about this [illegal oil trade]. Hard to believe, but it is
theoretically possible.”
Turkish
president Recep Tayyip Erdogan refuted the charge, saying: “Those
who claim we buy oil from Daesh [ISIS] are obliged to prove it.”
Turkish MP to reveal evidence linking Erdogan to Dash oil
The President of Turkey, Recep Erdogan.
4
December, 2015
Eren
Erdem [pictured below], a lawmaker from the Republican People’s
Party, Turkey’s largest opposition party, says that he may have
found the evidence linking President Recep Erdogan’s son-in-law to
the dirty oil trade with Daesh.
Commenting
on the sensational allegations put forth by Russia onWednesday that
Turkish President Recep Erdogan and his family are directly connected
to the trade of dirty oil, Erdem revealed that he is ready to
publicize information next week linking Berat Albayrak, President
Erdogan’s son-in-law and the Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural
Resources, to the Daesh oil trade.
In
the course of his press conference, covered by Sputnik Turkey, Erdem
explained that on the basis of his investigation, which is still in
progress, “I have been able to establish that there is a very high
probability that Berat Albayrak is linked to the supply of oil by the
Daesh terrorists.”
The
lawmaker told media that “there is one company, headquartered in
Erbil, which in 2012 acquired oil tankers, and which is currently
being bombarded by Russian aircraft. I am now studying this company’s
records. It has partners in Turkey, and I am checking them for links
to Albayrak.”
Erdem
noted that he will conclude his investigation next week, after which
he will hold a press conference bringing the information before the
public. “This investigation is aimed at trying to figure out which
illegal operations are taking place in our country’s oil trade,”
he emphasized.
Moreover,
he noted that since he began discussing the possible linkage between
Albayarak and Daesh oil, he has been subjected to an all-out
informational attack by pro-government media.
“Today,
the Takvim newspaper called me an American puppet, an Israeli agent,
a supporter of the [Kurdish] PKK, and the instigator of a coup…all
in the same sentence. I am inclined to view this attack on me as an
attempt to belittle my significance, to attack my reputation in the
eyes in the public, given that my investigation is a real threat to
the government. Such a sharply negative reaction suggests that my
assumptions are fair, and I am moving in the right direction to find
the truth.”
Russian appeals to International Community ignored: Dangerous ignorance is our new reality
Gilbert
Doctorow,
Russia
Insider
In the west, mocked or ignored.
The
western news blackout of Russia's evidence of Turkish involvement in
ISIS oil smuggling, along with the dismissal of Putin's appeals
during his "state of nation" address, sets a troubling
precedent
Is it any wonder that your average, well educated, public minded American, Briton, Frenchman, or Belgian is largely clueless about the key international events that are today leading the international community to the brink of world war after reading his or her favorite newspaper of record, be it The New York Times, The Guardian, Le Figaro or Le Soir, and trying to catch the news bulletins on local state television, or on Euronews or the BBC for that matter.
I will take one vivid example from this week to drive home the reality of a news blackout that cuts across the United States and Europe media when something which might upset the complacency of the audience about Russia comes up. On Wednesday, 2 December, the Russian Ministry of Defense invited several hundred journalists and all the military attaches of accredited embassies in Moscow to a briefing at which Deputy Minister Anatoly Antonov presented reconnaissance photos taken from satellites and aircraft proving the existence of a massive logistical operation that has been bringing illicit oil from wells in Iraq and Syria controlled by the Islamic State jihadists by tanker truck across the border with Turkey and onward to processing facilities for local use and to port installations from where it is shipped to third countries. The key points in this operation were identified explicitly. Given the scale, involving thousands of tankers on the move, the revenue from these sales would amount to hundreds of millions of euros per year, sufficient to finance extensively the recruitment of fighters and military supplies for the terrorists.
The context for this presentation was Russian insistence that the destruction of their bomber by Turkish F-16s at the Syrian-Turkish border the preceding week was an ambush intended to put a stop to Russian attacks on this lucrative trade in illicit oil and also to disrupt the grand alliance against the Islamic State now in formation between Russia, France and several other NATO states. Since Turkish President Erdogan pledged he would resign if anyone could prove his complicity in financing terror through the oil trade, the slide show raised the stakes in the week-old Russian-Turkish confrontation.Russian television gave extensive coverage to this extraordinary briefing, showing in particular, officers from NATO states photographing the slides being displayed and taking furious notes. In the West, however, almost all media made no mention of it at all. Not a word in The New York Times, which could fill its front page already the same evening with details of the San Bernardino shootings in California. Not a word in leading German and British dailies, which also turned coverage inward on home stories.
The French were odd man out on this, but in a very qualified way. Shortly after the briefing in Moscow, both Le Figaro and Le Monde did devote a few paragraphs to it, but in terse and noncommittal manner. That is to say they referred to Russian 'allegations' about the connection between the Erdogan family and the illicit oil trade, which by all appearances were indeed not proven at the briefing. However, they said nothing about the material which was presented and which proved beyond any reasonable doubt that the jihadists have a complete logistical chain for very large traffic in oil across the territory they control in Syria and through the Turkish border. If this is not a smoking gun, one may reasonably ask what is?
Surely no US or NATO presentations on their military operations in the region have been better prepared or more persuasive than what the Russian Ministry of Defense delivered. And a great deal of what the US has presented to the press over the downing of MH-17 over the Donbass to implicate Russia and/or its local supporters never rose above video images from social networks. Yet, the US 'proofs' were accepted by the media and the Russian 'proofs' were spoken of as allegations, or simply ignored altogether.
Further to my remarks several days ago about Euronews taking a turn to greater balance on Russian issues, the channel did in fact show some images from the Ministry of Defense briefing in Moscow. But like the French print press, they were sparing in coverage and avoided giving any sense of the depth of documentation made available.
In today's annual Address to the Federal Assembly, Vladimir Putin opened and closed his speech with mention of the clash with Turkey going back to the downing of the Russian aircraft in Syria and he once again charged the governing elite in Turkey with supporting jihadist terror by its trade in illicit oil. This part of the speech was duly reported by Figaro, and also by the German Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, which had published not a word about the briefing for military attaches the day before. While it is good that the Russian narrative is reproduced in these leading news outlets, the arms length approach implies confusion in the editorial offices over how to handle these developments which do not match the image of Russia as the West's enemy and give a perplexing twist to the EU's current rapprochement with Turkey over refugees.
Meanwhile, from another stage, another 'opera,' we see that within the chancelleries of some major powers in Europe, the Russian charges against Turkey are taken very seriously indeed. Today's Financial Times and other British newspapers reporting the start of British bombing in Syria that followed directly on the vote in the House of Commons yesterday tell us specifically the 'Tornado jets target Syrian oil field.' So apparently it is now right and proper for US Allies to bomb the sources of financing of the Islamic State, as the Russians have been doing for two months in the face of US derision that they were not finding the right targets.
Is it any wonder that your average, well educated, public minded American, Briton, Frenchman, or Belgian is largely clueless about the key international events that are today leading the international community to the brink of world war after reading his or her favorite newspaper of record, be it The New York Times, The Guardian, Le Figaro or Le Soir, and trying to catch the news bulletins on local state television, or on Euronews or the BBC for that matter.
I will take one vivid example from this week to drive home the reality of a news blackout that cuts across the United States and Europe media when something which might upset the complacency of the audience about Russia comes up. On Wednesday, 2 December, the Russian Ministry of Defense invited several hundred journalists and all the military attaches of accredited embassies in Moscow to a briefing at which Deputy Minister Anatoly Antonov presented reconnaissance photos taken from satellites and aircraft proving the existence of a massive logistical operation that has been bringing illicit oil from wells in Iraq and Syria controlled by the Islamic State jihadists by tanker truck across the border with Turkey and onward to processing facilities for local use and to port installations from where it is shipped to third countries. The key points in this operation were identified explicitly. Given the scale, involving thousands of tankers on the move, the revenue from these sales would amount to hundreds of millions of euros per year, sufficient to finance extensively the recruitment of fighters and military supplies for the terrorists.
The context for this presentation was Russian insistence that the destruction of their bomber by Turkish F-16s at the Syrian-Turkish border the preceding week was an ambush intended to put a stop to Russian attacks on this lucrative trade in illicit oil and also to disrupt the grand alliance against the Islamic State now in formation between Russia, France and several other NATO states. Since Turkish President Erdogan pledged he would resign if anyone could prove his complicity in financing terror through the oil trade, the slide show raised the stakes in the week-old Russian-Turkish confrontation.Russian television gave extensive coverage to this extraordinary briefing, showing in particular, officers from NATO states photographing the slides being displayed and taking furious notes. In the West, however, almost all media made no mention of it at all. Not a word in The New York Times, which could fill its front page already the same evening with details of the San Bernardino shootings in California. Not a word in leading German and British dailies, which also turned coverage inward on home stories.
The French were odd man out on this, but in a very qualified way. Shortly after the briefing in Moscow, both Le Figaro and Le Monde did devote a few paragraphs to it, but in terse and noncommittal manner. That is to say they referred to Russian 'allegations' about the connection between the Erdogan family and the illicit oil trade, which by all appearances were indeed not proven at the briefing. However, they said nothing about the material which was presented and which proved beyond any reasonable doubt that the jihadists have a complete logistical chain for very large traffic in oil across the territory they control in Syria and through the Turkish border. If this is not a smoking gun, one may reasonably ask what is?
Surely no US or NATO presentations on their military operations in the region have been better prepared or more persuasive than what the Russian Ministry of Defense delivered. And a great deal of what the US has presented to the press over the downing of MH-17 over the Donbass to implicate Russia and/or its local supporters never rose above video images from social networks. Yet, the US 'proofs' were accepted by the media and the Russian 'proofs' were spoken of as allegations, or simply ignored altogether.
Further to my remarks several days ago about Euronews taking a turn to greater balance on Russian issues, the channel did in fact show some images from the Ministry of Defense briefing in Moscow. But like the French print press, they were sparing in coverage and avoided giving any sense of the depth of documentation made available.
In today's annual Address to the Federal Assembly, Vladimir Putin opened and closed his speech with mention of the clash with Turkey going back to the downing of the Russian aircraft in Syria and he once again charged the governing elite in Turkey with supporting jihadist terror by its trade in illicit oil. This part of the speech was duly reported by Figaro, and also by the German Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, which had published not a word about the briefing for military attaches the day before. While it is good that the Russian narrative is reproduced in these leading news outlets, the arms length approach implies confusion in the editorial offices over how to handle these developments which do not match the image of Russia as the West's enemy and give a perplexing twist to the EU's current rapprochement with Turkey over refugees.
Meanwhile, from another stage, another 'opera,' we see that within the chancelleries of some major powers in Europe, the Russian charges against Turkey are taken very seriously indeed. Today's Financial Times and other British newspapers reporting the start of British bombing in Syria that followed directly on the vote in the House of Commons yesterday tell us specifically the 'Tornado jets target Syrian oil field.' So apparently it is now right and proper for US Allies to bomb the sources of financing of the Islamic State, as the Russians have been doing for two months in the face of US derision that they were not finding the right targets.
News from South Front
Past
24 Hours in Syria
Northern
Aleppo: Islamist group Ahrar al-Sham, who makes up the majority
with Al-Nusra of the Army of Conquest, recaptured the town of
Baraghedeh after losing it to ISIS. Russian airstrikes have been
reported in Deir Jamal, Anadan, Kafr Hamra and Azaz.
Southern
Aleppo: Russian airstrike reported in Army of Conquest helf
village of Arad. Clashes between government forces and terrorist
oppositions near Tal Dadin. Sources claim it was recaptured by the
Syrian Arab Army.
Latakia
Province: Russian airstrikes at Jabal al-Akkrad in the mountain
ranges.
Idlib
Province: Russian airstrikes against terrorist opposision forces
in Kaft Nabl, al Nayrab and Sheikh Mustafa. Reports of Russian-made
ballistic missiles landing on the outskirts of Jisr al-Shughur.
Hama: Russian
airstrikes reported in Ltamenah and ISIS held al-Quaryatayn.
Southern
Syria: Russian airstrikes in al-Harah, Nawa, Sheikh Miskin,
al-Hrak and Tafas.
Illegal oil trade by the terrorists was also targeted by the Russian Air Force, “12 oil pump stations, eight oil fields and refineries, and over 170 oil tanker trucks” being destroyed over the past seven days
Lebanese Armed Forces Shell Islamists
http://www.almasdarnews.com/article/lebanese-armed-forces-shell-isis/
Reports
from Lebanese media service, El Nashra, reports that the Lebanese
army have been targeting ISIS and Al-Nusra Front positions in the
northern Bekaa Valley. This has been on the outskirts of Ras Baalbek
and the infamous Islamists stronghold of Aarsal.
Although
Hezbollah and Lebanese Armed Forces attack Islamist positions
frequently, it has been reported this has increased since the release
of 16 captured Lebanese Army personnel from Al-Nusra Front captivity.
This
is believed to occur because there are no longer concerns of
accidentally killing captured army personnel. This is most especially
seen in Aarsal where the deal was made between the Lebanese
government and Al-Nusra Front to release prisoners from either side.
The shelling of ISIS positions is believed to be a tool to pressure
them into a negotiation of releasing hostages like the deal made with
the Al-Nusra Front.
Russian
airstrikes target 1458 terror sites in Syria
Illegal oil trade by the terrorists was also targeted by the Russian Air Force, “12 oil pump stations, eight oil fields and refineries, and over 170 oil tanker trucks” being destroyed over the past seven days
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