Obama threatens major escalation in Syria

Breaking: Obama to Announce Major US Escalation in Syria

Daniel McAdams

Ron Paul Institute,

24 April, 2016

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that tomorrow (Monday) President Obama will announce that he is quintupling the number of US troops inside Syria. From the current 50 troops the US admits are operating in Syria, the US will raise the total to 300 under the guise of increasing efforts against ISIS in the country.

The Journal reports that Obama has been "persuaded by his top military advisers and others that additional U.S. personnel would allow the Pentagon to extend recent gains against Islamic State." He will make the announcement while in Germany.

These additional troops are said to be in pursuit of the US policy of persuading Sunnis to join with the Kurds to fight ISIS around its self-proclaimed capital in Raqqa. This strategy has never made much sense aside from in the feverish imaginations of Beltway interventionists. In reality it is part of a larger US effort to deny the Syrian government a victory against ISIS in the city and in eastern Syria.

The "race for Raqqa" began in earnest in February, when Russian-led efforts left ISIS in full retreat eastward toward their capital. The "race" was intensified after Syrian forces liberated Palmyra from ISIS and threatened to sweep ISIS from the country.

Washington is at war with both ISIS and the Syrian government, insisting that somewhere there is a moderate, democratic force just waiting to step in and govern Syria once both Assad and his enemies are defeated. Like in Libya...er...

That is why the US government did not welcome the Syrian government liberation of Palmyra from ISIS. Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren saidof that liberation: "in our view, that is kind of like going -- at least for the people of Palmyra, that is certainly a movement from the frying pan into the fire, isn't it?" Washington would rather have ISIS in charge of Palmyra than the Syrian government.

We should remember that the US military presence in Syria, as well as the US military presence above Syrian airspace is a violation of Syria's sovereignty and a violation of international law. Despite John Kerry's admonition to Russia that, "you just don't in the 21st century behave in 19th century fashion by invading another country on completely trumped up pre-text," that is exactly what the United States is doing in Syria.

The US escalation will prolong the suffering of the Syrian people and delay or deny a victory by the secular Syrian government over Saudi/Turk/US-backed Islamist extremists who have fought for five years to overthrow it. And it may just get some US service members killed, ironically fighting to the ultimate benefit of ISIS or al-Qaeda's Nusra Front which will likely take over Syria if the Assad government is defeated.

Obama actually 'threatens' to up Syria violence: Analyst

Press TV,

23 April, 2016

Listen to Joaquin Flores HERE

US President Barack Obama is actually threatening to push for more violence in Syria when he speaks of risks facing the country’s ceasefire, says a political commentator.

At a joint press conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron on Friday, Obama warned about “the cessation of hostilities fraying” in Syria.

A landmark partial ceasefire, which was negotiated by the United States and Russia, took effect in Syria on February 27.

Now Joaquin Flores, a member of the Center for Syncretic Studies, believes when Obama “describes the threat” to the ceasefire, he is “actually giving the threat.”

“What Obama is actually doing is delivering a threat,” said Flores. “If the US does not get its way, it will push to organize a new surge in violence with its regional allies, Israel, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia.”

Since late September 2014, the US, along with some of its regional allies, including Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, has been conducting airstrikes purportedly against Daesh Takfiri terrorists inside Syria without any authorization from the Syrian government or a UN mandate.

There are also dozens of US special operation forces in Syria, who are working closely with a collection of various armed groups that are trying to topple the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Separately, the CIA has been running a similar program aimed at pressuring Assad to step down. The CIA-armed militants, however, are now shooting at Pentagon-armed ones in Syria, according to US officials and militant leaders.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. Hundreds of thousands of people have reportedly lost their lives and millions have been displaced as a result of the violence.

From the voice of empire, the BBC

Syria conflict: Obama 'to send 250 more non-combat troops'

US President Barack Obama is to send 250 additional military personnel to Syria to support local militias in the fight against so-called Islamic State (IS), officials have said.

The goal, they say, is to encourage more Sunni Arabs to join Kurdish fighters in north-eastern Syria.

The new deployment will bring to 300 the number of US forces in non-combat roles in Syria.

In a BBC interview, Mr Obama ruled out sending ground troops there.

He said military efforts alone cannot solve Syria's "heart-breaking situation of enormous complexity".