US sends more weapons to militants in Syria: Report
Press TV – November 16, 2015
The US military has reportedly delivered a new consignment of weapons and ammunition to a group of militants fighting against the Syrian government.
The weapons were delivered by land to the so-called Syrian Arab Coalition which Washington regards as a “moderate rebel group,” a US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Reuters news agency on Sunday.
The official did not say who transported the ammunition into Syria but added that US troops did not drive them into Syria.
The first delivery to the group was carried out by an air drop back in October. US Central Command spokesman Colonel Patrick Ryder said the ammunition was for those “moderate” militant groups whose leaders were “appropriately vetted by the United States and have been fighting to remove ISIL from northern Syria.”
Since the Syria conflict started in 2011, the US and its allies have been providing military and financial aid to the militants who are accused of widespread war crimes and crimes against civilians.
The US has on several occasions airdropped weapons for anti-Damascus militants, which ended up in the hands of the Daesh terrorists.
The years-long crisis in Syria has claimed the lives of more than 250,000 people and displaced millions of others.
The United States and its regional allies, including Turkey and Saudi Arabia, have been backing militants fighting against the Syrian government and people.
Veteran Meteorologist Says John Kerry’s Claim Climate-Change Drought Is Causing Refugees Is Completely False
By P Gosselin | November 15, 2015
Veteran meteorologist Joe Bastardi at his latest Weatherbell Analytics Saturday Summary explains why US Secretary of State John Kerry’s claim that the refugee crisis is caused by climate-change-driven drought is total nonsense and is easily disproved.
Secretary Kerry would like to have the public believe that the refugee crisis from Syria and Africa is due to man-made climate drought in the region – and not his abject foreign policy debacle.
Chart shows Nigeria has been too wet. Source Weatherbell.
At the 2:34 mark Joe shows a precipitation chart for western Africa which clearly depicts how rainfall has in fact been above average over the past 15 years, and thus drought cannot be cited as a reason for the Boko Haram terror group. Bastardi says:
There’s no drought here. And so you cannot blame drought in Nigeria for the rise of Boko Haram.”
The above chart’s blue shows that it’s been too wet in Nigeria, and not too dry. Indeed there are number of scientific papers showing that the Sahara region has been getting greener over the past 30 years.
In the Middle East Bastardi shows that the drought has hit part of Turkey, but that most of Syria has had normal precipitation, and explains that “drought” is the normal climate condition there. At the 4:20 mark the Weatherbell meteorologist puts up a precipitation chart for the Middle East for the last five years:
The chart above shows more wet (blue) than dry (yellow/green) with Syria being completely normal. Joe shakes his head at how anyone could even make the claim that Kerry does:
What’s really interesting about all this is, this is just so easy to disprove. […] So I don’t understand why that was said.”
Most readers here do understand why. The falsehood was said because US foreign policy has been a total catastrophe in that region, and now Kerry is desperate for any excuse. And he couldn’t have picked a lamer one. In real life any company or employee blaming poor performance on climate change would be immediately shown the door. This is a blatant unwillingness to accept any responsibility.
The nonsense of climate change leading to terrorism excuse is so clear on so many fronts that it’s a wonder than anyone with even a few points of IQ would take it seriously.
Riyadh to support militants if Assad remains in power: Saudi FM
Press TV – November 15, 2015
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir says his country will continue supporting the Takfiri militant groups operating to topple the Damascus government as long as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is in power.
Speaking on the sidelines of the international peace talks on the Syria crisis in Vienna, Austria, on Saturday, Jubeir said the Riyadh regime only backs a political process that envisages President Assad’s removal from power.
“We will support the political process that will result in him (Assad) leaving or we will continue to support” Syria’s foreign-backed opposition in order to topple the Syrian leader “by force,” said the top Saudi diplomat.
The fresh round of talks on the Syria crisis opened in Vienna on Friday and ended on Saturday. Senior representatives from 17 countries, the United Nations, European Union as well as the Arab League were in attendance.
According to an official statement issued at the end of the meeting, the world diplomats seeking to find a solution to the Syria crisis would meet again in “approximately one month” to review progress towards a ceasefire and the start of a political process in the crisis-hit country.
The participants also agreed on a set calendar for a transition government in Syria within six months and elections in 18 months.
The parties to the international peace talks in Syria remain at loggerheads over the role that Assad would play in Syria’s political process.
While some countries, including the US and its allies, press for the removal of Assad as part of a solution to the Syrian crisis, others, notably Iran and Russia, say only the Syrian nation can decide over the matter.
Saudi Arabia has long been among the major supporters of the terror groups operating against the Syrian government since March 2011. The violence fueled by the foreign-backed Takfiris has so far claimed over 250,000 lives.
The previous round of talks on the crisis in Syria was held in the Austrian capital on October 30. At the end of the day-long talks, the participants agreed on respecting Syria’s national unity and sovereignty as well as uprooting terrorism in the violence-plagued Arab country.
Jubeir had repeated the same comments ahead of the October 30 round of Vienna talks, saying Riyadh sees no role for Assad in Syria’s political future.
However, Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi lashed out at the Saudi official for his statements, saying Riyadh is not qualified to participate in efforts to resolve the crisis in Syria as the kingdom is shedding the blood of people elsewhere.
Jubeir “who has no clue how diplomacy and politics work, should keep his mouth closed and keep his country out of a matter that is none of its business,” Zoubi added.
Europe sees Vienna talks positive
European Union foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, has described as “very good” the latest round of international talks on the Syrian conflict in Vienna.
“The process can definitively start” toward reaching a settlement for the nearly five-year conflict in Syria, Mogherini told journalists at the end of the day-long talks held in the Austrian capital on Saturday.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier also said the Vienna meeting had resulted in an agreement to convene meetings between the opposition and the incumbent Damascus government, and enforce a ceasefire by January 1.
Magic Passports Redux: Syrian Passport Allegedly Discovered on Suicide Bomber
By Stuart Hooper | 21st Century Wire | November 14, 2015
We’ve heard this one before, but this time they are doubling down on this all-too familiar set piece.
Watch a video of this report here:
Details are emerging after last night’s horrific events in Paris, and one particular item of investigation is all too familiar.
AFP, RT, Reuters, ITV, Sky News, AP, Fox News and Sputnik, are all reporting that a Syrian passport was found either on, or near, the body of one of the suicide bombers in Paris.
For those of you unaware, this story is a mirror image of another that surfaced on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001.
Apparently, according to CBS, “a passerby found the passport of one of the hijackers” on the street just hours after the 9/11 attacks.
Interestingly, in the same breath, a FOX News reporter speaking about the story says that the building it supposedly came from was completely engulfed in fire.
How would a passport survive the ordeal of being crashed into a building while inside a plane loaded with jet fuel?
This story was eventually buried and given very little coverage at all by media outlets.
This theme was repeated last January in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo Attack, when one of the alleged gunmen’s ID card was magically left on the seat of their ‘get-away’ car. This convenient placement was used to establish the ‘terrorists link’ to Yemen and the illusive “al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula”.
However, with events in Paris, mainstream media seems to be doubling down on this latest ‘magic passport’ story.
Chaos on the streets last night
With ISIS already allegedly claiming responsibility, and Hollande saying this is an act of war, this supposed Syrian passport will probably be used as the physical evidence required to condone an attack on Syria.
Instead of blindly accepting this story from French authorities, mainstream media would do themselves far better by asking the following questions:
Was the passport found on, or nearby, the suicide bomber? If it was not physically on their person, it is possible that it did not belong to them.
Speaking of not belonging to them, just because someone is in possession of an object does not necessarily make them the owner of it.
Who exactly found this passport? Is the passport real? If it is real, is it valid?
When was the passport last used to make entry into France?
What condition is the passport in?
Is it possible that the passport was planted by a third party?
Could the passport have ever survived in the conditions under which it was supposedly exposed to?
These are all questions that any real investigator should, and hopefully will, be asking. The consequences of this alleged Syrian passport being used as evidence can only be dire.
With Russian operations intensifying in Syria, any Western escalation could have serious ramifications and heightens the potential for wider, if not global, conflict.
France’s only aircraft carrier to leave for Middle East on Wednesday
RT | November 13, 2015
The only aircraft carrier in the French Navy’s fleet, the Charles de Gaulle, will leave for the Persian Gulf on November 18, to join the fight against Islamic State in the region, Paris has confirmed.
“The naval group will leave Toulon (a major French naval base) in a few days, on November 18, to arrive in the Persian Gulf in mid-December,” government spokesman Stephane Le Foll said, as cited by Le Figaro.
France announced the deployment of its only aircraft carrier against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) on November 5.
“The deployment of the battle group alongside the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier has been undertaken in order to participate in operations against Daesch [ISIS] and its affiliate groups” the French president’s office said in an issued statement.
“The aircraft carrier will enable us to be more efficient in coordination with our allies” President Francois Hollande said, adding that it will “bolster Paris’ firepower in the region amid international efforts to launch Syrian peace talks.”
France started its airstrikes in Syria in September, a year after it launched similar operations in Iraq. It is now using six Rafale multirole fighter aircraft stationed in the United Arab Emirates and six Mirage 2000 fighters deployed in Jordan.
France carried out about 1,300 aerial missions in Iraq with 271 airstrikes destroying more than 450 terrorist targets. Only a few airstrikes have been carried out in Syria.
The Charles de Gaulle is the biggest European aircraft carrier. It is also the only nuclear-powered vessel of this nature outside the US. The vessel can deploy up to 40 fixed wing jets and helicopters including 12 Rafales. The Charles de Gaulle has already been used against the IS militants in Iraq – in February and in April, 2015.
Paris Attacks: A Perfect Pretext For NATO To Mobilize in Syria and Iraq
21st Century Wire | November 14, 2015
To anyone who is really paying attention, the real agenda behind this ‘terror’ event in Paris – is a NATO-sponsored intervention in Syria and northern Iraq.
Also, for the time being, the following will now be buried: any talk of preserving privacy rights in the west, any debate on mass surveillance and bulk data collection, any vocal opposition against mandatory biometric ID’s in Europe, any criticism of Israel’s continued squeeze on the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the overdue Iraq War Inquiry in Britain, and of course – any political opposition to an increased western military presence in Syria, Iraq (and any where else).
RT America reports:
Numerous reports are linking the devastating terrorist attacks in Paris, which left over 150 civilians dead in the French capital, to the Islamic State. But what would such a connection mean for France and, potentially, for NATO? Journalist and international analyst Patrick Henningsen (21st Century Wire ) talks with Sean Thomas about the global impact of the Paris attacks…
Most Americans oppose sending ground troops to fight ISIL: November 4-8 Poll
Press TV – November 14, 2015
Americans are more likely to oppose deploying US ground troops against the Daesh (ISIL) terrorist group in Iraq and Syria as the US considers sending more boots on the ground, a new poll finds.
The latest data are from a November 4-8 Gallup poll that shows 53 percent of Americans oppose sending US ground troops to these countries while 43 percent support the idea.
US President Barack Obama authorized the deployment of “fewer than 50” special forces to Syria on October 30, reversing a longstanding refusal to put US boots on the ground.
“The fairly low level of Americans’ support for deploying ground troops could be related to their reluctance to engage in another major military commitment in Iraq, or elsewhere for that matter,” Gallup said.
A majority of Americans continue to describe the Iraq War as a mistake and have tended to express less support for recent US military involvements.
A US-led coalition has been bombing purported Daesh targets in Syria and Iraq for over a year, but the air campaign has been largely ineffective.
Senior US military officials have said that the US will require “boots on the ground” in Syria and Iraq in order to retake territory from the Daesh.
US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said recently that more US troops could “absolutely” be deployed to Syria if the Pentagon identifies more “capable local forces” that can fight against Daesh.
Earlier this month, US Air Force Lieutenant General Charles Brown said that Washington and its allies will increase airstrikes inside Iraq and Syria in the coming weeks.
Paris attack may be false flag operation: Analyst
Press TV – November 14, 2015
The US and France may blame the Syrian government for the Paris attack and start bombing Syria indiscriminately, Edward Corrigan told Press TV on Saturday.
The attacks in Paris, France, could possibly be a “false flag” operation so that the US and its allies can intensify the bombing campaign against Syria, says a political commentator.
A witness told The Associated Press that the shooters shouted “Allahu Akbar” (God is the Greatest) in Arabic as they massacred scores of diners and concert-goers in the French capital.
“Just because somebody goes and says Allahu Akbar doesn’t mean they’re Muslim, it may mean it’s a false flag,” Edward Corrigan told Press TV on Saturday.
The United States and France may blame the Syrian government for the attack and start bombing Syria indiscriminately, Corrigan said.
“You’re going to see a lot of destruction of infrastructure; you’re going get a lot of civilians killed, you’re going to see a massive overreaction like we saw with 9/11, which of course gave the Americans the impetus to invade and attack Iraq, kill over a million Iraqis,” he added.
“Of course Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11 but that of course got lost in the smoke and haze.”
Over 150 people were killed in multiple coordinated attacks on Friday in one of the deadliest assaults to hit the French capital since the World War II.
US President Barack Obama condemned the “outrageous” terrorist attacks in Paris, and promised the United States stands ready to provide whatever assistance is necessary to the French government and people.
Obama also called French President François Hollande Friday night. “The two leaders pledged to work together, and with nations around the world, to defeat the scourge of terrorism,” the White House said in a statement.
The terror attacks came just hours after an interview aired in which Obama boasted about recent successes against the Daesh (ISIL) terrorist group. “I don’t think they’re gaining strength,” Obama told ABC News’ “Good Morning America.” “We have contained them.”
Police in major US cities have stepped up security in the wake of the Paris attacks. Officials in New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia said there was no intelligence indicating any threats, but were taking security precautions.
Assad compares Paris terror to plight of Syria
Press TV – November 14, 2015
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has condemned the string of coordinated terrorist attacks that killed at least 127 people in and around the French capital of Paris.
“What France suffered from – savage terror – is what the Syrian people have been enduring for over five years,” he said on Saturday, hours after the attacks in France.
The attacks in France were carried out late on Friday, when assailants struck at least six different venues in and around the French capital.
Since March 2011, Syria has been beset by foreign-backed militancy, which has so far claimed the lives of over 250,000 people and displaced millions of others.
French President Francois Hollande has said the attacks were an “act of war” carried out by the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group.
The group has overrun about a third of Syria, where it is tyrannizing the civilian population.
France is among the Western countries that have been supporting the militants fighting against the Syrian government. As part of a US-led coalition, the country has also been conducting air raids against what it alleges to be Daesh positions in the violence-scarred Arab country.
Assad complained back in May that the so-called coalition against Daesh does not aim to “do away” with the terror group, adding, “They want to use this terrorist structure for threatening and blackmailing other countries.”
Also on Saturday, Daesh released an undated video, threatening to attack France as long as the aerial campaign continued.
“As long as you keep bombing you will not live in peace. You will even fear traveling to the market,” said a Daesh member in the footage.
Netanyahu urges Obama to ‘think different’ on Golan Heights annexation
RT | November 11, 2015
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly seeking US recognition of Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights due to the Syrian conflict. Netanyahu allegedly wanted a “different thinking” regarding the issue during talks with Barack Obama.
The possibility of Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights in 1981 being recognized was raised during Netanyahu’s meeting with US President Obama, according to Haaretz sources close to the discussions. The publication mentioned that Netanyahu believes the absence of a functioning Syrian government “allows for different thinking” concerning the future status of the strategically important area.
Netanyahu also reportedly said he was doubtful that peace talks taking place in Vienna between the world powers and various Syrian fractions involved in the war would result in peace. During the meeting, Netanyahu also clarified Israel’s red lines in regards to Syria.
“We won’t tolerate attacks from Syrian territory, we won’t allow Iran to open a front [against us] on the Golan Heights, and we will disrupt the transfer of deadly weaponry from Syria to Lebanon,” Netanyahu told the president.
President Obama did not respond to the proposal from Netanyahu, while the Israeli prime minister failed to elaborate on the issue with reporters.
At a press conference following the meeting, Netanyahu mentioned any international deal regarding Syria would have to “take into account Israel’s interests.”
Speaking later in the day at the American Enterprise Institute think tank, Netanyahu reiterated that Israel will do everything to prevent Iran from using Syrian territory to threaten Israel.
“The defense of Israel is what concerns me in Syria first and foremost, and on that we’ll continue to act forcefully,” Netanyahu said.
Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria after the 1967 Six-Day War, which created an armistice line under Israeli military control. Syria unsuccessfully tried to retake the Golan Heights during the 1973 War. An armistice was concluded in 1974 resulting in a UN observer force being deployed along the ceasefire line.
In 1981 Israel unilaterally annexed the Golan Heights, a move that is not recognized internationally. Over the last three and a half decades, Israel has built more than 30 Jewish settlements in the area. Since the start of the Syrian conflict, Israel has carried out a number of military operations as fighting reached the Golan ceasefire lines.
As the armed struggle in Syria continues, a few high ranking officials in Israel have recently voiced the need to gain full international recognition of Israel’s claims to the Golan Heights.
Netanyahu’s former ambassador to Washington Michael Oren, earlier this week, urged Netanyahu “to ask for American recognition of full Israeli sovereignty on the Golan Heights through a presidential declaration and accompanying letter,” the Times of Israel states.
“Syria as we knew it has ceased to exist,” Oren claimed, stressing that Israeli recognition would result in the “stabilization and rehabilitation of the area.”
In July, Netanyahu’s former cabinet secretary Zvi Hauser also urged the Israelis to seize the “historic opportunity” and seek international recognition of its presence on the Golan.
“Forty years on, in light of Syria’s collapse, Islamic State’s takeover of huge areas in the Middle East and the ‘rotten compromise’ expected with the Islamic Republic of Iran, the achievement that Israel needs and can attain is to update the international stance, and ratify and upgrade the US stance on the Golan,” Hauser wrote in an article published in Haaretz.
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From the Archives
The Forgotten Terrorist Pretext of the Vietnam War
By Jim Bovard | The Libertarian Institute | February 16, 2023
Since 9/11, terrorism has become the ultimate entitlement program for America’s political elite. Whether it is illegally spying on Americans or blowing Somali dissidents to pieces, invoking terrorism provides all the cover needed for Washington policymakers. But the disastrous results of granting politicians a blank check to fight terrorism should have been undeniable almost 60 years ago.
Back in the 1960s, terrorism was what the communists did. Anti-terrorist moral fervor and ideological blinders propelled the U.S. into its biggest foreign policy blunder since World War II. … continue
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