Russia in Syria: Ghosts of Afghanistan may limit Kremlin's options now - Christian Science Monitor
- Get link
- X
- Other Apps
Christian Science Monitor |
Russia in Syria: Ghosts of Afghanistan may limit Kremlin's options now
Christian Science Monitor The USSR's painful intervention in Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989 – which killed 15,000 Soviet troops -- scarred a generation of Russians, arguably contributed to the collapse of the state, and left Russia with an abiding public aversion to using force ... Video shows Russian troops live-fire training in SyriaWashington Post Russian build-up in Syria part of secret deal with Iran's Quds Force leaderFox News all 12 news articles » |
Haaretz |
Russia Sending Advanced Anti-aircraft Missiles to Syria
Haaretz REUTERS - Moscow is sending an advanced anti-aircraft missile system to Syria, two Western officials and a Russian source said, as part of what the West believes is stepped-up military support for embattled President Bashar Assad. The Western officials ... Russia calls on other nations to help arm Syrian governmentMilitary Times Russia calls on US to co-operate with its military in SyriaFinancial Times 'Russia, Iran sending military forces to save Assad's regime'Jerusalem Post Israel News Christian Science Monitor -Business Insider all 422 news articles » |
Infighting Among IS Extremists On the Riseby webdesk@voanews.com (Jamie Dettmer)
Incidents of violent infighting between Islamic State (IS) extremists in Syria and Iraq are on the rise with rifts developing between elements within the terrorist group and arguments erupting over the distribution of spoils, sex slaves and cash, say local political activists opposed to the militants. A prominent Libya-born commander of the terrorist group, Abu Huzaifa al-Libi, was shot dead last week in the Syrian town of Raqqa during a heated argument over the redeployment of some fighters to the neighboring province of Hasakah, say local activists who asked not to be identified. The incident follows a fierce gunfight that erupted in mid-August between IS members to the west of Iraq’s Mosul in the Baaj region, in which 17 extremists died in an argument over of the division of money and power. According to Saeed Mamouzini, a spokesman for the Kurdistan Democratic Party, that fight involved fighters loyal to some of the most prominent IS commanders, including Abu Omar al-Shishani, a Chechen, and Haj Nasser al-Mawla, who oversees the group’s finances in Mosul. Reports of infighting have noticeably increased since Kurdish-led forces ousted IS fighters in June from the logistically important Syrian border town of Tel Abyad, a crucial way station for the terrorist army’s foreign recruits and supplies entering Syria. “The loss of the city of Tel Abyad has fueled this trend and strengthened the rift that exists between the elements of the organization, where supporters of each party blame the other party for the loss the city,” says Abu Mohammed of the anti-IS activist group “Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently.” Much of the infighting involves Syrian-born fighters of the terror army and foreign recruits with the locals resenting the power and rewards given to the foreigners. Foreign fighters receive higher salaries and generally get their pick of enslaved women. Activists say tensions between the Syrians and foreigners can be seen on a daily basis, with each party blaming the other for supposed mistakes, like the fall of Tel Abyad. Activists of the group “Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently” have reported a series of internal fights in recent weeks, including a clash between locals and fighters from France and Uzbekistan. Fear of airstrikes, drones Another issue of dispute is over housing with local fighters complaining that the foreigners receive better accommodations. “While the Syrians have been allocated houses on the outskirts of the city, the migrants are granted houses and places within the city and in residential neighborhoods,” Abu Mohammed told VOA. The inner city offers better protection against coalition aerial attacks, as U.S. commanders are cautious about striking inside the city for fear of causing high civilian casualties, which would be a propaganda boon for IS. Even so, drone strikes have taken their toll, contributing to the tensions within the group. A British drone strike on August 21 targeting three U.K. nationals fighting alongside IS, including a prominent recruiter and propagandist of the group, Junaid Hussain, is adding to foreign fighters’ fears that they could be killed without warning at any moment. IS leaders are responding to internal dissension and infighting with increasing harshness, say activists. On September 3, 40 fighters, Saudis among them, were executed for disobeying orders in the eastern Syrian province of Deir ez-Zor, according to media activist Mujahid al-Shami, who is based in the town of Al-Mayadeen. Their crime: refusing to be transferred west to Aleppo. In August, VOA reported IS had been struck by a wave of desertions in Deir ez-Zor, alarming IS leaders, who dispatched three security detachments of trusted militants from Mosul to oversee executions. In email exchanges with VOA, activists from a group called Lift Siege, said a steady stream of IS members has been deserting, including four commanders. They named the commanders as Ammar Haddawi, Aamer Al-Naklawi, Mahmoud Al-Khalaf Al-Rasheideh and Abu Obaidah Al-Masri, who oversaw tax collection in Al-Mayadeen. They said the fleeing commanders absconded with large amounts of cash. This isn’t the first time that IS has been rocked by severe internal disputes. In February, there were reports of internal bloodletting and desertions by fighters picked to be suicide bombers. The head of the feared al-Hisba police force in Raqqa, responsible for the enforcement of Sharia law, fled. More than 60 foreign fighters who wanted to leave were reported to have been executed. Activists also say many militants feel greater loyalty to their sub-groups within IS — whether based on nationality or ideological background. Syrian Kurdish commanders in northeast Syria trace IS’s internal problems to the group’s failure to capture the Syrian border town of Kobani, which the extremists besieged for months. They say the defeat at Kobani lowered morale, especially among foreign fighters who had never experienced a serious reversal in northern Syria before.
Read the whole story
· · · ·
West suspicious of motives for bolstered Moscow presence
Financial Times |
Russia calls on US to co-operate with its military in Syria
Financial Times Russia has called on the US to co-operate with its military in Syria to avert “unintended incidents” as Moscow boosts its forces in the war-torn country in what Russian foreign policy officials say is a bid to lead the battle against the Islamic State ... Russia Sending Advanced Anti-aircraft Missiles to SyriaHaaretz We just got the clearest sign yet that Russia doesn't really care about ...Business Insider Russia calls on other nations to help arm Syrian governmentMilitary Times Fox News all 486 news articles » |
The United States announced this week it would take in 10,000 displaced Syrians during the next 12 months. That's a jump from the less than 2,000 allowed in last fiscal year. But many critics say the United States can do much more. VOA’s Bernard Shusman reports from New York.
Next Page of Stories
Loading...
Page 2
Vladimir Putin should not be given the chance to bask in anti-Isis solidarity with the west as if he had no role in Syria’s killing fields
Good news about Syria is so rare that the recent announcement that the United Nations is setting upa special investigation into chemical weapon use is especially welcome. The hope must be that this might prevent more chemical atrocities – which haven’t stopped, despite diplomatic efforts. But the much less positive backdrop is that Russia has made sure any UN text aimed at establishing responsibility will shield Syria’s regime from accountability: Russia will use veto power if need be. This is in line with Vladimir Putin’s overall strategy, which has always been to protect the Assad regime from any UN security council action against the large-scale killing of civilians his forces have been carrying out.
Now there are reports that Russia is setting up a military base in Latakia, on Syria’s coast. The official explanation is anti-terrorism and countering Islamic State – a formula that, on the face of it, aligns Russia with western objectives. The most optimistic take is to say that Russia is now anticipating a grand international bargain over Syria, to end the war while possibly carving up the country into zones of influence. There are signs Russia is worried about a US-Iran rapprochement on Syria that might diminish its clout. It is no coincidence that the new military base is in the heart of Alawite territory, Bashar al-Assad’s core constituency.
Continue reading...HRW: Migrant Crisis Political Because of Islamophobiaby webdesk@voanews.com (VOA News)
European countries, the United States and rich Persian Gulf nations are coming under criticism from human rights groups for not doing enough to help with the Middle East migrant crisis. East European countries have been reluctant to grant refugee status in significant numbers to those fleeing persecution and conflict and allow them to resettle in those countries. Gulf countries are accepting only migrant workers, but leaving open the option of deporting them at any time. In an interview with VOA’s Russian Service, Kenneth Roth, executive director of the U.S.-based Human Rights Watch, said that the newer members of the European Union have displayed a historic phobia when it comes to accepting Muslim refugees from the conflict-ridden Middle East. Roth said that Eastern European countries should share not just the benefits, but also the responsibilities of being part of the union, namely, to share the legal obligation of accepting people seeking asylum. “There is a real need to stand up against that Islamophobia. It is based on this false conception of European history that there is such thing as ethnic purity. Every European country is a product of migration and population flows. Yes, Europe has been predominantly Christian, but countries have been able to integrate Muslims, and those who have not, have frankly been faulty of their social welfare policy,” Roth said. It has been a fact that they have permitted discrimination to keep these populations socially marginalized, Roth said, rather than “enabling them to come to the mainstream of economic fulfillment and political participation.” Political marginalization Roth also said that the current refugee crisis is not a crisis in terms of numbers — they represent only one tenth of one percent of the European Union’s population and the countries can easily absorb them — but it is a political crisis because of Islamophobia and political considerations. No Syrian refugees have been formally resettled in Persian Gulf states like Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, although Gulf officials say some Syrians have entered on visitor visas and just stayed on. Rights groups point out that those who have been allowed to remain come from wealthy and powerful families. Roth also criticized Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf countries for not taking any refugees. “Would some of them prefer Saudi Arabia and UAE, if it were clear the resettling there were a possibility, we do not know the answer to that. But given that a significant number of Syrians do work in the region, I think that we would anticipate that some refugees would resettle there," he said. "That option is not being given to them. Some of them, if they can get a job, they are allowed to go in, but if you show up on the door like a refugee, the Europeans say, ‘yes,’ we recognize your right to apply for asylum, if you are fleeing persecution and conflict we will allow you to resettle in our countries. The Gulf states do not abide by those rules.” Roth was also critical of the United States for not doing enough in terms of refugee quotas, and called the current U.S. commitment to take in 10,000 refugees over the next year “a pittance.” As a vast and rich country, he said, the U.S. should be doing more to help in addressing the current migrant crisis. Human Rights Watch is one of the world's leading international human rights organizations, operating in more than 90 countries. VOA's Russian Service contributed to this report.
Read the whole story
· · ·
 Зеркало недели |
В Госдепе США прокомментировали действия Москвы в борьбе против ИГ
РБК Государственный департамент США поприветствует «конструктивную роль» России в борьбе против боевиков террористической группировки «Исламское государство», но Москва при этом не должна пытаться укрепить позиции президента Сирии Башара Асада. Об этом заявил ... И хочется, и колется: американские политики разошлись в оценке действий России в СирииВести.Ru Как беженцы в Дамаске отметили День рождения Башара АсадаМосковский комсомолец В Израиле подтвердили присутствие в Сирии военных из РоссииПодробности Зеркало недели -Росбалт.RU -Газета.Ru Все похожие статьи: 696 » |
U.S. President Barack Obama says Russia's support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is "doomed to fail."
Ally of Slain Russian Politician Takes on Kremlinby webdesk@voanews.com (Reuters)
Six months after opposition politician Boris Nemtsov was shot dead outside the Kremlin in an unsolved contract killing, one of his closest allies is trying to take on Vladimir Putin's United Russia party in regional elections this Sunday. A veteran activist at just 32, Ilya Yashin, a prominent figure in the People's Freedom Party or PARNAS, was one of Nemtsov's closest friends and served as his campaign manager. Now, in an unlikely political contest, he is seeking to continue his slain friend's work, drawing on Nemtsov's tactics to try to gain a small foothold in the parliament of Kostroma region, some 187 miles northeast of Moscow. "Nemtsov set an important example not only for me but for everyone," Yashin told Reuters in an interview. "Nemtsov was carrying the opposition banner. They killed him, but we've picked up the banner and we'll carry it further." Sunday's elections, which will see the governors of 21 regions and over 1,300 junior officials elected along with lawmakers in 11 regional parliaments, are seen as a dry-run for nationwide parliamentary elections next year. The ballot is also a test for the opposition, which remains marginal, at a time when the Kremlin is trying to contain the fallout from a deepening economic crisis triggered by falling oil prices and compounded by Western sanctions over Ukraine. Despite mounting anxiety among ordinary Russians about the falling ruble and galloping prices, prospects for the opposition look bleak. Conversely, Putin's ratings, though down a little, remain near record highs of over 70 percent. Though some of its leaders enjoy a high profile in the West, many Russian voters neither know nor care about the opposition, with some associating it with the 1990s, one of the most chaotic and unpredictable periods in modern Russian history. The opposition says that is because the Kremlin has built a fake democracy in which it is not allowed to figure. Kremlin politicians say it is because the opposition is incompetent. Shut out PARNAS applied to contest Sunday's elections in four regions. The authorities, citing technicalities, allowed it to participate in only one: Kostroma, a sprawling region of 670,000 people centred on a town of the same name peppered with onion-domed churches on the banks of the River Volga. Police later arrested Yashin's campaign manager, Andrei Pivovarov, accusing him of attempting to steal personal data. Yashin says those charges are absurd. PARNAS says it has been denied media access in Kostroma, a region with pockets of poverty, and that paid thugs disrupt its meetings, allegations backed by video footage. The authorities say they have followed the letter of electoral law when it comes to registering parties and that the elections are being held in accordance with the constitution. Ahead of Sunday's vote, Kostroma's center was dotted with billboards for Putin's United Russia party, which controls the local parliament. The posters showed a skyline filled with construction cranes. Nearby, campaigners dressed up in giant white bear suits roamed the streets handing out fliers giving voters five reasons to vote for the governing party. The first reason cited was starkly simple: "The United Russia party is the only real political force." "I'll be voting for United Russia," said one woman who only gave her name as Olga, punching the air with enthusiasm. Others were less upbeat. "I don't think the vote will change anything because I think that everything has already been decided for us," said a young woman called Natalia, who declined to give her surname. Mixed results Yashin and PARNAS are trying to compensate for their lack of media access by holdings meetings with voters. But the results have been mixed. At one such meeting this week Reuters watched as Yashin addressed four pensioners on deck chairs near a children's playground amid a light drizzle. Elderly women pushing strollers looked on with curiosity. A second meeting drew a similar crowd. Yashin, who says he has held over 120 such meetings, regaled his audience with stories of official corruption, lamenting what he said were the region's crumbling apartment blocks, potholed roads, and tiny pensions. Several elderly voters challenged his ideas, asking him why he was so negative. Other voters have called him an American or Ukrainian spy. When asked why so few voters attend his meetings, Yashin said people were afraid to be seen with an opposition politician, citing a story about how police had called in the parents of one teenager who had attended a meeting for questioning. Yashin believes he and his party have been allowed to contest Kostroma because more than 60 percent of voters live in rural areas in an area which covers more than 23,000 square miles, making campaigning logistically difficult. Blocked from standing elsewhere, the opposition plans to organize a large rally in Moscow later this month. The murder of Boris Nemtsov, Yashin's friend, remains unsolved. Five suspects have been detained, but it is unclear who ordered his killing and why. Yashin, who travels with a bodyguard, said he was aware of the risks of carrying on Nemtsov's work. "Only a madman wouldn't be afraid," he told Reuters. "This year alone one of my friends has been killed and another jailed." Yashin said he had no grounds for optimism and it seems unlikely his party will win any seats on Sunday. But he said he thought the opposition's time would come even if he could not say when. "Putin is not god, he can't be eternal," he said.
Read the whole story
· · · ·
Russia Fined $44 Million for Refusing to Hand Over Jewish Books
New York Times In a decision likely to prolong a Russian ban on lending art to American museums, a federal judge on Thursday ordered Russia to pay a fine of $43.7 million for refusing to return a collection of Jewish books and documents to the Hasidic Chabad ... |
Next Page of Stories
Loading...
Page 3
IS Retreats From Iraqi Villages But Leaves Lethal Roadside Bombs Behind by webdesk@voanews.com (Dilshad Anwar)
Kurdish forces backed by airstrikes from a U.S-led coalition drove Islamic State militants out of nine villages in northern Iraq on Friday, Kurdish authorities said. But the militants left behind numerous roadside bombs that killed many Kurdish fighters and volunteers as they entered those villages. Roger Wilkison narrates this report for VOA's Kurdish service by Dilshad Anwar.
IS Flees Iraqi Villages, Leaving Lethal Roadside Bombsby webdesk@voanews.com (Dilshad Anwar)
Iraqi Kurdish fighters known as Peshmerga have successfully pushed Islamic State militants from parts of the northern Iraqi province of Kirkuk, but the militants caused further destruction by leaving roadside bombs as they fled. A Peshmerga lieutenant, Sirwan Muhammad, said land mines had killed and wounded members of his force in the liberated village of Al-Bu Muhammad. "If you look around, you will see that ISIS militants have left many explosives around us," he said. "Houses have also been destroyed.” Despite the militants' booby traps, which affect civilians and security forces alike, Peshmerga fighters said they were happy to be retaking their territory from the terrorist group. “ISIS militants had taken over these villages," said a fighter named Muhammad Chuchani, "but thanks to Peshmerga forces and lieutenants, we have been able to take back Al-Bu Muhammad village and other villages such as Dubuz and all the way to Sabaa Nisan village.” In the last six months, the Peshmerga fighters have cleared more than 530 square kilometers south of Kirkuk in a series of offensives.
Read the whole story
· ·
Obama: Refugee Tide Is World's Problemby webdesk@voanews.com (Molly McKitterick)
The current tide of refugees overrunning Europe is not just a European problem, “it is a world problem,” President Barack Obama told an audience of U.S. service members Friday. The president, in a visit to Fort Meade, Maryland, marked the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks by answering questions from service members around the world submitted via social media and satellite video. Obama said the refugee topic would surely come up at the U.N. General Assembly session at the end of this month and that the leaders would “start coming up with a more effective structure for an international response. No one country can solve these problems alone.” He added that NATO, as the premiere alliance in the world, would have to play a central role. The president said the only way to solve the refugee crisis was to go to its source. “There’s the old story about if you see a bunch of bodies floating down a river, part of your job is to pull those folks out and save who you can, but you’ve also got to go upstream and see what exactly is happening,” he said. The source of the refugee river, he said, is the collapse of governance in Syria and the growth of Islamic State. Obama said the refugee problem would continue for decades because too many states are failing their peoples. In addition, he said, the spread of media gives people in war-torn or poor countries a vision of a better life. “They are desperate and will take extraordinary risks to get there,” he said. Watch related video report by Bernard Shusman Other causes Other factors, the president said, will result in even more migration and refugees — for example, climate change. “I just came back from Alaska, where you're seeing glaciers melt rapidly. … People will be displaced from their traditional lands, either by drought or by flooding, and that can create more refugee problems,” he said. Obama summed it up: “We’re going to have to work globally.” Meanwhile, a group Democrats in the House of Representatives is calling on the president to accept 200,000 refugees during the next year. The number is 20 times the 10,000 refugees the president said Thursday that the U.S. would accept. Seventy-three House Democrats signed a letter Friday, saying that accepting the larger number was the “right thing.” The letter said, “It is our moral duty, as a nation founded on the principles of equality and freedom, to do what we can to assist our brethren who are in desperate turmoil, and searching for the slightest sign of goodwill.” The president appeared to open the door a crack to the possibility of additional refugees Friday by telling his service member audience, “I said that we should establish a floor of at least 10,000 refugees that we’re willing to accept.” Relief groups' call Some relief organizations have also urged the U.S. to do more. In a Thursday statement, the International Refugee Committee said the U.S. was “fully equipped to respond in a far more robust way.” A commitment to resettle 10,000 Syrian refugees is “barely a token contribution, given the size and scale of the global emergency,” said New York-based Human Rights First. On the other hand, some U.S. lawmakers have voiced concerns about a Syrian refugee influx. Obama wants to “surge thousands of Syrian refugees” into the United States despite intelligence and law enforcement warnings that “we do not have the intelligence needed to vet individuals from the conflict zone,” said Representative Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican who is chairman of the Homeland Security Committee. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, a Republican presidential candidate, said he was open to the possibility of admitting more Syrian refugees but was concerned that individuals with terrorist ties could slip in. The United States has accepted a total of about 1,600 refugees from Syria since the start of the country’s crisis in 2011.
Read the whole story
· · ·
Russia calls on world powers to arm Syrian armyby Associated Press in Moscow
Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov says president Bashar al-Assad’s forces are most efficient force against Islamic State
Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, has called on world powers to help arm the Syrian army, saying it was the most efficient force against Islamic State.
The US and Nato have raised concerns over Russia’s military buildup in Syria since they see the president, Bashar al-Assad, as the cause of the Syrian crisis, which has claimed more than 250,000 lives over four years. Moscow, meanwhile, has sought to cast arms supplies to Assad’s government as part of international efforts to combat Isis militants.
Continue reading...The Guardian |
Russia calls on world powers to arm Syrian military
The Guardian The US and Nato have raised concerns over Russia's military buildup in Syria since they see the president, Bashar al-Assad, as the cause of the Syrian crisis, which has claimed more than 250,000 lives over four years. Moscow, meanwhile, has sought to ... Russia calls on US to co-operate with its military in SyriaFinancial Times Russia's Risky Military Moves in SyriaNew York Times Obama warns Russia against aiding Assad regimeFox News Business Insider all 791 news articles » |
 Voice of America |
Obama Says US Will Engage Russia Over Arms to Syria
Voice of America President Barack Obama said Friday that Russian actions in Syria could prevent the United States and other members of the U.S-led coalition from getting to a political solution in Syria. Obama said the United States would be engaging Russia about its ... Obama Blames Russia for Making Syrian Crisis WorseTheBlaze.com all 1,554 news articles » |
Next Page of Stories
Loading...
Page 4
Via video link, the Republican presidential candidate told Ukrainians at a conference that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia felt free to invade Crimea and eastern Ukraine because he lacks respect for President Obama.
Los Angeles Times |
Russia Defiant As Missile System 'Sent To Syria'
Sky News Two Western officials and a Russian source told Reuters that Moscow is sending Pantsir-S missiles to the war-torn country where the US has been engaging in airstrikes on Islamic State. Russia is also staging naval exercises off Syria's coast. The anti ... Russia's strategy in Syria? It may be to keep the world guessingLos Angeles Times Russia calls on world powers to arm Syrian militaryThe Guardian Russia's Risky Military Moves in SyriaNew York Times Financial Times all 882 Yahoo News all 845 news articles » |
 РБК |
Акционеры ЮКОСа потребовали арестовать российскую собственность в ФРГ
РБК Акционеры указывают, что с целью выполнения решения Гаагского суда немецкий суд должен арестовать российскую собственность в Германии на $42 млрд. Если иск будет удовлетворен, то под арест теоретически может попасть не только собственность российского государства на ... Германию попросили арестовать российские активыРадиостанция ЭХО МОСКВЫ 17:29 Бывшие акционеры ЮКОСа призывают суд Берлина арестовать активы РоссииИА REGNUM Бывшие акционеры ЮКОСа потребовали арестовать имущество России в ГерманииLenta.ru Вести.Ru -Интерфакс -Взгляд Все похожие статьи: 34 » |
 POLITICO Magazine |
Why Russia Still Loves Putin
POLITICO Magazine “The USA is trying to destroy Russia not only with sanctions, but also with the help of its henchmen, the 'Moscow opposition' that's participating in the elections,” the flier begins. It identifies Yashin as the leader of this group, accusing him of ... Is this the last stand for Russia's beleaguered opposition?CNN Few jobs and little hope, but rural Russia sticks with PutinYahoo News Russia vote: Opposition struggles with smears and isolationBBC News The Economist all 67 news articles » |
Reuters UK |
Germany's Merkel sees need to cooperate with Russia on Syria
Reuters UK Russia had called on Friday for cooperation with the United States to avoid "unintended incidents", as it stages naval exercises off the coast of Syria, where U.S. officials believe Moscow is building up forces to protect long-term ally President ... and more » |
Gerry Adams - President of Sinn Fein (centre) - on a visit to London. His first stop was County Hall, London, for talks with Ken Livingstone (left) and Piers Corbyn (R). They are walking across Westminster Bridge. . REXMAILPIX.
Next Page of Stories
Loading...
Page 5
Eastern Europe’s resistance to taking in migrants is the latest evidence of the stubborn cultural and political divides that persist between East and West.
Germany has deployed some 4,000 troops to 'support efforts to care for refugees', as the country prepares for the 40,000 refugees and migrants predicted to arrive in the country this weekend.
A photographer has shared a series of photos illustrating the persecution many same-sex couples still face in the world.
Russia: Military planes flying to Syria carry materials to set up tent camp for 1,000 refugees
Technicians of the International Atomic Energy Agency inspect the site of the uranium conversion plant of Isfahan, central Iran, on Saturday, 3 February 2007. The Iranian government gave foreign envoys and western press the rare occasion to visit the site in Isfahan as an effort to prove the peaceful nature of its nuclear programmes. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT: Filmed from a New York apartment, the victim is left lying in a pool of his own blood after the crazed dogs drag him across the road in the prolonged mauling.
Next Page of Stories
Loading...
Page 6
A lame-duck president, an empowered opposition, a looming election: They're hardly the ingredients for a resounding White House triumph.
Daily Signal |
China Just Sent a Message to America: Don't Mess With Us
Daily Signal All of this comes on top of a new Pentagon report that says Beijing has now reclaimed nearly 3,000 acres from the sea, creating islands on existing coral reefs in the South China Sea far from China. Some have a military purpose—for example, a nearly ... and more » |
Russia has been sending conflicting signals on its intentions in Syria, where President Bashar Assad, one of the Kremlin’s few Middle East allies, has suffered major setbacks on the battlefield in recent weeks and may be at risk of being overrun by Islamic extremists.
I. Drones & Targeted Killings
John Reed, Two More British Citizens are Dead From a Targeted Killing in Syria (Monday, September 7) Noam Lubell, Guest Post: The Legal Questions About the UK’s Drone Strike in Syria (Thursday, September 10) Noam Lubell, Guest Post: The UK’s Letter to the UN Security Council Leaves Plenty of Unanswered Questions About Last Month’s RAF Drone Strike (Friday, September 11) Anthony Dworkin, Guest Post: European Countries Are Edging Toward Their Own War on Terror (Friday, September 11)
II. The Microsoft Warrant Case
Jennifer Daskal, The Microsoft Warrant Case: Response #2 to Orin Kerr (Tuesday, September 8) Jennifer Daskal, The Microsoft Warrant Case: The Policy Issues (Tuesday, September 8)
III. Surveillance & Privacy
Faiza Patel, DOJ’s New Stingray Policy is a Good Start, But It’s Got Problems (Thursday, September 10)
IV. Cluster Munitions
Mary Wareham, Guest Post: A Weapon That Keeps on Killing (Friday, September 11)
V. War Crimes
Just Security, Amb. Stephen Rapp on Sri Lanka’s War Crimes Investigation (Wednesday, September 9)
VI. September 11
Steve Vladeck, Fourteen Years (Friday, September 11)
VII. Congressional Hearings
Just Security, National Security-Related Congressional Hearings, September 8–11 (Tuesday, September 8)
VIII. Miscellaneous
Just Security, Labor Day at Just Security (Monday, September 7) Just Security, Just Security’s Second Anniversary Event: The Going Dark Debate (Thursday, September 10) Read on Just Security »
Read the whole story
· ·
Veteran far-left lawmaker Jeremy Corbyn was elected leader of Britain's opposition Labour Party on Saturday, a runaway victory that threatens to further divide the party as it struggles to recover from a heavy defeat in elections earlier this year.
Reflecting on the 14th anniversary of 9/11, Carrie Cordero urged professionals engaged in the national security sphere to read the original 9/11 Commission report. In remembering her experience standing on top of the World Trade Center just weeks before the buildings' collapse, she suggested that the recollections of 9/11 and its implications are increasingly fleeting as a new generation of professionals begins to work within national security.
Cody shared the latest Guantanamo Bay detainee recidivism report, pointing out that since January 2015, an additional ten former detainees are now suspected of having reengaged in the fight against the United States. Five of these men were released by the Obama administration. A total of 117 of the 653 detainees released under both Obama and Bush are believed to have rejoined the fight.
Ben wrote about William McCant’s analysis of Abu Bakr al Baghdadi. McCants highlights the unique blend of piety, capability, and absolute faith that have led Baghdadi down the path of religious extremism as the leader of the Islamic State.
Ben also reviewed Scott Shane’s new book Objective Troy, a spy-thriller that details “the strange death and stranger life” of Anwar al Awlaki, the American imam turned AQAP operative who was ultimately targeted and killed in Yemen by a U.S. drone strike. Ben points to the book's unravelling of the many threads that contributed to al Awlaki’s story, including his personal background and eventual transformation to jihadism, the rise of Obama’s reliance on the drone program, the use of the program to target an American citizen, and the creation of American counterterrorism as we know it.
This week saw harbingers that the American model of counterterrorism spreading, and Bobby discussed the U.K.’s airstrike that targeted and killed the British civilian Reyaad Khan in Syria. Bobby explains that Prime Minister David Cameron appeared to justify the strike through Iraq’s right of self-defense. He likened the British strike against Khan to the American strike that killed Anwar al Awlaki.
Ashley Deeks followed up on Bobby’s article by looking at the legal justifications supporting airstrike operations in Syria, citing principles of self-defense against imminent attack by non-state actors compounded by the unwillingness or inability of Syrian actors to respond appropriately. Ashley pointed to how elements of these justifications have been used in the French, English, and Australian decisions to commence using force in Syria.
Ben discussed the increasing use of the term "hybrid conflict" to discuss conflicts involving aspects of both traditional state-to-state conflict as well as non-state actors after attending a conference on how lawyers should conceptualize the idea. Ben suggested that while so-called "hybrid conflict" is not particularly new and does not particularly challenge international humanitarian law, there are several critical aspects that needed to be examined, including laws relating to the cyber domain.
Cody posted Hillary Clinton’s remarks at Brookings, where she addressed the Iran nuclear deal. The former Secretary of State discussed topics ranging from the G.O.P. letter to Ayatollah Khamenei to the impact of the deal on Israel.
Cody also linked to the debate hosted at Brookings concerning the deal on Tuesday evening. Moderated by Major Garrett of CBS News, Brookings' Bruce Jones provided opening remarks while Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and Brookings senior fellow Leon Wieseltier debated Brookings senior fellows Suzanne Maloney and Bruce Riedel.
Aaron Zelin posted a translated version of an article from Shaykh Abu Qatadah al-Filistini concerning “The Importance of Jihadi Media.” The article draws upon the important role that media plays in disseminating not only the jihadi message but also in spreading the impact of various acts of jihad and protecting young Muslims from being swayed by “misguided” media. Al Filistini applies Quranic language to explain the importance of the media battle.
Stewart Baker posted the 79th episode of Steptoe Cyberlaw Podcast in which he interviewed Peter Singer, whose recent book describes a military conflict with China that incorporates all of the weapons that the United States and China are likely to deploy within the coming decade. The episode recapped some of the month's most important developments in cyberlaw, touching on the impact of data breaches as well as the fight concerning location data and the warrant requirement.
Alex Ely provided an overview of the oral argument for the case between the United States and Microsoft as heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on Wednesday. In his review, Alex suggests that the case will largely be determined by the interpretation of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, a law that he describes as anachronistic in its treatment of global electronic communications. Andrew Woods also commented on the case, but suggested that the case had relatively low stakes for Microsoft. He analyzed the impact that a Microsoft victory would have and suggests that it “would do more harm to the future of the Internet, privacy, and public safety than would a loss.” Paul Rosenzweig linked to the transcript of the oral argument.
Mailyn Fidler considered the implications of the U.S.-Ireland Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty for not only law enforcement and companies but for national and cyber security as well. She explained the need to reform the MLA process to “provide workable legal oversight of cross-border data requests.”
Paul Rosenzweig shared readers’ thoughts on a possible breach of the TrueCrypt encryption program. Paul observed that the broad consensus among readers was that stories about the breach were misreported and that any suggestion that TrueCrypt had been cracked was misleading.
Carrie Cordero explained why universities are popular targets for hackers, describing how factors ranging from university budgets to the retention of data and research, to even the lack of accountability, make universities popular targets. More than 40 colleges and universities have been affected within the last three years, and Carrie’s article comes after nearly 80,000 students across eight Cal State campuses were allegedly hacked.
Nicholas Weaver talked about how the NSA system enables isolation of items of interest, follows threads, and aids retroactive analysis. Weaver also explained that internet surveillance is about pulling threads, "starting with some initial piece of interest" and following its digital history, a process that requires the collection of bulk data. He also outlined the dangers posed by foreign powers that can tap into the system and calls for the United States to protect its network traffic from any such threat.
This week's Lawfare Podcast reupped the podcast's only venture into science fiction:
Cody posted the HSPCI hearing on worldwide cyber threats, which featured testimony from Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, NSA Director Adm. Michael Rogers, CIA Director John Brennan, FBI Director James Comey, and Director of the DIA Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart.
Joanna Harrington kicked off Lawfare’s joint series with Intercross and EJIL:Talk! with a post discussing the interplay between international human rights law and international humanitarian law. Harrington describes an accountability gap that can be perceived by the “lack of an international adjudicative body to provide authoritative interpretations of the Geneva Conventions and Protocols.” She considers the ten human rights treaty-monitoring bodies and the function given by state consent to each body and then points to the distinction between the substantive guarantees accorded by a human rights treaty and its provisions regarding oversight.
Dustin Lewis, Naz Modirzadeh, and Gabriella Blum wrote about medical care in armed conflict and the international humanitarian law concerning wartime medical assistance with regards to terrorists. They point out the fragmentation of IHL concerning medical assistance present within the various states’ interpretations of the related laws.
Llewelyn Hughes and Austin Long wrote this week’s Foreign Policy Essay on national security, energy, and what they see as the United States’ surprising advantage. Given the move towards diversification of sources, the authors consider the United States to be the "real monopolist in energy markets, replicating the dominance it enjoyed in the pre-World War II period in oil production and the transport segment of the oil supply chain." This represents a shift from historic fears that OPEC states could once again regain market power and use it to coerce dependent countries.
And Ben posted this week's episode of Rational Security, which features discussion of Donald Trump's ignorance of important terrorists:
And that was the week that was.
Read the whole story
· · · · · · · ·
Next Page of Stories
Loading...
Page 7
Russia's Defense Ministry says military cargo planes have taken to Syria all of the things needed to set up a tent camp for more than 1,000 refugees.
The intense firefights at the Abu Al-Dhuhour Military Airport have not dissipated in the last 48 hours, as the Syrian Al-Qaeda faction “Jabhat Al-Nusra” and their affiliate group “Jund Al-Aqsa” have taken control of the base. It was captured in…
Denmark's military command says two Danish fighters jets were scrambled to intercept two Russian military planes flying near the country's airspace over the Baltic Sea.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Obama administration's struggling quest to close the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is mired in state and federal politics. Frustrated White House and Pentagon officials are blaming each other for the slow progress releasing approved detainees and finding a new prison to house those still held....
Venezuela opposition leader's jailing prompts criticism at home and abroad by Sibylla Brodzinsky in Bogota
US, UN and EU condemn lack of judicial independence in case against Leopoldo López as fellow leaders accuse president of leading authoritarian regime
The conviction and harsh sentencing of one of Venezuela’s top anti-government leaders has brought widespread criticism domestically and abroad for what has been condemned as a politically motivated ruling, while opposition parties plot how to channel the indignation into electoral victory.
Continue reading...Syria says Two Russian Aid Planes Arrive in Countryby webdesk@voanews.com (Reuters)
Two Russian planes carrying 80 tonnes of humanitarian aid arrived at an airport in the Syrian city of Latakia on Saturday, Syrian state media reported without giving more details. Syria has dismissed a number of reports in the media and from intelligence sources in recent days that its strong ally Moscow has been building up its military presence and support in the country. Russia said it has been sending military equipment to Syria to help the government fight the hardline Islamic...
Next Page of Stories
Loading...
Page 8
Two Russian military cargo planes arrive in Syria carrying humanitarian aid, state media say, amid reports that Moscow is stepping up its military support.
Opinion in Labour circles is sharply divided about whether their new leader can take the party into government
The controversy in Labour circles about Jeremy Corbyn centres on the issue of whether or not he is electable as prime minister. While there are divisions about policy, all Labour members are signed up to his broad goals of social justice, equality and peace, but there is profound disagreement about whether or not he can get the party into government.
People on both sides have very entrenched views. There is no simple way of resolving the question, but here are 10 reflections that may shed some light on what has become the key question in British politics.
Continue reading...
Soldier vanished during training operation with other service members in Washington state
Russian President Vladimir Putin says there is no path to regulating the crisis in eastern Ukraine other than the existing Minsk agreements.
When gunbattles broke out on the outskirts of Tajikistan's capital Dushanbe between security forces and a deputy defense minister and his supporters there were fears the situation might quickly grow beyond control.
Syrian state media has reported that two Russian planes carrying 80 tons of humanitarian aid have arrived in the Syrian coastal city of Latakia.
Next Page of Stories
Loading...
Page 9
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Two Russian planes carrying 80 tonnes of humanitarian aid arrived at an airport in Syria's city of Latakia on Saturday, Syrian state media reported.
LONDON (Reuters) - Uncorking the spirit of British socialism was the masterstroke that handed Jeremy Corbyn the Labour Party's top job but he now faces a much bigger challenge -- convincing voters that an admirer of Karl Marx should be Britain's next prime minister.
Why Turkey Is Fighting the Kurds Who Are Fighting ISIS ...
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/.../" rel="nofollow">www.nytimes.com/interactive/.../</a>turkey-kurds-isis.htm...
Aug 12, 2015 - While the United States has long sought Turkey's help in fighting ISIS, getting its help has revealed a tangle of diverging interests in the region.
The New York Times
Loading...
ISIS or Kurdish rebels: Who is Turkey really fighting? - CNN ...
<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/12/opinions/" rel="nofollow">www.cnn.com/2015/08/12/opinions/</a>turkey-isis-pkk/
Aug 12, 2015 - After years spent on the fringes of the fight against ISIS, Turkey is now actively engaged. But ISIS isn't Turkey's only target.
CNN
Loading...
In the news
Turkey aids ISIS as US says ISIS using chemical weapons
Turkish troops have resumed war against its Kurdish people and their militias, which have ...
PRI - 2 days ago
TIME - 2 days ago
Vox - 59 mins ago
Two years ago, Russian military arrangements were activated to prevent the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria in the form of specialists, consultants and uninterrupted arms shipments. Russian interference back then coincided with an unprecedented semi-Iranian invasion of Syria.
Iranian generals and forces from its Revolutionary Guards carried out most of the combat missions along with the Lebanese Hezbollah, and Afghani and Iraqi groups. Russians were on the back lines, and Iranian forces on the front line.
U.S. reports highlight new, large-scale Russian activity, with potentially huge airlifts, as well as shipments of large housing units for around 3,000 Russian soldiers. Moscow wants to convince the world that it is not invading Syria, and that current events are merely a continuation of the defense agreement with the Assad regime. However, the scale of the activity is a lot larger now.
Russia may see in the current situation a precious opportunity to launch a full-scale war to wipe out the moderate national Syrian resistance. Iranian and Russian forces will then be able to take full control, given that Assad is just a fig leaf. Moscow wants to achieve what it failed to do with negotiations.
Moscow wants to convince the world that it is not invading Syria, and that current events are merely a continuation of the defense agreemenAbdulrahman al-Rashed
Given that the U.S.-led coalition is fighting terrorist organizations only, Russia and Iran now want to liquidate the national opposition and take over Syria, which is very important to rule Iraq. We are about to enter a new, dangerous chapter in the Syrian war.
Washington’s attempts to embarrass Moscow and make it reveal information about its interference will not stop Russia and Iran from using the war against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) to take over Syria. The interference of Russia in Syria as a fighting force will provoke the Arab and Muslim worlds, and bring back memories of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
Its interference will push thousands of youths to join terrorist and extremist organizations to defend Syrians. Then countries such as the United States will not have any pretext to convince the world to fight extremism. It will not be possible to reassure Middle Eastern countries about the Iranian-Russian alliance, which wants total control of Iraq and Syria.
So as not to ruin the nuclear negotiations, Washington did not confront or criticize Iran for sending, for the first time, forces beyond its borders to fight in these two countries. If conflict in Syria remained between Syrian parties, matters would have been resolved long ago, either with Assad accepting a political solution according to the Geneva I conference, or with the fall of the regime and the establishment of a political system that includes all Syrian components. Russian interference will prolong and widen the conflict.
This article was first published in Asharq al-Awsat.
_______________________________
Abdulrahman al-Rashed is the former General Manager of Al Arabiya News Channel. A veteran and internationally acclaimed journalist, he is a former editor-in-chief of the London-based leading Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat, where he still regularly writes a political column. He has also served as the editor of Asharq al-Awsat’s sister publication, al-Majalla. Throughout his career, Rashed has interviewed several world leaders, with his articles garnering worldwide recognition, and he has successfully led Al Arabiya to the highly regarded, thriving and influential position it is in today.
Last Update: Wednesday, 9 September 2015 KSA 14:41 - GMT 11:41
Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in the opinion section are their own and do not reflect Al Arabiya News's point-of-view.
Read the whole story
· · ·
Israel confirms Russian troops are operating in Syria, and are preparing to deploy Russian military aircraft near Latakia.
A force of hundreds of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have been deployed in Syria in order to aid Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime, an Israeli defense source said on Thursday.
Russian officials and Iranian Quds Force general Qassem Suleimani discussed a potential joint military plan in Syria during Suleimani’s July visit to Moscow, intelligence sources told Fox News. “The Russians are no longer advising, but co-leading the war in Syria,” one of the officials said. The involvement may include as many as 1,000 combatants, tanks, drones, and other heavy equipment. The Daily Beast reported on a Russian military presence in Syria earlier this week.
Next Page of Stories
Loading...
Page 10
This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
- Russia and Iran send more troops to Syria to back faltering al-Assad
- Putin’s plan for Syria: al-Assad regime in anti-ISIS coalition with West
- Assad regime and ISIS are apparently BOTH now using chemical weapons in Syria
Russia and Iran send more troops to Syria to back faltering al-Assad
Preparing for mustard gas in World War One
Russia had been denying reports that Russia is building a new military base in Syria, but as usual, Russia’s denials were a total lie. Differing reports now indicate that Russia has already sent heavy weapons and dozens to hundreds of troops to Syria, though the buildup appears to be limited for the time being.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov now confirms that the huge Russian transport planes landing in an airport near Latakia, a port city on the Mediterranean, are carrying weapons and Russian servicemen. According to Lavrov:
If it’s necessary, we will act in full conformity with the Russian legislation, international law and our obligations, exclusively on the request and consent of the government of Syria and other countries of the region, if there is a talk about helping them fight terrorism.
Other reports confirm that two Russian Navy tank landing ships are moored at the Port of Tartus, also on the Mediterranean Sea, where the Russians have a naval base. According to the reports, the ships are offloading armored vehicles as well as nearly 50 Russian marines. The weapons and soldiers are arriving from Russia’s Sevastopol port in the Black Sea, in Crimea, which Russia invaded and annexed last year.
Further reports indicate that hundreds of troops from Iran’s élite Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) have also arrived, and are deployed northwest of Damascus near the border with Lebanon.
The first reports that Iran was planning to deploy troops in Syria came several months ago. ( “5-Jun-15 World View — With Syria’s army nearing collapse, Iran plans massive troop deployment”.) That massive troop deployment appears to be occurring now. Fox News and Washington Post andWashington Free Beacon
Putin’s plan for Syria: al-Assad regime in anti-ISIS coalition with West
According to one analysis, Russia’s president Vladimir Putin does not really want to end up in a quagmire in Syria, but is using the threat of a massive Russian military deployment to Syria to blackmail the West into accepting “Putin’s plan” for Syria.
Putin’s plan would be to form a broad international coalition, targeting the so-called Islamic State (IS or ISIS or ISIL or Daesh). The all-inclusive anti-ISIS coalition would unite Syrian regime forces with Western forces and Russian forces against ISIS, and would receive a mandate from the United Nations General Assembly. Putin plans to address the UN General Assembly in mid-September, and may discuss the plan then.
The plan would mean that Western forces would join with Russia and Iran to prop up the regime of Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad, with the nominal objective of fighting ISIS. Russia’s power and military base in the Mideast would be firmly established, and the West could relieve Russia of the job of defeating ISIS and al-Qaeda linked Jabhat al-Nusra (al-Nusra Front), while Putin sat back and watched.
Some European leaders, including Italy’s former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and France’s former president Nicolas Sarkozy, have expressed interest in the plan because it relieves tensions with Russia in Ukraine, and they would like to mediate a rapprochement.
From the point of view of Generational Dynamics, “Putin’s plan” is absolutely fascinating. I have been saying for ten years in the in the coming Clash of Civilizations world war, Iran, Russia and India would be allied with the United States and West, while the Sunni Muslim nations would be allied with China.
Ten years ago, that Generational Dynamics prediction seemed completely fantastical, but for the last couple of years we have seen in coming true, step by step. “Putin’s plan,” if adopted, would be a major step in bringing that prediction closer to reality.
Whatever else happens, there is absolutely no doubt that the Sunni nations, starting with Turkey and Saudi Arabia, would be infuriatedly opposed to any such plan for the West to align with Iran and al-Assad, who Sunni leaders consider to be existential threats to their countries. Jamestown
Assad regime and ISIS are apparently BOTH now using chemical weapons in Syria
Chemical weapons experts hired by the BBC have determined that both chlorine gas and mustard gas have been used in the conflict in Syria.
The chlorine was delivered by helicopters, according to witnesses, and only the regime of Bashar al-Assad has helicopters in Syria. The al-Assad regime has been for years using planes and helicopters to flatten entire villages, including innocent women and children, with barrel bombs loaded with explosives, metals, and chlorine gas dropped from helicopters. Al-Assad has also used deadly Sarin gas to hundreds of innocent civilians.
However, the mustard gas is something new in this latest conflict. It causes severe burning of the skin, eyes and respiratory tract, and can be absorbed into the body through inhalation, ingestion or by coming into contact with the skin or eyes. The agent reacts with water in skin cells and in the lungs to literally tear apart cellular structures. It can cause severe eye and lung damage and can also cause blindness. It was outlawed by international convention after World War I, but was used by Saddam Hussein in 1988 against the Kurds and some Iranians, killing over 10,000 people in possibly the worst chemical weapons disaster in history.
Germany’s foreign intelligence agency has collected evidence that it was ISIS jihadists that used mustard gas in an attack in Iraq. It is believed that the gas came from Saddam Hussein’s old stockpiles of mustard gas that he used in the 1988 attack, though it’s also possible that ISIS has manufactured the chemical weapon themselves.
On Thursday, the UN Security Council authorized an international investigative body to investigate the use of chemical weapons in Syria, and to establish who is responsible. The resolution has been pending for months, but had been opposed by Russia because Russia did not want an official finding that the al-Assad regime is responsible. It is not clear why the Russians changed their minds, but it may be because the use of mustard gas means that the use of chemical weapons is increasing. BBCand AP and International Business Times and AP
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Syria, Russia, Latakia, Tartus, Sergei Lavrov, Vladimir Putin, Sevastopol, Crimea, Black Sea, Iran, Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, IRGC, Islamic State / of Iraq and Syria/Sham/the Levant, IS, ISIS, ISIL, Daesh, Italy, Silvio Berlusconi, France, Nicolas Sarkozy, Bashar al-Assad, chlorine, Sarin, mustard gas, UN Security Council
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Read the whole story
· · · · · ·
Iranian Strategy in Syria
Iran has sent 15,000 fighters to Syria to reverse recent battlefield setbacks for Syrian government troops and wants to achieve results by the end of the month, a Lebanese political source has told The Daily Star.
Gen. Qasem Soleimani, the commander of Iran's elite Quds force, was in Latakia this week to shore up preparations for the campaign, the source said.
Regime forces also withdrew from the central town of Palmyra last month after a short campaign by ISIS jihadis.
A U.S. official said that more than 10,000 ISIS fighters have been killed by airstrikes in Iraq and Syria in nine months, offering a first body count for a campaign that has yet to halt their advance.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based activist group monitoring the conflict, said ISIS used five booby-trapped vehicles to attack government forces 2 kms south of the city.
In northern Syria at least 37 people, including 10 children, were killed in government barrel bomb attacks, the Observatory said.
In Idlib province, eight members of one family were killed in a barrel bomb attack in the town of Kafr Sijna.
Gen. Qasem Soleimani, the commander of Iran's elite Quds force, was in Latakia this week to shore up preparations for the campaign, the source said.
Regime forces also withdrew from the central town of Palmyra last month after a short campaign by ISIS jihadis.
A U.S. official said that more than 10,000 ISIS fighters have been killed by airstrikes in Iraq and Syria in nine months, offering a first body count for a campaign that has yet to halt their advance.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based activist group monitoring the conflict, said ISIS used five booby-trapped vehicles to attack government forces 2 kms south of the city.
In northern Syria at least 37 people, including 10 children, were killed in government barrel bomb attacks, the Observatory said.
In Idlib province, eight members of one family were killed in a barrel bomb attack in the town of Kafr Sijna.
Iran has deployed hundreds of elite fighters in Syria, unprecedentedly deepening its involvement on behalf of President Bashar Assad in the Syrian civil war, Israeli security officials said Thursday.
The officials, who briefed Israeli reporters, said several hundred fighters from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps have taken up positions around the western Syrian village of Zabadani, north of Damascus, in the last few days. The high ground in that area, close to the Lebanon border, overlooks the Damascus-Beirut highway, and potentially controls large parts of Lebanon. Were Islamic State forces and other opponents of Assad to hold control there, they would also potentially be able to target Alawite forces loyal to Assad concentrated along the Syrian coast, Channel 2 reported.
The move is seen by Israel as a dramatic escalation of Iranian involvement in the Syrian civil war, the sources said. Iran has previously sent military advisers to help Assad, and the Iran-armed Lebanese Hezbollah militia has been fighting alongside Assad and sustaining significant losses.
Israel does not intend to intervene at this stage, Channel 2 said, but would do so if it saw a direct threat, and if weaponry were transferred from Syria to Hezbollah in south Lebanon.
Several Western media reports have said Iran sent troops to Syria on other occasions in the past three years. In May 2014, the commander of the Revolutionary Guard Corps appeared to admit the presence of Iranian soldiers in Syria.
Brigadier General Mohammad Ali Allahdadi, a commander of the Revolutionary Guards, was killed in a reported Israeli airstrike on Syria in January.
Zabadani, Syria (Wikipedia)
The Iranians’ deployment followed a series of secret visits to Moscow by senior IRGC officials, according to the sources.
Commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards al-Quds Force Major-General Qassem Soleimani. (YouTube/BBC Newsnight)
“It is not an exaggeration to assess that this is being done in coordination with the Russians,” says Channel 2’s Roni Daniel. He noted that Qassem Soleimani, commander of the IRGC al-Quds force, visited Moscow last month, and said this was apparently where the deployment of Iranian fighters was decided upon.
Israel’s defense minister said Thursday that Russian forces have also arrived in Syria in recent days to aid Assad’s beleaguered regime.
Moshe Ya’alon told reporters that Moscow sent military advisers and an active force to set up an air base near the Syrian city of Latakia. The base could be used to deploy fighter jets and helicopters in strikes against Islamic State militants, he said.
Iranian mourners carry a portrait of Brigadier General Mohammad Ali Allahdadi, a commander of the Islamic republic’s Revolutionary Guards killed in a reported Israeli air strike on Syria, during his funeral procession in Tehran on January 21, 2015. (Photo credit: AFP/ATTA KENARE)
Ya’alon’s disclosure was the latest indication of a Russian military buildup in Syria that has concerned the United States and NATO.
Moscow has backed Assad throughout Syria’s 4.5-year civil war, in which more than 250,000 people have been killed. The US sees Assad as the cause of the crisis and has warned Moscow against beefing up its presence.
The arrival of the Iranian and Russian forces is seen as a coordinated effort to bolster Assad and thwart Islamic State with action on the ground. US-led airstrikes are patently incapable of defeating IS, the Channel 2 report said.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly warned that the world powers’ new nuclear deal with Iran will embolden the regime to promote its interests more vigorously in the region.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Read the whole story
· · · · ·
Russian build-up in Syria part of secret deal with Iran's Quds Force ...
Fox News-18 hours ago
As the Pentagon warily eyes a Russian military build-up in Syria, Western intelligence sources tell Fox News that the escalated Russian ...
Are events in Syria following a US, Russia plan? (Comment: Special ...
Opinion-Business Standard-7 hours ago
Opinion-Business Standard-7 hours ago
Iranian ambassador warns against toppling brutal Syria regime
In-Depth-Sydney Morning Herald-Sep 10, 2015
In-Depth-Sydney Morning Herald-Sep 10, 2015
- Get link
- X
- Other Apps
Comments
Post a Comment