Migrants Unstoppable Once Inside Europe, German Official Says
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German finance minister said Berlin had little choice but to let in thousands of refugees every day, as a backlash against the country’s open-door policy intensifies.
After a painstaking 15-month investigation, the Dutch Safety Board has published its final report into what caused Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 to break up high over Eastern Ukraine last year, killing all 298 people on board.
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The MH17 Boeing 777 aircraft has been reconstructed by investigators using fragments of the plane found at the crash site
A controversial television anchor recently praised Russia for its “precision” when conducting airstrikes in Syria, but it appears the video footage he used to support his statements came straight from a video game.
TV host Ahmed Moussa criticized the U.S.’s airstrikes against ISIS fighter in Syria, saying Russian forces do not “joke around” while American forces have been “playing with terrorists” during the recent segment. But according to the blog Egyptian Streets, the video he used to show the “success” of Russian forces was, most likely, someone actually playing a video game.
A 2010 Youtube video of Apache: Air Assault, a game created by Russian developers five years ago, depicts a similar strike and in it, like in the clip Moussa aired, fighters are speaking American English and not Russian.
“See what the Russians are doing to them! That precision! Look at that car! Wait for the missile to come down! No one gets away,” Moussa says, according to a translation on the blog.
The anchor has been blasted online for the footage, inspiring many mocking memes of Moussa releasing footage of news events.
Tonight Ahmed Moussa will air a report on Cairo traffic pic.twitter.com/D167csZ5i9— Basil El-Dabh الضبع (@basildabh) October 12, 2015
Moussa is no stranger to controversy, either. Earlier this year he was sentenced to prison time as the result of a libel suit. The sentence, however, was later overturned.
Moussa has reportedly addressed the video game issue on his late night show, however, a translation is not readily available.
Ahmed Moussa addresses his video game screening, says those who called him out work for the US Embassy https://t.co/1TaCqRaYID— Basil El-Dabh الضبع (@basildabh) October 12, 2015
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Israel-Palestine violence spiralling out of control – videoby Peter Beaumont, Quique Kierszenbaum, Richard Sprenger and Michael Tait
After the fatal stabbing of Rabbi Nehemie and shooting of 13-year-old Palestinian Abdul Rahman Shadi, three Israelis have been killed and more than 20 injured in shooting and stabbing attacks in Jerusalem and central Israel. Several attackers and at least 17 other Palestinians have been killed. Hasan Qureishi, deputy speaker of the Palestinian legislative council, sees a lack of leadership on the Palestinian side. Positions on the right in Israel are also hardening towards perceived leniency shown by the Netanyahu government
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Key revelations - and unanswered questions - after a report by Dutch investigators into what caused Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 to crash in eastern Ukraine.
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BEIRUT, Lebanon — Two mortar shells struck the grounds of the Russian Embassy in Damascus, the Syrian capital, on Tuesday, an attack that Russia’s foreign minister called “an act of terrorism.”
The explosions, reported by Russian state news media and journalists on the scene, came as crowds of Syrians gathered at the embassy in a show of support for Russia’s new campaign of airstrikes on behalf of the Syrian government. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
“This is an obvious act of terrorism, probably aimed at terrifying supporters of the fight against terrorism,” Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, said as he prepared to meet the United Nations special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, in Moscow. He added that Russia was working with that Syrian authorities to find and punish the perpetrators.
Syrian insurgents in the Damascus suburbs periodically shell the government-controlled center of the city, and projectiles have hit near the embassy in the past. For more than four years, government forces have been shelling the poorer towns ringing the city, many of which revolted early in the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad.
The attack on the embassy comes as Russia has intensified its airstrikes against Syrian insurgents. Both Russia and the United States say they are battling the Islamic State extremist group, also known as ISIS, ISIL or Daesh, but the two countries have taken opposite sides in the fighting between Mr. Assad and the other insurgent groups fighting him.
Russia’s airstrikes have mainly hit non-Islamic State groups, including the Nusra Front, Al Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria, as well as American-backed groups. Russian officials dismiss distinctions between the insurgent groups and say they are all terrorists and legitimate targets.
There were no immediate reports that any buildings in the Russian Embassy compound had been hit by the mortar shells Tuesday morning. Russian state news media said that the first shell struck 200 yards away. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group based in Britain with a network of contacts across Syria, said that ambulances were seen in the area afterward.
By afternoon, Syria’s state news media had not reported the attack, carrying only an item about Syrians’ demonstrating to thank Russia for its “seriousness in fighting terrorism” and to reject “any foreign interference in their internal affairs.”
The uprising against Mr. Assad began in 2011 with political protests that were violently suppressed, with the arrests of thousands of demonstrators; many have died under torture, according to opposition groups, while many others remain missing.
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Two explosions came as crowds of Syrians gathered to show support for Russian airstrikes, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.
LISBON (Reuters) - Portugal's Socialist Party is better placed to form a stable government than the center-right, after two far-left parties dropped their opposition to commitments Portugal has made to respect EU rules on reducing budget deficits, its leader said on Tuesday.
Security officials say airstrikes from a Saudi-led coalition targeting Yemen’s Shiite rebels have killed eight rebel fighters in a renewed attempt to cut their supply lines to the country’s third largest city.
BERLIN (Reuters) - German prosecutors have opened an investigation after a demonstrator held up a mock gallows with nooses marked for Chancellor Angela Merkel and her deputy at a protest organized by anti-Islam movement PEGIDA on Monday.
Dutch investigators have confirmed that Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 crashed in Ukraine after being hit by a Russian-made Buk missile.
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TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisia is under pressure to speed up economic reforms, especially after two deadly attacks this year on its tourism industry, but the government is struggling with internal splits and resistance from trade unions and political opponents.
A senior Pakistani police officer says three police officers have been arrested after a woman set herself on fire and accused them on her deathbed of gang raping her.
The insurgents held the city for 15 days, destroying government offices, hunting down opponents and allowing prisoners to escape the city’s prisons.
Kurdish protestors have clashed with police in southeast Turkey. The unrest is due to the suicide bombings in Ankara on October 10th. Report by Grace Dean.
(KABUL, Afghanistan) — The Taliban said Tuesday they are withdrawing from Kunduz, a strategic northern city that briefly fell to the insurgents last month, as an Afghan official said life there is returning to normal.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in an email to media members that the group’s fighters are retreating to avoid further civilian casualties.
Hamdullah Danishi, the acting governor of Kunduz province, said shops and markets in the city had reopened and residents were venturing out of their homes. He said troops were continuing to search the city, suspecting that some insurgents had remained behind.
“Afghan security forces are in control of the whole city,” said Gen. Mohammad Qasim Jungulbagh, provincial police chief of Kunduz.
Taliban insurgents were present on the outskirts of the city, and were mostly holed up in the Chahar Dara district, a longtime stronghold, Jungulbagh said.
After two weeks of fighting, local people are venturing out and shops are open again, said Sultan Mohammad, 32, a Kunduz resident. He said electricity was being restored but problems with the water supply remained.
The Taliban stormed Kunduz on Sept. 28 and held the city for three days before being driven back. Exact numbers of dead and wounded are unclear, but believed to be in the hundreds. The Public Health Ministry has said that more than 60 civilians have been killed, and around 800 wounded in the fighting.
Meanwhile U.S. and Afghan forces completed a major air and ground operation against an al-Qaeda training site Sunday in southern Kandahar province in which numerous militants were killed, according to a statement released Tuesday by NATO.
The statement said the operation, which began Oct. 7, was the result of months of intelligence and planning. The U.S. conducted 63 airstrikes while Afghan forces engaged in several ground battles al-Qaeda fighters at two related sites, it said.
“This is one of the largest joint ground-assault operations we have ever conducted in Afghanistan,” Brig. Gen. Wilson Shoffner, a U.S. spokesperson in Afghanistan, said in the statement. “Aside from validating the accuracy of our intelligence, we were able to seize a large amount of data and weapons. Based on the digital media equipment collected from the site, it also appears that this was the location of a large media cell.”
Beside heavy weapons and material for roadside bombs, soldiers retrieved valuable intelligence data such as foreign passports, laptops and associated IT media, digital cameras and cards, documents, and mobile phones, the statement said. Additionally they seized anti-aircraft weapons, rocket-propelled grenade systems and warheads, machine guns, rifles and ammunition.
“The enormous success of this operation validates our ongoing campaign. Working with, by, and through our Afghan partners, we’re building their capabilities while we fight our common enemies,” Gen. John F. Campbell, Commander of U.S. Forces in Afghanistan, said in the statement. “That’s why our strategic partnership here is so important. We continue to protect our fellow Americans at home by fighting al-Qaeda here. I couldn’t be prouder of our brave U.S. servicemen and women and their Afghan counterparts. It’s because of their extraordinary efforts that terrorists here haven’t been able to attack our homeland in over 14 years.”
Meanwhile the Afghan Journalists’ Union said Tuesday that a Taliban threat against the staff and property of two major television stations could lead to a media-wide boycott of the insurgents.
The union was reacting to threats issued on Monday against the Tolo and 1TV channels for their coverage of Taliban atrocities in Kunduz. The group said in a statement the stations had been designated as targets and no staff members were safe.
AJU member Fahim Dashti, reading a statement on live television, said any action by the insurgents against the stations would be regarded as a “war crime.”
“If the Taliban’s threats continue or journalists are harmed, then Afghan media will boycott news coverage regarding the Taliban,” he said.
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 Washington Post |
Al-Qaeda in Syria calls for revenge attacks on Russia
Washington Post BAGHDAD — The head of al-Qaeda's offshoot in Syria has called on followers to carry out attacks in Russia following Moscow's airstrikes in the country, raising the specter of blowback on Russian soil for its military intervention to aid Syria's ... 'Kill Russians' urges Syrian Qaeda as Putin slams USYahoo News Dramatic videos reveal intensified fighting in Syria1:38NEWS.com.au all 125 news articles » |
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Investigation of Malaysia Airlines flight mh17
Chancellor Merkel is becoming bolder and more forthright about her vision for the country. What does that mean for the rest of us Germans?
Dutch investigators released this animation of what they conclude happened to flight MH17. The report found that the plane was hit by a Russian-made Buk missile. The Malaysia Airlines flight came down in Ukraine in July 2014, killing all 298 people on board
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Moscow has not abandoned its Novorossia project, but consolidated its victories there and launched its own reset, creating the New Syria project, writes columnist Georgy Bovt.
Two explosions came as crowds of Syrians gathered to show support for Russian airstrikes, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.
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Title: Conducting Terrorism Field Research
Author: Adam Dolnik
Dolnik, Adam (2013) ed. Conducting Terrorism Field Research: A Guide. New York: Routledge
LCCN: 2012037738
Subjects
Date Posted: October 13, 2015
The contributors to this important volume provide a detailed “how to” guide to conducting fieldwork in terrorism studies. As opposed to library research, field research entails numerous challenges, including ethical questions involved in interviewing former and (if possible) current terrorists (including those serving prison sentences) and traveling to dangerous conflict zones where terrorist groups operate. For academics, in particular, a major challenge is obtaining approval from their university review boards to ensure that their subjects will be protected from any future harm arising from the research. A further challenge, once a researcher is in the field, is whether to coordinate such research with local governments and their security services that may be monitoring them, including sharing the results of one’s findings with them. To answer these and other questions, the editor has brought together top experts in the field who explain how to utilize different disciplines and methodological approaches, as well as the crucial regional specializations that are necessary to conduct such field research. The volume is well organized, with each contributor providing a road-map to their own research, describing planning and preparation phases, the formalities involved in getting into conflict zones and gaining access to sources. Providing such a “how to” guide makes this volume essential for all those involved in conducting research on terrorism.
Title: Homeland Security And Terrorism
Author: James J. F.Forest
Forest, James J. F. (2014), University of Massachusetts, Lowell, Russell D. Howard, Monterey Institute of International Studies, and Joanne C. Moore, United States Army. Homeland Security AndTerrorism: Readings And Interpretations, 2nd ed. New York : McGraw-Hill
LCCN: 2012048219
HV6432 .H72 2014
Contents
- Topic guide — Foreword by / Bruce Hoffman — Preface — Unit one: definitions and frameworks — Unit two: response and resiliency — Unit three: public security and civil liberties — Unit four: alternatives to explore.
Subjects
- Terrorism–United States–Prevention.
- Civil defense–United States.
- National security–United States.
- Civil rights–United States.
Date Posted: October 13, 2015
Reviewed by Joseph Sinai[1]
A collection of articles by experts in homeland security, terrorism and counter-terrorism studies (including a chapter by this reviewer). Chapters cover topics such as defining the terrorist threat, the nature of homeland security, responding to the threat through organizational resilience at the federal, state, and local levels, the relationship between public security and civil liberties, and challenges in homeland security, such as lessons from other countries in preventing natural catastrophes and terrorism.
[1] Sinai, Joseph C. in The Intelligencer: Journal of U. S. Intelligence Studies (20, 1, Spring/Summer 2013, p. 105). Joseph Sinai, Ph.D. Dr. Joshua Sinai is a Washing~ ton-based educator and consultant on terrorism and counterterrorism studies. He can be reached at: Joshua.Sinai@comcast.net.
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Palestinian men armed with knives and a gun killed at least three people and wounded several others in a string of attacks in Jerusalem and near Tel Aviv on Tuesday, police said, on a “Day of Rage” declared by Palestinian groups.
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A trio of Chilean student engineers have developed a biocircuit device that can harness plant energy and convert it into small charges of electricity to power smartphones. Ben Gruber reports.
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Clashes continue to occur between the IDF and Palestinian youths on Tuesday in Jerusalem and the West Bank.
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The overhaul of the iconic men's magazine comes at a time when pornography has become readily available online. Fred Katayama reports.
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Reuters tells the world's stories like no one else. As the largest international multimedia news provider, Reuters provides coverage around the globe and across topics including business, financial, national, and international news. For over 160 years, Reuters has maintained its reputation for speed, accuracy, and impact while providing exclusives, incisive commentary and forward-looking analysis.
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Did appearance help or hurt GOP candidate?
Watch Martha Maccallum and Rich Lowry talk about Elections, Presidential Primaries, and Republicans on Americas Newsroom.
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A much-anticipated report says the Malaysia Airlines passenger plane that crashed in east Ukraine in 2014 was shot down by a Russian-made missile but doesn't apportion blame to say who launched it. Mana Rabiee reports.
Reuters tells the world's stories like no one else. As the largest international multimedia news provider, Reuters provides coverage around the globe and across topics including business, financial, national, and international news. For over 160 years, Reuters has maintained its reputation for speed, accuracy, and impact while providing exclusives, incisive commentary and forward-looking analysis.
Angus Deaton, a British-US professor at Princeton University, wins the Nobel Economics Prize for groundbreaking work on poverty and promptly warned that inequality is becoming a serious global threat.
Democrats seize on ex-Benghazi staffer committee Bradley Podliska's scathing interview, criticizing the congressional committee. CNN's Jake Tapper reports.
Jason Rezaian was convicted by an Iranian court, but little else is known about the ruling or the fate of the Washington Post journalist who has been held for over a year on espionage and other charges. Jeffrey Brown learns more from Washington Post foreign editor Douglas Jehl.
In our news wrap Monday, political and ethnic tensions reached the boiling point in Turkey after deadly bombings over the weekend. Also, new battles erupted in Afghanistan as the Taliban attacked a new city.
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CNN's Sunlen Serfaty talks with Jane Sanders, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders' wife.
Turkey blames ISIS for a bombing in Ankara, as Russia continues its military support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. CNN's Barbara Starr reports.
David McCarthy was rebuilding his life when he died of a heroin overdose. The Washington Post speaks to McCarthy's family and friends about his addiction and untimely death at 29.
In Jordan, there's intense sympathy for the thousands of refugees who have landed there. But it's illegal for most Syrians to work in that nation, and limited food aid doesn't go very far. So refugees are increasingly making the dangerous journey to Europe, or even back home, because they are struggling to survive in countries that neighbor their own. Special correspondent Jane Arraf reports.
The Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences was awarded to Angus Deaton, a Scottish-born scholar at Princeton University who has analyzed spending, poverty and welfare. The Nobel laureate joins Judy Woodruff to discuss his work and insight into inequality and society.
Obama insists Putin's Syria strategy is deeply flawed; Kevin Corke reports on 'Special Report'
Watch Bret Baier and Kevin Corke talk about Conflicts and Syria on Special Report.
Watch Bret Baier and Kevin Corke talk about Conflicts and Syria on Special Report.
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Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian convicted of undisclosed charges in closed-door trial in Iranian court. Rezaian's brother, Ali, goes 'On the Record' to speak out
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Watch Greta Van Susteren talk about Conflicts, Defense, Foreign Policy, Iran, and Nuclear Proliferation on On The Record.
GOP presidential candidate goes 'On the Record' on president's contentious '60 Minutes' interview on Putin and Syria, the ISIS bombings in Turkey and the latest polls
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Watch Greta Van Susteren talk about Alliances, Conflicts, Defense, Elections, Executive Branch, Foreign Policy, Polls, Presidential Primaries, and Republicans on On The Record.
Monday on the NewsHour, President Obama speaks out about the Hillary Clinton email controversy. Also: What’s next for Jason Rezaian after being found guilty in a Tehran court, Syrian refugees in Jordan struggle to survive, Angus Deaton wins the Nobel Prize in economics, why charter schools suspend the youngest students and an NBA player returns home to his native Congo.
Reaction from the All-Star panel
Watch Bret Baier, Charles Krauthammer, and Stephen Hayes on All Star Panel and Special Report.
Watch Bret Baier, Charles Krauthammer, and Stephen Hayes on All Star Panel and Special Report.
"We are not striving for any kind of leadership over Syria. Syria can have only one leader -- the Syrian people," Putin said at a Moscow investment forum, according to Reuters.
"We aim at making a contribution in the fight against terrorism, which is dangerous for the United States, for Russia and for the European countries, and for the whole world without exaggeration."
Russia surprised the world two weeks ago when it launched its first airstrikes in Syria.
On Tuesday, two mortar rounds hit near the Russian Embassy in Syria's capital during a pro-Russian rally, the Russian state-run news agency Sputnik International reported. It was not immediately clear if there were any injuries.
The Syrian state-run news agency SANA said the rally outside the embassy was a show of support by Syrians "expressing their thanks for Russia's seriousness in fighting terrorism."
Putin's comments come as the United States and Russia fuel competing sides in Syria with more firepower.
Russia has been aiding Syrian President Bashar Assad, whose regime faces dual threats: ISIS and rebels. Russia says it has been targeting ISIS, but many of its airstrikes have been directed at rebel-controlled areas.
This week, the United States sent 50 tons of ammunition to rebel groups trying to topple Assad and four decades of his family's rule.
Some observers, including Sen. John McCain, have described the ongoing escalation as a "proxy war" between the United States and Russia. The Arizona Republican sees it that way, telling CNN's Jake Tapper last week, "Of course, it is."
There's a lot at stake in Syria -- with more civilians dying every day and refugees fleeing to other countries. And there's the threat of ISIS setting up even more terror hotbeds in the volatile country.
Here's what the broader situation looks like now:
U.S. gives rebels tons of ammo
U.S. military cargo planes used an air drop of 112 pallets to deliver ammunition to rebels in northern Syria.
C-17s, accompanied by fighter escort aircraft, dropped small-arms ammunition and other items such hand grenades in Hasakah province to a coalition of rebels groups vetted by the United States, known as the Syrian Arab Coalition. Friendly forces successfully recovered all pallets, a U.S. official said.
U.S. attempt to train rebels falters
The United States launched a $500 million program to train and equip Syrian rebels -- but doesn't have much to show for it. The U.S. Defense Department announced Friday it will suspend the rebel training program.
"That was a complete and total failure for a plethora of reasons," said CNN senior international correspondent Arwa Damon, who has reported from Syria.
"The U.S. was effectively dictating to these fighters, telling them they only wanted them to focus on the fight against ISIS. Whereas you speak to any Syrian, and they will tell you that they want to get rid of ISIS, yes, but they also want to be able to focus on the Syrian regime."
This summer, Defense Secretary Ash Carter admitted the United States had only trained about 60 rebel fighters.
The low numbers are blamed on a strict vetting process that includes ensuring the fighters are committed to combat ISIS, as opposed to the Assad regime, and passing a counterintelligence screening.
Russia tries to bolster Assad with airstrikes
When Moscow began airstrikes on September 30, Russian officials said they were coordinating with Assad and targeting ISIS and other terrorists.
"Our task is to stabilize the legitimate government and to create conditions for a political compromise ... by military means, of course," Putin told the state-run Russia 24 TV.
But after more than 100 airstrikes later, analysts have said Russia's focus isn't on ISIS targets, but rather Syrian rebels seeking Assad's ouster.
EU: Russian airstrikes must end
The European Union Foreign Affairs Council isn't buying Russia's assertions that ISIS is its primary target in Syria.
"The recent Russian military attacks that go beyond Dae'sh and other U.N.-designated terrorist groups, as well as on the moderate opposition, are of deep concern, and must cease immediately," the group said, referring to another name for ISIS.
"The EU condemns the excessive, disproportionate and indiscriminate attacks that the Syrian regime continues to commit against its own people. The Assad regime bears the greatest responsibility for the 250,000 deaths of the conflict and the millions of displaced people."
Opposition: Syrian regime warns residents of 'crushing blows'
Assad's regime has been dropping leaflets from helicopters in Idlib province, telling residents to go to government checkpoints unarmed because their neighborhoods will be pummeled, an opposition group said.
"It is allowed for the holder of this card to cross the army's checkpoints safely, the Syrian army is going to offer the food and medical assistance for the holders of this card, cooperate with the Syrian army, leave the areas that witness clashes for your safety," the fliers said, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The leaflets also included warnings from the regime forces that they are going to shell the area, and that the fighters and people must leave the area and report to regime forces.
"Crushing blows are going to be carried out against this region," one flier says.
"When you get close to the Syrian army's checkpoints, be sure that you do not carry any kind of weapons, carry your personal identities and your necessary needs with you. ... When you approach to the army's checkpoint walk in the open road and lift up this card or a white cloth."
'More death and destruction'
Russia has reasons for staying allies with Syria. Its only reliable naval port on the Mediterranean Sea is there -- Tartus. The Syrian regime has purchased billions of dollars' worth of Russian weapons.
Russia also doesn't believe revolutions, wars and regime change bring stability and democracy. It often points to some Arab Spring countries and the U.S.-led war in Iraq as evidence.
The United States, on the other hand, has been accused of doing too little in the first years of the civil war and is now scrambling to help rebels as they face another enemy: ISIS.
Brad Stapleton, a visiting research fellow at the Cato Institute, said more carnage will likely ensue.
"The reality is that even with the benefit of American arms, rebel forces are unlikely to be able to overcome Russian-backed regime forces," he wrote in a recent opinion piece for CNN.
"As during the Cold War, U.S. and Russian arms supplies will simply fan the flames of conflict and beget more death and destruction."
CNN's Hamdi Alkhshali, Khushbu Shah, Schams Elwazer, Barbara Starr and Jennifer Rizzo contributed to this report.
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President Obama reveals himself by FoxNewsChannel
'The O'Reilly Factor': Bill O'Reilly's Talking Points 10/12
Watch Bill Oreilly talk about Apple News on Oreilly Factor and Talking Points.
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