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C’mon, folks…! Was there ever any doubt as to the Saudi/Qatari, Petrobuck-fueled, Wahabbist influence…?
Islamist Factions Imposing Saudi-Style Religious Codes on Residents……The police are charged with enforcing an extremely harsh interpretation of Sunni Islam, and while the rebels insist they are aimed at “fighting crime,” the locals say that mostly they are forcing people to pray and stopping women from driving cars.
Women are expressing serious concern about the trend, saying that they were on board for a “revolution for freedom” but the rebels are determined to take away social and individual freedoms they enjoyed under the Assad regime.
Secular rebel factions insisted that the entire story was “made up” by the regime to discredit the rebellion, but Islamist factions seemed to endorse the move, saying that a virtue-and-vice squad is “part-and-parcel of the freedom revolution” and that since Sunnis are a majority in Syria they have a right to impose such rules on society.
So, now get a load of this Hof Guff…
…”…the United States and others should immediately establish security assistance relationships with this new government, providing arms and training…Although the administration has so far resisted arming the opposition, arms are now the coin of the realm for anyone wishing to influence the course of Syria’s future. The United States and its allies — most notably Turkey — must dominate the logistics of external arms transfers, ensuring that weapons go to those advocating a non-sectarian, decent political system for Syria and are denied to those seeking a sectarian outcome…The negative reaction of the mainstream Syrian opposition to the U.S. designation of Jabhat al-Nusra as a terrorist organization is understandable. ….. the timing of the designation was amateurishly lamentable — unnecessarily neutralizing the impact of U.S. recognition of the Syrian Opposition Council…”
Huh…?
Anyways, some real insight…
Civil war at stalemate, says Russia
…Syria’s civil war has reached stalemate and international efforts to persuade President Bashar Al Assad to quit will fail, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said yesterday.
Mainly Sunni Muslim rebels seeking to overthrow Assad are fighting on the edge of the capital Damascus and expanding southwards from their northern strongholds in Aleppo and Idlib into the central province of Hama. {…}
… But Lavrov said the Syrian president was not about to bow to pressure from opponents or more sympathetic leaders in Moscow and Beijing.
“Listen, no one is going to win this war,” he told reporters aboard a government plane en route to Moscow from the Russia-EU summit in Brussels. “Assad is not going anywhere, no matter what anyone says, be it China or Russia.”
Lavrov said Russia had rejected requests from countries in the region to pressure Assad to go or offer him safe haven, and warned that his exit might lead to an upsurge in fighting.
He also said Syrian authorities were gathering the country’s chemical weapons in one or two areas and that they were “under control” for the time being. “Currently the (Syrian) government is doing all it can to secure (chemical weapons), according to intelligence data we have and the West has,” he said. {…}
In Aleppo, rebel leader Colonel Abdel-Jabbar Al Oqaidi said his fighters considered the skies above Aleppo to be a no-fly zone and repeated a warning that they would attack planes using the city’s airport.
Snipers fired at an airliner preparing to take off from Aleppo on Thursday, forcing it to abandon its departure.
“The airport was being used as a military airport to transport troops and (Iranian) Revolutionary Guards,” Oqaidi told Reuters. “We forbid planes from flying in Syrian air space. We will set up a no-fly zone.”
What a D*ckhead, no…?
And, if there’s any doubters left amongst ya… An insight into Syria’s frontline…
…According to Lavrov, American partners recognise that the major threat will be posed if chemical weapons fall into the hands of terrorists.
“We tell them – you do back the opposition, including its armed struggle. Thus, it may happen what you fear. We determine the priorities. No clear answer is available yet,” Lavrov said.
The minister stressed that Russia re-checked all rumours related to chemical weapons. “Till now, according to our data, which is correlated with the West, chemical weapons are under control. The Syrian authorities concentrated their arsenals in one or two centres. Earlier, all was strewn across the country.” “This is the important problem. Everyone should realise that ‘the hands’ should not provided aid that continues to be rendered,” the minister added.
According to Russian and American special services, the Syrian government does everything possible to safeguard chemical weapons, Lavrov pointed out.
Fancy that…! So we have purported Scud-Style missiles being lobbed, but, no real proof, and, we’re all supposed to Arm Cheer the USA FSA on…!
*gah*
28 Comments
Thanks for reporting on what nobody wants to think about.
This is going to become a three-way or multi-way civil war before long, even if the regime falls. Just as in Egypt, the Syrians are going to want their revolution back.
It’s not clear where those reported “Scud-style missiles” are being lobbed; it isn’t against Turkey. And using them for internal war makes zero military sense.
There is no unified FSA now because of these actions by al-Nusra. That is mostly what has created the stalemate.
Yes, indeed. “gah”
I have yet to see credible evidence that they were fired at all. Detecting such an event is well within the NTM possessed by the USA and indeed by Turkey’s MIT (Milli İstihbarat Teşkilatı: National Intelligence Organisation). No such evidence has been produced. None. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Nothing.
mfi
What I suspected. The tactical logic of the report doesn’t make sense. It seemed to be the propagandistic slinging around of the word “Scud”.
Frederic Hof who wrote “Syria’s Time Is Running Out” was State’s point man on Syria, a man who testified to Congress a year ago that “Our view is that this regime is the equivalent of dead man walking.” Alas, we lost Hof as a government employee in September. He is now senior fellow at the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East at the Atlantic Council and so we can continue to read his prescient princely prognostications.
The Atlantic Council of the United States was established in 1961 by former Secretaries of State Dean Acheson and Christian Herter to bolster support for NATO. Atlantic Councils were set up in other member states for the same purpose, and at the present time they now number more than 40 in NATO and Partnership for Peace countries. The name is derivative of North Atlantic Council, the highest governing body of NATO.
In February of 2009 James Jones stepped down as chairman of the Atlantic Council to become Barack Obama’s National Security Advisor; Chuck Hagel is the currrent Chairman of the Council’s Board of Directors. Mmembers of the Council have included Susan Rice and Richard Holbrooke.
So we can assume that there is some NATO interest in Syria, with the Patriot missile stationing a recent example. After all, NATO rules. *gah*
On Scuds:
The US State Department spokesman, Patrick Ventrell, Acting Deputy Spokesperson,
clarifiedobfuscated the bogus Scud Scare andconfirmedconfused “on the record” their use, which may be an old or a new use, at the daily press briefing Dec 14.QUESTION: On Syria, do you have any indications that Assad regime is now preparing to use chemical weapons? Are you more concerned about today’s condition than before?
MR. VENTRELL: I mean, I don’t have any update for you on chemical weapons. We’ve been very clear about what a grave that mistake that would be. I do – unfortunately, the U.S. Government does have information, however, to confirm that the Assad regime has launched Scud missiles against targets inside of Syria. So I am, unfortunately, able to confirm that today, which is in our view truly a disproportionate military escalation and really a desperate act from this regime.
QUESTION: Do you know how many he fired?
MR. VENTRELL: I’m not able to confirm –
QUESTION: (Inaudible) reported six earlier in the week.
MR. VENTRELL: Yeah, I’m not able to confirm a number at this time, Roz.
QUESTION: Do you know on what –
QUESTION: (Inaudible.)
QUESTION: — on period –
MR. VENTRELL: One at a time. What did you say, Roz?
QUESTION: The time period over which these Scuds were fired, any particular locations that were targeted, do you have any of that detail?
MR. VENTRELL: I’m not able to get in any detail, other than to say it was inside of Syria.
Matt, you had a question.
QUESTION: And what is the evidence that they used?
MR. VENTRELL: I’m not going to get into intelligence, but we are at this time –
QUESTION: Can you just explain why it – why U.S. officials have been saying this for three days now, why it is finally that you’re able to say it?
MR. VENTRELL: I mean, I think we are cautiously confirming things on the record, and careful, and at this time we were able to do it.
QUESTION: Or is it that the State Department might – is the last to know? Is that it?
MR. VENTRELL: No, and I wouldn’t characterize it that way, Matt. I think that, obviously, we’re very careful with sensitive matters. We do our best to provide the best evidence we have when we’re able to.
QUESTION: But why – wait. It was so – this was – is it then the – your being able to confirm it today on the record would suggest that it’s been declassified somehow.
MR. VENTRELL: Matt, I’m not going to get into it beyond what I said. We’re able to confirm it, but I’m not going to get into it.
QUESTION: Well, I’m just curious as to why you’re – I mean, this is not something that happened yesterday, is it? It’s not something that happened this morning. It’s something that’s been out there and that NATO has spoken about, that the Pentagon has spoken about, maybe not on the record but they have spoken about it before. Is there something new to – I mean, are these new uses of Scuds since what everyone was talking about earlier in the week?
MR. VENTRELL: Matt, I’m simply not going to get into –
QUESTION: But then I can’t tell – I can’t tell why you’re – why are you telling us this?
MR. VENTRELL: Again, Matt, we –
QUESTION: I mean, the questions –
MR. VENTRELL: Well, we want to make clear –
QUESTION: Just let me make it – let me – just want to make it –
MR. VENTRELL: All right.
QUESTION: The question was not about Scuds. You volunteered that.
MR. VENTRELL: I did.
QUESTION: So my question is: Are you volunteering it because it is new, or are these the same Scuds that other branch – other agencies of the government were talking about earlier in the week?
MR. VENTRELL: What I am able to tell you is I was able to confirm it on the record today, at this point. We weren’t there before; now we are. What I will say is that this is utterly disproportionate, and it just shows the regime’s desperation and their utter disregard for the lives of their own citizens.
QUESTION: Yeah. Well, okay. I’m not – I’m really – I know you’re going to think that this isn’t true, but I’m not trying to be difficult. I’m just trying to find out if these are new uses of Scuds since what others were talking about earlier in the week, or are they the same?
MR. VENTRELL: Matt, it’s been going on this week. I’m not going to get into it further about what has led us to be able to confirm it.
Turkey is a member of NATO. Syria and its instability are on Turkey’s border. Turkey called in its chits. Pretty straightforward alliance stuff there.
More BS on Scuds, from the State presser yesterday.
QUESTION: NATO officials today are saying that they have seen evidence of more scuds being used by the Damascus government against their own people in recent days. I’m just wondering if you guys have any sort of supplementary information on these missiles being used against civilians.
And secondly, if you do, or if you just take NATO’s word for it, what does that tell you about where the government, the regime, is at this point if they’re continuing to use missiles against their own people?
MR. VENTRELL: Well, Andy, we do have information confirming the regime’s continued use of scuds. And we think that NATO Secretary General Rasmussen put it well today, that these are acts by a desperate regime approaching collapse. So we were able to independently verify that, but I can’t get into the intelligence beyond that.
QUESTION: Okay. And does – I mean, the continued use of ballistic missiles against presumably a civilian population, does this now turning – does this in any way create a more pressing problem for the international community when it comes to Syria, i.e., might this call for a stronger reaction than heretofore we’ve seen?
MR. VENTRELL: All of these reprehensible and despicable attacks against the Syrian people are cause for concern and alarm, and that’s why we are working so hard to hasten the end of the Assad regime and move on to a brighter Syria. So I don’t want to characterize it beyond that, but this is just a pattern of an increasingly desperate regime.
QUESTION: Okay.
If Ventrell is correct (and my suspicion is that the report was fabricated), the Assad regime’s action is not only disproportionate but mindbogglingly stupid as a means of attack–unless the FSA had acquire some significant heavy ordnance. Scuttling of Syrian army weapons to prevent capture is another matter.
The Patriot deployment was “straightforward” only on the surface. There were several political reasons that had nothing to do with Syria, because after all Syria in no way threatens the more powerful Turkey when Damascus has its hands full in Damascus. Other considerations included the Europe missile shield, Afghanistan support and EU membership.
The Patriot PAC-3 missiles have a range of 20 km against missiles. They are not deployed on the border as wrongly reported, but rather away from the border. U.S. missiles will be based at Gaziantep, Dutch missiles at Adana and German missiles at Kahramanmaras, NATO said. The missile units are mobile. They can be transported and then set up in about an hour.
Brown Moses, AKA Eliot Higgins, is a UK-based rebel propagandist who reports on a lot on weapons in Syria — but he can’t find any Scuds.
Brown Moses, Dec 17
In the past week there’s been numerous reports in the press of claims by US and NATO officials of Scud missiles being fired at opposition forces in Syria. Since then a number of videos have been posted online claiming to show Scud missile launches, but none have been clear enough to make a positive ID.
The Scud reports have always been sourced to un-named officials and secret intelligence. Who is the US keeping the evidence from, Assad? *gah*
Exactly. Pull the string on the parrot that says “Sources and methods”. Secret intelligence usual is neither.
Boston Globe
The American official couldn’t be identified because he was discussing classified information! That’s a good reason, when you think about it, because if they knew who he was they could send him to Leavenworth for breaking the law. And official #2 gets a bonus for mathematical creativity: “The total number is probably north of six now.”
I think the classified part is that it’s all bogus.
Not to worry, State is on top of it. The US has ordered the puppet Coalition it formed in Morocco, and which will soon have an office in Istanbul, what it needs to do to get a handle on this out-of-control situation. That’s all it takes, a little “provide a way forward” prod and everything will fall into line.
Besides, the US has a new adventure lined up in Mali. See, al Qaeda wasn’t entirely knocked out like they said before the election. But if the Syria Coalition chief — Moaz al Khatib, a moderate, soft-spoken Muslim who until recently was the imam of the great Umayyad mosque in Damascus — gets on the ball then AQ won’t have Syria as a new base and we can focus on Mali.
Friday at State there was this exchange regarding Syria.
We’ve been very clear that they need to clearly provide. That’s clear.
OT: A interesting piece of the puzzle?
McChrystal Working for UAE-Owned Arms Brokerage
Duty. Honor. Country. Right?
Asad has been brutally murdering his internal oppo from the beginning. /s That’s why he’s still in power & could wipe out militants in 30 days (to quote him in his Babwa Walters interview) if Vile V+ didn’t keep upping the militancy.
The degree of western media stupidity and propaganda has plumbed depths not before in my 3 score & 8. Worse than Judy Miller, William Broad, David Sanger wrt Iraq. Now don’t even need a cover story, a stove-piped CIA fix.
One of the retirement spas reserved for out-of-favor coupsters until they come back to power.
One of the best lines I’ve read on Syria are that terrorists are infantry in O/NATO new way of waging war under less scrutiny & with no authorization from congress. What a quaint idea that used to be.
Cheers for Zbiggie/Nye. Drones/soft power. U.S. kills only 10s of thousands of civilians instead of millions. Vast improvement. Humanitarian war in our time.
That sounds like an interesting article if there’s a link to it.
We are in the midst of some sort of technological transformation of warfare, and it has some serious social and political implications that the progressive blogosphere is not yet examining. But the direction of “low-cost” warfare seems to be an emerging theme. And if it is, they the US loses hegemony not only to other countries but to anyone who can afford the technology–whether political group or commerical enterprise or organized criminal gang (yes, yes, are those so different?). Well they are, in a few legal niceties.
For at least a century, American presidents have been waging covert wars that toppled even democratic governments. And the American press still consider it “quaint” to even notice.
Drones are now low technology and will soon become a commodity. Then, power will go to the country that has manufacturing dominance, as the U.S. had in WWII.
It ain’t gonna be pretty.
BTW, rec’d. Thanks.
Recommended! And this recommended too, By Pepe Escobar’s For whom the Syrian bell tolls. It starts like this:
Now why doesn’t THAT surprise me? Not that you said that, but that unnamed American officials would be making shit up.
Besides, using surface to surface missiles in one’s one country always struck me as being categorically insane.
Wait until 3-D printed components kick in.
This is not going to be fixed by continued technology and traditional military gamesmanship.
Ten things to know about Syria, in my view.
1. The fifty-year Alawite regime denied dignity and freedom and it will come to an end somehow as Syria geographically divides into sectarian factions.
2. The militarization of what began as (largely Sunni) protests has been Syria’s worst affliction.
3. The US, along with its NATO (especially Turkey) and dictatorial Gulf allies, have illegally militarized the conflict to seek violent regime change rather than promoting morally, legally, diplomatically urgent negotiations between the rebels and the government.
4. The West is driven by a desire to destroy an ally of Iran and Hezbollah, also an Israeli objective, while the Gulf States want to convert Syria from minority Shia to majority Sunni control, which also could hurt Iran.
5. The Salafists/Jihadists, allied with or part of al-Qaeda, which are currently on the front lines are doing the majority of the fighting, destruction and suicide bombing.
6. The new National Coalition, formed by the West and Gulf, has some political recognition but it is doubtful that the Coalition can control the armed factions, which have a large foreign component.
7. While Russia, Iran and the Arab League have promoted a political settlement, with multiple external players violently pursuing their own agendas supporting multiple factions with their own visions the chance of Syrians reaching a negotiated political solution is virtually nil.
8. The 2012 governmental reforms in Syria, which included a new constitution approved by 90 percent of eligible voters in the country, and included modification of Baath Party rule and presidential term limits, were dismissed by the anti-Syria factions as a “farce.”
9. NATO and its autocratic Middle Eastern allies are destroying one ruling group in exchange for another dominated by Brotherhood Islamists, with the presence of the Salafists/Jihadists promising enduring violence.
10. Probably the worst is yet to come.
The commander of Jabhat Al Nusra has a vision for Syria.
So it’s not ALL bad. The rules will be introduced gradually. At least there won’t be any Christians left. /s
Thanks, USA, you (almost, soon) did it again. Screwed up royally, I mean. Well, he promised change.