Uprooted Palestinians are at the heart of the conflict in the M.E Palestinians uprooted by force of arms. Yet faced immense difficulties have survived, kept alive their history and culture, passed keys of family homes in occupied Palestine from one generation to the next.
The devil is in the details. Will Syrian government experts bring to Justice those UN officers responsible for this “mistake”? They have names and addresses!(Submitted by ‘The Old Sniper‘)
Damn!!! U.N. Aid Lands in ISIS-Controlled Territory in Deir Ezzor
The UN World Food Program (WFP) aids for the restricted Syrian civilians in Deir Ezzor city have landed mostly in ISIS controlled territories, a source in the city’s administration said Thursday.
Earlier on Thursday, the United Nations said that the WFP had dropped 21 tons of aid into the city on Wednesday.
“Planes dropped the humanitarian help sent by the United Nations into the territory controlled by Daesh. Just two containers ended up in the areas where the Syrian army [is located],”the source told RIA Novosti.
The contents of the containers that landed on the government-controlled territory has been badly damaged due to a parachute system failure, the source added.
According to earlier reports, the WFP has issued a statement admitting difficulties with the operation, adding that necessary adjustments are being carried out.
Some 200,000 people living under the ISIS-imposed siege in Deir Ezzor are experiencing severe water shortages and a total lack of electricity, according to the United Nations.
Russia has also been providing humanitarian aid to the Syrian people, including through joint efforts with the Syrian government, particularly in Deir Ezzor, reported by Sputnik.
The 2016 US Presidential Election: Produced for Your Viewing Satisfaction
Every four years, in an established display of political engagement, Americans line up on the right or the left and the game begins. Feelings that lay dormant or simmering for four years emerge with great forcefulness, as the campaign for US President occupies television broadcasts, news reports and barroom debates.
While the pundits earnestly discuss the merits of the candidates, there lurks off screen a question that is growing in magnitude. “Does it really matter?” has been joined by an equally dark concern: “Is this only theatre?”
Increasingly, that latter question demands our attention. The trajectory of American politics has resulted in a narrowing of the differences between right and left, between Republicans and Democrats. Some have gone so far as to say that there is really only one political party in the US at this juncture, and that would be the “Money Party.”Others have likened the Presidential contest to a Punch and Judy show, with the hidden hand of the puppeteer creating what appears to be conflict and dialectic where none really exists.
It is not within the scope of this article to dissect the similarities between the red and blue candidates. Briefly, an overview on their war policies as well as their domestic policies reveals little separating them from each other.
The reality that the candidates may not be substantially different from each other constitutes one level of concern. Of even greater magnitude is that the election results may be predetermined. The entire campaign and electoral process may be a sham, a display to convince us that the race—and therefore the future– is not fixed. In other words, the elections may be a charade to sucker us into believing that we have choice when we do not.
If we are living in a mock- up nation, wherein the program has been predetermined and we are objects, rather than subjects of our own future, one could conceivably see where the election could be contrived to convince us that we live in a representative democracy when we do not. If in fact we do not, the spin doctors may go to some lengths to engineer our delusion. The proof of this could be found in what is commonly termed “election fraud.”
Allegations of election fraud surfaced in 2000, in the Presidential race between George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore. Gore took his demand for a recount in Florida, which appeared to be the focal point of election fraud, up to the US Supreme Court. In a patently bizarre decision, SCOTUS ruled that a complete recount in Florida would violate the Fourteenth Amendment’s equal protection clause because different counties have different ways of counting votes.
By 2004, many people had had their fill of Bush. And the allegations of election fraud in the 2004 Presidential contest between Bush and John Kerry went through the roof. Concerns about election fraud centered on several states—Ohio, Florida and New Mexico– featuring as pivotal battleground states. And, as we shall see, these three states, which determined the vote count to re- elect George Bush in 2004, were the critical states determining the re- election of President Obama in 2012. At both junctures—in 2004 for incumbent George W. Bush and in 2012 for incumbent Barack Obama—public support for the incumbent had turned sour for the men seeking a second term in the White House. And in each circumstance, the same states popped up Republican to support a Bush victory and then turned around and weighed in as Democrat to ensure Obama’s re- election.
Curious, isn’t it?
OHIO
Ohio was “delivered” to Bush through a number of dedicated methods, including African American voter suppression; the utilization of voting machines pre- programmed to register Democrat votes as Republican ones; the removal of voting machines in African American neighborhoods (African Americans are known to vote Democrat), resulting in lines so long that many people simply were not able to vote at all; as well as the destruction of new voter registration forms.
The fact that the problematic electronic voting machine companies were owned by Republicans was extensively reported in the news, as was the statement by Diebold’s CEO, Walden O’Dell, a major fundraiser for Bush, who stated that he was “committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the President next year.”
Exit polls, considered to be a reliable form of vote prediction, consistently showed that Kerry was winning in Ohio. “Exit polls are almost never wrong,” wrote Republican pollster Dick Morris in The Hill. “So reliable are the surveys that actually tap voters as they leave the polling places that they are used as guides to the relative honesty of elections in Third World countries. …”
In defiance of the exit polls, the final vote tally delivered Ohio—and the country– to Bush. Writes Michael Parenti, “Bush Jr. also did remarkably well with phantom populations. The number of his votes in Perry and Cuyahoga counties in Ohio exceeded the number of registered voters, creating turnout rates as high as 124 percent. In Miami County nearly 19,000 additional votes eerily appeared in Bush’s column after all precincts had reported. In a small conservative suburban precinct of Columbus, where only 638 people were registered, the touchscreen machines tallied 4,258 votes forBush.”
FLORIDA
The 2000 Presidential election was brutally close. As it eventuated, Florida determined that election. Factors resulting in Bush’s victory over Gore included Florida Governor Jeb Bush (George’s kid brother) ordering state troopers to engage in such confrontational tactics as car searches at polling places, which resulted in keeping individuals from voting. Other tactics included some precincts demanding two forms of identification (Florida’s law only requires one form of ID); voters turned away due to falsely being termed “convicted felons”; early closure of polls in Democrat precincts; and the infamous “hanging chad” ballots.
Florida election difficulties again emerged as a tool in George Bush’s box of tricks in 2004, when Bush faced disgruntled voters in the national election. In 2012, when Obama faced a disillusioned voting population, Florida, where election fraud is now considered to be state- of- the- art, went for Obama.
NEW MEXICO
New Mexico is another state wherein problematic voting machines may have fixed election outcomes. Writing about the 2004 election, Michael Parenti stated: “In New Mexico in 2004 Kerry lost all precincts equipped with touchscreen machines, irrespective of income levels, ethnicity, and past voting patterns. The only thing that consistently correlated with his defeat in those precincts was the presence of the touchscreen machine itself.”
In 2012, New Mexico helped ensure Obama’s national victory.
What we see in these three states is that the depth of connivance in falsifying the vote tallies served to re- elect an incumbent President both in 04 and then in 2012. What this appears to point to is that there are certain states which will serve up a President–of either party–upon demand.
The US populace was keenly aware in 2008 that the country needed change. In 2008, Obama appeared to be the candidate offering this. His sweeping victory in 08 could have been viewed as a mandate for a new direction. Rather than steer the country away from the policies of Bush, however, Obama only continued them. He pursued Bush’s “War on Terror,” advancing the methods to include drone kills and executive ordered assassination of US citizens alleged to be involved with Al Qaeda, in a shocking detour from the Constitutional imperatives for due process.
Obama also advanced the invasion of Middle Eastern countries to include Libya and Syria. His promise to close Guantanamo did not bear fruit and his promise to provide medical care for all Americans resulted in a mandated coverage scheme which excluded a chunk of poor Southern blacks and jacked up the rates for many others.
Such a yearning for “change” appears to be fueling the popularity of DC outsider Donald Trump. If you put them side by side, Trump would appear to be the polar opposite of Obama, in terms of personal style and apparent policies (although the New York Times has suggested that Trump may be the first “post-policy candidate”. )
Trump appeals, as did Obama, to the politically desperate and disillusioned, who think that the country is on a problematic course and needs a “different kind” of leader who will steer the ship of state in a new direction. In this sense, Trump is playing the “change” card, as did Obama in 08, although he is certainly playing it in an extravagantly different manner.
When Bill Clinton ran for President in 1992, he was considered to be a DC “outsider.” The Washington Times has stated that when George W. Bush ran for President in 2000, he ran as a Washington outsider. Obama’s 2008 campaign was focused on his outsider status. This sort of spin seems to work well for candidates who wish to occupy the Oval Office. The fact that Trump has positioned himself as an “ultimate outsider” might well be viewed with an understanding of the usefulness of this perception in prior Presidential elections.
The game is on. While are settling into our stadium seats to watch the applicants duke it out, it might be helpful to remember that the entire extravaganza may be just that—a hunky big psyop.
Janet C. Phelan, investigative journalist and human rights defender that has traveled pretty extensively over the Asian region, an author of a tell-all book EXILE, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”.
Journalist Christopher Bollyn is presently on a speaking tour of the US, mainly in the western states, to promote his “Solving 9/11” books. Bollyn is scheduled to give presentations in the following cities:
Portland, Oregon, Friday, February 26, 6:30 – 9:30 p.m.
Unitarian Universalist Church
8470 SW Oleson Rd, Portland, OR 97223
Seattle, Washington, Sunday, February 28, 6-8 p.m.
Shoreline Library
345 Northeast 175th Street
Shoreline, WA 98155
Meridian, Idaho, Friday, March 4, 6-9 p.m.
Maui Wowi Coffee House
520 E Franklin Rd #105
Meridian, ID 83642
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, Saturday, March 5; 7-9 p.m.
Lake City Senior Center
1916 N Lakewood Drive
Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814
Sandpoint, Idaho
Tuesday, March 8, 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.
Little Panida Theatre
300 North 1st Avenue
Sandpoint, ID 83864
Bozeman, Montana, Thursday, March 10, 7-9 p.m.
Bozeman Public Library
626 E. Main Street
Bozeman, Montana 59715
Livingston, Montana, Saturday, March 12, 3-5 p.m.
Livingston Public Library
228 W. Callender Street
Livingston, MT 59047
Denver, Colorado, Tuesday, March 15, 5:00-8:00 p.m.
Ford-Warren Library
2825 High Street (NW corner of High St. and 28th Ave.)
Denver, CO 80205
Syrian command agrees on the ceasefire agreement made by Russia and the United States, which will start on Saturday, Feb 27, 2016 at 00:00 hours.
The ceasefire will not include: ISIS, al-Nusra, and all terrorist organizations labeled by the UNSC or the agreement. The Syrian Armed Forces are coordinating with the Russian Armed Forces regarding in that matter.
Furthermore, the Syrian Arab Armed Forces will keep its right to retaliate to any violation made by any side toward its people, and its soldiers; and will not hesitate to defend itself, its borders, and its people.
A statement released on February 25, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) – a coalition of combined Arab, Kurdish and Christian military forces in northern Syria – officially declared their position regarding the agreement between the United States of America and Russia to apply a truce in Syria on February 27.
HASAKAH, Syria (Feb. 25, 2016) — The General Command for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have carefully studied the February 22 deal between the United States of America and Russia to enforce a ceasefire in Syria.
We found the proposal a positive step towards a peaceful political solution for the Syrian crisis. Meanwhile we have informed the USA about our stand regarding the truce. If implemented, our forces will act upon the ceasefire agreement. In case of being attacked, however, the Syrian Democratic Forces will use the right of self-defense.
We also declare that our coalition will stand by resolution 2254 adopted by the Security Council on December 18, 2015. For this project to get ahead we will join our efforts in order to realize a political way out, and to establish a united and democratic Syria a place for peace.
We believe well this cessation of hostilities will prepare grounds for peaceful political changes in our beloved country Syria. On this bases, we urge all military forces to join the truce.
General Command
Syrian Democratic Force (SDF) | February 25, 2016
Over 100 Syrian Opposition Groups Agree with Ceasefire Plan
TEHRAN (FNA)- More than 100 Syrian opposition groups have agreed to implement a ceasefire plan brokered by the US and Russia, media reports said.
A large number of opposition groups came to terms with the ceasefire plan in Syria on Friday, the Arabic-language media outlets reported.
On Monday, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced an agreement on cessation of hostilities between the Syrian government of President Bashar Assad and the armed opposition factions had been reached. The agreement will come into force on February 27.
Military action, including airstrikes conducted by Syria, Russia and the US-led coalition will continue against ISIL, al-Nusra Front, as well as other UN-designated terrorist groups.
On September 30, Moscow commenced airstrikes in Syria against the ISIL and the Nusra Front, both outlawed on its territory, at the request of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
On Thursday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said Moscow and Washington may carry out airstrikes against those who will not adhere to the ceasefire in Syria.
Moscow does not rule out that along with the United States groups in Syria not adhering to the cessation of hostilities agreement may be bombed, Bogdanov said.
“I think that together with the United States we’ll bomb everyone who doesn’t join in on the ceasefire. That is our joint statement,” he added.
The deputy foreign minister announced that all warring parties in Syria must confirm their commitment to the ceasefire by noon on February 26.
Syrian troops: ISIS, al-Nusra make ceasefire unlikely
Al-Nusra Front Open Fire Amid Syria Ceasefire
A militia source said that militant groups in alliance with al-Nusra front, which is excluded from the ceasefire agreement in force in Syria, have opened fire in civilian areas of Aleppo and Homs.
BEIRUT (Sputnik – Middle East) – Groups in alliance with al-Nusra front, which is excluded from the ceasefire agreement in force in Syria, have opened fire in civilian areas of Aleppo and Homs, a militia source told RIA Novosti on Saturday.
The ceasefire took effect at midnight on Saturday, Damascus time (22:00 GMT on Friday). It does not apply to terrorist groups operating in the country, such as Islamic State (ISIL) and Nusra Front.
“The militants opened mortar fire in the Shih, Ashraf and Kurdish neighborhoods of Aleppo. The shelling was conducted from the Benziyad area, which is where groups that do not agree with the truce are located. Shelling from their side started right after midnight,” the source said, adding that in Homs “militants opened fire on [Syrian] army positions.”
Al-Nusra Front, Al-Qaeda’s branch in Syria and the Islamic Al-Tahrir Army’s brigades are the key organizations present inside Darayya south of Damascus, along with a few FSA.
Intense Syrian airstrikes on Darayya 26/02/2016
Heavy Russian Airstrikes on Jobar in Damascus Suburbs 26/02/2016
The Army restores security and stability to new areas, secures Aleppo-Khanaser road
26 February، 2016
Provinces, SANA
Units of the Army and Armed Forces on Friday made more progress in combating terrorism, killing terrorists, destroying their vehicles and restoring security and stability to more villages and areas in different provinces.
Damascus countryside
Terrorist organizations confirmed on Friday the death of 2 of their leaders in Darayya city in Damascus Countryside.
The terrorist organizations acknowledged on their social media pages that the terrorist Faysal al-Shami known as “Abu Malik al-Mikdad” the leader of the so called “Ajnad al-Sham Islamic Union” was killed in Darayya today.
The pages also admitted the death of the terrorist Imad Abu Mohamed, field leader in the so called “Islam Martyrs Brigade” in addition to a number of terrorists in the city.
Aleppo
Aleppo-Khanaser road secured
In the northern province of Aleppo, Army units restored security and stability to more villages and areas in the southeastern countryside of the province.
A military source told SANA that Army units, serving in the southeastern countryside of Aleppo, secured the road from Aleppo to Khanaser and eliminated ISIS terrorists’ gatherings from the area after destroying their last gatherings and hideouts in the vicinity of the road.
Earlier in the day, a field source told SANA that Army units restored security and stability the villages of Ma’anaya, Shalala Sagheira and Telal al-Za’arour in the southeastern countryside of the province.
Army units clashed with ISIS terrorists that ended with destroying a number of their hideouts and fortifications and escaping a number of them.
Army engineering units started combing the area and dismantled explosive devices and bombs left by terrorists to hinder the progress of the army.
Earlier Thursday, army units restored security and stability to Khanaser town in the southeastern countryside of the province, after eliminating the last remaining gatherings of ISIS terrorists who infiltrated into the town last Tuesday.
Hama
Security restored to Rasm al-Teineh and Mentar al-Hajaneh villages
In Hama Province, army units, in cooperation with the popular defense groups, restored security and stability to Rasm al-Teineh and Mentar al-Hajaneh villages in the eastern countryside of Hama, inflicting terrorists’ heavy losses in personnel and equipment, a military source told SANA.
The source added that army units strengthened their presence in the areas surrounding the Salmiya-Athreya Road in conjunction with securing the full road from Aleppo to Khanasser town after forcing out ISIS’ terrorists from the area.
In the eastern countryside of Hama, the source said the Syrian Air Force launched sorties against dens and gatherings of ISIS in the farms of al-Rahil, Rasit al-Hamra, Abu Habilat, Wadi al-Gharib, Harmla, Jub al-Mazare’e and al-Qetifia, destroying dens, vehicles, weapons and ammunition belonging to the terrorist organizations.
The Syrian Air Force strikes destroyed 2 vehicles belonging to the so called “Jaish al- Fatah” and killed 8 of its members in al-Zaka and al-Latamina towns in the northern countryside of the province, according to the source.
Later in the day, the military source said that army units clashed with terrorist groups on the axes of Tal Hawir, Dhahrat Aleya, Tal al- Bazaq, Morek, Souran, Jeleen and Lattamenah in the northern countryside of the province.
Homs
An army unit targeted terrorists’ concentrations in the surroundings of Deir Fuul village east of al-Rastan city in the northern countryside of Homs province, killing a number of terrorists and destroying a vehicle loaded with munitions.
A military source told SANA that another army unit destroyed a base and a hideout for Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists in Tal al-Qatari area and Wadi al-Jihash in the surroundings of Talbiseh town north of Homs city.
In the northeastern countryside near the administrative liens with Hama province, army operations against Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists resulted in destroying one of their bases and one of their hotbeds along with weapons and munitions in Wadi al-Midan east of Ezeddin village.
Daraa
In the southern Province of Daraa, Army units killed and injured 20 terrorists and destroyed 3 of their vehicles equipped with heavy machineguns in Daraa al-Balad, a military source said.
Child killed in terrorist rocket attack on Aleppo city
26 February، 2016
Aleppo, SANA
A child was killed on Friday evening in a terrorist rocket attack which targeted a residential neighborhood in Aleppo city.
A source at Aleppo Police Command told SANA that terrorists from Jabhat al-Nusra fired rocket shells at al-Zahra’a neighborhood in the western part of the city, claiming the life of one child and damaging homes and private properties.
Hazem Sabbagh
Army, Popular Forces Purge More Strategic Regions of Terrorists
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian army backed by the air force and popular forces drove out Takfiri terrorists from more important territories in key provinces across the country.
The army regained control over further Key villages, towns and cities in Hama, Aleppo, Lattakia, Deir Ezzur, Dara’a and Damascus provinces pushing back militants from their military positions and strongholds.
Tens of terrorists were killed and dozens more were injured in heavy clashes with the Syrian army and aerial bombardments of Syria’s fighter jets.
Hama
A commander of Jeish al-Izza terrorist group, affiliated to the FSA (the so-called Free Syrian Army), was killed in the Syrian army’s airstrikes in Hama, a military source said on Thursday.
“Musa Abdallah, a commander and TOW launcher in Jeish al-Izza was killed in joint airstrikes by the Syrian and Russian air force units on Lataminah in Hama,” the source said.
The Syrian warplanes targeted a number of positions and center points of terrorist groups in the Eastern province of Hama, killing dozens of militants and destroying their military hardware.
The Syrian army jets also attacked several terrorist positions in Kefr Zeita, some 39 kilometers Northwest of Hama, and regions around Hor Benafseh town.
The air raids claimed the lives of dozens of militants and left many more injured, inflicting heavy damage on militants’ positions.
The Syrian air force also pounded military positions and gathering centers of the terrorists groups in the city of Balada al-Sarmaniya and the village of Qarqour, inflicting heavy losses on them.
Aleppo
The Syrian army and popular forces liberated another village Southeast of Aleppo on Thursday, and inflicted a heavy toll on the ISIL that included tens of foreign terrorists from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Chechnya, Lebanon, Malaysia and Pakistan.
The Syrian army along with Liwaa Al-Quds (Jerusalem Brigade), the Republican Guard and the National Defense Forces (NDF) liberated another village from the ISIL hands in Khanaser Plains after advancing North from the recently captured city of Khanaser this morning.
According to a military source, the Syrian armed forces imposed full control over the village of al-Muqayrat after a violent battle with the ISIL near the strategic city of Khanaser.
The source added that several militants from the ISIL were killed during the successful military operations to liberate the village of al-Muqayrat, including several foreign fighters from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Chechnya, Lebanon, Malaysia and Pakistan.
With al-Muqayrat under their control, the Syrian forces and their allies have advanced towards the village of Hawaz, which was seized by the ISIL during their offensive just 48 hours ago.
Also, the Syrian army units won back the strategic town of Khanaser, Southeast of Aleppo province, which was the scene of fierce battles in recent days.
The army’s latest advance in Aleppo province was made after heavy clashes with the terrorist groups in the region.
Military sources said on Thursday that tens of terrorists were killed and several others were injured in the battle.
Lattakia
Field sources in Lattakia revealed that scores of militants stationed in several parts of the Northern province are now crossing the border into Turkey following heavy attacks by the Syrian army and after hundreds of fresh forces crossed the border from Turkey into Syria through one crossing in Northern Lattakia to stop the fleeing militants.
“Tens of Takfiri terrorists are trying to cross the border into Turkey after recent victories of the Syrian army and its allies in the Northern parts of Lattakia province,” the sources said on Thursday.
The Syrian army and popular forces made gains in several regions in the Northeastern countryside of Lattakia, purging them of terrorists.
The Syrian Army units, in cooperation with popular defense groups, purged the terrorists from Barza al-Tahtani village and Katef al-Zaitona, Daher Sando, Tal Ghweirat and Jabal Abu Ali regions Northeast of Lattakia province, field sources said on Thursday.
Stability and security was restored to these areas after army operations, they added.
The Syrian army and popular forces continued their advances in Lattakia, inflicting heavy losses on the terrorists in the mountainous regions of the coastal province.
Deir Ezzur
The Syrian air force and artillery units launched large-scale attacks against the terrorist positions on the outskirts of Deir Ezzur on Thursday.
The Syrian warplanes pounded the terrorists’ positions in Haweija Saker region, Abu Omar town and two villages of al-Mura’yeh, Hatleh and al-Jafra on the outskirts of Deir Ezzur.
Also the army’s artillery units in the same region concurrently pounded the gathering centers of terrorists in Hatleh village.
Dara’a
Three medical experts who cooperated with al-Nusra Front terrorist group were killed in the Western outskirts of Dara’a.
The three who had sheltered in the trenches dug by al-Mothana terrorist group in al-Taira region were killed by the Syrian army’s heavy fire on the Western outskirts of Dara’a city.
In another development on Thursday, the Syrian army’s artillery units attacked the terrorists’ positions in the towns of Dae’l and Tal Antar on the outskirts of Dara’a.
The army also launched a high-precision missile attack against a military vehicle of terrorist groups on Abta’-Dae’l road on the Northern outskirts of Dara’a which killed and wounded all on board.
Damascus
The Abdal al-Sham terrorists affiliated to the FSA held captive several members of their rival group, ISIL, including two commanders, on the outskirts of Damascus city.
Members of Abdal al-Sham surrounded the house of an ISIL member in Kefr Zeit village in Bardi valley on Thursday and held captive their leaders, Abu Maryam al-Araqi and Abu Mosa’ab Sarqaya, along with 12 other ISIL terrorists.
Also, in another development on the outskirts of Damascus city, the Syrian warplanes pounded the terrorists’ positions and gathering centers in Darayya and near Tal Farzat region.
Also, tens of terrorists were killed and wounded in clashes with the Syrian army in Darayya city in the Western Ghouta of Damascus.
The Syrian artillery units also targeted the terrorists’ positions in the city of Hai Jobar in the Eastern parts of Damascus and Duma and al-Rayhan towns on the outskirts of Damascus.
The Syrian army discovered an extensive network of tunnels stretched for hundreds of meters in Darayya dug by al-Nusra Front terrorist group to infiltrate into the city.
Commander of the army’s operations in Darayya in Western Ghouta in Damascus countryside said that the tunnels which were discovered on Thursday are all equipped with ventilation and lighting instruments.
He confirmed that all terrorists inside the city of Darayya are affiliated to the al-Nusra Front.
Also, members of the army said that they fought fierce house-to-house battles with terrorists and killed many of them while the rest of terrorists fled away and now they are besieged inside small sites in the city.
Syrian Commandos Enter Idlib Province after Six Months of Non-Stop Battle
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian Army commandos stepped on the territories of the Northwestern province of Idlib after prevailing over the last defense lines of the militant groups and capturing of Ein al-Beidha in Lattakia province.
The Syrian commandos finally reached the strategic border with the Idlib province after several-month-long of nonstop fighting with the terrorists of al-Nusra Front and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) in the Lattakia province’s Northeastern part.
On Friday morning in Jabal al-Akrad (Kurds Mountain), the Syrian army alongside the Syrian Marines, the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP), Liwa Suqour al-Sahra (Desert Hawks Brigade) and the National Defense Forces (NDF) imposed full control over the strategic village of Ein al-Beidha at the Idlib border.
With the capture of Ein al-Beidha this morning, the Syrian Armed Forces officially reentered the Idlib province after a 9-month-long hiatus due to the successful offensive by Jeish al-Fatah (Army of Conquest) last Spring.
Earlier reports said that the Syrian army and the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance forces are winning back two strategic heights in Lattakia province which will in turn pave their way to capture key areas in neighboring Idlib province.
The strategic al-Ra’yee and al-Qala heights in Lattakia province overlook Idlib province and capturing them will pave the way for the army’s military advances in Idlib province.
If the Syrian government forces and the resistance fighters take full control of these heights, the al-Younsiyeh, al-Tafahiyeh, Ein al-Hoor and Zeitouniya will fall to the Syrian army’s hands. Also, in this case the Syrian army will be only three kilometers away from the Turkish borders.
Kurdish Fighters Inflict More Losses on Terrorists in Aleppo
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) alongside the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) engaged in heavy fighting with the ISIL terrorists in the Northeastern part of Aleppo province.
The Kurdish fighters stormed the ISIL gathering centers near the villages of Marwaha in the Southeastern part of the town of Sarin, killed or wounded several terrorists and destroyed their military equipment and vehicles.
On Wednesday, the Kurdish fighters, after almost six day of intense battle against al-Nusra Front, the Free Syrian Army (FSA), Harakat Nouriddeen al-Zinki and Al-Shamiyah Front, imposed full control over the Bani Zeid Youth Housing Complex in Aleppo city.
The SDF that is comprised of mainly Kurdish fighters as well as a few hundred Syrian Arab dissident forces have received trainings from the US and have been provided with scanty US-coalition air support in their battles in Raqqa province in Northeastern Syria; but in Northern and Northwestern battlefronts, they have been operating alongside the YPG and received the Russian air backup in their Aleppo wars that started with the conquest of Tishrin Dam on the Euphrates early in February.
Assisted by the Syrian army – that has along with popular forces conquered almost all militant-held regions in Eastern, Southern, Western and Northwestern Aleppo province – and Russian air support, the Kurdish forces fighting against the terrorists in North-Northeast Aleppo province have been making striking advances against the al-Nusra, Ahrar al-Sham and ISIL terrorists in February.
Earlier this month, the YPG and SDF fighters prevailed over the terrorists in the highly strategic city of Tal Rifat in Northern Aleppo and captured the city.
The YPG, who enjoyed the Russian air backup, prevailed the terrorists’ positions from the Western direction and shook hand with the Kurdish units of the SDF who entered the town from the North.
Syrian Army, NDF Score More Victories against Militants North of Lattakia
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian army and National Defense Forces (NDF) drove the militant groups back from more villages in the mountainous regions of the coastal province of Lattakia near the border with Turkey.
The pro-government forced, after several hours of tough battle, imposed full control over the villages of Ein al-Beidha, Shir al-Dhaba’a and Ruweisat Rasho.
Scores of the militants were killed or wounded in the army attacks.
The engineering units of the army have started to defuse bombs and other kinds of explosive devices planted with the militants in the newly-liberated villages’ buildings.
Also on Thursday, the Syrian army and popular forces made gains in several areas in the Northeastern countryside of Lattakia, purging them of terrorists.
The Syrian Army units, in cooperation with popular defense groups, purged the terrorists from Barza al-Tahtani village and Katef al-Zaitona, Daher Sando, Tal Ghweirat and Jabal Abu Ali regions in the Northeastern countryside of Lattakia.
Scores of Militants Killed in Clashes with Army in Deir Ezzur
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian Army troops’ offensives across the Eastern province of Deir Ezzur ended in the killing of tens of ISIL terrorists, including Libyan and Iraqi nationals.
Wali al-Shaddadi, also called by the ISIL Abu Osama al-Iraqi and Abu Sayyaf al-Libi (the Libyan) were killed in the Syrian army attacks in Deir Ezzur.
In the meantime, the ISIL site near the town of Ayash was hit by the Syrian army, which ended in the destruction of the terrorists rocket-launching pads.
The army also engaged in fierce clashes with the ISIL terrorists in the surroundigns of Deir Ezzur air port and the village of Beit Doqiem, which also inflicted major losses on the militants.
Earlier reports said that the Syrian army engaged in heavy fighting with the ISIL militants in two neighborhoods of the Eastern city of Deir Ezzur and inflicted major losses on the terrorists.
“The militant groups’ strongholds in the neighborhoods of al-Erfi and al-Jbeileh came under attacks of the Syrian army, which left several militants killed or wounded and destroyed their military vehicles,” the army said.
“The army also targeted and destroyed a column of the ISIL military vehicles on al-Siyasiyeh bridge heading to the city of Deir Ezzur,” the army added.
February 25, 2016 (Tony Cartalucci - NEO) - The United States and Europe, along with many willing collaborators have waged a series of wars and proxy wars stretching across much of Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia.
What the West was pursuing in reordering the post-Soviet world through conventional military means in Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq beginning in 2003, it continued through somewhat less-conventional means - the so-called "Arab Spring" and the series of proxy wars that erupted afterward beginning in 2011.
Today, Western-fueled wars continue to consume Libya, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Yemen, while violence and political instability plague other nations the West has either recently meddled in or is currently occupying or undermining.
France alone - in addition to conducting military operations in Libya in 2011, and currently carrying out military operations in Syria and Iraq - has troops stationed in African nations including the Central African Republic (2,000), Chad (950), Ivory Coast (450), Djibouti (2,470), Gabon (1,000), Mali (2,000), and Senegal (430).
Eritrea and Somalia during this 15 year period have been subjected to invasions from neighboring Ethiopia - who despite being plagued by widespread poverty - has been the benefactor of US military support and encouraged to carry out proxy war upon its neighbors not unlike Saudi Arabia is now doing in Yemen.
Predictably, the result is an arc of chaos stretching halfway around the world. Also predictably, from this arc of chaos refugees flee, and they are fleeing to Europe, the only place they can go to escape the chaos.
For Africa, perhaps the most ironic aspect of the current refugee crisis besetting Europe is the fact that Libya - whom Europe conspired to destroy - had been absorbing refugees from across Africa for years, putting them to work and giving them a stable nation to live their lives in. When Libya was set upon by the US and Europe in 2011, it was predicted that Libya would go from serving as a destination for refugees, to a gateway for them, onward to Europe. And that is precisely what has happened.
Europe Created the Refugees, Europe Must Take Responsibility for Them
Without doubt, along with the US and many others, Europe is responsible for the refugee crisis. Every nation that voted for or contributed military assets to operations across North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia are directly responsible for the subsequent instability that has inevitably followed.
It was in "humanitarianism" that the West justified these wars, and now that is time to provide humanitarian assistance to refugees created by these same wars, there is now inexplicably a debate on whether or not to render aid, and to what degree.
Citing international law is moot, since one would have expected international law to have made the extraterritorial aggression that precipitated this refugee crisis in the first place an impossible proposition. But the inescapable question remains - if Europe is not to take in the refugees its own wars created, nor will its collaborators - the US, Turkey, Israel, and the Persian Gulf - who should?
Turning a Crisis into Chaos
Tens of thousands of people flooding from a trans-regional conflagration into Europe will inevitably create tension. Systems must absorb a growing number of people who need to be fed, clothed, housed, cared for medically, and eventually educated and put to work. Under the best circumstances with a reasonable and honest government, it would be a challenge. Considering that those charged with managing the crisis were those directly responsible for creating it, ensures that a manageable crisis turns to greater chaos.
Turning this crisis cynically into chaos requires three ingredients:
Fascists: First, the US and Europe have invested heavily in the spreading of "Islamophobia" in the wake of September 11, 2001, to help fuel the endless wars subsequently predicated on the terrorist attacks on New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania. Groups like the English Defense League (EDL), and the more recent "Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West" (PEGIDA) have sprung out of and have since been supported by the very engineers of the wars driving people from their countries into Europe. Ironically, this "War on Terrorism" was being waged by armies of terrorists these very same interests along with their Saudi partners were arming and funding for decades.
The EDL and PEGIDA deal in the worst sort of disinformation, lumping the world's 1.6 billion Muslims into a single group they claim is set on "Islamizing" the planet. For the average EDL or PEGIDA member, it doesn't matter to them that if even 1% of the world's Muslims were violent extremists, that would constitute an army 10 million strong that would have long already "Islamized" them.
When torrents of refugees began flooding into Europe, in a climate of fear and ignorance carefully and methodically constructed over the past 15 years, it doesn't take much to convince EDL and PEGIDA followers that the "invasion" had begun.
Terrorists: The second ingredient is extremists. The United States, Europe, and its Turkish and Persian Gulf allies have invested for decades in creating terrorist groups to both act as a proxy mercenary force abroad and a means of violent, coercive fear inducement at home. Through a concerted campaign by the media, these extremists are lumped in together with the refugees - and Western intelligence agencies may even be literally lumping them into camps and enclaves springing up all across Europe.
For those that doubt this, reports of "mosques" featuring "imams" supporting the so-called "Islamic State" and even recruiting fighters from across Europe to join the fight in Syria should be of particular interest. Especially when these same "mosques" are revealed to be working with the police and government to manage these fighters when they return as was the case with one notorious "mosque" in Denmark.
“We want the Islamic State to come out on top. We want an Islamic state in the world,” the mosque’s chairman, Oussama El-Saadi, said in the DR programme. El-Saadi also said that he views Denmark’s participation in the US-led battle against Syria as a direct affront not only to his mosque but to all Muslims. “The war is against Islam,” he said.
Paradoxically, a man who should by all accounts be arrested and removed from society for providing support for a listed terrorist organization was later revealed to be the centerpiece of a Danish program rolled out to handle returning ISIS fighters from Syria. Der Spiegel's article, "Community Response: A Danish Answer to Radical Jihad," would report:
Commissioner Aarslev says he is proud of what they have thus far achieved, though he never forgets to praise his people and the others involved in the program. He is particularly effusive when speaking of one man: a bearded Salafist who is head of the Grimhøjvej Mosque in Aarhus, where many of the young men who left Aarhus to join the war in Syria were regulars. It's leader is a man named Oussama El Saadi.... ...these two men have joined forces in a project that is seeking to find answers to questions that are plaguing the entire continent of Europe: What can be done about radical returnees from Syria? What measures are available to counter the terror which once again seems to be threatening the West closer to home?
El Saadi role is threefold. He intentionally feeds into the narratives of the EDL and PEGIDA, fills the ranks of the West's terrorists forces abroad, and serves as a handler for them when they return home, with a deadly array of skills and connections which can be leveraged to further inflame existing tensions inherent with any influx of refugees.
Multiculturalism: The third and final ingredient is the West's version of "multiculturalism." Like terrorism and far-right extremism, the same special interests have also invested in an army of NGOs to prop up their own take on what should be a fairly straightforward concept.
Far from anything resembling impartial mutual respect for other people's race, religion, and culture, under a singular national identity, it is instead the intentional, selective, and cynically manipulative use of culture, lending it primacy not only over national identity and the rule of law, but over the cultures of others whenever and wherever convenient.
This way, those cultural characteristics found as most disruptive can be intentionally placed ahead of those that are most stabilizing and constructive, at the expense of other people's lives and liberty. It is done intentionally to breed a sense of privilege and animosity among different cultures, races, and religions, and has historically been an integral part of any 'divide and conquer' stratagem.
Together, this trifecta works with devastating efficiency, turning what is already a crisis of Europe's own creation, into chaos - chaos that can be wielded to suit the special interests behind this trifecta.
From Chaos, to Crisis, to Stability
Throughout human history, huge numbers of refugees and migrants have been absorbed into nations not only with success, but to the benefit of those who made genuine efforts to absorb these influxes. For Europe, doing likewise will be difficult but is not impossible, but several matters must be addressed.
1. End the Wars: Even under ideal conditions, the refugee crisis would be difficult to manage. As long as Europe wages or backs wars around the world, this crisis will not only continue, it will only get worse. Even as European leaders pose as victims amid their own self-made catastrophe, they are still pushing for war in Syria, allowing Saudi Arabia with absolutely impunity to destroy neighboring Yemen, and occupying with their military forces a large number of foreign nations.
Ending the wars and allowing these nations to rebuild in their own way is the only way the current deluge will be stayed. Obstructing Syrian and Russian forces in the restoration of peace and order in Syria is an indictment of the lack of sincerity expressed by European leaders regarding humanitarian concerns and more specifically their refugee crisis they are attempting sidestep.
2. Humanize the Refugees: To truly protect the refugees, they must be given an identity. Calling them "refugees" rather than humanizing them, and recognizing them not only as an "influx," but as individuals, denies those that both created this crisis and seek to exploit it the opportunity to collectivize the influx and thus collectivize responsibility for when anyone amongst this influx commits a crime or is even baselessly accused of doing so.
For many Europeans, they cannot distinguish the difference between Shia'a and Sunni, let alone understand how Wahhabism is neither. Many cannot even distinguish the difference between Sikhs and Muslims in most cases. This ignorance is the swamp within which racism and bigotry breed. Draining this swamp is essential. Rather than attacking the most extreme and immovable edifices leading the EDL and PEGDIA in the streets, appealing to and educating the silent majority as to who is really in these camps will make it ever so much clearer who is creating trouble among a very small minority, and who came to Europe and is prepared to live within the rules to build a new future.
Pretending that out of tens of thousands of refugees no where will there be found a criminal element denies the realities of human nature itself - and by collectivizing the refugees in this matter, we aid those who seek to exploit this crisis in collectivizing responsibly among all refugees when one does ill. Assigning characteristics, good or bad, to any group is the very definition of bigotry. If one doesn't want it wielded against the refugees, they must not wield it in their defense.
3. Reclaim Multiculturalism: Russian President Vladimir Putin himself would say in a piece titled, "Russia: The Ethnicity Issue," that:
Any individual living in this country [Russia] should be keenly aware of their faith and ethnicity. But above all they must be citizens of Russia – and be proud of it. No one has the right to place ethnic and religious concerns above state law. The law, however, must take account of ethnic and religious concerns.
President Putin claims this is demonstrated in Russia. In Singapore, it is also the definition of multiculturalism. For Singaporeans who range from Muslims to Christians, from Buddhists to Hindus and secular, they are all first and foremost Singaporeans. Their national identity is defined by universal ideas like meritocracy, professionalism, excellence in education, and hard work. They provide mutual respect for one another's cultures, faiths, and beliefs, neither asking to be spared from those of others, nor being forced to abandon their own. What results is distinctively different cultures and religions working together under a singular identity as Singaporeans.
The abuse of multiculturalism takes this concept and twists it. Like an imperial viceroy ruling over a colony intentionally showing favor for one tribe over all others to intentionally bait the others into attacking the former, Western "multiculturalism" is really the playing off of one culture against another - keeping all of them weak, and with mutual respect erased entirely from the equation.
Moving beyond the false 'left-right' pro- and anti-multiculturalism narrative, it must instead be redefined and taken back. When those defending the refugees are able to delineate between real refugees and their religion and culture, versus Western-created cartoon characters like "Imam" Oussama El Saadi and the perversions he passes off as religion and culture, the majority in the middle gravitating toward PEGIDA will finally have a rational alternative to turn to.
4. Integrate the Refugees: Leaving the refugees segregated and in legal and socioeconomic limbo ensures only further tension and incidents. Integrating them into society and allowing them to begin rebuilding their lives must take precedence above all else. In the unlikely event that Europe and its allies cease hostilities across the globe and withdraw their troops and proxies from the many nations they are now destroying and undermining, resources can then be invested in helping these people return home.
The refugees are capable and willing to work, like the many millions already doing so across Europe from over the decades and even centuries. They will become an asset to Europe and the economic threat they pose to Europeans will not exist if afforded equal protection under the law on the streets, at school, and especially at work. Additionally, by integrating them socioeconomically, they begin the process of assimilation.
Europeans who fear their nations will be changed by this influx of refugees are at least partially right. Europe will change. After all, a nation's current state is but an amalgamation of its history. Part of that history for Europe is invading and destroying the nations of other peoples, faiths, and cultures, leaving them with no alternative but to follow the trail their futures were stolen down. The refugees will change Europe precisely because Europe has changed the nations the refugees are fleeing.
Cause, for better or worse, and effect, for better or worse, but inescapable.
Tony Cartalucci, Bangkok-based geopolitical researcher and writer, especially for the online magazine“New Eastern Outlook”.
