What Hamas did to Palestinians in Syria

From a strange article in the (U.K.) Economist, Syria is erasing the Palestinians’ largest refugee camp, May 3:

[...]

[Syria's government] used to treat the Palestinians well. They were provided with health care and education and allowed to own homes. Many worked for the government. President Bashar al-Assad gave Palestinian security forces arms and training to police their camps. Khaled Meshal, the leader of Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist movement, had more access to the president than most of the cabinet.

But when Mr Meshal sided with his Qatari financiers, who backed Syria’s Islamist rebels after the uprising in 2011, Mr Assad and his men fumed at the treachery. They blasted Hamas for using its tunnelling skills to dig escape routes for the rebels.

[...] 

Fumed? Fumed? A national leader less overextended than Assad would have told the Israelis, 'Get out of the way' then bombed Hamas in Gaza until there was no more Hamas left above-ground.     

The Economist, however, doesn't dwell on the level of treachery committed by Hamas against not only the Syrian government but also the Palestinian refugees in Syria. Instead, the Economist takes Assad to task for not thinking enough of the Palestinians since al Qaeda and Islamic State took over the sprawling Yarmouk refugee camp -- more a city than a camp -- and used it as a battleground, until the Syrian Air Force ended the squabbles late last month by pretty much bombing Yarmouk to smithereens.

Many Palestinians believe the regime wants to redevelop Yarmouk—for use by Syrians. In March the government unveiled the second stage of a plan to rebuild southern Damascus, including areas that run along the camp’s edge. Businessmen eye opportunities. Some suggest relocating the Palestinians to distant scrubland.

Well. It is sad that Syria's government will have to practice triage in deciding how best to aid all the survivors of the Syrian war. Say, maybe if the British regime hadn't given so much aid to Syrian 'rebels' and looked the other way about Hamas trepidations, the aftermath of the war in Syria wouldn't have imposed so many hard choices?

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Does this mean the French regime will cease cement supplies to terrorists in Syria?

From Sputnik today:

France Backing Down on Its Unconditional Demand That Assad Resign

France does not demand the unconditional ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad anymore as it is mainly focused on the fight against terrorism in Syria, France's Ambassador to Russia Sylvie Bermann told Russia's Kommersant newspaper in an interview released on Sunday. ...

The French regime might settle in Syria for years to fight terrorism if the cement supply for terrorists there isn't cut off.

From Voltaire Network, April 28:

Lafarge was working for the French Secret Services in Syria

The French judicial investigation into the relationship between the French group Lafarge and jihadist groups committed to destabilizing the Syrian government  has just shed light on the close ties between Lafarge and the French Secret Services.

Lafarge is a transnational group whose core business is manufacturing cement. Judge Charlotte Bilger, tasked with investigating a complaint filed by several of Lafarge’s former employers, has ended up extending her investigations into the group’s activities in Syria. The judge has asked if Lafarge provided cement to the Islamic Emirates (Daesh).

Even before legal proceedings were initiated in Paris, the journalist Thierry Meyssan had revealed that Lafarge’s factory in Syria had supplied various jihadi groups with 8 million m3 of cement, which was intended to be used to construct fortifications and underground installations. The transnational is refusing to comment on these issues.

Meyssan has also made other interesting revelations:

• The former Secretary of State and two-time US Presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, had been counsel and on the board of directors of Lafarge.
• Lafarge had provided services to the CIA.

«Lafarge : L’État français au centre de l’affaire», «L’usine syrienne, fournisseuse de l’ÉI?», Ismaël Halissat et Willy Ledevin, Libération, 23 avril 2018.

Translation: Anoosha Boralessa

To get an idea of the size of the Lafarge-Syria can of worms, enter the terms into a search engine. The can got opened a few years ago, and since then major globalized news publications, including the (U.K.) Financial Times and New York Times, have held their noses and peered inside. 

In February Turkey's Daily Sabah business section published the findings of their investigation into the scandal, Turkey's security concerns continue as Lafarge contracts with terrorist groups in Syria remain secret

DS seems pretty much a mouthpiece for the Erdogan regime and the country's ruling political party (as if a news organization in today's Turkey could be anything else), but in this case it means the newspaper had enough resources to conduct a thorough examination. 

Although DS tells the Lafarge story in Syria from Turkey's point of view, the lengthy report, replete with satellite photos, provides many insights into the kind of situation that can develop during any long-running war.

Much of Lafarge's deals with terrorists strike me as part war profiteering and part blinkered pragmatism, as the company kept operations going in a region where where control by militant factions routinely changed hands.  

However, the claims that French and American secret services were involved with Lafarge operations in Syria, if 'proven,' would be more evidence that elements in Paris and Washington at the governmental level were actively assisting Islamic State and other terrorist groups in Syria.

The claims also point to an important factor in the terrorists' allover warfighting strategy in Syria (and Iraq), which has been the construction of tunnels and veritable cities underground. While many of the tunnels were hewn from solid rock they were often reinforced by concrete, and of course the underground buildings were made from concrete.

Indeed, the large use of cement in building networks of underground structures is a feature of modern insurgency warfare.

For this reason one might ask Lafarge, 'What were you thinking?'       

The same question could be put to the French and U.S. militaries if they were involved. 

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Kill Wussia. Kill Iwan. Kill Chinwa. America's Elmer Fudd era of foreign relations

Elmer Fudd diplomacy in a nutshell

I just needed to get it out of my system. I'll be all right now.

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We'll call off our Kurdish attack dogs if you promise to be mean to the Russians

Jason Ditz ends his report by noting it's unlikely the U.S. will fight against Turkey because it's a NATO ally. But it sure looks to me as if the Trump regime is at least threatening to launch an all-out proxy war against Turkey, and I think the Turks would see it that way in light of the weapons transfers Jason discusses.

So let's try to figure out what the real estate developer in the White House is up to, this time. Let's see -- how about, 'We'll call off our proxy army if you act like a good NATO ally and break all your deals with the Russians.'  

However, the fun of reading Jason's report is guessing what the Pentagon plans to do with the leftover weapons -- the ones that don't go to the Kurds for fighting Turkey.  

Pentagon Seeks Arms for 65,000 US-Backed Troops in Syria
By Jason Ditz
May 4, 2018
Anti-war.com

While US “relief funds” are frozen in Syria, the Pentagon continues to seek massive amounts of funding for its military operations in the country. This includes a request for $300 million in weapons to give to “partner forces” in Syria.

This amounts to enough arms for 65,000 fighters. This is expected to center on the Syrian Democratic Forces, which is to say, almost entirely the Kurdish YPG. The US has been arming the YPG for years now as part of its Syria operations.

This is being sought in spite of repeated US assurances to Turkey that their arming of the YPG was temporary. With ISIS virtually wiped out in Syria, the YPG no longer has offensive goals fitting into US plans for Syria, and rather is focused chiefly on fighting a Turkish invasion of northern Syria.

The $300 million in arms also comes with $250 million in “border security” funding for Syria. Both are going into the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO), which Pentagon officials can easily shuffle around to spend on virtually anything.

While couched as “Counter-ISIS” funding, the funding looks more likely to be backing the YPG in fighting Turkey. While the US is unlikely to fund fighting against another NATO ally, it may also be this is just another excuse to grow the OCO.

[END REPORT]

*********

"Syrian Army tank troops storm last ISIS positions in southern Damascus (video)"

By Leith Aboufadel
May 6, 2018
Al-Masdar News
BEIRUT, LEBANON (3:00 A.M.) – Prior to the Islamic State’s agreement to reenter talks with the government in southern Damascus, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) launched a big assault to liberate the terrorist group’s last pocket.

Led by their tank troops, the Syrian Arab Army began their assault by storming several axes inside the Yarmouk Camp and northern part of Hajar Al-Aswad.

Video footage of this attack in southern Damascus was captured by a Russian channel on Saturday: 

[See AMN site for the video, also posted at YouTube; pretty dramatic stuff but for extra drama the Russian TV station added music (eyeroll)]:

The Islamic State is expected to surrender their last positions in the Yarmouk Camp and Hajar Al-Aswad in the next 48 hours, as they have already lost a considerable amount of ground.

[END REPORT]

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I'll be darned; will ISIS really surrender Yarmouk so soon? We'll soon find out. UPDATED 8:30 PM EDT

Update at end of the post.

On May 1 at 4:50 AM Leith Aboufadel reported on his Twitter page:

Breaking: Syrian Army and their Palestinian allies have just begun their operation in Yarmouk Camp. SAA’s 105th Brigade, Liwaa Al-Quds, PLA, and PFLP-GC attacking eastern axis of district.

On May 6 at 1:00 AM (Syria time) Leith reported at Al-Masdar News:

Breaking: Early reports indicate ISIS to surrender Yarmouk Camp to Syrian military

BEIRUT, LEBANON – The Islamic State (ISIS) is negotiating with the surrender of the Yarmouk Camp District to the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), a military source told Al-Masdar News tonight.

According to the source, ISIS initially began talks with the government last week when they agreed to exchange the bodies of the dead SAA soldiers for some of their relatives in government prisons.

While some terrorists chose to fight on, ISIS command now finds themselves in a rough positions, as they are fully besieged and no longer control the imperative farms that once surrounded Hajar Al-Aswad.

With these latest losses, Islamic State is likely to surrender the Yarmouk Camp in the next 48 hours.

[END REPORT]

Let's see if there's any late news on this from other sources; give me a moment [taptaptaptaptap tap]

Nothing specific to Yarmouk ...... but I see from earlier reports at SANA that the SAA has been working methodically around the camp ...... Ah Ha! They found the tunnels! In the southern part of al-Hajar al-Aswad neighborhood. May 5 -- yesterday by their time, or at least that's when SANA published photos of the tunnels. Here's one of the seven photos:

Looks like the bad guys are cut off from resupplies. I think that would mean they have no choice but to surrender. Let's see; it's 2:45 AM in Syria. Well, I won't be getting any sleep tonight. Keep an eye on Leith's Twitter page for early breaking news. 

UPDATE

I overlooked this report timestamped "1:13" May 5 from FARS that has lots of detail on the SAA's operations in and near Yarmouk (FARS refers to ISIS as ISIL). And although the report doesn't mention the tunnels, it notes that the SAA has cut off the terrorists' supply routes:

Syrian Army Advancing in Depth of ISIL Positions in Southern Damascus

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian Army troops continued their operation in the Southern part of Damascus province and managed to push ISIL back from more areas in Hajar al-Aswad region on Saturday.

The army men engaged in fierce clashes with the ISIL in a region between al-A'alaf and al-Maqaber and managed to impose control over Hajar al-Aswad Governorship Building, Quneitra Workers Club Building and Power Company in the depth of Hajar al-Aswad region.

Also, the army's artillery and missile units and Air Force pounded ISIL's movements and positions in Hajar al-Aswad and Yarmouk Camp, destroying a main base of the terrorists in Yarmouk and killing the entire terrorists inside.

The army's advances have sped up in Hajar al-Aswad after the government forces managed to cut off militants' supply lines in the region.

In a similar development on Friday the army troops and their Palestinian popular allies stormed ISIL's positions in Yarmouk Camp and Hajar al-Aswad region in the Southern part of Damascus province, inflicting major losses on the terrorists.

The ISIL found themselves on the run at several flanks in both Hajar al-Aswad and Yarmouk Camp following a heavy joint offensive of the Syrian Army and their Palestinian allies.

According to a military source in Damascus, the Syrian Army and their Palestinian allies are currently advancing at the Southeastern and Western directions of Hajar al-Aswad, along with the Western flank of the Yarmouk Camp.

[END REPORT]
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Is Trump a bigger friend to Salafist jihadists than President Obama was?

He looks a little angry about the size of the weapons haul

Photo: Damascus Now; see SouthFront report for larger version.

The intercepted shipment includes dozens of US-made M72 LAW anti-tank rockets, dozens of mortar and RPG rounds, a Soviet-made Konkurs Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) and a large amount of ammunition for 12,7, 14,5 and 23mm machine guns. 

Today SST's Colonel Patrick Lang (Rtd) examined a May 2 SouthFront report about Syrian military intelligence seizing weapons and medicine smuggled from southern Syria to besieged insurgents in the northern Homs countryside. Exactly where in the countryside is the question the Colonel wants answered:

It is unclear from this piece if the destinations for this materiel were the Rastan Pocket just north of Homs City or the Big Sandy pocket south of the line Palmyra-Deir al Zor [also spelled Deir Ezzor].

The Rastan Pocket is rapidly being reduced by negotiation and threat of [Syrian Army]Tiger Forces attention. The M5 motorway to Aleppo is being reopened even as I write. This pocket is NOT occupied by Islamic State [IS]. 

On the other hand, if the shipments or parts of them were going to the Big Sandy that would be revelatory because all the hostiles in that one ARE Islamic State.

Some are survivors of the government offensive that relieved Deir al-Zor and the Euphrates west bank and others are the result of busing after surrender in western Syria.

The US insists that it does not support IS, but if there are shipments from Al-Tanf to the Big Sandy this claim would be markedly weakened. PL

If worst comes to worst the U.S. can always try to blame the Israelis, whose medicine was in the shipments, for a 'foul-up.' But Brigadier F.B. Ali (Rtd), a longtime contributor at SST, wrote in the comment section what much of the world outside the United States already knows:

"The US insists that it does not support IS...."

But it supports the Saudis and Jordanians who, in turn, support the IS. The US claims may be sufficient for their people and many in the West, but they don't fool anyone in the rest of the world.

The US is probably quite aware of that; it just doesn't care what the rest of the world thinks or believes. That, however, was OK in the past, but is no longer so. With Russia and China providing another power centre, it does matter what the 'rest of the world' thinks of the West.

A lot of people in the world are just fed up to here with these stupid games that the West has played, and is playing, mostly in their lands. There will be a price to pay for this, and soon!

I have seen reports about direct American support for Islamic State in Syria (here's one from the BBC), and I hadn't known Jordan's regime was supporting IS, though if Brig. Ali says it's so, in my book that makes it so.

As to how the 'international community' is reacting to buzz about U.S. support for Islamic State -- it's a funny thing about that community; from Canadian Patrick Armstrong's Russian Federation sitrep for SST on May 3:

And, in Yalta, the International Economic Forum attended by people from 71 countries (last year 26 countries, the year before 13.) A somewhat larger chunk of the "international community" that we hear so much of from FUKUS and friends, isn't it?

Which is to say another international community is growing, or the quasi-official one is shrinking. Either way, there are increasing concerns from many quarters about American actions abroad. And of course -- of course -- Americans will be left holding the bag, not the EU, not NATO, not the GCC, not Israel, not .....

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"UK to continue support of White Helmets in Syria: Foreign Office"

May 4, 2018
Sputnik

LONDON (Sputnik) - The United Kingdom will continue to support the activities of the White Helmets organization in war-torn Syria, a Foreign Office spokesperson told Sputnik on Friday commenting on the reported suspension of assistance to the non-governmental group by Washington.

"The UK remains committed to supporting the White Helmets and the vital work they do, providing life-saving assistance to civilians affected by Syria’s conflict," the spokesperson said.

[...]

Here's How White Helmets Used to Get Funding
May 5, 2018
Sputnik

On May 4 CBS News reported, citing the leader of the controversial group, that the US had halted the White Helmets' funding, which amounted to a third of the group's budget. The Russian Defense Ministry has suggested it may be connected with the recent massive exposure of the White Helmets' provocations and fake videos.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, speaking about White Helmets' funding, noted that the media has published many materials showing that the NGO was getting its financing from countries directly involved in the Syrian crisis, namely the US, UK and the Netherlands.

According to the foreign ministry spokesperson, among companies that participated in finding White Helmets were the Qatari Foundation, which subsidized the purchase of unspecified "heavy equipment," and Mayday Rescues, which allegedly has British origins.

Zakharova also added that George Soros-backed companies were used to promote the White Helmets in the media.

Vladimir Fitin from the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies offered his view on the reasons behind the alleged halting of US funding for the White Helmets in an interview with Sputnik. According to him, the US decided to find more "serious" and effective partners to work with in Syria.

"I think that this was a natural reaction to obvious failures that this organization, funded by Western countries, has shown. Some obvious facts have already been revealed, depicting multiple fakes aimed to intensify the anti-Russian and anti-Syrian campaign," the scholar said.

The White Helmets are a Syrian NGO that claims to be a politically neutral organization aimed at defending the country's civilian population. However, they have been spotted multiple times working with terrorist groups and staging fake videos of attacks, including allegedly chemical ones, against the civil population by the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

One of their latest fake videos showed patients in Douma hospital that allegedly suffered from a chemical attack. The Syrian government denied the allegation and Russia deployed its chemical experts to determine whether the attack was real. Both countries invited an OPCW mission to join them in a fact-finding mission. So far, no confirmation of the attack has been found.

Later, Russian journalists found several participants from the White Helmets video. The participants were invited to testify before the OPCW and also to speak at a press briefing, where they explained how the notorious video was made and that there was actually no chemical attack.

The leader of the White Helmets said recently, according to CBS, that the United States ... was halting their funding. The Russian Ministry of Defense suggested that the move was caused by multiple facts that resurfaced recently, proving the NGO was producing fake videos and reports of chemical attacks.

[END REPORT]

See also:

Douma Doctors, Witnesses Reveal Lies Behind White Helmets' Provocation (VIDEO); Sputnik, April 26, 2018

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"US ‘freezes funding’ for White Helmets as group’s Douma chem attack claim falls apart"

Actually the White Helmets claim didn't fall apart because it didn't hang together in the first place. This means the claim should not have been used as evidence in support of a FUKUS bombing raid against Syrian government facilities on April 14. But for visitors from another galaxy, the way we do things here in the United States is FIRST we bomb THEN we review whether we should have bombed. That puts the US part of the FUKUS axis a little above France and the U.K. because in those countries FIRST they review how they can blame the United States THEN they bomb.       

As to hopes that the U.S. State Department's alleged review of funding for the White Helmets means the group will be shut down -- I'd guess this is another time to watch the sky for pigs on the wing.

From RT's report, May 4, 2018:

As the reputation of the controversial militant-linked White Helmets continues to crumble, even the US State Department seems to be having second thoughts about supporting the group, reportedly placing a freeze on its funding.

The State Department’s support for the White Helmets is “under active review,” according to a CBS News report [U.S. freezes funding for Syria's White Helmets; May 3, 6:34 PM EDT]. 

The group reportedly hasn’t received funding in weeks, but neither has it received formal confirmation that Washington’s financial assistance has come to a complete halt. This would mean a significant blow for the group, as the money accounts for about one-third of the White Helmets’ overall funding.

An internal State Department document cited by CBS said that its Near East Bureau needed confirmation from President Donald Trump’s administration by April 15 in order to approve funding for the White Helmets. If that wasn't received, the department would initiate “shut-down procedures on a rolling basis.”

[Quotes from online reactions to a possible end of U.S. funding for the WH.]

The report comes amid major controversy surrounding the White Helmets, after residents of Douma, Syria, testified in The Hague at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The hearing centered on the alleged chemical attack that was used as a justification for the April 14 strikes by the US, Britain, and France.

In a press conference following the hearing, hospital staff and 11-year-old Hassan Diab – who is seen in troubling White Helmets footage following the alleged attack – said there was no sign of a chemical incident at the time and that the White Helmets’ video with children was apparently staged.

The footage, which showed Diab and other children being hosed down with water, was the only publicly available “evidence” that the attack ever took place. Still, Trump and his British and French counterparts deemed it sufficient proof to launch over 100 missiles on Syria on April 14, accusing the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad of being behind the alleged attack. The three allies were so keen to bomb Syria that they refused to wait for the results of an OPCW investigation before doing so.

If the report from CBS News is true, it could represent a significant U-turn for Washington. Just last month, US State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert called the group “an incredible group of individuals.” At that time she also stated that as far as she was aware, the White Helmets were still being paid by Washington, despite a $200-million freeze in US funding for recovery efforts in Syria in late March.

Although the White Helmets says it acts solely as a makeshift emergency response team in a time of crisis, claiming to have heroically saved more than 70,000 lives in war-torn Syria, others disagree with its motives]. Footage from Syria repeatedly showed members of the White Helmets assisting jihadist groups, while multiple accounts from civilians suggested they only helped “their own” and used civilians caught in the battle only for publicity. 

Russia has stated that the Douma “chemical attack” was staged by the White Helmets with the UK pressuring the group to “speed up the provocation.”

The group has enjoyed celebrity status in the West, with a documentary praising it even winning an Oscar. However, some artists have refused to give in to peer pressure and publicly spoke out against endorsing the shady group. Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters recently lambasted White Helmets at a concert in Barcelona, calling the group a “fake organization that exists only to create propaganda for jihadists and terrorists.” 

His remark came after emails emerged showing that the White Helmets tried to lobby Waters with Saudi money.

[END REPORT]

See also:

UK Reporter: Douma Residents Laugh at Notion of ‘Chemical Attack’; Sputnik, May 1

What mysteries lie in the ruins of the Scientific Studies and Research Centre in Damascus?; Independent (U.K.), April 26

No attack, no victims, no chem weapons: Douma witnesses speak at OPCW briefing at The Hague (VIDEO); RT, April 26

White Helmets 'Treat' Alleged Chemical Attack Victims Without Wearing Protective Gear; Sputnik, April 9

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We fight al Qaeda in Yemen, support them in Syria. American hypocrisy in action.

I don't read the New York Times as a matter of course so I had to learn from Sputnik, which I read every day, that on May 3 a NYT headline announced  [U.S.] Army Special Forces Secretly Help Saudis Combat Threat From Yemen Rebels. This isn't news to anyone who closely watches events in the Middle East but anyhow the Times spilled a great deal of printer's ink, so to speak, and used three big-name reporters in an effort to explain how the U.S. got into yet another ungainly position in the Middle East.

The retort to the Times article came from Moon of Alabama's Yemen - Massacres and Assassinations Trigger a New Phase of War, which details what Americans are supporting in the Saudi/UAE-led war in Yemen. But it was a source for the Sputnik report, former CIA analyst, case officer and whistleblower, John Kiriakou, who tied it all in a bow:

"The United States — I hate to say this, but I'm just going to say it straight out — the United States has been in the pocket of the Saudis for many, many years. For so many years it was about oil; now it's about oil and investments. In many cases, we end up doing the Saudis' dirty work for them. ..."

By saying "oil" Kiriakou was covering a lot of ground, including American support for the Saudi-led petrodollar and pricing of OPEC oil in U.S. dollars. And it could be argued that these factors, while chief, are but two among several to explain Washington's willingness to do "dirty work" for the Saudi monarchy. 

If the Saudis wanted they could sing like a bird about all their dirty work for the USA. But no matter how it's sliced the result is the same: Americans have betrayed their most cherished national values and worked against their own security interests to support the Saudi regime -- and for less good reason than rationalizers of the situation are willing to admit. 

What we're looking at now, however, is U.S. involvement with the Saudis that's in the cuckoo range: we support Saudi dirty work in Yemen ostensibly because we're against al Qaeda's presence there, and we support al Qaeda in Syria because, well, that's what the Saudis want.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo inadvertently pointed out the hypocrisy informing the contradictory actions while he was in Riyadh on Sunday. From the NYT report:

“Iran destabilizes this entire region. It supports proxy militias and terrorist groups. It is an arms dealer to the Houthi rebels in Yemen.”

What does Mr Pompeo think the United States is doing in the region? Americans are fielding proxy militias and supporting terrorist groups in Syria. And when it comes to arms dealing, let 's hear it from President Donald Trump, also quoted by the NYT:

In March, as [Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman] met with Mr. Trump and top national security officials in Washington, the State Department approved the sale of an estimated $670 million in anti-tank missiles in an arms package that also included spare parts for American-made tanks and helicopters that Saudi Arabia previously purchased.

“Saudi Arabia is a very wealthy nation, and they’re going to give the United States some of that wealth hopefully, in the form of jobs, in the form of the purchase of the finest military equipment anywhere in the world,” Mr. Trump said at the time.

How does Mr Trump think the Saudis have been paying the United States to support their interests all these decades? With tiddly winks?   

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Criminey. New SIGAR report "Paints Grim Picture Of America's War In Afghanistan"

May 1, 20184:33 PM ET
Heard on All Things Considered

NPR

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with John Sopko, Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, about the latest report on Afghanistan reconstruction. Despite the record amount of coalition munitions dropped, the security situation continues to deteriorate and civilian deaths from coalition munitions are at a record high.

[Interview]

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Americans are supporting neo-Nazis in Ukraine, terrorists in Syria, genocide in Saudi Arabia

Now do you understand my tantrum the other day, my threat to leave the blogosphere completely? Well understand this, I'm an American, born and raised, English-Scottish relatives on one side of my family in this country for many generations and the other side, French and German, here since the end of World War I.   

Dear God I can't bear to see what has happened to my country, its descent into evil. All right Pundita quit blubbering. Life is a forced march. 

Let me see; the podcast for Steve Cohen's Tuesday discussion with John Batchelor about neo-Nazism in Ukraine, an outright American colony, isn't posted yet at AudioBoom. Wait for it, and I advise you take notes when you listen. 

While you're waiting you could always listen to the podcast for Steve's discussion with John, "Ukraine Before Crimea and Donbas revolted: January 29, 2014." It's helpful background for the discussion on Tuesday.   

Or, for those who don't know the Saudi regime is carrying out genocide, you could zip through this April 19 report from Middle East Eye, Fearing execution, Saudi Shia are forced into a life in hiding. It's genocide in slow motion, of course, or genocide on little cat feet -- mustn't embarrass members of the US Congress and EU Parliament who caterwaul about human rights abuses -- but it's genocide nonetheless. Al Saud wants the Shia minority gone from Saudi Arabia one way or another.

And speaking of Long War Journal's quest to document the activities of al Qaeda and Taliban in Afghanistan, which I did on this blog the other day, you might want to listen to the podcast of John's discussion with LWJ's Bill Roggio and Thomas Joscelyn on Monday, The facts about the bin Laden files and the falsehoods of the Obama administration. 

It's a discussion they've had many times over the years but the one on Monday is a summary of the situation. (You'll have to endure a few moments of John talking about Iran and Israel before he turns to the topic at hand.)

There's another recent John Batchelor Show podcast I can recommend for Pundita readers, and that's the discussion on Monday between John and Michael Vlahos, which touches on the inherent violence of American society: 

The New American Civil War: Nationalists vs Wilsonians. Michael Vlahos, Naval War College @WorldCrisisJHU

What they had to say was very hard listening for me, and I'll assume it would be even harder for Americans who've been playing ostrich by blaming All and Everything except their own society.

Ah! I see the podcast for Steve's Tuesday discussion has been posted.

Tales of the New Cold War: Ukraine parades its anti-semitism and Neo-Nazism: Stephen F. Cohen, Professor Emeritus New York University and Princeton @ eastwestaccord.com

Part 1 of 2. Part 2 of 2.

This, too, is hard listening for Americans, especially those  of us who are proud of their country's contributions to the protection of human rights. 
  
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4+1 coalition is taking the fight to ISIS in Syria and Iraq while U.S.-led coalition dithers

"The total number of ISIS fighters in the area is estimated between 5,000 and 12,000. The current U.S. strikes are not even pinpricks."

Over at Sic Semper Tyrannis they've counted the Syrian government's coalition since Russia's entry as "R+6" (I think SST's count included large militias). But the coalition to fight ISIS in both Syria and Iraq is formally 4+1, as b at Moon of Alabama details in his data-rich April 24 report, which I'm reposting here in its entirety including photos and graphics. It is extremely important for American readers to get an idea of the extent to which their government has been misinforming them about the U.S. fight against Islamic State. 

If the report will seem familiar to those who've been following Long War Journal's reports on Afghanistan for years  -- yes, for years LWJ reported on the activities of al Qaeda in Afghanistan while the U.S./ISAF military command dismissed such reports, saying al Qaeda had virtually no presence in the country. It was the same with the Taliban's progress at taking over more and more territory. In both cases, years went by before the U.S. finally had to concede the very robust presence of al Qaeda in Afghanistan and the Taliban's large gains.

The U.S. pattern of obfustication has been repeated in Syria and Iraq with Islamic State. But the 4+1 coalition created to fight IS is not to be confused with Afghanistan's defense establishment -- which of course doesn't have an air force to speak of. And doesn't have Maj. General Qassem Soleimani as an adviser. And doesn't have Russian assistance.    

All right; here's the report from Moon of Alabama,  Syria-Iraq: U.S. Coddles ISIS - Others Plan For The Final Fight 

 OIR Spokesman Verified account @OIRSpox - 15:02 UTC - 24 Apr 2018

#Iraq's strike on a known Daesh HQ in Syria was planned/conducted by the Iraqi Security Forces, w/ support from @CJTFOIR. This strike shows Iraq's willingness to do what's necessary to secure its citizens as well as their important role in the Global @Coalition to #defeatDaesh

The above tweet by the spokesperson for the U.S. Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) against ISIS is extremely misleading if not false. The U.S. is trying to take some credit for a strike which was done without its consensus. The attack against ISIS was initiated by an anti-U.S. alliance as a warning against further U.S. shenanigans with ISIS.

The U.S. military in Syria has refrained from fighting ISIS for months. The map of the territory held by ISIS (grey) at the Syrian-Iraqi border in the U.S. controlled zone north of the Euphrates (yellow) has not changed since November 2017.

Livemap: Nov 30 2017, Apr 24 2018 - bigger, bigger

(The yellow corridor going south east towards Iraq on the map is misleading. The U.S. has no forces there and ISIS crossed it several times to attack Syrian forces (red) across the river.)

The British group Airwars documents the U.S. airstrikes in Iraq and Syria. U.S. strikes on ISIS in Syria are down to one per day or less:

Source: Airwars - bigger

The U.S. strikes hit, if anything, only very minor targets. From OIR's weekly summary from March 30 to April 5 (Syria only):

• Between March 30 and April 5, Coalition military forces conducted nine strikes consisting of 11 engagements in Syria and Iraq.
• There were no reported strikes conducted in Syria on April 5, 2018.
• There were no reported strikes conducted in Syria on April 4, 2018.
• There were no reported strikes conducted in Syria or Iraq on April 3, 2018.
• There were no reported strikes conducted in Syria on April 2, 2018.
• On April 1 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted one strike consisting of three engagements against Daesh targets.
• • Near Abu Kamal, one strike engaged a Daesh tactical unit and destroyed a Daesh vehicle.
• On March 31 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted one strike consisting of one engagement against Daesh targets.
• Near Abu Kamal, one strike engaged a Daesh tactical unit.

• On March 30 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted one strike consisting of one engagement against Daesh targets.
• • Near Shadaddi, one strike engaged a Daesh tactical unit and destroyed a Daesh vehicle.

Two cars and three assumed militants (aka 'tactical units') targeted in one week is not a fight at all. The total number of ISIS fighters in the area is estimated between 5,000 and 12,000. The current U.S. strikes are not even pinpricks.

It is obvious that the U.S. wants to keep ISIS alive and well to again use it, if need be, against the Syrian and Iraqi government. Then Secretary of State Kerry as well as then President Obama admitted that they used ISIS to put pressure on the Syrian President Assad and then Prime Minister of Iraq Maliki:

The reason, the president added, “that we did not just start taking a bunch of airstrikes all across Iraq as soon as ISIL came in was because that would have taken the pressure off of [Prime Minister Nuri Kamal] al-Maliki.

We now see a repeat of such 'games'. ISIS was given time to rest. It is regaining capacities especially in Iraq's Anbar province where it is moving between villages and threatening the inhabitants. It is issuing new strategic instructions to its followers and calls on them to attack or sabotage the upcoming elections in Iraq.

As the U.S. is unwilling to fight ISIS, the governments of Iraq, Syria, Iran and Russia (+ Lebanon's Hizbullah) decided to again take the issue into their own hands. On April 19 the 4+1 met for coordinating their future campaigns.

Patch of the 4+1 op-room - via @IraqiSecurity - bigger

Military officials from Iraq, Syria, Iran and Russia meet in their Baghdad operations room to coordinate the further fight against ISIS. Note the four flags on the head table.

Source: @IraqiSecurity - bigger

Source: @IraqiSecurity - bigger

The Iranian Minister of Defense Brig. Gen. Amir Hatami attended the op-room meeting and held additional meetings with leaders of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) or Hashd al-Shaabi. (IRGC commander Qassem Soleimani, a red rag for all anti-Iranian forces, is now intentionally kept out of sight.)

Source: IRNA via @Sadattawa - bigger

The high level operations room meeting agreed upon future operations and strikes. Before the meeting military intelligence officials of the 4+1 had identified a potential target for a common operation. An attack was planned and designed to give the new combat phase some fresh impetus. It was also intended to be a warning to the U.S.

Shortly after the meeting the Iraqi air force hit an ISIS command and control center in east-Syria near Abu Kamal within the nominally U.S. controlled zone:

According to an Iraqi military spokesperson, the operation was fully coordinated with the Syrian army.

The Iraqi Ministry of Defense distributed video of the successful strike on a three story villa. Iraq later announced that 36 ISIS fighters, including high ranking ISIS commanders, were killed in the strike.

After the strike had happened the U.S. Operation Inherent Resolve tried to take credit for the attack by claiming that it was involved.

SOUTHWEST ASIA – The Iraqi air force conducted an air strike near Hajin, Syria, against Daesh terrorists operating near the Iraq-Syria border on April 19. The strike was approved by the Iraqi Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Dr. Haider Al Abadi.

The strike demonstrates Iraq’s commitment to destroy Daesh remnants who continue to threaten their citizens. The operation was planned and executed by the Iraqi Joint Operations Command with intelligence support from the Coalition.

“This operation highlights the capabilities of Iraq’s armed forces to aggressively pursue Daesh and to maintain their country’s internal security,” said Brig. Gen. Robert B. Sofge, deputy commanding general of operations, Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve.

The Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve’s mission is to defeat Daesh in designated areas in Iraq and Syria, and sets conditions for follow-on operations to increase regional stability.

My sources say that the U.S. claim is misleading if not completely false. After the four commanders in the Baghdad op-room decided on the strike, the Iraqi command initiated the pre-planned attack. The Iraqis informed the U.S. OIR command that a strike would happen but gave only a rough description of the target area. 

Said differently: no time was given to the U.S. to warn ISIS. The U.S. "intelligence support" for the operation consisted of keeping its planes out of the way.

The tweet by the OIR spox quoted above is a repeat of the statement the OIR command issued on April 19. It is claiming credit where none belongs.

While the U.S. coddles ISIS in Syria to again use it for its own purpose, the 4+1 plan for a larger common operation to finally destroy the Takfiri menace. 

I expect that operation to begin only after the Iraqi parliament election on May 12 is over and a new Iraqi government is in place. Enough forces will have to be prepared on the Syrian as well as the Iraqi side of the border. On the Syrian side a military bridge to cross the Euphrates has recently been rebuilt by the Syrian military and new equipment is arriving in the area.  The meeting of the Iranian defense minister with the PMU hints at a strong role for these units in the upcoming fight.

Will the U.S. try to prevent or undermine the plan or will it stay out of the way?

[END MOON OF ALABAMA REPORT]

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US SecDef Mattis confirms US to leave Syria when pigs fly

Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, Defense Secretary James Mattis downplayed the chances of the US withdrawing from Syria soon. He said the US would not want to withdraw from the country while Syria is still in a state of war.

[skipping over the part quoting Trump announcing for his fan club that he wants U.S. troops to leave Syria]

Mattis, however, argued that the US had “won the fight” and now it was up to US diplomats to “win the peace.” Given how many different wars are ongoing in Syria, however, this is still going to be a protracted war. Under Mattis’ argument, it would have US troops there the whole time.

US diplomats aren’t in much of a position to negotiate with anyone, either. The US has long insisted on unconditional regime change in Syria, but no longer has any nationwide allied factions in Syria to prop up. Indeed, most US diplomatic effort in Syria is spent trying to keep former allies from fighting current allies, and Turkey from overrunning the Kurds.

[...] 

The above from Jason Ditz's April 30 report for Antiwar.com, Mattis: US Doesn’t Want to Leave Syria While War Is Ongoing.

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