[Istanbuller]

The Trump administration claims the merit for having negotiated a ceasefire, which has now become permanent, while omitting the fact that the US only managed to persuade Erdogan to halt the invasion for a short time and that Putin made Erdogan stop the invasion permanently.

Russia is not in a position to dictate anything on Turkey. We didn't halt operations. It is a pause. Maybe a week later Turkey will keep bombing Syria. We just don't know when it will begin.

Ambassador Jeffrey, undersecretary for Syria, said that Nato ally Turkey first refused a US proposal for joint patrols of a 10 mile strip along the border in the so-called safe zone and now agreed to joint patrols with Russia in the same border strip. Nato ally Turkey is granting Russia what it refuses the US.

It is just a cover up. Russia doesn't really patrol. Turkey got all areas with secret deals with Russia. But in newsies, they show it as a joint patrol. Because Turkey wanted it to be like that to avoid UN military deployment. UNSC was going to deploy soldiers otherwise.

[Atlantis]

It explains why Trump is so keen on keeping US troops at the oil fields. The Americans are stealing Syria's oil. Trump is on record as having said that the US should have taken Iraqi oil. A nation of thieves.

US smuggles Syrian oil to other countries - Russian Defense Ministry

MOSCOW, October 26. /TASS/. The United States smuggles Syrian oil to other countries, the convoys are guarded by US private military companies and special operations forces, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.

"Tank trucks guarded by US military servicemen and private military companies smuggle oil from fields in eastern Syria to other countries. In the event of any attack on such a convoy, US special operations forces and combat aviation are immediately used to protect it," Konashenkov stressed.

He added that oil was extracted with the use of the equipment supplied by the leading Western corporation bypassing all US sanctions.

Konashenkov noted that the contract for transporting oil was executed by the US-controlled company Sadcub created at the so-called autonomous administration of eastern Syria. "Revenues from smuggling Syrian oil arrive at numbered bank accounts of US private military companies and intelligence services through brokerage firms that interact with it," he said.

According to the Defense Ministry, given that the cost of one barrel of oil smuggled from Syria is $38, the monthly revenue of that "private business" exceeds $30 mln.

"To secure such a continuous financial flow free from control and taxes, the top officials at the Pentagon and Langley will be willing to guard and protect oil wells in Syria from the imaginary ‘hidden cells of the Islamic State’ (IS, terror group, outlawed in Russia) indefinitely," Konashenkov added.

Satellite images confirm US controls Syrian oil

The United States controlled the extraction and transportation of Syrian oil both before and after terrorists were defeated in the country, Konashenkov said.

"The space intelligence images show that Syrian oil was actively extracted and transported on a mass scale by tank trunks for processing outside Syria under the reliable protection of US troops both before and after the defeat of the Islamic State (terror group, outlawed in Russia - TASS)," Konashenkov stressed.

He added that all hydrocarbon reserves were the property of Syria, not terrorists or the Americans, who claim that their goal is to protect Syria’s oil fields from Islamic State militants.

"What Washington is doing now, that is, capturing and holding oil fields in eastern Syria under its control, is, putting it bluntly, international state-sponsored gangsterism," Konashenkov noted.

The Pentagon earlier said that the US was planning to send additional troops to northeastern Syria to protect oil fields from Islamic State terrorists.

[Istanbuller]

Donald Trump thanked Turkey for its support in operation of killing ISIS leader. This man is really Turkey's friend. I believe him.

[annatar1914]

Donald Trump thanked Turkey for its support in operation of killing ISIS leader. This man is really Turkey's friend. I believe him.

He also thanked Russia, Syria, Iraq, and Syria's Kurds for specific actions. If we all work together, we can defeat this threat to civilization for good. We haven't totally done this, and the Islamofascists may well come back even stronger someday, but it's a start.

[Rugoz]

He also thanked Russia, Syria, Iraq, and Syria's Kurds for specific actions. If we all work together, we can defeat this threat to civilization for good. We haven't totally done this, and the Islamofascists may well come back even stronger someday, but it's a start.

Previously you accused the Obama admin of having supported Islamist militias in Syria (a half-truth at best).

Turkey still supports the same militias. How exactly is transferring territory from the Kurds to said militias "a start"?

[QatzelOk]

He also thanked Russia, Syria, Iraq, and Syria's Kurds for specific actions. If we all work together, we can defeat this threat to civilization for good. We haven't totally done this, and the Islamofascists may well come back even stronger someday, but it's a start.

Perhaps if the West steals all the Oil, the terrorists will run out of Gas, and then the West can run them over with its SUVs.

It's a Roadmap like any other.

[annatar1914]

Previously you accused the Obama admin of having supported Islamist militias in Syria (a half-truth at best).

No, entirely true

Turkey still supports the same militias.

Untrue. . Turkey always had it's own groups fighting, such as the Turkmen in NW Syria.

How exactly is transferring territory from the Kurds to said militias "a start"?

Nobody has talked about annexations except neoconservative policy chickenhawks in the West, trying vainly for years now to create a ''Kurdistan'' out of Syria or Iraq or Turkey, or Iran, but always weak and landlocked so as to be an obedient and dependent vassal of the US and it's regional satraps.

[annatar1914]

Perhaps if the West steals all the Oil, the terrorists will run out of Gas, and then the West can run them over with its SUVs.

It's a Roadmap like any other.

I see that behind the tongue in cheek there's a seemingly valid criticism there. But let's be brutally frank; Sykes-Picot is dead, it cannot be rebuilt and these lands will be a spot for Jihadis to flourish for a long time. I fully expect ISIS and/or Al-Qaida or future iterations thereof to have comebacks, and gradually over the decades, the longer term actually looks good for them in my opinion.

[QatzelOk]

I see that behind the tongue in cheek there's a seemingly valid criticism there. But let's be brutally frank; Sykes-Picot is dead, it cannot be rebuilt and these lands will be a spot for Jihadis to flourish for a long time. I fully expect ISIS and/or Al-Qaida or future iterations thereof to have comebacks, and gradually over the decades, the longer term actually looks good for them in my opinion.

Beyond the humor, the lack of respect for the sovereignty of other nations demonstrstes that the USA is just another empire built out of genocide and greed.

The world would be better off without any empires. Most of the terrorists in the world are Western mercs - the empire providing both sides to its wars of zero empathy and nothing learned.

[Rugoz]

No, entirely true



Untrue. . Turkey always had it's own groups fighting, such as the Turkmen in NW Syria.

Well this is hilarious.

I can simply google:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_i ... _Civil_War

"In the beginning of the Syrian Civil War, Turkey trained defectors of the Syrian Army on its territory, and in July 2011, a group of them announced the birth of the Free Syrian Army, under the supervision of Turkish intelligence."

The same guys the Obama admin was supporting.

"Turkey, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia have supported the Army of Conquest.[66] The coalition includes the al-Nusra Front (the Syrian affiliate of al-Qaeda) and Ahrar al-Sham, but it also included non-al-Qaeda-linked Islamist factions, such as the Sham Legion, that have received covert arms support from the United States."

"Ever since the formal founding of ISIL from its Islamist predecessor groups in June 2014, Turkey has faced numerous allegations of collaboration with and support for ISIL in international media."

Turkey now supports the SNA (Syrian national army). About 70% of that is the National Front for Liberation, which itself has various Sunni Islamist / Salafist groups as members.

[annatar1914]

Well this is hilarious.

Yeah, mendacity having to do with blood and destruction makes me fucking laugh too

I can simply google:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_i ... _Civil_War

"In the beginning of the Syrian Civil War, Turkey trained defectors of the Syrian Army on its territory, and in July 2011, a group of them announced the birth of the Free Syrian Army, under the supervision of Turkish intelligence."

Early on in the war, when Turkey was giving Assad payback for his father's hosting of the Kurdish terrorist PKK group. And those guys were secular, the FSA, not like the Jihadis just simple traitors to their country thin as those modern allegiances are in the Middle East, granted.

The same guys the Obama admin was supporting.

No, Obama/Clinton were supporting more the guys you mention below.

"Turkey, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia have supported the Army of Conquest.[66] The coalition includes the al-Nusra Front (the Syrian affiliate of al-Qaeda) and Ahrar al-Sham, but it also included non-al-Qaeda-linked Islamist factions, such as the Sham Legion, that have received covert arms support from the United States."

Again, that was more Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Turkey was more than happy to limit involvement to let the Jihadis cross Turkish territory to get themselves killed and cause Assad trouble, much as Assad's father was alright with Jihadis crossing through Syria into Iraq before to kill Americans and Brits.

"Ever since the formal founding of ISIL from its Islamist predecessor groups in June 2014, Turkey has faced numerous allegations of collaboration with and support for ISIL in international media."

Yes, ''international media'', which is so trustworthy . Allegations are not proof.

Turkey now supports the SNA (Syrian national army). About 70% of that is the National Front for Liberation, which itself has various Sunni Islamist / Salafist groups as members.

Yes, as meat shields against the PKK/YPG Kurdish forces, sure. No hands are clean entirely (some more than others...), and Islamofascism will survive because it's enemies hate and/or fear each other more than they do the Islamofascists, as i've said repeatedly before.

[Hindsite]

The fugitive leader of the Islamic State (IS) group killed himself during a US military operation in north-west Syria

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi detonated his suicide vest after fleeing into a tunnel, chased by US military dogs.

Baghdadi came to prominence in 2014, when he announced the creation of a "caliphate" in areas of Iraq and Syria.

IS carried out multiple atrocities that resulted in thousands of deaths.

The jihadist group imposed a brutal rule in the areas under its control and was behind many attacks around the world. Although the US declared the "caliphate" defeated earlier this year, IS militants remain active in the region and elsewhere.

In an unusual Sunday morning statement, Mr Trump described the night-time operation in extraordinary detail, saying Baghdadi ran into a dead-end tunnel, "whimpering and crying and screaming", while being chased by military dogs.

Baghdadi killed himself and three of his children by igniting his suicide vest, Mr Trump said, causing the tunnel to collapse. No US personnel were killed but one of the dogs was seriously injured in the explosion.

The blast mutilated Baghdadi's body but, according to the president, an on-site DNA test confirmed his identity. The special forces spent two hours in the area and gathered "highly sensitive material".

"The thug who tried so hard to intimidate others spent his last moments in utter fear, in total panic and dread, terrified of the American forces bearing down on him," Mr Trump said.

An undisclosed number of forces targeted the compound using eight helicopters, which were met with gunfire, Mr Trump said. The commandos managed to land safely and entered the building by blowing holes in the wall, avoiding the main door which was believed to be booby-trapped.

"He was a sick and depraved man," Mr Trump said. "He died like a dog, he died like a coward."

A "large number" of Baghdadi's followers also died while others were captured, the president said. The dead included two of Baghdadi's wives who were both found wearing explosive vests that were not detonated.

Eleven children were removed, uninjured, from the compound.

[Atlantis]

Turkey and it's terrorist proxies invaded neighboring Syria allegedly to fight terrorists. Why does Turkey now fight the Syrian Army? This is clearly a gross violation of international law by Turkey.

Six Syria soldiers killed in first border clash with Turkey

He added that the pro-Ankara fighters being used by Turkey as the main ground force for the invasion executed a government soldier they had captured.

The Turks and their proxies are even killing their captives in a blatant violation of the Geneva convention.

It's time to call a spade a spade and for the US Congress to adopt the resolution on the Armenian genocide committed by Turkey. Appeasement does not work and pampering Turkey hasn't made it a better Nato ally.

[Atlantis]

Looks like Erdogan got his just dessert. Hopefully, somebody will serve him the main dish soon.

House overwhelmingly approves resolution recognizing Armenian genocide

WASHINGTON — The House on Tuesday overwhelmingly reaffirmed that the U.S. government should recognize the century-old killings of 1.5 million Armenians as a genocide.

The resolution, which is not legally binding, marked the first time in 35 years that either chamber of Congress labeled as genocide the mass killings of Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire, which is now modern-day Turkey, between 1915 and 1923 . A similar House resolution passed in 1984.

Support for the measure — particularly among some Democrats — grew after Turkey’s recent incursion against the Kurds along the Turkish-Syrian border, which killed about 200 Kurds and displaced more than 200,000.

“Given that the Turks are once again involved in ethnic cleansing the population— this time the Kurds who live along the Turkish-Syrian border— it seemed all the more appropriate to bring up a resolution about the Ottoman efforts to annihilate an entire people in the Armenian genocide,” said resolution sponsor Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank).

The vote on the bipartisan resolution came on the heels of House passage of economic sanctions against Turkey.

Turkey crossed the border on Oct. 9 and began attacks across a broad swath of northern Syria following President Trump’s announcement that U.S. forces would withdraw from the area. The United States had previously allied with Syrian Kurdish forces against Islamic State militants. The withdrawal drew swift condemnation from both Democrats and Republicans.

More than 40 states, including California, and several countries have recognized the genocide. But the Turkish government has refused to acknowledge it. And the U.S. government has stopped short of recognizing it by calling the deaths an “atrocity.”

The Turkish government acknowledges that the killings occurred but rejects the use of the term “genocide” to describe it, saying other countries should not pass legislation judging another country’s history.

Schiff, who represents many of the estimated 200,000 Armenians living in Los Angeles County, has pushed the government for decades to recognize the genocide but hasn’t been able to overcome opposition from the Turkish government, a NATO ally.

Although there are currently no plans to bring the companion resolution up for a vote in the Senate, Schiff said the 405-11 bipartisan vote sent a strong message. “The Turkish lobby has few friends and allies anymore,” Schiff said.

Some lawmakers, including Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas) questioned why the House was taking time to debate a nonbinding resolution dealing with atrocities committed 100 years ago when Congress had a lot left to accomplish in scant days before the end of the year, including preventing the government from shutting down when its spending authority expires Nov. 21.

“It remains unclear why we are urgently considering this resolution,” he said.

But longtime supporter of the effort Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Northridge) said it was important for the United States to take a stance, even so long after the fact.

“It is critical that we counteract Turkey’s genocide denial because genocide denial is the last act of a genocide,” Sherman said. “First, you obliterate a people, then you seek to obliterate their memory, and finally you seek to obliterate the memory of the obliteration.”

Southern California is home to the largest Armenian community outside of Armenia, and each spring, thousands march on a day of remembrance.

Those who refuse to recognize the mistakes of the past are condemned to repeat the same mistakes again and again.

Now it's coming thick and fast. Better take cover, Erdogan.

[Atlantis]

So, Trump pulls out the troops to bring the boys back home, and after the Turks have ethnically cleansed the Kurds, he sends them back in to control the oil. I guess the oil revenue will give the CIA a steady stream of cash flow to do what the CIA does best.

If he wants to bring the boys back home, why doesn't he recall the troops from Germany? There are almost 40,000 of them and Germany doesn't even have oil.

[Hindsite]

So, Trump pulls out the troops to bring the boys back home, and after the Turks have ethnically cleansed the Kurds, he sends them back in to control the oil. I guess the oil revenue will give the CIA a steady stream of cash flow to do what the CIA does best.

If he wants to bring the boys back home, why doesn't he recall the troops from Germany? There are almost 40,000 of them and Germany doesn't even have oil.

Our troops are not in harms way in Germany. Protecting the oil in Syria is to keep it out of enemy hands and so the Kurds can use it. President Trump has no desire for the Turks to ethically cleanse the Kurds or to fight against a NATO ally. He still reserves the right to place strong sanctions on Turkey if he sees them going too far.

[Atlantis]

The US first bombs and then lets the people in the lurch. Russia comes in to mediate for settling disputes.

While bolstering the defense budget, Trump has reduced funding for the State Department. Many diplomats have gone, either without replacement or while being replaced by Trump's yes-men or wealthy donors, who don't know the first thing about diplomacy or international relations.

Russia to mediate deal between Syrian Kurds and Damascus

After leaving locals in northeastern Syria in the dark until two days before the end of a six-day day cease-fire, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) released a statement on Oct. 27 agreeing to the most controversial term of a Turkish-Russian agreement worked out in Sochi and signed Oct. 22: The SDF would withdraw 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the Turkish border. Immediately after the announcement, the SDF began to redeploy from positions along the 273-mile Turkey-Syria border to make room for joint Russian-Turkish patrols 10 kilometers (6 miles), inside Syrian territory, while Damascus took control along the border.

The decision to withdraw came as a surprise. Only one day before, Fanar al-Gait, deputy co-chair of foreign relations for the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (NES), had told Al-Monitor, “The Turkish-Russian deal includes a number of conditions we refuse to fulfill, such as the withdrawal of our security forces 30 kilometers from the border.”

When initially faced with the threat of renewed Turkish aggression, the SDF had put the need to prevent Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s further expansion into Syrian territory first, Nisren Abdullah, commander and spokesperson for the Kurdish Women's Protection Unit, told Al-Monitor. “It was a difficult decision, as we were not consulted when Russia struck the Sochi deal with Turkey,” she said. “However, we have to protect our people and chose diplomacy over war.”

Gait added, “Now that we have agreed on the military aspects of the deal, Russia is to facilitate a new round of negotiations between the Autonomous Administration and the Syrian regime. We expect them to start once the SDF’s withdrawal is complete.”

NES has for now made sure that local administrations and Asayish, the Kurdish internal security force, remain in place within the area evacuated by the SDF. For residents, this means that their daily lives have not been significantly disrupted thus far. In the long run, however, Damascus wants to reestablish its authority over the totality of Syrian territory.

Negotiations between Damascus and the Autonomous Administration have been ongoing, but inconclusive, said Gait. “During our attempts, we submitted a number of concrete proposals for a decentralized Syria, but Damascus did not take us seriously. This is why we need an intermediary,” he asserted.

Since US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw American troops from northeastern Syria, Russia has emerged as the main mediator in the Autonomous Administration's conflicts with Ankara and with Damascus. The Kurdish leadership, however, remains cautious about Russia’s new role as sole mediator. The Kurds regard the Sochi deal negotiated by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Erdogan as highly detrimental to their goals — for instance, maintaining a certain degree of internal autonomy within Syria and liberating areas currently occupied by pro-Turkish militias (Ras al-Ain, Tell Abyad — and Moscow remains Damascus’ closest ally.

“We would prefer to include more parties in the negotiations, such as the United Nations,” said Gait. “We consider this a safer and more stable option, but although we have been in contact with a number of countries over the last two weeks, they did not take any substantial action.”

The most concrete effort came from Germany, where on Oct. 22 Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer proposed establishing an international security zone along the Syrian-Turkish border. Her idea was met with resistance both at home and abroad and was ultimately put on ice after German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas visited Ankara on Oct. 26. The Autonomous Administration’s main objective remains to avoid losing internal autonomy.

“Although we are accepting the regime’s mandate to protect the integrality of its borders, we do not agree with direct interference in our affairs” Hikmet Habib, deputy co-chair of the Syrian Democratic Council, told Al-Monitor. “We want the democratic autonomous administration to stay in place, as a part of the Syrian nation.”

Meanwhile, Abdullah asserted, “The government has to enshrine the rights of the country’s minorities in the constitution. During the war, we protected our country’s borders. Our martyrs are Syrian, and the Syrian government should acknowledge their sacrifice.”

The launch of the Constitutional Committee in Geneva on Oct. 30 represents a disappointment for the Kurdish leadership. The Autonomous Administration has, so far, been excluded from the political process to amend Syria’s constitution.

“Millions of Syrians are excluded from the debate, which is led by Ankara, Moscow and Damascus,” Gait remarked. “But to secure peace, the constitution should be a consensual text.”

“To this day,” Gait added, “[Syrian President] Bashar al-Assad is pushing for the return of the central administration to northeast Syria pretty much as it was before the war started in 2011. To reach that objective, we are afraid that certain decision-makers in Damascus still favor the military solution over the political one. We hope that they are not strong enough to go down that road and that we will avoid an armed conflict.”

According to Abdullah, at the moment, the regime’s military strength is being tested by Turkish-backed forces in the northeast. Since the SDF’s decision to withdraw as per the Sochi agreement, the regime's military has been struggling to resist assaults by the militias trying to expand beyond Ras al-Ain and Tell Abyad.

“The Syrian regime is now in charge of protecting our borders, however, Turkish-backed militias continue to take over more Syrian territory,” said Abdullah. “This shows that Ankara doesn’t respect the regime’s military forces.”

For the last two days, the Syrian army has suffered a lot of casualties given the superior military equipment of the pro-Turkish militias. Abdullah remarked, “Russia brokered the deal with Turkey. The Assad regime agreed to come in and take over the border. Now we will see if Russia is able to guarantee that the deal works on the ground.”

The US had years to help negotiate a deal between the Kurds and its Nato ally Turkey, on the one hand, and Damascus, on the other hand. The US has completely failed at making peace. All the Americans know is how to make war.

@Hindsite "not putting our troops in harms way"

You are copying the official propaganda word by word. Is there any mental activity of your own you are aware of?

Turkey is a Nato ally like Germany. Why are you running away with your tail between the legs from the tin-pot dictator Erdogan, who is supposed to be your ally? You betray your closest allies and then you run away like a coward. Nobody respects you. Nobody respects notorious liars.

All you care about is ripping off others to steal their oil so that you may feed your insatiable greed. You are doomed. The world starts to see you for what you really are.

[Godstud]

I've come to the conclusion that Comrade Hindsite is doing good job for Great Putin. He make Russia very powerful with his posts.

[skinster]

That would be the majority of Syrians.

The majority of Syrians support the government. You can see this by them returning in large numbers to their homes in areas controlled by the government. You won't see this in corporate media, but it's a thing that's happened and is happening.

Donald Trump thanked Turkey for its support in operation of killing ISIS leader. This man is really Turkey's friend. I believe him.

That killing didn't happen. If it did they would've filmed it just like they filmed the killing of Saddam Hussein, Gaddafi etc.

Previously you accused the Obama admin of having supported Islamist militias in Syria (a half-truth at best).

Wrong.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timber_Sycamore

[Hindsite]

While bolstering the defense budget, Trump has reduced funding for the State Department. Many diplomats have gone, either without replacement or while being replaced by Trump's yes-men or wealthy donors, who don't know the first thing about diplomacy or international relations.

No president would want people in the State Department that would work against his foreign policy goals.

@Hindsite "not putting our troops in harms way"

You are copying the official propaganda word by word. Is there any mental activity of your own you are aware of?

Nothing that you would be in agreement.

Turkey is a Nato ally like Germany. Why are you running away with your tail between the legs from the tin-pot dictator Erdogan, who is supposed to be your ally? You betray your closest allies and then you run away like a coward. Nobody respects you. Nobody respects notorious liars.

All you care about is ripping off others to steal their oil so that you may feed your insatiable greed. You are doomed. The world starts to see you for what you really are.

Well, I do the best that I know how.

That killing didn't happen. If it did they would've filmed it just like they filmed the killing of Saddam Hussein, Gaddafi etc.

And ISIS would not have announced a new leader.
Praise the Lord.