Meanwhile, In Syria

[QuantumTokoloshi]

A "moderate Islamist rebel" commander, who turned out to be somewhat less than moderate.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/21/world/middleeast...

[chris watton]

I know it's the DM, but it did make me smile.

"'Sorry mate, don't want to risk dying before the next Star Wars movie': Muslims' hilarious responses to ISIS leader's call for more people to join its forces"

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3377210/Mu...

[Transmitter Man]

QuantumTokoloshi said:

A "moderate Islamist rebel" commander, who turned out to be somewhat less than moderate.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/21/world/middleeast...

Quantum,

What about the moderate Jewish, Christian, Assyrian and Druze rebels in Syria?

Do you also consider these Islamist rebels?

Phil

[QuantumTokoloshi]

Transmitter Man said:

QuantumTokoloshi said:

A "moderate Islamist rebel" commander, who turned out to be somewhat less than moderate.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/21/world/middleeast...

Quantum,

What about the moderate Jewish, Christian, Assyrian and Druze rebels in Syria?

Do you also consider these Islamist rebels?

Phil

I defer to the Lavarov line, act like a terrorist, then is a terrorist.

I suspect the minorities have much more to fear from ISIS and/or the above "moderate Islamist fundamentalists" than they ever do from the Syrian army. ISIS and Co. Have not displayed a great multicultural, multi denominational, benevolent attitude thus far.

Ask the Yazidis if they prefer Assad or the moderates above?

The Syrian minorities are not the groups beheading, burning, raping, enslaving and murdering. ISIS and its paid mercenaries are the experts in this.

Are you able to see the folly of trying to differentiate between moderate Islamist and not?

Stability in Syria is needed first, and only Asaad can bring that. Then the political solution.

[Driller]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1oEoCRkLRI

[QuantumTokoloshi]

Driller said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1oEoCRkLRI

Al Nusra & FSA are being held up as examples of moderates. Foreign policy seemingly made up on the fly.

A thought provoking interview.

[Cobnapint]

QuantumTokoloshi said:

Driller said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1oEoCRkLRI

Al Nusra & FSA are being held up as examples of moderates. Foreign policy seemingly made up on the fly.

A thought provoking interview.

I don't know who our friends are anymore. And now with Saudi brewing for a war with itself (if Iran doesn't have a go first), this is turning into a grade A clusterfk, squared.

[Driller]

It certainly is a (manufactured) mess isn't it?

Secret analysis by the Defence Intelligence Agency in 2012 said:

"There is the possibility of establishing a declared or undeclared Salafist principality in Eastern Syria and this is exactly what the supporting powers to the opposition want in order to isolate the Syrian regime"

Driller said:

They were so frustrated at being forbidden to go in and change the regime to one more to their taste as they had in all the other "Arab Spring" countries, that they had to invent IS to whip up public support as an excuse to justify going into Syria.

[QuantumTokoloshi]

L

Driller said:

It certainly is a (manufactured) mess isn't it?

Secret analysis by the Defence Intelligence Agency in 2012 said:

"There is the possibility of establishing a declared or undeclared Salafist principality in Eastern Syria and this is exactly what the supporting powers to the opposition want in order to isolate the Syrian regime"

Driller said:

They were so frustrated at being forbidden to go in and change the regime to one more to their taste as they had in all the other "Arab Spring" countries, that they had to invent IS to whip up public support as an excuse to justify going into Syria.

I watched a documentary called hearts and minds about the Vietnam war, the parallels between Iraq and Syria, with Vietnam and Cambodia is depressing, including the genocide and atrocities.

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/hearts-and-minds/

Why did the pentagon falsify intelligence about ISIS? Seems the US house of representatives would like to know.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-01-01/why-did-p...

Edited by QuantumTokoloshi on Sunday 3rd January 09:27

[QuantumTokoloshi]

A historical perspective on Syria, Adam Curtis always moulds a great narrative.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/adamcurtis/entries/d11d...

Seems the Syrian Army is making steady ground against ISIS and associated moderately Islamisty groups. The Russian focus moving away from the initial strategic bombing campaign, C3 and logistics targets, to a tactical bombing campaign, and better coordination with Syrian army, is having an affect on ISIS.

http://thesaker.is/week-fifteen-of-the-russian-int...

[AreOut]

things are still going very slow...the problem is there is basically no cooperation between USA&Russia so sometimes USA hits the target Russia already hit and vice versa...

[QuantumTokoloshi]

The Russian intervention is starting to bite ISIS, unfortunately this is via the well known Syrian observatory for Human rights, but does chime with other sources.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/islamic-...

[Driller]

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=bba_1453579274

Al Nusra added to the ISIS bag. Presumably the rest will follow soon before boots on the ground?

[QuantumTokoloshi]

There has been rumours about a Turkish incursion into Syria, they want to create a buffer zone, which really means, to ensure the kurdish fighters are kept in control. I hope this is done properly and does not escalate between the Turkey and Russia.

The US is also expanding an airfield in Syria, presumably to supply the moderately Islamic groups.

The Russians and Syrians are making ground, not blitzkrieg progress but steady gains all over Syria. A few more months of this and possibly the ground work for a genuine peace process will be laid.

Edited by QuantumTokoloshi on Sunday 24th January 18:24

[Transmitter Man]

...however, gains are fluid in the ME.

46 ATGM launches in January 2016. TOWs are back since 20th Jan.

http://justpaste.it/JanuaryATGM

Phil

[Art0ir]

Phil,

Good to see you still posting videos of extremists (with visible flags in the foreground) killing people.

[QuantumTokoloshi]

Transmitter Man said:

...however, gains are fluid in the ME.

46 ATGM launches in January 2016. TOWs are back since 20th Jan.

http://justpaste.it/JanuaryATGM

Phil

The Russians learnt some harsh lessons in the first Chechen war, the older T72/T55 are very vulnerable to ATGW, but the T90s in Syria are proving well protected against the TOW missiles, multiple hits and still functioning. They seem better protected than the Saudi Abrams in Yemen, either due to tactics and / or passive and active protection systems.

The gains have been steady in both northern Latakia, around Damascus and Southern Syria. You may not like it Phil, but the Russian intervention, and actual targeting of ISIS and associated groups logistical and oil infrastructure is beginning to hurt and showing results. It is remarkable that the Russian intervention, after a few months, is showing more success than almost 2 years of US air strikes in rolling ISIS back. If it acts like a terrorist, looks like a terrorist, then It is a terrorist.

The escalation of words between Turkey and Russia again is a bigger worry. I hope NATO can keep Erdogan on a leash, before he drags them and us, into direct conflict with Russia, Iran and possibly Iraq.

Edited by QuantumTokoloshi on Tuesday 2nd February 09:44

[Transmitter Man]

Art0ir said:

Phil,

Good to see you still posting videos of extremists (with visible flags in the foreground) killing people.

Art,

Two of those 'extremist' groups have just today been accepted by the regime to take part in the Geneva talks.

How can they be extremist when the regime allow them in to talks?

Someones bending the truth, especially when said group's made up of Syrian citizens.

We're not talking AQ or IS here. I just think you want the talks to fail.

Phil

[Elroy Blue]

Two Turkish journalist who exposed the despot Erdogan's shipment of arms to Syria jailed for life. The Turkish President really doesn't want his murky world exposed.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/for-a-scoo...

[Art0ir]

Transmitter Man said:

Art,

Two of those 'extremist' groups have just today been accepted by the regime to take part in the Geneva talks.

How can they be extremist when the regime allow them in to talks?

Someones bending the truth, especially when said group's made up of Syrian citizens.

We're not talking AQ or IS here. I just think you want the talks to fail.

Phil

Ansar Al Islam - Al Qaeda affiliates
Ahrar al-Sham - Very friendly with Al Qaeda and multiple reports of Christian massacres
Al Muthana Islamic Movement - ISIL supporters
Most of the others in the list funded from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

But not to worry, lots of them have told reporters they're definitely, 100% not bad people.

I hope the talks bring about a reduction in the death toll, but I'm confident at this stage this conflict will only be resolved when the region's borders are redrawn.