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The greater Middle East is on fire with one failing state after another overrun by Salafi jihadists—Libya, Iraq, Syria, Yemen—and rapidly reigniting Afghanistan, inflaming Central Asia, Russia’s Chechnya, China’s Xinjiang, southeast Asia and even South Korea.

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It appears the negative contagion of US –sponsored regime changes in the Mideast, that empowered the rise of Salafi jihadism, is pivoting east and destabilizing Asia. After one year of US-led anti-IS campaign, the Islamic caliphate is getting stronger and on the march, destroying the old world order and establishing a new one with the implicit backing of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and especially Turkey’s Erdogan.

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This week, South Korea received bomb threats from an Islamic State (IS)-linked group to blow up a shop near COEX, a large shopping complex in the wealthy district of Gangnam in Seoul.In April, IS attacked the South Korean embassy in Libya and killed at least two people.

As Turkey held election on November 1, a pro-AKP columnist even claimed that under a new presidential system [expanding Presidential powers, an Erdogan initiative - SIGNY] Erdogan would be “caliph” of the Sunni Muslims in the world, with the 1,005-room new presidential palace hosting “representatives from nations under the caliphate.”

Distracted by an alphabet soup of various salafist jihadi groups such as Al Qaeda in Iraq (IS), Al Qaeda in Syria (Al Nusra), Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), Al Qaeda in North Africa (AQIM), Al Qaeda in the Philippines (Abu Sayyaf), Al Qaeda in China (Turkistan Islamic Party), Boko Haram, Taiban, Haqqani Network and so on, and trying to separate “good terrorists” from “bad terrorists”, Washington is blindsided by the fact that ultimately they share the same end of establishing a global caliphate under Sharia, only differing in the means and speed of that goal.

Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Henry Kissinger warned that IS “seeks to replace the international system’s multiplicity of states with a caliphate, a single Islamic empire governed by Shariah law.”As such, he argued “the destruction of IS is more urgent than the overthrow of Bashar Assad, who has already lost over half of the area he once controlled. Making sure that this territory does not become a permanent terrorist haven must have precedence.”

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However, his warnings seem to fall on deaf ears in the Obama administration, with Secretary Kerry continuing to toe the Saudi/Qatar/Turkey line of a regime change mandate that “Assad must go”(and replaced by their Islamist extremists), rather than a counterterrorism mandate of prioritizing combating IS and other Salafi jihadists to restore regional stability.

Obama’s ‘anti-IS allies’ exporting jihad

It is not surprising IS and other Salafi jihadists in Syria and elsewhere are rapidly spreading like the ebola virus, given Arab autocracies that aided IS rise are now in Obama’s anti-IS coalition that is “a coalition of sinners now dressed as knights in shining armour.”

Writing in 2014, Indian strategist Professor Brahma Chellaney from Center for Policy Research noted how Qatar and Saudi Arabia pouring weapons and funds to Sunni extremists in Syria eventually created fertile ground that spawned IS.

This nefarious pattern of supporting violent jihadists is further evidenced by their bolstering Afghan Taliban, accelerating Libya’s transformation into a failed state via their breeding of Islamist militia, with Qatar even deploying troops covertly inside Libya in the 2011 campaign to oust Gaddafi.

Given Saudi/Qatari/Turkey-backed ‘Syrian rebels’ are not even Syrian, with German intelligence BND estimating 95% of the fighters are paid foreign mercenaries,

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it seems the Obama administration has also joined as a mercenary force to further Doha/Ankara/Riyadh’s regional agenda.

So obsessed are Riyadh and Ankara to supplant Syria’s secular autocracy with an extremist Islamic theocracy under their control, that in 2013 the Kingdom sent more than 1,200 death row inmates ranging from Yemen, Sudan, Jordan, Somalia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia to wage Syrian jihad.

Recent reports from two CHP deputies in the Turkish parliament corroborate previous testimonies that the notorious sarin gas attack at Ghouta was a false flag orchestrated by Turkish intelligence, willing to commit the war crime of sacrificing 1,300 innocent civilians to goad US into the Syrian war to topple Assad.

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Chellaney further chastised the anti-Assad coalition’s naïveté in trying to distinguish between ‘moderate’ and ‘radical’ jihadists, and that “the term ‘moderate jihadists’ is an oxymoron: those waging jihad by gun can never be moderate.”

Indeed these “good” terrorists-cum-foreigner infested/counterfeit “Syrian rebels” have displayed the same level of barbarity as IS and are cut from the same jihadi cloth. Most disgusting was the video in 2013 of a rebel commander performing cannibalism and eating the organ of a dead Syrian soldier. Alas, it is twisted irony that the Obama administration wants to impose gun control in the US and take guns away from American citizens, yet arm these cannibalistic barbarians in Syria.

As for Doha, by using Al Udeid Air Base as a weapon to hold US hostage to its agenda and enabling its misadventures with impunity, Chellaney noted Qatar’s clout (along with Riyadh and Ankara) now “allows it to run with the foxes while it hunts with the hounds”—funding violent Salafi-jihadists in Syria, Mali, Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Gaza and elsewhere and leaving a destructive trail of destabilized and failing states throughout the greater Middle East.

This is a threat not only to Russia that has entered the Syrian war, but also to China and India.

Syria: Frontline against terrorism

In a recent Huffington Post article, former MI-6 agent Alastair Crooke argued that Russia sees Syria as its frontline against a dominos of eroding and jihadi infested states that are spreading to Russia.

Unless IS and its Wahhabi allies are stopped decisively, Russia fears a repeat of 1980s when radical Wahhabi jihadists in Afghanistan, inflamed [AND ARMED AND FUNDED= SIGNY] by CIA and Saudis, were used in the Chechen insurgency to weaken Russia.

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This threat is similarly shared by China with its Xinjiang insurgency, and further reinforced by a February 2014 article in the US Naval Institute’s Proceeding magazine.

In the article entitled ‘Deterring the Dragon’, the author, a retired naval commander, proposed sending special operation forces to arm China’s restive [terrorist-SIGNY] minorities in Xinjiang and Tibet at a time when Beijing is suffering from its worst terrorist attacks by Uyghur militants in the past two years.

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The author also proposed laying offensive underwater mines along China’s coast to close China’s main ports and destroy its sea lines of communications, which further creates distrust in the current Sino-US military standoff in the South China Sea, with Chinese naval commander Admiral Wu Shengli warning US counterparts that a minor incident could spark war if US did not stop its “provocative acts” of deploying warships to disputed waterways in the region.

Rightly or wrongly, Beijing perceives this as part and parcel of US strategy to encircle and contain China’s rise, hemming its eastern flank via defense alliances in the Western Pacific and destabilizing its western flank in Central Eurasia via color revolutions and separatist movements.

And when Beijing sees Washington backing Turkey/Qatar/Saudi stance of arming and funding thousands of anti-Chinese Uyghur militants in Syrian “rebel groups”, coupled with US gunboat diplomacy in the South China Sea, this “deterring the dragon” combination risks escalation into a military conflict between Beijing and Washington.

US strategic partner India likewise shares suspicions of Washington’s support for Wahhabi allies. Chellaney for one sees US support for Wahhabi extremists contributed to India’s terrorism problem, given “large portions of the CIA’s multi-billion-dollar military aid for the Afghan rebels in the 1980s were siphoned off by the conduit, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISIS), to trigger insurgencies in India’s Kashmir and Punjab…yet paradoxically, the US had used counterterrorism as a key instrument to build a strategic partnership with India.”

In fact Delhi is now sounding the alarm on Saudi-sponsored Wahhabism to dominate India. In a September 2014 Indian Defence Review article, retired general Afsir Karim expressed concerns that Saudi Wahhabis are trying to exert domination over other strands of Islam (Sufi, Shia, etc.) by pumping millions of petrodollars into madrasas and mosques to propagate Wahhabi theology

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that “anyone outside the Wahhabi sect is a heretic and will burn in hell.”

This Saudi doctrine of intolerance and violence is polarizing Indian society and radicalizing its Muslims, projected by Pew Research to be the largest Muslim population in the world by 2050 even surpassing Indonesia, and opening the way for IS’ steady recruitment in India.

In the face of IS and radical Islam’s invasion of Eurasia that is destabilizing Russia, China and India

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, all three stakeholders should be included in future talks on Syria. Given combating IS is the unifier of great powers while Syrian regime change is the divider that allows IS to get stronger, US should recalibrate its Sunni Wahhabi-driven strategy and start working with other legitimate Mideast stakeholders to counter Islamic extremism. Absent this, it may behoove the Eurasian powers outside of US-led coalition to take Kissinger’s advice, and begin forging their own coalition via SCO and CSTO to counter terrorism in Syria.

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The Kweires Military Airport returned in the patronage of the Government after historic resistance for more than 3 years. The armed groups of Free Syrian Army, Nusra Front, and Ahrar al Sham surrounded the base until the terrorist group IS took over in March of 2014 after the other groups withdrew from its surroundings due to fighting between the two sides. The groups launched hundreds of attacks but failed to penetrate any defensive lines. This airport is located 35km from Aleppo to the West, 10km from Deir Hafer to the South and 15km from Al Bab to the North which is controlled by IS.

To the north, the airport borders one of the largest water canals in Aleppo which forms a natural defense against attackers. To the south, there is the Raqqa-Aleppo road. By controlling the airport, which is the largest in the North, the government can accomplish the following:

firstly, the northern areas become within firing range of artillery at the airport

the airport becomes an easier launching ground for airstrikes from helicopters and military jets, and the targets being Al Bab, Mindige, Deir Hafer and Maskana which are controlled by IS

securing the airport solidifies the government's control on the roads linking Aleppo with Deir Hafer and Mindige. Losing these towns and their links to Aleppo means for IS that the road to Northern Aleppo becomes cut off by Government forces to the two airports of Aleppo International and Nairab.

the airport becomes a launching ground for any operation towards Eastern and North Eastern Aleppo

away from Aleppo, the strategic importance of this airport is that it falls on the main highway linking Raqqa and Aleppo, which threatens their supply lines (to Raqqa) from Turkey.

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Originally posted by SIGNYM:
So, there are talks going on in Vienna to supposedly reach a political settlement in Syria.

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The Russian fleet in the Caspian Sea has launched 18 cruise missiles, hitting seven terrorist targets in Syria on Friday, Russian Defense Minster Sergey Shoigu has reported to President Vladimir Putin.

“On November 20, the warships of the Caspian Fleet launched 18 cruise missiles at seven targets in the provinces of Raqqa, Idlib and Aleppo. All targets were hit successfully,” he said.

The last time the Caspian Fleet took part in the anti-terror operation in Syria was on October 7.

Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) are suffering huge losses as a result of the Russian offensive, Shoigu said, adding that data on the ground shows that the flow of terrorists arriving in Syria has decreased

, while more and more militants are fleeing the warzone to head north [TURKEY} and south-west [JORDAN- and it's about time somebody besides Putin calls out these terrorist-supporting fuckers-SIGNY]

Over the past four days, Russian air forces have conducted 522 sorties, deploying more than 100 cruise missiles and 1,400 tons of bombs of various types, the minister stated.

He added that a strike with multiple cruise missiles in the province of Deir ez-Zor had killed more than 600 militants.

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ISTANBUL — Intensifying pressure on the Islamic State, United States warplanes for the first time attacked hundreds of trucks on Monday that the extremist group has been using to smuggle the crude oil it has been producing in Syria, American officials said.

According to an initial assessment, 116 trucks were destroyed in the attack, which took place near Deir al-Zour, an area in eastern Syria that is controlled by the Islamic State.

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Wow, according to Russian state run media it sounds like Russia will have ISIL all mopped up by turkey (heh) day.
Thanks Russia!

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Oh, and thanks for the ironic juxtaposition! Priceless.

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Originally posted by G:

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Originally posted by SIGNYM:


You can't build a nation with bombs...

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Oh, and thanks for the ironic juxtaposition! Priceless.

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Originally posted by SIGNYM:

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Wow, according to Russian state run media it sounds like Russia will have ISIL all mopped up by turkey (heh) day.
Thanks Russia!

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Keep that one warm. According to Russia, it will take bout 6 months. I'll let you know when the thanks become appropriate. At that point, you probably should, because it will be no thanks to the USA, France, or NATO when that day comes. (Yanno, it's funny- this is like a replay of WWII.)

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Oh, and thanks for the ironic juxtaposition! Priceless.

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Russia isn't "building" a nation with bombs, it's destroying one (ISIL). That's ALL you can do with bombs- destroy things.

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You can't build a nation with bombs. You can't create a society with guns.

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Originally posted by THGRRI:

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Originally posted by SIGNYM:

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Wow, according to Russian state run media it sounds like Russia will have ISIL all mopped up by turkey (heh) day.
Thanks Russia!

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Keep that one warm. According to Russia, it will take bout 6 months. I'll let you know when the thanks become appropriate. At that point, you probably should, because it will be no thanks to the USA, France, or NATO when that day comes. (Yanno, it's funny- this is like a replay of WWII.)

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Oh, and thanks for the ironic juxtaposition! Priceless.

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Russia isn't "building" a nation with bombs, it's destroying one (ISIL). That's ALL you can do with bombs- destroy things.

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You can't build a nation with bombs. You can't create a society with guns.

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Go comrade Troll. It's funny watching you trip all over yourself praising Russia. It shows the rest of us were correct when we outed you a long time ago as having a very pro Russian agenda.

I am on the floor laughing reading how we should all thank our lucky stars for Russia and be prepared to thank them. It doesn't get any better than that.

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Originally posted by SIGNYM:

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Originally posted by THGRRI:

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Originally posted by SIGNYM:

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Wow, according to Russian state run media it sounds like Russia will have ISIL all mopped up by turkey (heh) day.
Thanks Russia!

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Keep that one warm. According to Russia, it will take bout 6 months. I'll let you know when the thanks become appropriate. At that point, you probably should, because it will be no thanks to the USA, France, or NATO when that day comes. (Yanno, it's funny- this is like a replay of WWII.)

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Oh, and thanks for the ironic juxtaposition! Priceless.

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Russia isn't "building" a nation with bombs, it's destroying one (ISIL). That's ALL you can do with bombs- destroy things.

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You can't build a nation with bombs. You can't create a society with guns.

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Go comrade Troll. It's funny watching you trip all over yourself praising Russia. It shows the rest of us were correct when we outed you a long time ago as having a very pro Russian agenda.

I am on the floor laughing reading how we should all thank our lucky stars for Russia and be prepared to thank them. It doesn't get any better than that.

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I think people appreciate Russia's approach to ISIL far more than they appreciate the USA's ... or yours. Your approach sounds a lot like coddling to me.



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The armed Forces carry out air operation of retribution aimed at destruction of leaders of terrorist organizations and their supporters, the of their disruption of control systems and logistics, as well as the destruction of military facilities and oil and gas infrastructure of ISIL. To this end, the composition of the aviation group has been increased twice and brought to 69 airplanes.

143 sorties are being conducted daily.

The Naval group consists of 10 ships, 6 of them are in the Mediterranean Sea. On November 20, the ships of the Caspian flotilla completed 18 launches of cruise missiles at 7 targets in provinces of Raqqa, Idlib and Aleppo. All targets have been destroyed.

In total, during air operations strategic and operational-tactical aircraft carried out 522 sorties, 101 air-and sea-based were launched, 1400 tons of bombs were dropped for various purposes. In total 826 enemy targets were destroyed.

The main efforts are concentrated on undermining the financial-economic base of ISIS. 15 storage and oil refining facilities and 525 auto-tankers were destroyed.

Supply to the black market of 60,000 tons of oil per day has been interrupted, and the terrorists missed 1.5 million dollars daily.

At the same time the elimination of the gangs and their leaders is continuing.

23 training bases for the militants,
19 factories for the production of weapons and explosives,
47 warehouses with ammunition and material resources,

as well as other objects have destroyed. This ensures successful operations by Syrian government forces in Aleppo, Idlib, mountain Latakia and Palmyra.

According to the data of objective control, the number of people coming to the territory of Syria has been reduced and the flow of militants fleeing the country has been increased in Northern and South-Western directions.

Gangs are suffering significant losses. As a result of cruise missile strikes on one of the targets near Deir-ez-Zor more than 600 militants have been eliminated.

In General, during operation air strikes and cruise missiles strikes were carried out from the waters of the Mediterranean and Caspian seas from a distance of 1500 kilometers, the aircraft took off from airbases on the territory of Russia and Syria.

From the Caspian Sea side 29 long-range aircraft carried out air and cruise missile strikes.

The flight range of Tu-160 during the completion of combat objectives in the Mediterranean Sea amounted to more than 13 000 kilometers.

According to the directions of the Supreme Commander the organising of interaction with the armed forces of France has begun.

All objectives are completed. The armed Forces have moved to the next phase of the operation.

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On Monday, Turkey’s sultan President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said something funny. In the wake of Vladimir Putin’s contention that Russia has additional proof of Turkey’s participation in Islamic State’s illicit crude trade, Erdogan said he would resign if anyone could prove the accusations.

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Now obviously, conclusive evidence that Ankara is knowingly facilitating the sale of ISIS crude will probably be hard to come by, at least in the short-term, but the silly thing about Erdogan’s pronouncement is that we’re talking about a man who was willing to plunge his country into civil war over a few lost seats in Parliament. The idea that he would ever “step down” is patently absurd.

But that’s not what’s important. What’s critical is that the world gets the truth about who’s financing and facilitating “Raqqa’s Rockefellers.” If a NATO member is supporting this, and if the US has refrained from bombing ISIS oil trucks for 14 months as part of an understanding with Erdogan, well then we have a problem ....

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First, here’s the bullet point summary via Reuters:

RUSSIA'S DEFENCE MINISTRY SAYS RUSSIA'S AIR STRIKES IN SYRIA HELPED TO ALMOST HALVE ILLEGAL OIL TURNOVER
RUSSIA'S DEFENCE MINISTRY SAYS TURKISH PRESIDENT AND FAMILY INVOLVED IN BUSINESS WITH ISLAMIC STATE OIL
RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY SAYS WILL CONTINUE STRIKES IN SYRIA ON ISLAMIC STATE OIL INFRASTRUCTURE
RUSSIA'S DEFENCE MINISTRY SAYS KNOWS OF THREE ROUTES BY WHICH ISLAMIC STATE OIL IS DIRECTED TO TURKEY
RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY SAYS TO PRESENT NEXT WEEK INFORMATION SHOWING TURKEY HELPING ISLAMIC STATE

That’s the Cliff’s Notes version and the full statement from Deputy Minister of Defence Anatoly Antonov is below. Let us be the first to tell you, Antonov did not hold back.

In the opening address, the Deputy says the ISIS oil trade reaches the highest levels of Turkey's government. He also says Erdogan wouldn’t resign if his face was smeared with stolen Syrian oil. Antonov then blasts Ankara for arresting journalists and mocks Erdogan’s “lovely family oil business.” Antonov even calls on the journalists of the world to "get involved" and help Russia "expose and destroy the sources of terrorist financing."

"Today, we are presenting only some of the facts that confirm that a whole team of bandits and Turkish elites stealing oil from their neighbors is operating in the region," Antonov continues, setting up a lengthy presentation in which the MoD shows photos of oil trucks, videos of airstrikes and maps detailing the trafficking of stolen oil. The clip is presented here with an English voice-over. Enjoy.

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... summing up, the contention is that ISIS crude is transported through Turkey to the port of Ceyhan and from there, it makes its way to the Israeli port of Ashdod.

Al-Araby al-Jadeed goes on to quote “a European official at an international oil company,” as saying that "Israel has in one way or another become the main marketer of IS oil. Without them, most IS-produced oil would have remained going between Iraq, Syria and Turkey. Even the three companies would not receive the oil if they did not have a buyer in Israel.”

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Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Israel Conducts Secret Training Exercises Against Russian Air Defense Systems

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... summing up, the contention is that ISIS crude is transported through Turkey to the port of Ceyhan and from there, it makes its way to the Israeli port of Ashdod.

Al-Araby al-Jadeed goes on to quote “a European official at an international oil company,” as saying that "Israel has in one way or another become the main marketer of IS oil. Without them, most IS-produced oil would have remained going between Iraq, Syria and Turkey. Even the three companies would not receive the oil if they did not have a buyer in Israel.”

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http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-12-04/israel-conducts-secret-traini
ng-exercises-against-russian-air-defense-systems

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Meanwhile, the Syrian government says US warplanes attacked SAA positions for the first time since the conflict began, prompting a swift response from Damascus (or from wherever the government is conducting its business these days).

The strike allegedly took place in Paris mastermind Abdelhamid Abaaoud’s old fiefdom of Deir ez Zor. As RT reports, “the coalition jets fired nine missiles at an army camp” killing three and wounding a dozen. “Syria strongly condemns the act of aggression by the US-led coalition that contradicts the UN Charter on goals and principles. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sent letters to the UN Secretary General and the UN Security Council.”

"This hampers efforts to combat terrorism and proves once again that this coalition lacks seriousness and credibility to effectively fight terrorism," Syria's letter to the United Nations says.

Hilariously, Washington says it has no idea what Syria is talking about: “We’ve seen those Syrian reports but we did not conduct any strikes in that part of Deir ez Zor yesterday. So we see no evidence,” coalition spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said. This is the same Steve Warren who said it's "beyond ridiculous" to suggest that the US is tacitly supporting ISIS. Similarly, Lt. Col. Kristi Beckman, director of public affairs at the Combined Air Operations Center at al-Udeid air base in Qatar, told AP that although he's "aware" of the incident, he doesn't "have any indication that the strikes killed Syrian soldiers."

Of course somebody bombed the SAA position and it damn sure wasn't the Russians, and since ISIS doesn't have an air force, there's really only one explanation as to whose planes were involved. Whether or not the strike was intentional or whether the US thought they were bombing ISIS (which controls the area) is an open question.

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Israel Conducts Secret Training Exercises Against Russian Air Defense Systems

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... summing up, the contention is that ISIS crude is transported through Turkey to the port of Ceyhan and from there, it makes its way to the Israeli port of Ashdod.

Al-Araby al-Jadeed goes on to quote “a European official at an international oil company,” as saying that "Israel has in one way or another become the main marketer of IS oil. Without them, most IS-produced oil would have remained going between Iraq, Syria and Turkey. Even the three companies would not receive the oil if they did not have a buyer in Israel.”

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http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-12-04/israel-conducts-secret-traini
ng-exercises-against-russian-air-defense-systems
=SIGNY

You're such an ass. Everybody is conducting those tests. It's called war planning. And when it comes to Russia, everybody is getting ready.=IDIOT

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There is precious little news on what is happening "on the ground", although the impression that I get is that Russia is now making a serious attempt to deny Turkey and ISIL the fruits of their mutual trade (oil, antiquities, opium, weapons, and - some say- human transplant organs). The recaptured Kweires airport is now hosting Russian helicopter gunships, and Russia is (supposedly) building another airport nearer to Damascus. Although the USA may have dropped its tacit support of ISIL in Syria, ISIL by itself is still a tough fighting group, containing tens of thousands of foreigners from places as far-flung as Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Malaysia, China (Xingjiang), Russia, Brussels, and the USA.... So fighting on the ground I think will be a tough slog, although Assad and the Russians seem to have a timetable for when it will end. = SIGNY

Do tell what that timetable is.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/21/russias-airstrikes-on-syr
ia-struggle-to-spur-progress-on-the-ground
When Russia launched an air campaign to support Bashar al-Assad, it was banking on a ground force of Syrian troops to finish what its warplanes started. However, more than 12 weeks later, Syria’s army and the large numbers of Shia militias that back it have made few meaningful gains on the ground. Meanwhile, Moscow’s jets have added a new layer of carnage, reportedly killing at least 600 Syrian citizens

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including 70 in Idlib on Sunday. In Syria’s north and in opposition-held parts of the cities of Hama and Damascus, the destruction wrought on civilian infrastructure and population centres over the past fortnight is more intense than at any point in almost five years of war, residents of the communities and observers outside Syria say. Meanwhile, the US has claimed that a once-broad gap with Russia over how to end the war has been narrowing, with both sides last week championing a peace process that aims to defuse a conflict that has killed at least 250,000 people

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and left Syria in ruins. On the ground in rebel areas, there is little faith in the process. “Where are these reasonable Russians that Kerry claims are starting to see the light?” said a doctor in an Idlib

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hospital who was treating casualties, referring to the US secretary of state, John Kerry. “Bashar’s jets never bombed us like the Russians do. Isis never hunted us down like this.”

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The Syrian Network for Human Rights, which chronicles attacks across the country, said mosques, bakeries, residential buildings, schools, power stations and water supplies have been repeatedly hit. It has compiled records of 570 civilians, including 152 children, killed in Russian attacks.

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In Idlib, which fell to opposition groups led by jihadists including Jabhat al-Nusra last spring, civil defence workers say at least six airstrikes hit a residential neighbourhood in the heart of the city, killing at least 70 people and wounding more than 100. The attacks followed documented strikes on at least 13 hospitals and medical clinics since early October

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and attacks just south of the two main border posts between Turkey and north-western Syria in December."- G

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Ultimately, SOMEbody needs to close the ISIL-controlled gap along the Euphrates River as it crosses from Turkey into Syria. That is still a main supply route from Turkey to ISIL in Syria. - SIGNY

Ultimately your desires don't mean squat to the people living and dying and scheming in that part of the world, so saying "this needs to happen" is pure fantasy. You speak for no one but yourself, and I can't measure how little that means in even the smallest terms. - G

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NPR and other American propaganda: Especially when reporting "advances", American press never ... and I mean never ... mentions Russia by name. I fact, you should make this a drinking game- every time the USA press mentions Russian progress, drink a shot of vodka. The only problem is, everyone would stay stone-cold sober. You would be forgiven for not knowing that Russia is doing anything at all to fight ISIL. The only time you hear about Russia (and it's few and far between) is criticism. The more progress Russia makes, the more criticism I hear. - SIGNY

Not surprisingly, you still don't understand how The Press works.- G

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Supposedly the USA has agreed to let Assad run for President, and Russia and the USA have agreed on an interim Prime Minister (a London businessman of Syrian extraction). IF TRUE, the USA would never concede such an important point unless there was no other choice. It looks like a political solution will come before ISIL, al Nusra (al Qaida) and other Islamist jihadists are defeated "on the ground". - SIGNY

Um, wrong again. Solving the Assad problem removes one major complication. Maybe you should look up the word "interim" and have a ponder on it's meaning.- G

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You DO want to defeat ISIL, don't you?- SIGNY

You promised Russia was going to do that so I'm confident that's going to happen. Right?- G

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HAHAHAHA! I know how "The Press" works, especially in national issues: Unlike you, I actually watch them. They sit like good little boys and girls at the WH/State/Pentagon/NATO/CIA press briefing, taking assiduous notes, and nervous that if they ask impertinent questions they'll be relegated to the back row, never chosen to ask questions, or "dis-invited" altogether. The only person that I've EVER seen giving anyone a hard time is the CNN reporter grilling whoever the State Department tosses up on the podium that day. Other than that, they're a really tame bunch. - SIGNY

HAHAHAHA! You just confirmed what a dupe you are. The WH beat is not exactly coveted by senior press -

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it's dullsville. And for godssake, do you really expect any of those venues to come out say something of major value? "President Bush is going to say something about WMD, but it's crap."

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They're not tame, they are bored shitless.= G

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If you really think that The Press is so freewheeling and independent, the riddle me this: How do you suppose the Saddam has WMD/ Qaddafi is killing his people hoaxes got such major play?= SIGNY

I am speechless at your total lack of understanding. The president of the most powerful country on the planet says - during a state of the union address no less - that there are WMDs in Iraq, and you think the press ISN"T GOING TO COVER IT???

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You think they aren't going to turn over every rock they can to find out if it's true or not?

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If the Russians are so ineffective, how come all of the sudden there are UN deals and bargaining going on, while "Assad must go" has faded from the picture?

Instead of arguing with pure information (it's information, dude, not anything else) why not just listen to it and take it in?- SIGNY

"Pure information"... eh, wtf? From whom? Again - either you think we'll swallow your weak logic

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or you just aren't thinking things through (I'm going for dullness of mind).

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Information changes. Remember WMD? In this thread?

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And who said the Russians are ineffective? They can get away with killing civilians with cluster bombs - I don't think we could do that.

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The Kremlin have announced

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that China are to send 5,000 of its most elite military forces into the Levant War Zone to help Russia in the fight against ISIS, which has left the Obama administration and the Pentagon “horrified”.

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The “Siberian Tiger” Special Forces and “Night Tiger” Special Forces Units were given authorization to be deployed by China’s People’s Congress (NPC) on Sunday, after China passed its first anti-terrorism law allowing their army to take part in anti-terror missions abroad.

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No. I won't answer your question [about whether I want ISIL defeated]

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For fucksake, what are you, 5?

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I have absolutely no fucking time for you.

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