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New letters obtained by Sky News, in addition to the massive haul of 22,000 files handed over last month, appear to confirm this.

They show:

:: An agreement with the Syrian regime to withdraw IS weapons from Palmyra.

:: A deal between IS and Syria to trade oil for fertiliser and;

:: Arrangements to evacuate some areas by Islamic State forces BEFORE the Syrian army attacked.

All appear to be pre-agreed deals and suggest direct evidence of collusion between the Syrian regime and Islamic State chiefs.

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Originally posted by G:

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Originally posted by kpo:
Reuters finds 6 jihadis aided directly or indirectly by the Russian government to travel to Syria - http://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/russia-militants/

(Let's not leave out Russia, the Syrian regime's main ally and sponsor)

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What the hell are they up to? I am totally mystified - is there some grand design or is it just one hand not knowing what the other is doing? It's almost like they are trying to destroy Syria...

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Russian warplanes bombed an elite force of US-trained Syrian rebels on Thursday in an attack apparently aimed at weakening the group’s ability to fight Isil.

The New Syrian Army (NSA), which receives training and direction from British, American and Jordanian special forces, said their base had been struck with cluster bombs.

The strike left two people dead and another 18 injured, appearing to incapacitate at least half of the force and drawing a furious reaction from Washington.

"Russia's latest actions raise serious concern about Russian intentions," a US official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. "We will seek an explanation from Russia on why it took this action and assurances this will not happen again."

The attack took place in al-Tanf, a southeastern village near the Jordanian and Iraqi border that the NSA recaptured from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) in May last year.

Although Russia has justified military intervention in Syria with the need to fight extremist groups, its air strikes have strengthened President Bashar al-Assad’s hand and sapped rebel groups that had been fighting Isil.

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Al-Tanf is in an extremely isolated area of southern Syria, far from the fighting between anti-Assad rebels and the Syrian government. It appears, then, that Russia not only went out of its way to bomb a group that is fighting ISIS, but that they went out of their way to specifically target a group that has been supported by the West.

Why would Russia do such a thing? Some, including this author, believe that Russia has repeatedly proven that they are not interested in defeating terrorism in Syria. Instead, Russia benefits from the existence of ISIS for two reasons:

1. The presence of ISIS allows Russia to maintain the facade that the Assad government is continuing its war against the Syrian people in order to defeat terrorism.

2. ISIS often engages in battle with the same rebel groups that are fighting against Assad. Russia, then, is happy to use their airstrikes to assist ISIS in its campaign against moderate rebel groups.

If this logic is true, then rebel groups directly backed by the West would be the best targets for Russia to bomb since they are vetted by Western intelligence agencies to ensure that they have moderate ideologies, and since they are the best trained, best equipped, and most effective fighters on Syria's battlefields.

...

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Originally posted by kpo:
Update: Pentagon says the US scrambled jets to the scene of the attack, and tried to contact the Russians on a pilot to pilot channel. The Russians didn't answer, waited till the US jets left to refuel, then swooped in for another bombing run.

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/06/17/politics/russia-airstrike-syrian-reb
els/index.html

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Update: Pentagon says the US scrambled jets to the scene of the attack, and tried to contact the Russians on a pilot to pilot channel. The Russians didn't answer, waited till the US jets left to refuel, then swooped in for another bombing run.

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/06/17/politics/russia-airstrike-syrian-reb
els/index.html

One bombing run by the US against Assad and that will stop. Trust me, Clinton will respond to Putin differently than Obama. I am not blaming Obama because hind sight is based on a subjects history, but the Syrian uprising

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Originally posted by G:

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Originally posted by kpo:
Islamic State Steps Up Oil and Gas Sales to Assad Regime -
http://www.wsj.com/articles/islamic-state-steps-up-oil-and-gas-sales-t
o-assad-regime-1484835563

"Oil-and-gas sales to Assad’s regime are now Islamic State’s largest source of funds"

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"Objective truths are established by evidence. Personal truths by faith. Political truths by incessant repetition."

Russia's and Assad's War Crimes in Syria - http://fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=60278
Evidence the Syrian regime sponsors ISIS - http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=60521

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I was reading that article this morning - incredible. I don't think some of our western minds can comprehend such crazy, seemingly incongruous relationships, but they happen all the time. Ukraine bought gas from Russia. It makes perfect sense there to them.

But of course it's all Fake News!

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Originally posted by kpo:
Not just the oil and gas trading between the Syrian regime and IS that is already well established. Evidence points to direct military collusion between the Syrian government, and IS:

IS files reveal deals between Assad and IS -
http://news.sky.com/story/1688756/is-files-reveal-assads-deals-with-mi
litants

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New letters obtained by Sky News, in addition to the massive haul of 22,000 files handed over last month, appear to confirm this.

They show:

:: An agreement with the Syrian regime to withdraw IS weapons from Palmyra.

:: A deal between IS and Syria to trade oil for fertiliser and;

:: Arrangements to evacuate some areas by Islamic State forces BEFORE the Syrian army attacked.

All appear to be pre-agreed deals and suggest direct evidence of collusion between the Syrian regime and Islamic State chiefs.

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Vice President Joe Biden apologized Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday for saying the Turkish leader had conceded that his country mistakenly assisted foreign fighters, including extremists with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), seeking to depose the Syrian regime.

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