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Germany Launches Probe After Pentagon's Syrian Arms Smuggling Story Goes Viral

The German government has opened an probe into an illegal Pentagon arms trafficking operation after a bombshell investigative report on the secret program went viral this week.

On Wednesday we reported on the continuing Pentagon arms pipeline to Syria which runs through Europe, the Balkans, and Caucuses, and which is based on a shady network of private contractors and altered US government paperwork. The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) produced conclusive evidence and internal memos proving that not only is the Pentagon currently involved in shipping up to $2.2 billion worth of (mostly old Soviet) weapons from private dealers to US-backed Syrian militants, but is actually manipulating paperwork such as end-user certificates in order to conceal the ultimate destinations of the weaponry (in this case Syria).

The new investigation also confirms Bulgarian journalist Dilyana Gaytandzhieva's prior findings, which exposed the role of Azerbaijan-operated Silk Way Airlines in the weapons airlifts. Though independent journalists and regional monitoring groups have been digging into the Pentagon arms shipments throughout the summer, mainstream European and American press were reluctant to cover the story, even as a steady flow of incontrovertible proof emerged online in the form of documents, photos, and videos of mysterious cargo planes being loaded with weapons. Over the past two weeks WikiLeaks has also highlighted the emerging details of a developing story which saw at least one journalist come under scrutiny by European security officials.

Public records reveal that the Pentagon is shipping billions of dollars of arms to Syrian insurgents https://t.co/8idPs57GnI pic.twitter.com/2qQDLzymZk — WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) September 13, 2017

After a week of the story picking up momentum, it appears we may finally be seeing the beginnings of public and governmental investigations forming as European governments perhaps reluctantly take stock of Pentagon arms pipelines in their territories now coming under public attention and outrage. As Stripes reports, Germany announced a new legal inquiry early Friday:

The German prosecutor’s office in Kaiserslautern said Friday it is looking into a report that the Pentagon used Ramstein Air Base to transport weapons covertly to rebel fighters in Syria — an allegation, that if true, might have broken German law.

...The weapons transfer through Ramstein would have required permission from the German government, the report stated.

Officials with Germany’s Economic Affairs Ministry told Stars and Stripes that the ministry did not give the U.S. military permission to transport weapons to Syria through the country. They denied having any knowledge of such activities.

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Originally posted by GEEBERS:
you got mad when I called you names on a forum

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Originally posted by 1kiki:
Haven't you figured out by now that you were criticized BECAUSE YOU HAD NO EVIDENCE - and that calling you a liar and a propagandist is NOT the same as defending Russia?

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Originally posted by kpo:
There is 'No evidence' that the separatists shot down MH17 and that Putin invaded Ukraine, as I kept insisting.

Because the FINAL MH17 REPORT which assigned blame based on EVIDENCE wasn't released, and, well, Russia didn't 'invade' Ukraine.

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SDF Releases Statement Accusing Syrian, Russian Warplanes Of Airstrikes Against US-backed Fores Near Deir Ezzor

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US-led Coalition Troops Were Alongside SDF Units When Russian Forces Struck “Coalition Partner Forces”

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Originally posted by G:
I'll go ahead and tell myself whatever I have to to justify my hate and protect my fragile ego.

And every personal attack I post instead of a topical response lets everyone know - I'm a troll.

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*snort* You were vilified for being too right???- GSTRING

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Originally posted by G:
I'll go ahead and tell myself whatever I have to to justify my hate and protect my fragile ego.
And every personal attack I post instead of a topical response lets everyone know - I'm a troll.

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Will The US Bomb? First Images Of Syrian Army Crossing The Euphrates River In Deir Ezzor

A correspondent with Al-Masdar News based in Damascus has confirmed that the Syrian Amy has crossed the Euphrates which runs through Deir Ezzor on Monday. The river forms a natural demarcation line separating Syrian government forces and their allies from the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF):

DAMACUS, SYRIA (4:00 P.M.) – The Syrian Army was capable today of crossing the Euphrates River after fully recapturing Sakr Island located to the north of Deir Ezzor Airbase.

Heavy Russian and Syrian airstrikes have pushed ISIS militants away from the eastern bank, paving the way for the government troops to set foot in the eastern bank for the first time in years.

With crossing the river, the government forces are inching closer to re-take the remaining territories under ISIS control. However, this will also put the Syrian forces face to face with the US-backed Kurdish forces; which launched its own offensive against the Islamic State in Deir Ezzor.

Other Middle East monitoring groups as well as regional correspondents have also confirmed the breaking news which could lead to a fresh outbreak of direct hostilities between the US-SDF alliance and Syria-Russia alliance:

SOHR says Syria army in Deir Ezzor has crossed Euphrates. Waterway serves as informal demarcation line between US & Syria/Iran-backed force. — Louisa Loveluck (@leloveluck) September 18, 2017

We noted over the weekend that as Russian and Iran-backed Syrian troops are moving in from the west, and with US-backed SDF forces operating mostly on the east side, the two factions have mostly stayed out of each other’s way in their "fight against ISIS" with the Euphrates acting as a dividing line. It now appears that dividing line has been breached by the Syrian Army - as Russian media is now keen to show the world (see screen shot of a Russian broadcast from location today).



On Saturday, a senior aide to President Bashar al-Assad said the government would fight any force, including the U.S.-backed militias, to recapture the entire country. ”I‘m not saying this will happen tomorrow ... but this is the strategic intent,” Bouthaina Shaaban said in a TV interview according to Reuters.ronically, The U.S.-led coalition said last week that the SDF did not plan to enter Deir Ezzor city, where Syrian troops recently broke an Islamic State siege that had lasted three years. Just a few days later, however, they appeared to have changed their mind.

Meanwhile, seeking to maintain the offensive momentum, a pro-Damascus military alliance launched attacks on Saturday from the southern corner of Deir Ezzor province to drive Islamic State from the Iraqi border. The last local vestige of the Islamic State is also coming under attack by U.S.-backed Iraqi government forces just over the border from Syria’s Deir Ezzor inside Iraq.

With the fate of Deir Ezzor - and much of the oil in the region - set to be sealed in the coming days, the Syrian war which has gradually disappeared from both the front pages and the public consciousness is now making a strong comeback in world headlines, especially as Syria/Russia/Iran seems to now be gaining full control of this key regional outpost.

Damascus would give up on Syrian oil field to US proxies for what reason and why? Wishful thinking. https://t.co/XmyHqPMiy2 — Elijah J. Magnier (@ejmalrai) September 18, 2017

The airspace over Deir Ezzor is potentially growing even more dangerous as there have long been rumors that the US coalition previously declared a de facto no fly zone (NFZ) over the north/eastern side of the Euphrates. In the meantime, Syrian and Russian air operations in the area will only increase with Syrian army advances.

According to Reuters over the weekend U.S.-backed militias, which have included various and assorted Al-Qaeda offshots, spinoffs and reverse mergers, said they came under attack from Russian jets and Syrian government forces in Deir Ezzor province.

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As there's been no military response from the US coalition after the reported attacks, it's likely that the two sides are talking through a long established military deconfliction phone line. In the weeks prior to things heating up in Deir Ezzor, The Navy Times initially described the deconfliction line as follows:

The U.S. is talking multiple times a day with Russia to deconflict ground and air operations in Syria, according to Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander of the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

Russia and the coalition have agreed to some deconfliction lines in the middle Euphrates River valley,” Townsend said, but he added that “not all of it yet” has been decided.


...It became clear that there needed to be a ground component to the deconfliction hotline with Russia, Townsend said. “It gets tougher [to communicate] with a force that isn’t friendly but not necessarily an adversary,” Townsend explained. “Those rehearsals have allowed us to come up with measures that seem to work,” he said. “We were able to work through that then.” Between air and ground deconfliction, “someone is talking to the Russians multiple times a day,” Townsend said. “It’s a fact of life.”

Will the US and its SDF proxy on the ground allow the Syrian Army to recapture sovereign Syria territory across the Euphrates? At this moment at least, it is looking like the US will not intervene on behalf of its proxy (primarily Kurdish SDF). Syria is probably further feeling new impetus as Iraqi Kurdistan is now threatening to move forward with its September 25 referendum on the establishment of an independent Kurdish state, which would no doubt attempt to carve out SDF occupied parts of eastern and northern Syria.

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Originally posted by 1kiki:
Because the FINAL MH17 REPORT which assigned blame based on EVIDENCE wasn't released,

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Originally posted by 1kiki:
Because the FINAL MH17 REPORT which assigned blame based on EVIDENCE wasn't released, - KIK

Did you miss the first of the two official reports that identified where the missile was fired from (separatist territory)?
As for the final report, which you keep referring to, exactly what hope are you holding out that Russia and the separatists won't be blamed? - KRAPO

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

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Originally posted by SIGNYM:
In order to demonstrate who was at fault, the chain of command ... with specific people identified ... has to be established.

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BTW, KPO, where IS that "Russian invasion" of Ukraine that I hear so much about?

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In order to demonstrate who was at fault, the chain of command ... with specific people identified ... has to be established. - SIGNY
We'll see how far they get with identifying specific individuals. But this was a Russian weapon fired from separatist/Russian controlled territory - either way this is an illegal Russian action that leads back to Putin. - KRAPO

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BTW, KPO, where IS that "Russian invasion" of Ukraine that I hear so much about?- SIGNY

Russia's war in Ukraine is still grinding on (well done for asking. You don't ask, you don't learn), a not-quite-frozen frozen conflict that has weekly civilian/military casualties .
Last November the ICC (International Criminal Court) ruled that Russia is waging war in Ukraine and that Crimea is in a state of ongoing occupation by Russia. This led to Russia quitting the ICC (its war crimes in Syria may also have had something to do with it) - https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/17/world/europe/russia-withdraws-from-
international-criminal-court-calling-it-one-sided.html?_r=0

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Originally posted by SIGNYM:

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But this was a Russian weapon fired from separatist/Russian controlled territory - either way this is an illegal Russian action that leads back to Putin. - KPO

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That is a legal leap that the relevant lawyers refuse to make.

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Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down by a missile fired from a launcher brought into Ukraine from Russia and located in a village held by pro-Russian rebels, international prosecutors said on Wednesday.

...

Among the key findings were: the plane was hit by a Russian-made Buk-9M38 missile; the missile was fired from the rebel-held village of Pervomaysk in eastern Ukraine; and the launcher was transported into Ukraine from Russia.

“This Buk trailer came from the territory of the Russian Federation, and after the launch it was returned again to the territory of the Russian Federation,” said Wilbert Paulissen, chief investigator with the Dutch national police.

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That BUK missile? Old, no longer in use by Russia.

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Maybe it was scavenged from a Ukrainian arms depot.

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Maybe it was fired by people on the ground, without an order from the top.

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But this was a Russian weapon fired from separatist/Russian controlled territory - either way this is an illegal Russian action that leads back to Putin. - KPO

That is a legal leap that the relevant lawyers refuse to make. - SIGNY

Nope, sorry, they've already made it:

Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down by a missile fired from a launcher brought into Ukraine from Russia and located in a village held by pro-Russian rebels, international prosecutors said on Wednesday.- KPO

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That BUK missile? Old, no longer in use by Russia.- SIGNY
The investigators say it came from Russia. Whether the Russian military currently uses it is irrelevant; all that matters is whether Russia still has stocks of it. They apparently do.- KPO

Maybe it was scavenged from a Ukrainian arms depot.- SIGNY
Nope.- KPO

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Maybe it was fired by people on the ground, without an order from the top. - SIGNY
Look, no one is claiming that Putin gave the specific order to shoot down MH17. But the decision to send Russian troops and weapons into Ukraine to wage war against that country unquestionably came from him. The tragedy of MH17 - along with many other deaths in this war (I would argue all) - comes as a result of that undeniable fact.- KPO

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Russian Special Forces Repel a US-planned Attack In Syria, Denounce the USA and Issue a Stark Warning

Written by The Saker

Something rather unprecedented just happened in Syria: US backed “good terrorist” forces attempted a surprise attack against Syrian government forces stationed to the north and northeast of the city of Hama.

What makes this attack unique is that it took place inside a so-called “de-escalation zone” and that it appears that one of the key goals of the attack was to encircle in a pincer-movement and subsequently capture a platoon of Russian military police officers deployed to monitor and enforce the special status of this zone. The Russian military police forces, composed mainly of soldiers from the Caucasus region, fought against a much larger enemy force and had to call for assistance. For the first time, at least officially, Russian special operations forces were deployed to rescue and extract their comrades. At the same time, the Russians sent in a number of close air support aircraft who reportedly killed several hundred “good” terrorists and beat back the attack (Russian sources speak of the destruction of 850 fighters, 11 tanks, three infantry fighting vehicles, 46 armed pickup trucks, five mortars, 20 freighter trucks and 38 ammo supply points; you can see photos of the destroyed personnel and equipment here.

CAUTION https://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/3693287.html)

What also makes this event unique is the official reaction of the Russians to this event.

Russian Special Forces Repel a US-planned Attack In Syria, Denounce the USA and Issue a Stark Warning

Head of the Main Operations Department at Russia’s General Staff Colonel General Sergei Rudskoi declared that:

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“Despite agreements signed in Astana on September 15, gunmen of Jabhat al-Nusra and joining them units that don’t want to comply with the cessation of hostilities terms, launched a large-scale offensive against positions of government troops north and northeast of Hama in Idlib de-escalation zone from 8 am on September 19 (…) According to available data, the offensive was initiated by American intelligence services to stop a successful advance of government troops east of Deir ez-Zor“.

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Today, other Russian officials have added a not-so-veiled threat to this accusation. The Russian Defense Ministry’s spokesman, Major General Igor Konashenkov has declared that:

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Russia unequivocally told the commanders of US forces in Al Udeid Airbase (Qatar) that it will not tolerate any shelling from the areas where the SDF are stationed (…) Fire from positions in regions [controlled by the SDF] will be suppressed by all means necessary.

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This is unprecedented on many levels. First, the Russians clearly believe that this attempt to kill or capture a platoon of the Russian military police was planned by the United States. The fact that they are making this accusation officially shows the degree of irritation felt by the Russians about the duplicity of the Americans. Second, this is the first time, at least to my knowledge, that Russian Spetsnaz forces had to be sent in to rescue a surrounded Russian subunit. All Spetsnaz operators survived, but three of them were wounded in the operation (the Russians are not saying how badly).

The close air support by very low flying SU-25 aircraft was obviously coordinated by Spetsnaz forward air controllers and probably saved the day. In other words, this was a close call and things could have ended much more badly (just imagine what the Takfiri crazies would have done, on video, to any captured Russian serviceman!). Finally, a US-organized attack on what was supposed to be a “de-confliction” zone combined with an attempt to capture Russian soldiers raises the bar for American duplicity to a totally new level.

The big question now is “do the Russians mean it?” or are they just whining with real determination to hit back if needed.

There are a couple of problems here. First, objectively, the Russian contingent in Syria is a tiny one if compared to the immense power of CENTCOM, NATO and the ever-present Israelis. Not only that, but in any US-Russian confrontation, Russia as a country is objectively the weaker side by any measure except a full-out nuclear exchange. So the Russians are not in a position of force. Furthermore, for historical and cultural reasons, Russians are much more concerned by the initiation of any incident which could lead to all-out war than the Americans who always fight their wars in somebody else’s country.

This might seem paradoxical, but the Russians fear war but they are ready for it. In contrast to the Russians, the Americans don’t fear war, but neither are they ready for it. In practical terms this means that an American miscalculation could very well lead to a Russian military response which would stun the Americans and force them to enter an escalatory spiral which nobody would control.

Remember how Hillary promised that she would unilaterally impose a so-called “no-fly” zone over Syria? She promised not only to deploy US aircraft above Russian forces in Syria, but she also promised that she would force the Russian Aerospace forces out of the Syrian skies. Thank God, this crazy witch was not elected, but it appears that folks with the same arrogant and, frankly, completely irresponsible point of view are now back in power under Trump.

My fear now is that the incompetent, arrogant, not too bright and generally ignorant commanders at the Pentagon and the CIA will simply ignore clear warning signs coming from the Russians, including the public announcement that the Kremlin has given the authority to use force to protect Russian personnel to the local Russian commanders in Syria. In plain English, this means that if they are attacked the Russians in Syria do not need to consult with Moscow before using force to protect themselves. By the way, such rules of engagement are pretty common, there is nothing earth shattering here, but the fact that they were made public is, again, a message to the AngloZionist and the “good” terrorist they use to try to conquer Syria.

This time around we (the world) were lucky. The Syrians fought hard and the “good” terrorists were probably surprised by the ruthless determination of the Russian military police forces (in reality, mostly Chechen special forces) and of the Spetsnaz operators. It is one thing to fight Syrian conscripts, quite another to deal with these hardened warriors. But the next time around the outcome could be different.

The bigger picture is also one which gives me a great deal of concern. The Syrians, with Iranian, Hezbollah and Russian help, have freed Deir ez-Zor and have crossed the Euphrates river and are moving further East. In plain English this means that the US and Daesh have lost the war and that the last region of Syrian from which the AngloZionists can hope to partition the country (their current “plan B”) and establish a permanent US military presence is now threatened by the Syrian advance. The distance between the US forces currently deployed in northeastern Syria and Syrian, Iranian, Hezbollah and Russian forces is becoming shorter and shorter each day. I can just imagine how, say, Iranian or Hezbollah forces which are already “smelling” the nearby presence of US forces are drooling with hunger for the moment they will finally be able to get their hands on their old and most hated foe. I feel sincerely sorry for the first US unit to make contact with the Iranians or Hezbollah forces.

Right now the Americans are hiding behind the Kurds, but sooner or later the Iranians or Hezbollah will find them. As for the Kurds, their situation in Iraq is precarious, to put it mildly: they are surrounded on all sides by the Turks, the Syrians and the Iranians and their only more or less stable zone of control is in Iraq. The Americans understand that perfectly, hence their desperate attempts to stop the Syrians.

This is a very dangerous situation: even though CENTCOM and NATO are by far the “biggest guys on the block”, in Syria the Americans are cornered, their corner is shrinking fast and it remains entirely unclear how this process can be stopped. Hence the attack on the de-confliction zone we just witnessed.

I hope that eventually the Americans will do what they did in al-Taif and simply pack, declare victory and leave. That would be the only rational thing to do. But after listening to Trump at the UN I don’t get the feeling that being rational is at the top of the US priority list.

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Originally posted by SIGNYM:
http://thesaker.is/russian-special-forces-repel-a-us-commanded-attack-
in-syria-denounce-the-usa-and-issue-a-stark-warning/

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http://thesaker.is/russian-special-forces-repel-a-us-commanded-attack-
in-syria-denounce-the-usa-and-issue-a-stark-warning/

Yet another pro-Russian blog - KRAPO

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Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Now, my personal opinion is that Kiev grabbed some old Soviet equipment - probably from its own armories - slapped Russian plates on them, secretly trundled them INTO Russia, then notified some dupe of a reporter to record this fake "invasion" as it made its way back into Ukraine.

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What is undeniable is that Neocon Vicki Nuland, of the USA State Department did everything in her power to "glue this thing" to "make it stick together"; spending $5 billion on the overthrow of a pro-Russian government in Ukraine.

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Kiev then claimed to have "destroyed" the convoy with artillery, and Stoltenberg (NATO) backed up that claim.

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Jeez, KPO, I know that you're just hot to blame Russia for ... well... anything and everything ...

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My point was that very early on, the border was extremely porous. It's possible that equipment made its way out of Ukraine so that it could transit more safely and then back in again

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What is undeniable is that Neocon Vicki Nuland, of the USA State Department did everything in her power to "glue this thing" to "make it stick together"; spending $5 billion on the overthrow of a pro-Russian government in Ukraine.-SIGNY

Ok, now that's the jokes out of the way. Let's respond to the rest of your post.- KRAPO

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Kiev then claimed to have "destroyed" the convoy with artillery, and Stoltenberg (NATO) backed up that claim. - SIGNY

You keep making this claim, but I've never seen you back it up. Cite?- KRAPO

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Ukraine claims it has destroyed Russian military vehicles in the country's east, a day after a column was spotted moving across the border. Ukraine's president, Petro Poroshenko, told David Cameron by phone that his country's armed forces had destroyed part of an armed convoy that the Guardian saw moving through a gap in a border fence on Thursday night.

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Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that "despite hollow denials", it was now clear that Russia had illegally crossed Ukraine's border.

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Jeez, KPO, I know that you're just hot to blame Russia for ... well... anything and everything ...

Err, did you read what I just posted? The missile came from Russia and was fired from separatist territory, and then the launcher was sneaked back into Russia. The official investigators have ALREADY STATED THIS. At this point there is NOTHING you can say that can absolve Russia. So go ahead and say that this is off topic, or whatever. Because, I'll say it again:

THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN SAY THAT CAN ABSOLVE RUSSIA.

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that they're actually bothering to fight ISIS. I wonder if this will affect Assad's oil & gas deals with ISIS?

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This is what that suppression looks like: shelling of rebel-held towns. Just an example from today

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the worst incidents have been carried out by the separatists - KRAPO

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Russia started this war that has killed 10,000+

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but when you lambasted the USA's violation of Syrian sovereignty (by bombing ISIS)

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someone who cheerleads Russian violation of Ukrainian sovereignty.

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I ignore you a lot.

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You formed your opinion of Off-Guardian without even reading the article.- SIGNY
No, I formed my opinion by reading the first few lines, and the website's 'about' page.- KRAPO
You mean, "yes", I formed an opinion without reading the article. Lie.- SIGNY

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What she actually says is: "We've invested $5 billion in Ukraine to assist in these and other goals... (building democratic institutions

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It's ok KRAPO, I know you're never going to come out and say, "Sorry guys, I was wrong, I'll retract my claim". The key thing for me is that you've stared this particular wrongness in the face for long enough that you won't feel compelled to repeat it again.

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Israel Strikes Damascus After Syrian Missile Defense Fires On Aircraft

For the third time in as many weeks Israel has reportedly bombed positions inside Syria. Syrian state media along with multiple regional outlets showed fires burning at a facility near the Damascus international airport in the early hours of Friday. Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports that like with previous attacks, Israel jets fired from over Lebanese airspace. But it appears the latest exchange was part of a tit-for-tat exchange of fire between Syria and Israel in a situation that continues to dangerously escalate.

Multiple reports are circulating that the Israeli attack was initiated after Syria's aerial defense missile system engaged and fired on an Israeli aircraft in the area. Video of what purports to show Syrian missiles firing on the aircraft circulated widely in Syrian social media and was picked up by Lebanese and Israeli news outlets. Early reports indicate that an Israeli drone was likely the target.

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#Syrian air defense downing an #Israeli drone over #Syria tonight. pic.twitter.com/yWCKZSzrCR — Hamosh (@Hamosh84) September 22, 2017

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It appears that Israel's attack came in response to Syria's engaging the unidentified aircraft

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- though it's unclear if the target was hit. This latest incident is unique for the fact that Syria quickly publicized that its missile defense system engaged the Israeli target.

The Facebook page of a prominent Syrian pro-government militia reported in the early morning hours that, “an area near the Damascus international airport was attacked by a hostile missile." Israeli newspapers are claiming the site to be an ammunition storage depot.

The exchange of fire comes after a Tuesday incident wherein the Israel Defense Forces shot down what it identified as an Iranian-made drone which departed from Damascus and subsequently entered the demilitarized zone along the border on the Golan Heights. Israel's aerial defense command fired a Patriot missile and destroyed the drone.

Meanwhile, Israeli jets have been illegally operating in Lebanese airspace with increased intensity of late - even to the point of causing temporary moments of panic over southern Lebanon as low flying jets sometimes break the sound barrier.

Violation of Syrian airspace was more brazen in previous years of the war, but as we've explained previously it appears that Israel is carefully calculating it's strike positions over "neutral" Lebanese airspace so as not to force a Russian response by directly violating Syrian space.

Weeks ago senior Israeli officials were quoted as threatening to assassinate Syrian President Assad by bombing his palace in Damascus, while further adding that Israel will seek to derail the US-Russia brokered de-escalation deal reached in Astana, Kazakhstan earlier this summer. The Astana deal essentially put Russia in the driver's seat in Syria, which Israel sees as guaranteeing a permanent Iranian presence - something Prime Minister Netanyahu sees as intolerable.

Though rarely acknowledged in the media, Israel and Syria have been at open war since at least 2013, when Israel launched a massive missile attack against a Syrian defense technology facility in Jamraya outside of Damascus. Israel has also targeted Damascus International Airport on a number of occasions. During the summer, the head of Israel's air force acknowledged nearly one hundred IDF attacks on convoys inside Syria over the course of the past 5 years. And as a Wall Street Journal investigation confirmed, the Israeli army has been providing military aid to al-Qaeda linked rebels operating in Syria's south for years.

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Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Not so fast, KPO. Victoria Nuland Admits Washington Has Spent $5 Billion to "Subvert Ukraine" (7:42)

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Two things come to mind:

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2) As you listen to the speech in its entirety,

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You keep making this claim, but I've never seen you back it up. Cite?- KPO
Which part? - SIGGY

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Kiev then claimed to have "destroyed" the convoy with artillery, and Stoltenberg (NATO) backed up that claim.

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Since it's so very clear cut, why no official report?

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NOW THAT I'VE PROVEN YOU ENTIRELY WRONG- AGAIN

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KPO, I didn't want to bury relevant posts in bullshit, like you seem intent on doing to this thread, but I did edit a previous post

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Russian MoD: US Strongholds Found In ISIS-held Regions Near Deir Ezzor

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On Sunday, the Russian Ministry of Defense (Russian MoD) revealed in an official statement that US Special Operations Forces units enabled the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to smoothly advance through ISIS formations in Deir Ezzor governorate.

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The Russian MoD statement said that the US Special Operations Forces units were spotted at ISIS strongholds. However, there was “no evidence of assault, struggle or any US-led coalition airstrikes to drive out the militants.”

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“The shots clearly show the US SOF units located at strongholds that had been equipped by the ISIS terrorists. Though there is no evidence of assault, struggle or any US-led coalition airstrikes to drive out the militants.

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Despite that the US strongholds being located in the ISIS areas, no screening patrol has been organized at them. This suggests that the US troops feel safe in terrorist controlled regions,” the statement said.

Furthermore, the Russian MoD released satellite photos of ISIS strongholds in Deir Ezzor governorate that were taken on September 8-12. The photos showed several US-made Humvee vehicles, which are in service with the US Special Operations Forces.

The official statement also revealed that the US Special Operations Forces didn’t organize any patrols on the front lines with ISIS. This suggests that the US Special Operations Forces felt safe in the newly captured positions although ISIS fighters are only meters away.

The evidences released by the Russian MoD explains the rapid advance of the SDF in Deir Ezzor governorate during the last two weeks. The Russian MoD announcement also confirmed the US Special Operations Forces role on the ground may be bigger than the role played by the SDF itself.

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Russia Blames US For Death Of Top General In Syria

Shortly after Russia disclosed on Sunday that a top Russian military commander, Lieutenant General Valery Asapov - who was serving as one of Russia’s "military advisers" in Syria - was fatally wounded by an exploding shell in a mortar attack by ISIS terrorists, on Monday the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that the “two-faced policy” of the United States was to blame for the death of the Russian General in Syria.

“The death of the Russian commander is the price, the bloody price, for two-faced American policy in Syria,” Ryabkov told reporters, according to RIA.

Killed in ISIS shelling near #DeirEzzor, Asapov is to be presented with a state decoration posthumously https://t.co/HjBSWLvdeD pic.twitter.com/Y1nGlIA8nF

— RT (@RT_com) September 24, 2017

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday that Asapov had been killed by Islamic State shelling near Deir al-Zor; his death was revealed around the time Moscow disclosed what it said was photographic evidence showing US special operations located at Islamic State positions in Syria.

The aerial photos of ISIS' territory north of #Deir_ez_Zor where #USA special operation troops are seen https://t.co/lH6u8H9bvZ pic.twitter.com/gjqlQubi9o

— ?????????? ?????? (@mod_russia) September 24, 2017

Russia has complained about what it has suggested are "suspiciously friendly ties" between U.S.-backed militias, U.S. special forces, and Islamic State in the area, accusing Washington of trying to slow the advance of the Syrian army.

As a reminder, on Sunday the Russian Ministry of Defense published aerial images which they say show US Army special forces equipment located north of the Syrian town of Deir ez-Zor, where IS militants are deployed. The US troops do not face any “resistance from the ISIS militants,” while their positions have no screening patrol, which could indicate that they “feel absolutely safe” in the area, the ministry said. The US Central Command however denied the accusations in a written statement to RT.

“The allegations are false. For operational security, we do not comment on ongoing operations or the current positions of Coalition personnel and our partner forces,” the Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve said.

Ryabkov also questioned Washington’s intention to fight Islamic State in Syria.

“The American side declares that it is interested in the elimination of IS ... but some of its actions show it is doing the opposite and that some political and geopolitical goals are more important for Washington,” Ryabkov said according to Reuters.

Meanwhile, in keeping with the growing escalation between Russia and the US over Deir Ezzor, earlier on Monday, American-backed Syrian militias again accused Russian warplanes of striking their positions in the oil-rich province, near a natural gas field they seized from Islamic State last week. Russia denied that.

Despite the growing escalations, the Russian and US militaries maintain “intensive” contacts at different levels, Ryabkov said

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Originally posted by SIGNYM:
OH BTW KPO, I DID RESPOND TO YOUR POSTS. If anyone wants to read them you'll have to pick thru my previous posts

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