Full-Scale War In Syria
SteveLendmanBlog
August 9, 2012
Former Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov calls it “full-scale civil war.” It’s full-scale but not civil.
Syria’s been invaded. Civil war implies two internal warring sides. That’s very much not the case. Primakov said:
“Mercenaries and volunteers from other states are fighting (Assad) jointly with” violent internal forces. Most Syria opponents are nonviolent. They want peaceful conflict resolution. Washington has other ideas.
“President Obama has given a direct order to the CIA to support the Syrian opposition.”
“That is flagrant interference in internal affairs of a sovereign state, which does not endanger the United States or anyone else.”
“Saudi Arabia and Qatar are funding militants. Turkey is giving them active support.” So are other regional countries.
“Russia holds the only correct position,” he added. “We have a moral position: we care for life and security of millions of people and for stability of the huge and important region.”
Syria is strategically important for Moscow. Tartus is its only Mediterranean base. Protecting it is key. Assad is a valued regional ally. It’s in Russia’s interest to support him.
Moscow backed Annan’s peace plan dependent on keeping him in power and having Syrian sovereignty be respected. Its strategy also lets other global allies know it’s committed to back them if needed. Some have their own internal problems and need reassurance.
Regional economic interests are also important. Much more is involved than weapons.
Russia constructed Iran’s Bushehr nuclear facility and agreed to build three more. Both countries have strategic ties. They also have other economic relations.
Russian Federation regions have additional ones. Both countries cooperate on oil and gas interests.
Russian expertise and technology helped build Syrian infrastructure. It’s also responsible for dozens of industrial facilities. It includes about one-third of its electrical power capacity, another third of its oil-related operations, and help building the Euphrates dam.
Maritime interests are important. Linking Latakia, Syria with Novorossiysk, Russia on the Black Sea facilitates cargo shipments. Gazprom has oil and gas development operations.
Both countries have nuclear energy ties. They also cooperate on other commercial, scientific, military, and environmental issues.
Russia and Syria enjoyed strategic relations for decades. Patrick Seale called Moscow Hafez Assad’s main ally. Given Washington’s regional ambitions, both countries serve each other strategically.
Greater Washington Eurasian control threatens Moscow directly. Preventing it is key. Standing firm on Syria and Iran is vital.
America infests the region with military bases. Offensive missile shield installations target Russia and China. Both countries partnered with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan in a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) alliance.
India, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, and Mongolia have observer status. Belarus and Sri Lanka are dialogue partners. Expanding the organization is planned.
SCO supports economic cooperation, peace, and national sovereignty. Member states are a potential bulwark against Washington-led NATO aggression.
On June 6 and 7, members met in Beijing. Security and economic cooperation issues were discussed. Washington’s missile shield was condemned.
Its North Africa/Eurasian militarization threatens Russia, China, Iran, and other countries. Syria is ground zero. Holding the line is vital. Odds of succeeding are uncertain. Washington doesn’t quit once strategic plans are implemented.
Assad promises to try. On August 8, SANA state media said he’s determined to defeat terrorists responsible for mass killings and atrocities.
He spoke during a meeting with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Saeed Jalili. They met on issues affecting both countries. They agreed that resolving Syria’s crisis depends on internal solutions.
Separately, SANA reported Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi warning about:
“Plots which aim at destabilizing peace and stability in the region, instigate conflicts among the minorities and sects which lived together in peace in order to change the situations in the region.”
Salehi met with Turkish officials in Ankara. They discussed 48 Iranian visitors abducted by Syrian insurgents. At issue is ensuring their safety and release. Reportedly three were killed.
Syrian captors said one was a Russian general. They identified him as Major General Vladimir Kuzheez. Moscow’s Defense Ministry called the claim “complete lies.” An official statement added:
“The goal of broadcasting such statements is not just to cause a sensation, but a clear attempt at a slur toward the Russian Army.”
Kuzheev is very much alive. He met with journalists and dismissed reports of his death, saying:
“I want to express thanks to the media for their attention to my person….I want to confirm that I am well and alive in Moscow….I realize that this information is a provocation not only against me but against my country.”
Saudi controlled Al Arabiya broadcast a video featuring Free Syrian Army representatives claiming Kuzheev was killed. They showed what they called his photo ID identity card. It was fake.
The battle for Aleppo continues. Government forces cleared insurgents from Salaheddin. They’re gaining the upper hand. Reports are the city is surrounded.
Five Saudi and two Turkish military officers were captured. One was a Turkish general. Earlier insurgent claims about controlling most of the city were false.
They’re outmanned, outgunned, and outmaneuvered. They’re being defeated. Nonetheless, clearing them from neighborhoods takes time.
Press TV cited reports about insurgents supplied with chemical weapons. It said Turkey gave them surface-to-air Stinger missiles. They came with “thermal rockets and sophisticated weaponry.”
“More than 100 Turkish troops backed with armored vehicles and helicopters entered the Syrian border town of Cerablos in the Kurdish region of Kobani on Tuesday.”
“A spokesman for the Kurdish militias in the border towns of Kobani and Efrin accused the Turkish forces of supplying arms and ammunition to insurgents fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government.”
“NBC News also reported on July 31 that nearly two dozen MANPADs (man-portable air-defense systems) have been delivered to the insurgents in Syria by Turkey.”
Rick Rozoff also said Turkey has troops in Syria. They threatened to use them to protect a site agreed to in 1921.
Ankara was guaranteed the right to station forces at the Suleyman Shah mausoleum. He’s the grandfather of Ottoman Empire founder Osman I (Osman Bey).
Turkey considers the site and surrounding area sovereign territory. A small military contingent protects it. Whether it’s a wedge for larger numbers and planned belligerency remains to be seen.
Rozoff said the site was “proclaimed a NATO outpost in Syria.” Developments ahead warrant close monitoring. Incrementally they head toward Western and/or regional intervention.
On August 6, Ron Paul warned about more war, saying:
“The administration seems determined to fight yet another war in Syria that has nothing to do with American national interests.”
“Neoconservatives have long demanded that we overthrow the Syrian government before moving on to war against Iran. This bellicosity continues regardless of which party is in the White House.”
“In Syria we see once again we see how our interventionist policies backfire and make us less secure.”
Washington has no business being involved in Syria, he added. “When will we learn our lesson and stop intervening in conflicts….having nothing to do with American national interests?”
Republican and Democrat hawks way outnumber Paul and other congressional doves. Obama heads toward war. Electoral politics dictate timing. Post-election may be planned. He and Romney are like-minded.
It doesn’t matter who wins. Both men support war. Expect it. Only its timing is unknown. Catastrophic consequences look certain.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled “How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War”
http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
Rape Victim Traumatized By “Horrific” TSA Experience
Woman told by screener her genitals would be groped
by Paul Joseph Watson
Infowars.com
August 9, 2012
A woman who was the victim of a brutal rape underwent a “horrific” experience at the hands of TSA agents this past weekend at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport which ended up with her checking into a psychiatric ward.
Brennan Dunn, the woman’s husband, posted an account of his wife’s experience on the Flyer Talk website.
Dunn’s wife had been subjected to a violent sexual assault and death threats at the hands of three men in Florida five years previously, an experience that led to her committing self-harm and being forced to take medication and attend therapy sessions.
Traveling out of Florida due to a death in the family, Dunn’s wife was asked to go through a backscatter x-ray device. When she said she would like to opt out, the TSA agent graphically described to her how “they will need to touch your privates,” a threat routinely used by TSA screeners to intimidate people into going through the body scanner.
“That just about did it for my wife, and she started shaking, sweating, and ended up going through the backscatter,” writes Dunn.
However, despite passing through the x-ray device, TSA agents claimed an “anomaly” in the woman’s bra mandated she be patted down on her breasts.
When the woman asked for the pat down to take place in a private room with her husband present, the TSA agent became visibly annoyed and aggressive.
“As she started shaking and sobbing in the room as the TSO began to touch her breasts, I gently touched her arm. Big mistake – the TSO yelled that I couldn’t touch her and that I’d need to go through screening again,” writes Dunn.
Despite taking medication to try and forget the experience, the woman’s trauma did not subside.
“Once we got to our home airport, she vomited in the bathroom and asked me to take her to the ER. Last night she checked into our local hospital, and they’re wanting to transfer her to a psychiatric ward for a few days until she stabilizes,” writes Dunn, adding, “Is this worth it? Had she been permitted to go through the metal detector, she would have been fine. But the language of the TSOs and lack of sympathy towards anyone with mental health issues is repulsive. Every mental health professional we’ve talked to despises what the TSA is doing.”
Rape counselors have warned that women who have been sexually assaulted face treatment metered out by TSA screeners that can be “extremely re-traumatizing to someone who has already experienced an invasion of their privacy and their body.” An estimated one in six women in the United States have been the victim of an attempted or completed rape.
In December 2010, 56-year-old rape victim Claire Hirschkind was arrested for refusing to receive an “enhanced” pat down from a TSA officer at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
The fact that TSA pat down procedures now often involve screeners physically touching people’s genitals is documented.
Back in May, Fox News host Geraldo Rivera described how he was “manually raped” by a TSA agent who touched his “junk”.
In November 2010, we reported the story of how radio host Owen JJ Stone was told by a TSA screener that his pat down would include the screener putting his hands down Stone’s pants. The TSA worker directly patted down his testicles, penis and backside while his hand was inside Stone’s pants. Stone was initially embarrassed to reveal the full scope of the groping but related the details of what amounted to nothing less than outright sexual molestation.
Also in November 2010, blogger Erin Chase went public to reveal how she literally had her vagina groped by a TSA screener, who touched both her labia as well as her buttocks and breasts during a pat down.
Former Miss USA Susie Castillo also revealed how a TSA worker touched her vagina during a pat down at Dallas-Fort Worth airport in April 2011 after she refused to go through a body scanner.
*********************
Paul Joseph Watson is the editor and writer for Prison Planet.com. He is the author of Order Out Of Chaos. Watson is also a regular fill-in host for The Alex Jones Show and Infowars Nightly News.
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UPDATE: Now 60 events & HIGH RADS?! 8.09.2012 [video]
RadChick
August 9, 2012
High rad spikes in past few days:
Harrisonburg, Virginia 750 cpm (epa monitors)
Fort Smith, Arkansas 500 cpm (epa monitors)
Omaha, Nebraska 400 cpm (epa monitors)
Ponka City, Oklahoma 536 cpm (Radiation Watch on facebook)
Where are all the shills who are always blabbing about RADON causing the rads to be high? All of these places have had RECENT seismic activity.
MIT article regarding radon release from faults/Tohoku: http://www.technologyreview.com/view/424033/atmosphere-above-japan-heated-rap…
New links to add to the ones from yesterday’s video:
Update on Louisiana, officials fear explosion, stop providing data! http://www.examiner.com/article/bayou-officials-fear-giant-sinkhole-pipeline-…
Multiple water main breaks, Kansas City, Missouri: http://news.yahoo.com/video/kansascitykmbc-18211647/drought-blamed-for-causin…
Derailment Howard County, Maryland: http://columbia.patch.com/articles/train-jumps-tracks-in-howard-county
Bay Ridge Brooklyn, MULTIPLE sinkholes now: http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/35/32/br_sinkholefollow_2012_08_10_bk.html
Other Missouri sinkhole update: http://www.news-leader.com/article/20120808/NEWS01/308080023/Farm-Road-105-Gr…
Kingston, NY: http://www.dailyfreeman.com/articles/2012/08/08/news/doc5022d2b8bfd4376176152…
Naples, Florida (although this happened a few weeks ago this was only published yesterday): http://www.winknews.com/Local-Florida/2012-08-08/Naples-church-awaits-insuran…
Sinkhole near Lafayette, Indiana: http://www.journalreview.com/news/article_ac66a49c-e1c3-11e1-8edc-0019bb2963f…
Boise, Idaho (occurred 7.14 and not released because of death til now): http://www.idahopress.com/news/local/sheriff-releases-photos-of-melba-sinkhol…
Sinkhole in Vegas in June: http://www.fox5vegas.com/story/18782237/si
HUGE sinkhole Manitoba, Canada (Early July): http://www.torontosun.com/2012/07/05/manitoba-sinkhole-keeps-growing
Sinkhole Saskatchewan, Canada (in March and again in June): http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/story/2010/06/21/sk-sinkhole-1006….
5 breaks in Brevard Cty Florida overnight: http://www.cfnews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/news/article.html/content/news/…
Video from yesterday: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HORrlLUhnBQ
Adding all the sinkholes/train derailments/water main breaks we have about 60 total now.
Have a plan, be prepared. Please feel free to remix and share this video.
Kidnapping Iranian pilgrims, crime against humanity [video]
PressTV
August 8, 2012
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi has called on the United Nations to act immediately to secure the release of the Iranian nationals abducted in Syria and Libya.
“The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran calls for the immediate release of its abducted nationals and is of the view that using the hostages as human shields violates… international law and (the) human rights of these innocent civilians,” Salehi said in a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday.
“I would like to seek the cooperation and the good offices of Your Excellency for securing the release of these hostages,” he added.
A UN spokesman confirmed that the letter had been received but did not offer an immediate response.
On August 4, 48 Iranians, who were traveling on a bus from Damascus International Airport to the shrine of Hazrat Zainab (AS) on the outskirts of the Syrian capital, were abducted by insurgents. Three of the abductees have reportedly been killed. Insurgents from the self-proclaimed Free Syrian Army have threatened to kill the other abductees.
Press TV has conducted an interview with Mohsen Saleh, professor at the Lebanese University, to further discuss the issue.
Syria reportedly captures foreign military officers, UN chief won’t condemn kidnapping of Iranians
By Madison Ruppert
Editor of End the Lie
In this Tuesday, June 12, 2012 file photo, Free Syrian Army fighters sit in a house on the outskirts of Aleppo, Syria. (Image credit: AP Photo/Khalil Hamra, File)
As Syrian media is reporting the capture of military officers from foreign nations in Aleppo, the city which has a heavy presence of the Western-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) terrorist organization, the Secretary General of the United Nations is refusing to condemn the kidnapping of Iranian pilgrims in Syria.
This just highlights how laughable the United Nations is as an organization. When it suits them, they are suddenly champions of humanitarianism and human rights, just as the United States is.
Then, suddenly, when the position no longer benefits them, they quickly ignore the murder of innocent civilians at the hands of Syrian rebels. Indeed, unconfirmed reports have stated that three of the 48 Iranian pilgrims kidnapped by rebels have been killed, something which the UN doesn’t seem to care about all that much.
Keep in mind, these are the same rebels who recently carried out what is almost certainly a war crime by slaughtering detained Syrian policemen, to just name one incident.
The reports of the capture of several military officers from Saudi Arabia and Turkey have been relatively few and far between including SINA, Voice of Russia, and Press TV. Unsurprisingly, the Western mainstream media hasn’t been quick to jump on the story.
The arrests of the officers occurred during the clashes in Aleppo and come on the heels of multiple reports from various news agencies on the foreign agents present in the opposition.
For instance, on June 21, 2012, the New York Times reported that the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was directly aiding in getting arms into the hands of the terrorists in the Syrian opposition.
Then on June 22, 2012, the British Guardian reported that Saudi Arabia actually plans to fund and arm the Syrian rebels through a command center in Turkey.
On August 2, 2012, Reuters reported that Syria accused Turkey of taking a “fundamental role” in supporting terrorism by allowing insurgents to carry out attacks in Syria, further widening the gap between the two former allies.
Most noteworthy, however, came on July 27, 2012 when none other than Reuters reported that Turkey actually set up a secret base in concert with Saudi Arabia and Qatar in order to aid the opposition forces.
This is quite important because the unnamed “Doha-based source” quoted by Reuters said, “It’s the Turks who are militarily controlling it. Turkey is the main co-ordinator/facilitator. Think of a triangle, with Turkey at the top and Saudi Arabia and Qatar at the bottom.”
“The Americans are very hands-off on this. U.S. intel(ligence) are working through middlemen. Middlemen are controlling access to weapons and routes,” the anonymous source added.
The alleged activities of these nations are hardly surprising given the fact that there have long been reports of cross-border operations being run into Syria, Syria allegedly downed a Turkish jet and Qatar was running the rebel operations in Libya.
Of course, the U.S. played the same “hands-off” role in Libya, which involved bombing the country into smithereens.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s refused to outright condemn the kidnapping of Iranian pilgrims, with his spokesman Martin Nesirky saying, “I don’t have anything at the moment.”
When Iran’s Press TV asked Nesirky if Ban might be taking some action in terms of intervening before more hostages are slaughtered, he said, “I think it’s obvious that there are a number of players involved in this already and I don’t think I want to go to any more details at this point.”
The Iranians are clearly taking it much more seriously than the United Nations, with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian making some quite heated statements.
“We hold the Turkish government responsible for giving shelter to these armed groups and also if a criminal act is carried out by these groups, such as kidnapping Iranian citizens,” Abdollahian said, according to Press TV.
“We also hold the Qatari government accountable. It is worth mentioning that the US is openly supporting the armed groups with ammunition,” he added.
It will be quite interesting to see if the United Nations continues to delegitimize itself as an institution by silently watching as the rebels continue to carry out terrorist acts and potential war crimes or if they will step up and protect human life regardless of the politics behind it.
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Turkish General Arrested in Aleppo, Syria; Turkey Denies, Iran Calls for Consequences
by Christof Lehmann
nsnbc
August 6, 2012
Yesterday the Iranian News Agency FARS reported that the Syrian Military had arrested a Turkish General in Aleppo, Syria. (1) Not Surprisingly the Turkish government vehemently denies that Syria should have arrested the General. It also denied that the Phantom F4 fighter jet that was downed by the Syrian military over a months ago had illegally entered Syrian air-space while Turkey admittedly is waging an illegal war on Syria.
The report has, in spite of Turkish attempts to rebut it, gained in credibility when the Iranian Member of Parliament, Mansour Haghighat-Pour demanded that Ankara should answer for the activities of the Turkish general who had been arrested in Aleppo.
Mansour Haghighat-Pour is the Vice Chairman of the Iranian Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, a position that provides privileged access to information from a usually very well informed Iranian Intelligence Community.
Mansour Haghighat-Pour added, that ” the population of Turkey must not stay indifferent to the ant-Islamic policy of that country. It is hardly probably that Turkey´s population will be silent if it turns out that the Turkish government supplies weapons to terrorists”.
The statement of the Iranian Member of Parliament is sensitive to the fact that the Turkish opposition to the Erdogan led government is increasingly voicing concerns about Turkey´s aggression against Syria. Only recently the Vice Chairman of Turkey´s Labor Party, Hasan Basri Ozbey , stated that the Party has clear evidence for the fact that Turkey´s President Gul incited terrorism in Syria. (2)
A senior Whitehall official stated in June, that the the United Kingdom and other countries, including Turkey, France, and possibly the USA, had deployed Special Forces to Syria. (3)
Taking into account that a successful major military operation inside Syria is bound to fail unless the foreign backed mercenary and terrorist forces and their Special Forces Liaisons succeed in establishing a stronghold in at least one major city before the onset of fall and winter, and that a massive military campaign is being waged to secure the city of Aleppo, is also increasing the likelihood that Turkey would have deployed a high ranking military officer to co-ordinate the military campaign in Aleppo.
After the NATO/GCC/Israeli Alliance has failed to topple the Syrian government and to cast the country into chaos and civil war because China and Russia have drawn a clear line against a repetition of the Libyan scenario, it seems that the “Opposition” is now making a push for the conquering of Aleppo as a basis for the establishment of a proxy government in Aleppo that could officially invite other nations military forces. The model has been used in Libya in 2011, when a transitional government was established in Benghazi.
Today Danish and other European Media proclaim that the Syrian Military uses it´s Air Force in Aleppo. A claim that so far has not been independently verified for nsnbc. It is however, symptomatic for the fact that a strong military push towards the establishment of a proxy government in Aleppo is being conducted to provide a political pretext for a push towards the establishment of a so called No-Fly-Zone.
Unless a statement from the government of Syria declares otherwise, it most likely that the Syrian military has captured a Turkish general or high ranking military officer in Aleppo, who was co-ordinating and supporting the establishment of a stronghold in the city.
The implications of the capture of a high-ranking Turkish-NATO military officer inside Syria are staggering and could warrant Syrian calls for a joint Syrian Iranian response based on the two nations defense contracts.
Christof Lehmann
06.08.2012
1) Syria Arrests Turkish Army General in Aleppo. http://nsnbc.wordpress.com/2012/08/05/syria-arrests-turkish-army-general-in-aleppo/
2) Turkish Labor Party Deputy Chairman: We Have Clear Evidence That Turkish President Incited Terrorism and War on Syria http://nsnbc.wordpress.com/2012/07/22/turkish-labor-party-deputy-chairman-we-have-clear-evidence-that-turkish-president-incited-terrorism-and-war-on-syria/
3) NATO Special Forces in Syria now Official. http://nsnbc.wordpress.com/2012/06/04/nato-special-forces-in-syria-now-official/
RELATED:
Syria Arrests Turkish Army General in Aleppo
Sectarian slaying: Syrian rebels attack Alawites, Christians – reports
Global Research
August 8, 2012
Russia Today
The massacre took place in Jandar village near the western city of Homs on Tuesday, Syria’s state news agency SANA reports.
“Armed men stormed the Jandar residential compound, firing indiscriminately and killing 16 Syrians, among them six Christians, six Alawites – including the compound director – and four Sunnis,” said the director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based NGO.
Abdel Rahman said the gunmen targeted only the Syrian employees of the Jandar power plant. The other employees were Japanese and Iranians, who live with their families in the compound in Jandar village. “The village and its surrounding areas are Sunni,” he added.
Syria is a predominantly Sunni country, but it is also home to Christians and other Muslim denominations, among them the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shia Islam. Syria’s President Bashar Assad and the country’s ruling elite belong to the Alawite minority.
The latest attacks against minorities come after Bassam Mohieddin, an Alawite film director, was killed near his home in the outskirts of Damascus on Sunday.
“Treacherous hands assassinated Bassam Mohieddin on Sunday,” Syria’s General Cinema Institute said in a statement on Tuesday, adding the murder occurred in Jdeidet Artuz, the scene of recent clashes between government troops and rebels, AFP reports.
Also on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has warned against Syria descending into a sectarian war. “We have to set very clear expectations about avoiding sectarian warfare,” she said during her trip to South Africa, Reuters reports.
“Those who are attempting to exploit the situation by sending in proxies or terrorist fighters must realize that will not be tolerated, first and foremost, by the Syrian people,” she added.
The collapse of the Assad regime could lead to the repression of minority groups, former Russian prime minster and Middle East expert Evgeny Primakov has warned in an interview with the Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper.
“Should the armed opposition manage to oust Assad, it would try to impose a Sunni regime, which would immediately lead to the persecution of Alawites, who comprise a significant part of the population,” he said adding that everyone who does not share the opposition’s religious views would face repression.
Primakov also explained that Al-Qaeda is supporting the Syrian rebels because it is a Sunni organization.
The ongoing violence in Syria has reportedly claimed some 21,000 lives since the uprising against the Bashar Assad regime started in March 2011.
PN 