Thread: Syria News and Editorials

Fisk seems to think the Israeli attacks indicated that the Israelis were fighting on the side of the rebels:

Much more important, however, is the salient fact that Israel has now intervened in the Syrian war. It may say it was only aiming at weapons destined for the Hezbollah – but these were weapons also being used against rebel forces in Syria. By diminishing the regime’s supply of these weapons, it is therefore helping the rebels overthrow Bashar al-Assad. And since Israel regards itself as a Western nation – best friend and best US military ally in the Middle East, etc, etc – this means that “we” are now involved in the war, directly and from the air.

Robert Fisk: The truth is that after Israel

... or at least he did 2 weeks ago.

The role of the US military in stealing Syria’s oil runs deeper than mere petty theft. The funds are used to prop up Kurdish self-rule and ensure Syria’s geographic division.

By Firas Al-SHOUFIIn July 2021, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin described the US theft of oil from the areas it occupies in eastern Syria as “bandit behavior.” The same term was previously used by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and other officials in statements denouncing Washington’s violation of Syria’s sovereignty.The official Syrian media announces every now and then about convoys of trucks and tankers transporting oil from the east of the Euphrates region toward Iraq, under US military protection and escorted by the US-backed Kurdish militia, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).But does the US really need to steal these small quantities of Syrian oil after its production declined from about 360,000 barrels to less than 90,000 barrels per day, using primitive extraction methods?

More than just oil

The main goal of siphoning off Syrian oil is to help the Kurdish Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), which is protected by more than 13 US military bases, to finance its activities and cover its local fuel needs.It also aims to preserve the area of ​​US influence between Baghdad and Damascus, while simultaneously choke-holding the Syrian government – and deprive the largest Syrian population in the area controlled by Damascus of vital resources such as oil, gas, wheat, and medicine.The AANES itself admitted that oil and gas revenues amounted to about 156 billion Syrian pounds ($156 million) in 2019, more than 76 percent of its total revenues in 2019. It claimed to have spent these funds on paying the salaries of its civil and military employees.

According to the co-chair of the AANES Executive Council, Abd Hamid al-Mehbash, the number of civilian employees exceeds 120,000, in addition to the military forces involved in the SDF.

However, these figures have been disputed by a Syrian government source who told The Cradle that, “Inflating the number aims to bring in more international aid from western countries, and to suggest that the administration benefits the population and improves management of the areas it controls with the support of the American occupation.”Damascus believes that the SDF, and their US patrons, are not serious about finding a solution to the conflict and restoring the unity of Syria, despite Syrian and Russian attempts at dialogue and ongoing Turkish military pressure.

Still using the Kurds

The Syrian government source told The Cradle there is growing conviction that Washington’s intentions are to continue using Kurdish divisions and separatist goals to maintain political instability in Syria for many years to come, and to keep the country hostage to international and regional ambitions and to post-war chaos.

According to an Arab intelligence source, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), whose headquarters are based in the Qandil Mountains near the Iraq-Iran border, is in charge of the Syrian oil file, from which it secure funds to finance its military and administrative activities.The PKK is regarded as a terrorist organization by both the US and Turkey, and is essentially the big brother of the Syrian-Kurdish People’s Defense Units (YPG) militant group.

The US army rebranded the YPG in 2015 – merging it with the newly formed SDF – in an effort to downplay the group’s PKK linkage and make it more appealing to local Arabs and Syrian minorities.In short, Syrian oil theft operations which take place under US military cover, financially benefit a US-listed Kurdish terrorist organization.Indeed, US Assistant Secretary of Defense Jonathan Hoffman has confirmed that the Syrian oil revenues do not belong to the US, rather to the SDF.This US policy of “suffocation” was reinforced in the past few years with the oppressive US Congress’ “Caesar Act” – the most sweeping sanctions imposed on Damascus to date, which have had a crippling impact on Syria’s trade and economy by targeting entities and individuals who have conducted business with the country’s government-dominated sectors.Adding to Syria’s woes has been the frequent Israeli targeting of the ports of Tartous and Latakia to impede oil exports, and the repeated attacks on Syria’s Homs refinery, which is the country’s main one for refining crude oil.

There are no accurate official reports about the production output of the oil fields under control of the SDF in eastern Syria, especially after they were severely damaged in the international coalition military operations against ISIS. It is also not possible to obtain accurate information about the SDF’s stolen oil revenues, because Syrian government employees are denied access to oil facilities.However, the director general of the governmental Al-Jibsah oil fields in the Hasakah governorate, Ali Hassan al-Youssef, told Sputnik that US forces seize about 2,000 cubic meters (12,460 barrels) per day from the Jibsah fields, and 40,000 barrels from the Rumailan fields in Hasakah, where one of the largest oil fields is located.

Where does the oil go?

Information provided by local sources in Hasakah and Deir Ezzor confirm Syrian security and media reports on the four key destinations to which the stolen oil is transported.

Map Credit: The Cradle

The first destination is in the countryside of Deir Ezzor, in the areas controlled by the Autonomous Administration, where the largest portion of oil is consumed after being refined in primitive refineries. The price of gasoline in these areas starts from 210 Syrian pounds per liter of “subsidized” gasoline, which is of the lowest quality, and ranges – according to quality – from 410 pounds to 1250 pounds.

The second oil destination are areas occupied by Turkish forces – with the cooperation of the foreign-backed, so-called “Syrian National Army” – and Idlib, which is controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).Crude oil is transported to these areas through several crossings, including the well-known Al-Hamran crossing, south of the city of Jarabulus (east Aleppo). The crossing was under the control of the Turkish-backed “Third Corps” militant group, which used to receive commissions in exchange for allowing the passage of oil to Idlib, before HTS recently wrested control over the area via Ahrar al-Sham militants.

The Al-Salam Company, which is affiliated with HTS, handles buying and selling operations with the Kurdish Autonomous Administration. Oil is sold in these areas at approximately 5,000 pounds per liter.The third destination for stolen Syrian oil is Iraqi Kurdistan – via the crossings of Mahmudiyah and Semlakah – where oil is abundant. Sources on the ground say that this oil re-enters the areas under the control of the Autonomous Administration after it has been refined, to be sold at high prices.

The fourth destination, which receives the least amount of oil, are areas under the control of the Syrian government, to which about 30 to 60 tankers transport fuel every few days. Oil prices in these areas are the highest, and the price of one liter exceeds 5,000 Syrian pounds or $2.

Turkiye is also a threat to Syria’s energy security

On 30 November, Syrian Oil Minister Bassam Tohme announced that the Turkish air strikes had caused “great damage” to the country’s energy facilities, after hitting a gas plant, several oil wells, and electricity stations.Tohme said that the bombing led to the disruption of a gas plant that produces 150 tons of domestic gas per day, and about one million cubic meters of natural gas used to supply the Hasakah governorate with electricity.

The damage sustained to oil stations and the burning of many wells “led to great environmental pollution due to tanker explosions,” he elaborated.

However, the Turkish attacks – which are conducted under the pretext of fighting the SDF – do not seem, so far, to be more than a disciplinary process to weaken the Kurdish militia’s funding sources. It is not easy to eliminate the SDF, as long as the US maintains its illegal military presence in Syria.Even if the Turkish military operations succeed in seizing new lands from Syria, as is the case today in Idlib, Jarabulus, and the northern border strip, this policy will only exacerbate existing divisions between militants affiliated with Ankara, and those affiliated with Washington, such as the Kurdish Autonomous Administration.

So long as Syria’s natural resources are so brazenly pilfered by foreign bandits in army fatigues to fund their respective agendas for the country, Syria will remain geographically divided. It is only when these stolen funds dry up that the agendas will too.

thecradle.co

I see you've decided to bump this thread with more of your propaganda nonsense.

I'm sure you'd like nothing more than the SDF and the remaining rebels to be annihalated by either of the dictators involved in Syria.

You love your dictators, don't you.

Not as much as you love Isil and Al Qaeda, don't you When you are told to. Two friends of mine died in 911, and I do not forget the US declaring a "War on Terror". Unlike you and the US government apparently.

Originally Posted by sabang

Not as much as you love Isil and Al Qaeda, don't you When you are told to. Two friends of mine died in 911, and I do not forget the US declaring a "War on Terror". Unlike you and the US government apparently.

The reason they are there is to stop ISIL and Al Qaeda taking the oil you moron.

And screw your crocodile tears, you hate the US so much you were probably cheering on 9/11.

If you let the Syrian army, Iran and Russia do their job, there would be sweet fuck all Isis and Al Qaeda scum left in Syria. Still sulking then, after all these years 'arry.

Originally Posted by sabang

If you let the Syrian army, Iran and Russia do their job, there would be sweet fuck all Isis and Al Qaeda scum left in Syria.

The Syrin army, Iran and Russia have killed at least 230,000 Syrian civilians.

Of course you would cheerlead that.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

The reason they are there is to stop ISIL and Al Qaeda taking the oil you moron.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

The Syrin army, Iran and Russia have killed at least 230,000 Syrian civilians.

Not that I doubt your numbers. Link ?

And your prefered side has which numbers on their conscience ?

A 10 year old thread revived so our armchair generals can post up how their chosen "good guys" are 100% good and the "bad guys" are 100% bad. Defies logic.

The status quo is doing more harm than good. Let’s admit failure before more people are hurt and put in harm’s way.

DECEMBER 21, 2022
Written by
Doug Bandow







Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is behind in the polls, causing him to again look to Syria for “a splendid little war” to win votes. A new invasion could put U.S. personnel at risk and the threat has triggered an angry response in Washington. Ankara’s threats are unjustified, but America’s presence is unwarranted.

The civil war in Syria continues sporadically after nearly a dozen years, with the U.S. still occupying a corner of the country with 900 troops. Meanwhile, Washington has a death grip on Syria’s economy, consigning the Syrian population to poverty through sanctions (Caesar Act). Several other country’s armed forces, including Turkey’s, are active across Syria, creating a risk of broader conflict.

As with other adversaries, Washington believed that maximum pressure would somehow create a friendly government in Damascus. Instead, Western efforts to forge a democratic transition long ago stalled. So far the Biden administration has simply maintained the status quo. Observed the Atlantic Council’s Abdulrahman al-Masri: “The U.S. does not know what it wants in Syria and has no coherent endgame.” That isn’t likely to change, he says, “given the dramatic shift in priorities of the U.S. foreign policy agenda and acute lack of safe options for reengagement in Syria.”

However, Erdogan has proposed to meet with Syria’s Bashar al-Assad and Russia’s Vladimir Putin. A modus vivendi among the three could end the last vestiges of the conflict and reintegrate Syria into the region. Washington should aid this process by rolling back sanctions which target the Syrian people and encouraging its Gulf partners to reengage with Damascus.

The Syrian civil war began in early 2011 with “Arab Spring” protests against Assad’s government. Violence soon erupted and the conflict drew in foreign groups and nations, including the U.S. Washington’s policy was too clever by half, seeking to simultaneously oust Assad, defeat the Islamic State, promote moderate insurgents, effectively ally with Islamic radicals, indirectly support the local al-Qaida affiliate, conciliate Turkey as the latter covertly aided ISIS and later overran U.S.-backed Kurdish troops, and expel Iranian and Russian forces. Moscow and Tehran simply focused on supporting the Damascus government.

A decade later U.S. policy had failed almost completely, other than defeating ISIS, largely accomplished by others doing the fighting. Washington’s opposition to Persian Gulf engagement with Damascus has left the Syrian regime largely isolated, reliant on Iran and Russia. America’s continued illegal occupation has put U.S. military personnel at risk of attack.

Sources of continuing conflict include the Idlib enclave, largely ruled by jihadist and terrorist factions and protected by Turkey. Israel regularly strikes Iranian forces inside Syria. The Erdogan government uses proxy Arab militias to rule, with predictable brutality, over Syrian Kurdish areas. Ankara’s military intervention continues, with Erdogan currently threatening another invasion of Syria’s northeast, an autonomous zone run by Syrian Kurds and hosting several hundred American personnel. In November, Turkish air and artillery strikes came close to U.S. positions. CIA Director William Burns complaint to Ankara was without effect.

Americans’ presence inevitably draws hostile fire and it could get worse. Moscow might retaliate for U.S. support for Ukraine. A revived Islamic State could seek revenge against the U.S. Most seriously, Tehran is likely to urge Iranian proxy forces to strike, as in the past. One analysis found 29 Iranian-inspired attacks on U.S. forces from October 2021 through June 2022. The Biden administration could find itself in one or more limited but troublesome shooting wars with irregular opponents.

Political reform is essential, but the United Nations-led peace process is going nowhere, despite heartfelt pleas from the UN special envoy. The assumption that Assad could be forced to quit after surviving a decade of civil war was always fantastic. And Washington’s worsening relations with Russia and Iran diminish any chance of cooperation with the West.

Although sold as more humane than war, economic sanctions are known, and sometimes intended, to be even more destructive. Who can forget Madeleine Albright’s a half million Iraqi babies: “We think the price is worth it.”

Multiple sanctions have been levied on Damascus. Most brutal is the 2019 Caesar Act, which essentially prevents any foreign entity dealing with American institutions from doing business in Syria. The Trump administration made the perfunctory claim that sanctions were “not intended to harm the Syrian people, but rather to promote accountability for the Assad regime’s violence and destruction.” However, this was demonstrably false.

Wrote Natalie Armbruster of Defense Priorities: “the U.S. sanctions strategy in Syria does not punish Assad—it punishes Syrians, whether they support the regime or not. Currently, nine in 10 Syrians live in poverty, and more than six in 10 face the risk of going hungry.”

This was, in fact, the perverse intent of its supporters, including special representative James Jeffrey, who misled President Trump about America’s troop presence in order to manipulate him into keeping U.S. forces in Syria. Despite this disservice to the American people, Jeffrey played a lead role in implementing sanctions. After passage of the Caesar Act, he explained: U.S. policy was “to compel the government of Assad to halt its murderous attacks on the Syrian people and to support a transition to a government in Syria that respects the rule of law, human rights, and peaceful coexistence with its neighbors.”

Jeffrey also suggested another objective, for which the Syrian people were just another means to a different end: “My job is to make it a quagmire for the Russians.” That is, Washington hurt Syrians to punish Russians. So far the Putin government has shown no inclination to abandon Assad.

Jeffrey is not alone in perversely exulting in the hardship caused the Syrian people. A former Special Envoy for Syria, Joel Rayburn, celebrated by tweet just this month: “Assad’s economy & state are collapsing: – No fuel. – No electricity. – No commerce. – Streets empty. – Assad just prints money to pay salaries/bills. Result: inflation making basic needs unaffordable. – Pound crashed to 5,900 per $, making imports impossible.”

Even Jeffrey finally appears to have some doubts about his handiwork. He recently admitted that the U.S. government owes “its own citizens, whose soldiers are often under fire in Syria—an answer to the question ‘How does this all end?’ for Syria as a whole.”

The latest Erdogan initiative holds the possibility of doing so. The Turkish leader once was close to Assad but then worked to oust him. Erdogan’s willingness to re-engage with Syria suggests a Russian-backed deal by which Ankara withdraws and allows Damascus to retake control of its border with Turkey. That would provide security to Ankara and end Turkish occupation of Syrian Kurdish lands.

Combined with an American withdrawal, this process also would give Damascus control over the rest of its border with Iraq. With the support of Russia and Turkey, Syria could reduce Iranian involvement in its territory, lowering tensions with Israel. This step would also encourage the Gulf states and other Arab governments to reestablish ties with Damascus. Washington could end its economic war on the Syrian people while retaining targeted sanctions on Assad’s military and internal security agencies. Then Syria’s neighbors could offer reconstruction aid, with political conditions.

Much obviously could go wrong with such a strategy, starting with Turkey. Moreover, in Washington there would be much caterwauling about “rewarding” and “appeasing” the ostentatiously odious Assad regime. However, the U.S. has lost both the war and peace in Syria.

Successive administrations have failed to overthrow the Assad government. Washington is left punishing Syria’s victims rather than oppressors. U.S. policymakers should admit their failure and try a new strategy. Seeking peace rather than fostering conflict would better suit the interests of America and the Syrian people.

https://responsiblestatecraft.org/20...ing-sanctions/

Originally Posted by Norton

A 10 year old thread revived so our armchair generals can post up how their chosen "good guys" are 100% good and the "bad guys" are 100% bad. Defies logic.

You mean a ten year old thread bumped by a flag waving Putin brown noser because his other thread of choice got shithoused.

Hence pages more of his bullshit propaganda.

US Says It Opposes Countries Normalizing With Assad After Syria-Turkey Talks


Syria and Turkey's defense ministers held talks for the first time since 2011by Dave DeCamp Posted onJanuary 4, 2023CategoriesNewsTagsSyria, Turkey

The State Department on Tuesday said that the US opposes other countries normalizing with the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad following high-level talks between Syria and Turkey.

The defense ministers of Syria and Turkey met in Moscow at the end of December, marking the first time Ankara and Damascus held talks at that level since 2011. While sources told Middle East Eye no deals were made at the meeting, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said he expects to meet with his Syrian and Russian counterparts later this month.

The Turkish rapprochement with Syria represents a significant shift as Ankara severed relations with Damascus in 2012 and supported the failed regime change effort against Assad by backing anti-government fighters in Syria. Even though it’s clear Assad isn’t going anywhere, the US opposes Syria’s neighbors normalizing with his government.

“We do not support countries upgrading their relations or expressing support to rehabilitate the brutal dictator Bashar al-Assad,” State Department Ned Price told reporters. When asked if the US spoke to Turkey about the issue, Price said, “We’ve made very clear to all of our allies and partners that now is not the time to normalize relations, now is not the time to upgrade relations.”

The current US policy against Syria, as Secretary of State Antony Blinken has put it, is to “oppose” the country’s reconstruction after over a decade of war. Price accused Assad of continuing “to inflict atrocities on the Syrian people,” but a UN special rapporteur recently detailed how US sanctions are harming ordinary Syrians.

Alena Douhan, a special rapporteur on unilateral coercive measures, visited Syria and found sanctions were having “catastrophic effects” on Syrians of all walks of life, including by causing medicine shortages, and called for them to be lifted.

“In the current dramatic and still-deteriorating humanitarian situation, as 12 million Syrians grapple with food insecurity, I urge the immediate lifting of all unilateral sanctions that severely harm human rights and prevent any efforts for early recovery, rebuilding, and reconstruction,’ Douhan told the UN Security Council in November.

On top of the sanctions, the US maintains an occupation force in eastern Syria of about 1,000 troops and backs the Kurdish-led SDF in the region, allowing the US to control a significant portion of Syrian territory. There’s no ending sight to the US siege on Syria, as the White House said in October it has “no plans” to lift the sanctions or end its military presence in the country.

https://news.antiwar.com/2023/01/04/us-says-it-opposes-countries-normalizing-with-assad-after-syria-turkey-talks/


Still sulking then auntie sam. Same same Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Iran et al. I don't think being a perpetual sulk and sore loser is the best way forward in foreign policy.

Oh look, sabang cheering for another mass-murdering dictator.

He loves 'em, he does.

Disturbing . . .

Yes, I'm well aware you lot were rooting for Al Qaeda and Isis. I guess you must share their values.

https://www.plenglish.com/news/2023/...base-in-syria/

Originally Posted by sabang

Yes, I'm well aware you lot were rooting for Al Qaeda and Isis. I guess you must share their values.

No-one was rooting for them, that's just your silly Russian propaganda again.

Syria is still going on?
I had not heard much about Syria fo a while , and I thought for sure the Syrian people must had been liberated from the evil Assad by, now, their lives improved and no more chemical weapons.

Originally Posted by sabang

Na, the Jihad failed Brother. The infidels are still sat there in Damascus sipping latte', drinking the demon alcohol, and marrying people outside their Faith.
Jezebel and Delilah roam the wicked streets, naked faces exposed for all the world to see, and the smell of forbidden lust permeates the loins of true believers.

Looks like the chang and the weed is kicking in.

It's OK 'arry, it's much better in Idlib. Inshallah.

What's that, to protect against Assad's chemical barrel bombs?