The Syria Thread 2011 - Present

[Belligerent Savant]

.

Mentalgongfu2: that may well have been a blind spot in Bartlett's commentary; perhaps she's a bit too embedded/in the weeds to address this issue dispassionately.
But her reaction to the word "story" in and of itself does not make her reporting FALSE, nor does it negate the myriad problems with the narratives of the White Helmets peddled in the mainstream press.

There is reporting on the ground, by several reporters, and then there is the reporting from afar, almost entirely by establishment press. Analyze both before arriving to an assessment.


(SLAD: why are you speaking in absolutes Re: AD's intentions? How do you know for certain? AD's actions speak far louder than any of your refutations. I do not retract anything I typed regarding AD's M.O., and have no interest in continuing this discussion. Say what you want. It won't change what some here observe)

[SonicG]

And well, Syria is not over yet it looks...Trump getting tested on the economy (all those trillions "gained" last year to cover the increased spending?) and Syria/Russia...

All hell breaks loose in Syria after rebels shoot down Russian jet over the weekend

Syrian rebels shot down a Russian jet on Saturday and killed the pilot on the ground, according to Russia's Defense Ministry.
Russia responded furiously with dozens of airstrikes that observers say hit hospitals and coincided with chlorine gas attacks.
Turkey also took heavy losses against the Kurds, who are backed by the US.
The US has said it would respond to future Syrian chemical weapons attacks with force.
It looks as if Russia may blame a Western source for the missile that took down its jet.

http://uk.businessinsider.com/hell-in-s ... end-2018-2

[Rory]

The latest from nouvelle pro-regime change hack, Olivia's Colon

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/f ... r-campaign

Russia is gona did done hack the Oscars!

Fml - this ZOMG RUSSIA! shite is delirious muppetry

[chump]

https://www.corbettreport.com/interview ... e-helmets/

For the past two years, Vanessa Beeley has been doing on-the-ground reporting in Syria exposing the lies of the NATO powers and their terrorist proxies. Her work on the White Helmets in particular has drawn the ire of the warmongers and their media mouthpieces. Today we talk to Beeley about the true nature of the White Helmets and the well-funded PR campaign that seeks to defend them.

https://youtu.be/NQL3rX6xWRg
-

SHOW NOTES :

Beeley’s White Helmets reporting at 21st Century Wire

Beeley’s reporting at Mint Press News

Syrian Civilians Hit by Chlorine Gas Attack, Activists Say

How Syria’s White Helmets became victims of an online propaganda machine

LAST MEN IN ALEPPO: Al Qaeda Presented as ‘White Helmets’ for the Annual Terrorist ‘Oscar’ Nomination

WHITE HELMETS: Channel 4, BBC, The Guardian – Architects of ‘Humanitarian’ War

Investigation: White Helmets Committing Acts Of Terror Across Syria

Recommended by Beeley: Tim Hayward’s blog

Recommended by Beeley: Searching for the Truth About Syria and the White Helmets (February 2018)

[Sounder]

https://www.activistpost.com/2018/02/u- ... upies.html

!00 dead.

The U.S. attack represents yet another brazen act of hubris and arrogance that goes hand in hand with the Western imperialism which has seen the United States and NATO march across the world, leaving nothing but their bloody footprints behind them. To claim “self-defense” in a country that you have destabilized, invaded, and occupied is hypocrisy to say the least. It is also a violation of national sovereignty and international law.

[Elvis]

Well... Corbett Report is known to spread conspiracy theories....

...and, as usual, he's on the money:

https://www.corbettreport.com/interview ... e-helmets/

For the past two years, Vanessa Beeley has been doing on-the-ground reporting in Syria exposing the lies of the NATO powers and their terrorist proxies. Her work on the White Helmets in particular has drawn the ire of the warmongers and their media mouthpieces. Today we talk to Beeley about the true nature of the White Helmets and the well-funded PR campaign that seeks to defend them.

https://youtu.be/NQL3rX6xWRg
-

SHOW NOTES :

Beeley’s White Helmets reporting at 21st Century Wire

Beeley’s reporting at Mint Press News

Syrian Civilians Hit by Chlorine Gas Attack, Activists Say

How Syria’s White Helmets became victims of an online propaganda machine

LAST MEN IN ALEPPO: Al Qaeda Presented as ‘White Helmets’ for the Annual Terrorist ‘Oscar’ Nomination

WHITE HELMETS: Channel 4, BBC, The Guardian – Architects of ‘Humanitarian’ War

Investigation: White Helmets Committing Acts Of Terror Across Syria

Recommended by Beeley: Tim Hayward’s blog

Recommended by Beeley: Searching for the Truth About Syria and the White Helmets (February 2018)

Thanks Chump.

[seemslikeadream]

Tim Kaine demands release of secret Trump war powers memo

by Heidi Przybyla
Feb 9 2018, 9:59 am ET
WASHINGTON — Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., is demanding the release of a secret memo outlining President Donald Trump’s interpretation of his legal authority to wage war.

Kaine, a member of the Armed Services and the Foreign Relations committees, sent a letter Thursday night to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson seeking a seven-page memo the administration has kept under wraps for months.

Kaine has been leading the charge for Trump to outline his legal rationale for a U.S. bombing campaign in Syria last April in response to President Bashar al-Assad’s chemical attacks on civilians. Kaine and others worry that such action compromises congressional oversight over military action.

There is a new urgency to obtain the memo given increasing U.S. involvement in Syria and recent Trump administration rhetoric on North Korea. Shortly after the 2017 bombing raid, several members of Congress called on Trump to justify it under U.S. and international law. Article I of the U.S. Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war.

“The fact that there is a lengthy memo with a more detailed legal justification that has not been shared with Congress, or the American public, is unacceptable,” Kaine said in the letter to Tillerson, obtained by NBC News.

“I am also concerned that this legal justification may now become precedent for additional executive unilateral military action, including this week’s U.S. airstrikes in Syria against pro-Assad forces or even an extremely risky ‘bloody nose’ strike against North Korea,” Kaine wrote.

According to a court filing provided by Protect Democracy, a bipartisan group of lawyers, Attorney General Jeff Sessions was briefed last April on the substance of the memo. Sessions received the briefing so he could know “how to advise the president on future actions,” the filing said, citing a DOJ attorney.

The Justice Department declined a request for comment.

Kaine’s demand comes after a U.S.-led coalition fighting ISIS in Syria conducted air and artillery strikes against pro-regime forces on Wednesday, killing an estimated 100 pro-regime fighters. The confrontation and last year’s operation “raises serious questions about our continued presence in Syria,” Kaine said.

It also follows recent talk from Trump administration officials — including United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley — suggesting the U.S. stands ready to respond militarily to additional chemical attacks in Syria.

Lawmakers are also concerned about the administration’s adversarial posture toward North Korea, including reported internal discussions of a first strike. On Monday, a group of Democratic senators organized by Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, sent a letter to Trump saying he lacks the “legal authority” to carry out a pre-emptive strike on North Korea.

Trump has previously suggested on Twitter he may dispense with diplomacy in North Korea, contradicting his own officials, including Tillerson.


Meanwhile, his administration has not committed to seeking prior approval from Congress or the United Nations Security Council for any potential action against North Korea.

Finally, Trump’s demand for a U.S. military parade in Washington, an event that has historically been associated with major wars, has raised concerns on both sides of the aisle.

“Unless Donald Trump goes to Congress before starting a new war, the real bloody nose is going to be the American Constitution,” said Allison Murphy, counsel at Protect Democracy who served in President Barack Obama’s White House Counsel’s office.

“Congress needs to demand the secret Syria memo when the administration is threatening to use force around the world without authority,” Murphy said, adding that the American people deserve to see it.

The memo’s existence came to light last fall because of a Freedom of Information Act request by Protect Democracy seeking Trump’s legal justification for the strikes.

Since the military action in Syria was against a foreign sovereign country — and not ISIS — there was no obvious legal basis for it, the group argued. In July, a U.S. District Court judge ordered federal agencies to expedite their responses to the group’s FOIA request.

Protect Democracy has also filed a lawsuit to determine whether the Trump administration is developing any analysis about a legal basis for a potential pre-emptive attack on North Korea.

The administration has shared a summary explanation of the memo, which Kaine read aloud during a Dec. 13 Senate hearing, claiming it “would completely wipe out Congress’s power (to declare war) under Article I.”

Defense Secretary James Mattis suggested last week that the U.S. could launch further attacks against Syria. “You’ve all seen how we reacted to that,” he said, referring to the April strikes.

A few days later, Haley warned the U.S. will “not give up on the responsibility” to “provide real accountability for chemical weapons use in Syria.”

Kaine’s bid for more disclosure is part of a broader controversy over how legislation passed shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks is being used for an open-ended battle against Islamic terrorist groups, including ISIS, that are not covered under the current version of what’s called an AUMF, or authorization to use military force.

Talks on Capitol Hill to approve a new AUMF have stalled amid disputes over issues including how to limit the war’s geographic reach. Some lawmakers are also pushing back, leery of restricting the executive branch’s interpretation of his current wartime powers.

Along with Sen. Jeff Flake, a retiring Republican from Arizona, Kaine has proposed a new war authorization bill. Others who’ve been outspoken include Sen. Bob Corker, a retiring Tennessee Republican who said in October that Trump’s reckless threats against other countries could put the U.S. “on the path to World War III.”
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald ... mo-n846176

[BenDhyan]

Tensions are rising...

Israeli jet shot down in Syria after Iranian drone intercepted

February 10 2018 - 7:42PM

Jerusalem: Syrian anti-aircraft fire shot down an Israeli jet on Saturday, the military said, after Israel intercepted an Iranian drone launched from Syria and struck an Iranian target there.

Footage from northern Israel showed what appeared to be white aircraft debris scattered on the ground.

It was one of the most serious incidents involving Israel, Iran and Syria since the start of the Syrian civil war almost eight years ago.

"A combat helicopter successfully intercepted an Iranian UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) that was launched from Syria and infiltrated Israel," the Israeli military said in a statement.

"IDF (Israel Defence Forces) has targeted the Iranian control systems in Syria that sent the #UAV into Israeli airspace. Massive Syrian Anti-Air fire, one F16 crashed in Israel, pilots safe," Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said on Twitter.

Syrian state media cited a military source as saying Syrian air defences had opened fire in response to an Israeli act of "aggression" against a military base and hit "more than one plane".

"The Israeli enemy entity at dawn today conducted a new aggression against one of the military bases in the central region. Our air defences confronted it and hit more than one plane," the unidentified military source said.

http://www.smh.com.au/world/israeli-jet-shot-down-in-syria-after-iranian-drone-intercepted-20180210-p4yzwy.html

[Elvis]

Worldwide Mustache Expert Weighs in on Assad's Upper Lip
By Noreen Malone
September 11, 2013

Bashar al Assad shares something in common with Genghis Khan, Vlad the Impaler, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Francisco Franco, Augusto Pinochet, Saddam Hussein, and Robert Mugabe. They all sported distinctive mustaches. Below, a conversation with Dr. Allan D. Peterkin, the author of 1000 Mustaches: A Cultural History of the Mo, about what Assad’s mustache—which Peterkin dubs the "stubble 'stache"—means.

Assad’s mustache seems to be pretty unique.

It seems to morph a bit over time, doesn’t it? There was one stage where it was quite thick in the middle, almost like a Hitler mustache. There are pictures where it’s fuller. As a dark-haired man he’s capable of growing a very full one. But in at least some pictures of him it is indeed kept to a stubble except above his philtrum. That is a curiosity. I don’t know if that was just bad shaving that day. But that is sort of Hitler-ish.

The interesting thing about facial hair is people read your face based on their past associations. So if you survey people in a room, maybe half of the room might think Hitler, partly because this guy has a bad reputation. They might actually come to think, isn’t that a Hitler mustache with stuff on both sides?

Mugabe had a kind of Hitler mustache. Do a lot of dictators tend to pay homage to Hitler in their mustaches?

The interesting thing is whether a man is conscious of what he’s stating when he tries these facial hair experiments. You pretty much have to ask. You’ll see young men playing with all kinds of styles and they may not recognize what they look like. You’ll have to say, you look exactly like Joseph Stalin.

There’s a very strong military history for mustaches all over the world, certainly in the twentieth century and even before that. So I think that what you may be calling a dictator mustache is more martial. Even Hitler’s mustache was a military mustache. He adopted a Prussian style that was not uncommon to military men of the time. Having said that, the mustache does have kind of a negative history. There are three Fs: the fop, the effete guy; the foreigner—North Americans once thought that any man who had a mustache must be a foreigner—Middle Eastern, Latin, etc. Then the fiend: A lot of portrayals of the devil had a mustache. So the mustache comes with a whole history of darkness.

What is Assad telegraphing with his mustache?

In the Middle East the mustache is quite ubiquitous. In places like Turkey, the way you wear your mustache, its thickness, its tips, actually indicates your political leanings. It is a cultural norm. In Assad’s case it’s a military 'stache. A lot of Syrian men have mustaches. His is unusual, though. Most are big, bushy mustaches. They wouldn’t be this manicured look. I’d coin the phrase “stubble 'stache” to describe it, like clipped very closely.

He dresses in a very western way, with fine tailored English suits. And I just wonder: Is the thin mustache him kind of bridging these worlds again? The worlds of politics and military, the worlds of East and West. Is that the symbolism of it? It’s not fully committed to a full Arab mustache nor is he cleanshaven as you would find in England, where he went to school.

Why are mustaches a military thing? What’s the origin?

Certainly the British military embraced it, but they had spent time in the Middle East and India and often adapted it because it was a sign of machismo. The French Foreign guys had it. The British guys took it up during the Napoleonic war, when the British officers were emulating their French counterparts. During colonial rule, they emulated the local men because it was a sign of authority. Even now, if you’re Indian and you’re a policeman you’ll get paid extra if you grow a mustache. It’s got this formidable, strong association. There are actually recipes for what is actually a sanctioned military mustache in most of the western forces now.

https://newrepublic.com/article/114659/ ... ned-expert

Now if all that doesn't prove Assad = Hitler, appended at the end of the article are decisive photos of some facial hair-bearing dictators:

ROBERT MUGABE

FIDEL CASTRO, SADDAM HUSSEIN, AND RAUL CASTRO

AUGUSTO PINOCHET

ADOLF HITLER

FRANCISCO FRANCO

JOSEPH STALIN

GENGHIS KHAN

[seemslikeadream]

Major Powers Mingle in Syria in an Explosive Mix

Turkish Operation Heralds Spiraling Tensions

YPG Fighters

The US, Russia, Iran, Turkey and Israel are all on a collision course with each other in Syria as each maneuvers aggressively to get the most from the endgame of the brutal Syrian civil war, now approaching its seventh anniversary. The danger of a big-power conflict starting by accident rather than intention has not been so high in decades.

All five regional and global powers, except the US, have had an aircraft shot down inside (or from inside) Syria in the space of about a week. During the same period, US jets bombed a Syrian government force — whose patrons are Russia and Iran — and growing tensions between the US and NATO ally Turkey reached the point of military threats.

“As long as ISIS was still a powerful force in Syria, the US and Russia worked together to concentrate on defeating ISIS, and they agreed on deconfliction zones around Syria … but now that ISIS is destroyed, and it’s just a policing matter, there is a scramble for the endgame.”

Analysts say that the Turkish intervention in northern Syria, which started just over three weeks ago, foreshadows a new and dangerous phase of the Syrian civil war. Once mainly a battle between the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad and anti-government rebels, the conflict has morphed into a multi-sided war involving Syria, the US, Russia, Iran, Turkey, Israel and various groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and ISIS.

The (near complete) defeat of ISIS and a string of military victories of the Syrian regime against the rebels have cemented Assad’s rule over much of the country and carved out a Kurdish autonomous zone, aided by the US, in the north. These developments have pushed countries such as Turkey, a traditional enemy of the Kurds and an ally of the rebels against Assad, to act as spoilers. We have written about this extensively in the past.

“This is a scramble for position in Syria,” Joshua Landis, a prominent Syria expert at the University of Oklahoma, told WhoWhatWhy. “As long as ISIS was still a powerful force in Syria, the US and Russia worked together to concentrate on defeating ISIS, and they agreed on deconfliction zones around Syria … but now that ISIS is destroyed, and it’s just a policing matter, there is a scramble for the endgame.”

Here is an overview of the main events from the past few weeks, all of which illustrate the great danger that this conflict will spread beyond Syria:

Israeli Warplane Shot Down on February 10

.

According to reports in the Israeli press, the F-16 downed inside Israel by Syrian anti-aircraft missiles, just after it had bombed the control vehicle of an advanced Iranian stealth drone that had crossed into Israel’s airspace earlier, is the first Israeli warplane to be shot down since 1982. In response, Israel claimed to have seriously damaged Syria’s air defenses while striking several Iranian targets. What is particularly interesting is that many in Israel appear to see Russia, rather than the US, as having the power and responsibility to prevent a larger war.

Syria, Turkey, Israel
Photo credit: Adapted by WhoWhatWhy from LiveuaMap

US-Turkish Military Tensions

.

Until recently, few believed that a military confrontation between NATO’s largest and second-largest armies was possible. But Turkey is now demanding that the US evacuate its forces from Manbij, a city just east of the Kurdish territory where the main action is currently happening. Turkey wants the US out so that its army and its Syrian allies can attack the Kurdish-led coalition which controls Manbij. The US has refused to abandon its allies, and the American commander of the anti-ISIS coalition had a stern message for the Turks on his visit to the front lines on February 7:

“You hit us, we will respond aggressively,” said Lt. Gen. Paul Funk, cited by the New York Times. “We will defend ourselves.”

Will Turkey risk attacking Manbij while US forces are engaged there? That question may be decided by domestic Turkish politics, according to Ege Seckin, a Turkey expert at the London-based analysis firm IHS.

“We are talking about a situation in which Turkey will probably be moving towards an early presidential election this year, I expect it somewhere between July and September, because [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan will really want to make sure he benefits from the momentum in popularity he is gaining from this operation,” Seckin said. “This operation has really consolidated Erdogan’s support, where previously we had been seeing major cracks emerging.”

US Airstrikes on Syrian Troops on February 7

.

After the Syrian government attempted to attack Kurdish forces allied with the US in southeastern Syria, the US launched airstrikes on Syrian government forces that reportedly killed over 100 Syrian soldiers. Persistent but as yet unverified reports claim that Russian military contractors were among the casualties (a recent Bloomberg report somewhat implausibly claimed that up to 200 Russian contractors may have been killed). Experts say it was a message to the Syrian government, Russia and Turkey that the US will stick with its allies.


The Kurds and the Syrian government have kept up an uneasy truce for years while fighting their common enemies — ISIS and other Sunni jihadists, including groups backed by Turkey. The recent attack, nevertheless, took place near lucrative resources: some of Syria’s largest (if still fairly small by international standards) oil fields, held by US allies. It may well have been an opportunistic attempt by the government forces, especially since the Kurdish-led forces had just reportedly withdrawn some of their fighters from the area in order to counter the Turkish invasion of Afrin in the opposite northwestern corner of the Syrian map, some 400 kilometers away by road.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if Syria wanted to probe and see what happens,” said Landis.

Russian Warplane Downed on February 3

.

Syrian rebels shot down a low-flying Russian military plane over the northern province of Idlib on February 3 and killed the pilot in ensuing clashes. Russia responded by launching airstrikes at rebel-held territory and closing Syria’s airspace for Turkish aircraft for a few days, hampering the Turkish operation in neighboring Afrin. On Thursday night, nevertheless, Turkish airstrikes on the Kurdish positions resumed, in what some speculated was a Russian response to the US strike in the southeast.

The plane was shot down just as Turkey was seeking to set up a military observation post in Idlib, and reportedly to block Syrian army advances against the rebels nearby. A Turkish soldier at the observation post died on February 6 in an artillery attack believed to have been carried out by pro-government forces. It was the second time in two weeks that the Turkish army came under attack while trying to set up positions in the area.

A Quagmire for Turkey?

.

February 10 was the deadliest day so far for the Turkish army in its Afrin operation, dubiously named “Olive Branch.” At least one Turkish military helicopter was shot down by the Kurds (separate unconfirmed reports say two were downed) and no fewer than 11 Turkish troops were killed in clashes.

The fog of war is thick over Afrin and the accounts coming from the different sides differ spectacularly. Looking at the map, it seems fair to estimate that in about three weeks of fighting Turkey and its allies have captured about 10 percent of tiny Afrin. The Kurds are responding with guerrilla tactics: mountainous and rural areas change hands frequently and the invading force is suffering significant casualties. Once the mountains are conquered the pace of territorial conquests should speed up, Seckin said; but, the real trouble for Turkey would come once its forces reach densely-populated urban areas such as Afrin city.

“If they try to take those urban areas, I think we’d be looking at a completely different ball game,” he added.

Many analysts (including Seckin) expect a siege of Afrin to be more difficult than the Turkish-led storming of the nearby ISIS-held city of al-Bab a little more than a year ago. That operation took over three months.

Internationally, moreover, Ankara already appears to be losing the war of perception. Reports about Turkey recruiting former ISIS foot soldiers and other jihadists to fight against the Kurds, who played a key role in the defeat of ISIS in Syria and Iraq, are just the latest fiasco for Ankara. Turkish bombardment has killed over 100 civilians, according to local reports. In videos circulated on social media, Turkish-backed forces have been shown torturing civilians, looting and mutilating the bodies of fallen Kurdish fighters. The Turkish armed forces have devastated world-heritage sites, schools and water facilities alike.

Domestically, while the war has rallied unprecedented support for Erdogan, it has also further damaged what’s left of Turkey’s democracy. In three weeks, the government has detained hundreds of its citizens, including 11 members of the Turkish Medical Association, for criticizing the military operation.


ISIS Makes a Minor Resurgence

.

Different reports, including one in the British newspaper The Independent, say that ISIS, after crushing defeats in Iraq and Syria, is trying to resurrect itself — with, at least indirect, Turkish help. On February 13, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also reportedly claimed that Turkey’s operation in Afrin is harming the fight against ISIS.


Stay tuned as we bring you further developments.
https://whowhatwhy.org/2018/02/14/major ... osive-mix/

[seemslikeadream]

Afrin offensive: Turkey warns Syria against helping Kurds
1 hour ago

Turkey has warned the Syrian government not to help Kurds fighting against Turkish forces in northern Syria.
Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said Turkey's operations were going ahead as planned and it would be a "disaster" if Syrian troops were to intervene.
Syrian media had earlier said the army would help Kurds resist Turkish operations in the enclave of Afrin.
But there has been no sign of this so far, and the Kurdish YPG militia has denied there is a deal with Damascus.
Turkey regards the Kurdish fighters, just across its border in Afrin, as terrorists. It launched a major offensive against them last month.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Russia's Vladimir Putin that Damascus would face "consequences" if it struck a deal with the Kurds, CNN Turk reported on Monday.
Both Mr Bozdag and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu delivered a similar message later in the day.
"If (the Syrian army) comes in to defend the YPG, then nothing and nobody can stop Turkish soldiers," Mr Cavusoglu told reporters in Jordan.
A map of Syria showing who controls the different areas
Elsewhere in Syria, pro-government forces were also reported to be preparing a ground assault on the rebel-controlled Eastern Ghouta area, on the edge of Damascus.
Syrian activists said dozens of civilians had been killed over the past 24 hours in government attacks, in one of the deadliest days in the Eastern Ghouta since Syrian forces stepped up their campaign to retake it earlier this month.
What has purportedly been agreed?
On Monday Syrian state Sana news agency said "popular forces" would arrive in Afrin "to support its people's stand against the Turkish regime's attack".
A senior Kurdish official, Badran Jia Kurd, told Reuters news agency that government soldiers would deploy to some border positions.
But later YPG spokesman Nouri Mahmoud said: "There is no agreement. There is only a call from us for the Syrian army to come in and protect the borders."
If a deal were to be struck, Turkish troops could find themselves confronting not only Kurdish fighters in Afrin, but the Syrian army too, correspondents say.
Why has Turkey targeted Afrin?
Turkey began its cross-border offensive - which it has dubbed operation Olive Tree - in January.
The abridged back story
How historical Afrin became a prize worth a war
Viewpoint: Chemical weapons ‘threat to West’
It is trying to oust the People's Protection Units (YPG), the armed wing of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD).
The Kurds have administered semi-autonomous enclaves south of the Turkish border since Syrian forces pulled out in 2012, and the YPG has taken control of other territory after driving out Islamic State (IS) fighters.
Turkey sees the YPG as an extension of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has fought for Kurdish autonomy in Turkey for three decades.
The YPG denies any direct military or political links with the PKK.
What is the cost of the Afrin conflict so far?
Thousands of civilians have fled since Turkey's offensive began just over a month ago.
Neither side has released much information about fatalities, making the death toll difficult to gauge.
A Turkish-backed Syrian rebel fighter stands guard at a checkpoint as a family passes on motorbike in the Syrian town of Azaz on a road leading to Afrin, 1 February 2018Image copyrightAFP
Image caption
Turkish-backed Syrian rebel fighter guards a checkpoint on the road to Afrin
Kurdish media reported intensified Turkish air and artillery attacks in the region on Monday.
A child was killed and eight other civilians were injured in shelling of Basute village, according to the Kurdish Hawar News Agency (ANHA).
Turkey has said it is targeting only combatants, not civilians.
What role could the Syrian government take?
Syria has not had a military presence in the Afrin area for nearly six years.
During the course of the Syrian war, pro-government forces have largely avoided direct conflict with the YPG, but they have had sporadic clashes.
The government of President Bashar al-Assad opposes the YPG's demands for autonomy and has vowed to retake control of all Syrian territory. However the two sides are united in wanting to block Turkey's advances.
From the Kurdish perspective, Mr Jia Kurd said: "We can co-operate with any side that lends us a helping hand in light of the barbaric crimes and the international silence."
Who is aligned with whom?
Northern and north-western Syria hosts a complex mix of alliances between different international and regional players.

The situation is further complicated by the YPG receiving funding from Turkey's Nato ally the United States, as partners in the fight against IS.
Turkey has supported rebels fighting Syrian government forces since the civil war began in 2011, but there has been no direct confrontation between the two powers since Syria shot down a Turkish fighter plane in 2012, killing two crew.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-43107013

The Latest: Turkey denies reports that Syria will aid Kurds
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS BEIRUT — Feb 19, 2018, 1:00 PM ET
Turkeys President and leader of ruling Justice and Development Party Recep Tayyip Erdogan holds olive branches as he addresses the party members in Eskisehir, Turkey, Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018. "Olive Branch" is the codename of Turkeys military operaThe Associated Press
Turkey's President and leader of ruling Justice and Development Party Recep Tayyip Erdogan holds olive branches as he addresses the party members in Eskisehir, Turkey, Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018. "Olive Branch" is the codename of Turkey's military operation against the US-backed Syrian Kurdish militia in northwestern Syria. (Kayhan Ozer/Pool Photo via AP )more +
Email
The Latest on the conflict in Syria (all times local):

8 p.m.

A Turkish minister says reports that Syrian government forces are entering a Syrian Kurdish-held enclave "are false," adding that any move by Damascus to protect the Kurdish militia there would be a "disaster" for the region.

Speaking to reporters after a weekly Cabinet meeting Monday, Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said Turkey was determined to continue its military offensive in the Afrin enclave and has no plans to withdraw.

Bozdag said "this offensive will continue with determination until the last terrorist is rendered ineffective." Turkey views the Kurdish fighters in Afrin as terrorists because of their links to insurgents fighting inside Turkey's borders.

Syrian state media reported earlier that pro-government forces would enter Afrin "within hours" to "bolster" local forces in confronting Turkey's "aggression" after reaching an agreement with the Kurdish militia.

Bozdag said: "This report has not been confirmed by authorities. It is false and has no relation with the truth."

———

4:45 p.m.

Turkish officials say the president has held a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart during which the two reaffirmed their determination to cooperate in the fight against "terrorism" in Syria.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin on Monday also discussed Turkey's military offensive in the Syrian Kurdish-held enclave of Afrin and their efforts to set up observation posts in Syria's northern Idlib province. The posts are being set up as part of a joint Turkish, Russian and Iranian agreement to establish a "de-escalation" zone in the region.

The Turkish officials detailed the call on condition of anonymity in line with government regulations.

The two leaders spoke as Syrian state media reported that pro-Syrian government forces will begin entering Afrin. Turkey's foreign minister has said his country is ready to battle the Syrian troops if they enter to protect Syrian Kurdish fighters.

— Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey

———

4:15 p.m.

Syrian opposition activists and paramedics say government airstrikes and the shelling of rebel-held eastern suburbs of the capital have killed at least 18 people.

The targeted suburbs, known as eastern Ghouta, have been subjected to weeks-long bombardment that has killed and wounded hundreds of people.

Opposition activists say government forces have brought in reinforcements in preparation for a wide offensive on the last main rebel stronghold near the capital.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Monday's airstrikes and shelling on suburbs including Saqba, Sheifouniyeh and Jisreen killed 18 people.

The Syrian Civil Defense, volunteer first responders known as the White Helmets, said 30 people were killed in eastern Ghouta.

Syrian state TV reported that rebels fired dozens of mortar rounds and rockets at Damascus, wounding eight people.

———

1:20 p.m.

The Turkish foreign minister says his country is ready to battle Syrian government troops if they enter an enclave in northern Syria to protect Syrian Kurdish fighters.

Mevlut Cavusoglu spoke on Monday in Jordan's capital, Amman, as Syrian state media reported that pro-Syrian government forces will begin entering the Afrin enclave "within hours," after reaching an agreement with the Kurdish militia in control of the region.

The official Syrian news agency SANA said the forces will deploy in Afrin to "bolster" local forces in confronting Turkish "aggression." This suggested the Syrian government and Kurdish fighters — a militia known as YPG militia — have struck a deal under which the government forces would help repel an ongoing Turkish offensive on the enclave.

The Turkish minister says that "if the regime is entering to protect the YPG, then no one can stop us, stop Turkey or the Turkish soldiers."

———

11:25 a.m.

Turkish officials have increased to 786 the number of people detained so far in Turkey for criticizing the country's military offensive in northern Syria.

Authorities have been cracking down on protests and social media criticisms of its military operation into the Syrian Kurdish-held enclave of Afrin, accusing perpetrators of engaging in "terror propaganda."

Those detained have included Kurdish politicians and doctors in Turkey who have warned against the operation's human costs.

Turkey launched its offensive on Jan. 20 to clear Afrin of Syrian Kurdish militia which Turkey considers to be an offshoot of its own outlawed Kurdish rebels fighting within Turkey.

An Interior Ministry statement on Monday says at least 587 incidents of social media "propaganda" and 85 protests had occurred since Jan. 20

———

11:15 a.m.

Syrian state TV says pro-government forces will begin entering the Syrian Kurdish enclave of Afrin in the country's northwest "within hours."

The TV gave no further details about the deployment of the troops, known as "popular forces," which comes amid reports that an agreement has been reached between the Syrian government and the main Syrian Kurdish militia in control of the area.

The agreement may prompt Turkey to pull out its forces and end a month-long air and ground offensive that aims to oust the Syrian Kurdish militia known as the People's Protection Units, or YPG, from the border enclave.

The deployment would bring Syrian troops closer to the border with Turkey.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wir ... m-53192059

US role in Syria alarms Turkey and could dent prospect of peace deal

Build up of US presence and its support for Kurdish militia risks hardening divisions further

Kareem ShaheenLast modified on Mon 19 Feb 2018 11.43 EST
A convoy of US armoured vehicles drives near outskirts Manbij in northern Syria last year.

As the 1,500 delegates made their way to the Russian city of Sochi to attend a conference billed as a first step to peace talks in Syria, one major power broker was absent: the US.

The Sochi peace talks, brokered by Russia, Turkey and Iran, collapsed and Syria took another bloody turn in its intractable conflict. Few in the Syrian opposition have the illusion that they or the regime of Bashar al-Assad have a say in what will happen next.

But even as those three powers, with boots on the ground, contemplate their next move, the US has quietly built up its presence in northern and eastern Syria, a military force augmented by proxy Kurdish and Arab militias as well as a nation-building exercise in areas liberated from Islamic State.

They have carved out a stretch of territory east of the Euphrates and south towards the Iraqi border, just as the other regional powers have done. Turkey and its proxies now control the area north of Aleppo, while Russia and Iran jockey for influence in central Syria and close to the Israeli border.

A Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighter checks for enemy movements during the liberation of Raqqa from Isis.

But while the US presence has reassured allies such as Saudi Arabia and Israel, which backs that long-term presence in the area, it has further alarmed Turkey, which fears the US reliance on Kurdish militias to lead such an effort will harm Turkish border security.

It also risks solidifying the divisions within Syria, carving out a space beyond the control of any future Syrian government and under an American security umbrella, making the prospect of a peace settlement and a unified Syria farther away than ever before.

“The broader outlines are there,” said a Syrian source who works with the US in Raqqa province, once the capital of Isis in Syria.

“A political solution in Syria will be in the form of a deal between states, where the Americans agree with the Russians and Turks and Iranians and the Gulf countries on who will retain influence in the various regions,” he said. “Once the cake is divided, there will be a political solution in Syria.”

Once the cake is divided, there will be a political solution in Syria.
Rex Tillerson, the US secretary of state, outlined Washington’s strategy last month in a speech in California, saying the US presence would counterbalance Iran, continue to battle remnants of Isis as it retreats into desert hideouts, “stabilise” areas liberated from the Islamist group and support local civilian administrations. He hinted the presence would be long term, to ensure the mistakes the US made in Iraq would not be repeated and prevent a re-emergence of Isis.

Two US F-22s flying above Syria in support of Operation Inherent Resolve earlier this month.

In recent days the Pentagon released its planned 2019 budget, which envisions a troop presence of about 6,000 US soldiers as part of the coalition against Isis in Iraq and Syria. In Iraq, Washington is drawing down its presence as parliamentary elections approach in May.

To carry out those objectives, the US has allied itself on the ground with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance led by the Kurdish militia led by the People’s Protection Units (YPG). That partnership has enraged Turkey, which considers the YPG the Syrian wing of the Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK), a designated terrorist group that has fought a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state.

Ankara believes the YPG is taking advantage of the US security umbrella to carve out an autonomous zone, or an independent state, along the border with Turkey. It also worries the US will continue that alliance as Washington seeks to rebuild and stabilise those parts of Syria the YPG controls and to prevent Iran’s growing influence in the Middle East.

For a lot of US officials, and some in Gulf countries, the main issue in the Middle East is to stop Iran, at all costs.
Senior Turkish official
“For a lot of US officials, and some countries in the Gulf, the main issue in the Middle East is to stop Iran, at all costs,” said a senior Turkish official. “So this Iran, Iran, Iran emphasis or obsession drives them into this kind of policy. Syrian territory is becoming just a scene for this proxy war.”

But the US has continued to work with the SDF, rebuilding bridges, clearing mines and repairing infrastructure, while placing Kurdish officials in key local administrative posts. It has also continued to provide political and military support to the alliance.

“The cooperation of the SDF with the [US-led coalition] in the north is known,” said Sepan Hamo, the overall commander of the YPG. “It is a starting point for combating Daesh [Isis], which began in Kobani, and continued to Deir ez-Zor.

“There are also relations with the political administrations, there is coordination and joint work in reconstruction and management efforts. We have no aspirations or problems with the people of those areas.”

A Turkih tank fires during an operation near Afrin, Syria, on Monday.
A Turkish tank fires during an operation near Afrin, Syria, on Monday. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
That cooperation has continued to alarm Turkey, which launched an operation last month in the Kurdish enclave of Afrin against the YPG, and threatened to afterwards attack Manbij. The impetus came after an announcement that the US would build a 30,000-strong border force to patrol Syria’s frontiers against Isis.

As the US establishes its presence in yet another Middle Eastern adventure, it has ingrained itself as part of the problem and the solution in a Syria torn in a great power struggle.

“When you are in this kind of battle with different great powers playing this game over Syrian territories, there won’t be an end to the war in Syria, at least for years to come,” said the senior Turkish official.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/ ... deal-kurds

[seemslikeadream]

Russian military plane crash in Syria kills dozens


The An-26 - like this one in an archive photo - is a twin-engine turboprop civilian and military transport aircraft
A Russian military transport plane has crashed in Syria killing more than 30 people, the defence ministry says.

The An-26 plane crashed during landing at Hmeimim airbase, near the coastal city of Latakia, the ministry is quoted as saying by Russian media.

It says all 39 military personnel on board died, not 32 as earlier reported.

The plane was not fired upon, the ministry says, and preliminary data suggests a technical malfunction could have caused the crash.

An investigation is now under way. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences to the victims' relatives.

Meanwhile, medics in the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta area of Syria say they have been treating people with breathing problems after a suspected chlorine attack.

The reports follow government air strikes and shelling just hours after the last UN aid envoy left the enclave following a supposed five-hour truce.

In a separate development, UN war crimes investigators say air strikes in Syria by both Russia and the US-led coalition killed large numbers of civilians last year.

Why is there a war in Syria?
What is known about Tuesday's plane crash?

The Russian defence ministry says the An-26 crashed at about 15:00 Moscow Time (12:00 GMT).

It says the plane went down about 500m (1640ft) from the runway.

A special commission is to be set up to investigate the crash.

On 7 January, Russian forces said they had foiled a drone attack on Hmeimim.

This was just a week after Russian warplanes were damaged at the airbase in a rebel mortar attack.

Photos 'reveal' Russia jet damage at Hmeimim base
map
Hmeimim is Russia's main base for air strikes on rebel groups in Syria - strikes that have enabled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces to recover much lost ground.

What are Russia's air force losses in Syria?

Russia launched its military operation in September 2015, saying it was acting upon a request by President Assad.

Images said to show the wreckage of the Sukhoi-25AFP
Images said to show the wreckage of Russia's Sukhoi-25 plane shot down over Idlib on 3 February
Here are the confirmed air force losses:

Feb 2018: A Sukhoi-25 warplane is shot down in a rebel-held area in north-western province of Idlib. The pilots ejects but later dies in a ground fight
Dec 2017: Shelling damages several planes at the Hmeimim airbase, with two Russian servicemen killed
Dec 2016: A Tu-154 carrying 92 people - including army musicians - crashes into the Black Sea after taking off for Syria from Sochi, killing all on board
Aug 2016: All five people on board a helicopter are killed when it is shot down over Idlib
Nov 2015: Turkish warplanes shoot down a Sukhoi-24. One pilot is killed, the other rescued. The incident sparks a severe deterioration of bilateral relations
What about the suspected chlorine attack in Eastern Ghouta?

The attack targeted the town of Hammoria and led to the evacuation of dozens of civilians, according to the Syrian Civil Defence, whose volunteer rescue workers are widely known as the White Helmets.

Local medics said they were treating a number of people who had breathing problems.

Map showing control of the Eastern Ghouta and al-Wafideen checkpoint (5 March 2018)
Syria denied allegations it had carried out the attack, dismissing them as an act of desperation by Western powers.

Meanwhile, Russia - a key ally of the Syrian government - offered rebels safe passage out of the area.

Eastern Ghouta devastation seen from space
What did UN war crimes investigators say?

They said they found that an attack by the US-coalition on a school near the city of Raqqa last March killed 150 local residents - many times more than Washington had admitted to.

The investigators also said Russian air strikes on a market in Atareb, west of Aleppo, killed at least 84 people last November.

Their report talked too of chemical weapons attacks by Syrian government forces, and war crimes allegedly committed by their rebel opponents.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43305835

Eastern Ghouta Syria: The neighbourhoods below the bombs

Image of damage in Eastern Ghouta, Damascus
Whole neighbourhoods in Syria's Eastern Ghouta region outside Damascus have been flattened and thousands of families displaced, amid a government assault to retake it from rebels.

Daily "humanitarian pauses" - ordered by the government's ally, Russia - have failed to stop the bloodshed in the enclave, where hospitals, schools and shops have been pounded by air and artillery strikes.

The population is living in "hell on earth", UN Secretary General António Guterres has said.

In one district, 93% of buildings had been damaged or destroyed by December, according to UN satellite imagery analysis. A recent wave of bombings has caused further destruction.

Western districts were already devastated by December



Map showing damage levels in Eastern Ghouta, Syria, up to December 2017
Source: Damage assessment by UNITAR-UNOSAT and map boundaries by the REACH Initiative. Satellite image Google/DigitalGlobe. Damage assessments cover the densely-populated western districts of the Eastern Ghouta to December 2017.

Bombing in January and February caused further damage


Map showing damage levels in Eastern Ghouta, Syria, from December to February

Source: Damage assessment by UNITAR-UNOSAT and map boundaries by the REACH Initiative. Satellite image Google/DigitalGlobe. Map shows rapidly-assessed damage between 3 December 2017 and 23 February 2018.

Presentational white space
The agricultural region, home to almost 400,000 people, is the last major rebel stronghold near the capital.

The enclave - the size of Manchester in the UK - has been besieged since 2013, but the humanitarian situation has worsened significantly since hostilities between government and rebel forces escalated last November.

Interactive See how Jobar, Eastern Ghouta, has been destroyed

February 2018


Satellite image shows many buildings have been destroyed in the residential neighbourhood of Jowbar
August 2013


Satellite image shows part of the residential neighbourhood of Jowbar in 2013
Why is there war in Syria?
Eating inedible plants to survive
The most recent wave of bombings has been among the fiercest of the Syrian war, now entering its eighth year. The UN says more than 580 people are reported to have been killed since 18 February.

Essential civilian infrastructure and services have been hit. Satellite imagery analysis by McKenzie Intelligence Services suggests a water tower in the Harasta neighbourhood was among the sites targeted.

Damage to water tower, Harasta, Eastern Ghouta


Satellite image of a damaged water tower in the Eastern Ghouta, Syria

Both sides have accused each other of continuing attacks during the five-hour "pauses" that began on 27 February.

So far, no civilians have used the "humanitarian corridor" designated by Russia to leave the Eastern Ghouta. UN agencies and their partners have meanwhile said it has been impossible to deliver urgently needed humanitarian supplies under the circumstances.

A doctor working in the area described the situation as "catastrophic", with civilians left with no food, no medicine and no shelter.


"At least in heaven there's food": The children caught up in Eastern Ghouta air strikes
The UN says hospitals, clinics and ambulances have also come under attack.

In the more densely-populated western parts of the Eastern Ghouta, analysis carried out by the UN in December had already identified approximately 3,853 destroyed buildings, 5,141 severely damaged buildings and 3,547 moderately damaged buildings.

Jobar


Map showing damage in Jober, Eastern Ghouta

Jobar has suffered the worst damage in areas so far assessed. Some 93% of the buildings had been damaged or destroyed by December.

It was an active frontline for many months and the civilian population has fled. Only armed groups remain.

Neighbouring Ein Tarma, which became home to many of those who fled Jobar, was the focus of a government offensive in June 2017.

A sharp increase in shelling and air strikes forced Ein Tarma's residents and displaced families to flee to other areas of the Eastern Ghouta.

A total of 71% of the area's buildings had been damaged or destroyed by December. More than 75% of the pre-conflict civilian population has fled.

Zamalka


Map showing damage in Zamalka, Eastern Ghouta

Zamalka has the third highest rate of damage in the Eastern Ghouta area assessed by the UN. Some 59% of buildings had been damaged or destroyed by December.

There has been no water or electricity supply for at least two years, and more than 75% of the pre-conflict civilian population has fled.

The intensified bombardment in February saw the area suffer further loss of life and damage levels are certain to have risen beyond those of December.

Hamouria


Map showing damage in Hamouria, Eastern Ghouta

Due to Hamouria's more central location within the Eastern Ghouta, the amount of damage assessed in December was lower than other areas. Some 11% of buildings had been damaged or destroyed.

However, the area has come under repeated attack during the latest round of bombardment.

Video footage obtained by Reuters showed wreckage at the Al-Shifa hospital, which staff said had been hit by air and artillery strikes.

"The clinics department is out of service, the clinical care unit is out, the surgery unit is out, the incubator unit is out, the paediatric section is out, all of the departments of the hospital are completely out of service," a man identified as a medical worker said.

Much of Hamouria's population has fled and and almost half of the current residents are from elsewhere. Water and electricity have been unavailable since June 2016.

Saqba


Map showing damage in Saqba, Eastern Ghouta

Saqba, which has avoided the high levels of destruction suffered by neighbouring areas, has also come under sustained attack in February and March.

By December, 27% of its buildings had been either damaged or destroyed. That figure is likely to have increased.

More than half the population is made up of people who have fled other areas.

Water and electricity are unavailable.

Kafr Batna


Map showing damage in Kafr Batna, Eastern Ghouta

Kafr Batna, where 21% of buildings had been damaged or destroyed by December, has been attacked again by government warplanes in the latest round of bombings.

A number of people have been killed.

Douma


An injured child in Duma, SyriaAFP

Douma - the biggest town in the district - was not included in the UN's damage assessments in December. However, it has been hit badly in the latest round of air and artillery strikes.

Basema Abdullah, a widow huddled in a basement with her four children, told Reuters: "We are in desperate need for your prayers."

Douma is the largest town in Eastern Ghouta


Map showing control areas around Damascus and Eastern Ghouta

Presentational white space
Satellite imagery of Al-Biruni University Hospital, near Douma, appears to show a roadblock on a nearby highway.

McKenzie Intelligence Services analysts say it suggests the hospital is only accessible by areas still loyal to the government.

Roadblock at Al-Biruni University Hospital, near Douma


Satellite image of a roadblock near a hospital, Eastern Ghouta
Satellite images also show a trench network has been constructed in Harasta, south west of Douma, next to a military barracks.

Analysts say the trenches are likely occupied by rebel fighters, given their location, and would allow them to move around the area without being hit by shrapnel and out of the sight of observers who could call in artillery or air strikes.

Interactive Networks of trenches can be seen in residential areas

February 2018


Trenches and destruction in residential area between Jobar and Douma

December 2014


Residential area between Jobar and Douma

Humanitarian crisis

Aid workers have described how thousands of families are now living in underground basements and shelters - many without water, sanitation or ventilation systems, making children vulnerable to the spread of disease.

The government has allowed one humanitarian convoy into the Eastern Ghouta since late November, and there are severe shortages of food and extremely inflated prices.

A bundle of bread cost close to 22 times the national average, and 11.9% of children under five years old are acutely malnourished - the highest rate recorded in Syria since the beginning of the war.

Residents have described going days without eating, consuming non-edible plants, or reducing the size of their meals due to a lack of access to food.

The Syrian government has denied targeting civilians and insisted it is trying to liberate the Eastern Ghouta from "terrorists" - a term it has used to describe both jihadist militants and the mainstream rebel groups that dominate the enclave.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-43154146

[BenDhyan]

Propaganda I know, but it is meant to deter a US attack on the ongoing Syrian offensive in Eastern Ghouta...

Russia to Respond if its Military Threatened by Possible US Strike in Syria: MoD

March 13, 2018

Russian armed forces will respond if the lives of Russian servicemen in Syria are threatened, including in the event of a missile strike on Damascus, the Russian General Staff said.

“According to reports, after the false flag attack, the US plans to accuse the Syrian government troops of using chemical weapons, and to provide the world community with the so-called ‘evidence’ of the alleged mass death of civilians at the hands of the Syrian government and “Russia supporting it,” the Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov said.

In retaliation, Washington, according to Gerasimov, “plans to launch a missile strike on the government-held districts of Damascus.”

At the same time in Damascus, in the offices and facilities of the Ministry of Defense of Syria, there are now Russian military advisers, representatives of the Center for the Reconciliation of Warring Parties and military police, Gerasimov stressed.

According to Gerasimov, “White Helmets” activists and film crews had already arrived at the scene with satellite video transmitters are already in place.

“This has been confirmed by the discovery of a laboratory for the production of chemical weapons in the village of Aftris, which was liberated from terrorists,” Gerasimov stressed.

“Despite constant attempts by militants to disrupt peace initiatives in Eastern Ghouta, the situation in the suburb of Damascus shows a trend toward stabilization. Since the entry into force of UN Security Council Resolution 2401 of February 24, 2018, [a total of] 145 civilians and 13 representatives of armed opposition, including 76 people overnight, have been withdrawn from Eastern Ghouta though the humanitarian corridor created by the Russian Federation,” Gerasimov added.

http://english.almanar.com.lb/462394

[Elvis]

According to Gerasimov, “White Helmets” activists and film crews had already arrived at the scene with satellite video transmitters are already in place.

Good to keep in mind who paid for the White Helmets' satellite broadcasting equipment.

[Rory]

Dark, tense days ahead

SmartSelectImage_2018-03-17-11-07-12.jpg

https://twitter.com/MSuchkov_ALM/status ... 38976?s=19

https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/origin ... syria.html

“We have credible information that militants are now preparing to stage the use of chemical weapons on civilians by the Syrian government forces. For this goal, the militants have brought to eastern Ghouta people, including women, children and elders, from other areas. These people have to play victims of this staged chemical attack. The White Helmets with their cameramen are already there for live broadcasts,” said Gerasimov.

He added that the Russian military has discovered a lab used for poisonous chemical production in the terrorist-freed town of Aftriss.

Gerasimov alleges that the United States plans to use this staged attack as “proof” of “Russia-supported Syrian government use of chemicals on civilians” and will strike government areas in Damascus with missiles. Gerasimov stressed that Russian military advisers, military police and Russian Reconciliation Center servicemen are in Damascus. He warned that Moscow will retaliate if the lives of Russian servicemen are endangered.

...

“A direct military clash would be catastrophic for everyone, but this [situation] has gotten too serious for retreat," the Kremlin official said. "We are open to negotiations [with the United States], and the sooner we start them the less chance we slip into clashes."