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Showing posts with label Al-Nusra Front. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Al-Nusra Front. Show all posts

Sunday, August 28, 2016

Syria Doomed to Failed State Status

Syria Doomed to Failed State Status Amid 'Huge Power Vacuum' If Assad Removed

 
                        © Sputnik/ Michael AlaeddinMiddle East10:52 28.08.2016(updated 12:46 28.08.2016) Get short URL71294254If President Assad is removed from power, it will create a huge power vacuum in the country which will be instantly filled with jihadist groups; they will foul up the county and it will remain a failed state for decades, according to Gunter Meyer, a German political scientist and one of Europe’s leading experts on the Middle East. © REUTERS/ Rodi SaidTwo Birds With One Stone: US 'Sacrifices' Its Kurdish Allies in SyriaPresident Assad should remain at power in Syria, at least during the transition period, Gunter Meyer, the Director of the Center for Research on the Arab World at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany, said in an interview with German public broadcaster Deutschlandfunk. The current president is able to unite the country and keep it under control, the expert said. His removal will create a “huge power vacuum” which would instantly be filled by jihadist groups. They would foul up the county and it will remain a failed state for decades, without any prospects of peace settlement, Meyer explained. The political analyst also noted that the former al-Nusra Front, al-Qaeda's ex-affiliate in Syria which recently changed its name to Jabhat Fateh Al-Sham and announced that it had broken all the ties with al-Qaeda, poses a particular threat. The expert noted that it has taken upon itself the leadership and command over all the government’s adversaries operating on the ground in Syria. They have used the recent ceasefire to transfer arms and weapons to al-Nusra from Turkey with the financial support of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, thus strengthening the terrorist group, which is now able to defend itself well. © AFP 2016/ Bulent KilicTurkey 'Was Working on Ground Incursion in Syria For Two Years'Gunter Meyer also said that this terrorist groups is closely intertwined with the other rebels which the US regards as “moderate opposition” and supports militarily and financially. The expert also noted that the US and Germany indirectly support the opposition and thus the terrorist group by sharing air reconnaissance data with the rebels.

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160828/1044707202/syria-assad-power-vacuum.html

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Syrian Rebels Shot Down Mi-8 Helicopter to 'Ruin Russia's Aid Operation'

Rebel fighters and civilians inspect the wreckage of a Russian helicopter that had been shot down in the north of Syria's rebel-held Idlib province, Syria

Syrian Rebels Shot Down Mi-8 Helicopter to 'Ruin Russia's Aid Operation'

© REUTERS/ Ammar Abdullah
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The Russian Mi-8 helicopter could have been downed by those who wanted to "ruin a humanitarian operation" that Moscow and Damascus launched in Aleppo, Syria's second largest city that has been devastated by the ongoing conflict, the newspaper Vzglyad reported.

The helicopter was en route to the Hmeymim air base following an aid mission in Aleppo when it was shot down, claiming the lives of five people on board. It was part of an ongoing campaign aimed at helping those trapped in the city. In the last 24 hours, 6,500 food packages, including flour, rice, canned meat and fish, were delivered to the area, the Russian Centre for reconciliation reported on Monday.
Some have questioned whether the Mi-8 helicopter was truly on a humanitarian mission since it was armed with high-tech weaponry, including launch pod containers and the Vitebsk electronic warfare system, but experts say that there is nothing surprising about this fact.

Launch pod containers can be seen in several images supposedly taken at the Mi-8 crash site. The helicopter needed those for defense, not attack missions. An air force pilot, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the news agency RBC that Mi-8 crews who are tasked with flying missions in conflict areas have always used these weapons.
"The fact that they carry out a humanitarian mission does not mean that they cannot defend themselves," the source said.
Media reports also indicated that the downed helicopter was outfitted with the Russian-made Vitebsk electronic warfare system. The Vitebsk, developed by KRET, is meant to protect an aircraft or a rotorcraft from incoming missiles. The system, developers reported in September 2015, has passed all tests.
Yet the Vitebsk does not provide 100-percent protection, defense analyst Vasily Kashin told RBC. "Even if [the attackers] used a shoulder-carried missile launcher the Vitebsk has been designed to protect against, the missile could have reached its target," he said.
The Russian military has not released information on what exactly was used to down the plane, but it is rumored to be exploring several options. These include a shoulder-carried missile launcher, a heavy machine gun, like the DShK 1938 or the KPVT, a grenade dispenser and a small-caliber anti-aircraft artillery, a source close to Russian Aerospace Forces' command told Gazeta.ru.

The Mi-8 tragedy took place in the neighboring province of Idlib that has been controlled by the Army of Conquest (Jaish al-Fatah), an umbrella organization that includes al-Nusra Front, Ahrar al-Sham and other Syrian rebels who are fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad and establish a caliphate.
Russia launched its humanitarian operation in Aleppo on July 28. Three humanitarian corridors were opened in the city surrounded by Damascus-led forces, but held by radical groups. Moscow has pledged to deliver food and provide medical assistance to locals. Approximately 14 tons of humanitarian aid were delivered in the first three days of the operation.

Friday, May 27, 2016

Trucks Carrying Weapons For al-Nusra Front Arrive From Turkey Daily

Rebels from al-Qaida affiliated al-Nusra Front, as they sit on a truck full of ammunition, at Taftanaz air base, that was captured by the rebels, in Idlib province, northern Syria

 

© AP Photo/ Edlib News Network ENN, File
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Head of the Russian General Staff told journalists that trucks carrying weapons for the al-Nusra Front cross from Turkey into Syria daily. This allows the terrorist group to continue attacking local targets.

Lt. Gen. Sergey Rudskoy said in his press briefing on Friday that weapons and ammunitions are continuously being delivered to the al-Nusra Front terrorists in Syria, allowing them to engage Syrian government forces and hindering the fight against Daesh in the country. 

"The never-ending flow of large trucks from Turkey carrying weapons and ammunition crosses the Turkish-Syrian border. This constant feed of live forces and weapons allows terrorists from the Nusra Front to continue their provocative shelling and make advances on Syrian government forces, which diminishes [government military] activity against Islamic State terrorists in other areas," Rudskoy said during a briefing.
Rudskoy also added that the US has acknowledged that the heaviest fighting is centered around areas where the al-Qaeda affiliated al-Nusra Front is most active. 
"Everyone knows, and our US partners admit that the biggest hot spots of active military operations are those parts of the Syrian Republic where the al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorists from the al-Nusra Front run rampant."
So far, according to Rudskoy, the US has refused to conduct joint operations against terrorist groups in Syria, which has led to an escalation of the conflict. 

The al-Nusra Front terrorist group hampers the ceasefire efforts in northern areas of Syria, the Russian General Staff said Friday.
"It is very clear that the terrorist group Jabhat al-Nusra, active in the regions of Aleppo and Idlib, is the main obstacle to expanding the ceasefire regime to northern areas of Syria," Sergey Rudskoy, chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the Russian General Staff, said.
Moreover, the Al-Nusra Front has used the 'period of silence' to partly restore its combat capability. Rudskoy told reporters.
Earlier, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu offered to conduct joint air strikes against terrorist groups in Syria, but the Pentagon declined the offer. However, The Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry says Moscow hasn't ruled out a possible joint operation in the future. 


Read more: http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160527/1040348991/nusra-front-turkey-weapons.html#ixzz49rWhCVLB

Sunday, May 22, 2016

Why US Rejected Russian Offer for Joint Airstrikes Against al-Nusra Front

A Syrian flag on the background of ruined houses in the Syrian town of Maaloula, 55 km from Damascus, which was twice captured and looted by Jabhat al-Nusra militants.

 

© Sputnik/ Dmitriy Vinogradov
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Russia has offered the US to launch joint airstrikes in Syria against the al-Nusra Front, one of the most dangerous militant groups in the Middle East. The initiative would be a logical part of the war on terrorism, but may face some unexpected obstacles.

Russia, the US and other parties are continuing to coordinate efforts on the Syrian settlement. According to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Moscow offered Washington to launch joint airstrikes against the al-Nusra Front, starting May 25.

"To continue the fight against UN-designated terrorist organizations, we are offering the United States — as co-chair of the International Syria Support Group — to begin joint actions on May 25 between Russian Aerospace Forces and the US-led coalition, on planning and carrying out airstrikes against al-Nusra Front and illegal armed groups that do not adhere to the ceasefire," Shoigu said.
Until May 25, Russia wants to cooperate with the US to establish the ceasefire regime in areas under control of moderate opposition groups.
"We suggest the United States to continue its work with the 'moderate' opposition and those who have sided with them in the cessation of hostilities until May 25 of this year, to give exact definitions of the regions under their control, and to withdraw units observing the conditions of the cessation of hostilities from the territories controlled by al-Nusra Front formations and other international terrorist organizations," the minister said.

Shoigu added that actions by al-Nusra Front continue to fuel tensions in the region.
However, the Pentagon has rejected the offer.
"We do not collaborate or coordinate our operation with the Russians. As the Secretary [Carter] has said, Russian operations are supporting and enabling the Assad Regime which is like pouring fuel on a fire. We remain focused solely on degrading and defeating ISIL [Daesh]," US Department of Defense spokesman Matthew Allen told Sputnik.
Indeed, al-Nusra Front is one of the key sources of instability in Syria, especially in northern Syria, analyst Vladimir Evseyev from the Institute of CIS Countries said.
"Recently, Russia has proved to the US that this is al-Nusra Front militants who attack civilians. This is why a compromise between Moscow and Washington is possible," Evseyev told Gazeta.Ru.
According to the analyst, the US-led coalition has not conducted actions against the terrorist group due to Turkey’s interests in the region.
"The US doesn’t want to get involved because Washington doesn’t want additional problems with Turkey," he said.
On the other hand, the Turkish government supports radical Islamist groups. This fact should sooner or later anger Washington, Evseyev suggested.
Unlike Daesh, al-Nusra Front are adapting to the ceasefire and disguising as more moderate militant groups.
Russia and the US have been in bilateral talks over a plan to end the Syrian war. Moscow’s offer on joint actions against al-Nusra Front was aimed at eliminating one of the main obstacles in the peaceful settlement.
However, Washington seems "determined to reject any Russian plan out of hand, which likely explains why the months of negotiations have just amounted to intermittent US statements of condemnation," an article by Ron Paul Institute read.

Friday, February 26, 2016

President Putin holds meeting on economic issues

Putin Hopes US Understands Terrorists Not Protected by Syrian Ceasefire

© Sputnik/ Alexei Druzhinin
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Vladimir Putin hopes his American partners understand that the fight against terrorism in Syria should continue even after the ceasefire goes into effect.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russia hopes the United States understands that the fight against Daesh as well as against other terrorist groups in Syria must continue even after the cessation of hostilities agreement goes into effect, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday.
“However, I would like to emphasize once again that the groups of Daesh, al-Nusra Front, and other terrorist organizations recognized as such by the UN Security Council are not included [in the agreement]. The decisive fight against them will obviously continue. I would like to express my hope that no one has forgotten that besides IS there are still other terrorist organizations, as I have said already, that have been acknowledged as such by the UN Security Council,” Putin said during a meeting with the members of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB). 
Earlier this week, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told RIA Novosti that Russia and the United States were in talks over the preparation of the draft UN Security Council resolution. The draft will reportedly be put up for a vote on Friday.

On Monday, the United States and Russia, the co-chairs of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), announced a plan for a ceasefire between the warring parties in Syria to go into effect on Saturday, February 27. The agreement has been approved by the other 17 members of the ISSG.
Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with the army loyal to President Bashar Assad fighting several opposition factions and militant organizations, including Daesh terrorist group, which is banned in a number of countries, including Russia and the United States.
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