Devs March22 >FSA commander claims 9 Turkish soldiers killed in Afrin city when their tank exploded >Rebels in Jobar suburb fire artillery shells and missiles into C Damascus >Harasta; More buses en route per evac deal between govt and rebels, up to 524 people including 27 militants left for Idlib already >13 SAA troops captured in E Ghouta battles released by Ahrar al-Sham in exchange for prisoners held by Sy govt >Over 4,000 civs were reportedly evacuated from Wafiddeen Crossing in E Ghouta this afternoon >Ayn Tarma; SAA begins new assault against Faylaq al-Rahman and HTS, after capturing Ayn Tarma Valley >While advancing through SE Ayn Tarma neighborhood the SAA has recaptured a military vehicle base >FSA combined with Turkish air support captures 2 more towns from NDF and YPG, putting them closer to SAA lines in N Aleppo >Reports; Ahrar al-Sham begins burning down their main command centers and base areas within Harasta >Turkish General Staff claims 9 PKK members "neutralized" in Iraq’s Hakurk >Houthis claim they fired a Badr-1 ballistic missile at the Saudi Aramco site in the Najran Region of KSA and hit target
>‘Peace through strength!’ Trump says ‘getting along with Russia is a good thing’ US President Donald Trump has hit back at 'the Fake News Media' over its criticism of him congratulating Russian President Vladimir Putin on his re-election victory, saying “getting along with Russia is a good thing.”
Trump made the comments on Twitter on Wednesday, hitting back at media coverage of his phone call with Putin in the aftermath of the Russian election result. The US leader noted that his predecessor Barack Obama had also called Putin, after the latter won Russia’s 2012 presidential race.
In a follow-up tweet, Trump said Russia “can help solve problems,” including issues regarding North Korea, Syria and the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL).
Trump’s call with Putin sparked an avalanche of criticism in the US media, with many even claiming it was proof of collusion between the Trump administration and the Russian state. In his tweets Wednesday, the US president dismissed the claims, accusing the media of being “crazed” and of wanting him to excoriate Putin.
During Tuesday’s phone call the two presidents discussed the importance of coordinated efforts to limit an international arms race and spoke in favor of developing practical interaction in various areas, such as combating international terrorism. A statement from the Kremlin said Putin and Trump focused on overcoming problems in bilateral relations and had also discussed North Korea, Syria and Ukraine. rt.com/usa/421964-trump-putin-call-election-victory/
Henry Richardson
>‘No smoking gun’: Smack in the face for May as EU fails to back British escalation over Skripal
The UK was quick to point the blame for the Salisbury attack – but its own allies are refusing to do the same. Reports suggest EU leaders gathering in Brussels are backing away from British attempts to condemn Moscow. After former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were exposed to the A-234 nerve agent (also known as ‘Novichok’) in Salisbury, UK Prime Minister Theresa May blamed Russia. Britain said it was “highly likely” to be a Kremlin-backed act of aggression, despite repeated denials from Moscow.
A draft text from EU talks on the matter has emerged condemning “in the strongest possible terms” the attacks. The phrase was added to the draft text that EU leaders will discuss at a summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday, which was obtained by Politico.
>However, the question of attribution was not changed. The UK has been pushing for the Kremlin to be recognized as the perpetrator. Yet, its allies in Brussels appear to be refusing to cast judgment ahead of the evidence, unlike Downing Street.
he text says: “The EU takes extremely seriously the UK Government’s assessment that it is highly likely that the Russian Federation is responsible. The European Union is shocked at the offensive use of any military-grade nerve agent, of a type developed by Russia, for the first time on European soil in over 70 years. The use of chemical weapons by anyone under any circumstances is completely unacceptable and constitutes a security threat to us all. The Union calls on Russia to address urgently the questions raised by the UK and the international community and provide immediate, full and complete disclosure of its Novichok programme to the OPCW.”
Diplomats familiar with talks said Greece and Italy did not want the language changed. “They say that there’s no smoking gun, or at least not yet,” said an EU diplomat to Politico. Greece has denied calling for alterations but admitted it lobbied for a more “clear” text.
Theresa May’s team has been hoping for unequivocal world backing, but has not received it. She expelled 23 Russian diplomats from London last week, and has threatened further punishment.
The UK said it was not a snub by Brussels that the language is cooler than last week, especially that used by Germany and France, but said getting 27 countries to agree is difficult. It is especially damaging for Theresa May after President Putin was praised by Trump in a call after his re-election on Sunday, despite her hopes the special friendship between the UK and the US would see Trump backing her fully.
>Jean-Claude Juncker also upset the UK after sending a congratulatory letter to Putin. EU leaders will discuss the new text over dinner at the European Council summit Thursday. Despite Britain’s allegations against Moscow, Russia has repeatedly insisted that the Kremlin had nothing to do with the attack on former double-agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury.
Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed the UK PM’s allegations, saying it was “nonsense and absurd to claim that Russia would do anything like that before the elections and the World Cup.”
>‘Pentagon cyber-espionage op’: US reportedly behind Slingshot malware targeting Mid East & Africa
Cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab reportedly busted a major US military asset when it exposed a sophisticated cyber-espionage operation that targeted computer networks in the Middle East. On March 9, the leading Russia-based cybersecurity company reported their research on a program it called Slingshot, which used a highly sophisticated approach to infect computers with malware through infected routers. The operation had targeted computers throughout the Middle East and some parts of Africa since at least 2012, and required a lot of money and expertise from its creators. A report by an industry news publication, CyberScoop, claims Slingshot was run by the Special Operations Command (SOCOM).
The report about the program was the biggest part of the Kaspersky Security Analyst Summit (SAS) this month. The firm’s researchers identified an advanced persistent threat (APT) – a term that usually describes a well-organized and trained group of hackers operating on a regular basis and possibly on behalf of a state government – that found a way to compromise various devises through routers. The attack was described as “remarkable and, to the best of our knowledge, unique” by Kaspersky researchers.
The company failed to identify how the routers themselves were infected. But they were used to inject malware into computers. The attack replaced one of the Windows libraries with a malicious one, and then used it to download and install two distinct pieces of malware called Cahnadr and GollumApp, which Kaspersky described as “masterpieces of cyberespionage art.” Combined, the two gave virtually unrestricted access to an attacked computer, harvesting screenshots, key strokes, network traffic, USB connections, clipboard content, and many other things.
>Gaddafi’s elusive son can unite Libyans in the national interest – Saif’s lawyer to RT
Muammar Gaddafi’s son, Saif Al-Islam, who plans to run in the presidential election this year, is widely supported by ordinary people hoping to rescue Libya from the chaos caused by the NATO-backed revolt, his lawyer told RT. While it is not yet certain when Libya will vote in a presidential election, due to varying interpretations of the electoral process by the power-seeking factions of the country, Saif Al Islam Gaddafi, son of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, announced on Monday his bid to run in the race as a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Libya (PFLL). His candidacy bid was confirmed to RT by his lawyer, Khaled Al-Ghwail, who believes that his client has a good chance of winning.
“Saif Al-Islam has many supporters. They are ordinary people. Even those who have previously committed to the [Arab Spring] cause now support the comprehensive vision of Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi,” Al-Ghwail told RT.
“Saif Al-Islam is capable of uniting Libyans around himself on the basis of national interests and those decisions that the Libyans themselves will take,” Al-Ghwail added. “This is a reform project, which should lead Libya into a calm harbor.”
cont.
Charles Campbell
Gaddafi Jr is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on war-crime charges for allegedly suppressing demonstrations against the rule of his father. He has not appeared in public since his release from prison in June 2017, where he had been detained by a local militia following his capture in November 2011.
While in captivity in the southern city of Zintan, he was sentenced to death in absentia by a UN-backed government court in Tripoli. However, two years later, he was released after being granted amnesty by the Tobruk-based parliament, one of the country’s two competing centers of power.
Ever since his release Gadaffi Jr’s exact whereabouts have remained unknown. His political bidding on the ground is done by the members of PFLL who are spread out across Libya. Such a clandestine political campaign is needed to ensure the safety of the candidate.
>Turkish MPs allow watchdog authority to regulate online content Turkey’s parliament has approved a bill granting its radio and television watchdog authority to regulate online content. The move fuels concerns about further restrictions on the media, Reuters reports. The MPs’ decision closes a loophole under which some Turkish broadcasters have sought refuge from censorship and strict regulations by moving to online-streaming platforms. Rights groups and Ankara’s Western allies have criticized restrictions on the media following the 2016 failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Two Turkish streaming websites, PuhuTV and BluTV, have produced popular shows in the past year whose content and language would likely be censored if broadcast on television.
>Political solution to Yemen war needed, Mattis tells Saudi crown prince There is an urgent need to find a political solution to Yemen’s war, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman on Thursday, according to Reuters. “We must also reinvigorate urgent efforts to seek a peaceful resolution to the civil war in Yemen and we support you in this regard,” Mattis said, offering his firm backing to Riyadh. “We are going to end this war, that is the bottom line,” he stated, when asked by reporters whether he would raise the issue of civilian casualties in Yemen. “And we are going to end it on positive terms for the people of Yemen, but also security for the nations in the peninsula,” Mattis said.
Lincoln James
>German court sentences Afghan migrant to life for raping, murdering student A German court on Thursday sentenced an Afghan migrant to life in prison for raping and murdering a university student. Police detained the young Afghan man in December 2016. He had arrived in the country at the height of the refugee crisis a year earlier. A test determined that his DNA matched that found near the site where a 19-year-old German female student had died in the southwestern city of Freiburg two months earlier, Reuters said. Police said after an autopsy that she had been the victim of sexual crime and violence before she drowned in a river. In January, a study found that violent crime rose by about 10 percent in 2015 and 2016, and more than 90 percent of the rise was attributed to young male refugees.
>Turkish forces target Kurdish militants across border in N. Iraq Turkish jets have reportedly attacked suspected Kurdish rebel camps across the border in northern Iraq. The offensive started early Thursday after drones detected a group of militants allegedly preparing to launch an attack against Turkey, Anadolu news agency said. During the operation, nine militants were “neutralized,” AP said, citing the report. Turkey regularly targets the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, where they maintain bases. Ankara said this week that its military may mount an offensive against the PKK in Iraq’s Sinjar region if the Iraqi government doesn’t act against the group, which is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey and its allies.
William Diaz
Fuck off , youre not me. Turks are not based
Easton Reed
>Philippines to build marine base on island near Taiwan for defense, to deter poaching The Philippines will begin building a marine base next month on its northernmost uninhabited island, near Taiwan, to boost defense arrangements and discourage poachers from its fishing grounds. “We need to have a presence there,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Isagani Nato, spokesman of the Northern Luzon Command of the Philippines, adding that building work on Mavulis Island would start next month. “We are going to put up a facility to guard our maritime domain, and against poaching during the fishing period.” The two nations’ coastguard ships have confronted each other in the rich fishing waters, where their exclusive economic zones overlap. The neighbors nearly cut ties in 2013, after a Philippines vessel fired on a Taiwanese fishing boat, killing a fisherman, Reuters said.
>Syrian rebels to leave key town of Harasta under E. Ghouta evacuation deal Syrian rebels and their families are expected to leave a besieged town in the Eastern Ghouta suburb of Damascus on Thursday. The move is part of an evacuation deal that will see the town handed over to the government following years of siege. Rebels released 13 prisoners of war ahead of the evacuation, AP reported. The deal is the first such arrangement made for a town inside the beleaguered Eastern Ghouta enclave. State-affiliated al-Ikhbariya TV cast the deal as a victory for the country, saying 10 buses had crossed into the town of Harasta to transport the “terrorists” to a rebel-held province in northern Syria. Some 6,000 civilians are expected to depart with the militants, some of whom are family members of the rebels.
Jacob Wood
>Sarkozy says accusations of illicit Libyan funding ‘web of lies’ Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy told magistrates that accusations of illicit Libyan funding for his 2007 election campaign were a web of lies that had made his life “hell,” according to Le Figaro newspaper. The 63-year old, who held power from 2007 to 2012, was told by investigators that he was formally suspected of passive corruption. “I’ve paid a heavy price for this affair. Put it this way: I lost the presidential election of 2012 by 1.5 percentage points. The controversy initiated by [Muammar] Gaddafi and his henchmen cost me that 1.5 percent,” Reuters quoted Sarkozy as saying. He also denounced what he described as ‘lies’ from one of his main accusers, a Franco-Lebanese businessman who has described himself as a “middleman in the shadows” for liaising between Paris and Libyan secret service chiefs.
>Top Turkish media group Dogan set for sale to President Erdogan ally – reports Turkey’s largest media holding said Thursday it was in talks to sell to a tycoon close to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Dogan Holding said that talks had begun on the sale of Dogan Media Group to the Demiroren Group of magnate Erdogan Demiroren for around $1 billion. Dogan comprises some of Turkey’s most prestigious media names including the Hurriyet daily newspaper, the CNN-Turk rolling news service, and the Kanal-D channel. CNN-Turk and Hurriyet, while in no way anti-government, had been regarded as holding a relatively independent editorial line in recent years. Demiroren Holding is seen as more friendly to Erdogan. The takeover plan would see the government tightening its grip over the media ahead of presidential elections next year.
Nathan Price
>Jordan opens US-funded counter-terrorism training center for MidEast A US-funded counter-terrorism center opened in Jordan on Thursday, where officers from partner countries in the Middle East and beyond can practice shooting, storming hideouts, and responding to bomb threats. The Jordan Gendarmerie Training Academy is the second such facility in the pro-Western kingdom, AP said. Additional training centers are to be built, including in Senegal and Kenya, according to Paul Davies, director for the State Department’s office of anti-terrorism assistance. He says 21 partner nations out of a pool of 56 have trained in Jordan’s first facility to date.
Ryan Murphy
>UK Aid Allows Syrian Refugees to Meet Most Urgent Survival Needs in Lebanon
British International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt has announced a “ground-breaking package of support” for people driven from their homes as a result of the conflict in Syria, which is now entering its eighth year, the British embassy in Lebanon said on Thursday.
>The program, delivered in partnership with the U.N.’s World Food Program, will provide more than 10,000 severely vulnerable families with an allowance so that they can buy essential items such as food, household supplies and vital medicine for their families.
With an estimated 76% of Syrian refugees living below the poverty line, this support will ensure families have the resources they need to survive and will aim to help prevent families taking desperate measures such as skipping meals or forcing their children to work.
“The UK continues to be by Lebanon’s side with action and not just words. In addition to our significant and lifesaving humanitarian assistance, we have provided textbooks for every child aged 6-15 years, and provided financial and technical support to the Lebanese Ministry of Education and Higher Education,” the British embassy said.
The Turks are based as they are destroying the k*rds, fuck off eurocuck larper
Joseph Robinson
God is the Greatest
Elijah Morris
WHAT A FUCKING SURPRISE
>Jihadist civil war resumes in northern Syria after failed peace talks
BEIRUT, LEBANON (5:20 P.M.) – The jihadist civil war between Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham and Jabhat Tahrir Souriya has resumed after failed peace talks in northern Syria.
According to pro-opposition media, Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham and Jabhat Tahrir Souriya were engaged in heavy combat near the west Aleppo town of Daret ‘Izza.
Earlier this month, Jabhat Tahrir Souriya expelled all of Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham’s fighters from Daret ‘Izza and several other west Aleppo towns, prompting the later to launch a wave of attacks in northern Idlib.
With Turkish forces all over west Aleppo, Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham’s presence may not be tolerated for much longer.
>Big budget breakthrough; US, Russian military chiefs talk; Washington proffers Patriot to Turkey; Israel admits to hitting Syrian reactor; and just a bit more…
Congressional leaders unveiled their $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill Wednesday. With a $78 billion increase in military spending over 2017 levels, and a $52 billion increase in domestic spending, the appropriations bill is expected to gain the approval of both houses before the Friday shutdown deadline, the Washington Post reported. archive.is/fzMC5
Here’s a quick look at what the deal holds for defense, via >$654.6 billion overall, including “$589.5 billion in the base budget and $65.2 billion in the overseas contingency operations (OCO) budget — an increase of $61.1 billion over the 2017 enacted level;”
>$137.7 billion for personnel and pay, including a 2.4 percent pay raise;
>$89.2 billion for research and development, up $16 billion over 2017;
>$144.3 billion for procurement, up $25.4 billion over 2017;
>And $238 billion for operations and maintenance, which adds $0.9 billion to the Trump adminstration’s 2018 request.
Missile defense would get a huge bump over the Trump budget. Lawmakers would add $3.3 billion to the Missile Defense Agency’s original request of $9.5 billion. More, here. archive.is/mSpHW
Aircraft, too: The proposed omnibus would add 143 aircraft of various types to the presidential request. More, here.
14 ships: The proposed budget would give the Navy an additional $3 billion for ships in 2018.
>The U.S. wants to sell Turkey a Patriot missile system to out-negotiate the Russians’ S-400, Turkey’s Daily Sabah reports this morning, writing, “the visit will be on March 31 as part of the ongoing Turkish-American Defense Industry Dialogue.” U.S. interests in pursuing this deal hinge reportedly on a belief that “the system will hinder NATO activities in Turkey because, they say, it could gather data on NATO installations and transfer it to the Kremlin. Another concern is that the S-400s would perceive Turkish and NATO planes as an enemy and create unexpected difficulties in the future.” Complicating matters further is “the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which mandates U.S. President Donald Trump to sanction people and companies who have defense transactions with Russia.” Read on, here.
>Related: The U.S. military appears to have visited Manbij, Syria, today — one destination for Turkey and its rebels as they continue to push further into Kurdish-held turf on its border with Syria.
China should prepare for military action in Taiwan, Reuters reports this morning from Beijing, citing the widely-read state-run newspaper, Global Times. The advice: “The mainland must also prepare itself for a direct military clash in the Taiwan Straits. It needs to make clear that escalation of U.S.-Taiwan official exchanges will bring serious consequences to Taiwan… Sticks matter more than flowers on the path to peaceful reunification,” said the paper, which is published by the ruling Communist Party’s official People’s Daily. Backdrop: “Beijing was infuriated after U.S. President Donald Trump signed legislation last week that encourages the United States to send senior officials to Taiwan to meet Taiwanese counterparts and vice versa.” More, here.
>294 frozen accounts involving seizure of €82,000 from terrorists over two years
Figures from the Ministry of Finance indicate that the Belgian state has frozen a total of €82,407 from accounts of individuals or entities linked to terrorism. These include jihadists who left for Iraq or Syria and the individuals involved in the Brussels and Paris attacks. The information was reported in the Sudpresse publications on Thursday.
Asset freezing aims to prevent all financial support to individuals who would be found guilty of terrorist-related activities. The spokeswoman for the Minister of Finances, Johan Van Overtveldt (N-VA), stated, “Currently the national list contains 271 individuals targeted under the Royal Decree dated 28 December 2006, relating to specific restrictive measures against certain people and entities. The measures are part of the fight against financing terrorist activities.”
>Syria Denounces Massacre of Civilians by Terrorist Groups
The Syrian Foreign Ministry denounced at the United Nations the massacre committed by terrorist groups two days ago in a neighborhood of Damascus, in which 44 people were killed and 35 others were wounded, television networks reported today.
In letters sent to the United Nations General Secretariat and its Security Council, the government stated that the new criminal attack with a missile occurred on Tuesday against a market on the Kashkol neighborhood, in the suburb of Damascus.
This action coincided with an attack with mortars also launched by extremist groups from the Eastern Ghouta region, east of Damascus, against the Amara neighborhood, which wounded 10 citizens and caused considerable property damage in the area, the document stated.
>What Is In This Video That CNN & BBC Will NOT Permit you To See?
This dramatic footage from eastern Ghouta shows government forces are helping thousands of people to flee to safety. The Western-backed Islamist terrorists have been preventing civilians from moving to the government side, but as the rebels are defeated, more and more are able to escape and reach safety. The civilians are so happy to reach the government side
The Kurds remain the only alternative to the brutalities being committed by the Assad regime and its allies and Turkey and its Islamist allies.
For this reason, America has a moral obligation to help the Kurds out at this critical time and if they do not want to support YPG, then they should place a Kurdish group in charge of the area who is not YPG, which would both be good for the struggle against Iran and ISIS but also accommodate Turkey’s desire to not have the PKK control the area.
It is critical to recognize that in recent years, the Kurds have become a pivotal part of the anti-ISIS struggle and America has no plan B if their areas are overrun. ISIS will never be permanently eradicated from Syria without boots on the ground and if America does not want to provide those boots, then they need to help those who have been acting as America’s boots on the ground in order to maintain the gains that they have won.
The alternative to supporting the Kurds in Syria is further entrenching the Iranian axis in Syria or allowing ISIS to re-emerge under the tutelage of Turkey, which despite its opposition to the murderous terror group still prefers ISIS along its borders to the Kurds.
Neither option is a good one. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that America support the only major player in Syria that is fighting against ISIS and remains separate from the Iranian axis. The time has come for the U.S. to act and to stop ignoring what is happening on the ground. The time has come for the United States to put an end to Turkey and its ally’s atrocities in Syria.
Learn how to larp fucker, i never capitalise "turk", also i say kurds not k*rds. Plus eurocucks isnt for Britain , Brexit is Brexit mate.
Eli Torres
Yes, do it please. This guy is a shill.
Juan Miller
Animefags should be banned.
Luis Hill
Sure. Let's do it.
Wyatt Wright
Have there been any cases of westerners going to fight FOR Assad?
Oliver Adams
Eurocucks are eurocucks m8. If you live in anywhere in Europe except Russia you’re cucked as hell and are probably in need of a life under the Pan-Turk-Arab Federation.
Also, I’ve always capitalised “Turk” and used am asterix for the k word, idiot
Luis Howard
Goatfucker posting his lovely goats
Nicholas Moore
SAA doesn't accept foreign volunteers, they're not a bunch of mercs
> pretty sure a group of Greek boys are fighting for the gov't Hahaha. Imagine being so cucked, fighting for the regime instead of joining rebels fighting for the West.
Robert Rogers
>America's Guns: Secret Pipeline to Syria >from no other than Al Jazeera
Greek far right wingers of that flavour are the closest thing to RWDS that Europe will get.
Wyatt Edwards
clearly you haven't seen Northern Ireland
Adrian Torres
It's a typo, they mean gorillions
Bentley Brooks
SAA is made of Syrians. Hence the name: Syrian Arab Army. If you mean various allies of the loyalists, be it Hezbollah, Fatimids, mercenaries of various origin - than sure, but these are not part of SAA.
Some of them, when the IRA disarmed mostly so did they because no one wanted the Troubles to continue because it was fucking horrid. NI Is like 99% White so there isn't really much they do about pakis tbqh
BTW speaking of ruskie mercs they are the least competent force in this war, literally cannon fodder.
Benjamin Reyes
Mostly units of Syrian Republican Guard and Tiger Forces, and these are 100% Syrian and both directly under SyMoD and Air Force Intelligence. To be more precise major role was played by 124th SRG and Tarmah group of Tigers, as well as the troops from local garrisons and rotations that were trapped in the city since the beggining of the conflict.
Did they have strong connections to the Armed Forces, or were they relatively independent?
Adam Wood
Ruskie are subhumans. Ruskie can not fight because they are unhealthy due to constant starvation and drug addiction.
Logan Carter
Yeah, well not really. They're not like random NDF or tribal unit that runs away when they hear gunfire or first mortar shell falls, but sure, quality of Ruskie mercs there is shit. They are cannon fodder indeed. SSOs and GRU on the other hand..
Projection after getting cucked by Putin in the election
Jack Hernandez
You clearly have never met a turkish creature in your life. There is literally physical difference between a hairy kurd and a hairy turk, and both are heavily inbred and feature limited IQ. The turk even claims to hate jews, ignoring the fact that most of them have significant jewblood admixture.
