Russia conducts 'massive' Syria strikes

[Moonglow]

Damage assessments are not looking very impressive. Various sources have indicated lots of abandoned and empty facilities are being hit while civilian facilities like hospitals, school and civilian housing areas are being turned into rubble. Meantime, the guys in the Sinai who bombed the Russian commercial airline seem out of Putin's reach and still running free.

Are you USMB's man-on-the-ground in Raqqa?..........

He's embedded..

 

[Vikrant]

A Russian warplane has gone down near the Turkish-Syrian border after an apparent attack. Turkish and Russian sources have given conflicting reports about the incident, which has the potential to escalate the tension between Russia and NATO member Turkey.

25 November 2015
01:41 GMT

Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has also urged all parties to "show restraint" after Turkey shot down a Russian bomber.

"We are concerned about the incident where a Russian aircraft was shot down in the Syrian-Turkish border area, and we ask relevant parties to exercise restraint," she said in a statement.

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Russian warplane shot down at Syria-Turkey border

 

[Vikrant]

Turkey ‘accomplices of terrorists’?

Since the earliest months of the Syrian war, Turkey has had more direct involvement and more at stake than any of the regional states lined up against Bashar al-Assad.

Turkish borders have been the primary thoroughfare for fighters of all kinds to enter Syria. Its military bases have been used to distribute weapons and to train rebel fighters. And its frontier towns and villages have taken in almost one million refugees.

Turkey’s international airports have also been busy. Many, if not most, of the estimated 15,000-20,000 foreign fighters to have joined Islamic State (Isis) have first flown into Istanbul or Adana, or arrived by ferry along its Mediterranean coast.

The influx has offered fertile ground to allies of Assad who, well before a Turkish jet shot down a Russian fighter on Tuesday, had enabled, or even supported Isis. Vladimir Putin’s reference to Turkey as “accomplices of terrorists” is likely to resonate even among some of Ankara’s backers.

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Is Vladimir Putin right to label Turkey ‘accomplices of terrorists’?

 

[eagle1462010]

Strategic Bombers carry heavy pay loads. Capet bombing the area.............This tactic doesn't care about Collateral Damage........they take out the area...............I have no problem with that in ISIS strong holds..........

Whether you like it or not...........this is how you crush the enemy............And they hitting in places our Command hasn't been given permission to hit........

War is to kill or destroy the enemies will to fight...........Russian heavy bombers will take out whole cities in ISIS strong holds if necessary...........There will no longer be a safe place to stay there using these tactics...............and these tactics WILL WORK...............

ISIS is finally gonna get what it deserves............There will be significant civilian casualties in these strikes, but it will end this BS.

Using bombing as the only strategy without having a competent well trained and equipped ground force would be the same as trying to remove the Taliban from power in Afghanistan pre US invasion. It won't happen. The ground force doesn't have to be American, or American only.

Carpet bombing will destroy a lot of them and they would lose sanctuary cities hiding behind women and children.........even though most there now are their women and children...............................

If you want to talk about the mop up after.........then ground forces would be necessary................the Kurds and Syrian army have been fighting ISIS on the ground.

 

[Stratford57]

Looks like all Erdogan's family is involved in business with ISIS, so they would love Russia to stop bombing ISIS: it makes them loose a lot of money.

Bilal Erdoğan [the son] owns several maritime companies. He has allegedly signed contracts with European operating companies to carry Iraqi stolen oil to different Asian countries. The Turkish government buys Iraqi plundered oil which is being produced from the Iraqi seized oil wells. Bilal Erdoğan’s maritime companies own special wharfs in Beirut and Ceyhan ports that are transporting ISIS’ smuggled crude oil in Japan-bound oil tankers.

Gürsel Tekin vice-president of the Turkish Republican Peoples’ Party, CHP, declared in a recent Turkish media interview, “President Erdoğan claims that according to international transportation conventions there is no legal infraction concerning Bilal’s illicit activities and his son is doing an ordinary business with the registered Japanese companies, but in fact Bilal Erdoğan is up to his neck in complicity with terrorism, but as long as his father holds office he will be immune from any judicial prosecution.” Tekin adds that Bilal’s maritime company doing the oil trades for ISIS, BMZ Ltd, is “a family business and president Erdoğan’s close relatives hold shares in BMZ and they misused public funds and took illicit loans from Turkish banks.”

In addition to son Bilal’s illegal and lucrative oil trading for ISIS, Sümeyye Erdoğan, the daughter of the Turkish President apparently runs a secret hospital camp inside Turkey just over the Syrian border where Turkish army trucks daily being in scores of wounded ISIS Jihadists to be patched up and sent back to wage the bloody Jihad in Syria, according to the testimony of a nurse who was recruited to work there until it was discovered she was a member of the Alawite branch of Islam, the same as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad who Erdoğan seems hell-bent on toppling.

Erdogan's son Bilal Erdoğan smuggler of illegal #ISIS's oil #RussianPlane #Syria

Members of Turkey’s ruling family are increasingly plunging deeper in the ISIS quagmire.After the head of Turkish state, Receep Tayyed Erdogan and his son Bilal were harshly criticized for backing extremist militants in Syria, the Turkish President’s daughter, Sümeyye, is allegedly heading a covert medical team to treat wounded ISIS militants.

http://www.almasdarnews.com/article/erdogans-daughter-reportedly-cures-injured-isis-militants/

 

[Vikrant]

Rescued pilot of downed Russian jet returns to airbase

The rescue operation of Russia’s Su-24 navigator has been successfully completed with the pilot back at the Hmeymim airbase safe and sound, Russian Defense Ministry Gen. Sergei Shoigu said Thursday, RT and Sputnik report.

Shoigu said the operation lasted 12 hours and he thanked “all our men, who risked [their lives] working through the night.”

“I reported the success to the Commander in Chief (Russia’s President Vladimir Putin). He asked me to thank all the personnel who took part in this operation,” Shoigu said.

Vladimir Putin said that the commander killed in Syria will be awarded the Star of Hero of the Russian Federation posthumously. The rescued pilot will also be given state honors.

Earlier, Russian Ambassador to France Aleksandr Orlov told Europe 1 radio that one of the pilots on board was wounded when he parachuted down and was killed in a savage way on the ground by jihadists in the area. The other managed to escape.

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Rescued pilot of downed Russian jet returns to airbase

 

[Vikrant]

Rescued co-pilot from the downed Russian Su-24 jet said there were no visual or radio warnings issued by Turkey.

"There were no warnings. Not via the radio, not visually. There was no contact whatsoever. That's why we were keeping our combat course as usual. You have to understand what the cruising speed of a bomber is compared to an F-16. If they wanted to warn us, they could have shown themselves by heading on a parallel course. But there was nothing. And the rocket hit our tail completely unexpectedly. We didn't even see it in time to take evasive maneuvers."

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Rescued Su-24 Co-Pilot Rules Out Turkish Space Violation 'Even for Second'

 

[Ringel05]

Rescued co-pilot from the downed Russian Su-24 jet said there were no visual or radio warnings issued by Turkey.

"There were no warnings. Not via the radio, not visually. There was no contact whatsoever. That's why we were keeping our combat course as usual. You have to understand what the cruising speed of a bomber is compared to an F-16. If they wanted to warn us, they could have shown themselves by heading on a parallel course. But there was nothing. And the rocket hit our tail completely unexpectedly. We didn't even see it in time to take evasive maneuvers."

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Rescued Su-24 Co-Pilot Rules Out Turkish Space Violation 'Even for Second'

You believe him? Okie dokie.......

 

[Vikrant]

Russia urges nationals in Turkey to return home

MOSCOW: Russia's foreign ministry today urged nationals currently in Turkey to return home after tensions with Ankara soared over the downing of a Russian warplane.
"In connection with the existing terrorist threats on Turkish territory, we once again recommend that Russian citizens refrain from visiting Turkey, and recommend that Russians who are there for personal purposes return home," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

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Russia urges nationals in Turkey to return home - Times of India

 

[Vikrant]

Rescued co-pilot from the downed Russian Su-24 jet said there were no visual or radio warnings issued by Turkey.

"There were no warnings. Not via the radio, not visually. There was no contact whatsoever. That's why we were keeping our combat course as usual. You have to understand what the cruising speed of a bomber is compared to an F-16. If they wanted to warn us, they could have shown themselves by heading on a parallel course. But there was nothing. And the rocket hit our tail completely unexpectedly. We didn't even see it in time to take evasive maneuvers."

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Rescued Su-24 Co-Pilot Rules Out Turkish Space Violation 'Even for Second'

You believe him? Okie dokie.......

It turns out that Turkey and ISIS have extensive network that steals oil from Syria and transports it to Turkey. This stolen oil is then sold to countries like Japan and some European countries. Russians have been carrying out massive airstrikes to prevent this oil theft. It seems Erdogan has personal interest in this oil theft. It is quite possible that Russian jet crossed into Turkey while carrying out strikes against the network.

BTW, it turns out that Israel is another country which is involved in facilitating theft of oil from Syria. Israel is doing this through Kurdish fighters. Interesting!

 

[Ringel05]

Rescued co-pilot from the downed Russian Su-24 jet said there were no visual or radio warnings issued by Turkey.

"There were no warnings. Not via the radio, not visually. There was no contact whatsoever. That's why we were keeping our combat course as usual. You have to understand what the cruising speed of a bomber is compared to an F-16. If they wanted to warn us, they could have shown themselves by heading on a parallel course. But there was nothing. And the rocket hit our tail completely unexpectedly. We didn't even see it in time to take evasive maneuvers."

...

Rescued Su-24 Co-Pilot Rules Out Turkish Space Violation 'Even for Second'

You believe him? Okie dokie.......

It turns out that Turkey and ISIS have extensive network that steals oil from Syria and transports it to Turkey. This stolen oil is then sold to countries like Japan and some European countries. Russians have been carrying out massive airstrikes to prevent this oil theft. It seems Erdogan has personal interest in this oil theft. It is quite possible that Russian jet crossed into Turkey while carrying out strikes against the network.

BTW, it turns out that Israel is another country which is involved in facilitating theft of oil from Syria. Israel is doing this through Kurdish fighters. Interesting!

It wouldn't surprise me if most of the world's major powers (including us) are involved in taking Syria's oil.......... and it benefiting ISIS.

 

[Stratford57]

In what is a prime example of twisted logic, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Russia against using its ultra-modern S-400 air defense system to shoot down Turkish fighter jets if they violate Syrian airspace just days after Ankara brought down a Russian Su-24 bomber.
November, 27: downing a Turkish warplane over Syrian territory would qualify as aggression, Erdogan told CNN in response to a question on what would happen if a Turkish fighter jet were to stray into Syrian territory.
Erdogan's Twisted Logic: S-400 Must Not Shoot Down Turkish Jets Over Syria

Nov, 26.
Putin: Just look: we warned our US partners in advance about where our pilots would be operating, when, and at what flight levels. The American side, which heads the coalition that includes Turkey, knew about the location and time of the flights. And that is precisely where and when we were hit.

So I ask you: why did we provide this information to the Americans? Either they cannot control what their allies are doing, or they are handing out the information left and right, without understanding the consequences. Naturally, we will need to have some serious consultations with our partners on this matter. But the air defence system is not in any way directed against our partners, with whom we are fighting terrorists in Syria.

Incidents such as the destruction of our plane and the death of our servicemen – the pilot, and a marine who was attempting to rescue his brothers in arms – are completely unacceptable. Our position is that this must not happen again. If this is not the case, we do not need such cooperation, with anyone, any coalition or country.
***
The UN Security Council passed a special resolution that bans direct purchase of oil from terrorists, because these barrels coming in are filled not just with oil but with our citizens’ blood, and because terrorists use the money from this trade to buy arms and munitions and then carry out bloody attacks such as those against our plane in the Sinai, and the attacks in Paris and other cities and countries.

But there is absolutely no question that the oil is heading for Turkey. We see this from the air. We see that loaded vehicles are heading there in a constant stream and returning empty. These vehicles are loaded in Syria, in territory controlled by the terrorists, and they go to Turkey and return to Syria empty. We see this every day.

Press statements and answers to journalists’ questions following meeting with President of France Francois Hollande

 

[Vikrant]

This is a very important development as France is a NATO member.

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France: we could work with Syrian regime troops ...

Laurent Fabius, the foreign minister, said he could foresee Syrian troops loyal to Bashar al-Assad taking part in the fight to crush the Islamic State group, in a controversial statement welcomed by the regime in Damascus.

Troops loyal to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad could be used in any French ground campaign against Islamic State, France's foreign minister said in controversial comments on Friday.

Laurent Fabius said that the fight against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) required two-pronged attack: “the bombings, and troops on the ground, which could include Free Syrian army forces, Sunni Arab forces and — why not? — regime forces.”

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France: we could work with Syrian regime troops in ground fight against Isil

 

[Vikrant]

Bad news for Syria ...

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France's Fabius backtracks after suggesting working with Syrian army

France's Fabius backtracks after suggesting working with Syrian army

 

[Vikrant]

Good news for Greece!

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Turkish warplanes abruptly ceased violating Greek airspace after downing a Russian Sukhoi Su-24 bomber on November 24. Previously, air intrusions made by Turkish fighter jets took place on a daily basis and amounted to thousands a year.

The data comes from a diplomatic source in Athens, cited by RIA Novosti.

The last time Turkish warplanes were spotted in Greek airspace was on November 25, when six jets, two of them carrying weapons, entered the neighbor’s aerial domain.

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Turkey stopped violating Greek airspace after Russian Su-24 downing - Athens source

 

[Vikrant]

Turkish journalists are being targeted for reporting Erdogan's illicit trade.

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Two prominent journalists in Turkey are facing charges of espionage after publishing video that allegedly showed trucks, belonging to the state intelligence agency, carrying ammunition to Syrian militants.

Can Dundar, editor-in-chief of the Cumhuriyet newspaper, and Ankara bureau chief Erdem Gul are also accused of willingly aiding an armed group.

Both have been jailed pending trial.

“We will resist and win. It’s a coup against the press. They keep doing coups against the press. But we are strong, and I want everyone to stay strong,” said Dilek Dundar, Can Dundar’s wife.

Ali Ozsoy, editor-in-chief of the leftist Sol newspaper, added: “If the media is silenced, no-one would know what was right or what was wrong. This is another step forward for the fascist dictatorship. We stand by Can Dundar.”

The government had initially denied the trucks were transporting arms, maintaining that the cargo consisted of humanitarian aid.

Some officials later suggested it was arms or ammunition destined for the Turkmen minority in Syria.

The video prompted President Tayyip Erdogan to vow revenge, saying he would not forgive such reporting.

European diplomats are measured in their criticism of media freedom in Turkey and Erdogan’s increasingly authoritarian rule – recognising that the West needs Ankara’s help with the migrant crisis and as an ally in the US-led coalition against ISIL.

Turkey: two journalists jailed over Syria smuggling reports

 

[Vikrant]

Not since Hitler ordered General Walther Wenck to send his non-existent 12th Army to rescue him from the Red Army in Berlin has a European leader believed in military fantasies as PR Dave Cameron did last week. Telling the House of Commons about the 70,000 “moderate” fighters deployed in Syria was not just lying in the sense that Tony Blair lied – because Blair persuaded himself to believe in his own dishonesty – but something approaching burlesque. It was whimsy – ridiculous, comic, grotesque, ludicrous. It came close to a unique form of tragic pantomime.

At one point last week, one of Cameron’s satraps was even referring to this phantom army as “ground troops”. I doubt if there are 700 active “moderate” foot soldiers in Syria – and I am being very generous, for the figure may be nearer 70 – let alone 70,000. And the Syrian Kurds are not going to conquer Isis for us; they’re too busy trying to survive the assaults of our Turkish allies. Besides, aren’t the “moderates” supposed to be the folk who don’t carry weapons at all? Who’s ever heard before of a “moderate” with a Kalashnikov?

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70,000 moderate fighters in Syria? It’s another Cameron Photoshop

 

[Vikrant]

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Vessels sailing under the flag of Russia are now facing challenges while passing the Bosphorus Strait that connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara.

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Russian Ships Waiting for Hours to Cross Bosphorus

 

[Stratford57]

Nov,30:

Putin: We have just received additional information proving that unfortunately, large volumes of oil, industrial volumes coming from oil fields controlled by ISIS and other terrorist organisations, enter Turkey’s territory. And we have every reason to believe that the decision to shoot down our plane was dictated by the desire to ensure the security of these oil supply routes to Turkey – to the ports where it is shipped out in tankers, – while protecting the Turkmen is merely a pretext.

And, of course, you know that our pilots write “For our people!” on their missiles; in other words, this is revenge for our citizens who died over Sinai. They also write “For Paris!” on the missiles, as a revenge for the terrorist attacks in Paris. And yet, this bomber is shot down by the Turkish air force. What can we discuss here? What broad coalition? But we will still strive toward creating a truly effective, broad coalition, so that regional, local and financial interests will fade into the background against the global threat of terrorism.

Press statement and answers to journalists’ questions

 

[montelatici]

...

Vessels sailing under the flag of Russia are now facing challenges while passing the Bosphorus Strait that connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara.

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Russian Ships Waiting for Hours to Cross Bosphorus

Turkey might want to be careful. The Montreux Convention grants Black Sea states, which includes Russia special transit rights. Anything Turkey does to restrict the passage of Russian ships would be an act of war.