The mystery of the "moderate" rebels

[Vikrant]

A very good read from Huffington Post.

---

After a two-year absence from the international stage -- during which the mainstream media dispatched them to the realm of nonexistent entities -- on October 1 the "moderate rebels" of Syria were back. The New York Times said so. Russian attacks were targeting moderates rather than ISIS, a man with a camera was quoted saying; and the Times story by Anne Barnard appeared to confirm his suspicion; even as a companion report on Russian actions in Syria by Helene Cooper, Michael R. Gordon, and Neil MacFarquhar revealed that these are the same moderates who were carefully vetted by the CIA, and concerning whom little was heard ever after. Their numbers are put at 3,000 to 5,000, though the Cooper-Gordon-MacFarquhar article leaves uncertain if that is their original or their present strength. This illumination, after so long a blackout, will doubtless be a subject for inquiry in coming days. Why it would seem worthwhile for the Russians to attack so small a force, neither of the Times stories bothered to say; nor did they explain why, if the moderate rebels are anti-Jihadist, they were allowed to garrison in the town of Talbiseh in a region north of Homs that (according to the veteran Middle East reporter Patrick Cockburn) has been "ruled" for the past two years "by Jabhat al-Nusra and associated extreme Islamist groups."

...

Syria, the Times and the Mystery of the "Moderate Rebels"

 

[Vikrant]

Some more videos of Russian air strikes on Islamists in Syria

Russian Air Force hit 10 ISIS targets in Syria in last 24 hours – Defense Ministry (VIDEOS)

 

[irosie91]

yes-----not doubt-----it is a big mess of FACTIONS --------kinda like the
tribal conflicts amongst the kurds, and the Bedouins, and the Yemenis
etc etc etc VIK, You are the last person on this messageboard that I
would suspect of being naïve of such situations. But you are right----
it is difficult for us Yankees to wrap our brains around anything but
friend vs foe.

 

[Vikrant]

yes-----not doubt-----it is a big mess of FACTIONS --------kinda like the
tribal conflicts amongst the kurds, and the Bedouins, and the Yemenis
etc etc etc VIK, You are the last person on this messageboard that I
would suspect of being naïve of such situations. But you are right----
it is difficult for us Yankees to wrap our brains around anything but
friend vs foe.

Where does Israel stand on this conflict? What is their reaction to Russian military in Syria? I heard on DEBKA that there was some sort of confrontation between Israeli Air Force and Russian Air Force flying over Lebanon. I do not trust DEBKA that much though. They are known for creating hysteria.

 

[Vikrant]

Australia's Possible Strategy Shift on Syria Is A Nod To Russia's Influence

Earlier this week, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop made some comments flagging a significant shift in Australia's position on the Assad regime in Syria.

According to Bishop, if the Assad regime were to be removed or collapse, it would create a vacuum that could be filled by "an even more diabolical presence". As a consequence, Australia's position is now that all options should be considered.

Also this week, Russian warplanes and helicopter gunships launched their first airstrikes on rebel-held positions inside Syria. So are these two events in any way linked?

...

Australia's Possible Strategy Shift on Syria Is A Nod To Russia's Influence

 

[Vikrant]

^ I commend Australia for being the first country to learn lessons from ouster of Saddam and Gaddafi. Look at Iraq. Is Iraq safer now than when Saddam was around? Look at Libya. Is Libya safer today than when Gaddafi was around?

 

[irosie91]

yes-----not doubt-----it is a big mess of FACTIONS --------kinda like the
tribal conflicts amongst the kurds, and the Bedouins, and the Yemenis
etc etc etc VIK, You are the last person on this messageboard that I
would suspect of being naïve of such situations. But you are right----
it is difficult for us Yankees to wrap our brains around anything but
friend vs foe.

Where does Israel stand on this conflict? What is their reaction to Russian military in Syria? I heard on DEBKA that there was some sort of confrontation between Israeli Air Force and Russian Air Force flying over Lebanon. I do not trust DEBKA that much though. They are known for creating hysteria.

which is "this conflict" ? It is obvious that you have never met Israelis-----
there is never a consensus of opinion even within the government. From
the POV of Israel and Russia in HISTORY-------Anything Russian was never
good. (I may have some ancestry born in Russia----and never heard anything
good about Russia) Russia has-----VERY INTERESTINGLY-----historically,
supported BAATHISM. Nasser was a virulent Baathist and Russia supported
Egypt just as vigorously as it is supporting Syria now---back in 1967. Even
earlier Russia support Baathist factions in Yemen-----in civil war---in the
1950s. The Baathist ideology is not actually complimentary to
communism-------except in one feature------it is a TOTALITARIAN
UTOPIAN ideology-----a commonality with Communism, Nazism and
Islam. Any discussion as to why all THREE can get along well and
are by no means mutually exclusive--------is too complex for this board---and
me. I will ASSERT-----that Baathism is very consistent with ISLAMISM----
In fact---my next assertion is-------A Baathist society is INTENSELY
consistent with a SHARIAH society, it is virtually koranic. Saddam
had the koran on his philosophical side------as did Nasser----as
have the ASSADS as do the IRANIANS ------the koran makes them
allies and Baathism makes them allies

 

[Vikrant]

A Turkish perspective

---

ISTANBUL
A Russian warplane on a bombing run in Syria flew within five miles of the Turkish border and may have crossed into Turkey’s air space, Turkish and U.S. officials said Sunday.

The incident raises new concerns that Russia’s armed intervention in Syria could spill over to neighboring countries, lead to an unintended military confrontation and trigger an even bigger regional conflict.

A Turkish security official said Turkish radar locked onto the Russian aircraft as it was bombing early Friday in al Yamdiyyah, a Syrian village directly on the Turkish border. He said Turkish fighter jets would have attacked had it crossed into Turkish airspace.

But a U.S. military official suggested the incident had come close to sparking an armed confrontation. Reading from a report, he said the Russian aircraft had violated Turkish air space by five miles and that Turkish jets had scrambled, but that the Russian aircraft had returned to Syrian airspace before they could respond.

The Turkish security official said he could not confirm that account. Both officials insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the news media.

Read more here: Turkish defense radar locked on Russian fighter as it bombed Syrian town

 

[Vikrant]

China’s military advisers ‘heading to Syria to help fight ISIS

China’s military advisers ‘heading to Syria to help fight ISIS’ – report

 

[irosie91]

like I said------a mess of "factions". IMHO-----all of the Islamic world is
"HIGHLY FACTIONATED" (i think I just invented that one) It is
very hard to evuluate those factions as being either friend or foe
either in relation to each other or in relation------to the rest of the world

 

[Vikrant]

like I said------a mess of "factions". IMHO-----all of the Islamic world is
"HIGHLY FACTIONATED" (i think I just invented that one) It is
very hard to evuluate those factions as being either friend or foe
either in relation to each other or in relation------to the rest of the world

I used to think Chinese were pro-Israel but it seems like I was wrong as Chinese are helping Russians and Syrians. What is your thought on that?

 

[irosie91]

The battle cry from the AXIS POWERS (iran, china, russia, syria)
"fight isis" has become meaningless------it is their way of justifying
****WORLD WAR THREE.

 

[irosie91]

like I said------a mess of "factions". IMHO-----all of the Islamic world is
"HIGHLY FACTIONATED" (i think I just invented that one) It is
very hard to evuluate those factions as being either friend or foe
either in relation to each other or in relation------to the rest of the world

I used to think Chinese were pro-Israel but it seems like I was wrong as Chinese are helping Russians and Syrians. What is your thought on that?

china is (not the best answer but very true) PRO-CHINA its government
is opportunist based on ECONOMIC IMPERIALISM --- IMHO. This
current conflict is an economic thing for control of OIL SHIPPING LINES
and other issues related to trade-----china joined the party. china does
not want to "miss the boat"

 

[Delta4Embassy]

A very good read from Huffington Post.

---

After a two-year absence from the international stage -- during which the mainstream media dispatched them to the realm of nonexistent entities -- on October 1 the "moderate rebels" of Syria were back. The New York Times said so. Russian attacks were targeting moderates rather than ISIS, a man with a camera was quoted saying; and the Times story by Anne Barnard appeared to confirm his suspicion; even as a companion report on Russian actions in Syria by Helene Cooper, Michael R. Gordon, and Neil MacFarquhar revealed that these are the same moderates who were carefully vetted by the CIA, and concerning whom little was heard ever after. Their numbers are put at 3,000 to 5,000, though the Cooper-Gordon-MacFarquhar article leaves uncertain if that is their original or their present strength. This illumination, after so long a blackout, will doubtless be a subject for inquiry in coming days. Why it would seem worthwhile for the Russians to attack so small a force, neither of the Times stories bothered to say; nor did they explain why, if the moderate rebels are anti-Jihadist, they were allowed to garrison in the town of Talbiseh in a region north of Homs that (according to the veteran Middle East reporter Patrick Cockburn) has been "ruled" for the past two years "by Jabhat al-Nusra and associated extreme Islamist groups."

...

Syria, the Times and the Mystery of the "Moderate Rebels"

Moderate Islam is hardly friendly to everybody else. They're still violence-inclined Muslims willing to murder for their fath.

 

[Vikrant]

Moscow’s red lines were crossed – ex US intel chief on Russian military op in Syria

 

[irosie91]

A very good read from Huffington Post.

---

After a two-year absence from the international stage -- during which the mainstream media dispatched them to the realm of nonexistent entities -- on October 1 the "moderate rebels" of Syria were back. The New York Times said so. Russian attacks were targeting moderates rather than ISIS, a man with a camera was quoted saying; and the Times story by Anne Barnard appeared to confirm his suspicion; even as a companion report on Russian actions in Syria by Helene Cooper, Michael R. Gordon, and Neil MacFarquhar revealed that these are the same moderates who were carefully vetted by the CIA, and concerning whom little was heard ever after. Their numbers are put at 3,000 to 5,000, though the Cooper-Gordon-MacFarquhar article leaves uncertain if that is their original or their present strength. This illumination, after so long a blackout, will doubtless be a subject for inquiry in coming days. Why it would seem worthwhile for the Russians to attack so small a force, neither of the Times stories bothered to say; nor did they explain why, if the moderate rebels are anti-Jihadist, they were allowed to garrison in the town of Talbiseh in a region north of Homs that (according to the veteran Middle East reporter Patrick Cockburn) has been "ruled" for the past two years "by Jabhat al-Nusra and associated extreme Islamist groups."

...

Syria, the Times and the Mystery of the "Moderate Rebels"

Moderate Islam is hardly friendly to everybody else. They're still violence-inclined Muslims willing to murder for their fath.

Isis is islam, Iran is Islam, Nigeria is islam ...........................

 

[Vikrant]

like I said------a mess of "factions". IMHO-----all of the Islamic world is
"HIGHLY FACTIONATED" (i think I just invented that one) It is
very hard to evuluate those factions as being either friend or foe
either in relation to each other or in relation------to the rest of the world

I used to think Chinese were pro-Israel but it seems like I was wrong as Chinese are helping Russians and Syrians. What is your thought on that?

china is (not the best answer but very true) PRO-CHINA its government
is opportunist based on ECONOMIC IMPERIALISM --- IMHO. This
current conflict is an economic thing for control of OIL SHIPPING LINES
and other issues related to trade-----china joined the party. china does
not want to "miss the boat"

Jewish lobby in the U.S. is a staunch supporter of China. So that is why I was surprised to see China so brazenly siding with Russia and Syria in a conflict which puts Israel against Syria and Russia.

 

[Delta4Embassy]

A very good read from Huffington Post.

---

After a two-year absence from the international stage -- during which the mainstream media dispatched them to the realm of nonexistent entities -- on October 1 the "moderate rebels" of Syria were back. The New York Times said so. Russian attacks were targeting moderates rather than ISIS, a man with a camera was quoted saying; and the Times story by Anne Barnard appeared to confirm his suspicion; even as a companion report on Russian actions in Syria by Helene Cooper, Michael R. Gordon, and Neil MacFarquhar revealed that these are the same moderates who were carefully vetted by the CIA, and concerning whom little was heard ever after. Their numbers are put at 3,000 to 5,000, though the Cooper-Gordon-MacFarquhar article leaves uncertain if that is their original or their present strength. This illumination, after so long a blackout, will doubtless be a subject for inquiry in coming days. Why it would seem worthwhile for the Russians to attack so small a force, neither of the Times stories bothered to say; nor did they explain why, if the moderate rebels are anti-Jihadist, they were allowed to garrison in the town of Talbiseh in a region north of Homs that (according to the veteran Middle East reporter Patrick Cockburn) has been "ruled" for the past two years "by Jabhat al-Nusra and associated extreme Islamist groups."

...

Syria, the Times and the Mystery of the "Moderate Rebels"

Moderate Islam is hardly friendly to everybody else. They're still violence-inclined Muslims willing to murder for their fath.

Isis is islam, Iran is Islam, Nigeria is islam ...........................

Was there going to be more, like to make a point, or did your brain seize up?

 

[irosie91]

Moscow’s red lines were crossed – ex US intel chief on Russian military op in Syria

yup----its a big mess-------*****HIGHLY FACTIONATED**** historically---
the serbs (eastern orthodox) ---hate the bosnians (muslims)

 

[Vikrant]

Moscow’s red lines were crossed – ex US intel chief on Russian military op in Syria

yup----its a big mess-------*****HIGHLY FACTIONATED**** historically---
the serbs (eastern orthodox) ---hate the bosnians (muslims)

I do not agree with that. But I have been reading the news all day and it seems like Orthodox Christians throughout the middle east support Russian actions in Syria.