veteranstoday--2020-02-13--USAF F15 Attacks Syrian Army Checkpoint after Russians Save US Column from Angry Kurds

As a warning to # Syria Arab Army , a # USAF F-15E from 389th Fighter Squadron which had been flown from Muwaffaq al-Salti AB , # Jordan dropped a bomb at the # SAA checkpoint in the east of # Qamishli where a convoy of # US Army had been stopped by locals & # SAA !
pic.twitter.com/i2Vt45bDc0 RT/Moscow : A conflict between local residents and US troops early on Wednesday in a Syrian village of Khirbet Ammo near the border town of Qamishli saw one child killed and one civilian injured .
US troops reportedly opened fire after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a US convoy which had entered an area controlled by Syrian authorities .
According to the Russian Centre for Syrian Reconciliation , the Russian servicemen prevented further escalation and ensured the exit of the US military convoy in the direction of a US base in Haseke province .
A military journalist , meanwhile , published footage alleging a US airstrike on Syrian army positions in Qamishli .
The video appears to show an F-15E jet belonging to the US Air Force flying over the area .
The journalist claimed that this jet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Syrian army .
An attack , however , was not captured on video .
There has been no statement issued from the US-led coalition regarding the footage .
According to Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman Myles Caggins , the US-led coalition in Syria opened fire on civilians “ in self-defense ” .
Caggins said the coalition was investigating the incident .
Tensions in Syria escalated over the past week after the Turkish Defenсe Ministry said its soldiers and a civilian died in a shelling by Syrian forces at Turkey ’ s observation post @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has threatened to attack Syrian government troops outside the Idlib de-escalation zone if they are found to have conducted what the Turkish forces consider to be offensive operations .

A conflict between local residents and US troops early on Wednesday in a Syrian village of Khirbet Ammo near the border town of Qamishli saw one child killed and one civilian injured. US troops reportedly opened fire after local residents attempted to protest the passage of a US convoy which had entered an area controlled by Syrian authorities.
As a warning to #Syria Arab Army, a #USAF F-15E from 389th Fighter Squadron which had been flown from Muwaffaq al-Salti AB, #Jordan dropped a bomb at the #SAA checkpoint in the east of #Qamishli where a convoy of #US Army had been stopped by locals & #SAA!pic.twitter.com/i2Vt45bDc0 — Babak Taghvaee (@BabakTaghvaee) February 12, 2020
According to the Russian Centre for Syrian Reconciliation, the Russian servicemen prevented further escalation and ensured the exit of the US military convoy in the direction of a US base in Haseke province.
A military journalist, meanwhile, published footage alleging a US airstrike on Syrian army positions in Qamishli. The video appears to show an F-15E jet belonging to the US Air Force flying over the area. The journalist claimed that this jet dropped a bomb as a warning to the Syrian army. An attack, however, was not captured on video.
There has been no statement issued from the US-led coalition regarding the footage. According to Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman Myles Caggins, the US-led coalition in Syria opened fire on civilians “in self-defense”. Caggins said the coalition was investigating the incident. Tensions in Syria escalated over the past week after the Turkish Defenсe Ministry said its soldiers and a civilian died in shelling by Syrian forces at Turkey’s observation post in the province of Idlib. Ankara has threatened to attack Syrian government troops outside the Idlib de-escalation zone if they are found to have conducted what the Turkish forces consider to be offensive operations. Source: IslamTimes.org
Gordon Duff posted articles on VT from 2008 to 2022. He is a Marine combat veteran of the Vietnam War. A disabled veteran, he worked on veterans and POW issues for decades. Gordon is an accredited diplomat and is generally accepted as one of the top global intelligence specialists. He manages the world’s largest private intelligence organization and regularly consults with governments challenged by security issues. Duff has traveled extensively, is published around the world, and is a regular guest on TV and radio in more than “several” countries. He is also a trained chef, wine enthusiast, avid motorcyclist, and gunsmith specializing in historical weapons and restoration. Business experience and interests are in energy and defense technology. Gordon’s Archives: 2008-2015
Gordon’s Archives: 2016-2022


veteranstoday--2020-02-13--“Dien Bien Phu” by Linh Dinh

“Dien Bien Phu” by Linh Dinh

VT management , staff , and readers who served in America ’ s ill-starred , iniquitous , nay , downright criminal war on Vietnam ( which , it must be admitted , was not even half as criminal , not to mention counterproductive , as today ’ s Forever War ) can blame that calamitous escapade on French commanders who “ sunk into pessimism and inertia ” at Dien Bien Phu , thereby ceding Vietnam to its inhabitants…a result Uncle Sam couldn ’ t live with , at least not until he too got the Vietnamese boot to the rear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peasants could fight almost as well as Linh Dinh can write .
– Kevin Barrett , Veterans Today Editor Nothing is equal to anything else .
In 1904 , Jack London traveled from Korea to China .
As soon as he crossed the border , he saw what he thought was a much more energetic , resourceful and resilient civilization , “ I rode to the shore , into the village of Kuelian-Ching .
There were no lounging men smoking long pipes and chattering .
The previous day the Russians had been there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and to-day the Japanese were there—but what was that to talk about ?
Everybody was busy .
Men were offering eggs and chickens and fruit for sale upon the street , and bread , as I live , bread in small round loaves or buns .
I rode on into the country .
Everywhere a toiling population was in evidence .
The houses and walls were strong and substantial .
Stone and brick replaced the mud walls of the Korean dwellings .
Twilight fell and deepened , and still the ploughs went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sowers following after .
Trains of wheelbarrows , heavily loaded , squeaked by , and Pekin carts , drawn by from four to six cows , horses , mules , ponies , or jackasses—cows even with their newborn calves tottering along on puny legs outside the traces .
Everybody worked .
Everything worked .
I saw a man mending mending the road .
I was in China.
” Gushing at length over the Chinese , London concludes , “ The Korean is the perfect type of inefficiency—of utter worthlessness .
The Chinese is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sheer work no worker in the world can compare with him .
Work is the breath of his nostrils .
It is his solution of existence .
It is to him what wandering and fighting in far lands and spiritual adventure have been to other peoples .
Liberty to him epitomizes itself in access to the means of toil .
To till the soil and labour interminably with rude implements and utensils is all he asks of life and of the powers that be .
Work is what he desires above all things @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for anybody.
” Having been around enough Koreans , I wouldn ’ t categorize them as slack or worthless .
They seem very energetic , and even fierce , to me , but London is correct about the Chinese ’ s industry .
Grunting , they press their sweaty shoulders to the wheel .
Crossing from Laos back into Vietnam , I thought of London ’ s comparison , for immediately , the landscape became animated with people buying , selling or working in the fields .
Across verdant paddies , dozens of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seedlings .
Everything seemed more purposeful than in Laos .
Even the herons flew straighter , and each dog yawned with more determination .
On the minibus itself , we had had to endure one very loud Vietnamese .
Though hardly typical , he was certainly a product of a more aggressive society , than Laos ’ .
Overdoing it , the foul mouthed and desperately cocky young man may end up dead or in jail soon .
“ Fuck mother ” was his constant refrain , with “ fuck grandma ” thrown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no place that isn ’ t worth revisiting , so that one ’ s impressions can be deepened , complicated or even inverted .
Some towns , though , continually tug within one ’ s mind , so that , given a chance , I ’ d love to become more confidential and sweaty with Juarez , Great Yarmouth , Kiev , Napoli or Missoula , for example , and Dien Bien Phu , too , for my first fling was just too brief .
I had missed too many insinuations .
Thanks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Dien Bien Phu is legendary , and during my first visit in 1995 , the road leading towards it was so bad , and the population so thin , that one could imagine it had changed little since those epic 56 days .
A French tank , two pieces of artillery and General de Castries ’ bunker stood lonely in the open fields .
Until the 1990 ’ s , a trip from Hanoi to Dien Bien Phu still took five days .
Even more than stones , bricks or people , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bien Phu ’ s are larger than life .
Since it was a catastrophe for the French , there were no Gallic heroes save the nurse Geneviève de Galard .
Stranded because her medevac Dakota had veered off the runway , then shelled to pieces , de Galard stoically joined Dien Bien Phu ’ s squalid and gory hospital , until she too was taken prisoner with the rest .
The only other women in the French garrison were Algerian and Vietnamese prostitutes in two bordels militaire de campagne .
The French commander @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Boylan and Luc Olivier ’ s Valley of the Shadow , he ’ s succinctly indicted , “ On the very first night of the siege , de Castries had surrendered most of his authority as garrison commander to Langlais by making him responsible both for defending the Main Position and managing the reserves .
This remarkable abdication of authority was symptomatic of a crisis in command that arose because de Castries , stunned by the shocks and reverses of the siege ’ s first hours , had sunk into pessimism and inertia.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Lieutenant Colonel René Keller “ suffered a nervous breakdown and sat motionless in the command bunker cowering under a steel helmet that he never removed.
” On the third day of the siege , the artillery commander Charles Piroth committed suicide with a hand grenade .
To be fair , it ’ s not easy to fight a war across the globe with a hodgepodge army of Germans , Italians , Belgians , Moroccans , Algerians , Congolese , Vietnamese , Cambodians , Laos , Hmong and Tai , etc .
Non-French @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bien Phu ’ s 14,000 defenders .
Most Tai sided with the French since Dien Bien Phu was on their territory , which they had controlled since at least the 15th century .
Correctly , they feared the Vietnamese more than the French , whom they knew were already halfway out the door .
There were never enough French in Indochina to overwhelm Tai villages or warp their identity .
Now , Tai children in Vietnam study the Vietnamese language and history , and know nothing about their own heroes , Deo Van @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Viet Minh also had their Tai allies , so at Dien Bien Phu , you had Tai fighting against Tai , and Vietnamese warring against other Vietnamese , with each man believing , or allowing himself to believe , he ’ s defending his people ’ s interests .
Although the African and European mercenaries could not be so justified , they could claim to be fighting for “ the free world.
” After defeat , Geneviève de Galard was not just feted in France , but the United States , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parade down Broadway , lined with 250,000 admirers .
A congresswoman lauded Galard as a “ symbol of heroic femininity in the free world , ” and in Washington DC , Eisenhower awarded her a Presidential Medal of Freedom .
Covertly , Eisenhower had authorized dozens of American pilots and hundreds of mechanics to assist the French in Vietnam , and the CIA was also active there .
The Viet Minh got help from Chinese advisors , mechanics and perhaps truck drivers .
Historical events should always be reexamined , new evidence dug @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not just absurd , but a cowardly crime , to criminalize historical investigations .
Although Bernard F. Fall ’ s Hell in a Very Small Place is a classic , it gets several key facts wrong , but no one has ever accused him of dishonesty .
Fall set the stage for latter historians .
No ivory tower-percher , Fall humped bushes and died from stepping on a mine near Hue .
His exact last words , as captured by a tape recorder , “ We ’ ve reached one of our phase @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bad , meaning it ’ s a little bit suspicious .
Could be an amb… ” Since Dien Bien Phu was in a valley , surrounded by mountains , the French themselves described their position as being in a lion pit or at the bottom of a chamber pot , but there was no need to worry , since the Viet Minh could never position enough big guns around the peaks to pound them with some serious shit , then it happened .
Death thundered down continuously .
It was like one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ delivered , and it lasted almost two months , so life ’ s only meaning and aim became to do whatever it takes to not be turned into bloody shit .
Each 105mm howitzer had to be taken apart , then lugged up in pieces by porters , to be reassembled , emplaced , fortified and camouflaged .
Roads and bridges had to be immediately repaired after each French bombing run .
Many miles of trenches were dug .
Marveling at all these coordinated activities , the French brigadier general Pierre Langlais remarked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by those who knew the Tonkin delta and its giant dikes—the mechanical marvels of another age ; and as for being courageous , one certainly had to be in order to work under threat of delayed-action bombs that were dropped in each attack.
” Though war may expose man at his most barbaric , it ’ s also the summation of his civilization .
War isn ’ t won through base instincts , but vast planning , mastery of technology and mass discipline , based on a shared philosophy .
That ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Engineers do .
Triumphant , the Vietnamese could trot out their heroes .
Though only Vo Nguyen Giap has become universally known , there is also Le Trong Tan , a Vietnamese Zhukov who ’ s praised by Fidel Castro as Vietnam ’ s best general , plus three martyrs I ’ m sure you ’ ve never heard of .
To Vinh Dien wedged himself under the wheel of an artillery piece , to prevent it from slipping down a mountain .
Shouting “ I must sacrifice for the Party and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jammed himself into a French gun slot to incapacitate it .
Already badly injured , Be Van Dan used his shoulders as a machine gun mount , and died while still clutching the weapon , it is said .
If you think these stories are rather suspect , sound like Hollywood , I know Vietnamese who also doubt them , yet these men are held up as models for Vietnamese schoolchildren .
No society can survive without enough of its members willing to die for it .
Even before getting off my minibus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Phu had been irrevocably changed .
With its population exploding , it had lost its rural character , and was a bonafide city of restaurants , hotels and cutecafes , with at least one serving not bad pizzas .
A monstrous victory monument crowned a steep hill .
Staying five days , I haggled down the price at Tuyet Trung Guest House .
This is Vietnam ’ s coldest and dampest region , so low-end hotel rooms aren ’ t just badly kept , but poorly ventilated .
Unto eternity , their assorted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on your spirit .
Happily , though , my second floor , $ 8.66 a night room wasn ’ t redolent of bodily effluvia !
It even overlooked the airport , with its runway upgraded from what the Japanese had built during World War II , and what the French had used , then failed to use , during their fiasco .
From my balcony , I could see the weathered denim colored mountains , lightly curtained by mist .
A short walk away , there was a magnificent Bailey Bridge .
Field @ @ @ @ @ @ @ marvel , the Allies would not have won World War II , for it was easy to assemble , strong enough to support tanks and very durable .
When this bridge was overrun by the Viet Minh at 2PM on May 7th , 1954 , the Battle of Dien Bien Phu was effectively over .
Interestingly , its Vietnamese name , Muong Thanh , is also the brand of Vietnam ’ s ( and Southeast Asia ’ s ) biggest hotel chain .
Hungering for the old Dien Bien Phu of bamboo thickets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and thin footpaths , I wandered away from the city and discovered Ban Banh , a Tai village of houses on stilts .
Many had been recently built and generally larger than traditionally , so integration into a larger economy has its advantages .
Balusters , though , were mostly machine-made , with some of ugly chrome , and not wood .
Soon , they won ’ t know how to whittle a toothpick .
The only Vietnamese in Ban Banh was the teacher at its two-room school , but she left each @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Thai Binh and came to Dien Bien Phu in 1960 .
Entering a tiny store , I bought an awful can of Hanoi Beer and some peanuts .
One bite yielded something obviously alien that tasted vaguely like crab , which I spat out .
I chased the foul flavor away with the crap beer , and more peanuts .
Oh how I missed my Beerlao !
Arrayed on three shelves were hunks of sweet bread , instant noodles , tiny cartons of sweetened milk , Boom Boom brand weeny sausages and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ talked to that afternoon spoke Vietnamese perfectly .
Across the lane , a just-drafted young man returned home holding his fresh uniform and pith helmet .
He would serve two years .
Sixty-six years after the battle , most of its participants are long dead .
At Dien Bien Phu , the average age of a French captain was 38 , and a battalion commander was 43 !
Instead of expending or eating bullets , they should have been sunning themselves , like lizards , on some Mediterranean beach .
After Ban Banh @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , farmers and a few water buffaloes , until I ran into a fascinating old man , but of course , they ’ re all interesting , young or old .
In any out of the way village , even a foreign gnat is immediately noticed , so that ’ s why he approached me , out of curiosity , and it took less than a minute for the thin , short man with few front teeth to proudly state his age , “ I ’ m 90 years old !
” “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
” “ Whoa !
Really ?
There can ’ t be many left , in this area.
” “ There are only three .
The other two are even older than me !
One man is bedridden.
” “ I want to hear your stories , uncle .
Is there a place where we can sit , drink some wine and talk ?
” “ You can come to my house , ” and he grabbed my hand .
Merely a minute later , we were inside his small living room .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ wall .
One congratulated Ly Quang Vinh for being a member of the Communist Party for 60 years .
His given name means “ Glory , ” by the way .
Happy to have a visitor , Mr. Vinh told his grandson-in-law to bring out cans of Huda Beer and a very potent homemade sake , then insisted that I stayed for lunch .
Naturally , I wanted to hear about his battle experience , but he was rather terse with his recollections , “ I ’ m just lucky I didn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mr. Vinh served in the elite 308th Infantry Division , which was as much a curse as an honor , for General Giap routinely assigned to it some of the deadliest missions .
In January of 1951 , it got decimated at the Battle of Vinh Yen , yet just two months later , was ordered to attack the French at Mao Khe , where again it got clobbered .
Four months before Dien Bien Phu , the 308th was told to go all the way to Luang Prabang , deep in Laos @ @ @ @ @ @ @ operation was intended to confuse the French , oblige Navarre to disperse his reserves , and aid the invasion of central and southern Laos by troops of the 304th and 325th Divisions .
All these objectives were achieved , although the 308th was operating ‘ on a shoestring ’ because it had no time to make proper logistical preparations.
” Unlike me , Mr. Vinh had no time to enjoy a Beerlao or two on his Lao tour .
I feel softer than virgin tits .
Hanging my head , I count my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 308th lost a staggering 2,650 men , but its soldiers were the first to storm into de Castries ’ bunker , and the 308th also led the Viet Minh ’ s entry into Hanoi , five months later , as the French withdrew .
Mr. Vinh wasn ’ t among those who witnessed Castries ’ surrender .
“ I just missed getting there , ” he rued .
He and another Viet Minh did take 30 prisoners , “ Twenty-seven of them were Vietnamese .
Only three were French .
I told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and receive clemency , or we can just kill you.
’ ” By this point , though , white flags were sprouting from nearly all French positions .
After Dien Bien Phu , Mr. Vinh was sent to Thai Binh to prevent refugees from heading South , ahead of the country ’ s partition .
The fact that a million Vietnamese headed South or North means the promised elections were never taken seriously by either side .
In 1960 , Mr. Vinh finally left the army after ten years .
“ I was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Grimacing , he rubbed his left forearm .
“ Had I died , they wouldn ’ t have been able to identify me .
I had no ID of any kind.
” A Viet Minh soldier received no wage , just two cold balls of rice a day , “ We couldn ’ t cook .
If the French saw smoke , they ’ d bomb us.
” “ Ah , so you ’ ve had 30 good years !
That ’ s more than most people.
” Mr. Vinh ’ s illiterate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ farmed .
Even today , Mr. Vinh grows most of his vegetables , and raises a dozen chickens .
He gets $ 181 a month in pension , and his wife , $ 172 .
She also served at Dien Bien Phu , as one of 33,500 [ ! ]
civilian volunteers .
Holding her 10-month-old great granddaughter , the old woman recounted , “ Once , when the French planes started attacking , we just all ran to a hill , and watched from there.
” Unprompted , Mr. Vinh declared , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Uncle Ho said , ‘ We can defeat any enemy.
’ We beat the French , Americans and Chinese.
” A little later , he added , “ More and more countries are recognizing that Vietnam is number one .
Vietnamese food , for example , is the best !
” We had been knocking down his nasty sake .
Each time we clanked glasses , Mr. Vinh insisted we emptied them .
Though many Vietnamese love to drink , rural ones tend to be the worst .
Mr. Vinh drinks three times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mr. Vinh met General Giap twice , he told me three times , “ But we were advised beforehand to not shake his hand , ” so it was as a group .
He also saw Uncle Ho twice .
Though not nearly as common as photos of Ho Chi Minh , Vo Nguyen Giap ’ s can be found in many Vietnamese homes , particularly if they ’ re owned by an NVA or Viet Cong veteran .
On the streets , kids wear Captain America T-shirts .
I started out addressing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ cụ , ” a respectful term for the very old , but by the end , he insisted I call him “ dad , ” so he could call me “ son.
” “ You should rest now , dad .
I must walk back to Dien Bien Phu .
We ’ ve drank enough.
” “ That ’ s almost five kilometers away !
Let me call a taxi for you , son.
” “ No , no , I can walk .
If you could walk all the way here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ five kilometers.
” “ You should just take a nap here , son , then leave later.
” “ No , no , I must go .
If I should come back here in two , five or even ten years , we can meet again !
” Even a young man can ’ t assume he ’ ll return to any place , distant or nearby , so that ’ s probably my last date with Dien Bien Phu .
I had the worst banh mi , coffee and pho this time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t eat very well there .
Even before the siege began , most had to forego wine and blood sausages .
Mr. Vinh ’ s sweetness made everything worthwhile .
A few years ago , a tour guide brought some French tourists to his home , so he fed them all , just like he fed me .
“ I said to them , ‘ Ça va !
Ça va !
’ When we fought them , it was , ‘ Mains en l ’ air !
” Now , it was , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the monuments scattered around Dien Bien Phu , there ’ s an obelisk erected by a former Foreign Legionaire , Rolf Rodel , on land donated by the Vietnamese government .
Fronted by wreaths , plaques and even jars containing incense sticks , it ’ s a dignified memorial to the dead .
Just a two minute-stroll away lie To Vinh Dien , Phan Dinh Giot and Be Van Dan .
Linh Dinh ’ s latest book is Postcards from the End of America .
He maintains a regularly updated photo blog .

VT management, staff, and readers who served in America’s ill-starred, iniquitous, nay, downright criminal war on Vietnam (which, it must be admitted, was not even half as criminal, not to mention counterproductive, as today’s Forever War) can blame that calamitous escapade on French commanders who “sunk into pessimism and inertia” at Dien Bien Phu, thereby ceding Vietnam to its inhabitants…a result Uncle Sam couldn’t live with, at least not until he too got the Vietnamese boot to the rear end in 1975. Apparently those Vietnamese peasants could fight almost as well as Linh Dinh can write. – Kevin Barrett, VT Editor
Dien Bien Phu
Linh Dinh
Nothing is equal to anything else. In 1904, Jack London traveled from Korea to China. As soon as he crossed the border, he saw what he thought was a much more energetic, resourceful and resilient civilization,
“I rode to the shore, into the village of Kuelian-Ching. There were no lounging men smoking long pipes and chattering. The previous day the Russians had been there, a bloody battle had been fought, and to-day the Japanese were there—but what was that to talk about? Everybody was busy.
Men were offering eggs and chickens and fruit for sale upon the street, and bread, as I live, bread in small round loaves or buns. I rode on into the country. Everywhere a toiling population was in evidence. The houses and walls were strong and substantial. Stone and brick replaced the mud walls of the Korean dwellings. Twilight fell and deepened, and still, the plows went up and down the fields, the sowers following after.
Trains of wheelbarrows, heavily loaded, squeaked by, and Pekin carts, drawn by from four to six cows, horses, mules, ponies, or jackasses—cows even with their newborn calves tottering along on puny legs outside the traces. Everybody worked. Everything worked. I saw a man mending the road. I was in China.”
Gushing at length over the Chinese, London concludes, “The Korean is the perfect type of inefficiency—of utter worthlessness. Chinese is the perfect type of industry. For sheer work, no worker in the world can compare with him. Work is the breath of his nostrils. It is his solution to existence.
It is to him what wandering and fighting in far lands and spiritual adventure have been to other peoples. Liberty to him epitomizes itself in access to the means of toil. To till the soil and labor interminably with rude implements and utensils is all he asks of life and of the powers that be. Work is what he desires above all things, and he will work at anything for anybody.”
Having been around enough Koreans, I wouldn’t categorize them as slack or worthless. They seem very energetic, and even fierce, to me, but London is correct about the Chinese’s industry. Grunting, they press their sweaty shoulders to the wheel.
Crossing from Laos back into Vietnam, I thought of London’s comparison, for immediately, the landscape became animated with people buying, selling or working in the fields. Across verdant paddies, dozens of figures were bent over to plant rice seedlings. Everything seemed more purposeful than in Laos. Even the herons flew straighter, and each dog yawned with more determination.
On the minibus itself, we had had to endure one very loud Vietnamese. Though hardly typical, he was certainly a product of a more aggressive society, than Laos’. Overdoing it, the foul-mouthed and desperately cocky young man may end up dead or in jail soon. “Fuck mother” was his constant refrain, with “fuck grandma” thrown in occasionally for variety.
There is no place that isn’t worth revisiting so that one’s impressions can be deepened, complicated or even inverted. Some towns, though, continually tug within one’s mind, so that, given a chance, I’d love to become more confidential and sweaty with Juarez, Great Yarmouth, Kiev, Napoli or Missoula, for example, and Dien Bien Phu, too, for my first fling was just too brief. I had missed too many insinuations.
Thanks to its epoch changing battle in 1954, Dien Bien Phu is legendary, and during my first visit in 1995, the road leading towards it was so bad, and the population so thin, that one could imagine it had changed little since those epic 56 days. A French tank, two pieces of artillery and General de Castries’ bunker stood lonely in the open fields. Until the 1990s, a trip from Hanoi to Dien Bien Phu still took five days.
Even more than stones, bricks or people, stories make a place, and Dien Bien Phu’s are larger than life. Since it was a catastrophe for the French, there were no Gallic heroes save the nurse Geneviève de Galard. Stranded because her medevac Dakota had veered off the runway, then shelled to pieces, de Galard stoically joined Dien Bien Phu’s squalid and gory hospital, until she too was taken prisoner with the rest. The only other women in the French garrison were Algerian and Vietnamese prostitutes in two bordels Militaire de Campagne.
The French commander is not so well-remembered. In Kevin Boylan and Luc Olivier’s Valley of the Shadow, he’s succinctly indicted, “On the very first night of the siege, de Castries had surrendered most of his authority as garrison commander to Langlais by making him responsible both for defending the Main Position and managing the reserves. This remarkable abdication of authority was symptomatic of a crisis in command that arose because de Castries, stunned by the shocks and reverses of the siege’s first hours, had sunk into pessimism and inertia.”
As for his chief of staff, Lieutenant Colonel René Keller “suffered a nervous breakdown and sat motionless in the command bunker cowering under a steel helmet that he never removed.” On the third day of the siege, the artillery commander Charles Piroth committed suicide with a hand grenade.
To be fair, it’s not easy to fight a war across the globe with a hodgepodge army of Germans, Italians, Belgians, Moroccans, Algerians, Congolese, Vietnamese, Cambodians, Laos, Hmong, and Tai, etc. Non-French troops made up 87% of Dien Bien Phu’s 14,000 defenders.
Most Tai sided with the French since Dien Bien Phu was on their territory, which they had controlled since at least the 15th century. Correctly, they feared the Vietnamese more than the French, whom they knew was already halfway out the door. There were never enough French in Indochina to overwhelm Tai villages or warp their identity. Now, Tai children in Vietnam study the Vietnamese language and history and know nothing about their own heroes, Deo Van Tri or Deo Cat Han, etc.
The Viet Minh also had their Tai allies, so at Dien Bien Phu, you had Tai fighting against Tai, and Vietnamese warring against other Vietnamese, with each man believing, or allowing himself to believe, he’s defending his people’s interests. Although the African and European mercenaries could not be so justified, they could claim to be fighting for “the free world.”
After the defeat, Geneviève de Galard was not just feted in France, but the United States, where she was given a ticker-tape parade down Broadway, lined with 250,000 admirers. A congresswoman lauded Galard as a “symbol of heroic femininity in the free world,” and in Washington DC, Eisenhower awarded her a Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Covertly, Eisenhower had authorized dozens of American pilots and hundreds of mechanics to assist the French in Vietnam, and the CIA was also active there. The Viet Minh got help from Chinese advisors, mechanics and perhaps truck drivers. Historical events should always be reexamined, new evidence dug up and debates encouraged. It is not just absurd, but a cowardly crime, to criminalize historical investigations.
Although Bernard F. Fall’s Hell in a Very Small Place is a classic, it gets several key facts wrong, but no one has ever accused him of dishonesty. Fall set the stage for later historians. No ivory tower-percher, Fall humped bushes and died from stepping on a mine near Hue. His exact last words, as captured by a tape recorder, “We’ve reached one of our phase lines after the firefight and it smells bad, meaning it’s a little bit suspicious. Could be an amb…”
Since Dien Bien Phu was in a valley, surrounded by mountains, the French themselves described their position as being in a lion pit or at the bottom of a chamber pot, but there was no need to worry since the Viet Minh could never position enough big guns around the peaks to pound them with some serious shit, then it happened.
Death thundered down continuously. It was like one of God’s giant dumps, ragingly delivered, and it lasted almost two months, so life’s only meaning and aim became to do whatever it takes to not be turned into bloody shit.
Each 105mm howitzer had to be taken apart, then lugged up in pieces by porters, to be reassembled, emplaced, fortified and camouflaged. Roads and bridges had to be immediately repaired after each French bombing run. Many miles of trenches were dug.
Marveling at all these coordinated activities, the French brigadier general Pierre Langlais remarked, “This efficiency was not doubted by those who knew the Tonkin delta and its giant dikes—the mechanical marvels of another age; and as for being courageous, one certainly had to be in order to work under threat of delayed-action bombs that were dropped in each attack.”
Though war may expose man at his most barbaric, it’s also the summation of his civilization. War isn’t won through base instincts, but vast planning, mastery of technology and mass discipline, based on a shared philosophy. That’s why savages don’t win wars. Engineers do.
Triumphant, the Vietnamese could trot out their heroes. Though only Vo Nguyen Giap has become universally known, there is also Le Trong Tan, a Vietnamese Zhukov who’s praised by Fidel Castro as Vietnam’s best general, plus three martyrs I’m sure you’ve never heard of.
To Vinh Dien wedged himself under the wheel of an artillery piece, to prevent it from slipping down a mountain.
Shouting “I must sacrifice for the Party and the people,” Phan Dinh Giot jammed himself into a French gun slot to incapacitate it.
Already badly injured, Be Van Dan used his shoulders as a machine gun mount and died while still clutching the weapon, it is said.
If you think these stories are rather suspect, sound like Hollywood, I know Vietnamese who also doubt them, yet these men are held up as models for Vietnamese schoolchildren. No society can survive without enough of its members willing to die for it.
Even before getting off my minibus, I could see that Dien Bien Phu had been irrevocably changed. With its population exploding, it had lost its rural character, and was a bonafide city of restaurants, hotels and cute cafes, with at least one serving not bad pizzas. A monstrous victory monument crowned a steep hill.
Staying five days, I haggled down the price at Tuyet Trung Guest House. This is Vietnam’s coldest and dampest region, so low-end hotel rooms aren’t just badly kept, but poorly ventilated. Unto eternity, their assorted bad smells linger, molder and piss on your spirit. Happily, though, my second floor, $8.66 a night room wasn’t redolent of bodily effluvia! It even overlooked the airport, with its runway upgraded from what the Japanese had built during World War II, and what the French had used, then failed to use, during their fiasco. From my balcony, I could see the weathered denim colored mountains, lightly curtained by mist.
A short walk away, there was a magnificent Bailey Bridge. Field Marshal Montgomery said that without this engineering marvel, the Allies would not have won World War II, for it was easy to assemble, strong enough to support tanks and very durable. When this bridge was overrun by the Viet Minh at 2pm on May 7th, 1954, the Battle of Dien Bien Phu was effectively over. Interestingly, its Vietnamese name, Muong Thanh, is also the brand of Vietnam’s (and Southeast Asia’s) biggest hotel chain.
Hungering for the old Dien Bien Phu of bamboo thickets, tall areca palms, narrow canals, and thin footpaths, I wandered away from the city and discovered Ban Banh, a Tai village of houses on stilts. Many had been recently built and generally larger than traditionally, so integration into a larger economy has its advantages. Balusters, though, were mostly machine-made, with some of the ugly chrome, and not wood. Soon, they won’t know how to whittle a toothpick.
The only Vietnamese in Ban Banh was the teacher at its two-room school, but she left each day after work. Her parents are from Thai Binh and came to Dien Bien Phu in 1960. Entering a tiny store, I bought an awful can of Hanoi Beer and some peanuts. One bite yielded something obviously alien that tasted vaguely like crab, which I spat out. I chased the foul flavor away with the crap beer, and more peanuts. Oh, how I missed my Beerlao!
Arrayed on three shelves were hunks of sweet bread, instant noodles, tiny cartons of sweetened milk, Boom Boom brand weeny sausages and plastic flip flops. Each Tai I talked to that afternoon spoke Vietnamese perfectly. Across the lane, a just-drafted young man returned home holding his fresh uniform and pith helmet. He would serve for two years.
Sixty-six years after the battle, most of its participants are long dead. At Dien Bien Phu, the average age of a French captain was 38, and a battalion commander was 43! Instead of expending or eating bullets, they should have been sunning themselves, like lizards, on some Mediterranean beach.
After Ban Banh, I kept walking past rice paddies, farmers and a few water buffaloes, until I ran into a fascinating old man, but of course, they’re all interesting, young or old.
In any out of the way village, even a foreign gnat is immediately noticed, so that’s why he approached me, out of curiosity, and it took less than a minute for the thin, short man with few front teeth to proudly state his age, “I’m 90 years old!”
“So were you here during the battle?”
“I was in it!”
“Whoa! Really? There can’t be many left, in this area.”
“There are only three. The other two are even older than me! One man is bedridden.”
“I want to hear your stories, uncle. Is there a place where we can sit, drink some wine and talk?”
“You can come to my house,” and he grabbed my hand. Merely a minute later, we were inside his small living room. Framed photos and certificates covered an entire wall. One congratulated Ly Quang Vinh for being a member of the Communist Party for 60 years. His given name means “Glory,” by the way.
Happy to have a visitor, Mr. Vinh told his grandson-in-law to bring out cans of Huda Beer and a very potent homemade sake, then insisted that I stayed for lunch. Naturally, I wanted to hear about his battle experience, but he was rather terse with his recollections, “I’m just lucky I didn’t die. So many did.”
Mr. Vinh served in the elite 308th Infantry Division, which was as much a curse as an honor, for General Giap routinely assigned to it some of the deadliest missions. In January of 1951, it got decimated at the Battle of Vinh Yen, yet just two months later, it was ordered to attack the French at Mao Khe, where again it got clobbered.
Four months before Dien Bien Phu, the 308th was told to go all the way to Luang Prabang, deep in Laos. Boylan and Olivier, “This operation was intended to confuse the French, oblige Navarre to disperse his reserves, and aid the invasion of central and southern Laos by troops of the 304th and 325th Divisions. All these objectives were achieved, although the 308th was operating ‘on a shoestring’ because it had no time to make proper logistical preparations.”
Unlike me, Mr. Vinh had no time to enjoy a Beerlao or two on his Lao tour. I feel softer than virgin tits. Hanging my head, I count my blessings.
At Dien Bien Phu, the 308th lost a staggering 2,650 men, but its soldiers were the first to storm into de Castries’ bunker, and the 308th also led the Viet Minh’s entry into Hanoi, five months later, as the French withdrew.
Mr. Vinh wasn’t among those who witnessed Castries’ surrender. “I just missed getting there,” he rued. He and another Viet Minh did take 30 prisoners, “Twenty-seven of them were Vietnamese. Only three were French. I told them, ‘You can give up and receive clemency, or we can just kill you.’” By this point, though, white flags were sprouting from nearly all French positions.
After Dien Bien Phu, Mr. Vinh was sent to Thai Binh to prevent refugees from heading South, ahead of the country’s partition. The fact that a million Vietnamese headed South or North means the promised elections were never taken seriously by either side. In 1960, Mr. Vinh finally left the army after ten years. “I was only injured once, very slightly.” Grimacing, he rubbed his left forearm. “Had I died, they wouldn’t have been able to identify me. I had no ID of any kind.”
A Viet Minh soldier received no wage, just two cold balls of rice a day, “We couldn’t cook. If the French saw smoke, they’d bomb us.”
“You suffered much, uncle.”
“I suffered for 60 years!”
“Ah, so you’ve had 30 good years! That’s more than most people.”
Mr. Vinh’s illiterate. After the army, he mostly farmed. Even today, Mr. Vinh grows most of his vegetables and raises a dozen chickens. He gets $181 a month in pension, and his wife, $172. She also served at Dien Bien Phu, as one of 33,500 [!] civilian volunteers. Holding her 10-month-old great-granddaughter, the old woman recounted, “Once, when the French planes started attacking, we just all ran to a hill, and watched from there.”
Unprompted, Mr. Vinh declared, “Vietnam is number one. Like Uncle Ho said, ‘We can defeat any enemy.’ We beat the French, Americans and Chinese.” A little later, he added, “More and more countries are recognizing that Vietnam is number one. Vietnamese food, for example, is the best!”
We had been knocking down his nasty sake. Each time we clanked glasses, Mr. Vinh insisted we emptied them. Though much Vietnamese love to drink, rural ones tend to be the worst. Mr. Vinh drinks three times a day, starting with breakfast.
Mr. Vinh met General Giap twice, he told me three times, “But we were advised beforehand to not shake his hand,” so it was as a group. He also saw Uncle Ho twice. Though not nearly as common as photos of Ho Chi Minh, Vo Nguyen Giap’s can be found in many Vietnamese homes, particularly if they’re owned by an NVA or Viet Cong veteran. On the streets, kids wear Captain America T-shirts.
I started out addressing Mr. Vinh as “uncle” or “cụ,” a respectful term for the very old, but by the end, he insisted I call him “dad,” so he could call me “son.”
“You should rest now, dad. I must walk back to Dien Bien Phu. We’ve drank enough.”
“That’s almost five kilometers away! Let me call a taxi for you, son.”
“No, no, I can walk. If you could walk all the way here from Lai Chau, I can walk five kilometers.”
“You should just take a nap here, son, then leave later.”
“No, no, I must go. If I should come back here in two, five or even ten years, we can meet again!”
Even a young man can’t assume he’ll return to any place, distant or nearby, so that’s probably my last date with Dien Bien Phu. I had the worst banh mi, coffee and pho this time, but even the French didn’t eat very well there. Even before the siege began, most had to forego wine and blood sausages.
Mr. Vinh’s sweetness made everything worthwhile. A few years ago, a tour guide brought some French tourists to his home, so he fed them all, just like he fed me.
“I said to them, ‘Ça va! Ça va!’ When we fought them, it was, ‘Mains en l’air!” Now, it was, ‘Ça va!’”
Among the monuments scattered around Dien Bien Phu, there’s an obelisk erected by a former Foreign Legionnaire, Rolf Rodel, on land donated by the Vietnamese government. Fronted by wreaths, plaques and even jars containing incense sticks, it’s a dignified memorial to the dead.
Just a two minute-stroll away lie To Vinh Dien, Phan Dinh Giot and Be Van Dan.
Dien Bien Phu’s newly-strung garish lights can’t chase away its ghosts.
Linh Dinh’s latest book is Postcards from the End of America He maintains a regularly updated photoblog.


veteranstoday--2020-02-12--Times of Israel: List of 112 Companies Banned by UNHRC for Illegal Operation in Violation of Human R

Times of Israel: List of 112 Companies Banned by UNHRC for Illegal Operation in Violation of Human Rights

Times of Israel : The UN Human Rights Council on Wednesday published a “ database ” of 112 companies it says are conducting business in West Bank settlements .
In the report the council said the companies ’ activities “ raised particular human rights concerns.
” The list is dominated by Israeli companies , including banks and construction firms .
But it also lists a number of international firms , including travel companies Airbnb , Expedia and TripAdvisor , tech giant Motorola and construction and infrastructure companies including France ’ s Egis Rail and British company JC Bamford Excavators .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Daily Edition by email and never miss our top storiesFREE SIGN UP Six of the companies listed are based in the US , four in the Netherlands , three in the UK , three in France , and one each in Luxembourg and Thailand .
Israeli authorities reacted with fury to the report , which they described as a “ blacklist , ” while the Palestinians lauded the list as “ a victory for international law.
” The list includes companies that are directly engaged in the West Bank , parent companies that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the West Bank , and companies granting franchises or licenses to West Bank businesses .
Below are the 112 companies listed in the report , and their home countries : 1 .
Afikim Public Transportation Ltd. , Israel 2 .
Airbnb Inc. , United States 3 .
American Israeli Gas Corporation Ltd. , Israel 4 .
Amir Marketing and Investments in Agriculture Ltd. , Israel 5 .
Amos Hadar Properties and Investments Ltd. , Israel 6 .
Angel Bakeries , Israel 7 .
Archivists Ltd. , Israel 8 .
Ariel Properties Group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Israel 10 .
Ashtrom Properties Ltd. , Israel 11 .
Avgol Industries 1953 Ltd. , Israel 12 .
Bank Hapoalim B.M.
, Israel 13 .
Bank Leumi Le-Israel B.M.
, Israel 14 .
Bank of Jerusalem Ltd. , Israel 15 .
Beit Haarchiv Ltd. , Israel 16 .
Bezeq , the Israel Telecommunication Corp Ltd. , Israel 17 .
Booking.com B.V. , Netherlands 18 .
C Mer Industries Ltd. , Israel 19 .
Café Café Israel Ltd. , Israel 20 .
Caliber 3 , Israel 21 .
Cellcom Israel Ltd. , Israel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Chish Nofei Israel Ltd. , Israel 24 .
Citadis Israel Ltd. , Israel 25 .
Comasco Ltd. , Israel 26 .
Darban Investments Ltd. , Israel 27 .
Delek Group Ltd. , Israel 28 .
Delta Israel , Israel 29 .
Dor Alon Energy in Israel 1988 Ltd. , Israel 30 .
Egis Rail , France 31 .
Egged , Israel Transportation Cooperative Society Ltd. , Israel 32 .
Energix Renewable Energies Ltd. , Israel 33 .
EPR Systems Ltd. , Israel 34 .
Extal Ltd. , Israel 35 .
Expedia Group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Produce Ltd. , Israel 37 .
Field Produce Marketing Ltd. , Israel 38 .
First International Bank of Israel Ltd. , Israel 39 .
Galshan Shvakim Ltd. , Israel 40 .
General Mills Israel Ltd. , Israel 41 .
Hadiklaim Israel Date Growers Cooperative Ltd. , Israel 42 .
Hot Mobile Ltd. , Israel 43 .
Hot Telecommunications Systems Ltd. , Israel 44 .
Industrial Buildings Corporation Ltd. , Israel 45 .
Israel Discount Bank Ltd. , Israel 46 .
Israel Railways Corporation Ltd. , Israel 47 .
Italek Ltd. , Israel 48 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kingdom 49 .
Jerusalem Economy Ltd. , Israel 50 .
Kavim Public Transportation Ltd. , Israel 51 .
Lipski Installation and Sanitation Ltd. , Israel 52 .
Matrix IT Ltd. , Israel 53 .
Mayer Davidov Garages Ltd. , Israel 54 .
Mekorot Water Company Ltd. , Israel 55 .
Mercantile Discount Bank Ltd. , Israel 56 .
Merkavim Transportation Technologies Ltd. , Israel 57 .
Mizrahi Tefahot Bank Ltd. , Israel 58 .
Modi ’ in Ezrachi Group Ltd. , Israel 59 .
Mordechai Aviv Taasiot Beniyah 1973 Ltd. , Israel 60 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 61 .
Municipal Bank Ltd. , Israel 62 .
Naaman Group Ltd. , Israel 63 .
Nof Yam Security Ltd. , Israel 64 .
Ofertex Industries 1997 Ltd. , Israel 65 .
Opodo Ltd. , United Kingdom 66 .
Bank Otsar Ha-Hayal Ltd. , Israel 67 .
Partner Communications Company Ltd. , Israel 68 .
Paz Oil Company Ltd. , Israel 69 .
Pelegas Ltd. , Israel 70 .
Pelephone Communications Ltd. , Israel 71 .
Proffimat S.R .
Ltd. , Israel 72 .
Rami Levy Chain Stores Hashikma Marketing 2006 Ltd. , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Communication Ltd. , Israel 74 .
Re/Max Israel , Israel 75 .
Shalgal Food Ltd. , Israel 76 .
Shapir Engineering and Industry Ltd. , Israel 77 .
Shufersal Ltd. , Israel 78 .
Sonol Israel Ltd. , Israel 79 .
Superbus Ltd. , Israel 80 .
Supergum Industries 1969 Ltd. , Israel 81 .
Tahal Group International B.V. , Netherlands 82 .
TripAdvisor Inc. , United States 83 .
Twitoplast Ltd. , Israel 84 .
Unikowsky Maoz Ltd. , Israel 85 .
YES , Israel 86 .
Zakai Agricultural Know-how and inputs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Construction , Israel 88 .
ZMH Hammermand Ltd. , Israel 89 .
Zorganika Ltd. , Israel 90 .
Zriha Hlavin Industries Ltd. , Israel 91 .
Alon Blue Square Israel Ltd. , Israel 92 .
Alstom S.A. , France 93 .
Altice Europe N.V. , Netherlands 94 .
Amnon Mesilot Ltd. , Israel 95 .
Ashtrom Group Ltd. , Israel 96 .
Booking Holdings Inc. , United States 97 .
Brand Industries Ltd. , Israel 98 .
Delta Galil Industries Ltd. , Israel 99. eDreams ODIGEO S.A. , Luxembourg 100 .
Egis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Israel 102 .
Export Investment Company Ltd. , Israel 103 .
General Mills Inc. , United States 104 .
Hadar Group , Israel 105 .
Hamat Group Ltd. , Israel 106 .
Indorama Ventures P.C.L.
, Thailand 107 .
Kardan N.V. , Netherlands 108 .
Mayer ’ s Cars and Trucks Co. Ltd. , Israel 109 .
Motorola Solutions Inc. , United States 110 .
Natoon Group , Israel 111 .
Villar International Ltd. , Israel 112 .
Greenkote P.L.C.
, United Kingdom

Times of Israel: The UN Human Rights Council on Wednesday published a “database” of 112 companies it says are conducting business in West Bank settlements.
In the report, the council said the companies’ activities “raised particular human rights concerns.”
The list is dominated by Israeli companies, including banks and construction firms. But it also lists a number of international firms, including travel companies Airbnb, Expedia and TripAdvisor, tech giant Motorola and construction and infrastructure companies including France’s Egis Rail and British company JC Bamford Excavators.
Six of the companies listed are based in the US, four in the Netherlands, three in the UK, three in France, and one each in Luxembourg and Thailand.
Israeli authorities reacted with fury to the report, which they described as a “blacklist,” while the Palestinians lauded the list as “a victory for international law.” The list includes companies that are directly engaged in the West Bank, parent companies that own a majority share in firms operating in the West Bank, and companies granting franchises or licenses to West Bank businesses. Below are the 112 companies listed in the report, and their home countries: 1. Afikim Public Transportation Ltd., Israel
2. Airbnb Inc., United States
3. American Israeli Gas Corporation Ltd., Israel
4. Amir Marketing and Investments in Agriculture Ltd., Israel
5. Amos Hadar Properties and Investments Ltd., Israel
6. Angel Bakeries, Israel
7. Archivists Ltd., Israel
8. Ariel Properties Group, Israel
9. Ashtrom Industries Ltd., Israel
10. Ashtrom Properties Ltd., Israel
11. Avgol Industries 1953 Ltd., Israel
12. Bank Hapoalim B.M., Israel
13. Bank Leumi Le-Israel B.M., Israel
14. Bank of Jerusalem Ltd., Israel
15. Beit Haarchiv Ltd., Israel
16. Bezeq, the Israel Telecommunication Corp Ltd., Israel
17. Booking.com B.V., Netherlands
18. C Mer Industries Ltd., Israel
19. Café Café Israel Ltd., Israel
20. Caliber 3, Israel
21. Cellcom Israel Ltd., Israel
22. Cherriessa Ltd., Israel
23. Chish Nofei Israel Ltd., Israel
24. Citadis Israel Ltd., Israel
25. Comasco Ltd., Israel
26. Darban Investments Ltd., Israel
27. Delek Group Ltd., Israel
28. Delta Israel, Israel
29. Dor Alon Energy in Israel 1988 Ltd., Israel
30. Egis Rail, France
31. Egged, Israel Transportation Cooperative Society Ltd., Israel
32. Energix Renewable Energies Ltd., Israel
33. EPR Systems Ltd., Israel
34. Extal Ltd., Israel
35. Expedia Group Inc., United States
36. Field Produce Ltd., Israel
37. Field Produce Marketing Ltd., Israel
38. First International Bank of Israel Ltd., Israel
39. Galshan Shvakim Ltd., Israel
40. General Mills Israel Ltd., Israel
41. Hadiklaim Israel Date Growers Cooperative Ltd., Israel
42. Hot Mobile Ltd., Israel
43. Hot Telecommunications Systems Ltd., Israel
44. Industrial Buildings Corporation Ltd., Israel
45. Israel Discount Bank Ltd., Israel
46. Israel Railways Corporation Ltd., Israel
47. Italek Ltd., Israel
48. JC Bamford Excavators Ltd., United Kingdom
49. Jerusalem Economy Ltd., Israel
50. Kavim Public Transportation Ltd., Israel
51. Lipski Installation and Sanitation Ltd., Israel
52. Matrix IT Ltd., Israel
53. Mayer Davidov Garages Ltd., Israel
54. Mekorot Water Company Ltd., Israel
55. Mercantile Discount Bank Ltd., Israel
56. Merkavim Transportation Technologies Ltd., Israel
57. Mizrahi Tefahot Bank Ltd., Israel
58. Modi’in Ezrachi Group Ltd., Israel
59. Mordechai Aviv Taasiot Beniyah 1973 Ltd., Israel
60. Motorola Solutions Israel Ltd., Israel
61. Municipal Bank Ltd., Israel
62. Naaman Group Ltd., Israel
63. Nof Yam Security Ltd., Israel
64. Ofertex Industries 1997 Ltd., Israel
65. Opodo Ltd., United Kingdom
66. Bank Otsar Ha-Hayal Ltd., Israel
67. Partner Communications Company Ltd., Israel
68. Paz Oil Company Ltd., Israel
69. Pelegas Ltd., Israel
70. Pelephone Communications Ltd., Israel
71. Proffimat S.R. Ltd., Israel
72. Rami Levy Chain Stores Hashikma Marketing 2006 Ltd., Israel
73. Rami Levy Hashikma Marketing Communication Ltd., Israel
74. Re/Max Israel, Israel
75. Shalgal Food Ltd., Israel
76. Shapir Engineering and Industry Ltd., Israel
77. Shufersal Ltd., Israel
78. Sonol Israel Ltd., Israel
79. Superbus Ltd., Israel
80. Supergum Industries 1969 Ltd., Israel
81. Tahal Group International B.V., Netherlands
82. TripAdvisor Inc., United States
83. Twitoplast Ltd., Israel
84. Unikowsky Maoz Ltd., Israel
85. YES, Israel
86. Zakai Agricultural Know-how and inputs Ltd., Israel
87. ZF Development and Construction, Israel
88. ZMH Hammermand Ltd., Israel
89. Zorganika Ltd., Israel
90. Zriha Hlavin Industries Ltd., Israel
91. Alon Blue Square Israel Ltd., Israel
92. Alstom S.A., France
93. Altice Europe N.V., Netherlands
94. Amnon Mesilot Ltd., Israel
95. Ashtrom Group Ltd., Israel
96. Booking Holdings Inc., United States
97. Brand Industries Ltd., Israel
98. Delta Galil Industries Ltd., Israel
99. eDreams ODIGEO S.A., Luxembourg
100. Egis S.A., France
101. Electra Ltd., Israel
102. Export Investment Company Ltd., Israel
103. General Mills Inc., United States
104. Hadar Group, Israel
105. Hamat Group Ltd., Israel
106. Indorama Ventures P.C.L., Thailand
107. Kardan N.V., Netherlands
108. Mayer’s Cars and Trucks Co. Ltd., Israel
109. Motorola Solutions Inc., United States
110. Natoon Group, Israel
111. Villar International Ltd., Israel
112. Greenkote P.L.C., United Kingdom Source: Times of Israel


veteranstoday--2020-02-12--Deeply Censored: US Murders 10 Year Old Child in Syria, Americans, Vehicles Captured, Saved by Russi

Deeply Censored: US Murders 10 Year Old Child in Syria, Americans, Vehicles Captured, Saved by Russian MPs (updating)

VT ’ s Position : We don ’ t want American troops used to blatantly aid this kind of piracy and looting .
This is a shameful misuse of our military .
Senior Editor , Gordon Duff Today , American troops murdered a 10-year-old boy and one adult , who had been part of a group protesting American oil thefts in Iraq that were ordered by Trump on behalf of Exxon and Aramco .
Reports that two American vehicles were seized by Syrian civilians and American troops were disarmed and captured but saved by Russian military police who arrived on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t exist , you don ’ t see these , none of this happened , don ’ t tell anyone .
The killing was near the town of Kherbet Ammo in the eastern part of Qamishli province .
One minor and an adult died when a coalition patrol opened fire on a crowd in Qamshli , according to a military source .
“ At 10 a.m. the US patrol including six armored Humvee vehicles deliberately entered the area controlled by the Syrian authorities ” , the Syrian military source said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a result , 10-year-old Juma Suleiman Barre was killed ” .
The source added that during the clashes one US soldier was injured and four armored vehicles were damaged.
” The victim was a Kurd .
This is a totally Kurdish region , through which ISIS had smuggled oil for years until Russian Aerospace Forces intervened , destroying thousands of trucks imported from the US .
Today the oil smuggling continues , under US protection .
Russian peacekeepers were summoned to de-escalate the situation .
The “ SAA ” or Syrian Arab Army @ @ @ @ @ @ @ journalist who works for the government of Qatar , where the US has a massive airbase .
Other sources said that the incident happened when a group of Kurdish civilians tried to block a convoy of the US military in a move of protest to the ongoing US military occupation of northeastern Syria .
On February 12 , angry locals engaged U.S. forces in a firefight in Khirbat Amu in northern al-Hasakah after U.S. troops had allegedly killed a 14-year old teenager in the town .
The videos released by the Syrian media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weapons .
In an official statement , the U.S.-led coalition confirmed that its forces engaged in clashes with “ unknown individuals ” in Khribat Amu .
The coalition said that no injuries were sustained .
However , it didn ’ t comment on the alleged killing of a local teenager .
“ The situation was de-escalated and is under investigation , the coalition ’ s patrol returned to base , ” Col. Myles B. Caggins III , a spokesman for the coalition , said in the statement .
The incident took place near @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( SAA ) .
Locals reportedly attempted to block U.S. forces which responded with live fire , allegedly killing the teenager .
The army stood with the locals .
However , it didn ’ t take part in the clashes .
The Syrian Arab News Agency ( SANA ) said that U.S. forces had withdrawn from Khirbat Amu under the cover of US warplanes , which conducted three airstrikes .
However , local sources said that there were no airstrikes , saying that U.S. forces used flash and smoke grenades to cover their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Military Police was quickly dispatched to the incident area to de-escalate the situation .
The Syrian Democratic Forces ( SDF ) were also connected by the Russian side to assist in the issue .
Several incidents between the locals and U.S. forces took place in the last few months .
However , Khirbat Amu incident has been the most serious escalation so far .
If U.S. forces were indeed responsible for the death of the local , the situation could escalate even further .
Pro-US sources already describe the locals as the ‘ @ @ @ @

SouthFront with VT
Today, American troops murdered a 10-year-old boy and one adult, who had been part of a group protesting American oil thefts in Iraq that were ordered by Trump on behalf of Exxon and Aramco.
Reports that two American vehicles were seized by Syrian civilians and American troops were disarmed and captured but saved by Russian military police who arrived on the scene.
The photos that don’t exist, you don’t see these, none of this happened, don’t tell anyone.
The killing was near the town of Kherbet Ammo in the eastern part of Qamishli province.
На подконтрольной "Сирийским Демократическим силам" территории вспыхнул протест местного арабского населения. Протестующие сжигают флаги США и Франции, которые являются союзником "СДС", и призывают военных этих стран покинуть Сирию. https://t.co/cJmHEQiRJ7 pic.twitter.com/KF8BjerqCp — Россия vs Либерастия (@Rus_NV) February 8, 2019
From Sputnik News:
“Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman Myles Caggins previously stated that US-led coalition troops opened fire on civilians, claiming they had to do it in self-defense. Video of US forces retreating after killing, being buzzed by local traffic: US forces in retreat, with several of their vehicles apparently put out of service during the confrontation in Dirbat/Khirbat Amo. Three wounded individuals, including one in an SAA uniform, have arrived at a hospital in Qamishlo and are being treated. pic.twitter.com/AsQ41TnCqP — Rojava Information Center (@RojavaIC) February 12, 2020
One minor and an adult died when a coalition patrol opened fire on a crowd in Qamshli, according to a military source. “At 10 a.m. the US patrol including six armored Humvee vehicles deliberately entered the area controlled by the Syrian authorities”, the Syrian military source said. “The US troops opened fire, as a result, 10-year-old Juma Suleiman Barre was killed”. The source added that during the clashes one US soldier was injured and four armored vehicles were damaged.”
The victim was a Kurd. This is a totally Kurdish region, through which ISIS had smuggled oil for years until Russian Aerospace Forces intervened, destroying thousands of trucks imported from the US.
Today the oil smuggling continues, under US protection.
Russian peacekeepers were summoned to de-escalate the situation. The “SAA” or Syrian Arab Army were civilians. Kevork Almassian is a journalist who works for the government of Qatar, where the US has a massive airbase.
The SAA prevented today a US convoy from crossing Khirbet Amo, south Qamishli, and the villagers supported the SAA and threw stones on the US patrol which shot & killed 1 civilian.
In the video, a civilian tells the occupation: "You cannot pass even if there are 100 agreements." pic.twitter.com/I2ehR4k47N — Kevork Almassian (@KevorkAlmassian) February 12, 2020
Other sources said that the incident happened when a group of Kurdish civilians tried to block a convoy of the US military in a move of protest to the ongoing US military occupation of northeastern Syria.
On February 12, angry locals engaged U.S. forces in a firefight in Khirbat Amu in northern al-Hasakah after U.S. troops had allegedly killed a 14-year old teenager in the town. The videos released by the Syrian media allows seeing the intense usage of light weapons.
In an official statement, the U.S.-led coalition confirmed that its forces engaged in clashes with “unknown individuals” in Khribat Amu. The coalition said that no injuries were sustained. However, it didn’t comment on the alleged killing of a local teenager.
“The situation was de-escalated and is under investigation, the coalition’s patrol returned to base,” Col. Myles B. Caggins III, a spokesman for the coalition, said in the statement.
The incident took place near a checkpoint of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA). Locals reportedly attempted to block U.S. forces which responded with live fire, allegedly killing the teenager. The army stood with the locals. However, it didn’t take part in the clashes.
The clash that occurred between the #American forces and the #Syrian army today in the village of Khirbet Amo in #Qamishli pic.twitter.com/nnWXnECkeo — MOHAMMED HASSAN (@MHJournalist) February 12, 2020
The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) said that U.S. forces had withdrawn from Khirbat Amu under the cover of US warplanes, which conducted three airstrikes. However, local sources said that there were no airstrikes, saying that U.S. forces used flash and smoke grenades to cover their retreat.
A unit of the Russian Military Police was quickly dispatched to the incident area to de-escalate the situation. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were also connected by the Russian side to assist in the issue.
Several incidents between the locals and U.S. forces took place in the last few months. However, Khirbat Amu incident has been the most serious escalation so far. If U.S. forces were indeed responsible for the death of the local, the situation could escalate even further.
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Pro-US sources already describe the locals as the ‘Syrian Army’:


veteranstoday--2020-02-12--What are you doing in our country?

What are you doing in our country?

..we want to know too… A Syrian civilian from Kherbet Ammo in al-Qamishli brought down the US flag from a @ @ @ @ @ had this chat with the US soldiers .
Afterwards , when the US patrol threatened @ @ @ @ @ force , a group of local citizens opened machine-gun fire against the US patrol .
@ @ @ @ @ fire against the Syrian citizens , the SAA ’ s checkpoint members deployed defensively and @ @ @ @ @ civilians in the area .
The Syrian military have specific orders in the region , @ @ @ @ @ military avoid any escalation to the point of gunfire , although in several occasions events @ @ @ @ @ .
Russian MP is usually notified and act as a buffer and deescalate the situation @

..we want to know too…
A Syrian civilian from Kherbet Ammo in al-Qamishli brought down the US flag from a US Armored Personnel Carrier and had this chat with the US soldiers.
Afterward, when the US patrol threatened that they will pass by force, a group of local citizens opened machine-gun fire against the US patrol.
When the US soldiers opened fire against the Syrian citizens, the SAA’s checkpoint members deployed defensively and opened fire to cover the civilians in the area.
The Syrian military has specific orders in the region, generally the US and Syrian military avoid any escalation to the point of gunfire, although in several occasions events almost led to a confrontation. Russian MP is usually notified and act as a buffer and deescalate the situation.
Syrian Arab Army on Facebook


veteranstoday--2020-02-12--Intel coup of the century, or just the start?

CIA used Swiss encryption firm to spy on dozens of nations for decades – reports [ Editor ’ s Note : This is an old game , Intel companies taking control of a company to exploit as a front for running long term , deeply embedded espionage .
Imagine that .
So I ask all of you out there , when is the last time you have heard for a push for technology monitors being placed inside all the major tech companies in positions to report back on whether they have been compromised or are compromising us ?
Have you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , while updating your system , was caught searching all of your data while it is accessing ?
Have any of the online security forums raised it as a key threat issue ?
Please let me know in the comments if you do .
The main focus , or diversion on us , seems to have been placed on mysterious overseas hackers .
How convenient if you were an insider and wanted the public and industry chasing squirrels , while you were vacuuming up everyone ’ s data .
In the CIA , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ routinely given lie detector tests , just to make sure they have not been naughty .
I remember years ago a convenience store chain running regular tests on all of its managers about inventory stealing of minor stuff .
They could do it , but we can ’ t do so on the Internet mavens , including their top people .
One of my questions would be , “ Have you had any contact with an intelligence agency since the last time we talked ” , as a warm up question .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intelligence ever attempted to contact you ?
” What political candidate has brought this up as a key security issue , and why not ?
We are not asking enough questions on why obvious threats have not been addressed .
Whose fault is that ?
Are we , in the end , to be victims of ourselves for being slack ?
… Jim W. Dean ] Jim 's Editor ’ s Notes are solely crowdfunded via PayPal Jim 's work includes research , field trips , Heritage TV Legacy archiving & more .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ > > The CIA and German intelligence spied on the secret communications of governments around the world for decades in a covert partnership , controlling a top encryption company and installing backdoor vulnerabilities in its products .
Founded during the Second World War , the Swiss cryptography firm , Crypto AG , has provided top-of-the-line devices for encoding communications to some 120 countries .
Starting in 1970 , however , the CIA and then-West Germany ’ s foreign intelligence service , the BND , secretly bought and controlled the company , using its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alike , according to a joint investigation by the Washington Post and German public broadcaster ZDF , based on a classified internal CIA history .
First dubbed “ Thesaurus ” and later renamed to “ Rubicon , ” the CIA hailed the decades-long operation as the “ intelligence coup of the century ” in its classified history .
Foreign governments were paying good money to the US and West Germany for the privilege of having their most secret communications read by at least two … foreign countries .
Though the intelligence agencies formed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ World War II , they would step up their role in 1970 following a $ 5 million deal to take over the company .
From there , the agencies controlled virtually every part of Crypto AG ’ s operations , ranging from hiring decisions , directing sales targets and designing its high-tech encryption devices – with secret backdoors accessible only to them , of course .

[ Editor’s Note: This is an old game, Intel companies taking control of a company to exploit as a front for running long term, deeply embedded espionage. Imagine that.
So I ask all of you out there, when is the last time you have heard for a push for technology monitors being placed inside all the major tech companies in positions to report back on whether they have been compromised or are compromising us?
Have you heard of any virus protection company that, while updating your system, was caught searching all of your data while it is accessing? Have any of the online security forums raised it as a key threat issue? Please let me know in the comments if you do.
The main focus, or diversion on us, seems to have been placed on mysterious overseas hackers. How convenient if you were an insider and wanted the public and industry chasing squirrels, while you were vacuuming up everyone’s data. In the CIA, lots of people in sensitive positions are routinely given lie detector tests, just to make sure they have not been naughty. I remember years ago a convenience store chain running regular tests on all of its managers about inventory stealing of minor stuff. They could do it, but we can’t do so on the Internet mavens, including their top people. One of my questions would be, “Have you had any contact with an intelligence agency since the last time we talked”, as a warm-up question. And second would be, “Has Israeli intelligence ever attempted to contact you?”
What political candidate has brought this up as a key security issue, and why not? We are not asking enough questions on why obvious threats have not been addressed. Whose fault is that? Are we, in the end, to be victims of ourselves for being slack? … Jim W. Dean ] Jim's Editor’s Notes are solely crowdfunded via PayPal
Jim's work includes research, field trips, Heritage TV Legacy archiving & more. Thanks for helping. Click to donate >> – First published … February 11, 2020 – CIA used Swiss encryption firm to spy on dozens of nations for decades – reports from Russia Today, Moscow The CIA and German intelligence spied on the secret communications of governments around the world for decades in a covert partnership, controlling a top encryption company and installing backdoor vulnerabilities in its products. – Founded during the Second World War, the Swiss cryptography firm, Crypto AG, has provided top-of-the-line devices for encoding communications to some 120 countries. Starting in 1970, however, the CIA and then-West Germany’s foreign intelligence service, the BND, secretly bought and controlled the company, using its devices to eavesdrop on enemies and allies alike, according to a joint investigation by the Washington Post and German public broadcaster ZDF, based on a classified internal CIA history. First dubbed “Thesaurus” and later renamed to “Rubicon,” the CIA hailed the decades-long operation as the “intelligence coup of the century” in its classified history. Foreign governments were paying good money to the US and West Germany for the privilege of having their most secret communications read by at least two … foreign countries. Though the intelligence agencies formed a relationship with the firm soon after World War II, they would step up their role in 1970 following a $5 million deal to take over the company. From there, the agencies controlled virtually every part of Crypto AG’s operations, ranging from hiring decisions, directing sales targets and designing its high-tech encryption devices – with secret backdoors accessible only to them, of course.
Jim W. Dean is VT Editor Emeritus. He was an active editor on VT from 2010-2022. He was involved in operations, development, and writing, plus an active schedule of TV and radio interviews. He now writes and posts periodically for VT. Read Full Complete Bio >>>
Jim W. Dean Archives 2009-2015


veteranstoday--2020-02-12--FDA Lab Animals Can Now Go To Furever Homes

Health Editor ’ s Note : This is good news for animals used in research , but the best and most ethical practice would be to not use animals for research at all !
….Carol The F.D.A .
Will Now Allow Lab Animals to Be Adopted The Food and Drug Administration will now put healthy research animals up for adoption after their time in the lab is complete .
The new rule affects dogs , cats , rabbits , guinea pigs and some farm animal species , reports The Hill ’ s Rachel Bucchino .
The F.D.A .
uses animal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ products , like drugs , vaccines and medical devices , before research can move to clinical trials involving humans .
Per the F.D.A.
, animal research is necessary to understand attributes like how quickly a medication is absorbed by the body and how quickly its effects wear off .
Animal testing also gives insight into any toxic byproducts that show up as the drug is broken down and how long those byproducts remain in the body .
Medical devices that are made from new materials need to be tested in animals for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ research animals were generally euthanized at the end of research , even if they were healthy .
But in November , the F.D.A .
updated their policies to encourage lab animal retirement—adoption into “ furever ” homes .
The change wasn ’ t publicly disclosed by the F.D.A .
until now .
“ The FDA has an internal policy for the placement of research animals….read more :

Health Editor’s Note: This is good news for animals used in research, but the best and most ethical practice would be to not use animals for research at all! ….Carol
by Theresa Machemer/Smithsonianmag.com
The Food and Drug Administration will now put healthy research animals up for adoption after their time in the lab is complete. The new rule affects dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, and some farm animal species, reports The Hill’s Rachel Bucchino.
The F.D.A. uses animal testing to understand the effects of medical products, like drugs, vaccines and medical devices, before research can move to clinical trials involving humans. Per the F.D.A., animal research is necessary to understand attributes like how quickly a medication is absorbed by the body and how quickly its effects wear off. Animal testing also gives insight into any toxic byproducts that show up as the drug is broken down and how long those byproducts remain in the body. Medical devices that are made from new materials need to be tested in animals for the same reasons.
In the past, research animals were generally euthanized at the end of the research, even if they were healthy. But in November, the F.D.A. updated their policies to encourage lab animal retirement—adoption into “furever” homes. The change wasn’t publicly disclosed by the F.D.A. until now.
“The FDA has an internal policy for the placement of research animals.