russiainsider--2020-03-05--WATCH: Fox Runs Cringe Jewish Fake History of Russian Revolution on Super Tuesday to Scare Viewers A

WATCH: Fox Runs Cringe Jewish Fake History of Russian Revolution on Super Tuesday to Scare Viewers About 'Bern the Commie'. Seriously.

This is the pathetic state of mainstream media in America .
This little 3 minute clip features two prominent Jewish @ @ @ @ @ 's Richard Pipes , and our old friend Anne Applebaum , who is basically a @ @ @ @ @ to the credulous and dopey interviewer , presumably Fox 's Bret Baier , that the @ @ @ @ @ then the even eviler one Stalin , murdered millions and millions of Russians , cause @ @ @ @ @ what happens when socialism comes to town .
They craftily neglect to mention that with @ @ @ @ @ Stalin , most of the rest of the Soviet leadership was Jewish , and that @ @ @ @ @ Jewish pogrom against the Russian people , and that the revolution was really a Jewish @ @ @ @ @ more than a socialist one .
This would be funny if it was n't so @ @ @ @ @ on Bret Baier honestly not having a clue about the Jewish background here .
Fox @ @ @ @ @ Tuesday coverage , to scare folks about The Bern .
Seriously .

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russiainsider--2020-03-05--Turkey's Muslim Invasion of Europe Is Being Prevented by, Who Else? - Russia

The latest installment of the interminable Syria tragedy could be interpreted as Greece barely blocking a European “ invasion ” by Syrian refugees .
The invasion was threatened by President Erdogan even as he refused the EU ’ s puny “ offer you can refuse ” bribe of only one billion euros .
Well , it ’ s more complicated than that .
What Erdogan is in fact weaponizing is mostly economic migrants – from Afghanistan to the Sahel – and not Syrian refugees .
Informed observers in Brussels know that interlocking mafias – Iraqi , Afghan , Egyptian , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for quite a long time smuggling everyone and his neighbor from the Sahel via Turkey , as the Greek route towards the EU Holy Grail is much safer than the Central Mediterranean .
The EU sending a last-minute emissary to Ankara will yield no new facts on the ground – even as some in Brussels , in bad faith , continue to carp that the one million “ refugees ” trying to leave Idlib could double and that , if Turkey does not open its borders with Syria , there will be a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the “ Turkey as victim ” scenario list three conditions for a possible solution .
The first is a ceasefire – which in fact already exists , via the Sochi agreement , and was not respected by Ankara .
The second is a “ political process ” – which , once again , does exist : the Astana process involving Russia , Turkey and Iran .
And the third is “ humanitarian aid ” – a euphemism that means , in fact , a NATO intervention of the Libya “ humanitarian imperialism ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ facts are inescapable .
Number one : the Greek military don ’ t have what it takes to resist , in practice , Ankara ’ s weaponizing of the so-called “ refugees.
” Number two is the kind of stuff that makes NATO fanatics recoil in horror : Since the Ottoman siege of Vienna , this is the first time in four centuries that a “ Muslim invasion ” of Europe is being prevented by , who else , Russia .
This past Sunday , Ankara launched yet another Pentagon-style military adventure , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are centralized by a triumvirate : Erdogan , Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and the head of MIT ( Turkish intel ) Hakan Fidan .
John Helmer has memorably called them the SUV ( Sultan and the Ugly Viziers ) .
Behlul Ozkan , from the University of Marmara , a respected Kemalist scholar , frames the whole tragedy as having been played since the 1980s , now back on the stage on a much larger scale since the start of the so-called Syrian chapter of the Arab Spring in 2011 .
Ozkan charges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of five unlikely fundamentalist groups ” and “ naming the armed groups after Ottoman sultans , ” claiming they are a sort of national salvation army .
But this time , argues Ozkan , the results are much worse – from millions of refugees to the terrible destruction in Syria , and “ the emergence of our political and military structures affecting national security in a dangerous way.
” To say that the Russian General Staff are absolutely fed up with the SUV ’ s shenanigans is the ultimate understatement .
That ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thursday in Moscow between Putin and Erdogan .
Methodically , the Russians are disrupting Turk operations to an unsustainable level – ranging from renewed air cover to the Syrian Arab Army to electronic countermeasures totally smashing all Turkish drones .
Russian diplomatic sources confirm that no one in Moscow believes any word , promise or cajoling emanating from Erdogan anymore .
So it ’ s useless to ask him to respect the Sochi agreement .
Imagine a Sun Tzu-style meeting with the Russian side displaying the very picture of self-restraint while scrutinizing Erdogan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suffer before desisting from his Idlib adventure .
What ghosts from the past evolve in Erdogan ’ s unconscious ?
Let history be our guide – and let ’ s go for a ride among the empires of the steppes .
In the 5th century , the Juan Juan people , proto-Mongols as much as their cousins the White Huns ( who lived in today ’ s Afghanistan ) , were the first to give their princes the title of khan – afterwards used by the Turks as well as the Mongols .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ studied in detail by crack French experts such as J.P. Roux – evolved via conquering migrations , more or less ephemeral imperial states , and aggregating diverse ethnic groups around rival Turkish or Mongol dynasties .
We can talk about an Eurasian Turk space from Central Asia to the Mediterranean for no less than a millennium and a half – but only , crucially , for 900 years in Asia Minor ( today ’ s Anatolia ) .
These were highly hierarchical and militarized societies , unstable , but still capable , given @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emergence of a charismatic personality , to engage in a strong collective project of building political constructions .
So the charismatic Erdogan Khan mindset is not much different from what happened centuries ago .
The first form of this socio-cultural tradition appeared even before the conversion to Islam – which happened after the battle of Talas in 751 , won by the Arabs against the Chinese .
But most of all it all crystallized around Central Asia from the 10th and 11th centuries onwards .
Unlike Greece in the Aegean , unlike India @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a central focus in terms of a cultural berth or supreme identity organizing this process .
Today this role in Turkey is played by Anatolia – but that ’ s a 20th century phenomenon .
What history has shown is an east-west Eurasian axis across the steppes , from Central Asia to Anatolia , through which nomad tribes , Turk and Turkmen , then the Ottoman Turks , migrated and progressed , as conquerors , between the 7th and the 17th centuries : a whole millennium building an array of sultanates , emirates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president pictures himself as Erdogan Khan or Sultan Erdogan .
So there is a link between the turcophone tribes of Central Asia from the 5th and 6th centuries and the current Turkish nation .
From the 6th to the 11th centuries they were set up as a confederation of big tribes .
Then , going southwest , they founded states .
Chinese sources document the first turkut ( Turkish empires ) as eastern Turks in Mongolia and western Turks in Turkestan .
They were followed by more or less ephemeral empires of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 8th century ( who , by the way , were originally Buddhists ) .
It ’ s interesting that this original past of the Turks in Central Asia , before Islam , was somewhat elevated to mythic status by the Kemalists .
This universe was always enriched by outside elements – such as Arab-Persian Islam and its institutions inherited from the Sassanids , as well as the Byzantine empire , whose structural elements were adapted by the Ottomans .
The end of the Ottoman empire and multiple convulsions ( the Balkan wars , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up with a Turkish nation-state whose sanctuary is Asia Minor ( or Anatolia ) and eastern Thrace , conformed into a national territory that ’ s exclusively Turk and denies every minority presence that is non-Sunni and non-turcophone .
Evidently that ’ s not enough for Erdogan Khan .
Even Hatay province , which joined Turkey in 1939 , is not enough .
Home to the historic Antioch and Alexandretta , Hatay was then re-baptized as Antakya and Iskenderun .
Under the Treaty of Lausanne , Hatay was included in the French mandate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ version is that Hatay declared its independence in 1938 – when Ataturk was still alive – and then decided to join Turkey .
The Syrian version is that Hatay was acquired via a rigged referendum ordered by France to bypass the Treaty of Lausanne .
Erdogan Khan has proclaimed , “ Idlib is mine.
” Syria and Russia are responding , “ No , it ’ s not.
” Those were the days , when turcophone empires of the steppes could just advance and capture their prey .

The latest installment of the interminable Syria tragedy could be interpreted as Greece barely blocking a European “invasion” by Syrian refugees. The invasion was threatened by President Erdogan even as he refused the EU’s puny “offer you can refuse” bribe of only one billion euros.
Well, it’s more complicated than that. What Erdogan is in fact weaponizing is mostly economic migrants – from Afghanistan to the Sahel – and not Syrian refugees.
Informed observers in Brussels know that interlocking mafias – Iraqi, Afghan, Egyptian, Tunisian, Moroccan – have been active for quite a long time smuggling everyone and his neighbor from the Sahel via Turkey, as the Greek route towards the EU Holy Grail is much safer than the Central Mediterranean.
The EU sending a last-minute emissary to Ankara will yield no new facts on the ground – even as some in Brussels, in bad faith, continue to carp that the one million “refugees” trying to leave Idlib could double and that, if Turkey does not open its borders with Syria, there will be a “massacre.”
Those in Brussels spinning the “Turkey as victim” scenario list three conditions for a possible solution. The first is a ceasefire – which in fact already exists, via the Sochi agreement, and was not respected by Ankara. The second is a “political process” – which, once again, does exist: the Astana process involving Russia, Turkey and Iran. And the third is “humanitarian aid” – a euphemism that means, in fact, a NATO intervention of the Libya “humanitarian imperialism” kind.
As it stands, two facts are inescapable. Number one: the Greek military don’t have what it takes to resist, in practice, Ankara’s weaponizing of the so-called “refugees.”
Number two is the kind of stuff that makes NATO fanatics recoil in horror: Since the Ottoman siege of Vienna, this is the first time in four centuries that a “Muslim invasion” of Europe is being prevented by, who else, Russia.
Fed up with sultan
This past Sunday, Ankara launched yet another Pentagon-style military adventure, baptized as Spring Shield. All decisions are centralized by a triumvirate: Erdogan, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and the head of MIT (Turkish intel) Hakan Fidan. John Helmer has memorably called them the SUV (Sultan and the Ugly Viziers).
Behlul Ozkan, from the University of Marmara, a respected Kemalist scholar, frames the whole tragedy as having been played since the 1980s, now back on the stage on a much larger scale since the start of the so-called Syrian chapter of the Arab Spring in 2011.
Ozkan charges Erdogan with creating “conquering troops out of five unlikely fundamentalist groups” and “naming the armed groups after Ottoman sultans,” claiming they are a sort of national salvation army. But this time, argues Ozkan, the results are much worse – from millions of refugees to the terrible destruction in Syria, and “the emergence of our political and military structures affecting national security in a dangerous way.”
To say that the Russian General Staff are absolutely fed up with the SUV’s shenanigans is the ultimate understatement. That’s the background for the meeting this Thursday in Moscow between Putin and Erdogan. Methodically, the Russians are disrupting Turk operations to an unsustainable level – ranging from renewed air cover to the Syrian Arab Army to electronic countermeasures totally smashing all Turkish drones.
Russian diplomatic sources confirm that no one in Moscow believes any word, promise or cajoling emanating from Erdogan anymore. So it’s useless to ask him to respect the Sochi agreement. Imagine a Sun Tzu-style meeting with the Russian side displaying the very picture of self-restraint while scrutinizing Erdogan on how much he is willing to suffer before desisting from his Idlib adventure.
Those non-nonsense proto-Mongols
What ghosts from the past evolve in Erdogan’s unconscious? Let history be our guide – and let’s go for a ride among the empires of the steppes.
In the 5th century, the Juan Juan people, proto-Mongols as much as their cousins the White Huns (who lived in today’s Afghanistan), were the first to give their princes the title of khan – afterwards used by the Turks as well as the Mongols.
A vast Eurasian Turco-Mongol linguistic spectrum – studied in detail by crack French experts such as J.P. Roux – evolved via conquering migrations, more or less ephemeral imperial states, and aggregating diverse ethnic groups around rival Turkish or Mongol dynasties. We can talk about an Eurasian Turk space from Central Asia to the Mediterranean for no less than a millennium and a half – but only, crucially, for 900 years in Asia Minor (today’s Anatolia).
These were highly hierarchical and militarized societies, unstable, but still capable, given the right conditions, such as the emergence of a charismatic personality, to engage in a strong collective project of building political constructions. So the charismatic Erdogan Khan mindset is not much different from what happened centuries ago.
The first form of this socio-cultural tradition appeared even before the conversion to Islam – which happened after the battle of Talas in 751, won by the Arabs against the Chinese. But most of all it all crystallized around Central Asia from the 10th and 11th centuries onwards.
Unlike Greece in the Aegean, unlike India or Han China, there was never a central focus in terms of a cultural berth or supreme identity organizing this process. Today this role in Turkey is played by Anatolia – but that’s a 20th century phenomenon.
What history has shown is an east-west Eurasian axis across the steppes, from Central Asia to Anatolia, through which nomad tribes, Turk and Turkmen, then the Ottoman Turks, migrated and progressed, as conquerors, between the 7th and the 17th centuries: a whole millennium building an array of sultanates, emirates and empires. No wonder the Turkish president pictures himself as Erdogan Khan or Sultan Erdogan.
“Idlib is mine”
So there is a link between the turcophone tribes of Central Asia from the 5th and 6th centuries and the current Turkish nation. From the 6th to the 11th centuries they were set up as a confederation of big tribes. Then, going southwest, they founded states. Chinese sources document the first turkut (Turkish empires) as eastern Turks in Mongolia and western Turks in Turkestan.
They were followed by more or less ephemeral empires of the steppes such as the Uighurs in the 8th century (who, by the way, were originally Buddhists). It’s interesting that this original past of the Turks in Central Asia, before Islam, was somewhat elevated to mythic status by the Kemalists.
This universe was always enriched by outside elements – such as Arab-Persian Islam and its institutions inherited from the Sassanids, as well as the Byzantine empire, whose structural elements were adapted by the Ottomans. The end of the Ottoman empire and multiple convulsions (the Balkan wars, WWI, the Greek-Turkish war) ended up with a Turkish nation-state whose sanctuary is Asia Minor (or Anatolia) and eastern Thrace, conformed into a national territory that’s exclusively Turk and denies every minority presence that is non-Sunni and non-turcophone.
Evidently that’s not enough for Erdogan Khan.
Even Hatay province, which joined Turkey in 1939, is not enough. Home to the historic Antioch and Alexandretta, Hatay was then re-baptized as Antakya and Iskenderun.
Under the Treaty of Lausanne, Hatay was included in the French mandate of Syria and Lebanon. The Turkish version is that Hatay declared its independence in 1938 – when Ataturk was still alive – and then decided to join Turkey. The Syrian version is that Hatay was acquired via a rigged referendum ordered by France to bypass the Treaty of Lausanne.
Erdogan Khan has proclaimed, “Idlib is mine.” Syria and Russia are responding, “No, it’s not.” Those were the days, when turcophone empires of the steppes could just advance and capture their prey.


russiainsider--2020-03-05--US Breaks the Agreement It Just Signed with The Taliban

Today a U.S. fighter jet bombed a Taliban unit which was fighting with an Afghan government checkpoint .
The air attack came just a day after U.S. President Trump had a telephone call with the Taliban leaders in Doha .
The Taliban will likely see this as a breach of the recent ceasefire agreement between the U.S. and the Taliban .
The Russian Presidential Envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov supports that view : The Russians have called the U.S. `` nedogovorosposobny '' ( недоговороспособны ) which translate to `` not-agreement capable '' or unable to make and then abide by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 29 , the U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad and a commission of high ranking Taliban signed the Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan between the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and is known as the Taliban and the United States of America ( pdf ) .
( Yes , that is the real title . )
The Taliban were quite happy with the agreement : Shortly thereafter Stanikzai was seen shaking hands with Secretary of State Pompeo .
At the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. Defense Secretary Esper and NATO General Secretary Stoltenberg were in Kabul and signed a Joint Declaration between the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the United States of America for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan ( pdf ) .
Neither the U.S. agreement with the Taliban nor the joint declaration with the Afghan government constitute a ceasefire between Afghan government and the Taliban .
Both agreements are designed to facilitate upcoming direct ceasefire negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban .
The joint declaration includes somewhat vague commitments of further military and economic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its troops .
But it noticeably does not include any commitment to use force in support of Afghan government operations against the Taliban .
The relevant passage says in Part One Point 2 and 3 : While listing al-Qaeda , ISIS and `` international terrorist groups '' the U.S. intentionally left out attacks by the Taliban .
Part One Point F of the U.S. agreement with the Taliban says : The fight between the Afghan Taliban and Afghan government forces is certainly a 'domestic affair ' .
Under this agreement the U.S. had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Those who defend today 's U.S. attack on the Taliban will argue that the Taliban broke the agreement by attacking a `` U.S. ally '' .
The U.S. agreement with the Taliban says under Part Two Point 1 : The strategic Agreement Between the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and AFGHANISTAN ( pdf ) signed at Kabul May 2 , 2012 designates Afghanistan as a `` Major Non-NATO Ally '' of the United States .
The argument is thus that Taliban attacks on Afghan government forces are attacks on a U.S. ally from which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legal reading is that the more recent U.S. agreement with the Taliban as well as the joint statement with the Afghan government supersede that with regards to inner Afghan fighting which is clearly a 'domestic affair ' .
That the U.S. is not an honest partner is also visible in other parts of its recent Afghanistan agreements .
Part One C of the U.S. agreement with the Taliban says : The interesting point is that the 5.000 prisoners are actually prisoners of the Afghan government .
That the U.S. committed itself to release @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is quite curious .
It is also contradicted by the joint declaration with the Afghan government which was signed at the same time .
Part Two Point 4 of it says : A vague Afghan government commitment to `` participate in discussions '' about prisoner exchange seems to contradict the strong promise with a fixed date the U.S. made in the agreement with the Taliban .
When the U.S.government signs two agreements with different parties which contradict each other on the very same day it is clearly not-agreement capable .
Why should the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exchange which would clearly favor the Taliban ?
The sitting president of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani immediately made the point : The Taliban demand the prisoner release before they will sit down with the Afghan government for ceasefire negotiations .
Ghani is currently fighting with Afghan government 's Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah over who of them won the botched election in Afghanistan .
The U.S. has yet to accept one of them as the newly elected president .
Ghani will sabotage the prisoner release until Trump officially recognizes him as the newly elected president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. to stand to its agreement and to press Ghani to release their friends .
As long as that is not happening they will continue to fight : Yesterday Trump had a 35 minutes phone call with the deputy leader of the Taliban peace commission in Doha Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar .
The Taliban emphasized that the U.S. must stick to its agreement .
The Taliban readout of the call includes this exchange : The White House has not published a readout of the call but U.S. media mention it : After @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it would continue to attack the Taliban : The Taliban do not have any obligations to stop fighting the Afghan government .
The U.S. agreement with them does not include any such clause .
The general announced that the U.S. would continue its air support for Afghan government forces and demanded that the Taliban `` lower their violence . ''
That is not what the Taliban expected from the deal that was signed .
From their point of view a ceasefire with the Afghan government is still far away and they have no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They will now likely escalate with attacks against the foreign troops in their country .
There were rumors that the U.S. agreement with the Taliban has four secret annexes which would allow for U.S. troops to stay in the country .
Rumors in Afghanistan also say that the U.S. intends to let the Taliban take power and to then use them for its purpose against Iran , Pakistan and in Central Asia .
This is a rare case in which I believe Pompeo .
The Taliban would not stick to any side deal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ capable with regards to the main deal .
If there were any side deals of any importance the U.S. would not disregard the just signed agreement as blatantly as it does now .
Trump does not care about any of the above .
He needed the agreement to justify a draw down of U.S. troops in Afghanistan .
He will use that draw down to claim that he kept his 2016 election promise to get U.S. troops out of Afghanistan .
This even when there will actually still be the same number of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his inauguration .
Spring is coming and with it the campaign season of the Taliban .
With the agreement with the Taliban breached the U.S. is likely to lose more soldiers .
To be not-agreement capable tends to have a high price .

Today a U.S. fighter jet bombed a Taliban unit which was fighting with an Afghan government checkpoint.
The air attack came just a day after U.S. President Trump had a telephone call with the Taliban leaders in Doha. The Taliban will likely see this as a breach of the recent ceasefire agreement between the U.S. and the Taliban.
The Russian Presidential Envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov supports that view:
"This is a treaty violation, because both the US and the Taliban entered into legally binding commitments not to attack. The Taliban did not attack the Americans or other foreign forces. If the US did that, they violated the agreement blatantly," the diplomat pointed out.
The Russians have called the U.S. "nedogovorosposobny" (недоговороспособны) which translate to "not-agreement capable" or unable to make and then abide by an agreement.
Today's attack again demonstrated that.
On Saturday, February 29, the U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad and a commission of high ranking Taliban signed the Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan between the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and is known as the Taliban and the United States of America (pdf). (Yes, that is the real title.)
The Taliban were quite happy with the agreement:
Dozens of Taliban members had earlier held a small victory march in Qatar in which they waved the militant group’s white flags, according to a video shared on Taliban websites. “Today is the day of victory, which has come with the help of Allah,” said Abbas Stanikzai, one of the Taliban’s lead negotiators, who joined the march.
Shortly thereafter Stanikzai was seen shaking hands with Secretary of State Pompeo.
We got a copy of the only known photo of Sec Pompeo shaking hands w top #Taliban negotiator Stanekzai — here it is #Doha. US told #Qatar to keep him away from insurgents to avoid photo ops. Jessica Donati @jessdonati - 18:30 UTC · Mar 3, 2020 We got a copy of the only known photo of Sec Pompeo shaking hands w top #Taliban negotiator Stanekzai — here it is #Doha. US told #Qatar to keep him away from insurgents to avoid photo ops.
At the same time the Doha agreement was signed, U.S. Defense Secretary Esper and NATO General Secretary Stoltenberg were in Kabul and signed a Joint Declaration between the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the United States of America for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan (pdf).
Neither the U.S. agreement with the Taliban nor the joint declaration with the Afghan government constitute a ceasefire between Afghan government and the Taliban. Both agreements are designed to facilitate upcoming direct ceasefire negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban.
The joint declaration includes somewhat vague commitments of further military and economic support for the government in Kabul and its troops. But it noticeably does not include any commitment to use force in support of Afghan government operations against the Taliban. The relevant passage says in Part One Point 2 and 3:
support to Afghan security forces to prevent al-Qa’ida, ISIS-K, and other international terrorist groups or individuals from using Afghan soil to threaten the United States and its allies. The United States re-affirms its commitments regarding support for the Afghan security forces and other government institutions, including through ongoing efforts to enhance the ability of Afghan security forces to deter and respond to internal and external threats, consistent with its commitments under existing security agreements between the two governments. This commitment includesfrom using Afghan soil to threaten the United States and its allies. The United States re-affirms its readiness to continue to conduct military operations in Afghanistan with the consent of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in order to disrupt and degrade efforts by al-Qa’ida, ISIS-K, and other international terrorist groups or individuals to carry out attacks against the United States or its allies, consistent with its commitments under existing security agreements between the two governments and with the existing understanding that U.S. counterterrorism operations are intended to complement and support Afghan security forces’ counterterrorism operations, with full respect for Afghan sovereignty and full regard for the safety and security of the Afghan people and the protection of civilians.
While listing al-Qaeda, ISIS and "international terrorist groups" the U.S. intentionally left out attacks by the Taliban.
Part One Point F of the U.S. agreement with the Taliban says:
The United States and its allies will refrain from the threat or the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Afghanistan or intervening in its domestic affairs.
The fight between the Afghan Taliban and Afghan government forces is certainly a 'domestic affair'. Under this agreement the U.S. had no right to intervene in it.
Those who defend today's U.S. attack on the Taliban will argue that the Taliban broke the agreement by attacking a "U.S. ally". The U.S. agreement with the Taliban says under Part Two Point 1:
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and is known as the Taliban will not allow any of its members, other individuals or groups, including al-Qa’ida, to use the soil of Afghanistan to threaten the security of the United States and its allies.
The strategic Agreement Between the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and AFGHANISTAN (pdf) signed at Kabul May 2, 2012 designates Afghanistan as a "Major Non-NATO Ally" of the United States. The argument is thus that Taliban attacks on Afghan government forces are attacks on a U.S. ally from which the Taliban should refrain.
Still my legal reading is that the more recent U.S. agreement with the Taliban as well as the joint statement with the Afghan government supersede that with regards to inner Afghan fighting which is clearly a 'domestic affair'.
That the U.S. is not an honest partner is also visible in other parts of its recent Afghanistan agreements.
Part One C of the U.S. agreement with the Taliban says:
The United States is committed to start immediately to work with all relevant sides on a plan to expeditiously release combat and political prisoners as a confidence building measure with the coordination and approval of all relevant sides. Up to five thousand (5,000) prisoners of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and is known as the Taliban and up to one thousand (1,000) prisoners of the other side will be released by March 10, 2020, [...]. The United States commits to completing this goal.
The interesting point is that the 5.000 prisoners are actually prisoners of the Afghan government. That the U.S. committed itself to release prisoners it has no direct control over is quite curious.
It is also contradicted by the joint declaration with the Afghan government which was signed at the same time. Part Two Point 4 of it says:
To create the conditions for reaching a political settlement and achieving a permanent, sustainable ceasefire, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan will participate in a U.S.-facilitated discussion with Taliban representatives on confidence building measures, to include determining the feasibility of releasing significant numbers of prisoners on both sides.
A vague Afghan government commitment to "participate in discussions" about prisoner exchange seems to contradict the strong promise with a fixed date the U.S. made in the agreement with the Taliban.
When the U.S.government signs two agreements with different parties which contradict each other on the very same day it is clearly not-agreement capable.
Why should the Afghan government now agree to a prisoner exchange which would clearly favor the Taliban?
The sitting president of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani immediately made the point:
The US-Taliban agreement, which sets into motion the potential of a full withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, calls for the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners.
“We have not made a commitment,” Afghan President says. “It’s a sovereign Afghan decision." He told @CNN Pajhwok Afghan News @pajhwok - 4:27 UTC · Mar 2, 2020 The US-Taliban agreement, which sets into motion the potential of a full withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, calls for the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners.“We have not made a commitment,” Afghan President says. “It’s a sovereign Afghan decision." He told @CNN
The Taliban demand the prisoner release before they will sit down with the Afghan government for ceasefire negotiations.
Ghani is currently fighting with Afghan government's Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah over who of them won the botched election in Afghanistan. The U.S. has yet to accept one of them as the newly elected president. Ghani will sabotage the prisoner release until Trump officially recognizes him as the newly elected president of Afghanistan.
The Taliban will press the U.S. to stand to its agreement and to press Ghani to release their friends. As long as that is not happening they will continue to fight:
A Taliban letter shared Monday with Stars and Stripes by a person with links to the militant group called on fighters to attack Afghan forces, but not U.S. or foreign forces. “After signing the agreement, once again the Mujahedeen (fighters) of the Islamic Emirate are advised to start their attacks against the puppet Kabul administration,” said the Taliban letter, which the person provided on condition of anonymity.
...
Top officials at the Pentagon on Monday indicated they were not surprised the Taliban would return to attacking Afghan forces, but they called on the group to gradually reduce violence across Afghanistan as measures in the new agreement are implemented.
...
“This is going to be a long, winding, bumpy road,” Esper told reporters. “There will be ups and downs. We’ll stop and start. That’s going to be the nature of this over the next days, weeks and months.”
Yesterday Trump had a 35 minutes phone call with the deputy leader of the Taliban peace commission in Doha Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. The Taliban emphasized that the U.S. must stick to its agreement. The Taliban readout of the call includes this exchange:
Mullah Baradar said: "Mr. President!" "Take determined actions in regards to the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan and do not allow anyone to take actions that violate the terms of the agreement thus embroiling you even further in this prolonged war."
...
The President of the United States Donal Trump said: "It is a pleasure to talk to you. You are a tough people and have a great country and I understand that you are fighting for your homeland. We have been there for 19 years and that is a very long time and withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan now is in the interest of everyone." President Trump added: "My Secretary of State shall soon talk with Ashraf Ghani in order to remove all hurdles facing the intra-Afghan negotiations." He said that we shall take complete part in the future rehabilitation of Afghanistan. Extensive discussions were also held about the implementation of the agreement concluded by both sides.
The White House has not published a readout of the call but U.S. media mention it:
Afterward, he told reporters that his "relationship" with Baradar is "very good ... we had a good, long conversation today, and, you know, they want to cease the violence. They'd like to cease violence also." That's not true. On Monday, the group's spokesperson said attacks would resume on Afghan government forces but not U.S. forces, and Monday into Tuesday, there were 33 attacks in 16 provinces, killing six people and wounding 14, an Afghan Interior Ministry spokesperson told ABC News. Five Afghan policemen also were reportedly killed during an attack on a security checkpoint, according to Reuters.
After the call the U.S. military announced that it would continue to attack the Taliban:
Video [English]: US Gen. Miller in exclusive intw with TOLOnews on Tues. says US will defend Afghan forces, situation is "fragile," reduction of violence is the objective, if Taliban don't live up to obligations US will respond. #Afghanistan TOLOnews @TOLOnews - 8:38 AM · Mar 4, 2020 Video [English]: US Gen. Miller in exclusive intw with TOLOnews on Tues. says US will defend Afghan forces, situation is "fragile," reduction of violence is the objective, if Taliban don't live up to obligations US will respond. #Afghanistan
The Taliban do not have any obligations to stop fighting the Afghan government. The U.S. agreement with them does not include any such clause.
The general announced that the U.S. would continue its air support for Afghan government forces and demanded that the Taliban "lower their violence."
That is not what the Taliban expected from the deal that was signed. From their point of view a ceasefire with the Afghan government is still far away and they have no obligations to put their weapons down. They will now likely escalate with attacks against the foreign troops in their country.
There were rumors that the U.S. agreement with the Taliban has four secret annexes which would allow for U.S. troops to stay in the country. Rumors in Afghanistan also say that the U.S. intends to let the Taliban take power and to then use them for its purpose against Iran, Pakistan and in Central Asia.
Secretary of State Pompeo denied such side deals:
The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday in an interview on CBS News' Face the Nation said that along with the public document of the US-Taliban deal released on Saturday, “there are two implementing elements that will be provided. They are secret.” “They are military implementation documents that are important to protect our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines,” Pompeo said. “They're classified, secret. There aren't any side deals.
This is a rare case in which I believe Pompeo. The Taliban would not stick to any side deal after the U.S. proved to be not-agreement capable with regards to the main deal. If there were any side deals of any importance the U.S. would not disregard the just signed agreement as blatantly as it does now.
Trump does not care about any of the above. He needed the agreement to justify a draw down of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. He will use that draw down to claim that he kept his 2016 election promise to get U.S. troops out of Afghanistan. This even when there will actually still be the same number of troops in Afghanistan as there were during his inauguration.
Spring is coming and with it the campaign season of the Taliban. With the agreement with the Taliban breached the U.S. is likely to lose more soldiers. To be not-agreement capable tends to have a high price.


russiainsider--2020-03-06--Russian TV On the Ground with Turkey's Migrant Horde Trying to Force Their Way Into Greece

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on Monday that `` millions '' of migrants would soon head for Europe , drawing accusations from EU leaders that he is trying to pressure them into backing his incursions into Syria .
Here 's something the mainstream media , which is trying to stuff as many migrants as possible into the West , do n't want you to see .
Thank heavens for Russian journalism .
Ankara reported the exact number of refugees who had already left Turkey but had not officially entered Greece .
130,469 people - In other words , these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mitsotakis arrived in the border Fere , and called Turkey `` the official smuggler of migrants . ''
Austrian Chancellor Kurtz also accused Ankara of `` attacking the EU . ''
Aytach Dzharchieva and Alexey Konopko report from the border .
Thousands of refugees are now pulled west of Turkey .
All these people have been besieging the border for the past few days and have not stopped trying to break into Greece .
The border for most of them is still closed , but more and more refugees continue to stay here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tent camps right on the side of the road but there are not enough tents in which you can hide from the piercing wind .
You have to sleep right on the ground , make bonfires .
Entire families flee to Europe , including small children .
Almost no one had any hope of joining the EU legally .
They cross the border illegally .
But they succeed only one by one .
We tried to cross the border illegally .
They attacked us .
Look , we even lost our sneakers .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they stole our wallet .
They didn ’ t let us go there .
As a rule , migrants cross the Mary River or make holes in the border fence .
According to the Greek authorities , more than 20 thousand attempts to violate the border were stopped in three days .
Hundreds of migrants have been arrested .
Quite different figures are given by the Turkish side .
Allegedly , more than 100 thousand people were able to penetrate into the EU .
This is the main regional route of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Turkey .
If you hijack a car here you can leave , anywhere.And this river is the border of the European Union .
A few tens of meters of water - that ’ s the whole obstacle to illegal migration .
Migrants tried to overcome it already 25 thousand times .
Almost always unsuccessfully .
Nevertheless , they keep a close watch on the “ non-existent ” border : as soon as they stopped on the highway , policemen appeared almost out of nowhere .
Reporters are now giving explanations at the site @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they check every stopped car .
After all , they can pick up those who managed to cross the border .
They go in that direction - to the city of Kamatini .
They are not there during the day , only at night Chrysulia Theodorido drives a taxi along the border .
She does not believe in the hundred and thirty thousand people who crossed the border , which are spoken of in Ankara , but she sees small groups regularly .
Afghans , Pakistanis , dark-skinned people come here .
There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ learned how to distinguish everyone .
If I take them in a taxi , they will put me in prison for 10 years !
No , we will call the police right away .
And we ’ ll go home .
It 's scary !
Military SUVs in the border zone are now more common than civilian vehicles .
From today , the army began firing from military weapons .
This is called an exercise , but the message is clear : migrants are ready to fight back .
Toward evening , under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the entire European “ elite ” arrives at the checkpoint along with the Greek Prime Minister .
This is no longer a refugee-only problem .
It is a blatant blow from Turkey that uses desperate people to advance its geopolitical interests and divert attention from the terrible situation in Syria .
Athens - full support from Brussels and 700 million euros to the fight .
What the Greeks think about this is obvious .
In the meantime , there are more and more problems with those who have already lived in camps since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thousand refugees broke through in three days , the Afghans staged a march , destroying an Orthodox church along the way .
As the locals say , this is not the first time .

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on Monday that "millions" of migrants would soon head for Europe, drawing accusations from EU leaders that he is trying to pressure them into backing his incursions into Syria.
Here's something the mainstream media, which is trying to stuff as many migrants as possible into the West, don't want you to see. Thank heavens for Russian journalism.
Transcript below.
Transcript:
Ankara reported the exact number of refugees who had already left Turkey but had not officially entered Greece.
130,469 people - In other words, these are illegal immigrants.
Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis arrived in the border Fere, and called Turkey "the official smuggler of migrants."
Austrian Chancellor Kurtz also accused Ankara of "attacking the EU."
Aytach Dzharchieva and Alexey Konopko report from the border.
Thousands of refugees are now pulled west of Turkey.
All these people have been besieging the border for the past few days and have not stopped trying to break into Greece. The border for most of them is still closed, but more and more refugees continue to stay here every day. They set up natural tent camps right on the side of the road but there are not enough tents in which you can hide from the piercing wind. You have to sleep right on the ground, make bonfires. Entire families flee to Europe, including small children.
Almost no one had any hope of joining the EU legally. They cross the border illegally. But they succeed only one by one.
We tried to cross the border illegally. They attacked us. Look, we even lost our sneakers. They stole us. They stole money, they stole our wallet. They didn’t let us go there.
As a rule, migrants cross the Mary River or make holes in the border fence.
According to the Greek authorities, more than 20 thousand attempts to violate the border were stopped in three days. Hundreds of migrants have been arrested.
Quite different figures are given by the Turkish side.
Allegedly, more than 100 thousand people were able to penetrate into the EU.
This is the main regional route of the province of Evros, which borders with Turkey.
If you hijack a car here you can leave, anywhere.And this river is the border of the European Union. A few tens of meters of water - that’s the whole obstacle to illegal migration. Migrants tried to overcome it already 25 thousand times. Almost always unsuccessfully.
Nevertheless, they keep a close watch on the “non-existent” border: as soon as they stopped on the highway, policemen appeared almost out of nowhere.
Reporters are now giving explanations at the site.
Later they explained to us: they check every stopped car. After all, they can pick up those who managed to cross the border. They go in that direction - to the city of Kamatini. They are not there during the day, only at night
Chrysulia Theodorido drives a taxi along the border. She does not believe in the hundred and thirty thousand people who crossed the border, which are spoken of in Ankara, but she sees small groups regularly. Afghans, Pakistanis, dark-skinned people come here. There are no Syrians.
We have already learned how to distinguish everyone. If I take them in a taxi, they will put me in prison for 10 years! No, we will call the police right away. And we’ll go home. It's scary!
Military SUVs in the border zone are now more common than civilian vehicles.
From today, the army began firing from military weapons. This is called an exercise, but the message is clear: migrants are ready to fight back.
Toward evening, under the protection of combat helicopters, almost the entire European “elite” arrives at the checkpoint along with the Greek Prime Minister.
This is no longer a refugee-only problem. It is a blatant blow from Turkey that uses desperate people to advance its geopolitical interests and divert attention from the terrible situation in Syria.
Athens - full support from Brussels and 700 million euros to the fight.
What the Greeks think about this is obvious.
In the meantime, there are more and more problems with those who have already lived in camps since 2015.
On Lesbos, where another thousand refugees broke through in three days, the Afghans staged a march, destroying an Orthodox church along the way.
As the locals say, this is not the first time.


russiainsider--2020-03-06--Globohomo Propaganda News Agency Owned by Rupert Murdoch Goes Bust - a Triumph for Alternative, (i.e

Globohomo Propaganda News Agency Owned by Rupert Murdoch Goes Bust - a Triumph for Alternative, (i.e. Honest), Journalism

Despite being a mainstay of the corporation sponsored media , the Australian Associated Press ( AAP ) is clearings its desks and will pull the shutters down on nearly 100 years of spun news .
The new agency ’ s hacks are being told not to slam the doors behind them .
It is known that 300,000 mainstream reporters and columnists have lost their jobs thanks to the internet .
Where they end up is anyone ’ s guess ?
Shelf stackers in supermarkets , servers in MacDonald ’ s , washing sheets in brothels .
Journalists of integrity saw @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time ago .
Saying it is ‘ no longer viable to continue ’ , rogue remnants of controlled media lay the blame on the ‘ journalistic market ’ being flooded by free digital media ~ like The Ethnic European .
The Australian Associated Press was founded in 1935 by Keith Murdoch , father of Newscorp founder Rupert Murdoch .
Asked why the mastheads of his newspapers were coloured red , he replied that it was because he was a socialist .
The senior mogul was dubbed ‘ Red Rupert .
‘ Many journalists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ echoes of what George Orwell called the ‘ official truth ’ .
They simply cipher and transmit lies.
’ ~ John Pilger , Australian Investigate Journalist .
Thanks to cough-cough sponsorship , the Australian Associated Press soon grew to have press bureaus all over the country with many additional correspondents placed around the world .
Editor-in-Chief Tony Gillies said in a statement : ’ We have had a place like no other in journalism .
We exist for the public ’ s interest and I now fear for the void left by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well-considered voice.
’ Well , he would say that , wouldn ’ t he .
The newswire blames digital content ( uncontrolled free peoples online media ) for their closure .
He also castigates Google and Facebook for taking advertising revenues .
Also in the mogul ’ s cross-hairs is the Australian government for their allowing online news outlets to compete .
‘ We have got to stop using the term mainstream ( media ) .
It is actually an extreme .
What could be more extreme than institutions that incite rapacious wars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could be more extreme than that ?
There is nothing mainstream about that.
’ ~ Australian journalist and broadcaster , John Pilger .
It is interesting that newspapers and corporations claim to uphold democracy and commercial competition .
But , only as long as they are the ones muscling rivals out of the market .
Many victims denigrated and defamed by Australian Associated Press hacks will be raising their cans of Fosters to the death of the beast .
‘ The unprecedented impact of the digital platforms that take other people ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ led to too many companies choosing to no longer use AAP service , ’ it said in a statement .
It also blamed the Canberra regime for its ‘ failure to effectively deal with digital content aggregators , search engines and social media , which has made news readily available for free online.
’ The Australian Associated Press is not the only news outlet to feel the impact of Facebook and Google ’ s grabbing of advertising revenue .
Mainstream media dubbed slipstream media is facing hard times .
The Guardian and other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their readers .
‘ In addition , more Australians have been turning to alternative online media , disappointed with mainstream bias.
’ The Australian Associated Press will officially cease publication in June 2020 .
Its network of international contributors includes correspondents in New Zealand , Port Moresby , London , Jakarta , and Los Angeles .
The wire service is currently owned by News Corp Australia , Nine Entertainment Co. , and Seven West Media .
It is thought likely that these entities are run by dual passport holders who aren ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

Despite being a mainstay of the corporation sponsored media, the Australian Associated Press (AAP) is clearings its desks and will pull the shutters down on nearly 100 years of spun news. The new agency’s hacks are being told not to slam the doors behind them.
It is known that 300,000 mainstream reporters and columnists have lost their jobs thanks to the internet. Where they end up is anyone’s guess? Shelf stackers in supermarkets, servers in MacDonald’s, washing sheets in brothels. Journalists of integrity saw the writing on the wall a long time ago.
Saying it is ‘no longer viable to continue’, rogue remnants of controlled media lay the blame on the ‘journalistic market’ being flooded by free digital media ~ like The Ethnic European.
The Australian Associated Press was founded in 1935 by Keith Murdoch, father of Newscorp founder Rupert Murdoch. Asked why the mastheads of his newspapers were coloured red, he replied that it was because he was a socialist. The senior mogul was dubbed ‘Red Rupert.
‘Many journalists now are no more than channels and echoes of what George Orwell called the ‘official truth’. They simply cipher and transmit lies.’ ~ John Pilger, Australian Investigate Journalist.
Thanks to cough-cough sponsorship, the Australian Associated Press soon grew to have press bureaus all over the country with many additional correspondents placed around the world.
Editor-in-Chief Tony Gillies said in a statement: ’We have had a place like no other in journalism. We exist for the public’s interest and I now fear for the void left by the absence of AAP’s strong, well-considered voice.’ Well, he would say that, wouldn’t he.
The newswire blames digital content (uncontrolled free peoples online media) for their closure. He also castigates Google and Facebook for taking advertising revenues. Also in the mogul’s cross-hairs is the Australian government for their allowing online news outlets to compete.
‘We have got to stop using the term mainstream (media). It is actually an extreme. What could be more extreme than institutions that incite rapacious wars, deceive about economic policy, what could be more extreme than that? There is nothing mainstream about that.’ ~ Australian journalist and broadcaster, John Pilger.
It is interesting that newspapers and corporations claim to uphold democracy and commercial competition. But, only as long as they are the ones muscling rivals out of the market.
Many victims denigrated and defamed by Australian Associated Press hacks will be raising their cans of Fosters to the death of the beast.
‘The unprecedented impact of the digital platforms that take other people’s content and distribute it for free has led to too many companies choosing to no longer use AAP service,’ it said in a statement. It also blamed the Canberra regime for its ‘failure to effectively deal with digital content aggregators, search engines and social media, which has made news readily available for free online.’
The Australian Associated Press is not the only news outlet to feel the impact of Facebook and Google’s grabbing of advertising revenue. Mainstream media dubbed slipstream media is facing hard times. The Guardian and other flagship mastheads now beg for donations from their readers.
‘In addition, more Australians have been turning to alternative online media, disappointed with mainstream bias.’
The Australian Associated Press will officially cease publication in June 2020. Its network of international contributors includes correspondents in New Zealand, Port Moresby, London, Jakarta, and Los Angeles.
The wire service is currently owned by News Corp Australia, Nine Entertainment Co., and Seven West Media. It is thought likely that these entities are run by dual passport holders who aren’t actually Australians other than as passport holders.


russiainsider--2020-03-06--Turkey Will Have to Accept the Status Quo and Prepare to Lose Idlib

The Turkish-Syrian battle is the battle of the Kurds in Ayn al-Arab , Kobane .
Turkish President Recep Tayyib Erdogan had decided to attack Russia , Iran and Syria when he sent his army to Idlib and bombed Russian and Iranian allies on the Idlib front .
The Turkish president is feeling strong and believes he is holding many good cards to play against his Russian counterpart President Vladimir Putin .
He trusts he is in a position to bomb Iran ’ s allies , despite the fact that they hold armed drones , precision missiles and experienced Special Forces @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the case of war .
The conflict Erdogan envisions between Russia , Iran and Syria on one side and Turkey on the other would suit the US and Israel .
They would be happy to see Presidents Putin and Erdogan sinking into the Syrian quagmire and Hezbollah losing more men in the Levant .
Negotiations , intense battles and attempts to reshuffle the military situation are taking place behind the scenes .
President Erdogan is trying to improve his military position on the ground before his meeting with President Putin in Moscow tomorrow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ negotiations can be expected .
President Erdogan is not in a position to bang his fist on the table .
At the time Russia is receiving Erdogan a tweet by the Russian Foreign Ministry reminds him how Russia defeated the Ottoman Empire and forced it to sign the Treaty of San Stefano in March 1878 in Constantinople .
It has accused Erdogan of altering Syrian demography after occupying the Afrin province and Tal Abyad , forcing the departure of over 350,000 Kurds and the relocation of Turkmen militants and their families instead .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ talks before the struggle and reflects serious disagreements between Turkey on one side and Russia , Iran and Syria on the other .
Erdogan was ready to negotiate and clear the roads linking Damascus and Aleppo ( M5 ) and Aleppo and Latakia ( M4 ) but in exchange , he asked for concessions in north-east Syria that were rejected .
Turkey tried to stop the Syrian army and its allies and wanted to reach the gates of Aleppo .
The current battle for Idlib , the “ mother of all battles ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the necessary context for understanding the current Turkish war on Syria and Syria ’ s response .
For the first time , Syria has dared to hit the Turkish army directly- this has never happened before in the modern history of Syria .
Turkey is more isolated than it has ever been .
It has lost its privileged position within the US by buying the S-400 and hosting the Turkstream pipeline selling Russian gas to Europe .
It has lost European respect by organising the transfer of over 110,000 Syrian and other nationalities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them to reach the borders with Greece and refusing to close the Turkish borders to prevent the crossing .
This Turkish blackmail is not winning friends on the European continent , especially since Erdogan is at the same time asking for more money to compensate the refugees ’ presence in his country .
Arab countries are standing with Syria against Turkey .
Libya ’ s eastern-based government linked to General Khalifa Haftar inaugurated the opening of its embassy in Damascus .
Saudi Arabian , Egypt , and the Emirates are showing solidarity with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A strong message was delivered during the battle of Idlib where for the first time the Syrian and Turkish armies face each other on the battlefield .
Erdogan is also losing support from Putin by bombing the Syrian army , trained by Russia , and damaging Syrian military effectiveness honed with Russian help .
When Moscow closed an eye to Turkey ’ s desire to avenge the killing of 33 Turkish soldiers and officers in south Idlib , Erdogan responded with a disproportionate bombing which angered Russia and the allies that suffered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threatened to hit back against more than a thousand Turkish troops within the 14 Turkish observation points located within liberated Syrian territory and guarded by Hezbollah and Iranian IRGC forces .
Putin is not completely losing his relationship with Erdogan , nor is it Russia ’ s intention to declare war on Turkey .
In recent days , during a private meeting between Iranian and Turkish officials in Ankara , Iranian officers explained that “ Iran and Russia believe that any war with Turkey will serve the US and Israel who would happily @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between both sides.
” US special representative for Syria James Jeffery said his country is ready to provide ammunition to Turkey in its Idlib battle .
However , US defence secretary Mark Esper ruled out US intervention in favour of Turkey in Idlib .
In Idlib , Turkey seems to have lost hope in the capacities of tens of thousands of jihadists to hold the ground notwithstanding years of fortifications , tunnel digging and building stronghold positions in the cities along the Damascus-Aleppo ( known as the M5 ) and Aleppo-Latakia ( M4 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up of a mixture of foreign fighters from dozens of different countries but mainly from the Tajik , Uighur , Turkmen and Arab jihadists fighting under Hayat Tahrir al-Sham ( former ISIS , former al-Qaeda in Syria , former al-Nusra ) fighting under different banners : from al-Qaeda ( Hurras al-Din ) , Jund al-Aqsa to Ahrar al-Sham and many other names .
Hezbollah stopped an attack aiming to take back el-Eiss and from it to reach the gates of south Aleppo last Friday .
The Turkish army bombed Hezbollah and Zul-fiqar brigade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) at Talhiya to allow jihadists supported by Turkey to push into a corridor from Binnish and Taftanaz towards Talhiyah and from it to Rasm al-Is , Rasm al-Saharij , El-Eis strategic hill until al-Hader .
Notwithstanding the Turkish intensive bombing to clear the road for jihadists and the killing of nine Hezbollah and over 66 wounded , the jihadists did not manage to get through .
Hezbollah and their allies from the Zulfiqar brigades held their ground and stopped the advance .
Following the Turkish “ disproportionate bombing ” , as described @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Moscow ordered its Air Force commanders to escort a dozen Syrian anti-air batteries to the front line to protect Syrian troops from any Turkish bombing .
Syria brought the Tor-M1 and its Pantsir system and took measures to reduce the casualties caused by the Turkish drones .
Syria and its allies carried out ( exceptional ) night attacks liberating the strategic city of Saraqeb and held their positions in it .
Hezbollah and Iran tripled the number of forces along the 70 km ( M5 and M4 ) front against Turkey and its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against Saraqeb and resumed air bombing in support of its allies .
Russia declared it could no longer “ guarantee the safety of the Turkish aviation in Syria after Damascus shuts Idlib airspace ” .
The Syrian air defence systems downed around 7 Turkish drones .
The Syrian army is showing dauntless courage by standing and bombing the Turkish military and fighting it face to face .
Syrian artillery pounded Turkish positions and killed close to a dozen Turkish soldiers on the battlefield .
President Bashar al-Assad ’ s decision to stand up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ father Hafez dared to do .
This is a response to Turkey ’ s killing and wounding of a large number of Syrian soldiers .
Syria has been at war for nine years and has withstood significant losses .
On the other hand , Turkey has one of the most prominent NATO armies with the most advanced means .
A small and reduced Syrian army has now managed to kill Turkish soldiers on the battlefield , to destroy Turkish tanks and down their drones .
Turkey halted its direct bombing against Hezbollah and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threatened to hit Turkey if the bombing continued .
Close to 2000 Turkish officers and soldiers are now positioned , under Hezbollah and Iran ’ s ‘ protection ’ , in 14 observation posts inside Syrian controlled areas , where they receive supplies locally .
A meeting between the Iranians and the Turkish army and an exchange of messages took place between Hezbollah and Ankara , explaining that any clash between the two will bring the Levant and Turkey into a comprehensive confrontation that no one could win .
The battle in Syria @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Erdogan needs to understand that the presence of his troops on Syrian territory is not acceptable .
Moscow moved its military police and special forces into Saraqeb to draw a line on any possible Turkish intention to attack the city again .
The Turkish army attacks have yielded nothing , and the Syrian army and its allies are gaining momentum and have the upper hand .
What is pushing Erdogan to fight with his own army alongside the jihadists for the control of two roads which it had previously agreed to de-escalate and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ According to decision-makers in Syria , President Erdogan asked his Russian counterpart to allow his forces to occupy an area 50 km deep in north-east Syria .
At the start , Russia did not react to the Turkish advance to replace the US forces who decided to limit its presence in Syria to stealing Syrian oil , i.e .
around the oil wells in north-east Syria .
When the US redeployed , Russia asked Turkey to halt its operations in al-Hasaka and Raqqa provinces .
Erdogan then lowered his request , asked for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russia has good ties with the Kurds and wants to see Syria united and all foreign forces leaving Syria .
Erdogan said he was ready to clear the M5 and M4 in exchange for the control of Ayn al-Arab ( Kobane ) .
Putin refused and agreed with Iran and Damascus to remove jihadists along the M5 and M4 by military force .
Erdogan felt he was cut out of the deal because his jihadists did not hold their ground , and proved to be an incapable military force against Syria and its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ army was pushed into the battle , supported by drones , F-16s , precision missiles and artillery .
Today it is fighting on behalf of the jihadists that , according to Sochi agreement , should have been eliminated by Turkey more than a year ago .
Turkey wants to bring back the deployment of forces on the ground to where they were before the Idlib battle and is calling for the respect of the Astana agreement but from a weaker position .
In fact , it is too late for that ; deals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ankara will have to accept the status quo and prepare to lose Idlib without further concessions in the Kurdish area .
This does not mean Erdogan will accept and surrender without a fight all the Syrian territories he has occupied without a fight .
The Putin-Erdogan meeting will probably not end all differences , and much may have to be postponed until the forthcoming Putin-Erdogan-Rohani meeting this month in Tehran .
Erdogan seems to have forgotten the help Putin and Rohani gave him during the 2016 failed coup-d ’ état .
He is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ partners are weak .
The Turkish president is prioritising his territory-expansion ambition over his commercial and partnership relationship with Russia and Iran .
The Turkish army is grinding its teeth over Idlib .
The Ottoman Sultan never defeated the Russian Czar in the past and he certainly won ’ t succeed now in Syria…

The Turkish-Syrian battle is the battle of the Kurds in Ayn al-Arab, Kobane.
Turkish President Recep Tayyib Erdogan had decided to attack Russia, Iran and Syria when he sent his army to Idlib and bombed Russian and Iranian allies on the Idlib front. The Turkish president is feeling strong and believes he is holding many good cards to play against his Russian counterpart President Vladimir Putin. He trusts he is in a position to bomb Iran’s allies, despite the fact that they hold armed drones, precision missiles and experienced Special Forces that can hit Turkey very hard in the case of war.
The conflict Erdogan envisions between Russia, Iran and Syria on one side and Turkey on the other would suit the US and Israel. They would be happy to see Presidents Putin and Erdogan sinking into the Syrian quagmire and Hezbollah losing more men in the Levant. Negotiations, intense battles and attempts to reshuffle the military situation are taking place behind the scenes. President Erdogan is trying to improve his military position on the ground before his meeting with President Putin in Moscow tomorrow Thursday- but to no avail. Stormy negotiations can be expected.
President Erdogan is not in a position to bang his fist on the table. At the time Russia is receiving Erdogan a tweet by the Russian Foreign Ministry reminds him how Russia defeated the Ottoman Empire and forced it to sign the Treaty of San Stefano in March 1878 in Constantinople. It has accused Erdogan of altering Syrian demography after occupying the Afrin province and Tal Abyad, forcing the departure of over 350,000 Kurds and the relocation of Turkmen militants and their families instead.
The battle of Idlib follows many secret talks before the struggle and reflects serious disagreements between Turkey on one side and Russia, Iran and Syria on the other. Erdogan was ready to negotiate and clear the roads linking Damascus and Aleppo (M5) and Aleppo and Latakia (M4) but in exchange, he asked for concessions in north-east Syria that were rejected. Turkey tried to stop the Syrian army and its allies and wanted to reach the gates of Aleppo. The current battle for Idlib, the “mother of all battles”, follows many secret talks which are the necessary context for understanding the current Turkish war on Syria and Syria’s response. For the first time, Syria has dared to hit the Turkish army directly- this has never happened before in the modern history of Syria.
Turkey is more isolated than it has ever been. It has lost its privileged position within the US by buying the S-400 and hosting the Turkstream pipeline selling Russian gas to Europe. It has lost European respect by organising the transfer of over 110,000 Syrian and other nationalities’ refugees to the borders, allowing them to reach the borders with Greece and refusing to close the Turkish borders to prevent the crossing. This Turkish blackmail is not winning friends on the European continent, especially since Erdogan is at the same time asking for more money to compensate the refugees’ presence in his country.
Arab countries are standing with Syria against Turkey. Libya’s eastern-based government linked to General Khalifa Haftar inaugurated the opening of its embassy in Damascus. Saudi Arabian, Egypt, and the Emirates are showing solidarity with President Assad against the Turkish-Qatari-Muslim Brotherhood alliance. A strong message was delivered during the battle of Idlib where for the first time the Syrian and Turkish armies face each other on the battlefield.
Erdogan is also losing support from Putin by bombing the Syrian army, trained by Russia, and damaging Syrian military effectiveness honed with Russian help. When Moscow closed an eye to Turkey’s desire to avenge the killing of 33 Turkish soldiers and officers in south Idlib, Erdogan responded with a disproportionate bombing which angered Russia and the allies that suffered the most. In response, Iran threatened to hit back against more than a thousand Turkish troops within the 14 Turkish observation points located within liberated Syrian territory and guarded by Hezbollah and Iranian IRGC forces.
Putin is not completely losing his relationship with Erdogan, nor is it Russia’s intention to declare war on Turkey. In recent days, during a private meeting between Iranian and Turkish officials in Ankara, Iranian officers explained that “Iran and Russia believe that any war with Turkey will serve the US and Israel who would happily watch and contribute to fuelling the animosity between both sides.” US special representative for Syria James Jeffery said his country is ready to provide ammunition to Turkey in its Idlib battle. However, US defence secretary Mark Esper ruled out US intervention in favour of Turkey in Idlib.
In Idlib, Turkey seems to have lost hope in the capacities of tens of thousands of jihadists to hold the ground notwithstanding years of fortifications, tunnel digging and building stronghold positions in the cities along the Damascus-Aleppo (known as the M5) and Aleppo-Latakia (M4) roads. These jihadists are made up of a mixture of foreign fighters from dozens of different countries but mainly from the Tajik, Uighur, Turkmen and Arab jihadists fighting under Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (former ISIS, former al-Qaeda in Syria, former al-Nusra) fighting under different banners: from al-Qaeda (Hurras al-Din), Jund al-Aqsa to Ahrar al-Sham and many other names.
Hezbollah stopped an attack aiming to take back el-Eiss and from it to reach the gates of south Aleppo last Friday. The Turkish army bombed Hezbollah and Zul-fiqar brigade (Iranian IRGC, Fatimiyoun and Zeinabiyoun) at Talhiya to allow jihadists supported by Turkey to push into a corridor from Binnish and Taftanaz towards Talhiyah and from it to Rasm al-Is, Rasm al-Saharij, El-Eis strategic hill until al-Hader. Notwithstanding the Turkish intensive bombing to clear the road for jihadists and the killing of nine Hezbollah and over 66 wounded, the jihadists did not manage to get through. Hezbollah and their allies from the Zulfiqar brigades held their ground and stopped the advance.
Russia grounded its Air Force for 48 hours after the killing of 36 Turkish soldiers and officers (officially Turkey has declared 41 killed so far). The lack of air coverage surprised the allies of Russia who have anti-air missiles but were not expecting the Russians to abdicate their agreed role. Turkey managed to stop the Syrian army and its allies’ advance for 48 hours. However, all areas lost to the Turks were recovered within 48 hours. The battle of Saraqeb was the harshest. Hezbollah and the Zulfiqar brigade never withdrew from the east side of the city, while jihadists controlled the west side.
Following the Turkish “disproportionate bombing”, as described by the Russian generals in Syria, Moscow ordered its Air Force commanders to escort a dozen Syrian anti-air batteries to the front line to protect Syrian troops from any Turkish bombing. Syria brought the Tor-M1 and its Pantsir system and took measures to reduce the casualties caused by the Turkish drones.
Syria and its allies carried out (exceptional) night attacks liberating the strategic city of Saraqeb and held their positions in it. Hezbollah and Iran tripled the number of forces along the 70 km (M5 and M4) front against Turkey and its jihadists. Russia made 27 air attacks against Saraqeb and resumed air bombing in support of its allies.
Russia declared it could no longer “guarantee the safety of the Turkish aviation in Syria after Damascus shuts Idlib airspace”. The Syrian air defence systems downed around 7 Turkish drones. The Syrian army is showing dauntless courage by standing and bombing the Turkish military and fighting it face to face. Syrian artillery pounded Turkish positions and killed close to a dozen Turkish soldiers on the battlefield. President Bashar al-Assad’s decision to stand up to Turkey is something not even his father Hafez dared to do.
This is a response to Turkey’s killing and wounding of a large number of Syrian soldiers. Syria has been at war for nine years and has withstood significant losses. On the other hand, Turkey has one of the most prominent NATO armies with the most advanced means. A small and reduced Syrian army has now managed to kill Turkish soldiers on the battlefield, to destroy Turkish tanks and down their drones.
Turkey halted its direct bombing against Hezbollah and the Zulfiqar brigade. Iran and Hezbollah threatened to hit Turkey if the bombing continued. Close to 2000 Turkish officers and soldiers are now positioned, under Hezbollah and Iran’s ‘protection’, in 14 observation posts inside Syrian controlled areas, where they receive supplies locally. A meeting between the Iranians and the Turkish army and an exchange of messages took place between Hezbollah and Ankara, explaining that any clash between the two will bring the Levant and Turkey into a comprehensive confrontation that no one could win. The battle in Syria should not be against Turkey, and Erdogan needs to understand that the presence of his troops on Syrian territory is not acceptable.
Moscow moved its military police and special forces into Saraqeb to draw a line on any possible Turkish intention to attack the city again. The Turkish army attacks have yielded nothing, and the Syrian army and its allies are gaining momentum and have the upper hand. What is pushing Erdogan to fight with his own army alongside the jihadists for the control of two roads which it had previously agreed to de-escalate and declare a demilitarised zone in 2018?
According to decision-makers in Syria, President Erdogan asked his Russian counterpart to allow his forces to occupy an area 50 km deep in north-east Syria. At the start, Russia did not react to the Turkish advance to replace the US forces who decided to limit its presence in Syria to stealing Syrian oil, i.e. around the oil wells in north-east Syria. When the US redeployed, Russia asked Turkey to halt its operations in al-Hasaka and Raqqa provinces. Erdogan then lowered his request, asked for a 30 km deep buffer zone.
Russia has good ties with the Kurds and wants to see Syria united and all foreign forces leaving Syria. Erdogan said he was ready to clear the M5 and M4 in exchange for the control of Ayn al-Arab (Kobane). Putin refused and agreed with Iran and Damascus to remove jihadists along the M5 and M4 by military force. Erdogan felt he was cut out of the deal because his jihadists did not hold their ground, and proved to be an incapable military force against Syria and its allies. This is why the Turkish army was pushed into the battle, supported by drones, F-16s, precision missiles and artillery. Today it is fighting on behalf of the jihadists that, according to Sochi agreement, should have been eliminated by Turkey more than a year ago.
Turkey wants to bring back the deployment of forces on the ground to where they were before the Idlib battle and is calling for the respect of the Astana agreement but from a weaker position. In fact, it is too late for that; deals have a short life in Syria! Ankara will have to accept the status quo and prepare to lose Idlib without further concessions in the Kurdish area. This does not mean Erdogan will accept and surrender without a fight all the Syrian territories he has occupied without a fight. The Putin-Erdogan meeting will probably not end all differences, and much may have to be postponed until the forthcoming Putin-Erdogan-Rohani meeting this month in Tehran.
Erdogan seems to have forgotten the help Putin and Rohani gave him during the 2016 failed coup-d’état. He is showing recklessness and wrongly believes his potential partners are weak. The Turkish president is prioritising his territory-expansion ambition over his commercial and partnership relationship with Russia and Iran. The Turkish army is grinding its teeth over Idlib. The Ottoman Sultan never defeated the Russian Czar in the past and he certainly won’t succeed now in Syria…


russiainsider--2020-03-06--Erdogan Meets Putin With Weak Hand, He's Weak at Home and on the Front

Has demonstrated he is n't actually able to dislodge the Syrian army as he had vowed to do 49 percent of the Turkish public believes Erdogan ’ s incursion into Syria ’ s Idlib is “ unnecessary ” , only 31 percent are backing it as “ necessary ” .
Even the second group is only backing it because it buys into Erdogan ’ s narrative that it ’ s about stopping the flow of refugees .
The support may fall further when it dawns on them it ’ s really about salvaging Erdogan ’ s sagging global prestige that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the unofficial leader of the Muslim world .
The opposition is critiquing him relentlessly on this latest adventure , and he ’ s feeling vulnerable evident by a new round of internet censorship ( including against Anti-Empire ) .
Even more crucially , he has demonstrated his inability to stamp his will on the Idlib battlefield .
After suffering an initial shock under the full brunt of Turkish artillery , drones and air-to-air missiles the Syrian army has since reversed the majority of the Turkish-rebel gains .
Far from pushing the Syrians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he would do , Erdogan has instead demonstrated for all to see that Turkish forces in Idlib as currently constituted , and at current levels of involvement , are not capable of this task .
Perhaps if Turkish troops took on infantry and tank assault duties for the rebels as well that could change , but that would also mean more Turkish casualties ( at about 70 KIA so far ) and further complicate Erdogan ’ s standing on the home front .
True enough , the Turkish presence in Idlib has greatly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and threatens to transform the conflict into a slow-paced war of attrition .
In such a conflict Turkey has shown it can inflict considerably greater losses on the Syrians than vice-versa , but the Syrians are fighting to restore their territory while Erdogan is in a cross-border adventure his people do not understand .
In the eight years of war , the Syrian army has sustained well over 100,000 dead .
They ’ re desperate to finally have some peace but neither are they willing to give up on a more complete victory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Turkish ministry of defense continues to publish extraordinarily high claimed Syrian losses ( they claim over 3,000 “ neutralized ” which is meant to include the wounded so far ) other unconfirmed Russian sources are saying the intensity and the success of the Turkish drone war has already subsided .
Supposedly the losses of 5 “ Anka ” and 7 “ Bayraktar ” drones have forced the Turks to limit their drones to low-attitude and mostly night-time flights .
The claim of 5 Anka high-altitude surveillance drones destroyed , in particular , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of about 4 drones in total has been visually confirmed .
( Albeit partly that could be due to a 70-kilogram BUK warhead not leaving much to photograph , or due to wreckage falling on rebel-held territory . )
However at $ 20 million for an Anka and $ 5 million for the light-attack Bayraktar even just a handful of losses in a few days could indeed force the Turks into scaling down their use .
It ’ s anybody ’ s guesses how the Putin-Erdogan meeting will go , but personally I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ able to get much more than a temporary cease-fire out of it .
Certainly , he ’ s not getting the Syrian withdrawal his military was not able to realize on the ground .

Has demonstrated he isn't actually able to dislodge the Syrian army as he had vowed to do
49 percent of the Turkish public believes Erdogan’s incursion into Syria’s Idlib is “unnecessary”, only 31 percent are backing it as “necessary”. Even the second group is only backing it because it buys into Erdogan’s narrative that it’s about stopping the flow of refugees. The support may fall further when it dawns on them it’s really about salvaging Erdogan’s sagging global prestige that he so badly needs for his claim as the unofficial leader of the Muslim world.
The opposition is critiquing him relentlessly on this latest adventure, and he’s feeling vulnerable evident by a new round of internet censorship (including against Anti-Empire).
PARLIAMENT BRAWL: A fistfight broke out in Turkish parliament after an opposition lawmaker criticized the president over Syria policy; clashes between Turkish and Russian-backed Syrian troops have escalated ahead of a Turkey-Russia summit later this week. https://t.co/zPc7E6CtMY pic.twitter.com/i84G8M3vt0 — World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) March 4, 2020
Even more crucially, he has demonstrated his inability to stamp his will on the Idlib battlefield. After suffering an initial shock under the full brunt of Turkish artillery, drones and air-to-air missiles the Syrian army has since reversed the majority of the Turkish-rebel gains.
Far from pushing the Syrians to their 2019 positions as he claimed he would do, Erdogan has instead demonstrated for all to see that Turkish forces in Idlib as currently constituted, and at current levels of involvement, are not capable of this task.
Perhaps if Turkish troops took on infantry and tank assault duties for the rebels as well that could change, but that would also mean more Turkish casualties (at about 70 KIA so far) and further complicate Erdogan’s standing on the home front.
True enough, the Turkish presence in Idlib has greatly complicated the Syrian goal of retaking it and threatens to transform the conflict into a slow-paced war of attrition. In such a conflict Turkey has shown it can inflict considerably greater losses on the Syrians than vice-versa, but the Syrians are fighting to restore their territory while Erdogan is in a cross-border adventure his people do not understand.
In the eight years of war, the Syrian army has sustained well over 100,000 dead. They’re desperate to finally have some peace but neither are they willing to give up on a more complete victory just yet.
#Breaking
Очередной турецкий ударный БПЛА Bayraktar TB2 был сбит сирийскими Силами противовоздушной обороны в мухафазе Идлиб, Сирия. pic.twitter.com/vgS1iHZbVD — SwankyStas (@StasSwanky) March 4, 2020
In fact, albeit the Turkish ministry of defense continues to publish extraordinarily high claimed Syrian losses (they claim over 3,000 “neutralized” which is meant to include the wounded so far) other unconfirmed Russian sources are saying the intensity and the success of the Turkish drone war has already subsided. Supposedly the losses of 5 “Anka” and 7 “Bayraktar” drones have forced the Turks to limit their drones to low-attitude and mostly night-time flights.
The claim of 5 Anka high-altitude surveillance drones destroyed, in particular, seems high, as only the loss of about 4 drones in total has been visually confirmed. (Albeit partly that could be due to a 70-kilogram BUK warhead not leaving much to photograph, or due to wreckage falling on rebel-held territory.) However at $20 million for an Anka and $5 million for the light-attack Bayraktar even just a handful of losses in a few days could indeed force the Turks into scaling down their use.
It’s anybody’s guesses how the Putin-Erdogan meeting will go, but personally I’d be surprised if he is able to get much more than a temporary cease-fire out of it. Certainly, he’s not getting the Syrian withdrawal his military was not able to realize on the ground.
Turkish dictator Erdogan arrives at Kremlin Moscow (Russia), home of president Putin. Both will hold talks regarding Idlib, Syriapic.twitter.com/9lIblXNntC — NewsBlog | breaking (@NBbreaking) March 5, 2020
Turkish Air Force shot down earlier today an L 39 warplane for the Assad regime over Idlib, 1 pilot killed another one escaped to government controlled areas pic.twitter.com/nvk0ezhHF0 — Cyrus Force - Iran (@Michael16374273) March 4, 2020
لحظة أصابة الطائرة الحربية التابعة لعصابات الأسد فوق أجواء ريف إدلب pic.twitter.com/BjN8jfASDe — وليد الأدلبي (@measameb) March 3, 2020
No end in sight
Another armoured convoy of SAA destroyedpic.twitter.com/0MadOEL4O7 — monitoring (@warsmonitoring) March 3, 2020