southfront--2020-03-15--A 70-Year War On “Propaganda” Built By The CIA

Written by Cynthia Chung ; Originally appeared at The Strategic Culture Foundation War has always depended on a reliable system to spread its propaganda .
The written by Chankya ( 350-283 BCE ) who was chief advisor to the Emperor Chandragupta ( the first ruler of the Mauryan Empire ) discusses propaganda and how to disperse and apply it in warfare .
It is one of the oldest accounts of the essentialism of propaganda in warfare .
Propaganda is vital in times of war because it is that the people , who often need to make the greatest sacrifices and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a war is justified and that such a war will provide them security .
To the degree that they believe this to be true , the greater the degree of sacrifice and suffering they are willing to submit themselves for said “ promised security ” .
It is crucial that when the people look at the “ enemy ” they see something sub-human , for if they recognise that said “ enemy ” has in fact humanity , the jig is up so to speak .
And thus we are bombarded day after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as to why the “ enemy ” is not human like us , not compassionate like us , not patient , just and wise .
No doubt , war has been a necessary response when tyranny has formed an army to fight for its cause , but I would put forth that most wars have been rather unnecessary and downright manipulated for the design of a small group of people .
During WWI , on Dec 25th 1914 , something rather unexpected occurred and a series of widespread unofficial ceasefires along the Western @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the German soldiers .
Some even ventured into “ no man ’ s land ” , given its name since none left it alive , to mingle with the “ enemy ” and exchange food and souvenirs .
There were joint burial ceremonies and prisoner swaps .
A game of football took place as well .
It is said that these truces were not unique to the Christmas period but that they were much more widespread during the holiday season .
These fraternisations would understandably make it quite difficult to return to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reason .
Some units needed to be relocated since they had developed friendships with the opposing side and now refused to fight them .
The lesson was quickly learned and propaganda was heavily pumped down the throats of the Allied countries , and by the course of just a few years , they no longer viewed the Germans as human .
For us to understand the implications of modern propaganda and how it is used in warfare today , our story starts post-WWII with Churchill ’ s announcement of the “ Iron Curtain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has kept the East and West divided to this day .
Quickly after the Cold War was announced by Churchill , it was necessary to create a fervor of fear and paranoia amongst the American people in order to have them quickly forget the fact that the Russians were their greatest allies during both WWI and WWII , and to replace it with the image of a ghoulish race of boogeymen .
If Americans were to remember that the Russians had fought valiantly during WWII and had paid by far the largest sacrifice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in fact been their comrades in arms against the brutality of fascism , if this were remembered then the Cold War division could never occur , and that was something that could not be tolerated by Churchill and the Empire .
Thus terror was unleashed on the American people and McCarthyism was given precedence over the people ’ s right to question and form conclusions for themselves .
That sort of thing could not be tolerated when the “ enemy ” could be anywhere ; they could be your neighbour , your child @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In order to combat the “ threat ” of Soviet “ propaganda ” entering the U.S. and seducing Americans , Operation Mockingbird was created as a form of “ control ” over information dissemination during the period of McCarthyism .
Operation Mockingbird was an “ alleged ” CIA program that was started in the early 1950s in order to control the narrative of the news .
Though this role has never been confirmed entirely , in the CIA Family Jewels report compiled in the mid-1970s , it is confirmed that Project Mockingbird @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that it was guilty of wire-tapping journalists in Washington .
At the helm of this project was none other than CIA Director Allen Dulles , an enemy of JFK , who by the early 1950s “ allegedly ” oversaw the media network and had major influence over 25 newspapers and wire agencies .
Its function was to have the CIA write reports that would be used by a network of cooperating “ credible ” reporters .
By these “ credible ” reporters spreading the CIA dictated narrative , it would be parroted by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ successful echo chamber would be created across the world .
The Office of Policy Coordination ( OPC ) , originally named Office of Special Projects but that was thought to conspicuous , was a covert operation wing of the CIA and was created by the United States National Security Council ( NSC ) .
For those who are unfamiliar with the origins of the NSC and its close relationship with the CIA , who was born on the same day , refer to my paper on the subject .
According to Deborah Davis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ owner of Washington Post ) , the OPC created Operation Mockingbird in response to addressing Soviet propaganda and included as part of its CIA contingency respected members from , , , and others .
The Family Jewels report was an investigation made by the CIA to investigate…the CIA , spurred in response to the Watergate Scandal and the CIA ’ s unconstitutional role in the whole affair .
The investigation of the CIA would include any other actions that were deemed illegal or inappropriate spanning from the 1950s-mid 1970s .
We are told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ declassified on June 25 , 2007 ( 30 years later ) hoping that people would have lost interest in the whole brouhaha .
Along with the release of the redacted report was included a six-page summary with the following introduction : wiretapping , domestic surveillance , assassination plots , and human experimentation led to official investigations and reforms in the 1970s.
” The most extensive investigation of the CIA relations with news media was conducted by the Church Committee , a U.S. Senate select committee in 1975 that investigated the abuses committed by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and IRS .
The Church Committee report confirmed abundant CIA ties in both foreign and domestic news media .
It is very useful that there exists an official recognition that false news was not only being encouraged by the CIA under the overseeing of the NSC during the Cold War period , but that the CIA was complicit in actually detailing the specific narrative that they wanted disseminated , and often going so far as to write the narrative and have a “ credible ” reporter ’ s name stamped on it .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Cold War ever end ?
” and if not , why should we believe that the CIA ’ s involvement in such activities is buried in its past and that it has “ reformed ” its old ways ?
Western Journalists for Hire : How the CIA Buys News In order to answer this question , let us visit the sad case of Udo Ulfkotte .
Udo Ulfkotte is a well-known German journalist and author of numerous books .
He worked for 25 years as a journalist , 17 of which were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including his role as editor .
In his 2014 book “ Journalists for Hire : How the CIA Buys News ” Ulfkotte goes over how the CIA along with German Intelligence ( BND ) were guilty of bribing journalists to write articles that either spun the truth or were completely fictitious in order to promote a pro-western , pro-NATO bent , and that he was one of those bought journalists .
In an interview , Ulfkotte describes how he finally built up the nerve to publish the book , after years of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the erupting crisis in Ukraine stating “ I felt that the right time had come to finish it and publish it , because I am deeply worried about the Ukrainian crisis and the possible devastating consequences for all of Europe and all of us…I am not at all pro-Russia , but it is clear that many journalists blindly follow and publish whatever the NATO press office provides .
And this type of information and reports are completely one-sided ” .
In another interview Ulfkotte stated : “ it is clear as daylight that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the central offices of the FAZ , the place where I worked for 17 years .
The articles appeared under my name several times , but they were not my intellectual product .
I was once approached by someone from German Intelligence and the CIA , who told me that I should write about Gaddafi and report how he was trying to secretly build a chemical weapons factory in Libya .
I had no information on any of this , but they showed me various documents , I just had to put my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think this can be called journalism ?
I don ’ t think so .
” Ulfkotte has publicly stated : “ I am ashamed of it .
The people I worked for knew from the get-go everything I did .
And the truth must come out .
It ’ s not just about FAZ , this is the whole system that ’ s corrupt all the way .
” Udo Ulfkotte has since passed away .
He died January 2017 , found dead in his home , it is said by a hear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after cremated and thus prevented any possibility of an autopsy occurring .
You Can ’ t Teach An Old Dog New Tricks The is a bipartisan bill that was passed into law in December 2016 , it was initially called .
It was included together with the ( NDAA ) .
This bill was brought into effect just weeks before Trump was to enter office….hmmm , foreshadowing much ?
Soon after the 2016 U.S. election , the Washington Post led the charge asserting that it was due to Russian propaganda that the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , that is , that Hillary had somehow , , lost to Donald Trump and that the American people had been turned against her like a child caught in the middle of a messy divorce case .
But there is no need here to set the record straight on Hillary , when Hillary herself has done suffice damage to any illusion of credibility she once had .
That ultimately not even Hillary could hide the fact that her closet full of skeletons turned out to be the size of a catacomb .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know what is best for one ’ s self .
That they can not be trusted with “ sensitive ” information and in accordance act in a “ responsible ” manner , that is , to have a strong enough stomach to do what is “ best ” for their country .
And therefore , fear not subjects of the land , for the Global Engagement Center ( GEC ) is here to make those hard decisions for you .
Don ’ t know what to think about a complicated subject ?
GEC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The ( NDAA ) would allow for the Secretary of State to collaborate with the Secretary of Defense , and other Federal agencies in the year 2017 to create the Global Engagement Center ( GEC ) .
The GEC ’ s purpose in life is to fight propaganda from foreign governments and publicize the nature of ongoing foreign propaganda and disinformation operations against the U.S. and other countries .
Let us all take a moment to thank the GEC for such a massive task in the cause for justice all around the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ start in its first year , however , it has been gaining momentum in the last year under Secretary of State Mike Pompeo , who seems especially excited over the hiring of Lea Gabrielle as special envoy and coordinator of GEC .
Mike Pompeo was the CIA Director from 2017-2018 .
On April 15 , 2019 , Pompeo participated in a discussion at the Texas A & M University where he voluntarily offered the admission that though West Points ’ cadet motto is “ You will not lie , cheat , or steal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , his training under the CIA was the very opposite , stating “ I was the CIA Director .
We lied , we cheated , we stole .
It was like we had entire training courses .
( long pause ) It reminds you of the glory of the American experiment ” .
This is apparently the man for the job of dealing with matters of “ truth ” and “ justice ” .
Lea Gabrielle was approved for her position by Mike Pompeo , what are her “ qualifications ” ?
Well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and while assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency ( DIA ) , she “ .
” Gabrielle also “ ” .
After 12 years of active duty service , Lea Gabrielle became a television news journalist , who worked at NBC and FOX News .
The CIA really does not have the best track record for their role in “ managing ” foreign wars and counter-insurgency activities .
In fact , they have been caught rather red handed in fueling such crisis situations .
And these are the people who are deciding what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and western public in general , and what is not fit for their ears .
Hear No Evil , Speak No Evil , See No Evil On March 5 , 2020 , Lea Gabrielle testified on the role of GEC in countering state-sponsored and non-state propaganda and disinformation .
Gabrielle states : “ We have the full support of Secretary Pompeo who is committed to deploying a broad suite of tools to stop America ’ s adversaries from using disinformation , malign propaganda , and other tools to undermine free societies .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the hearing is focused on countering Russian government and CCP disinformation and propaganda .
She then goes on to outline her criticisms of both governments with no factual detail or evidence but rather generalised accusations and criticisms , obviously pulling from her experience as a news journalist for NBC .
Following this , Gabrielle proceeds to outline her “ rules of engagement ” in countering this offensive with what seems to be the beginnings of McCarthyism 2.0 , amounting to a threat to anyone who dares not take a hard stance against Russia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be considered complicit in essentially committing treason .
Hell , if Bernie Sanders and Tulsi Gabbard ( who was unconstitutionally prohibited from participating in the final democratic presidential debates ) have both already been accused of being a Russian agent , what can we expect for the average Joe ?
Gabrielle concludes , “ Both the Russian government and the CCP view censorship , media manipulation , and propaganda as appropriate tools to control public opinion .
Both exploit open , democratic societies to further their own ends while tightening controls around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t worry , the CIA will eventually admit that they are elbow deep in all of the above , it just won ’ t be released until 30 years from now…In the meantime , I wouldn ’ t believe everything you read in the newspaper to stoke the fires for another war .

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Written by Cynthia Chung; Originally appeared at The Strategic Culture Foundation
“Hell is empty and all the devils are here”
– William Shakespeare (The Tempest Act 1 Scene 2)
War has always depended on a reliable system to spread its propaganda. The Arthashastra written by Chankya (350-283 BCE) who was chief advisor to the Emperor Chandragupta (the first ruler of the Mauryan Empire) discusses propaganda and how to disperse and apply it in warfare. It is one of the oldest accounts of the essentialism of propaganda in warfare.
Propaganda is vital in times of war because it is absolutely imperative that the people, who often need to make the greatest sacrifices and suffer the most, believe that such a war is justified and that such a war will provide them security. To the degree that they believe this to be true, the greater the degree of sacrifice and suffering they are willing to submit themselves for said “promised security”.
It is crucial that when the people look at the “enemy” they see something sub-human, for if they recognise that said “enemy” has in fact humanity, the jig is up so to speak.
And thus we are bombarded day after day, hour after hour of reminders as to why the “enemy” is not human like us, not compassionate like us, not patient, just and wise like us.
No doubt, war has been a necessary response when tyranny has formed an army to fight for its cause, but I would put forth that most wars have been rather unnecessary and downright manipulated for the design of a small group of people.
During WWI, on Dec 25th 1914, something rather unexpected occurred and a series of widespread unofficial ceasefires along the Western Front took place between the French/British soldiers and the German soldiers. Some even ventured into “no man’s land”, given its name since none left it alive, to mingle with the “enemy” and exchange food and souvenirs. There were joint burial ceremonies and prisoner swaps. A game of football took place as well. It is said that these truces were not unique to the Christmas period but that they were much more widespread during the holiday season.
These fraternisations would understandably make it quite difficult to return to combat against one another…for no apparently good reason. Some units needed to be relocated since they had developed friendships with the opposing side and now refused to fight them.
The lesson was quickly learned and propaganda was heavily pumped down the throats of the Allied countries, and by the course of just a few years, they no longer viewed the Germans as human.
The CIA’s Family Jewels and Operation Mockingbird
For us to understand the implications of modern propaganda and how it is used in warfare today, our story starts post-WWII with Churchill’s announcement of the “Iron Curtain” which launched the Cold War and has kept the East and West divided to this day.
Quickly after the Cold War was announced by Churchill, it was necessary to create a fervor of fear and paranoia amongst the American people in order to have them quickly forget the fact that the Russians were their greatest allies during both WWI and WWII, and to replace it with the image of a ghoulish race of boogeymen.
If Americans were to remember that the Russians had fought valiantly during WWII and had paid by far the largest sacrifice to the cause, that they had in fact been their comrades in arms against the brutality of fascism, if this were remembered then the Cold War division could never occur, and that was something that could not be tolerated by Churchill and the Empire. Thus terror was unleashed on the American people and McCarthyism was given precedence over the people’s right to question and form conclusions for themselves. That sort of thing could not be tolerated when the “enemy” could be anywhere; they could be your neighbour, your child’s teacher, your co-worker…your partner.
In order to combat the “threat” of Soviet “propaganda” entering the U.S. and seducing Americans, Operation Mockingbird was created as a form of “control” over information dissemination during the period of McCarthyism. Operation Mockingbird was an “alleged” CIA program that was started in the early 1950s in order to control the narrative of the news. Though this role has never been confirmed entirely, in the CIA Family Jewels report compiled in the mid-1970s, it is confirmed that Project Mockingbird did exist as a CIA operation and that it was guilty of wire-tapping journalists in Washington.
At the helm of this project was none other than CIA Director Allen Dulles, an enemy of JFK, who by the early 1950s “allegedly” oversaw the media network and had major influence over 25 newspapers and wire agencies. Its function was to have the CIA write reports that would be used by a network of cooperating “credible” reporters. By these “credible” reporters spreading the CIA dictated narrative, it would be parroted by unwitting reporters (mockingbirds) and a successful echo chamber would be created across the world.
The Office of Policy Coordination (OPC), originally named Office of Special Projects but that was thought to conspicuous, was a covert operation wing of the CIA and was created by the United States National Security Council (NSC). For those who are unfamiliar with the origins of the NSC and its close relationship with the CIA, who was born on the same day, refer to my paper on the subject.
According to Deborah Davis’ biography of Katherine Graham (the owner of Washington Post), the OPC created Operation Mockingbird in response to addressing Soviet propaganda and included as part of its CIA contingency respected members from Washington Post, The New York Times, Newsweek, CBS and others.
The Family Jewels report was an investigation made by the CIA to investigate…the CIA, spurred in response to the Watergate Scandal and the CIA’s unconstitutional role in the whole affair. The investigation of the CIA would include any other actions that were deemed illegal or inappropriate spanning from the 1950s-mid 1970s.
We are told “most” of the report was declassified on June 25, 2007 (30 years later) hoping that people would have lost interest in the whole brouhaha. Along with the release of the redacted report was included a six-page summary with the following introduction:
“The Central Intelligence Agency violated its charter for 25 years until revelations of illegal wiretapping, domestic surveillance, assassination plots, and human experimentation led to official investigations and reforms in the 1970s.”
The most extensive investigation of the CIA relations with news media was conducted by the Church Committee, a U.S. Senate select committee in 1975 that investigated the abuses committed by the CIA, NSA, FBI, and IRS. The Church Committee report confirmed abundant CIA ties in both foreign and domestic news media.
It is very useful that there exists an official recognition that false news was not only being encouraged by the CIA under the overseeing of the NSC during the Cold War period, but that the CIA was complicit in actually detailing the specific narrative that they wanted disseminated, and often going so far as to write the narrative and have a “credible” reporter’s name stamped on it.
But the question begs, “Did the Cold War ever end?” and if not, why should we believe that the CIA’s involvement in such activities is buried in its past and that it has “reformed” its old ways?
Western Journalists for Hire: How the CIA Buys News
In order to answer this question, let us visit the sad case of Udo Ulfkotte. Udo Ulfkotte is a well-known German journalist and author of numerous books. He worked for 25 years as a journalist, 17 of which were for Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), including his role as editor. In his 2014 book “Journalists for Hire: How the CIA Buys News” Ulfkotte goes over how the CIA along with German Intelligence (BND) were guilty of bribing journalists to write articles that either spun the truth or were completely fictitious in order to promote a pro-western, pro-NATO bent, and that he was one of those bought journalists.
In an interview, Ulfkotte describes how he finally built up the nerve to publish the book, after years of it collecting dust, in response to the erupting crisis in Ukraine stating “I felt that the right time had come to finish it and publish it, because I am deeply worried about the Ukrainian crisis and the possible devastating consequences for all of Europe and all of us…I am not at all pro-Russia, but it is clear that many journalists blindly follow and publish whatever the NATO press office provides. And this type of information and reports are completely one-sided”.
In another interview Ulfkotte stated: “it is clear as daylight that the agents of various Services were in the central offices of the FAZ, the place where I worked for 17 years. The articles appeared under my name several times, but they were not my intellectual product. I was once approached by someone from German Intelligence and the CIA, who told me that I should write about Gaddafi and report how he was trying to secretly build a chemical weapons factory in Libya. I had no information on any of this, but they showed me various documents, I just had to put my name on the article. Do you think this can be called journalism? I don’t think so.”
Ulfkotte has publicly stated: “I am ashamed of it. The people I worked for knew from the get-go everything I did. And the truth must come out. It’s not just about FAZ, this is the whole system that’s corrupt all the way.”
Udo Ulfkotte has since passed away. He died January 2017, found dead in his home, it is said by a hear t attack. His body was quickly after cremated and thus prevented any possibility of an autopsy occurring.
You Can’t Teach An Old Dog New Tricks
The Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act is a bipartisan bill that was passed into law in December 2016, it was initially called Countering Information Warfare Act. It was included together with the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This bill was brought into effect just weeks before Trump was to enter office….hmmm, foreshadowing much?
Soon after the 2016 U.S. election, the Washington Post led the charge asserting that it was due to Russian propaganda that the U.S. elections turned out the way it did, that is, that Hillary had somehow, inconceivably, lost to Donald Trump and that the American people had been turned against her like a child caught in the middle of a messy divorce case. But there is no need here to set the record straight on Hillary, when Hillary herself has done suffice damage to any illusion of credibility she once had. That ultimately not even Hillary could hide the fact that her closet full of skeletons turned out to be the size of a catacomb.
But we are told that citizens do not know what is best for one’s self. That they cannot be trusted with “sensitive” information and in accordance act in a “responsible” manner, that is, to have a strong enough stomach to do what is “best” for their country.
And therefore, fear not subjects of the land, for the Global Engagement Center (GEC) is here to make those hard decisions for you. Don’t know what to think about a complicated subject? GEC will tell you the right way!
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) would allow for the Secretary of State to collaborate with the Secretary of Defense, and other Federal agencies in the year 2017 to create the Global Engagement Center (GEC). The GEC’s purpose in life is to fight propaganda from foreign governments and publicize the nature of ongoing foreign propaganda and disinformation operations against the U.S. and other countries.
Let us all take a moment to thank the GEC for such a massive task in the cause for justice all around the world.
The GEC had a very slow start in its first year, however, it has been gaining momentum in the last year under Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who seems especially excited over the hiring of Lea Gabrielle as special envoy and coordinator of GEC.
Mike Pompeo was the CIA Director from 2017-2018. On April 15, 2019, Pompeo participated in a discussion at the Texas A&M University where he voluntarily offered the admission that though West Points’ cadet motto is “You will not lie, cheat, or steal, or tolerate those who do.”, his training under the CIA was the very opposite, stating “I was the CIA Director. We lied, we cheated, we stole. It was like we had entire training courses. (long pause) It reminds you of the glory of the American experiment”.
This is apparently the man for the job of dealing with matters of “truth” and “justice”.
Lea Gabrielle was approved for her position by Mike Pompeo, what are her “qualifications”? Well, Gabrielle is also CIA trained, and while assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), she “directed and conducted global clandestine strategic intelligence collection operations.” Gabrielle also “deployed in tactical anti-terrorist operations in hostile environments”. After 12 years of active duty service, Lea Gabrielle became a television news journalist, who worked at NBC and FOX News.
Noticing a pattern?
The CIA really does not have the best track record for their role in “managing” foreign wars and counter-insurgency activities. In fact, they have been caught rather red handed in fueling such crisis situations. And these are the people who are deciding what information is fit for the American public, and western public in general, and what is not fit for their ears.
Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil, See No Evil
On March 5, 2020, Lea Gabrielle testified on the role of GEC in countering state-sponsored and non-state propaganda and disinformation. Gabrielle states: “We have the full support of Secretary Pompeo who is committed to deploying a broad suite of tools to stop America’s adversaries from using disinformation, malign propaganda, and other tools to undermine free societies.” She goes on to acknowledge that the hearing is focused on countering Russian government and CCP disinformation and propaganda. She then goes on to outline her criticisms of both governments with no factual detail or evidence but rather generalised accusations and criticisms, obviously pulling from her experience as a news journalist for NBC.
Following this, Gabrielle proceeds to outline her “rules of engagement” in countering this offensive with what seems to be the beginnings of McCarthyism 2.0, amounting to a threat to anyone who dares not take a hard stance against Russia and China, that such a person will be considered complicit in essentially committing treason. Hell, if Bernie Sanders and Tulsi Gabbard (who was unconstitutionally prohibited from participating in the final democratic presidential debates) have both already been accused of being a Russian agent, what can we expect for the average Joe?
Gabrielle concludes, “Both the Russian government and the CCP view censorship, media manipulation, and propaganda as appropriate tools to control public opinion. Both exploit open, democratic societies to further their own ends while tightening controls around their own countries.”
Don’t worry, the CIA will eventually admit that they are elbow deep in all of the above, it just won’t be released until 30 years from now…In the meantime, I wouldn’t believe everything you read in the newspaper to stoke the fires for another war.
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southfront--2020-03-15--Photo, Video: Russian Military Police Waiting Turks For First Joint Patrol On M4 Highway

On March 15 , Russian war correspondent Eugene Poddubny published a photo and a video showing a unit of the @ @ @ @ @ a joint patrol along the M4 highway in southern Idlib .
According to Poddubny , @ @ @ @ @ in the northern vicinity of Saraqib and waiting Turkish forces to start the patrol .
@ @ @ @ @ Turkish foreign ministry claimed that the first patrol will cover the entire agreed buffer zone @ @ @ @ @ to the eastern vicinity of Jisr al-Shughur .
However , this scenario remains highly unlikely @ @ @ @ @ stronghold of the al-Qaeda-linked Turkistan Islamic Party .
So , these ‘ moderate rebels ’ @ @ @ @ @ see the Russians there .
Furthermore as of March 14 evening , the M4 highway @ @ @ @ @ that oppose the Russian-Turkish patrols .
Therefore , if the patrol happens , it will @ @ @ @ @ .
MORE ON THE TOPIC :

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On March 15, Russian war correspondent Eugene Poddubny published a photo and a video showing a unit of the Russian Military Police prepared for a joint patrol along the M4 highway in southern Idlib. According to Poddubny, the unit is now deployed in the northern vicinity of Saraqib and waiting Turkish forces to start the patrol.
Earlier this week, the Turkish foreign ministry claimed that the first patrol will cover the entire agreed buffer zone – from west of Saraqib to the eastern vicinity of Jisr al-Shughur. However, this scenario remains highly unlikely because Jisr al-Shughur is a stronghold of the al-Qaeda-linked Turkistan Islamic Party. So, these ‘moderate rebels’ will be not happy to see the Russians there. Furthermore as of March 14 evening, the M4 highway was blocked by opposition supporters that oppose the Russian-Turkish patrols. Therefore, if the patrol happens, it will likely cover a limited area.
MORE ON THE TOPIC:
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southfront--2020-03-15--The Saker: “Looking at the Military Aspects of Biological Warfare”

Written by The Saker ; Originally appeared at The Unz Review The 20th century has seen a seemingly countless number of military conflicts , ranging from small local clashes , to at least two world wars .
The same 20th century saw a huge efforts by major powers to develop three types of so-called “ weapons of mass destruction ” ( WMD ) : Atomic , Bacteriological and Chemical ( ABC ) .
All of these WMD were initially seen as very effective and very frightening , yet there were only used in a few , limited occasions .
Ask @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reason is simple : while the US could nuke Japanese cities with impunity in 1945 , and while the Anglo powers developed at least THREE plans to wage a total war against the Soviet Union ( details in this article ) , they never dared to implement them .
Again , ask yourself , why is that ?
I am a total medical ignoramus , and I have nothing to say about the nature of SARS-CoV-2 , I am a military analyst and one of my two areas of specialization ( besides planning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that is the level of military operations above tactical , but under strategic : you can think of it as what connects the tactical means to the strategic goals .
You can also think of it as the level at which combined arms ( above division level ) formations are brought together in something similar to an army corps .
This is exactly the level at which the used of WMD would be the most likely to happen .
Yet , if you look at the typical Soviet/Russian or US manuals discussing operational @ @ @ @ @ @ @ always assumed that the other side will initiate the use of WMD ( even in secret documents ) .
Again , ask yourself , why is that ?
Is it only a type of political correctness showing that “ we are the good guys ” and “ they are truly evil ” ?
To some degree , yes , but not only .
I submit that all three cases have the same explanation : WMD are very tricky to use , and when used , they can result in absolutely truly cataclysmic political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ completely fake ) reports about the Syrian government using chemical weapons against the Takfiris : they made no sense to any military analyst simply because 1 ) they brought no advantage to Damascus and 2 ) everybody knew that as soon as this latest “ new Hitler ” would be accused of using chemical munitions , the Empire would seize this pretext to strike at Syria .
True , the Takfiris *DID* develop chemical weapons , apparently , they did try to use them here and there , with no special result to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have poisoned themselves ( according to Russian reports ) .
Besides , the very real stocks of Takfiri bioweapons were used as proof of Syrian government attacks ( how insanely stupid is that ? )
.
So for these Takfiri nutcases , there are no real political consequences .
As for their public image , following many hours of video-taped atrocities , you can be sure that they don ’ t care one bit what the “ kafirs ” and other “ crusaders ” think… Same deal for Saddam Hussein who , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( mostly the Empire , the USSR and France ) , did use chemicals against his own population and against Iran , but since he was “ our son of a bitch ” he was under ZERO risk of retaliation .
But when the Empire turned on him , he did not dare to use his WMD against anybody .
Because the US-led forces would not be stopped by a chemical attack .
And because any such attack would give the US and the rest of the anti-Iraqi coalition a “ license ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iraq they wanted , including tactical nukes .
The truth is that there are very few military scenarios in which the use of WMD makes sense , this is true for all three of them , but this is especially true for biowarfare which is the hardest of them to control .
Here I have to , again , remind everybody that war is never an end by itself , but only a means towards an end , and that end is always POLITICAL .
Going in just to kill people and even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ age does NOT qualify as a political goal .
If you prefer , the political goal is what ought to be defined as “ victory ” .
So , again , “ destroying all enemy ships ” or “ pulling off a decapitating anti-leadership strike ” are NOT political goals .
There are several countries out there which are capable of developing bioweapons .
In fact , most biolabs could manufacture a simple bioweapon using commonly found agents .
But labs don ’ t get to decide to engage such weapons .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be taken at the national command center level and only following a compelling argument by military and scientific specialists .
Finally , no responsible government would ever order the use of WMD if it felt that there is a risk of retaliation , both military or political .
Finally , in the case of SARS-CoV-2 and of all the other epidemics/pandemics we see situation where the infection is not confined to the original infection site but goes global .
As far as I know , and please correct me if I am wrong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which has been successfully deployed against a specific target and then remained contained to that target .
In other words , the risk of “ collateral damage ” from bioweapons is pretty close to infinite ( at least potentially ) .
Yes , in theory , a country could develop a new virus , or weaponize an known one , and then develop a vaccine and then vaccinate its armed forces or even its entire population .
But that would amount to placing a huge sign on the White House saying “ Yes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political suicide .
Now , the VAST majority of comments here have focused on the possible medical aspects of this pandemic , which is fine and which I have nothing to contribute to .
But I ask you now to look at the MILITARY and , therefore , POLITICAL , dimensions of this crisis and ask yourself ?
Seems to me that China and Russia did very , very well .
The crisis is pretty much under control in China , and in Russia it is both limited and confined .
The fact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have any delusions about the “ private sector ” and the fact that these societies perfectly understand that a powerful government is needed to respond to this type ( and many other ) types of crisis helped them .
No such luck for the deluded United States which has less than 950 ’ 000 hospital beds in the entire country and whose president seems to believe that Walmart and Amazon can deliver respirators to those in need .
In fact , the USA is a country which can LEAST afford a real pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decide to unleash a weapon against comparatively MUCH better prepared countries while itself is one of the most vulnerable on the planet ?
How about the fact that the situation in Europe looks absolutely awful ?
Yes , I know , the Idiot-in-Chief did not even bother to consult with the USA ’ s so-called “ allies ” before declaring his ( confused ) 30 day ban on travel between the US and the EU .
But it is one thing to have no manners and not understand diplomacy , it is quite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tens of thousands , possibly even millions , of dead amongst your so-called “ allies ” .
So it boils down to this : do we believe that the real leaders of the AngloZionist Empire ( not the clowns in the White House , obviously ) insane enough to still try to pull off such an operation ?
Frankly , I will not say “ no ” .
I will admit that this is possible .
But , as I like to remind everybody , possible is NOT the same as “ likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ established ” .
• So far , all we have are speculations and guesses .
• We also know that irrespective of how “ good ” / ” bad ” /effective the SARS-CoV-2 virus is , using ANY WMD is fantastically dangerous both politically and militarily .
• And we know of no modern cases of a successful and limited viral bioweapon attack ( bacteria and spores are rather different from that point of view ) Now this is my request to all the commentators : Since we have discussed the biomedical aspects @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a while and let ’ s now ONLY discuss the political and military implications of a deliberate use of SARS-CoV-2 against China ( or any other country ) .
There are two more things I would like to share with you .
First , I looked at the tweet of the Chinese official who declared that the SARS-CoV-2 might have come from the USA .
I believe it is this one : First , I looked at the tweet of the Chinese official who declared that the SARS-CoV-2 might have come from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this one : It refers to this GlobalResearch article : https : //www.globalresearch.ca/china-coronavirus-shocking-update/5705196 .
In turn , the GlobalResarch article references a GlobalTimes article : https : //www.globaltimes.cn/content/1180429.shtml .
This latest article refers to the website ChinaXiv http : //chinaxiv.org/home.htm ( I think ! )
.
So what we have is a Chinese official , referencing a Canadian outlet , which references a Chinese source which itself bases its reports from a website clearly close to the Chinese government .
Now , unlike most folks in the West , I trust the Chinese @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but even I can see that once the China-bashing campaign swung to a totally new level once the SARS-CoV-2 panic began , the Chinese had a major political interest to point a finger right back at the USA .
In fact , I would argue that NO government out there wants to be blamed for this latest disaster and that the finger pointing is not going to stop , especially if a US politician dies from respiratory complications .
The other thing which will inevitably grow is panic .
So far , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ died , but most specialists agree that this crisis is far from over , especially not in the EU and USA where the epidemic it is still on the ascent .
Right now , the general public in the West reminds me of a guy falling from a skyscraper and who , passing the 10th floor , thinks “ so far , so good ” .
Friends , it *WILL* get worse , even if only 1 or 2 percent of the infected people die .
I loathe both Merkel and Jonhson , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Idiot-in-Chief in the galaxy ” , they come across as almost honest politicians ( at least and only in this case ) .
Finally , I want to post an extremely interesting interview by the Russian version of RT of the Academician and Chief Senior Pulmonologist of Russia , Aleksandr Chuchalin .
This interview is EXTREMELY interesting and contains a wealth of important statements which , considering who is making them , I would be willing to take to the bank .
One problem , this interview is only in Russian : And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russian speakers : if you can , could you please either 1 ) find the interview in English , maybe just a transcript or , if not , could you please translate as much of that interview as possible and post your translation in the comments section ( or send it to me for posting ) ?
If you can not translate it all , at least post a summary of the most interesting points ?
I wish I could do it myself , but I am really exhausted and , besides , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I don ’ t really understand .
My wife does , but she is also exhausted .
This is why I ask for your help ( ребята – если честно , то просто сил нет , помогите если можете ! )
.
That ’ s it for me for today .

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Written by The Saker; Originally appeared at The Unz Review
The 20th century has seen a seemingly countless number of military conflicts, ranging from small local clashes, to at least two world wars. The same 20th century saw a huge efforts by major powers to develop three types of so-called “weapons of mass destruction” (WMD): Atomic, Bacteriological and Chemical (ABC). All of these WMD were initially seen as very effective and very frightening, yet there were only used in a few, limited occasions.
Ask yourself, why is that?
The reason is simple: while the US could nuke Japanese cities with impunity in 1945, and while the Anglo powers developed at least THREE plans to wage a total war against the Soviet Union (details in this article), they never dared to implement them.
Again, ask yourself, why is that?
I am a total medical ignoramus, and I have nothing to say about the nature of SARS-CoV-2, I am a military analyst and one of my two areas of specialization (besides planning nuclear forces) was operational art, that is the level of military operations above tactical, but under strategic: you can think of it as what connects the tactical means to the strategic goals. You can also think of it as the level at which combined arms (above division level) formations are brought together in something similar to an army corps. This is exactly the level at which the used of WMD would be the most likely to happen. Yet, if you look at the typical Soviet/Russian or US manuals discussing operational art you will notice that it is always assumed that the other side will initiate the use of WMD (even in secret documents).
Again, ask yourself, why is that? Is it only a type of political correctness showing that “we are the good guys” and “they are truly evil”? To some degree, yes, but not only.
I submit that all three cases have the same explanation: WMD are very tricky to use, and when used, they can result in absolutely truly cataclysmic political consequences. Take for example the (completely fake) reports about the Syrian government using chemical weapons against the Takfiris: they made no sense to any military analyst simply because 1) they brought no advantage to Damascus and 2) everybody knew that as soon as this latest “new Hitler” would be accused of using chemical munitions, the Empire would seize this pretext to strike at Syria.
True, the Takfiris *DID* develop chemical weapons, apparently, they did try to use them here and there, with no special result to show for, and recently they seem to have poisoned themselves (according to Russian reports). Besides, the very real stocks of Takfiri bioweapons were used as proof of Syrian government attacks (how insanely stupid is that?). So for these Takfiri nutcases, there are no real political consequences. As for their public image, following many hours of video-taped atrocities, you can be sure that they don’t care one bit what the “kafirs” and other “crusaders” think…
Same deal for Saddam Hussein who, aided by the “international community” (mostly the Empire, the USSR and France), did use chemicals against his own population and against Iran, but since he was “our son of a bitch” he was under ZERO risk of retaliation. But when the Empire turned on him, he did not dare to use his WMD against anybody.
Why?
Because the US-led forces would not be stopped by a chemical attack. And because any such attack would give the US and the rest of the anti-Iraqi coalition a “license” to use whatever weapon or technology against Iraq they wanted, including tactical nukes.
The truth is that there are very few military scenarios in which the use of WMD makes sense, this is true for all three of them, but this is especially true for biowarfare which is the hardest of them to control.
Here I have to, again, remind everybody that war is never an end by itself, but only a means towards an end, and that end is always POLITICAL. Going in just to kill people and even bombing a country back to the stone age does NOT qualify as a political goal. If you prefer, the political goal is what ought to be defined as “victory”. So, again, “destroying all enemy ships” or “pulling off a decapitating anti-leadership strike” are NOT political goals.
There are several countries out there which are capable of developing bioweapons. In fact, most biolabs could manufacture a simple bioweapon using commonly found agents. But labs don’t get to decide to engage such weapons. That decision is clearly one which can only be taken at the national command center level and only following a compelling argument by military and scientific specialists. Finally, no responsible government would ever order the use of WMD if it felt that there is a risk of retaliation, both military or political.
Finally, in the case of SARS-CoV-2 and of all the other epidemics/pandemics we see situation where the infection is not confined to the original infection site but goes global.
As far as I know, and please correct me if I am wrong, but I know if no virus which has been successfully deployed against a specific target and then remained contained to that target. In other words, the risk of “collateral damage” from bioweapons is pretty close to infinite (at least potentially).
Yes, in theory, a country could develop a new virus, or weaponize an known one, and then develop a vaccine and then vaccinate its armed forces or even its entire population. But that would amount to placing a huge sign on the White House saying “Yes, we done it!”: political suicide.
Now, the VAST majority of comments here have focused on the possible medical aspects of this pandemic, which is fine and which I have nothing to contribute to. But I ask you now to look at the MILITARY and, therefore, POLITICAL, dimensions of this crisis and ask yourself cui bono?
Seems to me that China and Russia did very, very well. The crisis is pretty much under control in China, and in Russia it is both limited and confined. The fact that neither the Chinese nor the Russians have any delusions about the “private sector” and the fact that these societies perfectly understand that a powerful government is needed to respond to this type (and many other) types of crisis helped them. No such luck for the deluded United States which has less than 950’000 hospital beds in the entire country and whose president seems to believe that Walmart and Amazon can deliver respirators to those in need.
In fact, the USA is a country which can LEAST afford a real pandemic, so why would the US leaders decide to unleash a weapon against comparatively MUCH better prepared countries while itself is one of the most vulnerable on the planet?
How about the fact that the situation in Europe looks absolutely awful? Yes, I know, the Idiot-in-Chief did not even bother to consult with the USA’s so-called “allies” before declaring his (confused) 30 day ban on travel between the US and the EU. But it is one thing to have no manners and not understand diplomacy, it is quite another to be the party responsible for tens of thousands, possibly even millions, of dead amongst your so-called “allies”.
So it boils down to this: do we believe that the real leaders of the AngloZionist Empire (not the clowns in the White House, obviously) insane enough to still try to pull off such an operation?
Frankly, I will not say “no”. I will admit that this is possible.
But, as I like to remind everybody, possible is NOT the same as “likely” and it dramatically different from “established”.
In conclusion:
So far, all we have are speculations and guesses. We also know that irrespective of how “good”/”bad”/effective the SARS-CoV-2 virus is, using ANY WMD is fantastically dangerous both politically and militarily. And we know of no modern cases of a successful and limited viral bioweapon attack (bacteria and spores are rather different from that point of view)
Now this is my request to all the commentators:
Since we have discussed the biomedical aspects of SARS-CoV-2 ad nauseam, let’s stop for a while and let’s now ONLY discuss the political and military implications of a deliberate use of SARS-CoV-2 against China (or any other country).
There are two more things I would like to share with you.
First, I looked at the tweet of the Chinese official who declared that the SARS-CoV-2 might have come from the USA. I believe it is this one:
First, I looked at the tweet of the Chinese official who declared that the SARS-CoV-2 might have come from the USA. I believe it is this one:
It refers to this GlobalResearch article: https://www.globalresearch.ca/china-coronavirus-shocking-update/5705196 . In turn, the GlobalResarch article references a GlobalTimes article:https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1180429.shtml . This latest article refers to the website ChinaXiv http://chinaxiv.org/home.htm (I think!). So what we have is a Chinese official, referencing a Canadian outlet, which references a Chinese source which itself bases its reports from a website clearly close to the Chinese government.
Now, unlike most folks in the West, I trust the Chinese government infinitely more than ANY western regime, but even I can see that once the China-bashing campaign swung to a totally new level once the SARS-CoV-2 panic began, the Chinese had a major political interest to point a finger right back at the USA.
In fact, I would argue that NO government out there wants to be blamed for this latest disaster and that the finger pointing is not going to stop, especially if a US politician dies from respiratory complications.
The other thing which will inevitably grow is panic. So far, relatively few people in the West have died, but most specialists agree that this crisis is far from over, especially not in the EU and USA where the epidemic it is still on the ascent. Right now, the general public in the West reminds me of a guy falling from a skyscraper and who, passing the 10th floor, thinks “so far, so good”. Friends, it *WILL* get worse, even if only 1 or 2 percent of the infected people die. I loathe both Merkel and Jonhson, but compared to the flag-waving “best Idiot-in-Chief in the galaxy”, they come across as almost honest politicians (at least and only in this case).
Finally, I want to post an extremely interesting interview by the Russian version of RT of the Academician and Chief Senior Pulmonologist of Russia, Aleksandr Chuchalin. This interview is EXTREMELY interesting and contains a wealth of important statements which, considering who is making them, I would be willing to take to the bank. One problem, this interview is only in Russian:
And here is my special request to all Russian speakers: if you can, could you please either 1) find the interview in English, maybe just a transcript or, if not, could you please translate as much of that interview as possible and post your translation in the comments section (or send it to me for posting)? If you cannot translate it all, at least post a summary of the most interesting points?
I wish I could do it myself, but I am really exhausted and, besides, there is a lot of medical terminology I don’t really understand. My wife does, but she is also exhausted. This is why I ask for your help (ребята – если честно, то просто сил нет, помогите если можете!).
That’s it for me for today.
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southfront--2020-03-15--Syrian Opposition Supporters Intercept, Assault Their Turkish Allies On M4 Highway (Videos)

On March 15 , Syrian opposition supporters and activists intercepted a convoy of the Turkish military that attempted to open the M4 highway in Greater Idlib .
The Turkish convoy , which consisted of several battle tanks , armored vehicles and bulldozers , was tasked with opening the M4 to facilitate a joint Russian-Turkish patrol that was supposed to take place on the highway later .
Opposition protesters blocked the highway by deploying obstacles and even climbing Turkish vehicles .
This forced the convoy to withdraw .
However , the protesters went on to stone the vehicles of their allies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the highway led to the cancellation of the pre-planned joint patrol .
Russian and Turkish troops conducted a very limited patrol west of Saraqib city in southeast Idlib instead .
The reopening of the M4 highway , which links the coastal city of Lattakia with Aleppo city , is the keystone of the recent Russian Turkish agreement on Greater Idlib .
In the last few days , opposition activists and militants vowed to keep the highway blocked , threatening Russian forces and placing a bounty for killing Russian journalists .
Turkey don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over Greater Idlib militants , which have been receiving support from it for years now .
The chances that the M4 will be reopened by peaceful measures are very low .
Ankara ’ s failure to open the M4 will likely push Damascus and its allies towards another military operation in the region .
MORE ON THIS TOPIC :

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On March 15, Syrian opposition supporters and activists intercepted a convoy of the Turkish military that attempted to open the M4 highway in Greater Idlib.
The Turkish convoy, which consisted of several battle tanks, armored vehicles and bulldozers, was tasked with opening the M4 to facilitate a joint Russian-Turkish patrol that was supposed to take place on the highway later.
Opposition protesters blocked the highway by deploying obstacles and even climbing Turkish vehicles. This forced the convoy to withdraw. However, the protesters went on to stone the vehicles of their allies.
Turkey’s failure to open the highway led to the cancellation of the pre-planned joint patrol. Russian and Turkish troops conducted a very limited patrol west of Saraqib city in southeast Idlib instead.
The reopening of the M4 highway, which links the coastal city of Lattakia with Aleppo city, is the keystone of the recent Russian Turkish agreement on Greater Idlib.
In the last few days, opposition activists and militants vowed to keep the highway blocked, threatening Russian forces and placing a bounty for killing Russian journalists.
Turkey don’t appear to have any real influence over Greater Idlib militants, which have been receiving support from it for years now. The chances that the M4 will be reopened by peaceful measures are very low. Ankara’s failure to open the M4 will likely push Damascus and its allies towards another military operation in the region.
MORE ON THIS TOPIC:
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southfront--2020-03-15--New Iraqi Group Claims Responsibility For Camp Taji Attack

A new Iraqi military group has claimed responsibility for the March 11 Camp Taji attack , which claimed the lives of three U.S.-led coalition service members .
In an official statement released on March 15 , the group , dubbed Ausbat al-Thaayirin ( AT ) , confirmed its responsibility for the recent rocket attacks on Iraqi bases hosting U.S. troops .
“ In response to the request of our Mujahedeen brothers … we declare that the blessed operations [ the shelling of occupation bases ] are our operations , and we fear no one by announcing this , ” the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Kata ’ ib Hezbollah ( KH ) released a statement calling on the perpetrators of the recent attacks to reveal themselves , promising to support them .
KH was held responsible for these attacks by the U.S. AT appears to be a pro-Iranian Shiite group .
The group vowed to respond to the assassination of Popular Mobilization Unties ( PMU ) Deputy-Commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Maj. Gen. Qassam Soleimani , Commander of Iran ’ s Quds Force .
“ The assassination of our martyr leaders is heat in our chests , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not trail off until the withdrawal of the occupying forces in a humiliating and degrading manner , ” the group said .
The U.S. carried out a series of strikes on Iraq on March 13 in response to Camp Taji attack .
The strikes hit positions of the PMU , the Iraqi military and police .
AT ’ s statement is yet to be verified .
More information about the mysterious group will likely appear in the coming months .
MORE ON THIS TOPIC : • ‘ Victorious Over Their Enemies ’ : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iraq ’ s Kirkuk

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A new Iraqi military group has claimed responsibility for the March 11 Camp Taji attack, which claimed the lives of three U.S.-led coalition service members.
In an official statement released on March 15, the group, dubbed Usbat al-Tha’ireen (UT), confirmed its responsibility for the recent rocket attacks on Iraqi bases hosting U.S. troops.
“In response to the request of our Mujahedeen brothers … we declare that the blessed operations [the shelling of occupation bases] are our operations, and we fear no one by announcing this,” the statement reads.
A few days ago, Kata’ib Hezbollah (KH) released a statement calling on the perpetrators of the recent attacks to reveal themselves, promising to support them. KH was held responsible for these attacks by the U.S.
UT appears to be a pro-Iranian Shiite group. The group vowed to respond to the assassination of Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) Deputy-Commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Maj. Gen. Qassam Soleimani, Commander of Iran’s Quds Force.
“The assassination of our martyr leaders is heat in our chests, a motive for our conscious that will not trail off until the withdrawal of the occupying forces in a humiliating and degrading manner,” the group said.
The U.S. carried out a series of strikes on Iraq on March 13 in response to Camp Taji attack. The strikes hit positions of the PMU, the Iraqi military and police.
UT’s statement is yet to be verified. More information about the mysterious group will likely appear in the coming months.
MORE ON THIS TOPIC:
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southfront--2020-03-15--The Fed’s Latest Welfare Payout to the Crooked Wall Street Banks

Written by Mike Whitney ; Originally appeared at The Unz Review On Thursday , the Federal Reserve announced its biggest market intervention to date , a massive $ 1.5 trillion injection into the short-term funding markets ( “ repo ” ) aimed at preventing grossly-inflated stock valuations from resetting at lower prices .
There should be no misunderstanding about the Fed ’ s real intention or whether its meddling will work .
When financial assets are purchased in bulk , prices rise , that is the immutable law of the market .
Stocks and bonds do not differentiate between day-traders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the amount of money and what securities are purchased .
What we know from 3 iterations of Quantitative Easing ( QE ) is that , when the Fed buys financial assets ( USTs or MBS ) stock prices climb higher .
Friday ’ s trading will undoubtedly produce the same result .
We also know that the Fed ’ s circuitous blabbering never explains their real objectives .
The Fed is not trying to ease “ ominous trading conditions ” or “ counter signs of market dysfunction ” or “ address highly unusual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus outbreak.
” That ’ s all diversionary mumbo-jumbo .
The Fed ’ s real goal is to prevent the markets from working the way they are supposed to work , to prevent basic price discovery , because price discovery will dramatically reduce valuations leaving banks and other financial institutions deep underwater .
Price discovery is the means through which an asset ’ s price is set by matching buyers and sellers according to a price that both sides find acceptable .
It is largely driven by supply and demand .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an asset is currently overbought or oversold .
Price discovery is the central function of a marketplace and is the process of finding out the price of a given asset or commodity .
( Investopedia ) When an outside actor , like the Fed , intervenes in the market and creates fake demand for financial assets that investors have shunned , it is destroying the “ central function ” of the free market .
It is asserting power over the market to set prices and , by doing so , assumes the role @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Fed is doing by stopping the market from clearing .
It is “ price setting ” .
It is pushing stock prices higher than their true market value by loading up on mainly US Treasuries which dramatically distort rates while inflating the price of government bonds .
We can only guess what the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury would be if the Fed had not purchased $ 2 trillion of them to save the insolvent banks from bankruptcy in 2008 ?
And , in case there is any doubt about that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by former-Fed chairman Ben Bernanke during the post-Lehman congressional hearings : Think about that .
They were all broke , all the biggest banks on Wall Street were completely busted .
But they were brought back to life by Lazarus Bernanke ’ s emergency rates , giveaway loan programs and lavish liquidity injections .
At the same time , the American people were deliberately misled about the process that was underway , just as they are being misled about today ’ s intervention .
What is actually taking place is another multi-trillion dollar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confidence in US Treasuries as a reliable barometer of financial asset value .
Here ’ s an excerpt from an article by Bernanke ’ s right-hand man during the last crisis , Kevin Warsh , who underscores the risks the Fed is taking by intervening in the markets : Here ’ s more from Warsh on the unintended consequences of the Fed ’ s interventions that create powerful incentives for risky behavior that undermine investment , inflate asset values , and damage the real economy .
The Fed is destroying the system it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s acting as a stooge for the banks instead of an impartial referee whose job is to oversee and regulate the financial system so capital is efficiently deployed to productive investments that benefit the American people .
Does anyone think the Fed is acting within its mandate by pumping the system with liquidity so crooked banks can cream bigger profits off their casino operations ?
No one , and yet it continues .
There ’ s no way to know the true value of the benchmark 10-year Treasury ( which is the “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virtually every asset in the world is calculated ” ) because the Fed ’ s relentless mucking-around has distorted prices beyond recognition .
Imagine for a minute if the central banks had not purchased trillions of dollars in sovereign bonds during the financial crisis ?
Imagine where rates would be today ?
Rates would not only be positive , they ’ d also be “ normalized ” which was the Fed ’ s stated goal when it tried to reduce its $ 4 trillion dollar balance sheet last year but then suddenly slammed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the crybaby banks began howling .
So now the Fed has abandoned normalization altogether while its balance sheet remains permanently submerged in red ink .
But how is capitalism supposed to work if rates are stuck at zero or go negative ?
Interest rates are the jet-fuel that energize capitalism .
The “ marginal efficiency of capital ” refers to the returns that are expected from a capital asset during the time it is held by an investor .
If those expected returns are reduced to zero , then the incentive to invest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its head , and capitalism no longer works .
What is left is not productive investment , innovation or socially-beneficial development .
What ’ s left is rampant speculation , asset prices that are completely divorced from reality , and the endless build-up of paper claims on imaginary wealth .
Isn ’ t this an apt description of today ’ s Fed-generated market ?
And now the Fed is at it again , tilting the system so the bulk of the nation ’ s wealth continues to flow upwards .
Here are some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bank bailout : In one fell swoop , the Fed has become the market , the whole market and nothing but the market .
This new bailout is not $ 1.5 trillion , it is more than $ 1 trillion per week for the remainder of the monthly schedule .
This explains why “ risk-free ” US Treasuries sharply rose during yesterday ’ s selloff , it ’ s because the banks moved into cash so they would have the resources they needed to lend to all the desperate businesses ( Cruise lines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whacked by the coronavirus .
Some readers may have noticed that , on Wednesday , the CEOs from Wall Street ’ s biggest banks visited Trump in the White House to tell the president how well capitalized they were .
Why would they do that ?
Why did they need to visit Trump to tell him how great they were doing ?
It ’ s because they knew that , in less than 24 hours , the Fed was going to announce that it was dumping trillions of dollars in to the repo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Easy Street .
That ’ s why .
It was all a set-up .
The fleecing of the American people is just one big freaking set up after the other .
It ’ s infuriating .
Are the banks in trouble again ?
Is that why we ’ re being subjected to this latest sheering ?
Of course they ’ re in trouble .
Do you think you can slash $ 10 trillion off stock valuations and shove oil off a cliff and not have the banks in trouble ?
?
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just as they are in derivatives trades , loans to shaky hedge funds , and stocks that are currently in freefall .
Which is why the Fed has wheeled in the heavy artillery..
Check out this excerpt from an article at The Wall Street Journal : “ The deepening Wall Street rout is adding to pressure on U.S. banks , as the retreat of investors from risky assets saddles lenders with securities they are struggling to sell at desired prices .
The crunch has been evident in the share prices of the largest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 30 % or more in many cases over the past month .
Citigroup Inc. dropped 8.6 % on Wednesday , extending its decline to 36 % , nearly doubling the drop in the S & P 500… When markets come under duress as they have over the past couple of weeks , asset prices are pushed to levels where you begin to see margin calls and other internal activity that is not always visible on the surface , ” said Daniel Deming , a managing director at Chicago-based KKM Financial .
The most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sharp decline in the price of U.S. Treasury securities , which until this week had consistently risen significantly on days when U.S. stocks were falling .
The price declines sent yields higher after dropping to record lows and were fueled in part by banks selling U.S. government securities to reduce inventories and raise cash .
Rates are low enough that Wednesday ’ s action itself didn ’ t hurt banks , but the unusual nature of the move raised eyebrows.
” …People familiar with some of the largest securities-dealing banks said many firms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week , but those purchases resulted in some banks having balance sheets that executives deemed too large .
With prices barely having recovered in many markets , some banks chose to sell Treasuries instead , in part reflecting their significant appreciation in recent weeks.
” ( “ Wall Street Plunge Stresses Banks , Treasury Markets ” , Wall Street Journal ) Let ’ s recap : Why are the banks selling Treasuries ?
Because they need the cash .
Why do they need the cash ?
Because–according to the author– the banks are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they are struggling to sell at desired prices.
” But that just means stock prices have dropped , it doesn ’ t explain why the banks need cash ?
True , the only reason they would need cash is if they borrowed the money to buy the stocks in the first place , which is what the author suggests when he refers to “ margin calls and other internal activity that is not always visible on the surface.
” In other words , the banks need cash because their portfolio is underwater and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
According to the article : “ People familiar with some of the largest securities-dealing banks said many firms bought corporate bonds as prices fell last week , but those purchases resulted in some banks having balance sheets that executives deemed too large.
” Corporate bonds ?
!
?
The corporate bond market froze last week , no activity at all , a complete graveyard .
If the banks were dabbling in that garbage , then they must ’ ve gotten burned bigtime which would explain why they want another bailout from Uncle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that none of this has anything to do with the Fed .
The banks were playing the stock market and lost their shirts .
Who cares ?
Break ’ em up , auction off the good assets , ring-fence the bad , install new management , and start over .
That ’ s how the system is supposed to work .
You roll the dice , and if you come up snake-eyes , you go home .
End of story .
That ’ s what we should have done in 2008 instead of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they could take us all over the cliff for a second time in 10 years .
It ’ s ridiculous !
Keep in mind , the Trump administration has only allocated a lousy $ 8 billion to fund its response to coronavirus .
So the American people –all 330 million of them– will get a whopping $ 8 billion while the crooked Wall Street banks get regular multi-trillion dollar infusions that allow them to swap their crappy , dog-eared securities for cold-hard cash .
The banks will then roll over these 3-month loans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ welfare payouts .
Does that sound fair to you ?
This is why people despise the Federal Reserve .
They don ’ t see the Fed as an impartial arbiter fulfilling its mandate of price stability and full employment but an evil puppetmaster that wants to rule the world .
That , of course , is a gross exaggeration .
In truth , the Fed is no different than the FAA , a thoroughly corrupt and unreformable “ rubber stamp ” agency that is entirely controlled by the corporations it ’ s supposed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ travesty just proves what we ’ ve known for a long time , that the Fed always operates in the exclusive interests of its reprobate constituents , the crooked Wall Street banks .

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Written by Mike Whitney; Originally appeared at The Unz Review
On Thursday, the Federal Reserve announced its biggest market intervention to date, a massive $1.5 trillion injection into the short-term funding markets (“repo”) aimed at preventing grossly-inflated stock valuations from resetting at lower prices. There should be no misunderstanding about the Fed’s real intention or whether its meddling will work. When financial assets are purchased in bulk, prices rise, that is the immutable law of the market. Stocks and bonds do not differentiate between day-traders and Central Bankers. What matters is the amount of money and what securities are purchased. What we know from 3 iterations of Quantitative Easing (QE) is that, when the Fed buys financial assets (USTs or MBS) stock prices climb higher. Friday’s trading will undoubtedly produce the same result.
We also know that the Fed’s circuitous blabbering never explains their real objectives. The Fed is not trying to ease “ominous trading conditions” or “counter signs of market dysfunction ” or “address highly unusual disruptions in Treasury financing markets associated with the coronavirus outbreak.” That’s all diversionary mumbo-jumbo. The Fed’s real goal is to prevent the markets from working the way they are supposed to work, to prevent basic price discovery, because price discovery will dramatically reduce valuations leaving banks and other financial institutions deep underwater.
Price discovery is the means through which an asset’s price is set by matching buyers and sellers according to a price that both sides find acceptable. It is largely driven by supply and demand. It is a useful mechanism to gauge whether an asset is currently overbought or oversold. Price discovery is the central function of a marketplace and is the process of finding out the price of a given asset or commodity. (Investopedia)
When an outside actor, like the Fed, intervenes in the market and creates fake demand for financial assets that investors have shunned, it is destroying the “central function” of the free market. It is asserting power over the market to set prices and, by doing so, assumes the role of Central Planner. That is what the Fed is doing by stopping the market from clearing. It is “price setting”. It is pushing stock prices higher than their true market value by loading up on mainly US Treasuries which dramatically distort rates while inflating the price of government bonds. We can only guess what the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury would be if the Fed had not purchased $2 trillion of them to save the insolvent banks from bankruptcy in 2008? And, in case there is any doubt about that matter, here is a straightforward admission by former-Fed chairman Ben Bernanke during the post-Lehman congressional hearings:
“As a scholar of the Great Depression, I honestly believe that September and October of 2008 was the worst financial crisis in global history, including the Great Depression. If you look at the firms that came under pressure in that period. . . only one . . . was not at serious risk of failure. So out of maybe the 13 of the most important financial institutions in the United States, 12 were at risk of failure within a period of a week or two.”
Think about that. They were all broke, all the biggest banks on Wall Street were completely busted. But they were brought back to life by Lazarus Bernanke’s emergency rates, giveaway loan programs and lavish liquidity injections. At the same time, the American people were deliberately misled about the process that was underway, just as they are being misled about today’s intervention. What is actually taking place is another multi-trillion dollar bailout that is going to seriously undermine confidence in US Treasuries as a reliable barometer of financial asset value. Here’s an excerpt from an article by Bernanke’s right-hand man during the last crisis, Kevin Warsh, who underscores the risks the Fed is taking by intervening in the markets:
“The Fed’s increased presence in the market for long-term Treasury securities also poses nontrivial risks. The Treasury market is special. It plays a unique role in the global financial system. It is a corollary to the dollar’s role as the world’s reserve currency. The prices assigned to Treasury securities–the risk-free rate–are the foundation from which the price of virtually every asset in the world is calculated. As the Fed’s balance sheet expands, it becomes more of a price maker than a price taker in the Treasury market. And if market participants come to doubt these prices–or their reliance on these prices proves fleeting–risk premiums across asset classes and geographies could move unexpectedly. The shock that hit the financial markets in 2008 upon the imminent failures of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac gives some indication of the harm that can be done when assets perceived to be relatively riskless turn out not to be.” (“The New Malaise”, Kevin Warsh, Wall Street Journal.)
Here’s more from Warsh on the unintended consequences of the Fed’s interventions that create powerful incentives for risky behavior that undermine investment, inflate asset values, and damage the real economy.
“Extremely accommodative monetary policy, including the purchase of about $3 trillion in Treasurys and mortgage-backed securities during three rounds of “quantitative easing” (QE), pushed down long-term yields and boosted the value of risk-assets. Higher stock prices were supposed to drive business confidence and higher capital expenditures, which were supposed to result in higher wages and strong consumption. Would it were so. Business investment in the real economy is weak … In 2014, S&P 500 companies spent considerably more of their operating cash flow on financially engineered buybacks than real capital expenditures for the first time since 2007 … We believe that QE has redirected capital from the real domestic economy to financial assets at home and abroad. In this environment, it is hard to criticize companies that choose “shareholder friendly” share buybacks over investment in a new factory. But public policy shouldn’t bias investments to paper assets over investments in the real economy.” (The Fed Has Hurt Business Investment, Michael Spence And Kevin Warsh, Wall Street Journal)
The Fed is destroying the system it is entrusted to safeguard. It’s acting as a stooge for the banks instead of an impartial referee whose job is to oversee and regulate the financial system so capital is efficiently deployed to productive investments that benefit the American people. Does anyone think the Fed is acting within its mandate by pumping the system with liquidity so crooked banks can cream bigger profits off their casino operations?
No one, and yet it continues.
There’s no way to know the true value of the benchmark 10-year Treasury (which is the “the foundation from which the price of virtually every asset in the world is calculated”) because the Fed’s relentless mucking-around has distorted prices beyond recognition. Imagine for a minute if the central banks had not purchased trillions of dollars in sovereign bonds during the financial crisis? Imagine where rates would be today?
Rates would not only be positive, they’d also be “normalized” which was the Fed’s stated goal when it tried to reduce its $4 trillion dollar balance sheet last year but then suddenly slammed on the brakes when stocks fell and the crybaby banks began howling. So now the Fed has abandoned normalization altogether while its balance sheet remains permanently submerged in red ink.
But how is capitalism supposed to work if rates are stuck at zero or go negative? Interest rates are the jet-fuel that energize capitalism. The “marginal efficiency of capital” refers to the returns that are expected from a capital asset during the time it is held by an investor. If those expected returns are reduced to zero, then the incentive to invest vanishes, the system is stood on its head, and capitalism no longer works. What is left is not productive investment, innovation or socially-beneficial development. What’s left is rampant speculation, asset prices that are completely divorced from reality, and the endless build-up of paper claims on imaginary wealth. Isn’t this an apt description of today’s Fed-generated market?
And now the Fed is at it again, tilting the system so the bulk of the nation’s wealth continues to flow upwards. Here are some of the shocking details about this latest bank bailout:
“The New York Fed said it will offer its primary dealers another $500 billion in a 3-month loan and another $500 billion in a one-month loan….Both 3-month and 1-month loans will be offered weekly “for the remainder of the monthly schedule.” That means $1 trillion a week will be available at below-market interest rates until the middle of April. That will be on top of the $175 billion the Fed is offering daily in one-day loans and the $45 billion it is offering each Tuesday and Thursday in 14-day loans. This is a dramatic expansion of the Fed’s balance sheet to support Wall Street — all without one vote, or debate, or hearing occurring in Congress.” (“Federal Reserve Announces Unprecedented $1.5 Trillion in Loans to Wall Street Today and Tomorrow” Wall Street on Parade)
In one fell swoop, the Fed has become the market, the whole market and nothing but the market. This new bailout is not $1.5 trillion, it is more than $1 trillion per week for the remainder of the monthly schedule. This explains why “risk-free” US Treasuries sharply rose during yesterday’s selloff, it’s because the banks moved into cash so they would have the resources they needed to lend to all the desperate businesses (Cruise lines, airlines etc) that have been whacked by the coronavirus.
Wall Street Bankers Visit Trump on Wednesday
Some readers may have noticed that, on Wednesday, the CEOs from Wall Street’s biggest banks visited Trump in the White House to tell the president how well capitalized they were. Why would they do that? Why did they need to visit Trump to tell him how great they were doing?
It’s because they knew that, in less than 24 hours, the Fed was going to announce that it was dumping trillions of dollars in to the repo market and they’d be back on Easy Street. That’s why.
It was all a set-up. The fleecing of the American people is just one big freaking set up after the other. It’s infuriating.
Are the banks in trouble again? Is that why we’re being subjected to this latest sheering?
Of course they’re in trouble. Do you think you can slash $10 trillion off stock valuations and shove oil off a cliff and not have the banks in trouble?? The banks are heavily invested in oil, just as they are in derivatives trades, loans to shaky hedge funds, and stocks that are currently in freefall. Which is why the Fed has wheeled in the heavy artillery.. Check out this excerpt from an article at The Wall Street Journal:
“The deepening Wall Street rout is adding to pressure on U.S. banks, as the retreat of investors from risky assets saddles lenders with securities they are struggling to sell at desired prices. The crunch has been evident in the share prices of the largest U.S. financial firms, which have fallen 30% or more in many cases over the past month. Citigroup Inc. dropped 8.6% on Wednesday, extending its decline to 36%, nearly doubling the drop in the S&P 500… When markets come under duress as they have over the past couple of weeks, asset prices are pushed to levels where you begin to see margin calls and other internal activity that is not always visible on the surface,” said Daniel Deming, a managing director at Chicago-based KKM Financial. The most surprising development for traders Wednesday: the sharp decline in the price of U.S. Treasury securities, which until this week had consistently risen significantly on days when U.S. stocks were falling. The price declines sent yields higher after dropping to record lows and were fueled in part by banks selling U.S. government securities to reduce inventories and raise cash. Rates are low enough that Wednesday’s action itself didn’t hurt banks, but the unusual nature of the move raised eyebrows.” …People familiar with some of the largest securities-dealing banks said many firms bought corporate bonds as prices fell last week, but those purchases resulted in some banks having balance sheets that executives deemed too large. With prices barely having recovered in many markets, some banks chose to sell Treasuries instead, in part reflecting their significant appreciation in recent weeks.” (“Wall Street Plunge Stresses Banks, Treasury Markets”, Wall Street Journal)
Let’s recap: Why are the banks selling Treasuries?
Because they need the cash.
Why do they need the cash?
Because–according to the author– the banks are stuck with a bunch of stocks “they are struggling to sell at desired prices.”
But that just means stock prices have dropped, it doesn’t explain why the banks need cash?
True, the only reason they would need cash is if they borrowed the money to buy the stocks in the first place, which is what the author suggests when he refers to “margin calls and other internal activity that is not always visible on the surface.” In other words, the banks need cash because their portfolio is underwater and they are leveraged up to their eyeballs.
According to the article: “People familiar with some of the largest securities-dealing banks said many firms bought corporate bonds as prices fell last week, but those purchases resulted in some banks having balance sheets that executives deemed too large.”
Corporate bonds?!? The corporate bond market froze last week, no activity at all, a complete graveyard. If the banks were dabbling in that garbage, then they must’ve gotten burned bigtime which would explain why they want another bailout from Uncle Sugar.
It’s worth noting that none of this has anything to do with the Fed. The banks were playing the stock market and lost their shirts. Who cares? Break ’em up, auction off the good assets, ring-fence the bad, install new management, and start over. That’s how the system is supposed to work. You roll the dice, and if you come up snake-eyes, you go home. End of story. That’s what we should have done in 2008 instead of keeping these parasites on life support so they could take us all over the cliff for a second time in 10 years. It’s ridiculous!
Keep in mind, the Trump administration has only allocated a lousy $8 billion to fund its response to coronavirus. So the American people –all 330 million of them– will get a whopping $8 billion while the crooked Wall Street banks get regular multi-trillion dollar infusions that allow them to swap their crappy, dog-eared securities for cold-hard cash. The banks will then roll over these 3-month loans indefinitely turning their short-term debts into perennial welfare payouts. Does that sound fair to you?
This is why people despise the Federal Reserve. They don’t see the Fed as an impartial arbiter fulfilling its mandate of price stability and full employment but an evil puppetmaster that wants to rule the world. That, of course, is a gross exaggeration. In truth, the Fed is no different than the FAA, a thoroughly corrupt and unreformable “rubber stamp” agency that is entirely controlled by the corporations it’s supposed to regulate. This latest multi-trillion dollar travesty just proves what we’ve known for a long time, that the Fed always operates in the exclusive interests of its reprobate constituents, the crooked Wall Street banks.
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southfront--2020-03-15--Combat Footage: Kurdish Forces Strom Turkish Position In Southern Afrin (18+)

On March 15 , the Afrin Liberation Forces ( ALF ) released a video of a recent attack by its cells on a position of Turkish-backed militants in the southern part of occupied Afrin in northern Aleppo The video shows the Kurdish group ’ s fighters storming the position , which is located in the town of Berade in the district of Sherawa .
The fighters can be seen shooting and killing many Turkish-backed militants from a close range after infiltrating the position .
The attack is an example of the ALF ’ s excellent guerilla warfare tactics .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ morale of Turkey ’ s proxies in northern Syria , which appear to be incapable of repelling even a small-scale attack .
The ALF is launching most of its attacks from a region in southern Afrin jointly controlled by the Syrian Arab Army ( SAA ) and the People ’ s Protection Units ( YPG ) .
Both sides appear to be supporting the group .
However , the extent of their support is still unclear .
The last few months witnessed a surge in ALF attacks on Turkish forces in northern Aleppo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its proxies are yet to take any serious measures to confront the growing threat of the Kurdish group .
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4.3 ( 28 votes) Combat Footage: Kurdish Forces Storm Turkish Position In Southern Afrin (18+) 4.2857142857143 out of 5 based on 28 ratings. 28 user reviews.
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On March 15, the Afrin Liberation Forces (ALF) released a video of a recent attack by its cells on a position of Turkish-backed militants in the southern part of occupied Afrin in northern Aleppo
The video shows the Kurdish group’s fighters storming the position, which is located in the town of Berade in the district of Sherawa. The fighters can be seen shooting and killing many Turkish-backed militants from a close range after infiltrating the position.
The attack is an example of the ALF’s excellent guerilla warfare tactics. It also reveals the poor training and low morale of Turkey’s proxies in northern Syria, which appear to be incapable of repelling even a small-scale attack.
The ALF is launching most of its attacks from a region in southern Afrin jointly controlled by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the People’s Protection Units (YPG). Both sides appear to be supporting the group. However, the extent of their support is still unclear.
The last few months witnessed a surge in ALF attacks on Turkish forces in northern Aleppo. However, the Turkish military and its proxies are yet to take any serious measures to confront the growing threat of the Kurdish group.
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southfront--2020-03-15--‘Victorious Over Their Enemies’: ISIS Releases Details On Its Attacks In Iraq’s Kirkuk

On March 13 , ISIS released a video documenting many of its recent attacks against government forces and civilians in the northern Iraqi province of Kirkuk .
The 30-minute video , titled “ Victorious Over Their Enemies , ” starts with footage from attacks by the terrorist group ’ s cells on two positions of the Popular Mobilization Units ( PMU ) and a post of the Iraqi Federal Police near the towns of Daquq , Rashad and Tuz Khurma .
The video also shows six ambushes by ISIS terrorists , who targeted vehicles of the PMU and the Iraqi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Shiite and Yarsanism sects .
A series of mortar attacks by ISIS cells were also shown in the video .
The attacks were not limited to military sites , but also targeted civilian areas in Kirkuk .
The attacks were apparently a form of ‘ collective punishment ’ , especially for Sunni areas .
“ From the Wilayah of Iraq , from Kirkuk to the apostates of Sunnah , Kurds and Arabs , how dare you , don ’ t you learn , every time getting tricked … Don ’ t you know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our spears are up and that we now have the initiative … Don ’ t be the fuel of a lost battle , lengthening it with your filthy blood before we prevail , regret won ’ t help you then , ” an unknown commander of ISIS said in the video warning Sunnis .
ISIS also boasted about a series of terrorist attacks in its video , sharing footage of its fighters burning farmlands and blowing up houses .
Besides regular attacks , the video contained graphic footage of ISIS terrorists executing fourteen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , five PMU fighters , two pro-government tribal fighters , a Kurdish Peshmerga personal and five Sunni civilians .
ISIS concluded its video with footage from a horrendous attack that targeted a football field in Kirkuk .
Several young men were executed on spot after being captured , simply because they were Shiite .
None of the attacks shown in the video were dated by the terrorist group .
However , observers said all the attacks took place in 2019 .
The video is clearly meant to threaten ISIS foes in Kirkuk , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The group attempted to showcase its presence in the province as “ strong ” .
Likely , the group hopes to involve some locals to join its ranks .
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On March 13, ISIS released a video documenting many of its recent attacks against government forces and civilians in the northern Iraqi province of Kirkuk.
The 30-minute video, titled “Victorious Over Their Enemies,” starts with footage from attacks by the terrorist group’s cells on two positions of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) and a post of the Iraqi Federal Police near the towns of Daquq, Rashad and Tuz Khurma.
The video also shows six ambushes by ISIS terrorists, who targeted vehicles of the PMU and the Iraqi military as well as civilians from the Shiite and Yarsanism sects.
A series of mortar attacks by ISIS cells were also shown in the video. The attacks were not limited to military sites, but also targeted civilian areas in Kirkuk. The attacks were apparently a form of ‘collective punishment’, especially for Sunni areas.
“From the Wilayah of Iraq, from Kirkuk to the apostates of Sunnah, Kurds and Arabs, how dare you, don’t you learn, every time getting tricked … Don’t you know that our swords are out, that our spears are up and that we now have the initiative … Don’t be the fuel of a lost battle, lengthening it with your filthy blood before we prevail, regret won’t help you then,” an unknown commander of ISIS said in the video warning Sunnis.
ISIS also boasted about a series of terrorist attacks in its video, sharing footage of its fighters burning farmlands and blowing up houses.
Besides regular attacks, the video contained graphic footage of ISIS terrorists executing fourteen Iraqis. The victims were a policeman, five PMU fighters, two pro-government tribal fighters, a Kurdish Peshmerga personal and five Sunni civilians.
ISIS concluded its video with footage from a horrendous attack that targeted a football field in Kirkuk. Several young men were executed on spot after being captured, simply because they were Shiite.
None of the attacks shown in the video were dated by the terrorist group. However, observers said all the attacks took place in 2019.
The video is clearly meant to threaten ISIS foes in Kirkuk, especially local Sunnis supporting the government. The group attempted to showcase its presence in the province as “strong”. Likely, the group hopes to involve some locals to join its ranks.
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southfront--2020-03-15--Military Situation In Afghanistan On March 15, 2020 (Map Update)

Now fuck off Yanks and let the Taliban eliminate your ISIS and poppy fields .

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A brief overview of the recent developments in Afghanistan:
A policeman shot and killed four other police officers in the Zheray district in the province of Kandahar;
Al-Qaeda started attempts to recruit Taliban members after the US-Taliban peace agreement reached in Qatar;
According to the Taliban, 20 government troops were killed or injured in the recent clashes in the Qadis district of Badghis province;
An intense fighting between the Taliban and government forces was reported in the Shahrak district of Ghor province. The Taliban claims 15 government troops were killed and 18 others were injured.
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southfront--2020-03-15--IED Attacks Killed Militants, Turkish Soldiers In Northeast Syria: SOHR

On March 15 , two Turkish soldiers and three Syrian militants were killed when three improvised explosive devices ( IEDs ) struck their vehicles in northeast Syria , according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights ( SOHR ) The London-based monitoring group said that the attack took place in the early morning , near the town of al-Nasiriya in northern al-Hasakah .
Al-Nasiriya is located in the vicinity of the key border town of Ras al-Ayn .
A few hours earlier , an IED attack targeted a storage facility of a Turkish-backed group in the town of al-Dwair , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allegedly killed .
According to the SOHR , the facility contained wheat and barley which were looted from farmlands in northeast Syria .
The Turkish Ministry of National Defense is yet to comment on SOHR ’ s claims .
The ministry usually acknowledges its losses within 24 hours .
Earlier this week , a booby-trapped car struck a checkpoint in the town of Tell Halaf next to Ras al-Ayn .
The explosion claimed the lives of a Turkish gendarmerie officer and three Syrian militants .
The increasing attacks in northeast Syria indicate that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forces is emerging in the region .
As for now , no group has officially claimed responsibility for any of these attacks .
MORE ON THIS TOPIC : • Hay ’ at Tahrir Al-Sham Is Working To Revive Its Depleted Special Forces

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On March 15, two Turkish soldiers and three Syrian militants were killed when three improvised explosive devices (IEDs) struck their vehicles in northeast Syria, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR)
The London-based monitoring group said that the attack took place in the early morning, near the town of al-Nasiriya in northern al-Hasakah. Al-Nasiriya is located in the vicinity of the key border town of Ras al-Ayn.
A few hours earlier, an IED attack targeted a storage facility of a Turkish-backed group in the town of al-Dwair, near Ras al-Ayn. Three militants were allegedly killed. According to the SOHR, the facility contained wheat and barley which were looted from farmlands in northeast Syria.
The Turkish Ministry of National Defense is yet to comment on SOHR’s claims. The ministry usually acknowledges its losses within 24 hours.
Earlier this week, a booby-trapped car struck a checkpoint in the town of Tell Halaf next to Ras al-Ayn. The explosion claimed the lives of a Turkish gendarmerie officer and three Syrian militants.
The increasing attacks in northeast Syria indicate that a “resistance” movement against Turkish forces is emerging in the region. As for now, no group has officially claimed responsibility for any of these attacks.
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