The Syria Thread 2011 - Present

[Elvis]

I'd like to briefly revisit this video (posted my Mac?—the post is buried somewhere in this thread), in which CNN host Kate Bolduan does an hilarious "WTF" double-take upon hearing Rep. Thomas Massie say he doubts that gassing Syrian civilians would be in Assad's benefit.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXIJlyxCQyE

Not having cable or broadcast TV at home, I wasn't aware of Kate Bolduan, so I was curious why a national "journalist" would conduct an interview with such preconcieved ideas about the topic; Wikipedia offers one biscuit crumb:

In May 2010, Bolduan married Michael Gershenson, who works for The Carlyle Group.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Bolduan

[MacCruiskeen]

Ha. Good catch.

I watched the last ten seconds again, for a laugh. She looks at that polite mild-mannered congressman as if he had just shat on her desk.

[Sounder]

So appropriate, nice find Elvis

So can someone tell us the one about Mr. Assad being a really bad man that must be stopped?

If you can't tell the story, you must be an Assadist, you know, part of a very bad group of people.

[tapitsbo]

Support of Syria's government in the very contentious war RELATIVE TO other dodgy actors by no means makes one an "Assadist"

Just like questioning the often factually inaccurate anti-Russian propaganda that's become more and more prevalent in recent years doesn't make one a "Putinist"

those terms seem especially unhelpful given who they pin complicated issues to "personalities" mediated by gargantuan media efforts...

[conniption]

MoA
(embedded links + comments)

April 16, 2017

Al-Qaeda Suicide Attack Kills 100+ Children, Women - Whodunit?

Updated below, April 17, 3:00am
---

Max Abrahms‏ @MaxAbrahms - 2:07 PM - 16 Apr 2017
After reading dozens of stories about the Shia massacre yesterday in Syria I've come to the conclusion it was perpetrator-less.

The War Nerd‏ @TheWarNerd - 11:53 AM - 16 Apr 2017
We find that "at least 112" Shia refugees were killed. By whom? Oh, it's a real whodunit according to Reuters... link

Two smaller cities in the northern "rebel"-controlled Idleb governate, Al Foa and Kafriya, have been under "rebel" siege for over two years. Local government aligned forces are defending them. The civilian inhabitants are of Shia believe and seen by the sectarian Sunni "rebels" as unbelievers only worthy of death. The cities are supplied by airdrops from government helicopters. Meanwhile two "rebel" controlled cities near Damascus, Zabadani and Madaya, in the south are held under siege by government forces. They are sparsely supplied by UN and Red Cross convoys. Over the years a tit-for-tat of revenge acts bound the fate of the four cities. In total some 20-30,000 people are effected. A wide ranging agreement was needed to solve the unsustainable situation.

In December an agreement had allowed for the exchange of wounded civilians. When buses were on their way to evacuated elderly and wounded from the two northern cities they were torched by some rebel group. New buses had to be send but in the end the exchange worked out.

Last week a new agreement had been reached about a complete population exchange of the cities. All inhabitants of the northern cities were to be brought to government held areas. All inhabitants of the southern cities to the "rebel" held areas. Iran, speaking for the Syrian government, and Qatar, a financer of the radical "rebels", negotiated the deal. There are many other issues involved in the deal including Qatari hostages held by Shia groups in Iraq, very large payment from Qatar to "rebel" groups (al-Qaeda) and some non-disclosed items.

"Rebel" groups in Idelb government are either aligned with al-Qaeda in Syria or with the Qatari sponsored Ahrar al Sham. Ahrar al-Sahm is the group responsible for the execution of the negotiated population exchange. Parts of al-Qaeda have publicly disagreed with the deal.

Yesterday some 5,000 inhabitants of the northern cities, mainly women and children, were brought by bus convoy to the government held city of Aleppo but were stopped while still in the "rebel" controlled area. Inhabitants from the southern city had been brought up to Aleppo and were kept under government guard. Some additional negotiations about a minor issue were going on.

The civilians in their buses, mostly elderly, women and children, were guarded by "rebels" of Ahrar al Sham. They were hungry. Someone appeared on the scene and distributed crisps. When children flocked around the food distribution a blue car drove up and a very large explosion occurred. Four buses full of people and a number of cars were totally destroyed (Pics: 1, 2, 3)

127 of the civilians, only a mile or two from the safe government area, were killed in the suicide attack including 95 children. Many more were wounded. An unknown number of Ahrar al Sham "rebel" guards were also killed. There is no serious disagreement about what happened.

It is obvious that the suicide attack was committed by al-Qaeda in Syria. No government aligned element could have crossed into rebel held territory. The government aligned forces have not committed any suicide attacks while al-Qaeda as well as Ahrar al Sham have committed hundreds. This was a "rebel" suicide attack, likely by al-Qaeda, against government aligned civilian refugees.

But the BBC, CNN and other western media will not tell you that. CNN called the massacre "a hiccup". The first Washington report was illustrated with a pastoral scene of "Shias" walking in a green field. The write-ups disguise to the average reader on which side that vast numbers of casualties of the incident were. They will not say who the likely culprits are. Some insinuate, against all logic, that the government did it.

The most recent BBC report on the massacre is one of the worst of this propaganda genre. Assume for a moment you have not read the above, only the following:

Syria war: 'At least 68 children among 126 killed' in bus bombing

At least 68 children were among 126 people killed in Saturday's bomb attack on buses carrying evacuees from besieged Syrian towns, activists say.

A vehicle filled with explosives hit the convoy near Aleppo.

80% of the readers will only read the headline and maybe the first graphs. Who will they assume killed whom?

Those who actually read further will learn that some of the victims were Shia and that "evacuees from government-held towns were killed, along with aid workers and rebel soldiers." (Since when are Ahrar's marauding beheaders "soldiers"? Was this dude also a "soldier"?) The BBC story goes on to insinuates that the government did this because "rebels" could and would not do such:

It happened when a vehicle loaded with food arrived and started distributing crisps, attracting many children, before exploding, the BBC's Middle East correspondent Lina Sinjab said.

She said it was not clear how the vehicle could have reached the area without government permission.

But there is also no evidence that rebels were involved in the attack, as the government claims.

It would not be in the rebels' interest, our correspondent says, as they were waiting for their own supporters to be evacuated from the other towns.

I have read a lot of anti-Syrian propaganda but never such a vile smear. "It was not clear how the vehicle could have reached the area without [Syrian] government permission." Well - a vehicle from that area could drive right up to the BBC's head-office in London, explode and kill many people without "Syrian government permission." (Maybe one should - just for demonstration purpose.) It is "rebel" held territory with open borders to Turkey from where they are supplied. Any of the "rebel" groups that committed suicide attacks over the last years has free access to it. The BBC correspondent and her editors know this well. They also know that "rebels" are not united at all and that their interests diverge. It is completely clear who committed this massacre. But the BBC insinuates "the government did it."

More people died in this attack than in the Khan Sheikhun chemical incident which killed some people in a rebel held area. The incident was likely a false flag attack staged by the "rebels" without involvement of the government side. A Trump NSC report falsely claimed evidence that the Syrian government was the guilty party in that incident and the U.S. then bombed one of the Syrian airports.

95 children were burned and smashed to death in yesterday's suicide attack. They will not be honored as "beautiful children", as Trump called two blond babies in a Khan Sheikhun photo. The babies killed yesterday were "pro-regime" evacuees (CNN speak) who do not deserve such honor.

The victims of yesterday's massacre will get much less media coverage than the few actually documented victims of the Khan Sheikhun incident. That bit they will get will abuse the dead, as BBC does, to incite against the vast majority of the Syrian people who are with their government.

Damascus decided that the deal and the evacuation should continue despite the massacre. The two cities in Idleb are too exposed and indefensible against a large scale attack. No bigger government operation towards Idleb can take place while they are held hostage.

UPDATE - April 17, 3:00am

Eliah J. Magnier reports (Arabic) further details of the "4 cities" exchange deal.

He tweeted the main steps:

Elijah J. Magnier @EjmAlrai
The"four cities deal"includes Qatari hostages, money, prisoners of war, prisoners and corps
The 1st step (evacuating civilians under the age of 15) was concluded.
The 2d step will evacuate all militants
The 3d step will include the exchange of prisoners held by Damascus, Hezbollah and al-Qaeda corps and prisoners
The 4th step will incl the release of Qatari hostages held in Iraq (not yet released) & the payment of ransom to AQ.

Posted by b on April 16, 2017

Fuah Kafraya / Rashidin massacre – Witness testimony tells what "rebels" did

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCU9gnB ... e=youtu.be

THE INDICTER Channel
Published on Apr 15, 2017
A woman have witnessed how children are first gathered around a vehicle by “rebels”, by means of offering the children to eat free crunchy that the “rebels” had spread on the ground around the vehicle. Moments after she heard a "loud explosion". "A lot of the children died, many were injured" says the woman.

[Sounder]

Yes tapitsbo, perhaps I should have used green font.

Pro tip; Don't be on the side of Rupert Murdoch's people.

Australian Academics Witch-hunted for Challenging US Lies on Syria Attack
By Mike Head
Global Research, April 16, 2017
World Socialist Web Site 14 April 2017

.........Rupert Murdoch’s media outlets, such as the Sydney Daily Telegraph, blazoned the accusations against Anderson over their front pages, under headlines depicting him as an “Assad-loving boffin” and his associates as “uni loonies.” The Australian, Murdoch’s national broadsheet, attacked the University of Sydney for refusing to act against them.

Turnbull’s Education Minister Simon Birmingham, who is responsible for university funding, told the Daily Telegraph the university should investigate Anderson’s comments.

“Although universities are places where ideas should be contested, that’s no excuse for being an apologist [for the Assad regime],” he insisted.

The clear logic of this declaration is that anyone who questions any aspect of US or Australian foreign and military policy is guilty of supporting war crimes and should therefore be sacked, or even prosecuted under war crimes or anti-terrorism legislation.

Fairfax Media extended the offensive to the University of Sydney itself. “One of Australia’s most prestigious universities” was at the centre of a “pro-Assad push,” the Sydney Morning Herald’s Michael Koziol declared.

There are signs that the barrage may backfire. The ABC’s smears provoked outrage among its viewers. One typical comment posted on “Media Watch’s” web site denounced the program for emulating other media “megaphones” in producing “not one shred of evidence to back the claim that this event was perpetrated” by Syria.

Another viewer warned:
“What is interesting about this sordid witch-hunt is that it accuses all who dare disagree with obvious lies of being stooges of Assad and Putin. The accusation of ‘treachery’ and ‘treason’ will not long be delayed.”

(hmmmm, where have we heard that before)

In his own response to “Media Watch,” Anderson rejected its allegation that he was “misleading public understanding.” As an academic, he said,
“I have a responsibility to educate the public, especially in face of the constant misinformation from Australia’s corporate and state media.”

Assad is a bad person, therefor he gassed those poor people.

The propaganda is designed to limit social signaling that could gain momentum and thereby limit the actions of the war parties.

You are not an Assad supporter, are you?. Well no, just not a supporter of death, destruction, and the lies that facilitate such things.

[lyrimal]

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/critique_white_house_fabrications_syrias_alleged_use_of_lethal_gas_20170414

Theodore A. Postol is professor emeritus of science, technology and national security policy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a specialist in weapons issue. At the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, he advised on missile basing, and he later was a scientific consultant to the chief of naval operations at the Pentagon. He is a recipient of the Leo Szilard Prize from the American Physical Society and the Hilliard Roderick Prize from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and he was awarded the Norbert Wiener Award from Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility for uncovering numerous and important false claims about missile defenses.

This is my third report assessing the White House intelligence Report (WHR) of April 11. My first report was titled “A Quick Turnaround Assessment of the White House Intelligence Report Issued on April 11, 2017 About the Nerve Agent Attack in Khan Shaykhun, Syria,” and my second report was an addendum to the first report.

This report provides unambiguous evidence that the White House Intelligence Report contains false and misleading claims that could not possibly have been accepted in any professional review by impartial intelligence experts. The WHR was produced by the National Security Council under the oversight of national security adviser Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster.

[JackRiddler]

Re:

Al-Qaeda Suicide Attack Kills 100+ Children, Women - Whodunit?

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. So fucked up. Fucked up. Evil. Such a fucked up fucked fucked world. Fucking motherfuckers.

[MacCruiskeen]

^^"100+ Assadists" killed. "100+ regime-supporters" slaughtered.

[Iamwhomiam]

^^^^ Yes. The rebels allegedly started gathering children by doling out "crisps," rarely available sweet treats, possibly what we call cookies. They ran out and brought in a bus loaded with treats and the children thronged around to get theirs. Then the bomb went off. A tragedy, yes, but who's really responsible?

[MacCruiskeen]

^^^^ Yes. The rebels allegedly started gathering children by doling out "crisps," rarely available sweet treats, possibly what we call cookies. They ran out and brought in a bus loaded with treats and the children thronged around to get theirs. Then the bomb went off. A tragedy, yes, but who's really responsible?

"Tragedy" is such a weasel word, and it's always trotted out at times like these, precisely so as to cloud the issue of responsibility. Like 9/11, this is not a tragedy, it's an outrageous act of mass murder. And it's clear who's responsible: the USA's allies and proxies in the fight against "Assad" (sic).

(When Moon of Alabama asks "Whodunit?", he means the question ironically, because he had already answered it at the start of the very same sentence.)

[Iamwhomiam]

In my book "an outrageous act of mass murder" is a tragedy, regardless of which party initiated it.

Perhaps Moon of Alabama magically knows who to blame, but these days it's difficult for me to discern any one guilty party. The video I saw of an interview at the scene with an "eyewitness," a woman who referred to murdered children as "martyred" rather than as "killed" or "murdered" and other wounded as "injured." I found that a bit odd for a civilian to say. But then, I don't live there. I wouldn't think an innocent child so murdered would be referred to as being "martyred." So that aroused suspicion all might not be as reported.

[MacCruiskeen]

Oh please. MoA does not know "magically". He knows because he has taken the time and trouble to become knowledgeable about the things he writes about, and he explains at length why no other explanation is remotely plausible.

And your "suspicions" about that woman's eyewitness report are just opportunistic Americocentric quibblings. What's the Arabic word for "murdered" as opposed to "martyred"? I bet you know as much or even less about that than I do. She's speaking Arabic and you're quibbling about the English translation of one word. It makes no difference at all.

Those children are stone-dead, slaughtered, and not by "Assad". That's why CNN and the BBC are taking such pains to deceive the public, many of whom love to be deceived or to be left in comfortable doubt. The culprits were the "anti-Assad" terrorists armed and supported by our governments and their allies in SA and Qatar.

[JackRiddler]

.

A surprise strike on a civilian refugee column of presumably all Shi'a people heading through a ceasefire zone for SAA-held territory as part of a negotiated exchange of populations doesn't leave much room for speculation as to the possible perpetrators or their motives. These were jihadis of one kind or another, either freelancers or members or acting on orders from one of the 40+ militias generated or mutated through Saudi and Gulf money and carrying American arms or captured SAA gear. It's a move of pure genocide, irrelevant to any conceivable military, political or strategic purpose aimed at winning the war. A hate crime.

You could say we don't want to do the same thing the Western states and media do as soon as they hear that chemical weapons have been released in a rebel-held area, and point the finger at Assad as the only possible perpetrator* (or else you are a crazed red-brown Tankie fake-news cultist unworthy of ever being in human company again). I suppose I wouldn't put it past the same states and media to even come up with a false-flag narrative for this, since Assad is supposed to be driven to any kind of irrational brutality, even if it would be entirely counterproductive to the cause for which he actualy sheds blood -- like a gas attack a week after the U.S. capitulated to his continuing in power, or mass-murdering members of his support base. But no alternate idea has been advanced and it won't be (or it would legitimate the idea of multiple possibilities and false flags).

In any case, it would make no sense. It's already known that there will be no international outcry or calls for criminal justice after a crime not involving WMD and targeting Syrian Shi'a refugees fleeing to government territory. If the same motherfucking fanatics did the same thing in Versailles or St. Louis, of course, it would be a new form of soulless evil murder never before seen in the history of atrocities, and it would require years of war and many times more dead in return to ever be considered expiated. But they did it in Syria, to Shi'a fleeing to the government zone. So there is no motive there.

* altough this can be expanded until it is Assad at Putin's behest and with blessings from the Ayatollah, Kim, and Chomsky.

.

[MacCruiskeen]

^^Look here, IAWIA:

The fucking NYT:

Lizzie Phelan‏ @LizziePhelan 16. Apr.

1. NYT op-ed calls for #Trump to allow ISIS to thrive in #Syria cos it shares same enemies as the US: Assad, Iran, #Russia & Hezbollah.... pic.twitter.com/QyUAWxdCC3

Really, who talks like that? What can you call it if not fascist?

The USA has been supporting these thugs for nearly four decades now. It's not even news.

edit: image-size reduced