Syria

[teddytennisfan]

IT should be further noted -- that the pentagon's own LAW adviser is very worried
\"that our soldiers and USA might be implicated for WAR CRIMES simply for enabling saudi arabia in its attacks on YEMEN".

ooopps...

on TOP of - at least being mentioned now what ONCE was VERBOTEN --

that the USA CAN be indicated as a country having committed WAR CRIMES AGAINST AFGHANISTAN....

oooooo....like i predicted -- once a single stone is let loose -- watch for the avalanche --- in due course of time.......

as the SELF-PROCLAIMED ''leader of the free world and humanity and human rights and justice"


IS EXPOSED by the day for being - in reality -- the world's CHIEF TERROR AND WAR CRIMES PRODUCER that it always has been...

the time will YET come when even small countries like SERBIA

WILL have their day of JUSTICE against the CRIMINAL USA empire...just like countries it has subjugated for decades and over a century now.

 

[britbox]

Every country involved in a war of any description will be guilty of war crimes Teddy... this isn't exclusive to western civilization.

 

[brokenshoelace]

I know you once mentioned you were from near east, but which country are you from?

Lebanese/Canadian. So yeah, originally from Lebanon.

 

[brokenshoelace]

REALLY?

so WHO do you nominate that would like THEIR TURN in ship to oppress BETTER?

now i get it......lol...

while mouthing samantha powers' ''we must do something - we must do something assad is killing his own people ---"

and BOMBS AWAY............and IN COME THE ''democracy" reformers like............YOU perhaps?

tell us brokenshoelace -- you might have preferred the USA ''liberating" syria from bad, bad assad perhaps? or how about JUST raqqa FOR THE MOMENT ? lol. like the way they liberated and brought democracy to

uh -- libya and iraq? something like that maybe, brokenshoelace?

this


"he's imprisoning, oppressing, massacring the people "

LINE IS SO FAMILIAR...

it's been used by the USA AND ITS VASSALS AND THEIR TERRORIST SOLDIERS...

IN country after country after country..............doesn't it sound like...your line perhaps, brokenshoelace?

"putin is oppressing his people..he\s imprisoning and killing journalists..he's even meddling in democratic elections!!! ?"
"saddam is oppressing his people - he's ABOUT to fly wmds with mushroom clouds of destruction over our cities!!!! we gotta stop him!!!"
"gaddaffi is oppressing his people -- he's committim GENOCIDE -- oh my god!!! he's worse than HITLER -- STOP HIM, STOP HIM!!!"
"yanukovich is so corrupt he's killing his people and exterminating them" stop him!!!
"milosevic and the serbs are oppressing people !!! they're eterminating people and have mass graves!!! stop them stop them!!!"
"the vietcong are killing their people and then they'll come to OUR SHORES after they have DOMINO EFFECT on ALL of asia, stop them, stop them!!"

"these NATIVE SAVAGES are massacring everyone..they are savages -- stop them stop them!!!"


HMMMMMMsounds so familiar...............one question of course remains -- WHICH of he NATIVES of a region SERVE AS DISSEMINATORS OF THE GOOD OLD WESTERN IMPERIAL LINE?

what's in it for -- uh ''them?"and INTRICATELY linked --
why are ''they" covering up for the takfiri, wahhab, salafists TERRORISTS by many names as FOOT SOLDIERS of the USA TERRORIST empire and its GANG-MATES....

as they preach about ''assad the bad bad bad man?"

any ideas broken shoelace?

The US isn't liberating anything.

You know it's possible to acknowledge that the US' foreign policy is a disaster, that they have no interest in democracy in the Middle East, that they have contributed to killing millions, all the while calling Assad a piece of shit murderous dictator.

 

[teddytennisfan]

Every country involved in a war of any description will be guilty of war crimes Teddy... this isn't exclusive to western civilization.

of course that\'s true --e xcept the western civilization has caused far the greater weight of it - in ''every country outside of western civilization"

SOME of those ''non-western" surely have had their share -- over their own peoples...

NONE compare with western civilization extending ITS crimes over THEM and many beyond THEM.

AND none STOOD in front of the world as 'global judges' - washing its hands clean YET committed as much as western civilization HAS.

SAY -- papua new guinea -- native new zealand ''may'' have committed war crimes by anyone's measure...hey -- they even ate people ...

that is appealing on the argument -- everyone sins. and it is correct.

that does NOT change the fact that the west has committed FAR, FAR broader atrocities of such nature across the world than ANY region on earth has.

in fact -- the EFFICIENCY and breadth of it over centuries is what makes it UNIQUE.

 

[teddytennisfan]

Lebanese/Canadian. So yeah, originally from Lebanon.

hmm..i know many lebanese -- in nyc. a lot of them go to their churches along with their syrian and iraqi church members. -- i mean the christian ones - like maronites..etc..

 

[britbox]

Stalin probably killed more people than anybody although I guess Mao might run him close. Pol Pot wasn't a very nice fella either. A lot of eastern civilizations have spilled plenty of blood also Teddy.

 

[teddytennisfan]

Stalin probably killed more people than anybody although I guess Mao might run him close. Pol Pot wasn't a very nice fella either. A lot of eastern civilizations have spilled plenty of blood also Teddy.

Britbox...this isn't an argument about people and leaders killing people. tyrants and all that.

i is the history of humanity.

the question here is:

the western paradigm PICKS a 'personality" in a course in time -- counts the ''number of dead" or misery caused by said ''pick" - and voila -- we get ''the worst tyrant in history"

STALIN AND MAO., fine.

the REAL question here -- comparisons of ''how much" by ''this side or that side" ...

and how the west -- in particular the anglo-american paradigm and ''storytelling" (as i indicated above) -- to measure DOWN the western and articularly the anglo-american specific paradigm in ITS GUILT for deaths and misery .

let us just accept the commonly accepted and very western ''count" and qualification of ''deaths and murders by stalin and mao" , neglecting what THEIR side in history SAYS as to the more complex reasons...and just SIMPLIFY :

STALIN AND MAO KILLED OR CAUSED to die 20-30 million at least by stalin, 30-50 million at least by MAO/.

THAT'S AT LEAST 80- MAYBE EVNE 100 MILLION.

AS A RESULT of their dictatorship -- - let's even REMOVE the 'causes" that led to it (such as FOREIGN intrustions, treason to sell out their countries - the failure of their appeals to OUTSIDE influences to STOP sabotaging their sovereignty , etc)
and just say ''they did it because they were just REALLY EVIL".


WE ARE THEN counting at least a 100,000,000 PEOPLE dead within THEIR countries or territory. as a reaction to what THEY perceived and were convinced by as a destruction of their sovereignty.

=============================

i put this question on the CLEVERNESS of the BRITISH.AMERICAN, - western way of KILLING...

AS spoken by Otto Von Bismarck:

'the british and english are the cleverest of all -- they are traders in human flesh -- for how they do it -- is by making OTHERS do the great killing instead of dirtying their OWN hands".

count how many NATIONS and REGIONS outside of britain and america (not EVEN counting the at least 20 million native indians exterminated and the at least 20 million , likely even MORE , with millions dead before arrival of the slave trade) ..

we are beginning to talk about

"by direct or indirect inducement to do the killing FOR' the british-american -western peoples across the world...

heck -- an EASY coutning starting from the BILLION class.

but that is also how CLEVER the paradigm is -- pick a ''particular" somewhere (stalin, mao, the mongols, the civil war here or there)

and it REMOVES the attention FROM the COLLECTIVE MURDER or SLOW death by induced poverty , starvation, etc....''indirectly" - remote-controlled "look ma -- clean hands"!!!

BY

A PEOPLE -- largely from a SMALL ISLAND called britain.

 

[teddytennisfan]

of course -- ALWAYS rarely , if EVER mentioned in western ''scholarship" talk about STALIN MURDERING 20 MILLION PLUS

and similarly mao in the other side of the world --

is that these were also CIVIL WARS INDUCED BY FOREIGN, PARTICULARLY

GERMAN, BRITISH AND AMERICAN industrialists - who funded the likes of LENIN AND TROSTKY -- NON-religious jewish intellectuals who -- even if the ideas of KARL MARX -- another

and ALL of them known rabid RussoPHOBES in reality --
were adopted by the russian ''empire" that had collapsed particularly in the very violent beginning of the communist era...

NONETHELESS -- BEFORE stalin embarked on his brutal "era of fear" -- were actually themselves -- as AGENTS of the british/german/american capitalists (although they themselves did not see themselves as SUCH but GLADLY accepted the FINANCING of the western capitalists to finance their ''revolution" inside russia )

were actually the INSTIGATORS OF PURGES AND MASS MURDERS -- PARTICULARLY directed against RUSSIANS , PEASANTS and any of the left-over orthodox imperial russian classes...

..the COUNTER -revolt was what produced STALIN to PURGE the country

of these MOSTLY non-religious jewish and foreign backed ''new industrialists" - middle class, rich landowners - who colluded with the western capitalists...

and unsurprisingly of course we know the rest -- about stalin ''winning" and going ahead some more with purges of suspected ''traitors" - etc...

but let us NOT forget that the ENTIRE saga -- bloody and fearsome as it was --

was actually a western triggered great tragedy

yes -- by YOUR very own wonderful britain, USA germany, poland, etc...and their industrialists -- the VERY SAME ONES still in existence TODAY -- WITH different name banks and corporations...and ruling classes -- the VERY SAME ONES around the world with their ''regime change" and ''democracy" and ''doing something about these bad tyrants like hussein, and assad, and putin".

why so?

THESE ARE THE VERY SAME CLASSES OF WESTERNERS

from INTELLIGENTSIA to the INDUSTRIAL - TO THE RELIGIOUS ''western christians" to the jewish cabals (like the george soros and rothschilds today) -

that were RESPONSIBLE FOR

1) SMEARING the russian CZARS nicholas 1 and 2 who HAD created THEIR own reforms in russia that HAD begun to improve the lives of the russians - modernization, better education, better carriage of justice, preservation of their national heritages, their orthodoxy religion - the greater relations between THEIR chrisitanity, judaism and islam and buddhism (much as putin does today) ...

and -- of course industrialization according to RUSSIAN sovereignty...

and THAT HAD TO BE STOPPED -- and it was BRITISH spies and saboteurs hired by the TREASONOUS upper classes of russia that wanted to ''westernize" - that not just murdered their family -- and begun

the BOLSHEVIK ''largely jewish manned" ''revolution" that brought "communism" from the west...

IN THAT same way came up the rivalries of stalin and trotsky = after which stalin - USED the ''revolution"? itself to PURGE russia -=

BRUTALLY if necessary" of the 'trotskyite -- bolshevik" FOREIGN AGENT INDUCED entities -- in their tens of millions...because tha tis how FAR the WEST had inserted ITSELF into the very body of the russian state...

AFTER having murdered what was to RUSSIANS their beloved CZAR nicholas the second. that was the very expression of THEIR society.


but to YOU -- the west -- it's all about ''stalin"

but -- look deeper -- if you are HONEST a tall.

and lo and behold

it is EXACTLY as bismarck said of YOUR own british and americans

"traders and merchants in human flesh who make OTHERS do the killing to keep their hands clean".

and LATER on TALK as if THEY had nothign to do with IT!!

today =-- in the internet age

we are watching THAT OLD CLEVER WAY -- IN REAL TIME.


CIA ''directing" from behind -- ''assets" such as MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD, AL QAEDA, ISIL, DAESH....

'color revolutions" -- ''humanitarian wars"...
george soros -- rothschilds, wall street and ''investments" -- and ''state departments' and ''foreign office" MI5 - vassal germany this and vassal france that as more FRONTS

on the LIBYA destruction,

on the IRAQ destruction

LETTING OTHERS DO THE KILLING!

THAT MUCH -- PEOPLES ALL OVER THE WORLD -- from MY home country philippines since 100 years ago -- to TODAY in ''putin is the new hitler" --

to 'assad must go'

to ''we must fight terrorism" (''we produced, shhhhhh") -

people KNOW.

AND THAT'S ABOUT KILLINGS , ''civil wars", '''reform movements"..etc.etc. etc.

replacing ''the bolshevik revolution" - in the SAME OLD CLEVER WESTERN -- VERY BRITISH GAME OF HUMAN FLESH TRADING. of course the europeans and 'west -- GLADLY join behind the american leadership.

only this time -- while pointing at ''stalin and mao murdering and causing to die in misery with their own hands" in the hundred million range..in THEIR lands..

the oh so nice western, british american led ''free world"

just does it ''more gradually" and in ''democratic style"


in the BILLIONS. outside of their own borders.

frankly -- you of the west who LOVE to talk about stalin and mao and their TENS AND TENS AND TENS of millions killed in their lands -- as REACTIONS and consequence of YOUR western intrustions into THEIR LANDS --

ARE LUCKY that the AGGREGATE NATIONS of the world where YOU INTRUDED --

USING 'bought, or coerced or intimidated -- if not simply murdered or 'regime changed' - governments or leaders -- to do the mass killings on YOUR behalf --

actually HAVE NOT PRESENTED A SERIOUS COUNTING , LIFE BY LIFE, GENERATION BY GENERATION, REPERCUSSION AND CONSEQUENCE BY CONSEQUENCE OF MISERY


- one by one - every single human life either directly killed or as a legacy of YOUR western intrusions -- shall one say

''the western HORDES" ? - OTHERWISE YOU'D be living many lives over and over just COUNTING the individual lives over time as the LEGACY of western BRUTALITY against others cultures , races , religions and sovereignty and independence.

 

[teddytennisfan]

The US isn't liberating anything.

You know it's possible to acknowledge that the US' foreign policy is a disaster, that they have no interest in democracy in the Middle East, that they have contributed to killing millions, all the while calling Assad a piece of shit murderous dictator.

thank you for clarifying your position.

 

[teddytennisfan]

THE FIRST RUSSIAN-JAPANESE WAR in the early 20th century..

i think 1907 or something -- was initiated by JAPAN which attcked the russian far east with troops -- and initially defeated the then not very strong russian military that far away...

but the japanese could NOT have done it by themselves -- THEY WERE ASSISTED BY none other than YOUR western -- british and american ''good guys".

they had a second war -- as retaliation by the russians years later -- to retake their far east coast -- and further -- to DRIVE the point home -- took the KURILS islands between north japan and souther tip of russia's primorye large peninsula - which the japanese Retook -- before world war 2 -- and were defeated of course and as PENALTY the kurils reverted BACK to russia until today. INSTEAD of russia MARCHING ALL THE WAY TO TOKYO AND KYOTO - JUST LIKE they did in berlin...

WHO were the REAL ''traders in human flesh here" behind the wars between nations , britbox?

YOUR VERY OWN BRITAIN. AND ITS SPAWN AMERICA.
WHO CARVED UP CHINA in the 19th century between ''spheres of influence"

of GERMANY, AMERICA, BELGIUM, FRANCE AND BRITAIN? after 2 rounds of introducing the OPIUM TRADE INVENTED BY your VERY OWN BRITAIN upon peoples

thousands of miles AWAY from YOUR shores?

LEADING TO THE chinese 'revolt' TO TAKE BACK their own country to the rise of MAO

who is the ONLY PERSON you POINT AT for 'the greatest atrocities and evils in history?"

if NOT YOUR OWN WEST?

THE CRIMEAN WARS on russia.

THE OTTOMAN TURKS AT LEAST TWICE attempted to incurse deep into russian land beyond crimea -- and lands UNDER ottoman rule -- THIS INCLUDES THE BALKANS -- and our serbian friend sHERE know THEIR HISTORY...for being at the front lines of defending THEIR orthodox and slavic culture from the ottomans...

WHO SIDED WITH THEM the moment it was clear there was a CHANCE to GRAB russian land?


AGAIN -- YOUR VERY OWN BRITAIN...

TODAY -- WHO IS PROTECTING AND ENABLING and providing COVER for the MOST BRUTAL of human filth -- these terrorists? all ove rthe globe ?

that'/s right

YOUR VERY OWN WEST.

so - ya -- let's start COUNTING ...................but let's start counting from BILLION -- not tens of millions of mao and stalin.

 

[teddytennisfan]

The US isn't liberating anything.

You know it's possible to acknowledge that the US' foreign policy is a disaster, that they have no interest in democracy in the Middle East, that they have contributed to killing millions, all the while calling Assad a piece of shit murderous dictator.

SOMEHOW -- in light of the events in your home-region of such ancient cultures..

and your mentioning lebanon...

what can you help us understand about THIS development? Lebanon electing a president (after several tries) -
i never knew you had a system in which the 3 'shared powers' have 'permanent' representation based on the over-all religious configuration --

christians (maronites) - sunni muslim, shi'a muslim..
which -- to my impression -- is its own unique way. amazing, imo.

=====================
strategic-culture.org
Lebanon Elects New President: Opportunities for Russia-Lebanese Cooperation

On November 1, General Michel Aoun, the 81-year old retired general, former army commander and the head of New Patriotic Movement, was elected by parliament new president, ending a two-and-a-half-year power vacuum. The Lebanese presidency is reserved for a Maronite Christian in the country’s sectarian power-sharing system.

According to Lebanon’s unwritten «National Pact» of 1943, the President of the republic is always a Maronite Christian, the Prime Minister is always a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of parliament is always a Shi‘a (Shiite) Muslim. Bilateral dialogues between opposing factions have helped reduce popular tensions among political parties and their respective Sunni and Shiite supporters.

Since former President Michel Suleiman stepped down in May 2014, Lebanon has been without a head of state as the fractured parliament had failed more than forty times to elect a new leader. Aoun will be Lebanon's 13th president since the country gained independence from France in 1943. His election means Lebanon will remain a stable country amid the tumultuous events in the Middle East.

In his inaugural speech, the president-elect vowed to increase bilateral cooperation with the Syrian government led by Bashar Assad on fighting terrorism. He also asserted that developing the capabilities of the Lebanese armed forces was his top priority, until it became a military able of protecting its own land.

President Aoun insisted that Lebanon must stay out of regional conflicts and follow an independent foreign policy in accordance with its interests. He also promised a preemptive fight against terrorism, in reference to Sunni Muslim jihadists, who have staged suicide attacks against Shi'ite targets and the army in Lebanon, and said camps hosting some 1.5 million Syrian refugees must not become militant hideouts.

The country is hit by the influx of more than one million Syrian refugees in addition to hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians.

The new Lebanese president supports the government of President Bashar Assad in Syria. It’s important that now the leaderships of Russia and Lebanon have similar views on the most pressing problem of the Middle East.

Russia is expected to be among the countries the new president will visit in the immediate future. After all, the USSR was one of the first countries to recognize Lebanon as an independent state. Moscow was a mediator and a stabilizing force when Lebanon was hit by the 1975-1990 civil wars.

According to Amal Abu Zeid, a member of the Lebanese political bloc Change and Reform, Russia and Lebanon will continue to maintain «strategic and promising» relations. There are prospects for cooperation on developing the oil and gas deposits recently discovered in Lebanon.

In 2013, Russia and Lebanon inked a memorandum of understanding on energy cooperation. Construction industry also presents opportunities for lucrative projects.

Former Lebanese prime minister and Future Movement leader MP Saad Hariri, expected to take office as new prime minister in a few days, visited Russia on October 4. During the meeting, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed «support» for Hariri’s efforts to end the deadlock related to the election of the head of state, stressing that the former PM is «playing an important role» regarding the domestic situations in Lebanon.

It was not the first time Lebanese ranking politicians visited Russia to solicit its help in overcoming the political deadlock. Last April Mr. Hariri visited Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and ask Russia to mediate and help Lebanon find a way out of presidential impasse. After the talks, he said «We value the large role played by Russia in the region, and we look for you to have a role in Lebanon too».

With the Syrian civil war at its doorstep. Lebanon desperately needs a stronger military. Lebanese Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil visited Moscow in June to ask for military aid to bolster Lebanon’s efforts to fight terrorism. Lebanon has asked Russia to supply his country with Kornet anti-tank missile systems and T-72 main battle tanks and cannons.

Russia’s military aid may be especially welcome. In early March 2016, Saudi Arabia suspended its long-awaited aid package that Lebanon desperately needs to combat the terrorist groups trying to enter the country from Syria. The Lebanese Army has been using the same equipment since the early 80s. Their main armored vehicles are the M-113 APC and the M-60 MBT.

The Russia’s military operation in Syria was a crucial factor to protect Lebanon from being flooded by extremist groups invading it from Syria. Actually, Russia prevented the inevitable – the invasion of Lebanon by Islamic State forces. With the new president in office, Lebanon can join the coalition of Syria, Iran and some other actors supporting the Syrian legitimate government.

Russia and Lebanon are on the same page when it comes to the fight against jihadis and the situation in Syria. The election of Michel Aoun opens new opportunities for the Russia-Lebanon bilateral relations.

 

[teddytennisfan]

The US isn't liberating anything.

You know it's possible to acknowledge that the US' foreign policy is a disaster, that they have no interest in democracy in the Middle East, that they have contributed to killing millions, all the while calling Assad a piece of shit murderous dictator.

and forgive my ignorance and presuming...

but to ME -- even from far away in my origins which is far east asia , philippines (south where we have always had muslims -- now long been ''infused" with the wahhabists also funded by the same saudis) -
i can't help but recognize SOME similarities.

that you - as well as mine -- have various ''tribes" and religions (although in our case 'catholicized" under 400 years of spain, and increased 'american protestantism' -- and of course a quite large minority of muslims and even tinier groupins of chinese-originated buddhists and taoists as well as indigenous religions) .

but my point is -- just like lebanon has to contend with ''syria/assad" - and border conflicts perhaps or territorial claims...

same as with philippines with china and other even more numerous countries over ''south china sea"

while in the MIDST of all the 'disagreements' is -- a certain UNCLE SAM...

whose INFLUENCE is about ''divide and rule"

where in RUSSIA'S case in your region it is about ''finding common ground"

just as with the ASEAN/CHINA it is ALSO about ''common ground" beween themselves IF the USA stays out of it.

when i discuss matters like these - i ALWAYS look ''back and forth" and see patterns that recur ACROSS the differences of regions and their respective challenges -

and ALWAYS the americans are there when conflicts or challenges that are UNNECESSARY arise or grow larger.

come to think of it -- since this new philippines president (who , i am assured by relatives and reports from back home in e mail -- enjoys REAL overwhelming support in his effort , draconian as it might be, to clean up the EPIDEMIC of drug addiction destroying the country which the USA/UN/WEST criticize as ''brutal extra-judicial regime" (there goes that word -- regime -- but not the SAUDI friends)

who is WITHOUT DOUBT in the crossfires of the CIA and USA 'regime change' now -- for ''badmouthing usa and west" - and boasting he will ''turn to china and russia" ...

i wish that YOUR country could develop relations in trade and diplomacy and culture with mine...

your sunni and shi'a in particular - but also the maronite -- and ORIGINAL christians -- just might give a wonderful influence of where the religious faith of my country really comes from ...and perhaps learn something about co-existing among the religions

and AWAY from these WAHHABISTS that the SAUDI/CIA USE.

besides such a rich ancient culture that your people have created - would be such a great thing for my country to find new relations with.
two lebanese brothers i know -- sometimes we talk when we see each other occasionally on the street in my neighborhood -- they promised when a chance they'll play the lebanese music for me -- the AOUD instrument? i want somethign like those in my country...so people can realize there are MORE than ''hollywood'' after 100 years of it...

aren't you - along with syrians -- the peoples ancient history calls

the PHOENICIANS? famous for being great merchants, travelers and traders?

 

[teddytennisfan]

sputniknews.com
'We'll Be Happy If Russia Joins Anti-Daesh Campaign in Iraq' – Turkmen Commander
Sputnik
Middle East
12:32 05.11.2016Get short URL

"We will be happy if Russia, having reached an agreement with the central government, will fight against Daesh on Iraqi territory," he added.

Moscow is currently involved in counterterrorism efforts in neighboring Syria. Meanwhile, Iraqi security forces, assisted by the US-led coalition, the People's Mobilization Forces (PMF) and Kurdish fighters have tried to destroy

Daesh
in Iraq. They are currently focused on liberating Mosul, the second largest city in the country and the last bastion of the terrorist group in the country.

Irfan Abdulselam Muhammed described the offensive on Mosul, formally known as "We Are Coming, Nineveh," as "successful," adding that the battle for the city of Tel Afar will be instrumental in the overall campaign.

"We've taken many villages close to Tal Afar under control. We are currently working on a plan to besiege the city center. We hope that this operation will help to sever links between Daesh fighters in Iraq and Syria," he explained. "If we succeed, we will prevent the jihadists from fleeing to Syria. At the same time we will not allow radicals from Syria to come to Iraq."

Irfan Abdulselam Muhammed further spoke about the Popular Mobilization Units, also known as al-Hashd al-Sha'abi. He said that Sunnis, Kurds, Christians, Turkmen and people of other ethnical and religious background have been fighting in the Shia-dominated Iraqi state-sponsored militias.

"It is not true that al-Hashd al-Sha'abi fighters have tortured Sunnis and have treated them badly. If we manage to take Daesh fighters prisoner, we hand them over to the authorities. The court determines their fate. We torture no one, we are not cruel to anyone," he said.

The commander further said that Turkey should be proud of the Popular Mobilization Units since Turkmen are fighting in its midst. Ankara has accused self-defense forces in Iraq of human rights violations and blamed them for fomenting sectarian violence.

© Sputnik/ Hikmet Durgun

Haşdi Şabi komutanı Abdulselam Muhammed

"Turkey has never taken care of Turkmen in Iraq. [Ankara] has not stood up for ethnic Turks even when Daesh fighters assaulted and occupied Turkmen cities, including Tal Afar, killed Turkmen, grabbed their belongings and destroyed their homes. And now Turkey wants to protect them? This is a lie. Turkey has carried out an incorrect policy."

Irfan Abdulselam Muhammed was referring to comments made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who earlier this week warned the PMU that if its fighters "terrorize" Tal Afar, Turkish forces will respond.

 

[brokenshoelace]

SOMEHOW -- in light of the events in your home-region of such ancient cultures..

and your mentioning lebanon...

what can you help us understand about THIS development? Lebanon electing a president (after several tries) -
i never knew you had a system in which the 3 'shared powers' have 'permanent' representation based on the over-all religious configuration --

christians (maronites) - sunni muslim, shi'a muslim..
which -- to my impression -- is its own unique way. amazing, imo.

After going through 15 years of civil war (1975-1990) which was mainly sectarian, the involved parties signed the Taif agreement to end the civil war. The agreement also stated that Syrian troops had to withdraw within two years (it took them 15 years to do it, not-so-shockingly), and that Lebanon reasserts its authority over Southern Lebanon, then occupied by Israel (it took Israel 10 years to withdraw).

The agreement also made some political reforms which are controversial to this day, that tied Lebanon to Syria politically (the Syrians would have never allowed it otherwise).

According to the Lebanese constitution, the president has to be a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of the parliament has to be a Shia Muslim. This was maintained by the Taif agreement, however, as per the agreement, the prime minister was no longer responsible to and appointed by the president. It became more in line with a traditional parliamentary system in which the prime minister was responsible to the legislature. This shifted some power away from Lebanese Christians.

As for finally electing a president after 3 years, it is definitely a good sign, although things have been a farce up until this moment. In any other country, the country would have revolted against these politicians. If they can't vote a president in over 70 attempts (seriously), what good are they for? Unfortunately, things are a much more complicated than that around here.

Regardless, the best sign about electing a new president (other than the fact that we now actually have one) is that it indicates stability. You see, Lebanon's politics have long been tied to foreign countries. Even dating back to the pre-civil war days, every major political party was tied to a foreign country. Nowadays, Sunnis are tied to Saudi, the Shias are tied to Iran/Syria and Christians are tied to the West. It's been like this for a long time, and the future of Lebanon always depended on whether those countries could agree on what do with Lebanon.

The fact that a president has been elected (albeit a war lord and a general all around piece of garbage, who in fairness, has some popularity) can be interpreted as a sign that foreign countries, at least for the time being, are in agreement over Lebanon. This is particularly important in light of the looming threat of Isis (which means controlling the border with Syria is essential) and the always present potential of a war between Hezbollah and Israel.

 

[teddytennisfan]

THANKS for your explanation.

i can simply say that it gives a much better understanding -- or even if not THAT -- simply an awareness of just how COMPLEX things are..

even just by themselves -- WITHOUT foreign interests as you mentioned -- some actual neighborhood interests by dictate of geography -

others clearly foreigners to the region itself...

just WITHIN lebanon itself -- thigns are already so complex.
and as you pointed out -- even as this general is a 'piece of trash' - what else or better - is there to do , than simply try to keep the country together lest somethign WORSE happens.

the cleear common danger to the region IS terrorism...and surely - can not be matched anywhere else by the fact that it is the people there - of all your countries -- that are affected with such 'normality'

where from outside it is distant .

but ll the more reason that i have been repeatedly saying

having been FULLY exposed NOW -= by now -- that the WEST, particularly the USA --

BUT ALSO FROM the prior century and even 19th of having gone to the middle east to ''carve it up" as convenient for THEIR societies ''from far away" -- and ALL - pebble by pebble over generations have produced, with THEIR USING terrorism as , at first, a covert , now an OPEN weapon for ''controlled chaos" -- to ''shape it" just like they have done to the world -- and i challenge anyone HERE to REFUTE THIS --

HAVE NO POSITION to complain about the consequences of the seeds their own societies have sown abroad beyond the borders of their respective countries ..when it all comes washing on their shores.

be it terrorist acts out of the creation of THEIR own imperial adventures over time --

or the waves of misery of millions of migrants THEIR adventures and ''map-making" produced by the horrific disruption of societies they claim to ''civilize" and 'teach" -- arriving all over europe and the west...

it is NOT their position to be JUDGES .

 

[teddytennisfan]

i terms of modern ''nation-states" -- as our countries are known today..

and talking about occupation --

imagine being continuously militarily occupied (in addition to being culturally , economically, politically likewise) - for 128 years.

that's what the philippines is.
it was he convenient ''aircraft carrier" for the USA'S mass movement of troops and military ordnance for all the years it waged war on vietnam and indochina...basically making the country a participant in the USA'S war crimes...

when the vietnam war ended - the americans being kicked out -- and the now-defeated ''americanized" vietnamese were frightened for their lives -- -- they , in hundreds of thousands became ''boat people" tha tno one wanted -- where did they LAND ? the philippine shores -- for ''processing" before being allowed to the USA -- uncle...sam that brought RUIN and civil war to their land...

TODAY -- whichIS THE LYNCPIN country for the usa's ''ENCIRCLEMENT" OF CHINA ? same philippines...with not just the previous TWO huge bases in previous decades -- now it is FOUR ...

complete with the ''standard" NON-prosecutable american personnel when they commit civil and other crimes ...like the same story everywhere...

 

[teddytennisfan]

sputniknews.com
Russia Received No Intel From US on Any Terrorist Organization in Syria - MoD
Sputnik
Middle East
11:23 06.11.2016(updated 12:30 06.11.2016) Get short URL

"The United States could not even fulfill their obligations under the US-Russian agreements," Russian Defense Ministry Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said. "Russia has not received any maps, objects' coordinates or any other intel on any terrorist organization in Syria, from Daesh to al-Nusra."

© Photo: Abdalrhman Ismail

Commenting on US State Department spokesperson John Kirby's statement about the humanitarian pause in Syria, Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said that it underlines the difference between Russia's and the US' understanding of the pause's use.

State Department spokesperson Kirby said Friday that the US considered that civilians in Aleppo do not benefit from humanitarian pauses introduced by Russia.

"Such statements show that Moscow and the State Department have a different understanding of the 'use' of the humanitarian pauses," Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said.

He stressed that for Russia humanitarian pauses were a possibility to deliver aid to people in areas ravaged by fighting.

"Throughout the whole anti-terrorist operation in Syria we are paying a special attention to the warring sides' reconciliation and delivery of humanitarian aid to the Syrians," Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said.

"In the last few months alone, [Russia] delivered more than 100 tons of the most necessary cargos to Aleppo — food, medicine and necessities. All the civilians of Aleppo received this aid, without any limits for the Western and Eastern parts. During this time, the State Department did not deliver a single bread crumb to the Syrians it supposedly cares so much about," Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov concluded.

Syria's civil war between government forces and a wide range of insurgents, including opposition groups and terrorists, such as Islamic State and Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (formerly known as the Nusra Front), outlawed in Russia, has raged for some five years and has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.

On September 9, Russia and the United States reached an agreement for a peace process in Syria. A ceasefire stipulated by the deal entered into force on September 12, but while it was supposed to last at least seven days for the next steps to be taken toward the Syrian settlement, it soon disintegrated.

===========================


and before ANYONE starts talking about those ''volunteer WHITE HELMETS" ''helping and rescuing the poor civilians from being oppressed by assad aand the russians" - WHO ARE actually themselves FAKE humanitarians embedded with the terrorists themselves..

ONCE MORE -- to clarify -- they are civilians that ONLY RUSSIA AND SYRIA are trying to rescue and bring humanitarian aid to -- REAL ONE -- whose neighborhood and city was INVADED by TERRORISTS ISIL, AL QAEDA

gathered by the USA and allies from all over the world - financed by the SAUDIS AND QATARIS -- and who are holding them hostage in their own city..

AND given political cover as ''moderate rebels against assad's brutal government" --

for the USA EMPIRE'S regime change operation where it IS ILLEGAL AND CRIMINAL in its presence in the region..

 

[Billie]

Good article, although a month old, comparing the situations in Syria and Yemen and the bias towards the two:

http://www.spiked-online.com/newsit...-syria-warmongers-in-yemen/18859#.WCe0PdvrvIX

 

[teddytennisfan]

Good article, although a month old, comparing the situations in Syria and Yemen and the bias towards the two:

http://www.spiked-online.com/newsit...-syria-warmongers-in-yemen/18859#.WCe0PdvrvIX

EXACTLY billie.

the ''main press" of course doesn't want to talk about it - if at all - ''too much" except to present it as some kind of ''Sovereignty of saudi arabia is under attack" issue by bad, bad, bad ''houthis"

because it is in fact a war crime that is being committed by the saudis against the houthis of yemen - aided and abetted by SA's usual ''allies' US,UK primarily..

this is, after all, in keeping with their generations and decades of a ''pact" of providing ''protection' racket to the PETRO-DOLLAR oil deal, lol.

but the HISTORY of it is quite simple in fact.

YEMEN actually - and its majority houthi tribes actually have long suffered under saudi pressure - after TWO of yemen's provinces were FORCIBLY TAKEN from them under the arrangements since the 1940's or Thereabouts -- between the UK/USA/SAUDI family

and then ''awarded" to saudi arabia -- knowing that THESE provinces contained the two richest oil reserves..THAT'S how the saudis actually became ''the big oil power"
PLUS yemen's coasts and waters are the richest in the region for fisheries and has richer SOIL than the deserts of saudi arabia.

AND is better located for shipping ...

in fact -- when the saudis got into their heads to 'punish' the yemenites for supporting an opposition against a SAUDI-controlled ruler (who is now hiding in saudi arabia after he was run out of the country by the yemenis)

and didn't stop there -- but proceeded in these recent years to go all out on a genocidal spree against the houthis --

the houthis NOW , after somehow defeating the saudis (and americans and british behind them) with their 'guerrilla warfare'

wont' stop -- until they ''TAKE BACK OUR NORTHEASTERN PROVINCES" --

and THAT'S what the UK/USA/SAUDI'S use as their reasoning that yemenites are ''aggressing against saudi SOVEREIGNTY'..


in reality --it's A VERY OLD INJUSTICE and THIEVERY by

the saudi's and their US/;UK sponsors against yemenites that have pushed the yemenites to being the POOREST nation - right next to haiti - on earth...

when YEMENITES SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE OIL and resoruces POWER in THAT arabian peninsula all along...

i hope the yemenites BEAT the ASS out of these hypocrites..