Tuesday 23 September 2014

War on Syria

The word is Washington INFORMED Damascus of their intention to bomb inside Syria. This is not the same as consultation.

America's only allies in this are countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Unite Arab Emirates - the very countries giving support to ISIS and other 'moderate' and other jihadists.

The other country of course, is Israel

US and ‘partners’ launch airstrikes on ISIS targets in Syria




23 September, 2014

The US military and partner nations from the anti-ISIS coalition have launched the first attacks on Islamic State targets in Syria, the Pentagon has confirmed.

Airstrikes against Islamic State targets are currently underway in Syria, according to a Pentagon official. The strikes reportedly involve a mix of fighter, bomber, and tomahawk land attack missiles.
"I can confirm that US military and partner nation forces are undertaking military action against ISIL (ISIS/IS) terrorists in Syria using a mix of fighter, bomber and Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles,"Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby said in a statement.

US military & partner nation forces have begun striking ISIL targets in Syria using mix of fighters, bombers and Tomahawk missiles.

"The decision to conduct theses strikes was made earlier today by the US Central Command commander under authorization granted him by the commander in chief. We will provide more details later as operationally appropriate," he added.
According to NBC News, the US military is planning to attack up to 20 targets in Syria, including“training sites, headquarters of Sunni fighters and troop encampments.”
A US official told ABC News that up to 20 locations have been targeted in the airstrikes in and around Raqqa. Tomahawk missiles have been fired from at least one ship in the Red Sea. The source also said that Arab nations participating in the airstrikes will be dropping bombs.


According to Jonathan Karl, chief White House correspondent for ABC News, five Arab nations are taking part in the first round of airstrikes in Syria: Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. A US official speaking to Reuters confirmed the participation of Arab partners in the attack, but refused to specify who those partners were.

CENTCOM says the decision to conduct airstrikes was made under authorization granted by the US president.

The decision to conduct these strikes was made earlier today by CENTCOM commander under authorization granted him by the president.

The Pentagon will not provide further details on the operation “until later,” according to Reuters.

U.S. military and partner nation forces are undertaking military action against ISIL terrorists in Syria.
Given that these operations are ongoing, we are not in a position to provide additional details at this time.

The attack follows President Obama’s speech earlier this month, during which he said that the US was prepared to “conduct a systematic campaign of airstrikes” against Islamic State terrorists “wherever they are.”

That means I will not hesitate to take action against ISIL (ISIS/IS) in Syria as well as Iraq,” Obama said on September 10. The US military has already carried out over 200 strikes on Islamic State targets in Iraq.

Last Tuesday, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel confirmed that the US Central Command has a plan to take “targeted actions against ISIS safe havens in Syria,” including striking infrastructure. The US will also train and equip 5,000 members of the Syrian opposition to fight militants from IS. The so-called ‘moderate’ opposition is seen by the US as a legitimate power in Syria since the Assad government has long lost all its legitimacy, according to US officials.

More than 40 nations have said they will participate in the anti-Islamic State crusade, with more than 30 nations offering military support, according to Hagel.

The Syrian government was willing to cooperate in coordinating strikes on Islamic jihadists, which the country has been battling for over three years, but US officials rejected any possibility of such cooperation. Any strikes on Syrian soil without Damascus’ consent will be considered an act of aggression, Syria has warned.

Washington should respect the sovereignty of Syria in its attempts to deal with the Islamic State, Russia has warned repeatedly. Moscow previously expressed concern that US airstrikes may target not only the Islamic State, but also government forces loyal to President Assad.

In a telephone conversation with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that airstrikes on terrorist targets in Syria should not be carried out without the consent of the Syrian government.

An act of war committed against Syria from the south

Israel shot down Syrian aircraft over Israeli-controlled airspace


A Soviet-made MiG-21 of the Syrian Air Force. (foroaviones.com)


RT,
23 September, 2014

An Israeli Patriot missile shot down a Syrian aircraft that flew into Israeli-controlled airspace on Tuesday, Reuters reported, citing the military.

Moments ago a Syrian aircraft infiltrated Israeli airspace. The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) intercepted the aircraft in mid-flight, using the Patriot air defense system,” a military statement said. The type of plane was not disclosed.

Moment ago, a Syrian aircraft infiltrated Israeli airspace. IDF's Patriot air defense system intercepted the aircraft.

Israeli media are claiming that the downed aircraft was a Soviet-built MiG-21fighter jet.

Syrian state TV has confirmed that country's aircraft was downed by the Israeli Air Force.

Images have emerged reportedly showing two pilots ejecting from the shot plane.
View image on Twitter
Two Syrian pilots eject from their plane which was shot down by Israel.

In August, when a drone from Syria intruded into Israeli airspace, the Israeli Air Force shot it down with a Patriot surface-to-air missile.



The IDF will not tolerate a breach of the State of Israel’s sovereignty,” the army said.


The area of Quneitra has become a major battlefield of the Syrian conflict in recent weeks, where fighting between the Syrian Army and the Al-Nusra Front militants linked to al-Qaida is raging.



On Monday, the US-led coalition launched airstrikes against Islamic State militants in Syria. The anti-ISIS coalition is using various military aircraft to pound the IS militants: F-16 and F-18 fighter jets, Rockwell B-1 strategic bombers, MQ-1 Predator drones and Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles

US pushes own agenda while fighting terror’

Russian President and UN Secretary General in a telephone call have exchanged views on the joint efforts of the international community to fight ISIS. The Russian side stressed that airstrikes on terrorist bases should not be carried out without the consent of the Syrian government.





Meanwhile Kurds are fleeing across the Syrian border into Turkey while the Turkish authorities use tear gas and water cannon against people demonstrating against ISIS

New clashes erupt at Syrian-Turkish border as 130k refugees flee




RT,

22 September, 2014

Clashes have resumed at the Syria-Turkey border, where thousands of Syrian Kurds have been trying to escape from the advance of the Islamic State fighters on their towns.

The turmoil on Monday was filmed by RT’s Ruptly video agency, currently at the scene.



"Tens of thousands of Syrian Kurds have fled through the border which the Turkish government opened on Friday - it's now closed again. There are a few Kurdish families waiting for the last couple of days to get in, in the blazing heat with no food and no water," Ruptly's Lizzie Phelan reported from the site.

"There are also Syrian Kurds and Turkish Kurds [on the Turkish side of the border] who want to go into Syria, because - as they say - they want to form a human shield against an IS advance on Kobani, as there is a lot of fear that if IS do take over Kobani, which is a city of 45,000 people, there will be a renewed exodus," Lizzie Phelan reported.
Turkish authorities briefly closed the border on Sunday, after clashes broke out between security forces and protesters, who had rallied in support of the refugees.
The number of Syrian Kurds who have crossed the border into Turkey over the last several days, escaping from Islamic State fighters, has exceeded 130,000, according to the latest estimate by Turkish authorities.
The figure was given by Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus, who believes the number of refugees is likely to grow.
"If ISIL [Now the Islamic State, formerly ISIS/ISIL] attacks continue in the Kobane region, Turkey may face an intensive influx," Kurtulmus told reporters in Ankara, according to AFP.
"The border is not being closed to refugees per se, it is being managed. This is to ensure the civilian nature of asylum," Ariane Rummery, Senior Communications Officer of the UN Refugee Agency, told RT. She added that the "management" is a three-stage process, including a security screening, a health screening "where people can get vaccinations," and a registration process.
"I think it's very important that the international community share the burden and give any support they can to the hosting communities. We have to remember that comparatively small numbers of refugees do move further afield to Europe and so on, so we need open borders all around in Europe and not just in the neighboring countries," Rummery told RT, adding that it's not just Turkey that needs help, but also Lebanon and Jordan.
The extremist group launched an offensive on Kurd-populated areas of northern Syria on Tuesday, forcing thousands of residents to flee their homes. The Islamic State has captured at least 64 villages around the border city of Ayn al-Arab, or Kobani in Kurdish, which is home to one of the largest Kurdish communities in Syria.

View image on Twitter
on Turkish border with . The birth of a barricade
On Sunday, protesters at the border accused Ankara of helping create the problem of the Islamic State in the first place, by backing Syrian rebels against President Assad.
Political analyst Caleb Maupin also believes Ankara should share responsibility for the current refugee crisis. 

“The fact that Turkey has allowed these extremists, which are seeking to destabilize Syria to set up bases in Turkey and go over the border to carry out their attacks in Syria... it’s going to come back to haunt them. If you support these kinds of elements they will eventually turn on you,” Maupin told RT.
The Turkish border with Syria has been reopened, but only at one point, near the town of Mursitpinar, according to Turkey's emergencies directorate, the AFAD.
View image on Twitter
Tear gas canisters scattered along border with . regular clashes due to fleeing being denied entry
"A single point has been opened for displaced Syrians, so that we can do identity control and give first aid, vaccinating people if necessary," an AFAD official said, according to AFP.
The UN refugee agency, the UNHCR, warned on Saturday that the total number of refugees might eventually be estimated in the hundreds of thousands.


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