Middle East

‘US managed to betray both Turks and Kurds’
There is nothing to be gained from carrying out the bidding of the US in Syria, and right now Turkey and the Kurds alike are learning this the hard way, independent political analyst Dan Glazebrook told RT. Turkey officially launched a military operation against Kurdish-held enclaves in Syria called operation ‘Olive Branch’ on Saturday, comprising airstrikes and a ground offensive. [...]
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‘It’s about time the US realized it needs to get out of Afghanistan’
The US has no business in Afghanistan but it loves war and could be there for another 17 years, killing hundreds of thousands more people, according to Lew Rockwell, chairman of the Ludwig von Mises Institute. The US State Department confirmed Tuesday that several Americans were among the victims in Saturday's attack on a hotel in the Afghan capital, Kabul, where 22 people died in the overnight si [...]
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Israeli pilots refuse to ‘fly asylum seekers to their death’ amid mass deportation of Africans
Israeli pilots are taking a stand against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s mission to expel tens of thousands of African migrants from the country, publicly declaring they will not “deport refugees to their death.” [...]
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US blames Russia for latest chemical incident in Syria, regardless of who carried it out
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson pointed the finger at Syrian President Bashar Assad for the reported chemical incident in East Ghouta, while ultimately blaming Russia for it, regardless of who actually committed the attack. [...]
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Trump Lacks Power to Keep US Military in Syria After Daesh Defeat – US Senator
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US President Donald Trump does not have the authority to keep military forces in Syria after Daesh is defeated, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ben Cardin said in a statement on Thursday in reaction to a speech given by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. [...]
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Erdogan vows to ‘drown’ US-backed Syrian Border Force before it’s born, labels unit ‘terrorist army’
The Turkish president has called US-backed Syrian Border Force using Kurdish fighters a “terrorist army,” vowing to “drown” it before it’s complete. He also added that military preparations against Kurdish-held Afrin are ready. [...]
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Ahed Tamimi Offers Israelis a Lesson Worthy of Gandhi
Sixteen-year-old Ahed Tamimi may not be what Israelis had in mind when, over many years, they criticised Palestinians for not producing a Mahatma Gandhi or Nelson Mandela. Eventually, colonised peoples bring to the fore a figure best suited to challenge the rotten values at the core of the society oppressing them. Ahed is well qualified for the task. [...]
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Russian Journalists Blow Lid Off Alleged US Terrorist Training Network in Syria
Two Russian Syria-embedded journalists have put together a damning firsthand report on the true purpose of the secrecy-laden US military mission at At-Tanf, southern Syria. The Pentagon was forced to go into full public relations mode late last month amid fresh allegations by the Russian General Staff that US instructors were providing training assistance for some 350 ex-Daesh (ISIS) militant [...]
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Plane hangs horrifyingly close to Black Sea after runway slip (VIDEO, PHOTOS)
A passenger jet with over 160 on board slid off the runway in the Turkish city of Trabzon Saturday night and was left precariously perched atop a cliff edge, saved only by the freezing mud. "All 162 passengers, 2 pilots and 4 cabin crew have been disembarked safely from the aircraft. There has been no loss of life or injury to anyone on-board," [...]
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‘Unacceptable’: Turkey slams US-led coalition’s new Syria ‘border force’ using Kurdish militias
The US-led coalition says it is helping to create a thousands-strong “Border Security Force” in Syria using Kurdish SDF militias. Washington's support, branded “unacceptable” by Ankara, is further straining bilateral ties. [...]
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‘US knows weapons sent to Syrian rebels end up with terrorists’ – German journo to RT
The CIA has been coordinating weapon deliveries on the Turkey-Syria border, German journalist Jurgen Todenhofer, who recently spoke with a Jabhat al-Nusra commander, told RT. He added that the US knows that the weapons it delivers to rebels end up with terrorists. [...]
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US ‘concerned’ that drones used in attacks on Russian bases in Syria available in ‘open market’
The Pentagon said it is “concerned” about weapons falling into terrorists’ hands after Moscow said the drones used in the attacks on Russian bases in Syria could have only been supplied by a “technologically advanced state.” [...]
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Kushner Seems More Into Israeli Business Ties Than Raging Middle East Standoff
More and more Americans are speculating that there may be something behind the Kushner family’s deepening business ties with Israel, especially given that Jared Kushner's father-in-law made the controversial decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem, provoking condemnation among the world's Muslims and violent rage among Palestinians. [...]
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Member of House of Lords Baroness Cox: Russia Has Done Right Thing in Syria
Baroness Cox, a member of the House of Lords, shared her views on the future of Syria, highlighting Russia’s success in “expelling” terrorist groups from the country and giving the Syrian people the right to choose their own future. At the same time in a revealing interview to Sputnik she expressed her concerns (and hopes) with UK policy in Syria. [...]
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Swiss Politician: US Still Cannot Reconcile Itself With Its Failure in Syria
The tough US rhetoric towards Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Russia can be explained by Washington's deep dissatisfaction over its failure in Syria, Guy Mettan, a Swiss politician and president of the Swiss Press Club, told Radio Sputnik, suggesting that the US is trying to hijack Moscow's diplomatic success. [...]
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US Base in al-Tanf Fully Blocked by Syrian Troops
Russian General Staff Chief Army General Valery Gerasimov said that there was movement of militants from the US base in Syria’s At-Tanf, which is currently fully blocked by the Syrian army. “In At-Tanf the area is blocked by the Syrian troops … The most important thing is that we witness movement of militants from there,” Gerasimov said. [...]
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West should boast about its ‘decisive victories’ in Afghanistan, Iraq & Libya, not Syria
Moscow baffled by American and French statements over US-led coalition’s 'decisive role' in defeating Islamic State in Syria. “The defeat of IS in Syria is first of all result of actions by the Syrian leadership and governmental forces,” the ministry said. [...]
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US Reportedly Evacuates Daesh Leaders From Syria’s Deir ez-Zor Again
The new accusations add to the string of charges of alleged US-led coalition cooperation with Daesh (ISIS), contrary to its proclained goal of fighting terrorism in Syria. [...]
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Turkey Slams Austrian Gov’t That is Seeking to Freeze Ankara’s EU Bid
According to the Austrian government’s program, Vienna vows to end Turkey’s EU membership negotiations. Ankara has expressed strong protest over the program of the new Austrian government that has vowed to halt Turkey’s EU accession negotiations, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Sunday. [...]
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Russian Su-30 Jet Pulls Up to Il-76 Transport in Midair, Peeks Inside Open Hatch
A remarkable video has surfaced on the Russian section of YouTube, depicting a Russian Aerospace Forces Su-30SM fighter jet as it approaches and nearly flies into the cargo hold of an Il-76 delivering humanitarian supplies to Syria. [...]
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Journalist reveals how arms experts tracked down illicit US supplies to Iraq ISIS workshop
This is how an EU-funded group of arms experts went to Iraq and Syria to explore Islamic State’s well-oiled manufacturing machine, only to find that the US routinely violated arms control clauses. [...]
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Trump’s Jerusalem Words ‘Last Nail in Coffin’ of Peace Talks in Gaza – NGO
After Trump recognized Wednesday that Jerusalem was Israel’s capital, the situation appeared on edge all across Europe, France being no exception. Hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators took to the streets in Paris on Saturday to decry the scheduled visit of Benjamin Netanyahu, who is set to meet President Macron on Sunday, as well as Trump’s now historic words. [...]
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