Middle East

‘America’s Schizophrenic policy in Syria: fighting the force that fights terrorists’
US foreign policy in Syria is schizophrenic and opportunist as they are combating the Assad government, which has done the bulk of the fighting against Islamic State and the terrorists in general, Brian Becker, from the anti-war ANSWER Coalition told RT. [...]
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Gutsy German shepherd saves SAS lives when troops were ambushed by ISIS in northern Iraq
A HEROIC German shepherd has reportedly saved the lives of a group of SAS fighters facing off against ISIS in Iraq. The Special Forces team were ambushed by a group of ISIS fighters when the Alsatian attacked two jihadis. The furry fighter escaped the battle unhurt and has been hailed a hero by troops after saving the British team’s lives. [...]
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The Danger of Demonization
As the West is sucked deeper into the Syrian conflict and starts a new Cold War with Russia, the mainstream news media has collapsed as a vehicle for reliable information, creating a danger for the world, writes Robert Parry. Does any intelligent person look at a New York Times article about Russia or Vladimir Putin these days and expect to read an objective, balanced account? [...]
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Deal or no deal? Either way, Merkel sacrificed Europe to Erdogan’s whims
Angela Merkel isn’t having a good year. In trying to deal with the refugee crisis plaguing Europe in a manner that pleases and appeases everyone, the German chancellor has sacrificed Europe to the whims of an increasingly despotic Turkish leader. [...]
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A Gift of Culture to Battered Palmyra
In an extraordinary act of culture and courage, a Russian orchestra performed in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra recently liberated from the Islamic State, but Western media mocked the event, notes Gilbert Doctorow. Even those with a limited knowledge of Russia may be credited with having heard of St. Petersburg being called the Venice of the North. [...]
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The Quagmires in Syria and Ukraine Can End Tomorrow, but There’s a Catch
Independent French political analyst Thierry Meyssan lays out what he believes is the real reason behind the destabilization of Syria and Ukraine, and how the horrific bleeding wounds can finally be stopped. In his analysis, published in the foreign affairs analysis website Voltaire Network, Meyssan laments that in spite of the assistance which Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah have provided to Syria [...]
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Turkey will send migrants back to EU if visa-free deal fails – Erdogan party’s MP
Ankara will send migrants back to the EU if the European Parliament won’t grant visa-free travel to Turkish citizens, warned Burhan Kuzu, a high-ranking deputy for Turkey’s ruling AKP party and former adviser to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.   [...]
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Where does the money come from? Erdogan children’s immeasurable wealth questioned by German Bild
The German newspaper Bild has raised questions as to how Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s children amassed their vast wealth, including one fortune worth tens of millions, when their father only earns some €50 thousand a year as head of state. [...]
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‘The ultimate war crime… is the war of aggression itself’
There is a kind of drip-drip strategy of the Western media to make a correlation in people’s minds between atrocities and the Syrian government, Dan Glazebrook, political writer and journalist, told RT. An air strike on a refugee camp in the Syrian town of Sarmada, which is close to the Turkish border, has left at least 30 people dead and dozens more injured. [...]
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Why Merkel is Letting Erdogan “Make Fool of Her”
Europe has to make concessions to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan because Brussels has no other option in the light of the ongoing migrant crisis, a French journalist said in an interview with Atlantico. After German comedian Jan Boehmermann in his show mocked Turkish President Recep [...]
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EU Commission backs visa-free travel deal with Turkey
The European Commission has given its support to a visa-free travel deal with Turkey after Ankara threatened to back out of a landmark migration deal. It is proposed to lift visa requirements by the end of June. The decision was confirmed by European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager on Twitter. [...]
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‘Inconsistency & Cowardice’: German activists decry Merkel’s collaboration with ‘despot Erdogan’
Dozens of pro-Kurdish activists alongside members of Germany’s Pirate Party have held a rally outside the Chancellery in Berlin rejecting Angela Merkel’s cooperation with the Turkish President, which they claim made her an accomplice in human rights violations. Gathered outside the seat of the Chancellor, demonstrators wielding Kurdish flags and banners were addressed by Bruno Kramm, the he [...]
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Russia signs contracts worth $950mn to rebuild Syria
Damascus and Moscow have signed nearly a billion dollars worth of agreements to rebuild war-torn Syria, according to the Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi. The two countries intend to develop energy, trade, finance and other sectors of the economy. [...]
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‘It’s tragic US continues series of experiments in Syria’ – ex-UN Assistant Sec-Gen
Barack Obama wants to leave a legacy that shows some sign of a successful presidency. However he continues to experiment in Syria, which may hamper the Geneva peace talks, says Hans-Christof Von Sponeck, former UN Assistant Secretary-General. [...]
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9/11 families hit Obama for ‘siding with Saudi Arabia,’ want secret  report declassified
President Barack Obama is facing increased pressure due to a renewed effort to make a secret Congressional report public that may describe links between Saudi Arabia and the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. Over the past week, families of 9/11 victims have criticized President Obama because [...]
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UN Considers Golan Heights Illegally Annexed – de Mistura
The official UN answer to the Golan Heights issue is outlined in Security Council resolutions that make clear that the area is illegally annexed, UN's Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said Monday. Earlier in the day, head of the Syrian government delegation at the Geneva talks Bashar Jaafari strongly criticized Israel for holding an unprecedented cabinet meeting in the Golan Heights. [...]
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Bernie Sanders: US “Can’t Be Blackmailed” by Saudi Arabia
The Saudi Arabian government has threatened to sell of hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of American assets should Congress pass a bi-partisan bill led by US Senator Chuck Schumer that could hold the kingdom responsible for any role in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, The New York Times reported Friday. [...]
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Barack, Hillary and the Libya Crime
It took two warmongering politicians to unleash the “shit storm” that the U.S. created in Libya: Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Yet, Clinton, the number two player in the aggression, takes all the weight, while Obama acts as if he was nowhere near the scene of the war crime. Obama takes no responsibility for the terror he has loosed on Africa. “Boko Haram’s strength and ability to te [...]
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The ‘Credibility’ Illusion
The Obama administration protects its “credibility” by refusing to budge on its claims about the 2013 Syria-sarin case or the 2014 plane shoot-down in eastern Ukraine even as the evidence shifts, writes Robert Parry. What surprised me most about the Iraq War wasn’t how wrong the expectation of happy Iraqis showering American troops with flowers was or even how badly the war would turn out [...]
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