By Brandon Turbeville
Source: Activist Post
If there was ever any doubt that the United States was supporting and protecting the most feared terrorist organization in the world, that doubt is now erased as a result of the recent U.S. strike on Syrian military forces in Deir al-Zour on Saturday.

The attack took place as a battle between the Syrian military and ISIS forces was raging in Deir al-Zour when the United States swooped in with air strikes against Syrian military forces killing “dozens” of Syrian soldiers, allowing ISIS to advance. Some outlets put the death toll as high as 80 while others suggest 62 soldiers were killed.

The United States claims that it did not knowingly strike the Syrian military and that it confused the SAA with ISIS fighters. However, illegal violations of Syrian national sovereignty aside, claims that the United States could not decipher SAA forces from ISIS forces is hardly plausible since the former is easily identified by the fact that it is in battle with the latter.

Either the United States is incredibly incompetent or it intentionally targeted the Syrian military in order to act as the ISIS Air Force such as it has been since the terror group’s creation.

This time, the U.S. bombing allowed ISIS to take control of the Thardeh Mountains. As al-Masdar reported at the time:

The U.S.’ airstrikes on the Syrian Arab Army’s positions allowed the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) to capture the strategic Thardeh Mountains that were originally under government control.

According to local activists, the U.S. attacked the Syrian Arab Army’s positions with phosphorous bombs, killing several soldiers and paving the way for the Islamic State to capture the whole area.

The attack was conducted by 4 U.S. warplanes that were flying west from the Iraqi border.

This is the second time this year that the U.S. Air Force has attacked the Syrian Arab Army in the Deir Ezzor Governorate.

Thankfully, the Syrian military via the al-Qassem forces (Special Forces) have managed to recapture a number of areas seized by ISIS by virtue of the U.S. intervention.

The U.S. is now claiming that it halted its strikes against the Syrian military after the Russians informed them of the SAA presence. The U.S. reiterated that it would not knowingly strike the Syrian military (despite the fact that it has done so before).

The BBC reported:

The US Central Command statement said the coalition believed it was attacking positions of so-called Islamic State and the raids were “halted immediately when coalition officials were informed by Russian officials that it was possible the personnel and vehicles targeted were part of the Syrian military”.

It said the “Combined Air Operations Center had earlier informed Russian counterparts of the upcoming strike”.

It added:

Syria is a complex situation with various military forces and militias in close proximity, but coalition forces would not intentionally strike a known Syrian military unit. The coalition will review this strike and the circumstances surrounding it to see if any lessons can be learned.

The Russians have stated that, even if the U.S. bombing was an actual error, it would be because the U.S. has refused to cooperate with Russia in terms of reporting military positions.

Russia has officially stated that the U.S. action jeopardizes the ceasefire agreement and is now calling for a United Nations Security Council meeting.

“If the American side does not take the necessary measures to carry out its obligations… a breakdown of the ceasefire will be on the United States,” said Russian General Viktor Poznikhir.

The United States and the so-called moderate groups they control have not met a single obligation they assumed in the framework of the Geneva agreement.

Brandon Turbeville – article archive here – is the author of seven books, Codex Alimentarius — The End of Health Freedom, 7 Real Conspiracies, Five Sense Solutions and Dispatches From a Dissident, volume 1 and volume 2, The Road to Damascus: The Anglo-American Assault on Syria, and The Difference it Makes: 36 Reasons Why Hillary Clinton Should Never Be President. Turbeville has published over 850 articles on a wide variety of subjects including health, economics, government corruption, and civil liberties. Brandon Turbeville’s radio show Truth on The Tracks can be found every Monday night 9 pm EST at UCYTV. His website is BrandonTurbeville.com He is available for radio and TV interviews. Please contact activistpost (at) gmail.com.

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FarsNews
“The army men and the National Defense Forces (NDF), tipped off by the intelligence agents, surrounded the group of the ISIL terrorists carrying suicide-belts and arrested them,” the sources said, adding, “The suicide attackers were mostly between 16-20 age and even one of them was at the age of 13.”

“Three of the suicide bombers exploded their explosives but none of the army men was injured in the blasts,” the sources said.

Earlier reports said that the Syrian Army troops and NDF, who captured al-Rasafeh energy-rich region earlier today, hit ISIL’s positions around the region’s oil and power facilities and captured them after hours of heavy clashes.

The Syrian government forces won the battle against the ISIL in al-Rasafeh triangle and captured oil pumping station and power station in this region.

The Syrian soldiers and NDF moved towards al-Rasafeh crossroad from Ithriya-Raqqa road.

The Syrian army men have cut off the ISIL communication lines in this region and are now hunting the remaining pockets of the Takfiri militants near al-Rasafeh.

By Alexander Mercouris
Source: Sputnik News
The Syrian conflict has seen many media distortions but there is one especially which I must take vigorous issue with.

The news media in the West portrays the recent fighting around Aleppo as a Syrian army attack on Aleppo.

Sometimes there is an admission that the government controls part of Aleppo. However overall the impression given is that Aleppo is a rebel city and that the Syrian government’s army is attacking it.

This often comes with lurid claims of the Syrian airforce terror bombing (“barrel-bombing”) its people — something that has now become part of the standard Western critique of President Assad.

This is an inversion of the truth.

Aleppo was previously Syria’s biggest city and economic capital. Until 2012 it was under the government’s control and reports from the city confirmed its people largely supported the government.

In mid 2012 the Syrian rebels launched their great offensive (“Operation Damascus Volcano”) aimed at overthrowing the government. This included attacks on Syria’s two biggest cities: Damascus and Aleppo.

The attack on Damascus was successfully repelled. In the case of Aleppo the rebels managed to capture a significant part of the city. However around half the city — the half which apparently has the majority of the city’s people — remained under the government’s control.

Aleppo has since been a battlefield between the two sides with many of its historic buildings destroyed.

Over the course of 2015 rebel offensives in Idlib province and in the countryside around Aleppo almost succeeded in cutting off the government controlled part of Aleppo from the rest of the country. The government could only send reinforcements to Aleppo, and supplies for its garrison and people, by air.

Since the Russian military intervened in the conflict the position has reversed.

The Syrian army backed by the Russian airforce first succeeded in reopening the roads to Aleppo.

Over the last few days it has managed to cut the road links to the rebel held section of Aleppo — effectively cutting off the rebels there.

In other words whereas it was the government controlled area of Aleppo which until a few months ago was encircled and besieged, now it is the rebel part.

The Syrian army’s success has been made all the greater because at the start of January the rebels sent reinforcements to Aleppo to resist what they expected would be a government offensive there.

Now those reinforcements, together with the rebel fighters previously in the city, are encircled and trapped.

It would be a misrepresentation to say that all the people in Aleppo support the government and oppose the rebels. However back in 2012 a rebel commander admitted that the majority did.

During the protests in 2011 that preceded the war — which properly began with the rebel offensive that was launched in mid 2012 — Aleppo held largely aloof from the protests — a fact the Western media at the time admitted.

That too suggests that the greater part of the people of Aleppo support the government, or at least do not strongly oppose it.

To say therefore that the Syrian army is attacking Aleppo is to distort the truth.

It is akin to saying that the Red Army in 1943 was attacking Stalingrad because the German army had captured most of it.

A more factual way of describing the fighting around Aleppo is to say that the city and its garrison have successfully withstood a three year siege by the rebels, which is now close to being lifted.

A still better way of putting it would be to say that the Syrian army is not attacking Aleppo but is successfully defending it.