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Why Is The U.S. Still In Syria?
Townhall.com ^ | September 21, 2016 | Rachel Marsden

Posted on 09/21/2016 11:22:30 AM PDT by Kaslin

PARIS -- Just days after the U.S. and Russia agreed to a cease-fire in Syria to suspend bombing of anything except Islamic State targets, American-led airstrikes bombed the army of the sovereign nation of Syria -- a nation at war with ISIS on its own soil -- killing 62 soldiers and injuring 100 more, according to Russian authorities.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the Islamic State launched an attack as soon as the Syrian Army was bombed.

"Immediately after the airstrike by coalition planes, Islamic State militants launched their offensive," Russian General Igor Konashenkov said.

The Islamic State must have been pleasantly surprised to learn that it effectively had an air force.

U.S. Central Command released a statement acknowledging the strike.

"Coalition forces believed they were striking (an Islamic State) fighting position that they had been tracking for a significant amount of time before the strike," said the statement. "The coalition airstrike was 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."

Syrian officials weren't exactly placated by the American non-apology, deciding that the strike signaled the end of the cease-fire imposed on them in their own country, and promptly resuming bombardment of the so-called "Syrian rebels" trained, armed and funded by the West and its allies.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's reaction to Syria's self-defense was to whine to the United Nations about Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

"The important thing is the Russians need to control Assad, who evidently is indiscriminately bombing, including of humanitarian convoys."

So we're going to play the humanitarian card again, are we, Mr. Kerry? It's like, "Hey, sorry that we bombed you and killed your soldiers. We obviously didn't mean it. After all, we'd just agreed to a cease-fire. Stop defending yourselves and relax so we can get you some Band-Aids and granola bars now, OK?"

Whenever you hear about a humanitarian mission in the context of an active war zone, be wary of a shady agenda lurking behind it. Many of today's terrorist cesspools in the Middle East and North Africa became so under humanitarian pretexts. It's really the only pretext under which you can sell a war these days.

The Syrian rebel movement was created under the pretext of humanitarianism. That noble gesture has translated into more than $1.2 billion in Defense and State Department budget appropriations since 2015. That's a lot of Pop-Tarts!

A great deal of that money was budgeted for the "Syria Train and Equip Fund," which, according to a Defense Department report, includes Russian weapons such as AK-47s and DShK machine guns. The report specifically states: "This is a transition from U.S. weapons to FSB (Russian Federal Security Service weapons)."

It's an interesting way to fill the Middle East with weapons while still being able to claim that you didn't leave any U.S. weapons behind -- much like U.S. President Barack Obama was able to brag in the aftermath of the Libyan military intervention that victory came without having to set any U.S. "boots on the ground."

Does "humanitarian" action include the $400 monthly stipend paid to foreign fighters in Syria trained by the U.S. military? With $6 million set aside for these stipends in 2017, that adds up to 1,250 U.S.-trained foreign fighters.

Gulmurod Khalimov, a former police commander from Tajikistan, participated in several counterterrorism training courses -- some of them conducted in the United States -- as part of the State Department's Diplomatic Security/Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program. The State Department now acknowledges that Khalimov has defected to ISIS. How many more will there be like him?

The Defense Department report takes pains to refer to the Syrian rebels as the "VSR" -- Vetted Syrian Rebels. It's probably fair to question the terrorist-vetting capacity of the U.S. government.

U.S. authorities didn't do such a great job of vetting Ahmad Khan Rahami, suspected of planting pipe bombs and pressure cooker bombs that detonated in New York City and New Jersey last weekend. A naturalized U.S. citizen from Afghanistan, Rahami reportedly made several trips to terrorist strongholds in Pakistan and Afghanistan in recent years but was nonetheless able to skirt the radar of U.S. intelligence services.

Unless the goal is to actually perpetuate the Islamic State, then it's time for the U.S. to cut its losses in Syria and let Russia mop up this mess.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Syria
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1 posted on 09/21/2016 11:22:30 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

To make sure there is NO PEACE so Obama can keep the Muslims flowing


2 posted on 09/21/2016 11:23:39 AM PDT by butlerweave
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To: Kaslin

The ONLY legitimate reason to be there is to engage terrorists far from American shores so they don’t come over here with their BS.

Since obama is importing them to the US in droves, the reason is nullified.

It’s just another in an infinitely long list of obama failures and stupidities.


3 posted on 09/21/2016 11:29:33 AM PDT by Jack Hammer
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To: Kaslin

“Unless the goal is to actually perpetuate the Islamic State, then it’s time for the U.S. to cut its losses in Syria and let Russia mop up this mess.”...

“I don’t want to kill you. What would I do without you? Go back to ripping off mob dealers? No. No. No! No you- you complete me”. - The Joker to Batman

Could just as easily be certain factions in the US Gov talking to ISIS.

Without constantly fueling the fire to increase the danger of terrorism, there is less justification to disarm the American people and impose a police state through the likes of the Patriot Act and other laws & Executive orders.


4 posted on 09/21/2016 11:30:10 AM PDT by baltimorepoet
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To: Kaslin

“Unless the goal is to actually perpetuate the Islamic State, then it’s time for the U.S. to cut its losses in Syria and let Russia mop up this mess.”...

“I don’t want to kill you. What would I do without you? Go back to ripping off mob dealers? No. No. No! No you- you complete me”. - The Joker to Batman

Could just as easily be certain factions in the US Gov talking to ISIS.

Without constantly fueling the fire to increase the danger of terrorism, there is less justification to disarm the American people and impose a police state through the likes of the Patriot Act and other laws & Executive orders.


5 posted on 09/21/2016 11:30:10 AM PDT by baltimorepoet
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To: Kaslin

“Unless the goal is to actually perpetuate the Islamic State, then it’s time for the U.S. to cut its losses in Syria and let Russia mop up this mess.”...

“I don’t want to kill you. What would I do without you? Go back to ripping off mob dealers? No. No. No! No you- you complete me”. - The Joker to Batman

Could just as easily be certain factions in the US Gov talking to ISIS.

Without constantly fueling the fire to increase the danger of terrorism, there is less justification to disarm the American people and impose a police state through the likes of the Patriot Act and other laws & Executive orders.


6 posted on 09/21/2016 11:30:10 AM PDT by baltimorepoet
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To: Kaslin

The Islamic fundamentalists have not yet won control of the Syrian government. Therefore, Obama’s work is not yet done. Therefore, the US troops are still needed to train and support ISIS.


7 posted on 09/21/2016 11:31:13 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy (Abortion is what slavery was: immoral but not illegal. Not yet.)
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To: Kaslin

Crucial post, Kaslin!

See related article from perspective of SpecOps forces in Syria carrying out Obola’s: Mission Boomerang.

http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3471902/posts


8 posted on 09/21/2016 11:32:26 AM PDT by MarchonDC09122009 (When is our next march on DC? When have we had enough?)
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To: Kaslin
Obama: peaceJihad in our time.
9 posted on 09/21/2016 11:33:48 AM PDT by Lent
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To: Kaslin
(Abbot & Costello...who's on first..)
10 posted on 09/21/2016 11:33:54 AM PDT by yoe
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To: Kaslin

We are there to advance a neocon goal that we have pursued since 2006, the overthrow of Assad. We have shaped the battlefield... created, funded, trained and equipped an opposing force.
That is our -only- goal in Syria, to remove Assad and replace him with a Sunni government approved of by the Saudis and Gulf States.

Nothing we are doing there has the slightest thing to do with terrorism.


11 posted on 09/21/2016 11:34:18 AM PDT by DesertRhino (Dogs are man's best friend, and moslems hate dogs. Add that up....)
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To: baltimorepoet

Now if only we had a press with the integrity to repeatedly shout what you said:

“Without constantly fueling the fire to increase the danger of terrorism, there is less justification to disarm the American people and impose a police state through the likes of the Patriot Act and other laws & Executive orders.”

Pure evil Machiavelism


12 posted on 09/21/2016 11:36:26 AM PDT by MarchonDC09122009 (When is our next march on DC? When have we had enough?)
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To: Kaslin

In Syria, the USA has become the threat to world peace. Everything is correctly laid right at our feet. ISIS, the refugee flood into Europe and here, an extremely dangerous flashpoint with Russia. Billions of dollars wasted. Chaos in Turkey....

We have caused every bit of it.


13 posted on 09/21/2016 11:37:31 AM PDT by DesertRhino (Dogs are man's best friend, and moslems hate dogs. Add that up....)
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To: Kaslin

I don recall congress declaring war against Syria in the first place ( or Libya or Egypt or Somalia or any of obsma’s other invasions or bombings )


14 posted on 09/21/2016 11:38:21 AM PDT by faithhopecharity ("Politicians are not born. They're excreted." Marcus Tullius Cicero.)
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To: DesertRhino
Everything is correctly laid right at our feet.

That's a very provocative statement. It is also very correct. W and Obama (let's not forget W) behaved like bulls in a china shop. Breaking things, knocking things over, causing chaos and confusion. No thought of - or preparation for - possible negative consequences.

And if folks cannot see that you are correct, well then this history will just repeat itself somewhere else, and probably sooner rather than later.

15 posted on 09/21/2016 11:47:42 AM PDT by Leaning Right (Why am I holding this lantern? I am looking for the next Reagan.)
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To: Kaslin
AFAIAC the only bad thing about Assad is he's allied with Iran. If our purpose in trying to overthrow him were to undermine the Iranian regime, then there would at least be a logical excuse for our trying to destroy him. However, that's clearly not our purpose given Obola's lust to copulate with the mullahs in every way possible, including giving them untraceable billions of dollars in hard cash that will be used to promote anti-American terrorism. That means his only logical purpose is go destroy Assad, thereby allowing a totally anti-American ISIS regime to replace him. It's just what he did in Libya and Egypt.
16 posted on 09/21/2016 11:51:43 AM PDT by libstripper (oHillary is willing to risk her own life to protect her secretive nature. She would rather go to her)
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To: Kaslin

Training Muslims to behave like what we consider “good guys” is like training diamond back ratlers to behave like mice. They are what they are. Period.


17 posted on 09/21/2016 11:53:27 AM PDT by Gen.Blather (`)
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To: Kaslin

The original idea was to be the Saudis’ hired mercenaries to subdue Syria so the Saudis could build a pipeline across Syria. The Russians ended that idea by being better than Obama at this kind of Realpolitik. Now, the idea is to keep the jihadi rebels viable to fight another day and import New Democrat supporters.


18 posted on 09/21/2016 11:57:40 AM PDT by Scott from the Left Coast (I'm deplorable)
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To: Kaslin

“Unless the goal is to actually perpetuate the Islamic State, then it’s time for the U.S. to cut its losses in Syria and let Russia mop up this mess.”

But that is precisely the immediate goal. Intermediate goal is to use these Moslem proxies to topple the secular and relatively tolerant government of Assad.


19 posted on 09/21/2016 12:00:02 PM PDT by Psalm 144 (One party feigns virtue, the other flaunts its corruption. May God reward both as they deserve.)
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To: Kaslin


20 posted on 09/21/2016 12:22:15 PM PDT by Dogbert41 (All the days of my life were written in your book before there was one of them!)
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