EU backs Islamic terrorists in Syria. The slaughter of civilians, mainly Alawites loyal to the former Syrian president Bashar al Assad and others that are Christian, is a wake-up call for America, writes Martin Jay.
The slaughter of civilians, mainly Alawites loyal to the former Syrian president Bashar al Assad, is a wake-up call for America and all eyes will now be on Trump as to see whether he supports heinous killing by HTS fighters – and therefore supports Netanyahu – or whether he sees the importance of reigning in this group and its barbarous style of governance.
As he and his officials watch the hideous video clips of entire families being slaughtered the irony of his own legacy in Syria and Iraq will not be lost on him and many will say the real cause of blowback here is inconsistent U.S. foreign policy in the region. The very ISIS fighters that Trump was killing with U.S. troops in January of 2017 when he took office, are the same people who are now running Syria and are apparently allies.
Of course, many will hastily point to the Biden administration and wave the finger at the eleventh hour decision for the HTS group to be given the cash to advance on Damascus and overthrow Assad. Was it a decision taken entirely by Netanyahu or did he consult Biden? Did Trump know anything about it at all?
What is clearer is that America’s history of backing terror groups comes with a heavy cost as there is no mistake now that the HTS cannot ‘reform’ into the required vision of a ‘moderate’ Islamic government which the West can do business with.
In the early 90s George H. W. Bush invited Taliban officials to come and visit the U.S. as part of a way of getting to know them, so that they would sign off on a massive gas pipeline deal stretching the entire width of the country and bringing trillions of dollars to the Californian energy group behind it. They turned up, of course, in their traditional attire and drank tea and mooched with Bush and his cabal. The deal was never signed as they would not budge on their extortionate demand of a 100m dollars per year just to protect the pipeline, once built. At that time, the Taliban were stoning to death women and carrying out the most barbaric practices. None of this seemed to have any bearing on the deal or whether a U.S. administration could get along with them or not.
But these extremists had something. They had cards, as Trump likes to say. In the case of the present Syrian regime it is hard to see what they have to offer the Trump administration, however, to adapt to whatever the vision is of a reformed terror group turned government. They have Israel on their side, as well as the EU, which made the most preposterous statement following the atrocities which largely blamed the Alawites of starting the attacks on the HTS henchmen. And so, without minerals or oil, in the greater part of Syria which they control, they will have to lean heavily on the political support of both Netanyahu and EU officials as they face Trump’s reaction in the coming days which is unlikely to be complimentary. The defiance of the EU, which we’ve seen with Ukraine, looks as though it will be repeated as it has already indicated that it is investing longer term with the HTS government, perhaps indicating that Israel’s lobby cash and power has penetrated the power annals of Brussels deeper than what was previously believed.
For Israel, it suits the hardliners and Netanyahu perfectly well that Joulani and his henchmen carry out such barbarism. It reinforces the clichés it wishes to cultivate to stir hatred among ignorant Americans and gives an extra veneer to its jubilance of what it perceives to be defeating the axis of resistance all the way to Tehran.
The huge question now is really about the relationship between Trump and Netanyahu which analysts struggle with, especially following social media posts which Trump made after a few days in office which suggested that he was unhappy with the Israeli leader and his desire for war with Iran. Does Netanyahu need to be put in line? Trump may well think that arming to the teeth the Kurds in the North and allowing a civil war to unfold against the HTS could be leverage over the Israeli leader whose days in office are numbered in any case. Alternatively, he could come down harder on the HTS and its bearded leader and send U.S. troops to Syria as part of program which keeps them there as peacekeepers, to police the savages – a similar mentality seen in Iraq. For some, this might seem like fighting fire with gasoline, as, after all, it was another failure on the part of the Obama administration to govern Iraq which led to the creation of the very terror group which is in power today in Damascus. The problem of course is that if you fight such terror groups head on, you’re feeding the axis of resistance which is the greater enemy. Tough call for Trump.
EU backs Islamic terrorists in Syria
Drago Bosnic, independent geopolitical and military analyst
Ever since the NATO-backed terrorist takeover of Syria, the situation in the country has been a total disaster. The Islamic radicals have been conducting extremist policies that strip minorities of virtually any rights. Many analysts (myself included) have predicted that the real Syrian Civil War is only starting and that the previous one was a crawling NATO aggression against sovereign Syria. With the fall of Assad, the country was turned into a (neo)colony of NATO and its allies in the region. Any semblance of a civilized society came crashing down as various foreign-backed terrorist groups took power.
It wouldn’t be long before they started a genocidal campaign against minorities, particularly the native Christians and Alawites. These groups were treated well under Assad (himself being an Alawite) and were loyal to his government. This makes them top priority targets under the Islamic terrorist regime.
In the last several days, the war crimes committed by these radicals came under the spotlight as they published videos of gruesome atrocities against civilians (including women, children and the elderly). The footage of these monstrous massacres is not for the faint of heart (here, here, here, here and here). Minorities in western Syria have taken up arms to defend their homes and families, as the terrorist al-Sharaa regime keeps sending its forces to eradicate Christians and Alawites.
Now, you’d expect there at least wouldn’t be open support for the Islamic radicals, but that’s precisely what’s happening now. Namely, despite being faced with numerous issues at home the pathetically impotent European Union somehow found the time to “strongly condemn the recent attacks, reportedly by pro-Assad elements, on interim government forces in the coastal areas of Syria and all violence against civilians”.
Yes, you read that right. Brussels is criticizing Christians and Alawites for defending themselves while supporting the barbaric actions of the terrorist regime. Despite being fully aware of what’s going on, the EU also called for “civilians to be protected in all circumstances in full respect of international humanitarian law. The rest of the statement reads that “the EU also calls on all external actors to fully respect the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of Syria” and “condemns any attempts to undermine stability and the prospects for a lasting peaceful transition, inclusive and respectful of all Syrians in their diversity”.
This sounds like the troubled bloc is laughing in the face of the victims, not to mention the “respect for the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of Syria” that has been regularly violated precisely by the EU/NATO that has kept the country under siege for nearly a decade and a half.
All this is happening while the Islamic radicals are publicly bragging about their war crimes and posting images and videos on social media. In the meantime, the Russian military is doing everything it can to save as many civilians as possible. Namely, the Khmeimim airbase took in thousands of civilians fleeing from near-certain death (reportedly at least 7,000 people). Prominent journalists such as Tucker Carlson have been warning about the NATO-backed terrorists for years, pointing out that the Assad government was protecting ancient Christian communities in the country for decades.
Expectedly, he was regularly denigrated as an “Assad apologist” because of this, but his concerns for the safety of minorities in Syria after the terrorist takeover turned out to be completely valid. On the other hand, the mainstream propaganda machine is still trying its best to whitewash these NATO-backed Islamic radicals.
This is particularly true for the likes of rabidly pro-terrorist media such as Al Jazeera. Meanwhile, the terrorist al-Sharaa regime realized that posting videos of these massacres is “bad PR”, so they now advise their Islamic radicals to “refrain from posting such footage”. On the other hand, the reaction of some other countries to all this is quite unexpected. Namely, the US, one of the principal backers of numerous terrorist and extremist groups around the world, actually condemned the atrocities by these NATO-backed Islamic radicals.
Syrian forces slaughter minorities
State of the Union: Mass violence erupted Thursday and continued into the weekend. By Andrew Day.
Syrian security forces are slaughtering Alawites, an ethnic minority, according to human rights monitors. The death toll is rising, with the Associated Press reporting early Saturday evening that more than 1,000 had died, including 745 civilians, 148 Alawite militants, and 125 government security forces.
The violence erupted Thursday, when apparent loyalists of Bashar al-Assad, the ousted Syrian leader, attacked a checkpoint in northwestern Syria run by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a rebel group that spearheaded an uprising in December and has sought to consolidate rule over the country.
Gabbard has been accused of being an Assad apologist. In a famous 2019 exchange on Joe Rogan’s podcast, commentator Bari Weiss called Gabbard an “Assad toady,” though she admitted not knowing the word’s meaning.
During the rebel uprising in December, then-President-elect Donald Trump shared his views on the development in a post on Truth Social. “THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!” Trump wrote.
Original article: The American Conservative
Displaced Syrians find refuge at Russian base (VIDEOS)
Hundreds of civilians have taken refuge at Russia’s Khmeimim airbase in western Syria, seeking safety from violent clashes that erupted last week, several videos obtained by RT show.
According to the footage, hundreds of displaced people, including women and children, are sheltering inside buildings and in open areas.
More than 1,300 people were killed in Syria in the three days up to and including Sunday, with at least 973 civilians among them, according to news reports. The country’s coastal region, home to a majority belonging to the Alawite sect, has been gripped by violence since Wednesday after an armed rebellion broke out, in which groups described in Western media as loyal to former President Bashar Assad clashed with militias allied with the new Syrian government.
Earlier on Monday, the country’s Defense Ministry announced the completion of a “military operation,” Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper wrote, citing defense ministry spokesperson Hassan Abdul Ghany.
As the fighting escalated, civilians were allowed to enter Khmeimim base. According to RT sources, the Russian military has set up tents, a field kitchen, and a medical center.
Syria’s new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, AKA Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, blamed pro-Assad factions backed by foreign allies for inciting the violence. He promised to punish those responsible, including his own allies if necessary, in an interview with Reuters published on Monday. “We fought to defend the oppressed, and we won’t accept that any blood be shed unjustly, or goes without punishment or accountability, even among those closest to us,” al-Sharaa added.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow is concerned about the surge in violence in Syria, but declined to comment on claims that civilians had sought shelter at the Russian military facility.
Despite granting Assad asylum after his government was overthrown in December, Russia has maintained diplomatic engagement with Syria’s new leadership, especially with Khmeimim Air Base and a logistical support center in Tartus still operating. Russian President Vladimir Putin has reiterated support for Syria’s territorial integrity and provided military and economic aid as the country continues its transitional period.
Commenting on relations with Russia during the same Reuters interview on Monday, al-Sharaa said that the new authorities “do not want a rift with Russia,” but neither do they want “its presence in Syria to pose a threat to any country.”
An Al Qaeda genocide in Syria and the West is silent – Vanessa Beeley
As the massacres of ethnic minorities continues in Syria, the so-called international community is not only silent but endorsing the Al Qaeda slaughter of men, women and children described as “regime remnants”. We all have a responsibility to do everything in our power to hold our regimes and media criminals accountable, they all have blood on their hands for legitimising the Jolani Takfiri project that is now shedding Syrian blood across the land.
Image on the podcast:
The Damascus-born Sunni Sheikh, Abdul Rahman Ali Al-Dula’, was brutally murdered for condemning the Alawite genocide in Syria.
His humanitarian stance was unforgivable to them. Terrorist militias stormed his home, subjected him to humiliation and brutal torture, and then executed him in front of his children.
Massacres in Syria escalate, Vanessa Sevidova
On March 6-7, videos of violence in an around Latakia emerged, showing armed men patrolling the streets in pickup trucks, as well as other more disturbing scenes. This is the deadliest flare-up of the situation in Syria since the coup in December.
Latest news from Syria
In his first public statement since the fighting from March 8, a pre-recorded speech, interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa said that government forces will “continue to pursue the remnants of the fallen regime”. He called on ‘Assad-loyalists’ to lay down their arms “before it is too late”.
Rudaw reported on March 8 that at least 340 field executions of Alawites have already been documented since the beginning of clashes; 120 total combatant deaths were reported. The number of actual deaths, however, is much larger, estimated at more than 1,000.
The clashes have led to thousands of people, mostly Alawites and Christians, fleeing their homes out of fear for their lives. Several hundreds, mostly women, children and the elderly, have also sought refuge at the Russian Hmeimim military base.
Alawite Muslims make up about around 10% of the current population of Syria and their numbers are mostly focused in the coastal areas of the countries (mainly in the Latakia and Tartous Governorates), however significant numbers also live in Damascus and the Homs and Hama Governorates. Notably, Bashar al-Assad is from al-Qardaha, a town in the mountains of the Latakia Governorate with a primarily Alawite population.
Sectarian violence comes as no surprise
Considering Ahmed al-Sharaa’s past (nom de guerre Muhammad al-Jolani) and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham*, which grew out of Jabhat al-Nusra*, which in turn spawned from al-Qa’eda*, the continuous persecution of minorities (this is, first and foremost, Alawites, Christians and Druze) in Syria comes as no surprise. During the war in Syria (i.e. since 2011), large-scale persecution of Christians and Alawites by Sunni radicals was reported and documented, including execution, torture, sexual slavery, destruction of holy sites etc. The most notorious perpetrators of this violence during the war were Jabhat al-Nusra* and ISIL*. Let me remind the reader that the current interim president of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, was previously the leader (the emir) of Jabhat al-Nusra* (he joined al-Qa’eda* in Iraq before the US invasion and created Jabhat al-Nusra* around 2012 with support from al-Qa’eda*). The fact that his beard has been trimmed, and his military uniform replaced by a suit does not erase this preposterous fact.
Following the coup, there have been multiple waves of dissatisfaction within Syria, protesting, both physically and online, division among sectarian lines. One such example was a video of a Christmas tree being burned. This video was quickly circulated around the internet and led to heavy criticism, an eruption of protests and fears of persecution of Christians and other minorities. There have since been debates as to the facts of the story and what exactly happened, however one thing is certain: one short video was enough to ignite deep fears of persecution and discrimination of minorities in Syria. There have also been multiple videos of churches being looted.
Many sources, including Al Jazeera, The Guardian and CNN, reported that the clashes are going on between pro-Assad loyalists and regime security forces. Although this is probably partially true, it is more than a stretch to call all of the representatives of one side ‘pro-Assad loyalists’, especially considering the fact of collective discrimination against an entire group as a prominent feature of Syrian history, as well as the high number of young civilians murdered. It is no secret that Alawites are a minority in Syria; in addition to this, they are also currently being stigmatised in their entirety for their connection to Hafez and Bashar al-Assad, which surrounded themselves with a significant number of Alawites.
It is also likely that it was not exclusively regime security forces that participated in the clashes. Considering the multitude of state and non-state armed actors active in Syria since 2011, Syrians have become used to ‘taking matters into their own hands’ at times. Many Sunnis strongly support Ahmed al-Sharaa and prejudice against Alawites, to some degree or other, is to be expected.
Christians in the Middle East: an often-forgotten group
The discrimination against and, furthermore, mass emigration of Christians from Syria and other Middle Eastern countries is a massive and largely underreported issue. The emigration rates for Christians, in comparison with other groups in the Levant, are disproportionately high, a trend that has been seen for several decades (more than a century, rather). There are many reasons for this, including various forms of persecution (including ethnic cleansing) and discrimination on a religious basis, which is only exasperated by conflict. There are currently significant Arab Christian diasporas in the United States, Canada and Europe. As an example: before the outbreak of hostilities in Syria in 2011, the estimated number of Christians was 1.5-2 million (approximately 10% of the total population). By 2020, their number had dropped to about 450,000, with most having fled to North America and Europe. It difficult to produce an exact number, but it could currently be as low as 300,000.
Calling the current massacre – and it is exactly that, a massacre – of Alawites and Christians a ‘brave operation to root out anti-regime saboteurs’ is outrageous.
To state the obvious, the Middle East is the birthplace of Christianity, which emerged more than 600 years before Islam; before the Islamic invasions and conquests, the majority of the Middle Eastern population (Copts, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Armenians, Nubians, Arameans etc.) was Christian. Somehow this fact is seemingly forgotten in the context of Christian persecution and the anti-Christian rhetoric of certain radical groups. There are some places in the Middle East where different religions and confessions co-exist, for example Lebanon. This balance, however, is extremely fragile – one only has to recall how different groups slaughtered each other during the civil war in the country (1975-1990). Such things are not easily forgotten and continue to plague new generations. Ethno-confessional issues are, unfortunately, always central to the Levant and must be carefully studied (instead of limiting oneself to the weak justification of blaming everything on the confrontation between Sunnis and Shia’s).
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In conclusion, let me point out the irony of the current situation: the new Syrian authorities, which have never missed a chance to criticise and blame Bashar al-Assad for disproportionate use of violence against civilians, including the government’s harsh response of cracking down on protests at the beginning of the so-called ‘Arab Spring’ in 2011-2012, are acting in the exact same matter. The hypocrisy is glaring.
* Organisation banned in the Russian Federation