Vladimir Putin accuses US of backing terrorism in Middle East

[Kshatriya87]

ABOUT TIME. ONLY PUTIN HAS THE BALLS TO DO THIS.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/22/vladimir-putin-accuses-us-backing-terrorism-middle-east

The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has launched a stinging attack on US policy in the Middle East, accusing Washington of backing terrorism and playing a “double game”.

In a speech on Thursday at the annual gathering of the Valdai Club, a group of Russian and international analysts and politicians, Putin said the US had attempted to use terrorist groups as “a battering ram to overthrow regimes they don’t like”.

He said: “It’s always hard to play a double game – to declare a fight against terrorists but at the same time try to use some of them to move the pieces on the Middle Eastern chessboard in your own favour. There’s no need to play with words and split terrorists into moderate and not moderate. I would like to know what the difference is.”

Western capitals have accused Moscow of targeting moderate rebel groups during its bombing campaign in Syria, which Russia says is mainly aimed at targets linked to Islamic State. However, Putin’s talk of “playing with words” and other statements by government officials suggest Moscow believes all armed opposition to Bashar al-Assad is a legitimate target.

Putin received Assad at the Kremlin on Tuesday, and on Thursday he underlined that he considered the Syrian president and his government to be “fully legitimate”. He said the west was guilty of shortsightedness, focusing on the figure of Assad while ignoring the much greater threat of Isis.

“The so-called Islamic State [Isis] has taken control of a huge territory. How was that possible? Think about it: if Damascus or Baghdad are seized by the terrorist groups, they will be almost the official authorities, and will have a launchpad for global expansion. Is anyone thinking about this or not?”

He added: “Fifty years ago, the streets of Leningrad taught me that if a fight is inevitable, you have to hit first.”

Putin said it was “incorrect” to discuss whether or not Assad should step down, but said there was a need for dialogue.

“As far as I understand from my discussion with Assad, he’s ready for this,” said the Russian leader.

Putin said he asked Assad how he would react if Russia “found armed opposition groups who are really ready to fight terrorists” in Syria and decided to support them. Assad responded positively, according to Putin.

Asked how he saw the future of Syria and whether partition of the country could be an eventual solution, Putin said: “This would be the worst and most unacceptable option, and will not lead to the conflict being solved. It will make it worse and give it a permanent character. If you split the country into different parts they will fight among themselves forever, it will be unavoidable.”

This year the Valdai Club met at a luxury hotel in the mountain resort of Krasnaya Polyana, one of the venues for last year’s Winter Olympics. Putin arrived at the venue in a bright green Lada, part of an effort to promote the domestic car industry. He arrived late, keeping the assembled delegates waiting for nearly two hours before speaking.

A survey released on Thursday suggested that Putin’s approval rating had hit a record high of almost 90%, boosted by the Syrian airstrikes. His rating was 58.8% in January 2012 before a crackdown on opposition and the annexation of Crimea.

“Such a high level of approval for the work of the Russian president is linked, in the first instance, to events in Syria, to Russian airstrikes on terrorist positions there,” said the stat-run polling agency VTsIOM.

On the sidelines of the Valdai Club conference, Russia’s ambassador to the UK, Alexander Yakovenko, said the “only logical way” to explain Britain’s behaviour in Iraq and Syria was a desire that Isis would depose Assad.

“The idea was to remove Assad using force, and to use force to seize Damascus. I don’t believe in conspiracy theories, but this is the only way to explain why de facto neither Britain nor the US has ever properly fought against Isis,” Yakovenko said.

An analysis by Reuters of Russian defence ministry data showed this week that almost 80% of Russia’s declared targets in Syria have been in areas not held by Isis. Yakovenko said he had a meeting at the Foreign Office in London last week in which he asked for intelligence to be shared on the location of Isis targets in Syria, but was rejected. He also asked for information on the Free Syrian Army.

“We are looking closely at the Syrian Free Army. We understand there is not a single command centre, and that some of these divisions have different goals. But if among the FSA there are divisions that are really ready to fight with Isis, who is our main enemy in Syria, and if you think there are people or commanders or other contacts which could be useful and to cooperate with them, we would be grateful for such information,” he said. “We were again rejected.”

 

[lcafanboy]

What's new. It is a known fact that US is the biggest supporter of terrorism. They used terrorism against soviet union in Afghanistan with the help of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and there are several instances where America has used terrorism. But when they get attacked like WTC attack then they start shouting about terrorism.

Actually terrorism sponsored by US is good terrorism and by others it is bad terrorism like they want Assad to go so are supportive of groups who are against Assad but others they call it terrorists. America is big hypocrite and liar. Putin has fucked the shit out of US led groups.

 

[Kshatriya87]

What "New" is, someone is saying this in front of international media. That's what's new.

Sent from my HTC One_E8 dual sim using Tapatalk

 

[spikey360]

You can always bet on Putin saying that which needs to be said.
Today, Putin poses the single biggest challenge to US and therefore Zionist hegemony over the world. This is one man, who is a patriot and will save the nation's honour and interest and any and all costs. Long live a leader like Putin. I thought and hoped that Putin and Modi could and would work together. But seeing how Modi government is shamelessly leaning towards that war monger US, I am embarrassed and to a certain degree ashamed.
If the US thinks that they can do whatever they want and others would do nothing, then they can reliably count Putin out from that group of others. Arrogant USA thinks that China is the second biggest power on Earth, but what they do not understand is that China is a grade A coward, who can't even protect the integrity of its territorial waters. It is Russia and always been Orthodox Christian Russia and the Russians who have what it takes to take on the decadent, war mongering immoral USA.

 

[pmaitra]

US Special Forces deployed as ‘human shields’ to salvage terror assets in Syria

Opinion | Finian Cunningham | RT

Obama’s decision to send Special Forces into Syria is being widely viewed as a US military escalation in the country. The troop dispatch also signals that the US trying to forestall Russian successes in wiping out Washington’s regime-change assets in Syria.

In short, the US Special Forces are being used as “human shields” to curb Russian air strikes against anti-government mercenaries, many of whom are instrumental in Washington’s regime-change objective in Syria.

First of all, we need to view a host of developments, including the hastily convened “peace talks” in Vienna, as a response by the US and its allies to the game-changing military intervention by Russia. That intervention, beginning on September 30, has not only dealt massive blows to militants, it has completely changed the balance of forces to give the Assad government the upper hand in the war against foreign-backed extremists. That, in turn, has sent the US-led powers trying to topple Damascus into disarray.

Recall the scattered reactions from Washington and its allies, including Britain, France, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. At first, Washington tried to rubbish Vladimir Putin’s order to aid his Syrian ally with airstrikes as “doomed to fail”.

Then there were overblown, unverified, claims of civilian casualties from Russian strikes, plus there were American claims that Russian cruise missiles had gone wildly astray, hitting Iran. There was also much angst over Russia striking “moderate rebels” instead of the Islamic State terror network. All such accusations, encouraged with Western media amplification, were designed to undermine Russia’s military operation.

Then there were threats from Saudi Arabia and Qatar that they would launch direct military action in Syria to “protect” the populace from the joint firepower of Assad and Putin. That idea was quickly shelved (one wonders by whom?).

Another seeming knee-jerk response came from Turkey and rightwing politicians and pundits in the US which revived talks about the creation of “safe havens” in northern Syria, ostensibly to protect civilian refugees, but also tacitly and more importantly, to give cover to “rebel” groups from Russian air strikes and Syrian government ground troops.

None of these reactions have gained credibility despite Western media hype. On the contrary, it soon became clear that Russia’s military intervention in Syria was a masterstroke by Putin, wiping out large swathes of the anti-government mercenaries, stabilizing the Assad government, and winning much popular support both within Syria and across the Middle East, and indeed around the world.

Last week, America’s top military official, General Joseph F Dunford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a Senate committee that Russia’s air support had changed everything. “The balance of forces right now are in Assad's advantage,” he said.

This is the context in which to interpret the latest, surprise move by Obama to send Special Forces into Syria. It is more about inhibiting Russian success in destroying the sundry anti-regime forces on the ground than about either “helping the fight against Islamic State” as claimed, or about misgivings of a large-scale American invasion.

The troop contingent that Obama has ordered amounts to 50 Special Forces personnel. That is hardly going to be a decisive blow to Islamic State militants, even if we believe the official rationale for their deployment.

The White House, in its announcement, was at pains to emphasize that the troops would not be in a combat role and would only be acting to “advise and train” Kurdish fighters and others belonging to the little-known Syrian Arab Coalition.

But here is perhaps the significant part of the story. “The move could potentially put the American troops in the cross hairs of Russia,” reports the New York Times. Significantly, too, the Pentagon will not be informing the Russian military of the exact whereabouts of its ground personnel.

That suggests that the real purpose for Obama sending in the troops is to restrict Russian offensive operations by introducing the risk of bombing American forces. In effect, the US Special Forces are being used as human shields to protect American regime-change assets on the ground.

These assets include an array of jihadist mercenary brigades, which the US and its allies have invested billions of dollars in for the objective of regime change in Syria. The misnomer of “moderate rebels” belies abundant evidence that the mercenaries include Al Qaeda-linked terror groups, including Islamic State. CIA supplies of anti-tank TOW missiles as well as Toyota jeeps are just a glimpse of the foreign covert-sponsorship.

Russia’s devastating air campaign over the past month – over 1,600 targets destroyed according to Moscow – has no doubt caused apoplexy in Washington, London, Paris, Ankara, Riyadh and Doha. An urgent stop to their “losses” had to be invoked. But the foreign sponsors can’t say it openly otherwise that gives the game away about their criminal involvement in Syria’s war.


This perspective most likely explains the hastily convened “peace conference” in Vienna. US Secretary of State John Kerry’sapparent concern to “stop the bloodshed” does not seem credible as the primary motive. Why the concern now after nearly five years of bloodshed?

It is not about a “quest for peace” as the BBC reported. The move is more credibly about Washington and its allies maneuvering to give their regime-change assets in Syria a reprieve from Russia’s firepower. One of the main points agreed in Vienna this weekend is the implementation of a “nation-wide ceasefire”.

Another indicator of what is really going on are reports this week of the large-scale airlifting of jihadist mercenary groups out of Syria. According to senior Syrian army intelligence, up to 500 mercenaries were flown to Yemen onboard Turkish, Qatari and Emirati planes. The fighters were brought to Yemen’s southern city of Aden from where they were dispatched to battle zones inside Yemen by the American-coordinated Saudi coalition. The US-Saudi coalition is waging war in Yemen to reinstall the regime of exiled President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi ousted by Houthi rebels earlier this year.

Aden is under the military control of Saudi and Emirati forces and Yemen’s airspace has been closed off by the coalition coordinated by US and British military planners based in Saudi capital Riyadh. It is inconceivable that plane loads of jihadists could be flown into southern Yemen without the knowledge of Washington.

So what we are seeing here is a concerted effort by Washington and its allies to stem their covert military losses in Syria. Sending in American Special Forces – a seemingly dramatic U-turn by Obama to put boots on the ground in Syria – is just one part of a wider effort to forestall Russian success in stabilizing Syria. These US forces are not about a “deepening of American involvement in a war [Obama] has tried to avoid”, as the New York Times would have us believe. They are being sent in to act as human shields against Russian airstrikes.

The putative ceasefire under a so-called peace process is another element of the US-led salvage operation. The real agenda is about giving Western, Turk and Arab-sponsored jihadists a space to regroup, and if needs be flown out of the Syrian theatre to resume their imperialist function in Yemen and, no doubt, elsewhere when required.

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.

 

[spikey360]

@pmaitra Good post. Russian AF is on a spree. For the last two weeks, everyday has seen an escalation of strikes and destruction of millitant targets. The Neocons and the Zionists and their Wahabi and Salafist allies can no longer afford to sit on their hands while Русский (couldn't avoid the temptation!) fire power crushes and humiliates them. So much for puppet Obama's, 'We will degrade and ultimately destroy ISIS'! Haha!
What Russia needs at this point of time is an ally. War is already on for a month now. Bombs are effective, but bombs also cost money. Jet fuel also costs money, but Russia has no dearth of JF. I keep wondering why China (grade A coward, by the way) does not even send a drone into Syria? India should do something now. Your thoughts?

 

[pmaitra]

@pmaitra Good post. Russian AF is on a spree. For the last two weeks, everyday has seen an escalation of strikes and destruction of millitant targets. The Neocons and the Zionists and their Wahabi and Salafist allies can no longer afford to sit on their hands while Русский (couldn't avoid the temptation!) fire power crushes and humiliates them. So much for puppet Obama's, 'We will degrade and ultimately destroy ISIS'! Haha!
What Russia needs at this point of time is an ally. War is already on for a month now. Bombs are effective, but bombs also cost money. Jet fuel also costs money, but Russia has no dearth of JF. I keep wondering why China (grade A coward, by the way) does not even send a drone into Syria? India should do something now. Your thoughts?

• In principle:
  • India should diplomatically support Russia, Iran, and Syria.
  • India should also supply Iran with matériel.
  • India should co-ordinate with PRC and give our mild rebuke for US, Israel, Saudi arabia, and Qatar for supporting terrorism.
• Unfortunately, India cannot take a principled stand, and is forced to keep mum, because:
  • India is not a super-power.
  • India is dependent on US made GE F404.
  • India is dependent on Israel made equipment from Elbit and Rafael.
  • US could, at any time, re-arm the terrorists in Pakistan, like they did during the Soviet-Mujahideen War, and direct them against India.

Technically, US was not invited by Syria. Russia was invited. So, Russia can bomb US troops in Syria. There is nothing the US can do about it. I suspect Russia has already bombed the hell out of quite a few US troops or CIA agents. It is possible this US mission to “assist the ‘moderate’ rebels to fight ISIS” is a smokescreen to retrieve bodies of US personnel embedded with the al-Qaida/al-Nusra/ISIS and destroy evidence of US complicity.

 

[pmaitra]

It is always looks like US&Rus both are playing double game.If one (US or Rus) supports one party and supply weapons then other party supports second party and supply weapons and/or bombs them.

In any war around the globe situation is the same,only 3rd world bas** die like a rats. No american or Russian (or a few) is died in those wars.Anyway, good news is two destructive forces 'Islamic world& West' are fighting with each other after a long time (crusades).Obviously West will wins, inshaa**** death to Islam oops ISIS.:bounce:

I don't think you are being fair by broadbrushing all Muslims. You need to understand that the Syrian soldiers who are fighting these terrorists for the past four years are Muslims. You might disagree, but I have utmost respect for the Syrian soldiers. They are truly brave men. This is a David and Goliath fight for them. Death to ISIS? Yes, that I agree with. At the same time, long live Syrian soldiers. Even the Kurds have done a great job fighting ISIS. It is worth mentioning that the Kurds are mainly Sunnis and Syrian soldiers are mainly Alawaites or Shias.

 

[spikey360]

• In principle:
  • India should diplomatically support Russia, Iran, and Syria.
  • India should also supply Iran with matériel.
  • India should co-ordinate with PRC and give our mild rebuke for US, Israel, Saudi arabia, and Qatar for supporting terrorism.
• Unfortunately, India cannot take a principled stand, and is forced to keep mum, because:
  • India is not a super-power.
  • India is dependent on US made GE F404.
  • India is dependent on Israel made equipment from Elbit and Rafael.
  • US could, at any time, re-arm the terrorists in Pakistan, like they did during the Soviet-Mujahideen War, and direct them against India.

Agree with what you say.
However, India wishes to be a superpower (let's be honest here)
So unless you start taking some tough decisions, bold decisions, risky decisions, how can you even hope to be even considered as a power?
What kind of industry do we have that an engine or some spare parts is stopping us from supporting what is right. We waged 1971 war against all odds right? That was no self-defence. Much of it was expeditionary, and we did not fail.
If you ask me now, I would say GoI policy and Armed Forces doctrine is failing us.

Technically, US was not invited by Syria. Russia was invited. So, Russia can bomb US troops in Syria. There is nothing the US can do about it. I suspect Russia has already bombed the hell out of quite a few US troops or CIA agents. It is possible this US mission to “assist the ‘moderate’ rebels to fight ISIS” is a smokescreen to retrieve bodies of US personnel embedded with the al-Qaida/al-Nusra/ISIS and destroy evidence of US complicity.

That 5aTan is up to no good most of the times. Always, and forever trying to start another war, for the sake of its own pleasure. Hope God comes and punishes this Nation as it deserves to be punished.

 

[spikey360]

PS: Rus/US/EU are different for you(for me they are same Racially&culturally)and I thinks they make some secret deals behind and decided "I supply weapons to rebels and you bomb them after some time". Then more weapons... more bombings.. more dependence... more violence.... more hegemonic.... more weapon sale to West companies.... more money..... more happy life style (white west)... so on.

Agree with the first part of your post. Disagree with this. Russia and US were never the same and will never be the same. Russia may have European face, but their mind and soul is almost wholly Asian. Unless you study the whole of Russian history, you would not understand it, so I highly recommend you do.

 

[Bornubus]

Entire region is sectarian garbage no country be it US or Russia could do anything to a civil war whose combatants follow the medieval ideology.

 

[spikey360]

Studied history, from 17-20 th century England&France fought with each other and they are enemies.NO, they occupied whole world with their nefarious methods on the name of war.

Later US&Rus are doing the same thing after WW2, they fighting with each other and they are enemies.But killing 3rd people and occupying their lands(same as brit&french in past).This is not only Ideological-cultural war but also Racial war.White hegemony on the rest of the WORLD.

For me RUS,EU&US are Racially&culturally the same.These White-West nations are hegemonic powers.I'm Racist and never ever saw which country is bombing on whom I observe which face is bombing front end /back end(always a White, even if black Russian/American is bombing he represent white Rus/US.)

PS:These are my personal views...Take it or leave it.

Of course, not that you are selling anything, but I re-iterate.

Unless you study the whole of Russian history, you would not understand it, so I highly recommend you do.

 

[Kshatriya87]

This is the problem with Indians living in the US and Americans.I watched many discussions/forum, for majority Americans Muslims are Terrorists 'Full-stop'.Coward coconuts/Indians copy everything Amrica/ns but not commonsense/attitude.

Now commonsense.
White-West is hegemonic force they believes their culture is supreme and rest are 3rd world/under developed etc etc.Islam is also hegemonic force they believes their Religion is Supreme and rest are kafir's wazable kathil.

Yes I know this is a war b/w Sunni&Shia's but who is exploiting them WHITE WEST,Who is supplying weapons to those desert monkeys WHITE WEST and who is bombing them WHITE WEST.


PS: Rus/US/EU are different for you(for me they are same Racially&culturally)and I thinks they make some secret deals behind and decided "I supply weapons to rebels and you bomb them after some time". Then more weapons... more bombings.. more dependence... more violence.... more hegemonic.... more weapon sale to West companies.... more money..... more happy life style (white west)... so on.

Coward Indians? Do you know who you replied to?

Just like you have your opinion, others have theirs. And Russians and western whites have nothing in common.

Sent from my HTC One_E8 dual sim using Tapatalk

 

[apple]

Yeah sure thing, Putler... Hezbollah are heroic freedom fighters and Assad's Syria and Iran are shining lights for humanity

 

[bose]

Yeah sure thing, Putler... Hezbollah are heroic freedom fighters and Assad's Syria and Iran are shining lights for humanity

ISIS is the bigger enemy than Assad... USA should join hands with Russia to finish off ISIS...

 

[apple]

ISIS is the bigger enemy than Assad... USA should join hands with Russia to finish off ISIS...

More ISIS are getting killed by Western aircraft than Russian, and we've been killing them for a couple of years now, not a couple of weeks.

 

[Kshatriya87]

More ISIS are getting killed by Western aircraft than Russian, and we've been killing them for a couple of years now, not a couple of weeks.

Now that's what a call an epic joke

 

[Yun Ming]

For me RUS,EU&US are Racially&culturally the same.These White-West nations are hegemonic powers.I'm Racist and never ever saw which country is bombing on whom I observe which face is bombing front end /back end(always a White, even if black Russian/American is bombing he represent white Rus/US.)

PS:These are my personal views...Take it or leave it.

Coward Indians? Do you know who you replied to?

Just like you have your opinion, others have theirs. And Russians and western whites have nothing in common.

Sent from my HTC One_E8 dual sim using Tapatalk

Russia and US were never the same and will never be the same. Russia may have European face, but their mind and soul is almost wholly Asian. Unless you study the whole of Russian history, you would not understand it, so I highly recommend you do.

In my opinion the truth is somewhere in the middle but still slightly towards US/West/Whites.
Why?
1. People severely underestimate the reality that a lot of the "Russophobia" in the West has to do with the fact that the people in power there grew up in the Cold War. These people are slowly dying though and eventually the next generations will take over.
2. US/West so-called "Soft" Power:
The average Russian can probably name tons of Western high-end products, celebrities, musicians, athletes, atists, movies, video games, etc.
Can they can they do the same with Asia/China/India? I doubt it.
3. Space exploration


This is the ideal world:
4 superpowers( US/West , Russia , India , China ), creating a "balance" that prevents any "supremacy" be it white-supremacy, asian, arab, black, indain etc.

This is why any Indian/Chinese/Asian or any non-white ethnicity is foolish to wish for a weak Russia. A weak Russia may succumb to the Western pack, tipping the scale in favor of White-hegemony once again.

It only takes one, just one smart US president to see the potential of being friends with Russia, a country that can easily support 1.5 billion people. Put Global warming in there freeing up more space and you can say 3 billion people. Not to mention the vast amount of natural resources. They say Siberia is the final frontier, well, there is truth to it.

Again, any Indian/Chinese/Asian or any non-white ethnicity that wishes for a weak, submissive Russia is a fool. Russia has to be a superpower. Period.

 

[Yun Ming]

Russia without weapons is a 'BIG ZERO'.

What Russia do all the time............... Sell weapons to one country/rebels and/or Bomb some country/rebels and/or Invade another country.

People here loves/cares about Russia is because fear of total White-west domination .But people won't see is they both are Culturally,Racially and Religiously are the SAME.

I repeat, never ever trust WHITE either in US,EU,Rus,Aus or in Zim,South Africa(5%) they represent supremacist ideology.From 17 th century to 21st century we ruled by white laws.Now it's time to change.

This century belongs to Brown and Yellow.

Note:Brown Arabs/Muslim nations are terrorists,emit them.

The same way India was a BIG ZERO 30-50 years ago????

This century will NOT belong to browns and yellows if Russia submits to the West! You are vastly underestimating the potential population boom of Russia. Isn't population the very seed of Chinese and Indian resurgence?

 

[Mad Indian]

The same way India was a BIG ZERO 30-50 years ago????

This century will NOT belong to browns and yellows if Russia submits to the West! You are vastly underestimating the potential population boom of Russia. Isn't population the very seed of Chinese and Indian resurgence?

What population boom? AFAIK , Russia is actually suffering from negative population growth, isn't it? How exactly is Russia going to be a threat in the future? Russia's only importance of now is as a energy supplier with a huge MIC. The erosion of influence of Russia is all but inevitable.

But whether that is good for the world is of course debatable. We don't want USA to concentrate on containing asia instead of being distracted by Russia. That's for sure.

But Russia is not Asian by any measure. They still consider themselves to be Europeans and rightly so.