Southfront
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-april-6-2018-army-prepares-to-clear-southern-syria-from-militants/ The Syrian government has reportedly deployed battle tanks and artillery guns preparing to take back the militant-held parts of southern Syria and the Golan Heights, the Israeli media says. The Haaretz daily has even complained that Hezbollah has allegedly established a Golan regional command center claiming that a hundred of Hezbollah operatives and a thousand other local residents linked to the movement operate in southern Syria. The Israeli leadership
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-march-23-2018-militants-to-withdraw-from-more-areas-in-eastern-ghouta/ On March 22, the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) captured the villages of Baay, Basufan, Kafr Nabu and Burj Haydar south of the city of Afrin from the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG). According to unconfirmed reports, the TAF’s artillery even shelled positions some of the Syrian Arab Army north of the city of Aleppo. Since the fall of Afrin on March 18, the
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-march-19-2018-eastern-ghouta-battle-enters-final-phase-afrin-falls/ On March 18, the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) established full control over the city of Afrin. The city had been the main stronghold of the YPG in northeastern Syria. However, the YPG had withdrawn from it almost without fighting. A notable part of civilians had also fled to the government-held area in the province of Aleppo. According to Turkish sources, the TAF and
By Aram Mirzaei for the Saker blog It’s been 8 weeks since Turkey together with its jihadist forces launched operation Olive Branch to clear the Afrin region of US-backed Kurdish militias (YPG). During these weeks, YPG forces have been taking a beating, losing well over 70 % their territory, including Afrin city itself. It should hardly come as a surprise to anyone who has been following the situation that the
Today, Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the Russian General Staff Colonel General Sergei Rudskoy and spokesman of the Russian Defence Ministry Major General Igor Konashenkov held briefing in the National Centre for State Defence Control. According to Sergei Rudskoy, in late February, situation in the Eastern Ghouta, suburbs of Damascus, has been complicated due to actions of the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist organization and other armed formations joined to
SouthFront produced another masterpiece: a documentary entitled “Russia’s Long Road Toward Resurgence“. You can think of it as a “crash course in modern Russian history”. I would have a few comments/corrections/disagreements but they would be minor and would not affect the key theses of this documentary. In fact, this is truly an excellent summary so, please, do watch is and spread it on your social media and amongst your friends.
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-march-16-2018-army-evacuated-over-12500-civilians-from-eastern-ghouta/ On March 15, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allies liberated the village of Hamuriyah in the Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta from members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda) and Faylaq al-Rahman. The liberation of Hamuriyah allowed the SAA to open a new humanitarian corridor there. Over 12,500 civilians were evacuated from Hamuriyah and nearby areas. Additionally, the SAA once again
Business Insider reports: full statement (emphasis added) We, the leaders of France, Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom, abhor the attack that took place against Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury, UK, on 4 March 2018. A British police officer who was also exposed in the attack remains seriously ill, and the lives of many innocent British citizens have been threatened. We express our sympathies to them all,
by Ramin Mazaheri for the Saker Blog (and for those, shall we say, cognitively challenged the following is a satire; the Saker) As a daily journalist covering a wide range of fields, I get a lot of unsolicited emails which give me news tips, unique outlooks and recommendations. This email below came with so many threats and oaths against my person that I almost didn’t publish it, but I think
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-march-8-2018-syrian-army-liberates-key-town-advances-further-in-east-ghouta/ The Syrian Arab Army (SAA), the Tiger Forces and their allies liberated the town of Bayt Siwa, the Tank Base around Hawsh al-Ash’ari and imposed fire control over the town of Misraba in the Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta on March 7. Next day, the SAA advanced further on militant positions in Misraba where clashes erupted. If Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra) and its allies lose this town,
by Cameron Pike for the Saker Blog I attended a presentation entitled “Rising China: What Lessons Can We Learn From the 19th Party Congress?”, given by Guy Saint-Jacques, former Canadian ambassador to China under Stephen Harper. Guy was asked a question about China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), after not addressing the BRI in his core presentation. But, being forced to answer the audience member’s question, Guy [say it with
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-march-5-2018-tiger-forces-liberate-large-area-from-militants-in-east-ghouta/ Last weekend, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), the Tiger Forces, the 4th Armorued Division and other pro-government units delivered a devastating blow to the defense of militant groups in the eastern part of the Eastern Ghouta region, near Damascus. Government forces liberated al-Shaffoniya, Beit Nayem, al-Rayhanah, al-Muhammadiyah and other points and deployed within about 3.5 km of dividing the militant-held area into two separate parts. Jaish al-Islam, Hayat Tahrir
by Ghassan Kadi for the Saker blog Inspired by the Saker’s article regarding how far can the Russians be pushed, (http://thesaker.is/escalation-in-syria-how-far-can-the-russians-be-pushed/), I ask, how far can the Americans be pushed, not specifically only in Syria, but in general? In his article, the Saker articulated in his regular rational and captivating style, the issue of Russian patience, or should we say frustration, with America’s actions and inactions in Syria. And, as
The President of Russia delivered the Address to the Federal Assembly. The ceremony took place at the Manezh Central Exhibition Hall. March 1, 2018 http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/56957 The presentation of the Address was attended by Federation Council members, State Duma deputies, members of the Government, leaders of the Constitutional Court and Supreme Court, governors, speakers of the legislatures of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, the leaders of traditional religions, public figures, including the heads of regional civic chambers, as well as the leaders of major media outlets. * * * President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Citizens of Russia, members of the Federation Council and State Duma,
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-march-1-2018-syrian-army-overruns-militant-defenses-in-eastern-ghouta/ Afrin, Eastern Ghouta and the militant-held part of the province of Idlib remain the two key hot points in Syria. In Eastern Ghouta, government forces have fully liberated the town of Hawsh al-Dawahirah and the al- Shaffoniya roundabout and the Al-Bashoura Air Defense Base from Jaish al-Islam. Intense fighting was also reported in the neighborhood of Harasta where army troops had advanced on positions of Ahrar al-Sham and Hayat
The inauguration of TAPI – the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India pipeline – signals Kabul is on-board with the grand project of Eurasian integration by Pepe Escobar (cross-posted with the Asia Times by special agreement with the author) One of the top roller-coaster sagas in what, some years ago, I christened Pipelineistan, has yielded a definitive twist. The US$8 billion,1,814-kilometer Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India pipeline (TAPI) was officially inaugurated on Friday, in full pomp, and with proceedings broadcast live
by Laurent Guyénot for the Saker Blog Laurent Guyénot is the author of From Yahweh to Zion: Jealous God, Chosen People, Promised Land … Clash of Civilizations, 2018. ($30 shipping included from Sifting and Winnowing, POB 221, Lone Rock, WI 53556). The biblical mind of Israel’s founding fathers The Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) is for the committed Jew as much a record of his ancient origins, the prism through which all Jewish
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-february-21-2018-government-forces-entered-afrin/ Over the last few days, the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) and the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army have captured over a dozen villages from the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in the Afrin area. A complicated situation on the frontlines forced the YPG to at least temporarily forget “the US is our only ally” mantra and to start implementing what local sources describe as a Damascus-YPG deal that will allow
by Irinia Medvedva, Tatyana Shishova ‘Nash sovremennik’ 11, 2001 (source: http://www.patriotica.ru/enemy/medv_glob.html) Translation, notes, and afterword by Edvin Buday Note by The Saker: normally such a translation would belong into the “Speeches, Statements, Interviews” section, however, since the translator, Edvin Buday, also offered an important and interesting afterword, this I have decided to post this text in the “guest analyses” section even though the original Russian text was (obviously) not written
by Pepe Escobar (cross-posted with the Asia Times by special agreement with the author) Beijing is turbo-charging its infrastructure connectivity across the region and the Caribbean A sharp, geoeconomic shift took place last month in Santiago, Chile at the second ministerial meeting of a forum grouping China and the 33-member Community of Latin American and Caribbean States. The Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, told his audience that the world’s second-largest economy and
