Moon of Alabama Brecht quote
April 16, 2017

Al-Qaeda Suicide Attack Kills 100+ Children, Women - Whodunit?

Updated below, April 17, 3:00am
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Max Abrahms‏ @MaxAbrahms - 2:07 PM - 16 Apr 2017
After reading dozens of stories about the Shia massacre yesterday in Syria I've come to the conclusion it was perpetrator-less.
The War Nerd‏ @TheWarNerd - 11:53 AM - 16 Apr 2017
We find that "at least 112" Shia refugees were killed. By whom? Oh, it's a real whodunit according to Reuters... link

Two smaller cities in the northern "rebel"-controlled Idleb governate, Al Foa and Kafriya, have been under "rebel" siege for over two years. Local government aligned forces are defending them. The civilian inhabitants are of Shia believe and seen by the sectarian Sunni "rebels" as unbelievers only worthy of death. The cities are supplied by airdrops from government helicopters. Meanwhile two "rebel" controlled cities near Damascus, Zabadani and Madaya, in the south are held under siege by government forces. They are sparsely supplied by UN and Red Cross convoys. Over the years a tit-for-tat of revenge acts bound the fate of the four cities. In total some 20-30,000 people are effected. A wide ranging agreement was needed to solve the unsustainable situation.

In December an agreement had allowed for the exchange of wounded civilians. When buses were on their way to evacuated elderly and wounded from the two northern cities they were torched by some rebel group. New buses had to be send but in the end the exchange worked out.

Last week a new agreement had been reached about a complete population exchange of the cities. All inhabitants of the northern cities were to be brought to government held areas. All inhabitants of the southern cities to the "rebel" held areas. Iran, speaking for the Syrian government, and Qatar, a financer of the radical "rebels", negotiated the deal. There are many other issues involved in the deal including Qatari hostages held by Shia groups in Iraq, very large payment from Qatar to "rebel" groups (al-Qaeda) and some non-disclosed items.

"Rebel" groups in Idelb government are either aligned with al-Qaeda in Syria or with the Qatari sponsored Ahrar al Sham. Ahrar al-Sahm is the group responsible for the execution of the negotiated population exchange. Parts of al-Qaeda have publicly disagreed with the deal.

Yesterday some 5,000 inhabitants of the northern cities, mainly women and children, were brought by bus convoy to the government held city of Aleppo but were stopped while still in the "rebel" controlled area. Inhabitants from the southern city had been brought up to Aleppo and were kept under government guard. Some additional negotiations about a minor issue were going on.

The civilians in their buses, mostly elderly, women and children, were guarded by "rebels" of Ahrar al Sham. They were hungry. Someone appeared on the scene and distributed crisps. When children flocked around the food distribution a blue car drove up and a very large explosion occurred. Four buses full of people and a number of cars were totally destroyed (Pics: 1, 2, 3)

127 of the civilians, only a mile or two from the safe government area, were killed in the suicide attack including 95 children. Many more were wounded. An unknown number of Ahrar al Sham "rebel" guards were also killed. There is no serious disagreement about what happened.

It is obvious that the suicide attack was committed by al-Qaeda in Syria. No government aligned element could have crossed into rebel held territory. The government aligned forces have not committed any suicide attacks while al-Qaeda as well as Ahrar al Sham have committed hundreds. This was a "rebel" suicide attack, likely by al-Qaeda, against government aligned civilian refugees.

But the BBC, CNN and other western media will not tell you that. CNN called the massacre "a hiccup". The first Washington report was illustrated with a pastoral scene of "Shias" walking in a green field.  The write-ups disguise to the average reader on which side that vast numbers of casualties of the incident were. They will not say who the likely culprits are. Some insinuate, against all logic, that the government did it.

The most recent BBC report on the massacre is one of the worst of this propaganda genre. Assume for a moment you have not read the above, only the following:

Syria war: 'At least 68 children among 126 killed' in bus bombing

At least 68 children were among 126 people killed in Saturday's bomb attack on buses carrying evacuees from besieged Syrian towns, activists say.

A vehicle filled with explosives hit the convoy near Aleppo.

80% of the readers will only read the headline and maybe the first graphs. Who will they assume killed whom?

Those who actually read further will learn that some of the victims were Shia and that "evacuees from government-held towns were killed, along with aid workers and rebel soldiers." (Since when are Ahrar's marauding beheaders "soldiers"? Was this dude also a "soldier"?) The BBC story goes on to insinuates that the government did this because "rebels" could and would not do such:

It happened when a vehicle loaded with food arrived and started distributing crisps, attracting many children, before exploding, the BBC's Middle East correspondent Lina Sinjab said.

She said it was not clear how the vehicle could have reached the area without government permission.

But there is also no evidence that rebels were involved in the attack, as the government claims.

It would not be in the rebels' interest, our correspondent says, as they were waiting for their own supporters to be evacuated from the other towns.

I have read a lot of anti-Syrian propaganda but never such a vile smear. "It was not clear how the vehicle could have reached the area without [Syrian] government permission." Well - a vehicle from that area could drive right up to the BBC's head-office in London, explode and kill many people without "Syrian government permission." (Maybe one should - just for demonstration purpose.) It is "rebel" held territory with open borders to Turkey from where they are supplied. Any of the "rebel" groups that committed suicide attacks over the last years has free access to it. The BBC correspondent and her editors know this well. They also know that "rebels" are not united at all and that their interests diverge. It is completely clear who committed this massacre. But the BBC insinuates "the government did it."

More people died in this attack than in the Khan Sheikhun chemical incident which killed some people in a rebel held area. The incident was likely a false flag attack staged by the "rebels" without involvement of the government side. A Trump NSC report falsely claimed evidence that the Syrian government was the guilty party in that incident and the U.S. then bombed one of the Syrian airports.

95 children were burned and smashed to death in yesterday's suicide attack. They will not be honored as "beautiful children", as Trump called two blond babies in a Khan Sheikhun photo. The babies killed yesterday were "pro-regime" evacuees (CNN speak) who do not deserve such honor.

The victims of yesterday's massacre will get much less media coverage than the few actually documented victims of the Khan Sheikhun incident. That bit they will get will abuse the dead, as BBC does,  to incite against the vast majority of the Syrian people who are with their government.

Damascus decided that the deal and the evacuation should continue despite the massacre. The two cities in Idleb are too exposed and indefensible against a large scale attack. No bigger government operation towards Idleb can take place while they are held hostage.

UPDATE - April 17, 3:00am

Eliah J. Magnier reports (Arabic) further details of the "4 cities" exchange deal.

He tweeted the main steps:

Elijah J. Magnier @EjmAlrai
The"four cities deal"includes Qatari hostages, money, prisoners of war, prisoners and corps
The 1st step (evacuating civilians under the age of 15) was concluded.
The 2d step will evacuate all militants
The 3d step will include the exchange of prisoners held by Damascus, Hezbollah and al-Qaeda corps and prisoners
The 4th step will incl the release of Qatari hostages held in Iraq (not yet released) & the payment of ransom to AQ.

Posted by b on April 16, 2017 at 18:12 UTC | Permalink

Comments

Heres a witness video recently posted which claims the rebels enticed children to the exploding truck with crisps and sweets etc on the floor, then it exploded: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCU9gnBsxGs&feature=youtu.be

Posted by: Hermius | Apr 16 2017 18:19 utc | 1

CNN - typically shameless as usual
http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/15/middleeast/syria-evacuations-bombing/

"The rebel group Ahrar al-Sham tweeted that some of its members died in the blast. They were at the site to ensure the convoy's passage, Ahrar al-Sham said. The group said it was investigating to find out who was responsible."
Yeah, right. As if we can trust Ahrar al Sham. It reminds me of our own govt here in the US investigating itself and always finding itself not guilty (or finding patsies or saying it's everyone's fault). CNN story says "rigged car" while eyewitnesses say it was a truck.

"Abdul Rahman said he doesn't believe the Syrian regime is behind the attack. He said the regime kills scores of people daily using all types of weaponry and doesn't need to kill its own sympathizers." Ha! At least SOHR man has pointed out the obvious while condemning the govt for fighting a war. Does Rahman really believe that his side - FSA, al Sham, al Nusra, IS, etc - does not kill people? Also, SAA would not want to kill its own people but those they are fighting have no problem.

Al Jazeera ran a story on the toll on Syrian children. It showed children being trained to fight to "defend Hama." But the pick up truck they were riding in had the black flag of the rebel terrorists.

Posted by: Curtis | Apr 16 2017 18:38 utc | 2

Saudi Arabia is supposedly opposed to the swap deal, and there is another country who has a history of car bombings in the region!

http://www.nytimes.com/1987/09/27/world/casey-reported-behind-85-lebanon-bombing.html

http://archive.boston.com/news/world/articles/2005/10/02/us_car_theft_rings_probed_for_ties_to_iraq_bombings/

Posted by: Jesrad | Apr 16 2017 18:56 utc | 3

BBC was not the worse, at least they mentioned they were Shiites,
Le Monde had "16 victims" according to the same guy in the UK
and made its best to complicate the story so that the first report did not even mention it was mainly women and elderlies
More worrying, most over MSM even those that were usually more balanced (rfi) followed the same line.
I haven't seen any ref to the shiite populations of these village in french msm who just say "pro regime villagers" or "loyalist villages"

Posted by: Mina | Apr 16 2017 18:59 utc | 4

After 2 days and the pope's comments, they finally mention 126 victims but just say "proregim villages"
http://www.lemonde.fr/syrie/article/2017/04/16/syrie-126-morts-dans-un-attentat-lors-d-une-operation-d-evacuation_5112138_1618247.html

Posted by: Mina | Apr 16 2017 19:01 utc | 5

Information manipulation in its highest form, most appalling. Canada's Globe and Mail ran a Reuters piece yesterday - which clearly attributed responsibility before moving on to darkly suggest "population transfers" were underway - but then switched it out for an Associated Press piece which was as muddled and imprecise as the BBC. The absolute lack of outrage or emotional triggers is distinctive compared to last week's coverage of the chemical attack. It's a master class, in a way, on news as propaganda (information warfare). The deliberate targeting of children like this is about as low as a human can go, and the western media still has their back.

Posted by: jayc | Apr 16 2017 19:06 utc | 6

Could you indicate whether the rest of the people were evacuated?
Has the planned exchange stopped?

I have not been able to get a complete summary of what is happening after this bombing

Posted by: James | Apr 16 2017 19:21 utc | 7

the msm at this point, is completely dishonest. thanks b for bringing more light onto this horrific event that all people in syria have to suffer thru.. the west is totally unhinged and the msm at this point, fully proves it..

Posted by: james | Apr 16 2017 19:44 utc | 8

@James - I now added this graph to the piece:

Damascus decided that the deal and the evacuation should continue despite the massacre. The two towns in Idleb are too exposed and indefensible against a large scale attack. No bigger government operation towards Idleb could take place while they are held hostage.

Posted by: b | Apr 16 2017 19:46 utc | 9

Thank you b. for the update
i was concerned about the rest of the evacuees becoming victims too or getting stranded with the threat of being killed

Posted by: James | Apr 16 2017 19:51 utc | 10

this is a deliberate provocation to suck in as many Syrian Arab army soldiers as possible into Idleb to keep them away from Deir Ezzor. This outrage will have to be avenged in some way. The hypocrisy of the British press is shameful.

Posted by: aniteleya | Apr 16 2017 19:51 utc | 11

thanks for clearing up how this deal came about : qataris and iranians. i had assumed it was a russian initiative. although the iranians aren't claiming the deal at this point ...


The Syrian army has resumed the evacuation of residents from militant-besieged areas outside Aleppo after buses carrying them were hit by terrorists on Saturday, killing at least 126 people.

The monitor group added that at least 68 children were among victims of the bomb attack.

The death toll may rise further as "hundreds" more were injured in the blast, it added.

The evacuation was made possible under a deal struck between Damascus and militant groups in late March that envisaged the transfer of 16,000 people from Foua and Kefraya in exchange for the evacuation of militants and their families from the government-besieged towns of al-Zabadani and Madaya in Rif Dimashq Province.


... they seem to hold out hope that more will benefit than are blown to pieces.

these are al-cia-duh. the cia - acting through its gcc vassals - funds, trains, and arms the agents of chaos, of death, devastation, destruction, and bloody betrayal and deceit ... i'm sure that the cia is delighted by this outcome. who knows if this deal will eventually be deemed a 'plus' ... more people extracted from al-cia-duh's grips than blown up by al-cia-duh ... but it seems to me that 'negotiating' with al-cia-duh is asking to be betrayed.

Posted by: jfl | Apr 16 2017 19:55 utc | 12

Well, just as I predicted in yesterday's open thread.

My daughter works as an au pair, tending 4 children for a couple whose husband is USN. She posted pictures of them all and other neighbor kids during and after their Easter Egg Hunt--all smiles and giggles--but all I could think of was the not too different children that got blown to bits by NATO/GCC allied terrorists: I weep as I type.

I can't think of any words strong enough to condemn the terrorist enablers, but they do not deserve life. The thought that we share the same air is revolting!

Posted by: karlof1 | Apr 16 2017 19:58 utc | 13

Canthama at SyrPers provided info about 8 hours ago as to which NATO allied terrorist group is responsible:

"It is now confirmed that Nour al Din al Zenki group prepared the VBEID in Darat Izza and sent to al Rashadeen in advance of the bus convoy from Kafraya and Fuah and waited for the right time to explode and cause max killing. It is widely known and accepted that the Nour al Din al Zenki group is financed, armed and promoted by NATO, as moderats. The link is strong between both organizations which does create a war crime case against NATO if free countries have the intention to face this long road."
https://syrianperspective.com/2017/04/syria-readies-yakhont-anti-ship-missiles-warns-trump-bonkers-trump-zionist-puppet-qatar-plays-dirty-with-evacuations-saa-crushes-isis-in-dayr-el-zor.html#zi20MSHOvQXgvTgK.99

Posted by: karlof1 | Apr 16 2017 20:12 utc | 14

I can't think of any words strong enough to condemn the terrorist enablers, but they do not deserve life. The thought that we share the same air is revolting!

Posted by: karlof1 | Apr 16, 2017 3:58:17 PM | 13

Wholeheartedly agree. Maybe this is an unpopular viewpoint, but I feel much more sympathy for the terrorists themselves. A lot of ideology and manipulation goes into their indoctrination and I see many of them as tragic figures (still reprehensible, but I feel there's a lack of nuance when discussing these thugs here). Plus economic and sectarian considerations. Doesn't help that people in large groups, especially ARMED groups, get swept up in the maddness and hysteria quite easily.

I recommend Scott Atran's research 'Talking with the Enemy' for more perspective on these poor sods. It was quite illuminating. I found slides from his lecture series online that had a lot of links to interesting supplementary research. I wish this type of research was more prominent. Analysis never goes beyond "fund them" or "kill them all by any means nessecary." To really stop terrorism we need to stop being so reflexive. Its definitely not as simple as "people read this book or listened to this guy now he's a terrorist" its a quite multifaceted problem. Hell, no one cares about the ethics of using the MOAB and other massive thermobaric weapons because as long as they're dropped on ISIS who cares what doors are opened by it's adoption. Hell, no one cares about the civilian deaths in Mosul because "ISIS."

But my actual point is -- theese NATO states funding them... Sympathy? Heartless, unsympathetic bastards everyone. Willingly stoking the flames of war for economic or geopolitical goals is so sickening and sad. Wish the media got into hysterics over THIS point as much of the problem lays there instead. But let's just blame it all on ISIS its easier (and not even touch the "moderates").

Posted by: George Smiley | Apr 16 2017 20:33 utc | 15

The Washington Post debunked the false flag claim. Time to shut the blog down.

The calculus behind posting such an article must be dicey. I would guess a good number of people don't know people fighting wars would pull such a stunt in the first place, and another good sum would not consider it when reading about such an event. So the introduction of the article says that enough people are talking about it that they need to squash it, and this need offsets introducing readers to the concept of false flags (which certainly makes more sense, and thus might be a cognitive nucleation point to the nascent/burgeoning critical thinking lot). Anyone think I'm not giving people enough credit?

Posted by: IhaveLittleToAdd | Apr 16 2017 20:38 utc | 16

I was reading about this yesterday. The way the attack was directed at children. Sickening.

I see Russia have stepped up the pace with their aircraft. Using much larger bombs than previous and a lot more of them. Perhaps some Russian shock and awe to come when these towns evacuated?

Posted by: Peter AU | Apr 16 2017 20:53 utc | 17

George Smiley @ 15: I agree, many people who go fight for ISIS and other terrorist groups in the Middle East are lured by ISIS advertising through Facebook and other social media or by others (friends, relatives, other kids at school and university) who have seen the PR campaigns and fallen for them. Probably some of these fighters are encouraged to believe that by fighting "a despotic Assad", they're bringing about a revolution that will lead to a better world. The MSM propaganda is another layer of encouragement.

What we don't hear so much either is the voices of those who have gone to fight as jihadis, realise they were deceived and try to return to warn their friends, families and communities of the danger. Too often when they try to return, they get caught in the webs of the law and order bureaucracy of their home countries and are subjected to threats of long imprisonment terms (with all that implies) or, probably even worse, promised lenient treatment if they will agree to be informants on their communities or become spies and infiltrators in dirty espionage work. They are denied the treatment they need to recover from (Western and Saudi-funded) ISIS brainwashing and post-trauma psychological problems that result from seeing and experiencing violence and brutality.

In effect ISIS acts as a recruitment and drafting centre for a de facto army without the responsibility required of the West to care for injured soldiers and provide compensation in the form of war pensions and benefits for their families if they die.

Posted by: Jen | Apr 16 2017 21:08 utc | 18

hasn't it always been thus? the people who fight the wars have always been crushed, been put in the position that war seems like a way OUT of trouble? the gis, the tommies, the jihadists ... they're all the toys of the billionaires ... in london, in new york, spread throughout the gcc ... who are the only ones who benefit from war, ever.

what's the difference between the brainwashed drone who squeezes the trigger sending literal hellfire to destroy a wedding party and the brainwashed jihadi who detonates a bomb on the spot?

the only difference i can see is that the drone lives to kill again and again ... has to take his own life, eventually, to attain the same escape immediately afforded the jihadi.

Posted by: jfl | Apr 16 2017 21:30 utc | 19

those who fight in wars - broke, no job, no money, cannon fodder for the war machine.. yeah, it has always been this way... some loons at the top driving the fucked up ideology - wahabbism, salafism, - soul-less western ideologies, including the idea that this is how it is supposed to go according to the bible.. messed up people all around.. no leaders to pull us out of this swamp, and trump needs to be thrown the alligators at this point since he sure as f doesn't know how to drain the swamp..

Posted by: james | Apr 16 2017 21:34 utc | 20

some people do go to war for 'the fun of it' ...


“I have described the intelligence service as a socially acceptable way of expressing criminal tendencies,”[Nelson Brickham] said. “A guy who has strong criminal tendencies – but is too much of a coward to be one – would wind up in a place like the CIA if he had the education.”

... if he had the education. yale university. of course - too much of a coward, too 'well-educated' to be hands on - they remain at arm's length from it all ... arming, funding, training ... dying of old age in their sleep.

Posted by: jfl | Apr 16 2017 21:53 utc | 21

I didn't think they could, but the BBC has sunk to a new low. They are literally Al-Qaeda's mouthpiece.

Posted by: Nick | Apr 16 2017 22:01 utc | 22

Fucking horrific. Why am I not surprised al Zinki is responsible. The longer the reality of the 'rebels' & 'moderates' are denied by the current narrative, the harder this is going to bite the West - Europe first via Turkey. Erdogan won't mind taking a few hits domestically just to spite Europe with tenfold more.

Posted by: MadMax2 | Apr 16 2017 22:14 utc | 23

They targeted hungry bored children, happy at the prospect of snacks, who had been waiting -- interminably -- to get where they were going (with all the anxiety and excitement that entails) ... they targeted children ... no missiles for them, I guess, not even talk of missiles (not that I believe in such eye-for-eye retribution)

Posted by: Susan Sunflower | Apr 16 2017 22:21 utc | 24

The problem is not just Trump. He is the a symptom, the delusional fever of an infection that is rampant throughout the media and the political class. If the Trump administration is ever held responsible for its actions in regard to Syria, then the mainstream media and the entire political establishment needs to be held accountable, because otherwise nothing will change.

Posted by: MusicofE | Apr 16 2017 22:22 utc | 25

The media as created a "Maidan" type fairytale about freedom loving Syrian demonstrators being greivously attacked by the brutal Assad regime, necessitating western aid and support against this monster ....

In both historical incidents, the legitimate peaceful protests morphed quite intentionally into violent confrontation ... after the crowds of "average citizens" had gone home to go about their regular day-to-day lives. There is a highly questionable underlying assumption that those protestors then and/or now support the utter devastation of not only their country, their economy, but also their lives.

The insanity of ousting Assad -- particularly in light of the intense divisions within and between the "rebels" forces -- is well demonstrated by this catastrophe and the ability of Damascus to resume the relocation convoys.

On RT, I only caught the last half, but Chris Hedges has Ben Norton and Max Blumenthal talking about the "real identities" of the current day "Syria Rebels" ... interesting, timely and even useful to share, but I couldn't find the show or the clip on RT or youtube (though this was yesterday)

Posted by: Susan Sunflower | Apr 16 2017 22:42 utc | 26

George Smiley @ 15 I recommend Scott Atran's research 'Talking with the Enemy'

Its a deep book...about why "terrorists" do what they do.
Islam helps.. death is nothing to be feared..martyrdom is honourable...

But, as one who has been a soldier, I'd like to see the same criteria applied
to Western terrorists - the armed forces and the deranged propagandists
that support them. Need someone killed?? We have a gadget for that..

I remember one of my infantrymen saying that capturing a terrorist was
no different to pig sticking in the Ureweras

Posted by: DavidKNZ | Apr 16 2017 22:45 utc | 27

George Smiley 15
From what I've read, the initial protests were peaceful but were infiltrated by violent ones who attacked the police. Agent provocateurs. Who?

IhaveLittleToAdd 16
I've wondered about how much pressure is brought to bear to legitimize Khan Sheikhun because any doubt would throw doubt on ALL that has been reported by the White Helmets and cause people to question.

Posted by: Curtis | Apr 16 2017 22:49 utc | 28

Yahoo can be particularly bad.

"Yasser Abdelatif, a media official for Ahrar al-Sham, said about 30 rebel gunmen were killed in the blast. He accused the government or extremist rebel groups of orchestrating the attack to discredit the opposition."
They're accusing the Syrian government OR extremist rebel groups of false flag?

https://www.yahoo.com/news/thousands-evacuated-syrians-stuck-transfer-stalls-095402714.html

"Foua and Kfraya, besieged by the rebels, lived under a steady hail of rockets and mortars." Wow. That sounds like the story of Aleppo shoved at us by the US MSM except victims of rebel actions are never shown.

Posted by: Curtis | Apr 16 2017 22:58 utc | 29

@jfl 19

Billionaire interests are part of the problem, but it goes somewhat deeper than that I'm afraid. Ever wondered how your pension fund earns its money? Capital yield doesn't grow on trees...

Posted by: smuks | Apr 16 2017 23:04 utc | 30

@26 ... talking about the "real identities" of the current day "Syria Rebels"
Chris Hedges featuring Max Blumenthal and Ben Norton

Posted by: Thirsy | Apr 16 2017 23:25 utc | 31

smucks 30

Pensions, superannuation, insurance, the whole works and jerks of the western financial system riding on the US dollar seems to be what is at stake. Puppet leaders and some politicians in the US 'west' are no doubt compromised through NSA, CIA ect, but I think most governments of vassal states and the US know that everything is riding on constant expansion and US control of world trade currency for our financial system to keep functioning. Can be no other reason why there is across the board head bobbling whenever US "declassifies social media evidence" to back up its false flag operations.

Posted by: Peter AU | Apr 16 2017 23:54 utc | 32

This attack might set-up the next false-flag.

Then we will see media stories like: "Assad, angered by rebel bombing of refugee buses, ordered ..."

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Apr 16 2017 23:55 utc | 33

Exactly right B. Exactly right. I too was initially confused by the BBC article's description of the victims and then infuriated by their idiocy regarding responsibility. A vile smear indeed. Some comfort at least that their darling jihadis are being slaughtered elsewhere.

Posted by: Pat Bateman | Apr 17 2017 0:19 utc | 34

The slimey NZ media does not mention that it was the rebels supported by the USA and UK that committed this atrocity. They just said the victims were "evacuees from besieged towns", leaving the audience , who have been pre-programmed by previous propaganda to assume it must be Assad who was responsible. Boris Johnson has doubled down on the bullshit about the phoney gas attack. I wonder what he will conjure up about this.

Posted by: Ike | Apr 17 2017 0:47 utc | 35

George Smiley @ 15 I recommend Scott Atran's research 'Talking with the Enemy'

Its a deep book...about why "terrorists" do what they do.
Islam helps.. death is nothing to be feared..martyrdom is honourable...

Posted by: DavidKNZ | Apr 16, 2017 6:45:30 PM | 27

I read that in that very book that most Takfiris know very little, and only on the most superficial terms, about Islam. In his interviews he found very, very few who can quote a single verse I believe. Most travelling to join have never identified as Islamic prior to seeing the PR campaigns. There's a lot of talk about excitement, about 'being part of something bigger than oneself,' etc., but surprisingly little about religion except in the most superficial of terms.

And martyrdom is generally appreciated in all societies, even secular ones. Every American soldier who dies in Iraq is automatically a 'hero' who died 'fighting for our freedom' posthumously. Nothing special about these folks. Though I do concede the suicide bombing is a new phenomenon. I think little attention is paid to the tactics of such bombings though. Its very effective to break through well dug in enemy lines for instance. Much harder to break through when everyone is concerned about survival.

Sad thing is tons of Americans hate anyone identifying as Muslim now due to these types of thugs. It'd be almost funny if it weren't so goddamn depressing. Not to mention after every story involving these people the media talks constantly about 'radical Islam' being the beginning and end of how these folks came to do what they did. But I digress...

Posted by: George Smiley | Apr 17 2017 1:08 utc | 36

I used to have in my bookmarks a great video of SAA soldiers after liberating a new village mocking either THAS or Al Zinki for treating their mosque as a barracks and doing things like wearing shoes indoors and other faux pas in Islam. They went around the mosque pointing out all the weird things they were doing inside. Crazy that an organisation claiming to 'represent Islam' gets so many simple things wrong haha. Especially when they kill women for breastfeeding and stuff in public. Seems the strictness only applies to all those around them and not themselves!

Wish I could find the video it was actually quite humorous.

Posted by: George Smiley | Apr 17 2017 1:19 utc | 37

This from the Mirror: " it is thought the vehicle could not have got there without regime permission."
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/least-68-children-among-126-10240003

Posted by: Cousin Jack | Apr 17 2017 1:42 utc | 38

Over 200 civilian all women and children are still missing after yesterday attack in Aleppo.. The entire setup can be reconstructed watching the video's. Terrorists dressed as red crescent workers stand by before the bomb goes off at the honey pot luring children killing 170. Then the young women and girls are taken away by these terrorists acting like aid workers. Dont forget, in the 2013 gas attack scenario, over 500 kidnapped victims were used. many were identified as being from christian villages close to a nunnery. They were kidnapped when so called moderate terrorists over ran a syrian checkpoint and entered the area and were pushed out but the civilians who were not killed were missing and never found. Until shown in pictures by Kerry as gas attack victims. What would Christians be doing inside areas controlled by extremists? Another gas attack scenario and these kidnapped children to be used as props???? White helmet terrorists are expert at this. The real aid workers and ambulances were prevented for over 2 hours from entering the bombed area to assist the civilians while they did the filming and kidnapping.

If the west were not so deeply complicit in this mass murder all this can be easily discerned.


Posted by: Igor Bundy | Apr 17 2017 1:51 utc | 39

39
Government ambulances were with the convoy carrying the sick/injured. Those dressed in red were most likely genuine Red Crescent.

Posted by: Peter AU | Apr 17 2017 2:18 utc | 40

@18 Jen

How many Chechen jihadis you figure the Russians are ready to rehabilitate? They're more likely to get a bullet to the brain.

At least they haven't suggested offing their families like Trump. Do you figure any government is the slightest bit interested in bullshit about an enemy combatant's epiphany, that Saul on the road to Damascus moment when they realized they were duped? And the Easter bunny came today.

Posted by: peter | Apr 17 2017 2:47 utc | 41

@26

Follow the money trail.

The US$ petro-dollar cycle needs the sinkhole called Saudi Regime in the Arabian peninsular. Those Wahhabi barbarians are a creation of the British colonial system taken over by the US empire. Their root stock allegedly comes form the Jews expelled from Medina during the early rise of Islam -- hence the 'soft' cultural links with the Israeli Zionist apartheid state.

The non-Democratic system of Saudi hand and head choppers is 'managed' by taking the elite to Huston for 'education' and later blackmail -- who knows what dark business goes on there.

The main geopolitical function of this odious regime is to maintain a global demand for the $USD through energy demand thus allowing almost infinite printing of US debt to fund empire programs. What 3-letter agencies can't suck from the Fed-funded US Budget they create through 'independent' opium/cocaine drug trades. The misery this generates flows into nefarious activities such as people smuggling slavery, prostitution etc.

And for this little 'service' the Saudi regime is allowed to channel the petro-money back into the US and UK war economy; Congressional-industrial-media complex. A small apparent sideline, although with huge long-term implications, is the Saudi regime's program to pollute the global Islamic agenda with the Medieval Wahhabi perspective which serves to undermine tolerant credibility -- e.g., in modern Islamic states such as Syria and previously Libya. Russia being a natural blend of many religious views is a prime target for similar treatment although Putin has managed so far to reverse this process commenced under Yeltsin.

The Saudi money can buy any global media outcome needed -- and if a story must be aired then it sinks into oblivion within a day and is 'forgotten'. Bahrain and Yemen are already on the table and Iran is on the menu. Now we have Turkey heading for a life-time Sultan with Erdogan looking more like a General Pinochet every day.

This whole dark system spins on maintaining the reserve status of the USD$. If that fails then the US have to pay their unsustainable empire bills with real money and that would cause hegemonic collapse. Eventually the BRICS+ (SCO+) will move to a gold standard and then the real fun will begin.

Posted by: the dark side of the moon | Apr 17 2017 3:01 utc | 42

Australia's SBS (government funded, but relatively independent) ran with the BBCs ambiguous "..bomb attack on buses carrying evacuees from besieged Syrian towns."

Posted by: Bolt | Apr 17 2017 3:02 utc | 43

Peter AU @40--

Igor Bundy likely has it correct as he's posted numerous videos and analyzed other evidence at SyrPers from this and numerous other events. These terrorists are very well trained in their art by CIA death squad trainers and operate in much similar manner.

Posted by: karlof1 | Apr 17 2017 3:51 utc | 44

@40 peter.. i tend to agree with igor and karlof1 as well here..

Posted by: james | Apr 17 2017 4:17 utc | 45

@44 Agreed. Though not a poster I follow the comments section from Syrper for Canthama, Bundy and a few other's input on Syria..

Posted by: Lozion | Apr 17 2017 4:25 utc | 46

@39

If even parts of that are true it would be quite embarrassing for the perpetrators involved I imagine. Though maybe we're sadly passed the point in which things like this matter. I've heard the term "post fact" thrown around quite a bit, though usually in silly ways, but I do admit I like the term. I feel that many of us have lived with that idea for longer than many would choose to admit. Certainly isn't anything new with Trump.

Do you have links regarding the victims being predominantly Christian? Or for legit aid workers being denied entry? Or anything related to survivors/lack thereof? Especially regarding the aid workers/red crescent staff.

I'm not doubting you one bit, as the I remember reading parts of such here and there, but would appreciate some sources if you're not too busy!

Posted by: George Smiley | Apr 17 2017 4:26 utc | 47

Peter @ 41: Hey, I didn't say in my original comment that all jihadis fighting for ISIS were kids duped by their advertising and egged on by their friends and cousins to go the Middle East and fight with them. I may be naive but I'm not that stupid as to think that most ISIS fighters from Chechnya and Xinjiang were and are being recruited in this way.

Posted by: Jen | Apr 17 2017 5:10 utc | 48

some people do go to war for 'the fun of it' ...

"The answer is: Washington is a collection of morons, people stupid below the meaning of stupid. People so far outside of reality that they imagine that their hubris and arrogance elevates them above reality...China or Russia individually can wipe out the US. Together they can make North America uninhabitalbe until the end of time. Why are the Washington morons provoking powerful nuclear powers? Do the Washington morons think Russia and China will submit to threats? "

Paul Craig Roberts: "It Has Become Embarrassing To Be An American"

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-04-16/paul-craig-roberts-it-has-become-embarrassing-be-american

Posted by: OJS | Apr 17 2017 6:33 utc | 49

@EjmAlrai will give insight into the the bus bombing outside Aleppo.

Whislt it is expected that the msm will plumb new depths, keep digging as their poker hand is all in, RT and CGTN in my region (southern Africa) havent provided any coverage of the incident, why?

Also radicalisation of young muslim men IS a major factor for recruiting to Syrian and other battlefronts, but also a mercenary paycheck amply rewards in the now rather than the afterlife.

I have little sympathy for them, you either have to be mad, deluded, desperate or paid to operate in the Province of Idlib kill zone. I dont see Muhsayni and top AQ/HTS strapping vests, just pimping the young uns to do that.

Posted by: musasa | Apr 17 2017 7:23 utc | 50

If the rebels conveying the buses were there as a result of a Qatari negociation, the culprits should be... KSA paid
We haven't heard much of Yemen lately. Was it part of the deal? 'Ok we put Asad's scalp on auction again but you calm down on Yemen'

Posted by: Mina | Apr 17 2017 7:51 utc | 51

RT . com in English and Arabic covered it as it happened, 2 days ago.

Posted by: Mina | Apr 17 2017 8:02 utc | 52

I have kids. The kind that, if seeing a pickup handing out crisps, would without question run up to claim some. I feel sick.

Posted by: dan | Apr 17 2017 8:25 utc | 53


@ George Smiley | Apr 16, 2017 9:08:41 PM | 36
I read that in that very book that most Takfiris know very little, and only on the most superficial terms, about Islam.

There are some much deeper causes... particularly in inculcating their very young to the joy of martyrdom..
.. and the need for blind obedience

Heres an RT article which describes how the Turks, pivotal in this unravelling human catastrophe,
indoctrinate their very young
https://www.rt.com/news/338278-turkey-diyanet-children-martyrdom/
The full article (in Turkish) is at:
http://www2.diyanet.gov.tr/DiniYay%C4%B1nlarGenelMudurlugu/DergiDokumanlar/Cocuk/2016/cocuk_nisan_2016.pdf
and my translator renders Section 4 as:
---
Son:
Sehit olmak hic istenir mi baba
Did you ever asked to be martyred father?
Father:
Istenir tabii ki yavrum. Kim cenneti kazanmayi istemez ki
Of course my child this is requested. Who would not want to win paradise
Son:
Ne guzel sehit olmak!
How nice to be martyr!
----
With this kind of bedrock teaching, its but a short step to the monstrous takfiri behavior
we are now seeing

Posted by: DavidKNZ | Apr 17 2017 9:01 utc | 54

Sorry, I watched the photos and video and in my opinion the attack is staged, fake. Especially in the second picture of picture 2 you see a body with the head under the bus. How can an explosion from far away blow that head under the bus? Why didn't anybody look after him, take him underneath.

Look at the very black, very large smoke cloud. Looks photoshopped. Why aren't the corpses around the blast? Where are all those children?

Posted by: Nils | Apr 17 2017 9:06 utc | 55

[email protected] Thanks for the Ben Norton, Max Blumenthal link, two guys who really know whats going on. Please watch.
In my opinion the real source of this sectarianism and the destruction of Syria are the US in alliance with Saudi Arabia and Qatar with Turkey close behind. Without their funding the proxy war could not go on. Somehow Iran, Syria, Hezbollah or Russia must use their own proxy forces [unattributed of course] to bollocks up the Saudi economy via its oil infrastructure or sink Saudi oil tankers. Otherwise their impunity will only increase.

Posted by: harrylaw | Apr 17 2017 9:09 utc | 56

Somehow Iran, Syria, Hezbollah or Russia must use their own proxy forces [unattributed of course] to bollocks up the Saudi economy via its oil infrastructure or sink Saudi oil tankers. Otherwise their impunity will only increase.

Posted by: harrylaw | Apr 17, 2017 5:09:46 AM | 56

To me, that's a recipe for disaster. Any, even extremely tenuous, connections of Russia or Syria to attacks on Saudi infrastructure would result in an immediate escalation from the US. Some may pray that Houthi attacks could eventually do such a thing (unlikely) that's the best you should hope for IMHO.

I agree that funding from this and other states perpetuates the conflict in Syria, but striking one of America's clients would be scary. Backing the Saudi leadership into a corner would make them act even more irrationally than usual.

Posted by: George Smiley | Apr 17 2017 9:57 utc | 57

Without Saudi Arabia propping up the petrol dollar, America can't print money. They'd be frightened and Trump is already acting crazy. Furthermore, SA knows they are useless to the states if they cannot do that, so they'd do literally pour everything they could to resume the status quo as quickly as possible, at whatever risk. They'd rightly think their lives and livelihood would be in jeopardy and people do crazy things when something so grand is on the line.

Posted by: George Smiley | Apr 17 2017 10:01 utc | 58

George [email protected] "even extremely tenuous, connections of Russia or Syria to attacks on Saudi infrastructure would result in an immediate escalation from the US". That may be true,then again they [the US] may escalate anyway. But the 'arc of resistance' must know this is an existential war. The US, Israel and Saudi Arabia are in it to win at any cost and are the cause of hundreds of thousands of Syrian deaths. Because Syria is the 'low hanging fruit'as it were, the US must destroy it first, then Hezbollah and finally Iran. That Neocon lunatic Bill Kristol has recently said that Iran is the real prize, in these circumstances it is imperative for Russia/Syria to eliminate the Jihadis and not be side tracked by the US into cease fires etc with so called "moderate" jihadis head choppers [who don't really exist] and who cannot be reasoned with in any case.

Posted by: harrylaw | Apr 17 2017 10:44 utc | 59

b,

on the update, presstv.ir, Qatari royals part of Syria evacuation deal: Report says


Twenty-six members of a Qatari royal hunting party, captured in Iraq more than a year ago, were part of the swap agreement recently reached in Syria, a report says.

The Qatari hunting party, including members of the al-Thani ruling family, was detained in Iraq in December 2015 after they entered the country to capture falcons and hunt bustards.

Two of the members of the hunting party were freed last week as the agreement neared fruition.

The Guardian quoted sources close to the talks as saying that urgent efforts to secure the release of the remaining royals led to the Syria evacuation plan being finalized.

According to the newspaper, the group that captured the Qatari royals was understood to be Kata’eb Hezbollah, a popular resistance group fighting Daesh militants in Iraq.


... the guardian ... buy you'd think that the iranians would not be shy in identifying al-cia-duh if they were responsible.

Posted by: jfl | Apr 17 2017 11:05 utc | 60

Posted by: jfl | Apr 17, 2017 7:05:14 AM | 60

So Qatar pressured Al-Sham to agree to the exchange that would open the way for the Syrian army to attack Idlib. Because their royals were taken hostage in Iraq by a Shiite militia.
And someone tried to hold up the deal and/or exact revenge on all Shiites

Posted by: somebody | Apr 17 2017 11:12 utc | 61

President KUSHNER and his faithful toady Trump were too busy eating chocolate cake to comment on this massacre by their terrorist buds.

Posted by: Greg Bacon | Apr 17 2017 11:13 utc | 62

Indeed that Hedges interview (@31 Thirsy) by Norton and Blumenthal is top draw. The lads have their finger on the pulse. Totally switched on and human reportage and a big credit to Alternet.

For those who enjoyed the above I can recommend Caitlin Johnstone's 10min read The Situation In Syria Is NOT Complicated — Here’s What You Need To Know - maybe not fully useful for the already red-pilled MofA readership, but owns great 'share value' for the many baffled with bullshit.

PCR's voice here (@49 OJS) has actually been ramped up a notch, actively inviting a nuclear strike on Washington - no doubt echoing the thoughts of many.

Posted by: MadMax2 | Apr 17 2017 11:13 utc | 63

Saturday, as the evacuation was ongoing, listening to French radios who are in direct contact with the rebels, the role of Iran and Qatar in the deal was mentioned from the beginning (and so the lack of ref to the Shiite villagers made it look of course like Iran is always interferring etc). At some point, it was said that the evacuation had been stopped because some parties were insisting on the Qatari hostages in Iraq to be included in the deal.
Might have been just the right time for the bombing camion to arrive where the buses were stopped?

Posted by: Mina | Apr 17 2017 11:16 utc | 64

@61 sb

i guess they got the two royals they care about, the rest of 'em ... bad luck at the hunt. i'm sure the qataris, royal and otherwise, don't give a fig about the shia women and children savaged by their 'men' in idlib ... who are more beastly, the qatari royals or the saudi royals? all royals are beasts by definition.

Posted by: jfl | Apr 17 2017 11:29 utc | 65

Qatar just found itself a new friend

Posted by: somebody | Apr 17 2017 12:20 utc | 66

"Perhaps I'm old and tired, but I think that the chances of finding out what's actually going on are so absurdly remote that the only thing to do is to say, "Hang the sense of it," and keep yourself busy. I'd much rather be happy than right any day."

"And are you?"

"Ah, no."


There's also that saying, 'evil occurs when good men do nothing'.

I try and try, Putin I think is trying to do the 'good' thing here but it's gotten to the point with wartime propaganda that you really have to hang the sense of it, but that doesn't mean we stop trying. We know it's the rebels - the US, American MSM simply has no interest in finding out the truth or even beginning the investigation to start that process as that would seriously undermine Washington again as it did with the Iraq WMD pretext. It is we told you so and that's why we acted. That is all.

Very saddened and dismayed that it's happening again and the mob loves Trump for it.

Posted by: Gravatomic | Apr 17 2017 12:25 utc | 67

[email protected] That new friend has a lot of money..
"In the beginning of December the Russian Federation, which directly owns 50 percent of Rosneft, sold 19.5 percent of its stake in the company to Qatar's sovereign wealth fund and commodities trader Glencore for $11.3 billion.
Many have jumped to the conclusion that the deal could have wider geopolitical consequences in the Middle East and beyond - and that it represent a shift toward warming Russia-Qatar relations. The involvement of Qatar in a Russian privatisation deal may come as a surprise to many analysts, especially given years of tensions over Syria.

But it is obvious that both countries have managed to separate their foreign and economic policies and both governments have obviously invested a lot of effort into reaching the deal.https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/indepth/2017/1/2/qatars-big-oil-deal-with-moscow

Posted by: harrylaw | Apr 17 2017 12:40 utc | 68

"But it is obvious that both countries have managed to separate their foreign and economic policies ..."

That of course is BS.

Putin says Russia will become world's top LNG producer

Posted by: somebody | Apr 17 2017 12:52 utc | 69

Here's Robert Fisk in the Independent; not happy at all:
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/syria-suicide-attack-refugee-buses-trump-only-cares-sunni-children-a7687066.html

Posted by: Cousin Jack | Apr 17 2017 13:05 utc | 70

karlof1 @14

The al Zinki group decapitated the very ill (thalassemia? with drip feed still in his arm) young boy before the liberation of Aleppo. The boy asked to be shot but the bastards went ahead anyway. Pure psychopathy.

Posted by: Yonatan | Apr 17 2017 13:24 utc | 71

MusicofE says:

If the Trump administration is ever held responsible for its actions in regard to Syria...

it won't be...certainly not by internal sources.the venal nature of our economic model and the entrenched corrupt political expediency that sustains it just won't permit it. the aggregate of crimes committed by the executive branch and endorsed by the entire body politic is so heinous, so massively immoral, and so at odds with our professed national identity, that the robust forces required to convict and imprison these fuckers would be psychologically devastating to the very huddled masses who must find and apply them.

Posted by: john | Apr 17 2017 13:37 utc | 72

@ Posted by: Yonatan | Apr 17, 2017 9:24:46 AM | 71

Indeed. Scum. But, 'our' 'Freedom' loving, Not Assad/Syrian aligned, scum. A critically-ill, 12 year old, Palestinian boy.

After all, Nour al-Din al-Zinki rebel group explained it all away, the beheading, as an "individual error".

The US, which had provided military support to the Nour al-Din al-Zinki Movement prior, said it was seeking more information, at the time. The State Department spokesman, Mark Toner told reporters, at the time,'If we can prove that this was indeed what happened and this group was involved... it would give us pause about any assistance or, frankly, any further involvement with this group."

Unsurprisingly, subsequently, there was no, pause in 'assistance', 'involvement', continues apace ...

Posted by: Outraged | Apr 17 2017 14:03 utc | 73

George Smiley 36
Good point. The main ones doing the most destruction/fighting on both sides are the uninformed/misinformed.
US forces in Tora Bora were frustrated with the Afghans who would stop fighting to return home for dinner. They didn't realize the reason Saudi/Pak/US brought the jihadis in was because they were willing to suicide themselves against the Soviets. Afghans had a bit more sense.

Zorg (The Fifth Element): "I don't like warriors. Too narrow-minded, no subtlety. And worse, they fight for hopeless causes. Honor? Huh! Honor's killed millions of people, it hasn't saved a single one."

Posted by: Curtis | Apr 17 2017 14:25 utc | 74

hmmm ... Not all sites have the same quote for the Zorg character. Some leave out the part about causes and honor.

Posted by: Curtis | Apr 17 2017 14:38 utc | 75

Yonatan @71--

Yes, I'm well aware of al-Zinki's previous crimes. They're also tied to/are cross-members in the White Helmet terrorists. They perform their deeds quite smoothly as they were trained to by CIA. The CIA's been training terrorists since its inception and constitutes the biggest mass within The Swamp the must be eradicated.

Posted by: karlof1 | Apr 17 2017 14:56 utc | 76

This is what will happen if the U.S./Israel/KSA/Turkey succeed in getting rid of Assad and installing their puppet leader in Syria.

Alawites, other Shia, Christians and Kurds will be repeatedly targeted with terrorist attacks.

Russia must fight this outcome for many reasons including this one.

It's sickening how the truth regarding this incident that you laid out perfectly is getting twisted around like a pretzel in the media. It's sickening that many more women and children were slaughtered in this incident but only victims of chemical attacks are getting sympathy and media attention. Both this attack and the other are false flags intended to demonize the Syrian government, but in this case it's even much clearer who orchestrated this. The rebels are terrorist Wahhabi savages and their quartet masters of evil U.S./Israel/KSA/Turkey are war criminals of the worst kind responsible for crimes in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Yemen and Syria.

I'm hoping that Russia and Iran do not cede Syria and its future to these animals (I apologize to all animals for the comparison).

Posted by: Circe | Apr 17 2017 15:11 utc | 77

Regarding my 77, the italics is not a quote. It was intended to be in bold to emphasize the point, but I mistakenly used italics.

Posted by: Circe | Apr 17 2017 15:13 utc | 78

Serious question, which group have the White Helmets terrorists NOT been embedded in? To me it seems they might even be a liaison between the CIA and each of these groups, which have been both in and out of favor with their higher-ups, month-to-month, if one looks at the conflict historically.

One thing I've noticed about the White Helmets - the core "troupe", not the terrorist militia adjuncts, is that they are all very clean cut, look like upper class young Arab men. Well dressed, good teeth, good skin, fit but not in a workman's way. It's like they're on their first professional internship. And you never hear about these guys getting killed. They are never at the wrong place at the wrong time. Well, there was that one "clown", the "last" clown in Aleppo, who was supposedly killed in an airstrike. My theory about him is that he was there to get the kids warmed up to play-acting in these traumatic rescue scenarios. They probably have cake and sweets afterwards.

No doubt they are the sons of the elite.

And none of this is about Islam. The useful idiot "soldiers"(we're calling them that now aren't we) are just there for a paycheck, and from every backwater with 30%+ unemployment that you can think of. And the Captagon gets them into the kill-team mindset, if the propaganda doesn't.

The Qataris et al are only money-wirers. The US and its allies are doing 100% of the work on the ground, and the lion's share of propaganda post-production. There's that African American "Muslim" (obviously CIA), who's always on the scene with the White Helmets, moving with the terrorist flows...the "Fall of Aleppo", the Road to Idlib, and beyond. Livestreaming, always livestreaming, and where he was yesterday, you'll find today's massacre. And I mean, he's literally American. Same with a few other propaganda figures - Reuters' photographer Abdullah(born 2013) has the same sort of traceable path of carnage, you can follow his photostream where, embedded with ISIS/Al qaida, he arrives in town just before some shit goes down.

Posted by: sejomoje | Apr 17 2017 16:08 utc | 79

US evacuating family members of diplomats and military personnel from South Korea?
Same like in Turkey / Incirlik-base before the coup july 2016?
ANy more info on that?

german version sputnik news

Posted by: maningi | Apr 17 2017 18:35 utc | 80

Outraged - wow. poor kid. Makes me really really hope russia / syrians are able to retake all of northwest syria. I presume the whole chemical weapon hubbub the west made is because progress is in fact being made in Idlib.

Posted by: Au | Apr 17 2017 18:41 utc | 81

Here's a woman from Fu'ah or Kafriyah arguing with some terrorist who tries to justified the siege of the villages and murder of civilians there: https://youtu.be/kl_sqJkJqok

Posted by: Tweedie | Apr 17 2017 19:28 utc | 82

@70

Fisk has some balls, very very few mainstream Western journalists dare to point an absolute hypocrisy by US and EU. Others sold out any shred of human decency for 30 silvers, and by UN Charter definition are war criminals.

Posted by: Harry | Apr 17 2017 19:47 utc | 83

Here's Syrian girl, but one of the comments says that her translations aren't accurate. It's horrific https://youtu.be/EmkK0jXSJQs

Posted by: Nobody | Apr 17 2017 21:31 utc | 84

Here's Syrian girl, but one of the comments says that her translations aren't accurate. It's horrific https://youtu.be/EmkK0jXSJQs The link works but my post disappeared.

Posted by: Nobody | Apr 17 2017 21:33 utc | 85

More fake news on BBC and CNN. They show once again they are bags full of sheet!

Posted by: Enrique Ferro | Apr 17 2017 21:42 utc | 86

The buses had been parked up for about 30 hours waiting for the exchange of about 500 terrorists to take place, when the jihardists Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (formerly Al Nusra) opened bags of crisps outside the buses on the road, enticing the children out. Some parents found it odd and held their children back in the adjacent buses and watched. The jihardists were rather quick at emptying packets in the middle of the road and did not loiter as a blue truck arrives and detonates. A row of burned out parked cars across the road shows the crater in the right of the image.

Then the kidnapping took place of nearly 200 (mainly young girls) children.

Couple of weeks ago Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham kidnapped the residents of Khattab in northern Hama. The victims were taken to their stronghold at Khan Sheikhoun, where several days later - a 'chemical attack' took place and dead children etc arrived at the medical center with rigor mortis and/or head wounds.

Posted by: Jewish Watchman | Apr 18 2017 1:55 utc | 87

Qatar To Guarantee Safety Of Weapons Inspectors in Syria’s Idlib Province


By Paul Antonopoulos in Syria War & Defence April 17, 2017

(Sydney, Australia – 3:58 A.M.) Doha is ready to provide security support for inspectors from the Organisation for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in Syria, Qatar’s Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani said during a news conference on Saturday after talks with Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov.

“As for a possible independent investigation in the Syrian districts, which are controlled either by the government or the opposition, I believe, here should play the role the countries, which guarantee behavior of both sides. Qatar from its side is ready to assist, we have respective contacts,” the Minister said.

He said Russia’s support for the idea to organise an international expert group to investigate the incident in Syria proves Moscow is ready to assist the unbiased investigation.

“Having this investigation is very important to us. But even of bigger importance is what we are going to do if results of the investigation make it impossible to punish the involved. We should make it so the involved are punished, all countries should speak in favor of this investigation. If we do not punish the involved, it inevitably will encourage them for even more actions of the kind. This must be avoided,” he added.


trying to take the heat of his 'boys' who killed the women and children and carried of the girls in aleppo?

nontheless, this is excellent, if it's for real, and gets legs. then an investigation of his 'boys' in aleppo as well. 'If we do not punish the involved, it inevitably will encourage them for even more actions of the kind.'

Posted by: jfl | Apr 18 2017 8:55 utc | 88

@87 jw, 'Couple of weeks ago Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham kidnapped the residents of Khattab in northern Hama. The victims were taken to their stronghold at Khan Sheikhoun, where several days later - a 'chemical attack' took place and dead children etc arrived at the medical center with rigor mortis and/or head wound.'

got a link for that?

Posted by: jfl | Apr 18 2017 9:07 utc | 89

Sickening... RIP...

Busted: Idlib Gas Attack Fakers Murder 68 Kids in Bus Slaughter

Monsters and Child Killers and the sick games they play


(fake photo) Abd Alkader Habak rushes a wounded boy to an ambulance after a bomb attack Saturday in Syria.

Photographer Abd Alkader Habak calls himself an “anti-Assad” activist. He works in areas controlled by al Qaeda and turns out “fake news” photographs of Russian bombing victims and other minor holocausts staged for western audiences. This is false flag terrorism at is sickest. He works closely with a CNN producer named Waffa Munayyer, who we know to be an officer in Israeli intelligence.

The children on who were killed with their families were fleeing those Habak works for. His people killed them. He was there to be part of it. As Jim W. Dean so often says, “You just can’t make this stuff up.” Habak and his friends had been shelling these kids and their families since 2014, had cut off their food supplies and water, had made their lives a misery because they continued to hold out against terrorist rule.

CNN misses this part of the story, we don’t.

We see him in the photograph above running with a child, identified in the CNN article below as a dead child. Problem is, Habak works for the people who killed the child, he is a paid propagandist for Jabat al Nusra that blew up the bus. He was brought there with the bombers themselves who couldn’t resist one last terror outrage, this time dragging one of the bodies of their victims out of the wreckage and defiling it for propaganda purposes, something done all the time in Syria.

You see, we know Habak very well, we have followed his work and that of his network of friends, some Israeli trained, others paid by Qatar/al Jazeera, some paid by MI6 and the CIA, that being the White Helmets.

Every bomb that hits an al Qaeda command center is depicted by Habak to hit a school or orphanage. We have confirmations that, in order to get needed photographs, al Qaeda will butcher locals and throw their bodies around and we also have confirmations that this is done with full cooperation of the photographers who work safely in their region. Any real independent journalist who got near al Qaeda would be beheaded instantly, let’s be clear about that. Those that work with them are al Qaeda.

Last week there were two major terror attacks, one very real, a convoy filled with families blown up on the way to Aleppo, Syrians loyal to President Assad escaping years of encirclement by US backed al Qaeda jihadists. 68 children died there as a suicide car bomb was detonated by a member of al Nusra. The other attack, according to, among many others, Russian President Vladimir Putin, was staged by “fake new” photographers like Abd Alkader Habak, who is seen above in what we deem to be a fake news photo. The photographs below were taken by our photographers and will be genuinely disturbing. These are not CNN fakes:

There is nothing unusual for two unscrupulous media types to drag a dead child around, photograph themselves running with it, sometimes over and over, just to get it right, then toss the body in a trash can. This is what the White Helmets do all the time, we are even told they hire kids to play dead or even kill them if they need a convincing closeup. Don’t believe us, we have evidence. View the video.

he other attack, the one President Trump talked about, has not produced any evidence, and sources tell us it was staged by news photogaphers from al Jazeera, Reuters and CNN, working closely with Israeli and Turkish advisors and partnered with Jabat al Nusra, the US backed al Qaeda “franchise” for Syria.

The story here is a sad one. We have a photograph just exactly like so many that came out of Idlib, some of them taken by Abd Alkader Habak. Here Habak is carrying a dead child in a staged photograph exactly like so many we have seen. You see, he is one of the White Helmets favorites, one of those who took the photos that Swedish Doctors for Human Rights say depicts people pretending to save children actually murdering them.

The story below is CNN. Though 3 writers are listed, it is Waffa Munayyer who we tracked down as a handler of propagandists working with al Qaeda and the White Helmets. There is a long and sick story about this individual as well.

Posted by: ProPeace | Apr 19 2017 1:41 utc | 90

Over 3,000 civilians leave Al-Fou’aa, Kafraya in Idlib


The last time so many buses left Kafraya and Al-Fou’aa, the jihadist rebels carried out a suicide bombing that killed over 100 civilians near the Al-Rashiddeen area of southwest Aleppo.

how many children will al-cia-duh kill this time?

how many young girls will al-cia-duh rape this time?

Posted by: jfl | Apr 19 2017 5:53 utc | 91

Another Coptic church is attacked by ISIL in Egypt


No civilians were killed in the Islamic State attack; however, the terrorist group did manage to kill one soldier and four military personnel at a checkpoint near the St. Catherine Monastery.

Tuesday’s attack by the Islamic State marks the second in two weeks that the terrorist organization has targeted Egypt’s historical Coptic Christian community.


i wonder when egypt will get the message, as russia has, that they can fight al-cia-duh/daesh in syria or they can fight them at home.

or is it ... only christians ... no problem?

Posted by: jfl | Apr 19 2017 5:58 utc | 92

The number of 3000 civilians was regularly reported as the overall transfer of 300000 in the french medua throughout the easter weekend. Any echo overseas? Provably with the intent to fix some Assad =Stalin equivalence.

Posted by: Mina | Apr 19 2017 6:43 utc | 93

Propeace, i wouldn t be surprised if the images are now spread via cell phones to locals in syria,iraq and beyond as a new massacre perpetrated by the regime.

Posted by: Mina | Apr 19 2017 6:47 utc | 94

@90 propeace,

i had a look at your veterans today link and it looks to me that all they have has come from the indicter, the publication of SWEDHR, swedish doctors for human rights. so i skipped veterans today and have begun to investigate swedhr's claims through the indicter.

there's a lot in their march and april 2017 issues, one of which caught my eye with regard to veterans today : Statement by Swedish Doctors for Human Rights on misrepresentations referred in Veterans Today article on White Helmets


The site “Veterans Today” published an article with the title “Swedish Medical Associations Says White Helmets Murdered Kids for Fake Gas Attack Videos”. This formulation is utterly inaccurate and do not represent our true position on the issue, neither what SWEDHR is as independent NGO organization of human rights, nor the conclusions reached by the doctors examining the White Helmets videos.

they carry on from there.

veterans today seems to be fact-free, on its own, they just make assertions and lay down selections and interpretations of swedhr's work.

i've just begun and cannot give you any overall assessment of swedhr's stuff, but veterans today's stuff seems hollow. i have read one article from the indicter, Analysis of evidence contradicts allegations on Syrian gas attacks, previous to this onslaught. it seemed to be well-referenced, at least.

Posted by: jfl | Apr 19 2017 10:30 utc | 95

jfl
1) it's not a coptic area; there is a Greek monastery with a bunch of monks, but it has been a target of the djihadists since a long time because it is one of the few places where tourists can still be seen in Egypt
2) 'fight in Syria', precisely, Egypt's problem is that after the Qatari/MB plan for Syria failed, they have thousands of Egyptian MBs and djihadists coming back home with no money or food or jobs available

Posted by: Mina | Apr 19 2017 12:03 utc | 96

Re posts 39 - 40

Old thread now, but just run onto this pic of the people with the ambulances in Foua and Kefarya
https://twitter.com/ResistanceER/status/853189040983748608

Posted by: Peter AU | Apr 19 2017 17:02 utc | 97

@Mina | Apr 19, 2017 2:47:14

They have no souls... I wonder though what will be their excuse in the coming (eventually) Nurenberg trials...

@jfl | Apr 19, 2017 6:30:00

"veterans today seems to be fact-free, on its own, they just make assertions and lay down selections and interpretations of swedhr's work."

Do not agree. They find great info usually buried under the lame-scream media verbiage and interpret it their way, oftentimes intentionally putting some heat on certain entities to force them to some (re)action to give such urgent issue broader publicity...

Posted by: ProPeace | May 11 2017 1:57 utc | 98

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