Blogpost: Syria Refugees blame game

Drip, drip, drip, the heavy rain outside my window seems to be never-ending.  So is the news coming in from the Syrian border with Turkey. Take for example this latest batch:

• 35,000 #Syrian refugees arrived at southern #Turkish border in last 48 hours, more to come http://xhne.ws/OH9ug
  • Photos from BBC website show thousands of refugees from Aleppo gather at the Turkey border http://bbc.in/1SPCG3O
 • EU says Turkey must keep border open to Syrian refugees http://dailym.ai/1QjuOCX
 • Governor of Turkey's Kilis province: "our doors are not closed but at the moment there is no need to take in Syrians along border" from Sky News.

Yet at the same time, the Turkish forces are still carrying deadly heavy-handed ‘policing’ operations against the Kurds in places such as Diyarbakir & Cizre . It would be unwise to allow loads of refugees into areas that are conflict zones themselves. What is happening to the people displaced by the intense fighting in the Kurdish areas of Turkey? The likes of the BBC or Sky News are being really cagey about it all and will not venture into this news ‘territory’, maybe because it is not part of the usual Western MSM narrative to point out inconsistencies in ‘allied’ countries, especially Turkey as a NATO member. “Don’t dig up the dirt on friends.”

The West’s MSM is ratcheting up the “Assad must go”, “pity the poor rebels” and “Russia is bad because it supports the Assad regime” statements. This has been visibly noticeable before and during the Geneva talks on Syria. The accusations haven’t stopped and have morphed into a strange blend along the lines of “Russia is seriously bad, it is causing a refugee crisis and it is responsible for the Syrian conflict.” Blatantly ignoring the fact that the refugee crisis started in 2011.

The US, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar & others such as the UK & France have helpfully fanned the flames of a brutal conflict since 2011, initially as part of the “Arab Spring” programme, aiding and abetting the destabilization of Syria & consequently provoking a huge refugee crisis. http://journal-neo.org/2016/02/06/syria-natos-last-desperate-options-in-lost-proxy-war/ This was long before any Russian combat aircraft landed at Hmeymim . There were even calls for Syrians to leave and go to Turkey to justify foreign intervention. Take the example of a "rebel" Sheikh Al-Arour ordering Syrians to leave back in 2011. https://twitter.com/theLemniscat/status/696318849902313472 All of this is a huge inconvenience for the MSM, who seem to be more than OK that Al Qaeda in Syria is simply a group of ‘moderate rebels’ to them. Al Nusra & other ‘rebels’ follow a rigid Sharia-based Islamist agenda, but again that doesn’t bother the MSM, being loyal slaves to their political masters. 9-11 in the US is lost to them.  More so, how times have changed since 2011 & horribly so.

The tune created by the US, the Gulf countries & Turkey hasn’t changed one iota over these last years, it is spelt out as” regime change” in Damascus. Nothing else matters but to unseat Assad, unhinge Iran & now upset Russia, hence the continued logistical & military support to proxy jihadi rabble armies to wage a viscous conflict with Syrian government troops & their allies.

Despair on Syria's border: Assad's regime gains ground, hope for peace talks fades https://t.co/oKeDDrNTu8 pic.twitter.com/IKfwMrWGtz

— CNN (@CNN) February 8, 2016

The Aleppo region was hailed as one of the birthplace of the “Syrian revolution” and at the moment the ‘rebels’ are losing people & ground, thus provoking a series of remarkable bellicose statements by the US, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain & the UAE.  Recently, the US secretary of State, John Kerry asked that the bombing of Aleppo be lifted & in the process managed to send out a rather confusing message on the UN resolution related to IS & Al Qaeda. The latest talks at Geneva were practically stillborn, since the Kurds weren't invited and the Islamists not wanted at all at the table.  Then we get this, the message of doom & horror because the Russians are attacking the 'rebels' is reverberating around, and now waiting to see who picks it up and repeat the information like a parrot to the masses of the clueless West:

From a warm hotel in Turkey,the @SyrianCoalition hold world responsible (subtext: for the imminent fall of #Aleppo) pic.twitter.com/7YHI10Rckv

— Syricide (@Syricide) February 7, 2016

It is getting painful for these countries to see the ‘rebels’ losing so badly and as such Russia is getting singled out by political leaders and the media alike. In a recent stopover in Dakar, the president of Turkey, Erdogan stated that: “the bombings that the Russian lead in Syria have caused the death of 400,000 civilians” and then further added "400 000 civilians have been killed because of the bombing in Russia. Russia is an occupying force. It has an air and naval base in Syria. It does not have a common border with Syria. What is Russia doing in Syria? Turkey has a very long border with Syria. This is not the case for Russia". Moreover, he also said that "In Syria, terrorism is perpetuated by the regime and its supporters.” and "Bashar Al Assad is finished. His actions have made the terrorists divide up the Syrian territory. "

 http://www.lesoleil.sn/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47544:escale-du-president-erdogan-a-dakar--la-turquie-va-terminer-les-travaux-de-laibd&catid=78:a-la-une&Itemid=255

The 'rebels' in the Aleppo & Idlib region are allied with Al-Nusra (Al-Qaeda) & so under UN resolution 2249 can be attacked by the Russian & other air forces. Yet the West's keep talking about the 'rebels' without making that essential connection.   It is therefore not really surprising that all of the sudden, several thousands refugees turn up at the Turkish border.  How does the gullible & pathetic BBC know that these are all refugees and  not 'rebels' fleeing with their family PR stunt.  There are literally thousands of foreign fighters in the pay of 'rebel' forces, some with their families, having previously displaced the original inhabitants. No one is really asking the relevant questions.

The 'rebels' are losing ground and fighters, so it is also logical that they are either pressing for more media attention and thus political leverage by pushing out 'people', who are them labelled as 'refugees' to the border region to be filmed & photographed, similarly to how the KLA operated in Kosovo in 1999. On a side note, add in the fact that it isn’t just the Russian bombing Syria these days, since there is also a whole coalition led by the US, purportedly bombing IS positions. So how can the Western press be so sure of themselves and solely blame just the Russian air raids? On whose say so? It just so happens to be 'Russia' so the US & EU media has simply fallen lock-step by branding Russia as bad.

At the Dakar press conference, Erdogan spoke about a forthcoming summit of the Organization of Islamic cooperation (Oic), being held in Istanbul. He said that he was "confident that the summit will make the necessary decisions in the fight against Daesh, the PKK, and Boko Haram ". Erdogan is more than irked at the Kurds, since they are effective anti- ISIS fighters and through military action have threatened to cut off IS from the Turkish border. He doesn’t flinch away from putting the PKK after Boko Haram but before IS. A bit like Obama’s ranking of threats back in 2014 mentioning Ebola Russia & IS in the same speech. It shows the muddled Washington & Ankara mindsets at work here. Yet the PKK has steadfastdly fought against IS over the border in both Syria & Iraq. 

As I write this the MSM are trying to garner public support for the refugees on the Turkish border, even the EU elite is asking Turkey to let them in, while barriers are being built to stop migrants in Europe. But as it stands, the 'refugees' are trapped, where their plight might be an excuse for Turkey to step in and intervene militarily by establishing a buffer zone. Even the German foreign minister Steinmeier spoke about the need for humanitarian corridors again. This has been already attempted back in 2014, with safe zones & no-fly zones being yet again mooted.  The UN-declared safe zones in Bosnia-Herzegovina turned into areas where fighters rested & operated out with impunity.

This time, there is the addition of refugees as useful pawns to provide the necessary justification for a military ground force incursion  Here is a map as outlined in the Italian newspaper, 'La Repubblica':

https://twitter.com/MoonofA/status/696286696208527360 

Is it really part of the propaganda campaign, in readiness for the preparation for Turkish or  US-lead ground incursion into Syria? We'll find out soon, no doubt, given the rapid advances being made by Damascus & Moscow forces. A dangerous geopolitical "Call my bluff " is taking place with a possible military trip wire being put into place by a panicky US & agitated Turkey & Saudi Arabia, done under the guise of 'humanitarian help' to 'refugees'.  So far, Turkey has set up 8 refugee camps on the Syrian side of the border, and is giving tents, food and other supplies to the refugee camps.

NB: According to a NATO spokesperson, the NATO SG Jens Stoltenberg said that  'Increased Russian air activity in Syria is leading to unacceptable violations of NATO airspace'. Neither NATO or Turkey have given any concrete evidence to the Russian government on the alleged incident where Turkey claimed that  a Su-34 fighter jet violated its air space. https://twitter.com/NATODepSpox/status/697022801132331008

As if it wasn't fraught enough, geopolitically with the shooting down of a Russian military jet, NATO now whines about from time to time.

Blog repost: Syria looting and Turkish connections

Prelude

This week's revelations made by Moscow concerning the illegal oil trade between Turkey and the Islamic State overshadows another shady aspect of the Syrian conflict, namely pillage of industrial machinery and parts on a massive scale in the Aleppo region.
 

More information on the Turkish connection with the military style pillaging & asset-stripping of Syria:

http://journal-neo.org/2015/08/24/erdogan-s-dirty-dangerous-isis-games/

“According to French geopolitical analyst, Thierry Meyssan, Recep Erdoğan “organised the pillage of Syria, dismantled all the factories in Aleppo, the economic capital, and stole the machine-tools.”

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/08/turkey-syria-sued-for-looting-aleppo-industry.html

“Half of the non-operational facilities were dismantled and taken to Turkey. We don’t know who plundered it, but Turkey is the responsible party. This is why the Aleppo Chamber of Industry and Commerce is taking the issue to international courts."

The article contains a video of the looted machinery: http://off-guardian.org/2015/10/17/video-free-syrian-army-liberated-over-1000-aleppo-factories-transferred-them-to-turkey/


The article briefly mentions the issue of electricity and water supplies in Aleppo.  It should be noted that the US previously bombed an Aleppo power station, and more recently bombed a water pumping station. In the ongoing war of words, where the US often criticises the Russians for not bombing IS, the fact the the US-led air coalition sees fits to bomb civilian infrastructure is telling.  Even UNICEF could not stay quiet over the latest bombing. 

UNICEF calls for end to attacks on civilian infrastructure after air strike cuts water supplies to Aleppo: http://www.unicef.org/media/media_86402.html

“In Syria, the rules of war, including those meant to protect vital civilian infrastructure, continue to be broken on a daily basis.”

"The air-strike which reportedly hit al-Khafseh water treatment plant in the northern city of Aleppo last Thursday is a particularly alarming example.”

 This in the genetic make up of the US & NATO air forces since it is not new,  Iraqi, Libya and Serbian were heavily bombed in order to create unsafe and unhygienic conditions.  

****************************************************************************************************

L’Orient le Jour Interview
Translated from the French

My factory was the IS HQ in Aleppo

Farès el-Chehabi, businessman from Aleppo & Sunni, the president of the Chamber of commerce and industry of Syria, relates the devastation caused by four years of war on his city and its surroundings. Since September 2011, he is registered on the list of individuals sanctioned by the European Union, accused of providing economic support to the regime.

What were the consequences of the war on the industrial area of Aleppo ?

Aleppo was the economic capital of Syria. We had over 80 000 factories. More than any city in the Middle East. In 2011, as early as the second month of the war, the destruction and looting began. From the first months, the rebels distributed leaflets demanding the closure of our businesses; otherwise they would be burned down. They sent these threats to all the shops and businesses. Immediately, the people became very afraid. About twenty of my friends, manufacturers, members of the Chamber of commerce, were murdered because they refused to close down their factories. In 2011, the rebels reduced to ashes more than 100 factories.

One of my factories was in Sheikh Najjar, the largest industrial area. The rebels seized in 2011. I was told that it didn’t belong to me anymore and that I didn't have the right to claim it back under threat of reprisals. My factory, which produced olive oil, I thought was in the hands of the Syrian Free Army  (FSA), was in fact the headquarters of the Islamic State (IS). Once retaken back in July 2014, I noted the damage. The walls were painted with the IS flag, there were jihadists clothing, their leaflets…  I noticed that there were almost 500 children in the area who had been deprived of education for two years. So I decided to turn this factory into a free school.

You have accused the Turkish government of being behind the looting of the factories in Aleppo...

Yes. And I have serious proof. I have filed two complaints against the Turkish government, with the courts of Strasbourg and The Hague. I have gathered solid evidence, videos, confessions and witnesses. Many manufacturers called me in a panic telling me that the rebels were in their factory and that there were Turkish experts with them. The armed men do not know the difference between the different production lines of a factory. They do not know how to disassemble the machines without damaging them. This is why the Turkish experts were present, to choose their loot and send it to Gaziantep, Adana... I've received more than 5,000 manufacturers'’ complaints, victims of theft. The loot went to Turkey with the complicity of the Turkish police. It is impossible to move the plant equipment so easily. Some of the machines are 20, 30 meters long. They used trucks, moved over the border crossings, not through olive tree fields. It is organized smuggling. They have gutted the industrial areas of Aleppo. It is a field of ruins.

Today, how is Aleppo organizing its survival?

Over the past nine months, we no longer have the Internet. Since the road Hama-Aleppo has been liberated, everyday life products arrive easily. The water is controlled by al-Nusra (a branch of the Syrian el-Qaeda). The UN declared it a terrorist organization in 2014. The National Syrian Coalition tries to make al-Nusra acceptable, encouraging them to cut theirs ties with el-Qaeda, so that they can join the moderate forces. The Front controls much of the electricity. And the large power plant is under IS control. So we have very, very little electricity in Aleppo. The government negotiates with them. "The terrorists" tell us : "We give  Aleppo 5 % of the electricity and  take the rest. "Which is the equivalent to 5 megawatts for 3 million people. This is not negotiation; it is blackmail for electricity as water (supply). We are waiting for the retaking of the largest power station near to the Kweires airport. Nobody can attack it, because there is a risk of contamination, radiation... We have another power station in Zorba, which should be freed in the next few days.

Did the people of Aleppo living in the government controlled area fear that the regime was going to let them fall?

A lot of people were frustrated in the beginning and furious too, as they felt abandoned. We were not able to defend ourselves against the rebels. We were faced with two choices:  either destroy what remains of Aleppo ourselves and fight, or lay siege to it without destroying the city. And this is the second option that is in progress.

People sell off their old Aleppo houses just to leave. And the most targeted are the Christians and Armenians. Only 10 000 Armenians remain in Aleppo, while they were more than 200 000 before the war. I've visited the patriarchs and priests of all the communities, and all say the same speech: those who attack them are Islamists who want to force them to leave the country. But the Islamists seem to forget that the Christian community in Aleppo is not a visitor. They are the original inhabitants of the city. They were there before the Muslims. And there is hope that one day, Christians will come back.

You criticize the rebels but at the same time, the Syrian government buys the oil from IS...

Already, this oil is not IS’s. It belongs to the Syrians. Therefore, if a group controls my production of wheat, cotton or oil, it is my job to free my factory or to buy the production by all means possible. It belongs to me. Therefore, it is hypocritical to point the finger at the Syrian government's efforts that buys up the oil from IS to give it to its citizens. And furthermore the regime bombs some oil fields.

What do you think of the upcoming elections, decided on in Vienna, which will take place in 18 months ?

We decide who should govern through free elections. We have no problem if these elections are organized by an international organization as long as it is not corrupt.  If you want a president to leave, organize elections. But we do not accept the rebel groups as Jaesh al-islam or others.

Let the so called "moderate" groups participate in the elections. If they win, we will be forced to accept it. It is the law of the ballot.  But no one really wants elections and demanding that the president resigns. Because they know that if Bashar al-Assad participates in them, he will win. It will not be a majority, maybe not 90 %, but 45 % would be enough for him to win. And, for the moment, no one on the opposition side can rally as many votes.

Original link:

http://www.lorientlejour.com/article/957522/-mon-usine-etait-le-quartier-general-de-letat-islamique-a-alep-.html