The Syrian Conflict Thread

You'd think OD would get tired of posting fake news...
 
Syria talks resume in Astana after rocky start

Talks between the Syrian government and rebel groups in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana, have entered a second day after a tough start that saw the two sides trading accusations and refusing to meet face-to-face .

The meeting, organised by Russia and Turkey, is aimed at strengthening a nationwide ceasefire that has largely held despite pockets of violence across the country, and paving the way towards United Nations-led political negotiations in Geneva on February 8.


Staffan de Mistura, the UN envoy to Syria who is in Astana in a supportive role, said on Tuesday that a final statement was close to being agreed.

"We are working hard for a declaration that can reassure the process of the actual cessation of hostilities becomes more solid," he told reporters.

"There are very intense discussions because this is not about a paper; it is about cessation of hostilities, which means saving lives."

But opposition spokesman Yahya al-Aridi played down expectations that the rebels would sign a potential collective statement at the end of the talks, saying that several obstacles still needed to be overcome.

"I don't believe that the communique will be strong enough to be taken to the UN," said Aridi, citing a number of rebel demands, including the lifting of sieges, the release of prisoners and the delivery of aid to besieged areas, that he said had not yet been "confirmed".

"If we succeed … this could be a very strong political paper that could be taken to Geneva to continue the political track for talks about … a political transition in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2254," Aridi said.

If the Astana talks do not build toward the Geneva process, he added, "our efforts may have been in vain".


The talks mark the first time the Syrian opposition is represented solely by representatives of armed groups.

On Monday, delegates from the warring sides sparred over interpretations of the December 30 ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey, as their respective regional backers met behind closed doors to keep the meeting on track.

Bashar al-Jaafari, head of the Syrian government delegation, accused the opposition of "misinterpreting" the tenets of the truce, saying the "provocative tone and lack of seriousness in the opposition delegation chief's speech" had "irritated the attendees' diplomatic senses and experience".

Referring to the rebel delegation as "terrorists", Jaafari said opposition groups who signed the truce deal were "trying to undermine and sabotage the Astana meetings".

Al Jazeera
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/01/syria-talks-resume-astana-rocky-start-170124082357096.html
 
Source: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-01-31/congresswoman-who-says-us-funds-isis-just-got-back-syria-heres-what-she-found
Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, the lawmaker who accused the U.S. government of funding and arming ISIS and introduced a bill to prevent it from happening in future, recently disclosed that she met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during her recent trip to Syria. The move has reportedly angered many of her fellow congressmen and women.

Upon returning from the war-stricken nation, Gabbard released the following statement in the form of a press release:

“My visit to Syria has made it abundantly clear: Our counterproductive regime change war does not serve America’s interest, and it certainly isn’t in the interest of the Syrian people.

“As I visited with people from across the country, and heard heartbreaking stories of how this war has devastated their lives, I was asked, ‘Why is the United States and its allies helping al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups try to take over Syria? Syria did not attack the United States. Al-Qaeda did.’ I had no answer.”
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British man who died fighting alongside Kurdish forces in Syria killed himself to avoid being taken hostage by Islamic State militants.Ryan Lock, 20, from Chichester, West Sussex, died in an offensive by anti-IS forces in a bid to retake the northern city of Raaqa, considered to be the terrorist group's de facto capital. Former chef Mr Lock, who had no previous military experience, joined Kurdish militia after telling his family he was going on holiday to Turkey in August.

The People's Defence Units (YPG), a Kurdish military force, told Mr Lock's family he died along with other fighters last December 21. Now it has emerged he turned the gun on himself to avoid falling captive to IS and being held as a propaganda tool. Mr Lock's father, Jon Plater, confirmed BBC reports that it appeared he committed suicide to avoid falling captive to IS. He said: "We did know. It is true - 100%."YPG general command member Mihyedin Xirki described Mr Lock - who used the nom de guerre Berxwedan Givara - as a "martyr" who died "putting up a brave fight".Xirki said in a statement: "We bless the resistance of British martyr Berxwedan Givara for the families of all martyrs and the British people."A military ceremony attended by dozens of pro-Kurdish fighters, representatives from political parties and NGOs was held in Rojava on Tuesday.Photographs of the ceremony showed a coffin displaying a photograph of Mr Lock, who went to school in Havant, Hampshire, and a Union flag surrounded by armed militia.
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/02/01/syria-death-briton-shot-avoid-taken-hostage/
 
Turkey is attacking Manbij right now as of 8:30

It's not in the news yet.
 
Source: The Cancer of War: US Used Depleted Uranium in Syria
Despite vowing not to use depleted uranium (DU) weapons in its military action in Syria, the US government has now admitted that it has fired thousands of the deadly rounds into Syrian territory. As Foreign Policy Magazine reports:

US Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesman Maj. Josh Jacques told Airwars and Foreign Policy that 5,265 armor-piercing 30 mm rounds containing depleted uranium (DU) were shot from Air Force A-10 fixed-wing aircraft on Nov. 16 and Nov. 22, 2015, destroying about 350 vehicles in the country’s eastern desert.
...............
We should remember that the United States is engaged in military activities in Syria in violation of international and US law. There is no Congressional authorization for US military action against ISIS in Syria and the United Nations has not authorized military force in violation of Syria's sovereignty either.

The innocent citizens of Syria will be forced to endure increased risks of cancer, birth defects, and other disease related to exposure to radioactive materials.
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Nice one Obama ... /slow clap
 
pity Obama isn't in office to claim again there's no boots on the ground :)
[video=youtube;tfq-s56QEwk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfq-s56QEwk[/video]
 
Air strike on mosque near Aleppo in Syria kills 42

Warplanes struck a mosque in the rebel-held village of al-Jina, southwest of Atarib near Aleppo in Syria, killing at least 42 people and wounding dozens, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said on Thursday.

The jets struck as the mosque was full of worshippers at evening prayer, said the Observatory, which monitors the Syrian war via a network of contacts across the country.

The village is located in one of the main rebel-held parts of Syria, the northwest that includes Idlib province and the western parts of Aleppo province, and its population has been swollen by refugees, UN agencies have said.
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http://ewn.co.za/2017/03/17/air-strike-on-mosque-near-aleppo-in-syria-kills-42-monitor
 
They are already trying to pin it on Assad to get more intervention. That didn't take long it will be quite interesting to see who's side Trump picks. I almost think he will comprise and give the GOPers some more war to make things easier for him at home.
 
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