Do you think now the world has it's eyes opened to the true horror unfolding in Syria, they will now actually do something about ISIS?

[Whoknewitcouldbeso]

I know efforts are being made by some nations to try and counteract ISIS with the aid of drones and counter intelligence but I wonder if the refugee crisis may serve to instigate some direct action by more of the World's heavyweights?

I have just read the story of how Aylan's father has traveled back to Kobane to bury his family and has no intention of leaving the country again. It is his home and he was only leaving to try and save his family after 11 of his extended family were murdered by ISIS. There has been so much talk about migrants and asylum seekers and trying to help those who are fleeing, but most of these people would not be fleeing if it wasn't for the fact that they fear for their lives.

Surely we should be doing more to make their own country safe or do you think that's not possible and the only solution is to allow the ethnic cleansing to carry on taking place.

Now IF I was a conspiracy theorist, the U.S had already reported that 4 of the 24(?) Cruise Missiles Russia fired (with great domestic fanfare) from ships in the Caspian Sea hit Iran on route by mistake.

WHAT IF General Hamadani was in an Iranian Matalan and got a Russian missile up his yazoo?

Talk about 'unfriendly fire'.

No I'll give Iran's announcement the benefit of the doubt, as after all, they have propped up Syria's Assad for years now with 'sandals on the ground' and only now having gotten nowhere other than on a back foot, with Assad now protecting/occupying only 20% of Syria - did they NEED Russian fire power.

Apparently in Russia 'the people' support Russia's involvement in the Syrian war; but I wonder how many comrades in the middle of a honking great recession were impressed by the Cruise Missile firework display, how many thought their taxes could be spent better, and how many thought THERE GOES my potential tax cut?

Still for those that say Russia has made a mistake as in the past e.g. Afghanistan, casualties turned public opinion, I would point out that their current Total War has Russian's mainly out of harms way blasting the bejezus out of mainly Syrian Freedom fighters - while Syrians, Iranians and Afghans, are their cannon fodder on the ground.

Peter Ford, our former ambassador to Syria, said on Channel 4 or the BBC last night (I can't remember which, but probably Channel 4) that the "Free Syrian Army" make up about 1%-5% of people fighting Assad and that quite a few of them are interchangeable with the rest of the Jihadis.

You don't believe the stories about the Cruise missiles, do you? Can't you spot spin? Haven't you heard about Colin Powell and the "yellow cake"?

Former Chief of Staff to Colin Powell says that there are 4.5 million troops in the region (Saudi Arabia, Oman, Eqypt etc) and there are only about 30-40,000 Isis. He says, so what is the problem? Why can't they finish Isis off? And he says the reason is that some of these powers are supporting Isis.

I bow to a former UK ambassador's ability to do a front line roll call across all fronts on who 'works' for the Free Syrian Army, but the question is what percentage of those fighting Assad are first Syrians, secondly Syrian Sunni Muslims that he has been seeking to cleanse from his country, and thirdly Syrian Kurds, forth Iraqi Kurds - and finally the 'Tom Cobley and all' balance.

It does not matter, 80% of the Syrian (Sunni) population can never trust Assad again, Assad would sleep better if they all left Syria - and Russia and Shia Iran would concur with that event - just as long as Assad's murderous arse remains in place for now.

Re Cruise Missiles, when was the last time Russia fired one in anger?

The American Tomahawks cost, give or take, $1 million each.

The Russian versions have been lying around probably rusting, they wouldn't have cost that much as not made so well - but it is conceivable that through either the lack of experience of programming/firing terrain hugging cruise missiles, or some elastic bands breaking within - they went, technically speaking, 'squiff'?

'but it is conceivable that through either the lack of experience of programming/firing terrain hugging cruise missiles, or some elastic bands breaking within - they went, technically speaking, 'squiff'?'

Of course it is conceivable, which is why the spin machine probably went into overdrive to nullify the egg on the faces.

'the question is what percentage of those fighting Assad are first Syrians, secondly Syrian Sunni Muslims that he has been seeking to cleanse from his country, and thirdly Syrian Kurds, forth Iraqi Kurds - and finally the 'Tom Cobley and all' balance.'

1-5% are what are called "moderates" or "Free Syrian Army" acoording to our former ambassador to Syria, if there are any other Syrians fighting, then I presume they are fighting with the Islamic Front, Al Qaeda, Isis and the rest of the terrorists, so they are hardly worth supporting and I doubt that any Kurds are fighting Assad, as they are trying to fight Isis who have butchered their people and are not being armed sufficiently because Turkey doesn't want that and now Russia is saying it wants to arm them to fight Isis.

Claig .... we KNOW who did support ISIS in the early days, other Sunni States/wealth, concerned that that the west had allowed the Sunnis within Iraq and Syria to be downtrodden/murdered with little action other than telling the Iraqi Shia President to 'play nicely with others' - but ISIS have their own oil fields, raided Iraq Central bank vaults in cities outside Baghdad, rob anyone they find etc etc etc - so are probably self funding.

THE problem in Syria is what is happening, what will happen, to the 80% of Syrians who are Sunni versus Assad's 18% of Alawites (Shia) even if there is 'peace' - as IF force ISIS out of Syria/Iraq, other Sunnis from those countries might still want the safety of their own more moderate caliphate and REPLACE the head case Sunnis currently within ISIS.

In other words an ongoing problem that won't bother Russia.

'but ISIS have their own oil fields'

Who buys the oil off them and why are they allowed to?

'so are probably self funding'

That is the myth we are told by the media to cover for the fact that they are supported. Russia has called everyone's bluff and that is why they have fiushed out the Saudi clerics who have said there should be a holy war now to stop Russia defeating the Jihadis that have been funded and backed as terrorists to intervene in the affairs of a sovereign state.

claig .. that ONLY 1-5% of those Syrian fighting Assad are 'moderate' just doesn't add up based on those Syrians Assad has threatened/attacked and the ISIS number you have just quoted - even Putin would squirm in his boxers giving THAT explanation - while probably including the Syrian Women's Institute.

'that ONLY 1-5% of those Syrian fighting Assad are 'moderate' just doesn't add up based on those Syrians Assad has threatened/attacked '

Unless the number we are told that "Assad has attacked" is wrong, another piece of media spin.

The Sunni demonstrations back in 2011 against their lack of Human Rights and some basic supplies was peaceful, it was Alawite (Shia) Assad that fired first and escalated to chemical weapons - and if some did that to ME and mine, I'd go all 'Jihadi' on their arse.

The battle lines were drawn from 2011; Shia Assad, Shia Iran, its Shia minions and now Russia has taken the approach that ALL Sunnis are ISIS/Jihadis - Putin says it at every press conference, you (surprise) repeat it on here - so WHICH Syrian Sunni Muslims ARE safe from harm in their own country???

Jan 2014; Syria conflict pits Shia against Sunni as Hezbollah says this is 'war we must win'

Commander of militant Lebanese group claims that it has been forced to intervene in self-defence after sectarian attacks
www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/01/syria-shia-sunni-hezbollah-war

'escalated to chemical weapons'

How naive can you get? Did you believe Colin Powell's "yellow cake" as well as Blair's "dodgy dossier"?

Me naive, as you trying blow Russian smoke up my pert (a-hem) rear end; do you believe that Russians were not fighting in the Ukraine for years when Russia said they weren't, that the Crimea was just gagging to be annexed by Russia, and that Putin was only bombing ISIS targets in the first week as stated?

We KNOW Syria possessed shed loads of chemical weapons, as Assad offered them up under Russian supervision.

We KNOW Assad fired on unarmed civilians and has used every means to kill his own citizens by air or field gun, so if applying that recent Russian Spokesman quoting 'the duck test' on Jihadis - when there are as you say 30-40,000 ISIS combatants mainly in the West of Syria while Russia was bombing the East - Assad 'looks, walks, and quacks like a (psychotic) duck'.

“UN Says Syria May Have Used Chemical Weapons”
news.sky.com/story/1325488/un-says-syria-may-have-used-chemical-weapons

“The United Nations has said it believes the Syrian regime used chemical weapons in civilian areas eight times in April.”

"Reasonable grounds exist to believe that chemical agents, likely chlorine, were used on (northern Syrian villages) Kafr Zeita, al Tamana and Tal Minnis in eight incidents within a 10-day period in April," it said.”

"Witnesses saw helicopters drop barrel bombs and smelled a scent akin to domestic chlorine immediately following impact," it pointed out.”

“Victims, it said, had suffered "symptoms compatible with exposure to chemical agents, namely vomiting, eye and skin irritation, choking and other respiratory problems".

'Putin was only bombing ISIS targets in the first week as stated?'

Of course he wasn't and he never said he was. He was bombing all the Jihadis and terrorists and said so, it was only the media that kept saying that he wasn't bombing only Isis because of egg on faces.

“UN Says Syria May Have Used Chemical Weapons”

Don't you understand how they cover themselves, how they have to do that, how the media works? No one believes them anymore including the British Parliament which didn't fall for it and voted down airstrikes on Syria justified by "the chemical weapons". Everyone knows about the dodgy dossier, no one trusts the spin anymore.

"UN Syrian chemical weapons report exposes Washington’s lies

16 December 2013

The release of a United Nations chemical weapons inspectors’ report pointing to multiple sarin gas attacks carried out by so-called “rebel” forces further exposes the Obama administration’s lies about Syrian government responsibility for an August 21 chemical shelling of the Ghouta area outside of Damascus.

Washington seized on the incident as the pretext for a planned bombing campaign and stepped-up drive for regime-change against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The UN report’s appearance last Thursday follows the publication of Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh’s detailed article in the London Review of Books revealing that the Obama administration deliberately manipulated intelligence to falsely assert it had proof of Syrian government and military responsibility for the Ghouta attack.

Hersh cited current and former US military and intelligence officials on the falsification of intelligence regarding the August 21 attack as well as the Obama administration’s concealment of the existence of intelligence reports warning that the Al Qaeda-affiliated Al Nusra Front militia had the capacity to manufacture and weaponise the nerve gas sarin used in the Ghouta attack."

www.wsws.org/en/articles/2013/12/16/pers-d16.html

Just read this thread and it seems like a bun fight
He!ping the refugees would be a better use of time !

were used on (northern Syrian villages) Kafr Zeita, al Tamana and Tal Minnis in eight incidents within a 10-day period in April,

And they named those villages, numbers of incidence and time frame, pulling them out of a hat?

"May" is used by reputable organisations/governments when the CSI Team was not able to process the scene, but had many victims in hospitals with symptoms (and maybe film evidence) - while "Def not us Guv", or "it is our right", or "we were invited" - is used when Russian, and taking over a country by stealth, when everyone knows full well they are.

sugar21, the only way to help the refugees is to end the war and that is what is now going to happen due to Putin and Iran finishing off Isis and the rest of the terrorists in a real manner (not a phoney way by some states supporting them).

The reason it is all coming to an end now is because of the refugeee crisis and that Germany and the EU cannot take them and it could lead to the collapse of the EU.

It is a bun fight because I am fed up of Isit spreading crap across the boards and disparaging remarks such as "sandals on the fround" about a real disgusting war by funded, backed terrorists against a sovereign nation.

'And they named those villages, numbers of incidence and time frame, pulling them out of a hat?'

Yes, it was Al Nusra (a changed name for Al Qaeda).

Here is the next President of the United States on it and I agree with him and my guess is that when he wins all the puppet politicians in the world will agree with him too and pretend that they always did.

claig ... quoting the World Socialist Website (I wonder who they are affiliated to?) cuts no mustard gas with me, unless the sucker writing it was IN each village on the days of the alleged attacks.

sugar21 ... Syria had 23 million citizens, 80% are Sunni Muslim, 12 million of those are displaced, 3-4 million are now outside Syria - if there is no solution to Sunnis feeling secure in their own country - there are an awful lot more to hit the road out of Syria so Assad in situ can NOT be the answer for those affected.

'cuts no mustard gas with me'

No, you're a clever guy with your derogatory "sandals on the ground" references. You said you travelled to the Middle East where you claim to have picked up what you call your "financial market knowledge", shame you never picked up any respect.

Claig .. how many times a day in the Troll House do you have to mention a Republican candidate who wants America out of the ME and all Syrians forced home - and WHEN IS the U.S. elections, next week, month, or November 2016 - will you cut the numb-nut propaganda we see through?????

P.S. Fancy me accusing the a-rabs of wearing sandals, I do the same to the Lib Dems (with socks on) at conferences, trying the gasted flabber disrespect card? Pathetic.

Even Corbyn wears the 's' word.

I will mention Donald Trump, Pat Buchanan, the former Chief of Staff to General Colin Powell, Lord Dannatt, former Chief of the General Staff, Lord Admiral West, former Head of the Navy, Peter Ford, former Britsh ambassador to Syria, and real conservatives like Peter Hitchens all day long because they are right.