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The ISIS-defeater club seems to be expanding, as the UK, France and Estonia among others also announced they had, in fact, defeated the terrorist group.
All these followed a statement by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces who also acknowledged that ISIS had been defeated in the Euphrates Valley.
On March 23rd, French President Emmanuel Macron said that the fall of the last bastion of ISIS in Syria removed a source of potential terror attacks against France.
The Syrian Democratic Forces have announced that the last bastion of Isis has fallen. I pay tribute to our partners and to the armies of the international coalition, of which France is a member. They fought the terrorists with determination, for our security. https://t.co/2GjO30khjC
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) March 23, 2019
UK Prime Minister Theresa May also went to Twitter to announce that the UK had defeated ISIS:
The liberation of the last Daesh-held territory wouldn’t have been possible without the immense courage of UK military and our allies. We will continue to do what is necessary to protect the British people, our Allies and partners from the threat Daesh poses.
— Theresa May (@theresa_may) March 23, 2019
Her claim for the credit the UK deserves in the fight against ISIS followed reports that the British Royal Air Force killed 4,013 ISIS members and injured 302 others in Syria and Iraq in the period between September 2014 and January 2019. At the same time, the British Defense Ministry admitted to being responsible for 1 (one) civilian casualty.
Estonia was ahead of the curve and actually announced that it had strongly contributed to the defeat of ISIS and proclaimed it as early as in February 2019. Estonian Foreign Minister Sven Mikser on February 6th visited the US to attend a meeting of foreign ministers of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS.
The Estonian side admitted that the fight is not over and that even if it wasn’t against ISIS it was prepared to combat Russia and its “malign influence.”
It also should be reminded that on December 12th, 2018, Estonia decided to continue its deployment of up to 10 (ten) military personnel to Operation Inherent Resolve to continue defeating ISIS.
Comments by Turkey and Germany regarding the defeat of ISIS have not been provided yet, but Turkey has been claiming that it is near defeat for a while now. So it would be no surprise if Turkey claims it defeated it, and it would be no surprise if Germany also claims credit.
If given the chance, US-Proclaimed Venezuelan Interim President Juan Guaido would also take credit for the defeat of ISIS, after all he is also combating Hezbollah’s alleged presence in Venezuela, too.
At a closer look, however, it becomes more than apparent that the Global Coalition against ISIS, which consists of over 30 countries is barely even attempting to fulfill its purpose and was formed to further some regional and global interests, mostly US ones.
This is substantiated by two observations:
- The actual fight against ISIS began just a few months after Russia began its operation in Syria in September 2015. The coalition had been “active” for over 1 year at that point. In the one year of activity it accidentally dropped weapons to ISIS, supported Jabhat al-Nusra (al-Qaeda in Syria, which has recently renamed to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham) and others. There were also on-going reports of mysterious black helicopters extracting ISIS members.
- The Global Coalition against ISIS also undertook no action against the caliphate’s oil business, whereas Russia immediately tackled it, purging oil convoys and destroying ISIS oil infrastructure. It also pressured bodies linked regional actors, such as Turkey to immediately stop their clandestine business with ISIS.
The most active year in the Global Coalition’s war on ISIS was 2016, and it can be tracked according to official Pentagon data: At that moment, the US-led coalition has 180 combat aircraft deployed for the operation. This air force was conducting about 19,68 combat sorties per day. This means that in general 1 coalition aircraft was making 0.1 combat sortie per day. In comparison one aircraft of the Russian air group in Syria was making 1 combat sortie per day at that time.
Thus, the activity of the Global Coalition is just enough to signify that something is happening rather than seeking results.
Israel, whose interests are propagated to no end by the US said, as early as in 2016, that it prefers ISIS than Iran at its borders.
In 2018, that statement changed to preferring Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to Iran.
Truth of the matter is that it is “surprising” that ISIS was defeated with the low-effort and low-intensity approach that the Global Coalition undertook. That’s mostly due to the fact that since Obama, the US-led coalition wasn’t really aiming at defeating the caliphate.
However, efforts by the Syrian Army, Russia, Iran and Turkey forced the Global Coalition to “defeat” the caliphate, otherwise the credit would entirely go to the “wrong side.” This, in turn, would lead to the result of Bashar al-Assad’s government consolidating the Syrian territory much easier and earlier.
MORE ON THE TOPIC:
so they defeated isis without fighting them in that last pocket and taking no prisoners of war…..
SDF is the new USA terrorist proxy force
https://www.voltairenet.org/article189802.html
NATO AND THE EUROPEAN UNION PARTICIPATE IN TERRORISM
How Bulgaria supplied drugs and weapons to Al-Qaïda and Daesh
by Thierry Meyssan
The best-kept secrets must be revealed in the end. The mafia cartel which governs Bulgaria has been caught supplying drugs and weapons to Al-Qaïda and Daesh, at the demand of the CIA, both in Libya and Syria. The affair is all the more serious since Bulgaria is a member of NATO and the European Union.
VOLTAIRE NETWORK | DAMASCUS (SYRIA) | 4 JANUARY 2016
FRANÇAIS ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΆ ESPAÑOL فارسى PORTUGUÊS РУССКИЙ TÜRKÇE NEDERLANDS ITALIANO DEUTSCH POLSKI عربي ČEŠTINA NORSK SUOMI
Head of one of the two Bulgarian mafia cartels, the SIC, Boïko Borissov has occupied the post of Prime Minister since 2014. While his country was a member of both NATO and the European Union, he supplied drugs and weapons to Al-Qaïda and Daesh in Libya and Syria.
It seems that everything began by accident. For about thirty years, fenetylline was used as a performance-enhancing drug in the West German sports world. According to trainer Peter Neururer, more than half of the athletes took it regularly [1]. Bulgarian drug dealers spotted an opportunity in this situation, and from the dissolution of the Soviet Union until Bulgaria’s entry into the European Union, they began to produce it and illegally export it to Germany under the name of Captagon.
Two mafia groups were locked in serious competition – Vasil Iliev Security (VIS), and Security Insurance Company (SIC), the company which employed the karateka Boïko Borissov. This high-level athlete, professor at the Police Academy, created a company supplying protection for important personalities, and became the body-guard for pro-Soviet ex-President Todor Jivkov as well as for pro-US Simeon II Saxe-Cobourg-Gotha. As soon as Simeon II became Prime Minister, Borissov was named as the central Director of the Ministry of the Interior, then was elected mayor of Sofia.
In 2006, the United States ambassador in Bulgaria (and future ambassador to Russia), John Beyrle, sketched his character in a confidential cable which was revealed by Wikileaks. He presented Borissov as being connected to two major mafia bosses, Mladen Mihalev (alias « Madzho ») and Roumen Nikolov (alias « The Pacha ») [2], the founders of SIC.
In 2007, basing its article on a report drawn up by a large Swiss company, the U.S. Congressional Quarterly claimed that he had smothered a number of enquiries at the Ministry of the Interior, and was himself implicated in 28 mafia murders. He apparently became a partner of John E. McLaughlin, Deputy Director of the CIA. He is said to have set up a secret prison for the Agency in Bulgaria, and helped to provide a military base in the context of the project for an attack on Iran, the Quarterly continued [3].
In 2008, the German specialist in organised crime, Jürgen Roth, qualified Boïko Borissov as a « Bulgarian Al Capone » [4].
Having himself become Prime Minister, and while his country was already a member of NATO and the EU, he was solicited by the Agency to help in the secret war against Mouamar el-Kadhafi. Boïko Borissov supplied Captagon, manufactured by the SIC, to the al-Qaïda jihadists in Libya. The CIA rendered this synthetic drug more attractive and more powerful by mixing it with a natural drug, hashish, which made it easier to manipulate the fighters and make them more terrifying, in line with the work of Bernard Lewis [5]. Following that, Borissov extended this market to Syria.
But most importantly, the CIA, using the profile of an ex-Warsaw Pact member which had recently joined NATO, bought from him 500 million dollars’ worth of Soviet-type weaponry and transported it to Syria — mainly 18,800 portable anti-tank grenade launchers and 700 Konkurs anti-tank missile systems.
When Hezbollah sent a team to Bulgaria to gather information about this traffic, a bus-load of Israeli holiday-makers were the object of a terrorist attack in Burgas, leaving 32 wounded. Immediately, Benjamin Netanyahu and Boïko Borissov accused the Lebanese resistance, while the Atlantist Press spread a number of allegations about the supposed Hezbollah kamikaze. Finally, the forensic scientist, Dr. Galina Mileva, noticed that the corpse did not correspond to the witness descriptions – while a counter-intelligence chief, Colonel Lubomir Dimitrov, noted that he was not a kamikaze, but a simple carrier, and that the bomb had been triggered from a distance, probably without his knowledge. The Press accused two Arabs of Canadian and Australian nationality, but the Sofia News Agency quoted a US accomplice known by the pseudonym of David Jefferson. The outcome was that when the European Union sought to use the affair in order to classify Hezbollah as a « terrorist organisation », the Minister for Foreign Affairs – during the short period when Borissov was excluded from executive power – Kristian Vigenine, made it clear that in reality, nothing was found that could tie the attack to the Lenbanese resistance [6].
From the end of 2014, the CIA ceased its orders and was replaced by Saudi Arabia, who were thus able to buy weapons which were no longer ex-Soviet left-overs, but modern NATO material, such as the wire-guided anti-tank BGM-71 TOW missiles. Soon, Riyadh was supported by the United Arab Emirates [7]. The two Gulf states themselves handled the deliveries to Al-Qaïda and Daesh, via Saudi Arabian Cargo and Etihad Cargo, either at Tabuk, on the Saudi-Jordanian border, or the Emirati-Franco-US base at Al-Dhafra.
In June 2014, the CIA turned up the pressure. This time, they forbade Bulgaria to allow access to the Russian gas pipeline South Stream, which could have supplied Western Europe [8].This decision, which deprived Bulgaria of some very important income, not only helped to slow down the growth of the European Union, as described in the Wolfowitz plan [9], but also to apply the European sanctions against Russia which had been implemented under the pretext of the Ukranian crisis, to develop the exploitation of shale gas in Eastern Europe [10], and finally, to maintain the interest of overthrowing the Syrian Arab Republic, a possible major gas exporter [11].
The latest news is that Bulgaria – a member-state of NATO and the European Union – continues to illegally supply drugs and weapons to Al-Qaïda and Daesh, despite the recent Resolution 2253, which was unanimously adopted by the UN Security Council.
Thierry Meyssan
TM is the top of 1st division. Always way ahead of everybody else.
https://russia-insider.com/en/97-billion-year-war-spending-bankrupting-america/ri26577
$97 Billion a Year: War Spending Is Bankrupting America
John W. Whitehead Tue, Mar 19, 2019 | 2310 words 5,122 141
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“Pity the nation whose people are sheep
And whose shepherds mislead them
Pity the nation whose leaders are liars
Whose sages are silenced
And whose bigots haunt the airwaves
Pity the nation that raises not its voice
Except to praise conquerors
And acclaim the bully as hero
And aims to rule the world
By force and by torture…
Pity the nation oh pity the people
who allow their rights to erode
and their freedoms to be washed away…”
—Lawrence Ferlinghetti, poet
War spending is bankrupting America.
Our nation is being preyed upon by a military industrial complex that is propped up by war profiteers, corrupt politicians and foreign governments.
The F-35A. Unit cost, $89.2 Million.
America has so much to offer—creativity, ingenuity, vast natural resources, a rich heritage, a beautifully diverse populace, a freedom foundation unrivaled anywhere in the world, and opportunities galore—and yet our birthright is being sold out from under us so that power-hungry politicians, greedy military contractors, and bloodthirsty war hawks can make a hefty profit at our expense.
Don’t be fooled into thinking that your hard-earned tax dollars are being used for national security and urgent military needs.
It’s all a ruse.
You know what happens to tax dollars that are left over at the end of the government’s fiscal year? Government agencies—including the Department of Defense—go on a “use it or lose it” spending spree so they can justify asking for money in the next fiscal year.
We’re not talking chump change, either.
We’re talking $97 billion worth of wasteful spending.
According to an investigative report by Open the Government, among the items purchased during the last month of the fiscal year when government agencies go all out to get rid of these “use it or lose it” funds: Wexford Leather club chair ($9,241), china tableware ($53,004), alcohol ($308,994), golf carts ($673,471), musical equipment including pianos, tubas, and trombones ($1.7 million), lobster tail and crab ($4.6 million), iPhones and iPads ($7.7 million), and workout and recreation equipment ($9.8 million).
So much for draining the swamp.
Anyone who suggests that the military needs more money is either criminally clueless or equally corrupt, because the military isn’t suffering from lack of funding—it’s suffering from lack of proper oversight.
Where President Trump fits into that scenario, you decide.
Trump may turn out to be, as policy analyst Stan Collender warned, “the biggest deficit- and debt-increasing president of all time.”
Rest assured, however, that if Trump gets his way—to the tune of a $4.7 trillion budget that digs the nation deeper in debt to foreign creditors, adds $750 billion for the military budget, and doubles the debt growth that Trump once promised to erase—the war profiteers (and foreign banks who “own” our debt) will be raking in a fortune while America goes belly up.
This is basic math, and the numbers just don’t add up.
As it now stands, the U.S. government is operating in the negative on every front: it’s spending far more than what it makes (and takes from the American taxpayers) and it is borrowing heavily (from foreign governments and Social Security) to keep the government operating and keep funding its endless wars abroad.
Certainly, nothing about the way the government budgets its funds puts America’s needs first.
The nation’s educational system is pathetic (young people are learning nothing about their freedoms or their government). The infrastructure is antiquated and growing more outdated by the day. The health system is overpriced and inaccessible to those who need it most. The supposedly robust economy is belied by the daily reports of businesses shuttering storefronts and declaring bankruptcy. And our so-called representative government is a sham.
If this is a formula for making America great again, it’s not working.
The White House wants taxpayers to accept that the only way to reduce the nation’s ballooning deficit is by cutting “entitlement” programs such as Social Security and Medicare, yet the glaring economic truth is that at the end of the day, it’s the military industrial complex—and not the sick, the elderly or the poor—that is pushing America towards bankruptcy.
We have become a debtor nation, and the government is sinking us deeper into debt with every passing day that it allows the military industrial complex to call the shots.
Simply put, the government cannot afford to maintain its over-extended military empire.
“Money is the new 800-pound gorilla,” remarked a senior administration official involved in Afghanistan. “It shifts the debate from ‘Is the strategy working?’ to ‘Can we afford this?’ And when you view it that way, the scope of the mission that we have now is far, far less defensible.” Or as one commentator noted, “Foreclosing the future of our country should not be confused with defending it.”
To be clear, the U.S government’s defense spending is about one thing and one thing only: establishing and maintaining a global military empire.
Although the U.S. constitutes only 5% of the world’s population, America boasts almost 50% of the world’s total military expenditure, spending more on the military than the next 19 biggest spending nations combined.
In fact, the Pentagon spends more on war than all 50 states combined spend on health, education, welfare, and safety.
The American military-industrial complex has erected an empire unsurpassed in history in its breadth and scope, one dedicated to conducting perpetual warfare throughout the earth.
Since 2001, the U.S. government has spent more than $4.7 trillion waging its endless wars.
I find it strange that still there is no mention of Russia but all theses leaders declaring victory against ISIS because from my view it was Russia who put the hurt on them?
WHEN RUSSIA ENTERED THE WAR IS WHEN ISIS STARTED TO GET DEFEATED NOT USA/UK OR ALLIES ..IT WAS RUSSIA WHO MANLY DEFEATED ISIS
The very first in the fight against Daesh was IRAN……………….
Allies should not be petty gits. You are both correct and I can add the same about the heroic defenders in the SAA.
Just let us all agree that ISIS / US / KSA / UAE and others got their vermin loving arses kicked.
No offence intended.
ISIS / US / KSA / UAE
And Netahnyau with the zionazi party.
Russia put a lot of eyes in the sky, and destroyed the illegal oil trade. The Russians turned things around, and am sure they are capable of getting every inch back. But there are political obstacles. Time will tell.
NO ONE defeated USIS. The US airlifted them to Afghanistan…since they are a division of the US army (A multi purpose US PsyOp/BlackOps unit started by US state department and Hillary Clinton. The first order of battle was to overthrow Gadaffi, then move on to Syria and Iraq where they forced the US Army proper to enter Iraq again. They will be used anywhere in the world the US wants to insert itself since the MSM has declared this US army unit a threat to all humanity and the US has a “Responsibility to Protect” – the mantra the US has used to replace International law). So there you have it. Sorry Folks
No BS, it was Estonia who defeated ISIS on their own using extensive resources and the overwhelming military power of 10 men.
Ramsay Bolton would love this guys since he did something similar but used 20 men, so Estonia did better with less.
Ramsey Bolton does not have a sense of humor but the Estonians do. Read their statement with that in mind. They might even make fun of Trump in that way.
Ok the joke Is bad
In terms of territory, the SAA, Iraqis, and Kurds did the lions share of fighting.
However, I am gonna give the “Broke the back of ISIS” award to the Iraqis as once they had swept isis from the northern territories of Iraq, isis was unable to conduct any major offensives afterwards.
Now you can say that the US backed the Iraqis all the way, but in this case you would be wrong, because remember: Obama threw Iraq under the bus, and appeared that he wanted Iraq to be overran by isis. He gave token help to the Iraqis and only started seriously helping when Iran stepped in(the Israelis didn’t like that)….
Well finally! Somebody mentions the Kurds. The Syrian Kurds also did the lion’s share, and many paid with their life. They also freed the Yasidis and other people Daesh had captured and enslaved, and they are burdened with thousands of beaten and surrendered terrorists. You cannot even begin to understand them till you “walked a mile in their moccasins”[a wise saying of native Americans]
I hope they turn around and cooperate with Assad, some of them wanted to do that. But at the moment their priority was to unify, thinking that would make them stronger.
I’m not on the side of the kurds… They were denied their own territory for a reason…
Defeating ISIS means a change of clothes.
Once we realise that when ISIS members just shave their beards, put on jeans, and melt into the crowd, we understand that the “coalition” defeating ISIS means virtually nothing at all.
there is no difference between ISIS, al nusra and the jaysh shit.
It’s just that ISIS was made up from the start by Israel, Saudia and the West to play the part of the evil guy, while the other ragheads supposedly were to be the “good”, moderate ones.
In Israeli wettest dreams, ISIS and the rest of the ragheads would destroy the Syrian statehood, while later, the “moderates”, with western support, would destroy ISIS and become the saviours of everything good and just (while creating a new Lybian scenario in Syria).
There’s only one thing that can be said about this plan:
Fuck that shit.
The defeat of the regime changing pantomime, at the hands of Syria and its allies has been one of the few good things to happen in the worlds recent history, alongside the defeat of Killary, Brexit and the electoral losses of zionist financed parties in Europe.
Hopefully, more will come.
Anything based on lies and deception must fall apart eventually but i expect things to get worse before it gets better.
We Americans cleaned out ISIS and organised democracy in Iraq and NE Syria while Putin and Assad were occupied bombing civilians.
For my part I saved Oklahoma City for a lot of terror attacks from ISIS by my comments here on SF.