Backed by Russian airstrikes and supported by a host of allied militias, the Syrian Army today finally broke the siege against the towns of Nubul and Zahraa, two northern Aleppo Province Shi’ite towns which have been surrounded by al-Qaeda’s Nusra Front and other rebel factions for years.
North of the city of Aleppo, and near the key border crossing of Azaz, the small Shi’ite enclave is in a dangerous area during the period of civil war, though the counteroffensive that led to the siege’s end also put the Syrian military in control of some key supply routes into those important nearby cities.
That’s led the rebel groups at the Geneva peace talks to condemn the Syrian gains, and has Western offiicals lashing the effort as well, with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius terming the offensive that broke the siege “brutal,” and accused it of “torpedoing peace efforts.”
The rebels went into the peace talks with a flurry of demands, including a full ceasefire, though none of those demands was ever formally agreed to. Ironically, one of their demands was to end the siege of Syrian towns, something which they presumably only intended to see happen to the rebel-held towns surrounded by the military, and not vice versa.
The UN also criticized the offensive, saying it displaced “hundreds” of civilians from towns near the area. It did, however, end up freeing an estimated 60,000 civilians from siege conditions, so it’s going to be difficult for them to spin as a major humanitarian blow.
This circus is getting more an more disgusting. How can rebel who pretend to be legitimate use the population as pawns? The State dept was even more disgusting during its press conference. They are not even trying to hide their lies anymore. And they did lie. Compare the State Dept statements with the UN statements, it’s a scandal!
“How can rebel who pretend to be legitimate use the population as pawns?”
In the same way that every state that pretends to be legitimate uses the population as pawns.
The lie is perpetuated on the first Tuesday of November every 4 years.
I am not sure I follow you logic. The only way to avoid having a failed state is to have a state that has a monopoly of power. That is essentially what all states have, allowing humans to have something called rule of law, school buses, DMV, etc. At which point does the monopoly of power wielded by the state becomes illegitimate? Who decides what is illegitimate? What troubles me is the deliberate push by neocons (name is wholly wrong, they are Trotskyites and Strauss disciples) such like Kissinger, the world of “non-state actors”, to undermine the state and allow shadow power brokers to control primarily media, financial structures, and through it a perpetual chaos making machine of a foreign policy. In Syria, if by some miracle people would be allowed to vote today, Assad would win easily. Syrian army — given all the atrocities that are committed if a soldier is captured alive — is the bravest military in the world today. Yet, Trotskyites are pushing for the destruction of state, and the creation of one more failed state. The refugees from Iraq have devastated Syrian economy, and now Syrian refugees have inundated Balkans, Central and Eastern Europe just the way Libyan refugees flooded Italy and France.
Our Trotskyites hide their communist roots well — but communist is what communist does. Not Stalin communists, but his rabid predecessors, Trotskyites. Today, the children and grandchildren of Trotsky revolutionaries have remade themselves into almost mainstream belief of “permanent revolution”, destruction of state, creation of “soviets” in the form of myriad brands and groups. They are at present focused on unraveling the Middle East and Central Asia, thus Al-Qaeda, Taliban, Al-Nusra, Daesh, ISIS, ISIL, IS — name it. But their goals are the same — not soviets, but caliphates. A distinction without difference. So, what are we to do? Instead of calling for the accountability for decisions on all levels of governance, we just let the same people rule regardless of who is the president or in Congress. If we cannot make government work for us — instead for the select, privileged few, we will get our version of caliphate. Or as Kissinger calls them, “non-state” actors.
“At which point does the monopoly of power wielded by the state becomes illegitimate?”
As soon as it claims that monopoly of power.
States are street gangs. That’s all they are. They just happen to be the biggest ones, capable of suppressing the other gangsters who might cut into their rackets. “Rule of law” is nothing but a pretty way of saying “Do what I say or Vinnie will break your legs.”
Crush these stinking islamist cockroaches until the floor is yellow.
Recently, 60 minutes aired a piece on the Syrian Conflict—stated Syrian army only controls 1 % of Syria. Whole article was one sided–bad mouthing Assad. At the end–old Syrian lady stated that Barrel bomb was dropped on her home. I had enough lies from USA media.
Dec 9, 2015 The US & Britain Planned Use of Islamic Extremists to Topple Syria ’57’ Years Ago
BBC reports that – in 1957 – the British and American leaders approved the use of Islamic extremists and false flag attacks to topple the Syrian government: Nearly 50 years before the war in Iraq, Britain and America sought a secretive “regime change” in another Arab country… by planning the invasion of Syria and the assassination of leading figures.
https://youtu.be/57Qk0wEPZWE