With al-Qaeda’s Nusra Front taking over more and more territory in Syria, and reportedly preparing to establish an independent “emirate” that would mirror the government set up by ISIS, Russia today issued a statement calling for joint operations against the Islamists with the United States.
Both the US and Russia are engaged in airstrikes against ISIS in Syria, and both have at times launched strikes against al-Qaeda’s forces there as well. US officials, however, didn’t respond kindly to the idea of joint operations against al-Qaeda.
“We do not collaborate or cooperate with the Russians,” insisted Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis, who added that the US has “different military objectives” in Syria than the Russians do, and that the US is focused on “defeating ISIS.”
The US and Russia have been conducting bilateral negotiations on a plan to end the Syrian Civil War after five years, and Russia couched today’s proposal as a way to remove a major obstacle to the peace, al-Qaeda’s stranglehold on much of northwest Syria. US officials, however, seem determined to reject any Russian plan out of hand, which likely explains why the months of negotiations have just amounted to intermittent US statements of condemnation.
Not hardly, for al-Qaeda’s Nusra Front was created by Empire USA, is now supplied with our funds and war materials being laundered by Saudi Arabia.
The U.S. taking sides with Al Qaida? Go Figure.
Russian needs to give the U.S. and Nato a ultimatum. Either your with us in Syria or against us. And if your against us, you have seven days to leave Syria. Or all option are on the table.
The US does not trust Russia with the information about its own non-al Nusra allies. The US feels that targeting information would only be used to hurt US allies.
However, the US deludes itself about its allies. They are not merely located near al Nusra. They ARE al Nusra.
Or maybe the US does not delude itself, and is just doing it again, supporting and using an al Qaeda for a US objective, thinking to deal with it later. That is a different delusion, but very neocon, which is who is controlling US policy in the region.
Maybe it’s time to stop blaming just the neocons? Your country’s people don’t have the political will to resist your country’s wars. This site represent close to nothing as an antiwar movement. Sadly, the fundraising indicates that. And no, I did not contribute to it and will not. For a Canadian it wouldn’t be a wise choice of where to spend my money that goes into my personal antiwar efforts.
The real antiwar effort in the US, what there was of it, which is very questionable, has been split down the middle between Trump and Sanders. The half of it that was genuine was Sanders but some of the people who supported both were likely genuine for a large part. There will be very little sympathy for that here on antiwar.com. Libertarian politics trumps it every time.
I’ll just continue to try to nurture the glimmering of hope that still exists with Sanders and maybe somehow Trump will be discovered for the faker he is and his support can go to Sanders..
luv from Canada.
Al-Nusra was supported from the get-go. Made up of mostly Iraqi Sunni refugees following the fall of Saddam Hussein. Both Al-Nusra and then ISI (Islamic State of Iraq) are the by product of US program to train and equip Sunnis called the “Awakening” in order to fight “Al-Qaeda”. All of the over 400 villages and towns liberated by Syrian forces with Russian air support, show exactly the pattern. So called US groups are under Al-Nusra control. They are just an excuse to provide Al-Nusra with weapons, supplies, money and intelligence. ISIS is merely a diversion, and an attempt to stretch Syrian Army across two fronts. The well-publicized cruelty that ISIS performed in order to feed Western media, is really nothing new. All the groups pre-ISIS were just as cruel to civilians, if not worse. ISIS for example chops of heads, while other groups — including Al-Nusra and some of the myriad groups called Free Syrian Army killed children in most cruel manner, killed Christians, Shia and non-compliant Sunnis by chain saws, body splitting and hanging on trees, stuffing crosses down people’s throats, in an endless display of inhumanity that humans can descend to. ISIS was elevated simply to WASH AWAY the sins of all these groups, our “rebels”, and hide years of their cruelty.
Unfortunately for them, there is so much evidence, video and audio, pictures, testimonials of the perpetrators. How can we forget the pre-ISIS organ eaters? Easy — they are now our allies.
I am staring to think that the only reason for “infidel — umm — Assad must go” is to insure that whoever comes to power will not prosecute, and will destroy the institutions of Syrian government, their law enforcement, army and the entire bureaucracy that is planning to use this evidence should US insist that they come to power. US may have to give up on these groups and cut a deal with Syria that the evidence will be withheld for a period of time from the public, and that no prosecution will take place during that period. This will at least spare Obama’s presidency and his courtiers and courtisans from being indicted.