Russian officials today confirmed that in addition to airstrikes against ISIS, they are launching strikes targeting other terrorist groups inside Syria, including al-Qaeda’s Jabhat al-Nusra. This was likely the target of some of today’s strikes in Idlib Province, which is dominated by al-Qaeda.
Russian officials noted that many of their early strikes hit ISIS troops and command centers in the Homs Province, and rejected claims that the attacks were overwhelmingly against other rebel factions which the US views more favorably.
Indeed, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov sought to parallel Russia’s approach to that of the US and its partners, saying “the coalition does the same as Russia does” in attacking ISIS affiliates around the country as well as other Islamist factions.
That’s true, of course, and many of the same rebels condemning Russia today were condemning the US early in its air campaign against Syria for targeting al-Qaeda and Islamic Front fighters, insisting they are proper rebel groups and shouldn’t be targets.
Russia’s attempt to parallel the US in Syria is potential risky, however, given how unsuccessful the US air war in Syria has been. The US has been attacking ISIS in Iraq and Syria for over a year now without much to show for it, and Russia is doubtless hoping for different results, even if the tactics are disconcertingly similar.
You can only kill with airplanes, and you can only destroy material with air power, but like Hydra the central stalk just has many more that become smallrr stalks with as many just as dangetous. heads whole less visible becomes the targets.
You do not know if you won a battle from a hundred or more miles away and you
cannot say you won the ground by merely viewing Satelite pictures for that matter.
US once lost two wars (Korea and Vietnam) from depending upon technologicly superoor gadgetry, and has not terminated resistance by such hitech warfare no matter thre nations they practice murder upon.
Until the power of a peoples government has secure hold upon the land itself it is a fn paper tiger that kills at random and without knowing how or ways to defend itself other than acting in same way the tertorist do.
Why is it not surprising that antiwar is again supporting Russia's aggresive actions? I think it is time to change your misnomer of AntiWar to AntiUS. The hypocrisy of this site has no limits.
The hypocrisy of the whole American internet has no limits. AntiWar, which should really be called AntiEU, is neither better nor worse than the others. The leftwing sites tell you that the EU should be destroyed because it's a hotbed of capitalism. The rightwing sites tell you that the EU should be destroyed because it's a hotbed of socialism. (In that connexion, see Justin Raimondo's article on Catalonia, a place whwre no war is raging.) Do the people that run and, more importantly, fund these sites not realise that the hypocrisy is so blatant that they're not convincing anybody? We've come a long way from all the bragging in the early days about how the interent was a "haven of free speech"! He who pays the piper calls the tune. Since these sites are very discreet about who's paying the piper, we have to take a guess just from the tune they play for us.
This the "victimise the victims" argument that Putin (and, even more so, his American supporters) are using in Ukraine: because the US is violating Syrians' rights, Russia is entitled also to violate Syrians' rights. If A mugs B, then anybody else that cares to is entitled to mug B! Oh, the logic of it!
The difference between the US and Russia is that Russia does in fact have Syria's Permission to be there, Russia is not providing material support to Terrorists and if you think that Al Nusra who are a branch of Al Qaeda are not Terrorists why the hell was the US fighting them in Afghanistan and Iraq! As for Ukraine who funded the coup in the first instance TWICE Nuland was caught out wasn't she! Do you remember the first words made after the Coup…..I do! "Getting rid of all those Eastern Russian Speaking Sub Human scum" ring any bells! What is the US excuse for being in Syria without UN security council authorisation? Genocide wasn't it, now don't the words spoken by the coup leader sound like genocide to you they do to me! So Russia being in Ukraine which they are not could say EXACTLY the same thing! But this is about Syria and we need to note something here cast your mind back 4 years and think where were the Millions of refugees that came out of Syria recently? All living at home under Assad, they were not leaving in droves like they are now! Also you are aware that the leader of ISIS was trained in Georgia by the US in 2008 as he was again in 2011 to fight in Syria again b the US! The Head of ISIS is a trained by the United States of America fully accredited Multi Battlefield Terrorist! On that basis the United States of America is a state sponsor of Terrorism and has been for decades don't you remember Charlie Wilsons War, Americas first foray with What was to become Al Qaeda!
The meaning of the word Antiwar, means exactly as is pronounced, is activity simply linked to wanting, having, nor creating or creation of any wars by anyone where American people are forced to pay for these inhumane wars. Now if Europeans involvement helping USG and its warmongering attitude the costs of war still paid by the people. Therefore antiwar causes no harm but rather people like MK whom are in business defending wars that are not just nor legal according to European countries constitutions, like Sweden when they helped NATO bombardment in Libya, Sweden were not a member of NATO nor the Swedish people would like to become member of such militarism regimes "NATO" no matter what the Swedish King or his far right monarchist war mongeting political party is saying or predicting.
If these people are trained by CIA in turkey, if they are supported and paid by Israel-Saudis-Wahhabism-Qatari and Turkish Erdogan regime then they are not a freedom fighters, they are paid foreign mercenaries in Syria fighting the Syrian people, they are ordered to destroy the country, the are ordered to massacre innocent people so they act as terrorists because they are supplied with weapons by USG and others to terrorize people, which fulfill the meaning of the word terrorism. Five years ago, the Syria legitimate government changed its constitution, five years ago the Syrian government invited these "Rebels" to negotiate their demands, at the time, these rebels thought of their illusionary victory, tgey even seated themselves as ministers and divided government posts among themselves, now they are desperately looking for a a scapegoat to run and hide.