21st Century Wire says…
We knew it wouldn’t take long for Washington and its valued war planners to authorize a future airstrike campaign against Syria. This could be seen as an opportunity for the US to provide air cover for the FSA rebels in Syria, or even to hit Syrian military targets. All under the guise of hunting down ISIS…
Since June, we’ve been uncovering the various links between ISIS and the Western-NATO-Israeli-GCC alliance. This latest attempt by Washington and company, follows two high-profile video executions that seem to have been staged.
Exploiting a crisis
On June 22nd, Kurdish intelligence had specifically disclosed that ISIS displayed a growing terror-grip in the region and that there was a “planned takeover of northern Iraq.”
The report outlined that Britain’s MI6, as well as the CIA, had prior knowledge of the well-funded terror group’s movements – allowing an apparent ISIS death march to continue after being warned well in advance:
“The head of intelligence for the autonomous Kurdish regional government, which has links with the West, said he had repeatedly tried to send warnings both to the central government in Baghdad and to its allies, Britain and America.
But despite repeated attempts to impress on Washington and London the seriousness of the unfolding situation, he said there was no response from either government.”
That same day, on June 22nd, Israel launched airstrikes into Syria, hitting 9 military targets, supposedly in retaliation to a ‘cross-border’ attack at the Golan Heights border. Ironically, proof of the suspected Syrian attack on a civilian vehicle never materialized. However, it was suspected that the Israeli airstrikes, provided air cover for ISIS and the opposition rebels.
Additionally on June 22nd, there was a report of a Kurdish oil tanker, United Emblem, as it made its way to Israel’s Ashkelon port. There are no diplomatic ties between Iraq and Israel but since the evolution of ISIS in northern Iraq, the Kurdish Regional Government has been enjoying selling its oil to the international market. Here is a recent summary of events from Todays Zaman on the matter, putting a timeline to a report we did in late June:
“A report published on the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on Tuesday said an oil tanker, United Emblem, loaded with a $100 million in cargo set sail from Turkey’s Ceyhan port in late May. After zigzagging in the Mediterranean the tanker met another tanker, the SCF Altai, off the Malta coast. The United Emblem transferred its crude to the Altai, which eventually brought the Kurdish oil to Israel’s Ashkelon port on June 22.”
Western bedfellows
Despite regular denials to the contrary, if you follow the money, the West and its allies have deep ties to international terror.
In a NY Times article from 2012, the CIA admitted to covertly funneling arms and aid to so-called ‘moderate’ FSA rebels during the heightened war theater in Syria. In another report at 21WIRE we discussed the intelligence tied FSA training facilities located in both Jordan and Turkey. The highly engineered explosion of ISIS, has its origins in Iraq but has claimed certain members of its ranks from the FSA and other opposition groups.
In March of 2013, it was reported that the US, UK and France were training Syrian opposition members in Jordan, focusing on heavy artillery and urban warfare skills. The training base is said to be near the borders of Iraq and Syria, in a northern town called Safawi.
While plenty of media outlets have reported that there were FSA facilities in Jordan in the past, there’s been a growing suspicion about the CIA’s involvement within the province, as evidence has come to light that there was an ISIS connection with the rebels being trained there.
In a reported by SyrianTruth.org , which was then covered here at 21Wire, there was a relationship between the paramilitary group called “Front Victory” and ISIS after its seizure of chlorine gas. Front Victory is said to have a history of “violent insurgency,” and experience using chlorine as a chemical weapon, many of the groups founders have come out of ISIS – who were first installed in Syria in 2011:
“Jordanian intelligence proceeded to facilitate the smuggling of chlorine gas from Jordan to the organization known as “Islamic State of Iraq”, the first to use chlorine gas technology (with the help of Jordanian Intelligence and Saudi Arabia) as a “chemical weapon” – a taboo issue in the media in the context of covering genocide….
Given the fact that the “first generation” and “second generation” of the founders and staff of “Front Victory” hailed originally out of the “Islamic State of Iraq” organisation, they were the only ones among the insurgent Syrians who are schooled in this technique. In addition, the organization “Islamic State of Iraq” deliberately to be the first installments of his gunmen who were sent to Syria as of fall 2011…
Weeks ago, “Front Victory” are reported to have begun manufacturing chlorine gas shells to be used in mortars and homemade rockets around Aleppo, utilizing the stock from the chlorine gas plant. Note that the said missile was launched from an area “Kafr Daal” in northwest of Aleppo.”
There have been alternative outlets covering the curious connection between the FSA, al Nusra Front, Al Qaeda and ISIS for sometime. It now seems that this reality is sinking in for other larger media operations.
In a recent report coming out of Lebanon’s Daily Star, the FSA/ISIS connection was brought to light an FSA commander:
“We are collaborating with the Islamic State and the Nusra Front by attacking the Syrian Army’s gatherings in … Qalamoun,” said Bassel Idriss, the commander of an FSA-aligned rebel brigade.”
“We have reached a point where we have to collaborate with anyone against unfairness and injustice,” confirmed Abu Khaled, another FSA commander who lives in Arsal.”
In another news release, back in May, Vice News, outlined the connection between Syrian opposition fighters like the FSA and al Nusra Front:
“The relationship between al Qaeda franchise al Nusra Front and the moderate, secular Free Syrian Army (FSA) has, at least in the southwestern city of Daraa, been fairly high functioning. The two groups have long fought alongside one another against the Syrian regime. They also have close family ties: in Daraa, many of the men who fight with the FSA have friends and kin who fight with Nusra.”
All of this comes on the heels of Obama authorizing 475 troops to be sent to Iraq to deal with the ISIS “cancer.”
CBS below…
IMAGE: ‘Pagan idolatry’ – Obama addressing the public about the authorization of airstrikes in Syria (Photo msn.com)
Obama will strike ISIS “wherever they exist,” including Syria
Rebecca Kaplan
President Obama on Wednesday announced a comprehensive strategy to “degrade and ultimately destroy” the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS, or ISIL) that will broaden the U.S. military role to include airstrikes in Syria but not put any American combat troops on the ground in the region.
Until now, U.S. airpower was only deployed in Iraq for the sake of protecting U.S. assets and personnel there and helping prevent a humanitarian disaster as the Islamic militants targeted religious minority populations inside the country. In order to systematically degrade the group’s capabilities, however, senior administration officials said the U.S. would be lifting those restrictions and hitting ISIS targets inside Syria where necessary.
“Our objective is clear: we will degrade, and ultimately destroy, ISIL through a comprehensive and sustained counter-terrorism strategy,” Mr. Obama said. “I will not hesitate to take action against ISIL in Syria, as well as Iraq. This is a core principle of my presidency: if you threaten America, you will find no safe haven.”
The president also announced he will be sending an additional 475 troops to Iraq to help train, equip and advise the Iraqi Security Forces – a total of more than 1,600 U.S. troops there – but will not be putting American combat troops on the ground in either country.
READ MORE ISIS NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire ISIS Files
