The news of an ISIS leader elimination, Abu Ibrahim al-Quraishi, by the U.S. forces in Syria’s Idlib went around the whole world last month. On the night between Wednesday February 9 to Thursday February 10, American commandos had airdropped from helicopters in the town of Atmeh that located near the Turkish border, and then they stormed a house, where allegedly the Daesh’s boss was hiding. Al-Quraishi blew himself up during the erupted clashes. According to the White Helmets, thirteen people were also killed in the explosion, including four children and three women. It is worth noting...
Mosul
Salafis Throwing Bombs: How American and British Planners Partnered With Al-Qaeda Affiliated Groups At the Start of the Syrian Civil War
Introduction In the mainstream view, al-Qaeda did not play a role in the Syria conflict until Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi dispatched his deputy, Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, to Syria in August 2011 to establish a wing of the group there, called Jabhat al-Nusra, or the Nusra Front. Additionally, al-Qaeda allegedly did not carry out any military operations until December 2011 and did not announce its establishment until January 2012. However, there is evidence that al-Qaeda affiliated militants were involved in the Syrian conflict much earlier. Saudi intelligence...
5/11/20 Patrick Cockburn on the Real Crisis Facing Iraq
Patrick Cockburn discusses Iraq’s increasingly desperate economic outlook as oil prices remain at historic lows. Iraq’s economy, like many of those in the Middle East, is hugely reliant on oil, with millions directly on a government payroll that depends almost entirely on the oil market in order to remain solvent. Worsening conditions could endanger an already fraught political environment in a country that continues to battle the remnants of an ISIS insurgency in the western part of the country. Discussed on the show: “Iraq will be hit harder by the oil price drop than...
News Roundup 6/14/19
US News Black drivers in Missouri are 91% more likely to be pulled over than white drivers. [Link] A new law will require some Alabama sex offenders to be medically castrated before getting parole. [Link] All criminal charges have been dropped against Flint officials who covered up and ignored the deadly water they were pumping into homes. [Link] The F-35 is still plagued with severe problems. [Link] The New Cold War Putin says the US and Russian relationship is getting worse and worse. [Link] Kazakhstan Nearly 1,000 were arrested for protesting in Kazakhstan. [Link] Middle East Moon of...
The Syrian Smokescreen
In recent weeks, Trump announced the “withdrawal” of U.S. forces from Syria, as well as the withdrawal of 7,000 troops from Afghanistan. Although Trump had in the past taken actions against the Syrian state, for instance launching Tomahawks at the Shayrat Airbase in the Homs Governorate, the primary goal he has stated is to fight ISIS. In fact, in a tweet from December 2018, he had stated that defeating ISIS in Syria was his only reason for being there at all, and now that the group had been defeated, it was time to leave. Similarly, Trump's stated goal for fighting in Afghanistan was to...
News Roundup 11/19/18
A must read article by Gareth Porter on the Permanent War Complex. [Link] The Pentagon fails its first-ever audit. [Link] A third journalist has been killed this month in Mexico. [Link] Max Blumenthal explains that US-backed Ukrainian Neo-Nazis are training Ameican white supremacists. [Link] Peter Van Buren debunks the claim that North Korea is secretly taking advantage of the US. Peter argues progress is being made in the Korean peace process. [Link] Trump says extraditing Fethullah Gulen is not under consideration. [Link] The CIA believes MbS ordered the murder of Khashoggi. [Link] The...
8/10/18 Oliver Imhof on Civilian Casualties in Iraq
Airwars reporter Oliver Imhof joins Scott to talk about all the Iraqi casualties from coalition drone bombing and artillery strikes. Because of the difficulty and danger involved in getting into these war zones, the numbers are hard to verify, but almost certainly they are higher than the official statistics coming from our own and other governments. Discussed on the show: "Four years of war and ISIS is almost defeated – but at what cost?" (Airwars) Battle of Mosul Battle of Raqqa Fallujah Oliver Imhof is a freelance journalist specializing in foreign policy and international affairs....
The Myth of US 'Inaction' in Syria
Introduction When the Russian military intervened in the Syrian war in October 2015, many in the Western press complained bitterly, demanding that US planners intervene directly in Syria on behalf of the anti-government rebels in response. Reuters alleged that “The Middle East is angry and bewildered by US inaction in Syria,” arguing that “The question on everyone's mind is: will the United States and its European and regional Sunni allies intervene to stop President Vladimir Putin from reversing the gains made by mainstream Syrian rebels after more than four years of war? Few are holding...
4/27/18 Samuel Oakford on the Atrocities Committed in Mosul and Raqqa
Airwars reporter Sam Oakford returns to the show to discuss his latest work, "Raqqa: A City Destroyed Then Forgotten" and "They're Still Pulling Bodies out of ISIS' capital." Scott begins by asking—what do we know about Mosul and the coalition assault to take the city back from ISIS? Oakford then details the challenge of calculating the death toll from the fight for Mosul, the monumental effort that remains to rebuild the devastation, and the atrocities committed by the Islamic State. Samuel Oakford, an investigative journalist and contributor to Airwars.org. Oakford received the UN...
FPF #181 – Trump Attacks Assad
On FPF #181, Will Porter joins the show to discuss Trump ordering an attack on the Syrian government. Will and I breakdown speeches by Trump, Secretary of Defense Mattis, Pentagon spokesperson Dana White, and General McKenzie to explain the attack and give our analysis. Will Porter is a freelance journalist who writes on American foreign policy. His work can be found at The Libertarian Institute, AntiWar.com, The Daily Sheeple, and Consortium News. Links US Killing Civilians in Battle for Mosul Will's research on...