Monday, September 14, 2015

US Bullies Iraq to Close Airspace to Russian Aid Flights to Syria

As a number of nations shut down airspace in response to pressure from the United States, Russia continues to transport humanitarian aid into Syria through Iraqi and Iranian skies. The United States, perhaps predictably, doesn’t like it, and continues to accuse Moscow of launching a military intervention.

On Sunday, a Russian military-transport plane touched down at Latakia airport in Jableh, Syria. Onboard was over 80 metric tons of humanitarian aid necessary for establishing a refugee camp in the region. While those supplies were sorely needed by those under attack from the self-proclaimed Islamic State terrorist group, getting them there was something of an endeavor.

After the Bulgarian government caved to US demands and closed its airspace to Russian cargo planes, Moscow was forced to reroute those flights through Iran and Iraq. But Washington has been actively lobbying those governments to block them as well.

Since September 5, US diplomats have urged Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to follow Bulgaria’s lead. Officials familiar with the meetings told the New York Times that the Iraqi government had promised to consider the option, but the recent flights prove that Washington may have significantly less influence over the Middle Eastern nation than it would like to believe.

"Since [Former Prime Minister] Maliki relinquished the premiership, power and authority in Iraq have become increasingly diffused with various players now exercising unilateral power over the use of force," Ramzy Mardini, a fellow with the Atlantic Council, told the New York Times.

"Neutrality is the best Washington can hope for in Baghdad," he added. "Iraq is not a dictatorial state like many of the US allies in the Middle East. Iraq is still a fragile state whose leaders are exposed to politics. In the discourse of Iraqi politics, forcing Abadi to side with the US against Assad is like re-aligning him with the Sunni axis against the Shia one."

If neutrality and cooperation is the best strategy for combating IS in the region, it’s one the Pentagon seems bent on ignoring. Washington has repeatedly accused Moscow of fanning the conflict and taking advantage of the situation to help bolster the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

"It appears now that Assad is worried enough that he’s inviting Russian advisers in and Russian equipment in," President Obama said during a visit to Fort Meade, Maryland last week.

"And that won’t change our core strategy, which is to continue to put pressure on ISIL in Iraq and Syria, but we are going to be engaging Russia to let them know that you can’t continue to double-down on a strategy that’s doomed to failure."

To support its claims of a Russian "invasion" in Syria, the West has repeatedly pointed to the presence of Russian military forces and equipment at both Latakia and the Russian naval facility at Tartus.

But while these facts are presented as conspiracy, Moscow has been completely transparent in its intention to counter the spread of the Islamic State.

"There were military supplies, they are ongoing, and they will continue," Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said on Sunday. "They are inevitably accompanied by Russian specialists, who help to adjust the equipment, to train Syrian personnel how to use this weaponry."

The accusations from Washington are especially baffling given the Pentagon’s similar operations in Iraq. Nearly 3,500 US advisors are currently stationed in Iraq to help with the offensive against IS, and the government has received multiple weapons shipments from Washington, many of which have unwittingly fallen into the hands of terrorist fighters.............http://sptnkne.ws/J7U

14/9/15
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2 comments :

  1. Russia's recent movements near Syria's city of Latakia suggest that Moscow plans to establish a "forward air operating base" there, the US has said...

    Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis said there had been a steady flow of people and equipment in the coastal area.

    Russia says military equipment is being sent to Syria to help the government combat the so-called Islamic State.

    Moscow has been a key ally of President Assad during Syria's bloody civil war, which began in 2011.
    'No additional steps'

    "We have seen indications in recent days that Russia has moved people and things into the area around Latakia and the air base there that suggests that it intends to establish some sort of a forward air operating base," Mr Davis said on Monday.

    He added that the US was concerned that Russian military moves could come into conflict with US and coalition air strikes that were being conducted in Syria against IS......BBC
    15/9/15

    ReplyDelete
  2. Had Moscow not supported Syria, the situation would be much worse than it was in Libya and there would have been even more refugees, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday...

    “If Russia didn’t support Syria, then the situation in that country would have been even worse than in Libya and the flow of refugees would have been even greater,” Putin said during a Collective Security Treaty Organization meeting in the Tajik capital.

    Putin added that supporting “the legitimate government of Syria is in no way tied to the flow of refugees [into Europe] from the countries of Libya, Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan, and a number of other countries.”

    “I would like to note that people are running from Syria, first of all, because of military activity that to a large degree is being delivered arms and other special equipment from abroad. People are running from the horrors of terrorists,” Putin added.

    Russia to Continue Assisting Syria in Fight Against ISIL

    Russia will continue to provide military and technical assistance to Syria to help the country in its fight against the Islamic State, the Russian president said.......http://sptnkne.ws/JEt
    15/9/15

    ReplyDelete

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