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Kerry: US ready to begin military talks with Russia concerning Syria

John Kerry: full interview on Syria, Russia and climate change

Clock Ticks On US Syria Strategy As Assad Pounds ISIS Targets, Russia Sends Fighter Jets

Earlier this week, Bashar al-Assad served notice to ISIS that the tide may have just turned in the battle for Syria. The Kremlin’s move to increase its “logistical” and “technical” support for government forces at Latakia appears to have breathed new life into the regime which carried out a series of air raids in the de facto ISIS capital Raqqa on Thursday.

This came amid reports that Assad’s forces were using new “highly effective and very accurate” weaponry. “There are modern weapons that the regime didn’t previously have, be they rocket launchers or air to ground to missiles,” The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told Reuters.

Needless to say, Russia’s move to bolster Assad and the suggestion by Syrian foreign minister Walid al-Moualem that Damascus may soon formally request Russian ground troops for the fight has alarmed Washington which, until now, was content to bide its time until Assad finally fell before swooping in to “liberate” the country from whatever militia managed to prevail. As we outlined on Friday, that option is now officially off the table, as toppling Assad will now mean ISIS, al-Nusra, YPG, and the various and sundry other groups operating throughout the country will need to first defeat Russia, an exceptionally unlikely outcome and one that the Pentagon certainly cannot afford to wait out. With its back against the wall in terms of explaining to the public why it seems more and more like the US would rather allow ISIS to continue to operate rather than ally with Russia and Assad to defeat them, Obama and Kerry folded on Friday, instructing Defense Secretary Ashton Carter to phone his Russian counterpart to begin coordinating anti-terror activities in Syria. Here’s The New York Times:

As the first Russian combat aircraft arrived in Syria, the Obama administration reached out to Moscow on Friday to try to coordinate actions in the war zone and avoid an accidental escalation of one of the world’s most volatile conflicts.

The White House seemed to acknowledge that the Kremlin had effectively changed the calculus in Syria in a way that would not be soon reversed despite vigorous American objections. The decision to start talks also reflected a hope that Russia might yet be drawn into a more constructive role in resolving the four-year-old civil war.

At Mr. Obama’s instruction, Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter on Friday opened a dialogue on Syria with his Russian counterpart, Defense Minister Sergei K. Shoigu, aimed at making sure that American and Russian forces avoid running into each other by mistake.

“The Russians are going into Syria because the regime’s position in the north is deteriorating,” he noted. “The Pentagon has been unable to recruit and train a viable opposition to fight the Islamic State because the rebels’ main interest is in fighting Mr. Assad. Given divisions between Moscow and Washington, it’s hard to see how you turn convergence on tactical military issues into a collective and viable political strategy to stabilize Syria and end the war.”

But that appears to be precisely Mr. Kerry’s goal. “They allege that they also share the goal of a political transition that leads to a stable, whole, united, secular Syria,” Mr. Kerry said of the Russians on Britain’s Channel 4. “The question always remains, Where is Assad’s place and role within that? And that’s what we need to have more conversation on.”

Note that this is a bitter defeat for Washington. Moscow, realizing that instead of undertaking an earnest effort to fight terror in Syria, the US had simply adopted a containment strategy for ISIS while holding the group up to the public as the boogeyman par excellence, publicly invited Washington to join Russia in a once-and-for-all push to wipe Islamic State from the face of the earth. Of course The Kremlin knew the US wanted no such thing until Assad was gone, but by extending the invitation, Putin had literally called Washington’s bluff, forcing The White House to either admit that this isn’t about ISIS at all, or else join Russia in fighting them.

The genius of that move is that if Washington does indeed coordinate its efforts to fight ISIS with Moscow, the US will be fighting to stabilize the very regime it sought to oust.

In other words: checkmate, courtesy of The Kremlin.

Russian Troops Fire At Rebels In Syria [not sure of the content,location, or date] Syria: Russian T-55 Crew Stationed in Latakia?

Russia Moves Tactical Fighter Jets, attack helicopters, artillery and tanks to Base in Syria

Russia gives Syria satellite Intel on ISISSeptember 19th, 2015 –

The Russian Federation has recently boosted their military aid to the embattled Syrian Armed Forces, providing not only heavy weaponry, armor, and military personnel, but also, satellite imagery that has assisted the Syrian Arab Air Force (SAAF) with locating the positions of the enemy combatants across Syria.

 In August of 2015, the Syrian-Russo military agreement was finalized after the Syrian Government’s Deputy Prime Minister – Walid Muallem – visited the Russian capital of Moscow to accept the terms of the proposal that would allow for the Russian military to increase the total number of soldiers on the ground in western Syria.

As a result, the Russian military command sent a number of advisors to the port-city of Tartous in order to begin the process of using satellite imagery to expose enemy positions and the Syrian Armed Forces’ overall effectiveness as a cohesive unit to combat terrorists around the country.

So far, the satellite imagery provided by the Russian military has paid dividends for the Syrian Air Force, as they are now able to track terrorist convoys and movements across the country without the use of spy drones; this has resulted in less flights and more damage to the enemy combatants.

According to a military source in east Homs, the Syrian Air Force’s airstrikes above the ancient city of Palmyra on Friday were by far the most effective aerial bombardment since the terrorists of the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) captured this desert area in the Homs Governorate.

On Friday, the Syrian Air Force launched only 11 airstrikes above Palmyra; yet, these airstrikes were extremely effective, as they destroyed four armored vehicles along the road to the Ancient Quarries in northern Palmyra.

At the volatile Idlib Governorate, the Syrian Air Force only launched 23 airstrikes, marking the first time since October of 2012 that the SAAF hasn’t conducted more than 30 airstrikes inside this northern Syrian province.

US sends extra 160 troops to Iraq

Daesh opens clinic to sell human organs in Mosul

La Gran Guerra contra el Estado Islámico – 18 Septiembre 2015

Iraqi Paramilitary Blows Up IS SVBIED In Anbar Iraq

Iraqi Capture Of Saqlawiyah Northwest Of Fallujah From Da’esh

POV GoPro Footage Of Iraqi Advance During Operation In Fallujah Iraq

Kurdish Peshmerga In Firefight During Defense Of Kirkuk

Kurdish Peshmerga Demonstrates Amazing Marksmanship Skills On Da’esh Petrol Tanker

Kurdish Peshmerga And YPG Operations In Kirkuk Iraq And Hasakah Syria

Syrian opponents attack Syrian regime forces in Idlib

Nusra Front militants execute 56 Syrian soldiers in Idlib

HD POV GoPro Helmet Cam CQB Footage From Aleppo

Syria: SAA/Hezbollah Operations in Zabadani: Part 1: Nabua District

Syria: SAA/Hezbollah Operations in Zabadani: Part 2: Tour of Nabua District

Syria in Past 24 Hours: Terrorists Acknowledge Heavy Casualties in Aleppo

The Syrian army units killed over 47 terrorists in the Northern province of Aleppo in the last 24 hours, the social media affiliated to the terrorist groups said.

The army clampdown on the terrorist organizations continued on Friday, inflicting great loss and damage on the terrorists by carrying out intensive operations against their hideouts and positions across Syria.

Also in the past 24 hours, an army unit destroyed an armored vehicle and a mortar launcher used by members of the Jaish al-Islam terrorist organization and killed a number of terrorists, including Abdelrahman al-Ajwah, Ghafir Abu Shanab, and Ghassan al-Wadi in al-Ajami neighborhood in Harasta.

Sources said that army units targeted terrorists’ hideouts and movements in the farms of Harasta, al-Samadi, and al-Maqale’a in the Western outskirts of Touma, which left a number of terrorists dead and injured.

In Aaliya farms at the Northern outskirts of Douma city, the army eliminated terrorists Abdelwahab al-Sedeeq and Juma’a Iskaf AKA Abu al-Yama, who were two leaders in Jaish al-Islam.

Army operations also resulted in destroying terrorists’ hotspots in al-Makaser and al-Hajjariye neighborhoods and around the municipal stadium in Douma city, killing a number of terrorists, including Sameer Taha, Hassan Fleitani, Kherieddin al-Oyoun, Mohammad Qaqish, Anas al-Nahhas, Kassem Aibour, Radwan al-Hendawi, and Abdullah al-Basha.

Also in Lattakia, a number of terrorists were killed in army airstrikes that targeted their gatherings in Salma area, Irra, Kitf al-Ghanme, Tallet al-Mallouheh and Tallet al-Rashwan in the countryside of Lattakia province, according to a military source.

Ali al-Sheikh Asaad, Obada Shaqra, Rafiq Abbas, Wassim Zakariya and Rafiq Shafiq Bitar were identified among the dead.

Army’s air force targeted terrorists’ dens in Rweisit al-Tanbour and Jub al-Ahmar in Lattakia, killing many terrorists, injuring others and destroying their vehicles, weapons and ammunition.

Army units killed and injured scores of ISIL terrorists and destroyed their weapons and ammunition near the army air force academy, East of Aleppo city on Friday.

The army also targeted terrorists’ hideouts and gatherings in al-Sfeira, Bulat, Traidam, Tal Rayman and near al-Neirab Airport.

In the Southwestern countryside, the army killed scores of terrorists and destroyed their vehicles in Khan al-Assal, Khan Touman and in the neighborhoods of al-Rashidin, al-Lairamon, Bani Zaid, Karm al-Jabal, al-Ramouseh, Saladin, al-Shaar, al-Firdous, al-Kallaseh and al-Mashdad.

Meanwhile, terrorists- affiliated social media pages confessed that about 47 of their terrorists were killed in a number of areas in Aleppo province.

Also in Idlib, the Syrian Arab Army’s Air Force eliminated many terrorists from Jaish al-Fateh and destroyed their vehicles, artillery and mortar launchers in Tal Toucan, Taftanaz, and Bannesh in in the surroundings of al-Fou’a and Kefraya towns in Idlib countryside.

Earlier, the Air Force launched strikes against terrorists’ dens and gatherings in Abu al-Dohour, Southeast of Idlib city.

In the Southern countryside of Idlib, the Air Force’s airstrikes targeted gatherings and hideouts of Jabhat al-Nusra in Mhambal, Ariha and al-Habit, killing many terrorists and destroying their weapons and ammunition.

Local sources said that an army unit carried out a special operation in Tarmala town, destroying the legal court (Sharia law court) of Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists in the town completely.

In the Northwest countryside of Hama, the army’s air force eliminated members of Jaish al-Fateh and destroyed their vehicles and ammo during concentrated strikes against their gatherings and dens to the east of Tota village, al-Bahsa, al-Ziara and Kafr Zita city.

The Army’s airstrikes against ISIL’ dens and gatherings in Kalib al-Thor left many terrorists killed.

Army units supported with the army’s air force killed numbers of Jaish al-Fateh members and destroyed a convoy of vehicles along with all terrorists and weapons in al-Frika road and al-Ziara in addition to destroying a vehicle equipped with heavy machine gun in Idlib countryside and Hama countryside.

An army unit targeted with guided missile a vehicle of Jabhat al-Nusra in the outskirts of al-Latamia town, destroying the vehicle.

Also in the past 24 hours, an army unit killed terrorists in Busra al-Sham city in the Eastern countryside of Daraa province, Southern Syria.

Among the killed terrorists, who were mostly from Jabhat al-Nusra, were Omran al-Badani Qassem al-Sabah, Ahmad Hassan al-Hajji, Khaled Mohammad al-Mikdad and Louai Youssef al-Mikdad.

Also on Friday, army units targeted Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists’ hideouts and supply lines across the Israeli entity in the countryside of the Southern Quneitra province.

The military source said that a number of terrorists were killed and their weapons were destroyed in the process, adding that the operations targeted mainly Mossad-linked Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists in al-Hamidiyeh, 7 km from Quneitra city.

An army unit killed and injured a number of terrorists in Bureiqa village, which is considered the main infiltration route for mercenary terrorists backed by the Zionist entity.

Also in the Northeastern countryside of Sweida, army units launched intensive strikes against the dens and gatherings of the ISIL in Tal Saad and Khrbit Samar.

Numbers of the ISIL terrorists were killed, others were injured and their vehicles, some of them equipped with heavy machine guns, were destroyed.

Field sources said that an army unit carried out a special operation against a convoy belonging to the ISIL in Wadi al-Qasstal area in the Eastern countryside of Sweida.

The operation resulted in the destruction of the convoy and number of vehicles equipped with machineguns in addition to the death of many terrorists.

Also in the past 24 hours, army units thwarted an infiltration attempt by terrorists from Jabhat al-Nusra and other terrorist organizations in the direction of a military point Southwest of al-Qatari Hill in Tabiseh area in the Northern countryside of Homs province.

A military source said that many of the attacking terrorists were killed in the clash, while others were injured and their weapons and munitions were destroyed.

In the Northern countryside of the province, army units eliminated many terrorists, injured others and destroyed their weapons and ammo in the villages of al-Ghanto and Ram al-Qasr.

The source also said that army operations targeted hideouts and concentrations of ISIL terrorists in Tadmur (Palmyra) city and in its Western outskirts and al-Qaryatain, leaving many terrorists dead and destroying their vehicles.

In Deir Ezzor province, an army unit targeted concentrations of the ISIL terrorists in the surroundings of Deir Ezzor Military Airport, killing a number of them, injuring others and destroying their weapons and munitions.

Ground Force Commander Underlines Iran’s Special Plans to Fight ISIL

Commander of the Iranian Army Ground Force General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan announced that the country has drawn plans to fight against the ISIL terrorist group.

“The Iranian Armed Forces will not be surprised at all and we have plans to fight against the ISIL,” Pourdastan said, addressing a ceremony in the Southwestern province of Kohgilouyeh and Boyer Ahmad province on Friday.

He assured the Iranian nation that the ISIL terrorist group is not able to threaten the country at all, and said, “We will powerfully make anyone who threatens the country regret his/her deeds.”

Pourdastan also stressed that Iranian experts analyze the slightest moves made at borders and by foreign warships in the Indian Ocean and nearby regions, adding that the Armed Forces’ defensive capacities are increased based on these analyses.

In relevant remarks in June, Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Ground Force Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour underlined security along the country’s borders, and said that the Takfiri terrorists were unable to pose a threat to Iran.

“The ISIL is not seen as a threat to the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Pakpour told FNA.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran’s Armed Forces don’t allow such threats to form and the IRGC makes its utmost efforts with full courage to defend the Islamic Republic of Iran and we are not at all concerned about an ISIL threat,” he added.

Also in June, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Hassan Firouzabadi underlined that the ISIL was not able to even approach Iran’s borders.

“The ISIL is no threat to us and we are determined to annihilate it if ever ISIL’s footprints span to areas 40km away from our borders,” Firouzabadi said in Tehran.

He stressed that the ISIL has never been present at the Iranian borders at all.

Also late in May, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani stressed The ISIL terrorists don’t dare to approach Iran’s borders.

Shamkhani underlined that Iran was watching every terrorist activity of the Takfiri groups, which are “now very vulnerable” in their fight against the Iraqi government.

Referring to the Takfiri groups’ attempts to enter Iran via its Western borders, Shamkhani said, “We have been able to push them back.”

Watchdog: 19 Journalists Killed While Covering ISIL News in 2015

Nineteen
journalists were killed while covering the activities of the ISIL
terrorist group this year, according to a press release by the
International Press Institute (IPI).

The release said 13 of the 19 journalists whose deaths were tied to the ISIL were Iraqis, Rudaw reported.

“All
of the 13 Iraqi journalists killed this year were either executed by
the ISiL group militants or died while reporting on ISIL-related
conflicts,” according to the IPI.

The year 2015 has the
potential to become the deadliest year ever for journalists
internationally, according to IPI. It said it had confirmed 61 deaths of
journalists on the job around the world this year, and was reviewing an
additional 54 deaths to see if they qualified for inclusion on their
tracking list. The previous record recognized by IPI had 2012 as the
deadliest year for journalists, with 133 deaths, but with as many as 115
only by September, the report warned 2015 could beat the grisly high
mark.

“IPI’s figures reveal the alarming extent to which
journalists around the world are increasingly targeted for their
reporting,” IPI Executive Director Barbara Trionfi said in the release.
“The killing of a journalist is the most heinous way not only of
silencing an individual report or the media of a particular country, but
also of denying the public news and information to which it has a
right.”

The release said that though accidents can occur on the
job, the majority of deaths this year were intentional, and carried out
to silence the press.

“The overwhelming majority of deaths this
year, however, have been intentional killings of journalists who were
targeted because of their profession or the content of their reporting,”
IPI said. “Around the world, 46 journalists have been assassinated or
murdered since January, several of whom had previously received death
threats or had been kidnapped.”

Earlier this month, the ISIL
killed Mosul’s Rasheed Radio Chief Yahya Abdul Hamad after abducting him
from his home. IPI in its report also noted the deaths of Iraqi
journalists Firas Al-Bahri and Ikhlas Ghanim, both executed by the ISIL.

Syrian Army, Hezbollah Advance in Zabadani Region, Kill over 13 Militants

At Least 80 Militants Killed in Syria’s Lattakia

Iranian Commander Sees Powers’ Air Bases as Cause of Turmoil in Region

Takfiris Suffer Heavy Losses in Daraa

Syrian Forces Rebuff Militant Groups’ Offensive in Fuaa Region

Syrian Forces Kill ISIL Terrorists in Sweida

Syria’s Kurdish Forces Repel ISIL Militants’ Offensive in Kobani Region