ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Once upon a war, Western journalists eagerly jumped aboard the US military bandwagon to cover its overseas adventures; these days, however, the US military is mindlessly following the media into war zones on a black wave of hysteria and lies. CNN has reported that Russian missiles have crash-landed in Iran after going tragically off course from its intended target, which, no, was not Ukraine. This time the Western mainstream media has focused its propaganda big guns on Syria, where Russia has decided to launch an aerial assault against Islamic State militants, bloodthirsty terrorists that Western forces have thus far been unable to destroy. In a CNN 'Breaking News' segment, correspondent Barbara Starr, narrating in her trademark tragic baritone, boomed: "CNN has learned at least four of the more than two dozen Russian cruise missiles launched from ships in the Caspian Sea crashed in Iran... US officials believe there are injuries." There were more than a few profes...

© Google Maps Dozens of people have been killed and injured in two powerful blasts at a road junction in the Turkish capital, Ankara. The explosion was a terrorist attack carried, Turkish government officials say, claims of a suicide bombing are being investigated. According to local media, the explosion took place near Ankara Central railway station, the busiest in Turkey, which serves 181 trains daily. Several ambulances have been reportedly seen at the scene. More than 20 people were reportedly killed in the explosions, Dogan News said, citing police and medics. A Reuters reporter witnessed at least 15 bodies, as well as blood and body parts scattered near the scene of the tragedy. The total casualties, including dead and injured, are reportedly numbered at over 50, with the number possibly rising. The explosions occurred at a rally dubbed “Labor, Peace, Democracy” that kicked off at 10:00 local time (0700 GMT). Turkey's largest trade unions were planning t...

© Ahmad Masood / Reuters Mecca’s Hajj stampede death toll has surpassed 1,450 people, AP reported, citing the sum-up of official figures from 19 of the nations affected. The tally, reported by Saudi Arabia as 769, makes it the deadliest-ever incident during the annual pilgrimage. Hundreds of people are still presumed missing weeks after the deadly September 24 stampede, but the number of victims has been steadily growing with the release of new statements by countries whose citizens were killed. The new death toll collected by AP, which is based on such official publications, is nearly double Riyadh’s latest figures. Iran, which has blamed the Saudis for the stampede, has announced that 465 of its citizens died near Mina outside the holy city of Mecca. This figure also includes those unaccounted for, as Tehran does not hope to find them alive. On Wednesday, the Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, threatened Saudi Arabia with“harsh” measures if it fails to repatriate the bod...

By Mike Whitney Russia doesn’t want to fight a war with Turkey, so Russian generals devised a simple, but effective plan to discourage Turkey from taking any action that could lead to a clash between the two nations. Last week, Russian warplanes intruded into Turkish airspace twice. Both incidents caused consternation in Ankara and send Turkish leaders into a furor. On both occasions, officials in Moscow politely apologized for the incursions claiming they were unintentional (“navigational errors”) and that they would try to avoid similar intrusions in the future. Then there was a third incident, a more serious incident, that was not a mistake. It was clearly intended to send a message to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Here’s a short summary of what happened from an article at the World Socialist Web Site: “Turkish officials claimed a third incident on Monday, when an unidentified MiG-29 fighter jet locked its radar for four and a half minutes on eight Turkish F-16 jets that...

The 1,800-year-old monumental arch, which framed the approach to the Roman city, was blown up Sunday, Syria's Directorate General for Antiquities and Museums said, citing witnesses in the local community. ISIS jihadists seized control of Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the surrounding area from Syrian government forces in May. Since then, the Islamic extremists have beheaded the antiquities expert who looked after the ruins and set about demolishing their architectural riches. In August, they leveled two temples of immense cultural significance -- the Temple of Bel and the Temple of Baalshamin -- prompting outrage and condemnation from around the world. The Arch of Triumph, consisting of one large arch flanked by two smaller ones, opened onto Palmyra's elegant Colonnade. The top of the arch was decorated with "beautiful geometrical and plant ornaments," the Syrian antiquities directorate said. UNESCO, the United Nations cultural organization, describes the...

Nato has urged Russia to end air strikes “on the Syrian opposition (ISIS) and civilians”, days after Moscow began raids to support Syria’s government. Moscow says it is targeting Islamic State and other Islamist positions, but US-led allies and Turkey say government opponents are targeted. Turkish F-16 fighter jets were scrambled after a Russian plane entered Turkey’s air space on Saturday. Nato said Russia’s actions “have reached a more dangerous level”. Russia said the incident was a “navigational error”. The US said Turkey would have been within its rights to shoot the jets down. Saturday’s interception took place near Yayladagi in the southern Hatay region, Turkey says. The foreign ministry in Ankara said it had summoned the Russian ambassador to issue a “strong protest”. Turkish jets patrolling the border were also “harassed” by an unidentified plane on Sunday, Turkey said. A statement by Nato’s 28 members, that include Turkey, warned of “the extreme danger of such irresponsible ...

During the day, Sukhoi-34, Sukhoi-24M and Sukhoi-25 warplanes flew a total of 15 sorties from the Khmeimim airbase. Air strikes were delivered at ten targets of the Islamic State [IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL] group in Syria,” Igor Konashenkov, Russia’s Defense Ministry spokesman said in a statement on Monday. A pair of Su-25Ms (NATO reporting name: Frogfoot) together with an Su-24 (NATO reporting name: Fencer) carried out strikes on two IS targets in the eastern part of Homs province near the city of Tadmur, he said. “About 20 units of medium T-55 tanks, which were earlier seized by the militants from the Syrian army, have been destroyed [in the strikes],” as well as three multiple rocket launchers, he noted ( via rt.com ). A video released by the ministry also showed a strike against an IS ammunition depot in Homs. The ministry explained: “Bright flashes confirm detonation of munitions caused by direct hits of air bombs. Thick smoke provides evidence of fire in the depot.”

Russia’s military intervention in Syria, although further internationalising the conflict, does however present opportunities, as well as complications. There are no simple solutions to this terrible war which has destroyed Syria. Out of a population of 22 million, four million Syrians are refugees abroad and seven million have been displaced inside the country. I was recently in Kurdish-controlled north-east Syria, where the bomb-shattered ruins of Kobani look like pictures of Stalingrad after the battle. But equally significant is the fact that even in towns and villages from which Islamic State (Isis) has been driven, and where houses are largely undamaged, people are too terrified to return. Syrians are right to be afraid. They know that what happens on the battlefield today may be reversed tomorrow. At this stage, the war is a toxic mix of half a dozen different confrontations and crises, involving players inside and outside the country. Intertwined struggles for power pit Assad a...