ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

By Seymour M. Hersh Barack Obama’s repeated insistence that Bashar al-Assad must leave office – and that there are ‘moderate’ rebel groups in Syria capable of defeating him – has in recent years provoked quiet dissent, and even overt opposition, among some of the most senior officers on the Pentagon’s Joint Staff. Their criticism has focused on what they see as the administration’s fixation on Assad’s primary ally, Vladimir Putin. In their view, Obama is captive to Cold War thinking about Russia and China, and hasn’t adjusted his stance on Syria to the fact both countries share Washington’s anxiety about the spread of terrorism in and beyond Syria; like Washington, they believe that Islamic State must be stopped. The military’s resistance dates back to the summer of 2013, when a highly classified assessment, put together by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, then led by General Martin Dempsey, forecast that the fall of the Assad regime would lead to ch

S-400 air defence missile system © Dmitriy Vinogradov / Reuters New Delhi has given the green light to purchase several Russian-made S-400 air defense systems, local media report. Indian military could become the second country in the world after China to procure state-of-the-art S-400s. On Friday, the Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by India’s Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar cleared the purchase 5 regimental units of the S-400 from Russia, the Economic Times reports. The deal is expected to be sealed within days to come during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Moscow next week. Defense Ministry sources told the Economic Times that the fast-tracked decision is to strengthen the country’s air defense capabilities. The cost of the deal was not disclosed so far, though the source said it will “happen shortly thereafter.” Rough estimates suggest the air defense systems alone will cost India about 400 billion rupees (around $6 billion). Until recently, Russia has been p

http://videos.videopress.com/KKWL5Jv7/u2tr_hd.mp4 In a new video purportedly released by Islamic State affiliate Shuhada al-Yarmouk, al-Qaeda affiliated al-Nusra Front militants are tied-up and blown up with bombs. The video is titled “Healing the Chests,” which is similar to the title of a previous ISIS video where Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kasasbeh was burned alive. The new video is alleged to have been filmed in Daraa, Syria, where Shuhada al-Yarmouk mainly operates. Shuhada al-Yarmouk translates to “Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade.” The name references the Yarmouk Camp , an “unofficial” Palestinian refugee camp occupying a neighborhood in Damascus. According to the Terrorism Research & Analysis Consortium , the Shuhada al-Yarmouk Brigade was formed in August 2012 and was originally affiliated with the Free Syrian Army, but defected in October 2013. The group then began to cooperate with Jabhat al-Nusra, or the al-Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria that is currently fight

Tony Cartalucci, Bangkok-based geopolitical researcher and writer, especially for the online magazin ISIS' ideological source code can be found among America's allies in Riyadh. Image: ISIS or Saudi Arabia? ISIS and Saudi Arabia.   A recent confab of so-called "Syrian rebels" took place recently in Saudi Arabia. Those attending included a collection of dysfunctional expatriate "opposition" leaders as well as commanders from various militant groups operating in Syria including Ahrar al-Sham and Jaysh al-Islam - both affiliates of Al Qaeda's Al Nusra Front - a US State Department designated foreign terrorist organization since 2012 . The BBC in its article, " Syria conflict: Divided opposition begins unity talks in Riyadh ," would report: More than 100 Syrian rebels and opposition politicians are meeting in Riyadh in an attempt to come up with a united front for possible peace talks. As the conference in the Saudi capital began, one of the most

Damascus, SANA-A military source said on Wednesday that 320 terrorists were killed and 109 oil tankers for ISIS were destroyed in the past 24 hours. The source said in a statement to SANA that Russian Air Force, in cooperation with Syrian Air Force, carried out 59 sorties against 212 terrorist targets in Aleppo, Idleb, Lattakia, Hama, Homs, Hasaka and Raqqa. The source added that during the sorties 320 terrorists were killed and 34 vehicles, 15 heavy-equipped vehicles, 2 tanks and BMP vehicle were destroyed. The sorties also destroyed 94 oil tankers in Deir Ezzor and 15 oil tankers in Hasaka. In Aleppo, at least 10 ISIS terrorists were killed during the sorties which targeted the gatherings and fortified positions of ISIS in addition to destroying 3 heavy-equipped vehicles, the source said. Meanwhile in the central province of Homs, the source confirmed that a camouflaged base of ISIS was destroyed along with all ammunition depots, command centers and terrorists inside them in the ar

Germany has created a new counter-terrorism police unit that will have up to 250 agents. The move followed analysis by national security revealing that German officers are not trained to deal with Paris-style terrorist attacks. The new unit has been named the Beweissicherungs- und Festnahmeeinheit plus (“Evidence collection and arrest unit plus”), also referred as “BFE+,” Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere has announced. “The danger in Germany from international terrorism is high, as it is across Europe,” de Maiziere said at a police base in Blumberg. “It was high, it is high, and it will remain high for the foreseeable future.” There will be fifty agents assigned to the first team, which will start work at the federal police’s Blumenberg base near Berlin immediately. Another four teams will be added later, each one consisting of 50 agents. The additional teams will be spread out throughout the country and placed only in those locations where the national police have access to heli

By Stephen Lendman Saudi Arabia and Turkey are key US allies, fostering endless Middle East wars, They’re involved in recruiting and directly aiding ISIS and other takfiri terrorists throughout the region – mainly in Syria and Iraq, now beginning to establish a foothold in war-torn, chaotic Libya, with elements in Yemen and elsewhere. Riyadh wants more regional power along with control over oil reserves outside its borders. Together with Washington and other partners, it’s using ISIS and other terrorist groups to advance its objectives, not oppose a universal scourge. It’s so-called new 34-nation “Islamic military alliance” against terrorism is a laughable on its face, a deceptive PR hoax. It named the following nations as partners: Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Gabon, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Islamic Federal Republic of the Comoros, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Pakistan, Palestine, Nigeria, Qatar, Senegal, Sierr

By Stephen Lendman  Turkey is complicit with Washington, other rogue NATO regimes, Israel, and despotic Arab states in waging war on Syria - including smuggled use of various type banned chemical weapons, Assad wrongfully blamed for their crimes. Turkish Republican People’s Party (CHP) opposition member Eren Erdem accused Ankara of covering up a major war crime, likely direct high-level involvement in smuggling materials used to make deadly sarin gas to ISIS and other terrorists - US proxy foot soldiers waging war on Syria. Various attacks occurred. The most notorious targeted the Damascus Ghouta suburb in August 2013, killing and injuring scores of civilians. At the time, then Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexandr Lubkashevich said “(w)e’re getting more new evidence that this criminal act was of a provocative nature.” “(T)here are reports circulating on the Internet, in particular that the materials of the incident and accusations against government troops had been posted f