ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Written by  Philip M. Giraldi ; Originally appeared on  strategic-culture.org It should come as no surprise to anyone that the Donald Trump administration  has recently affirmed  that it has a perfect legal right to remain in Syria as long as it wishes because it is fighting terrorism. The argument goes something like this: Congress has approved a bill that permits the US military to seek out and destroy al-Qaeda and associated groups wherever they may be. It is part of what is referred to as the Authorization to Use Military Force or AUMF. According to the White House, an associated group, the Islamic State in Syria (ISIS), remains currently active in Syria and the United States military presence is therefore legal until the group is completely eliminated, requiring no additional legislation or authority to remain in the country. The Trump legal finding was spelled out in two letters released by the undersecretaries for policy at the State and Defense departments. They were in re

Illustrative Image On March 3, the Bahraini Ministry of Interior announced in an official statement that Bahraini security forces had arrested 116 “terrorist elements” in many areas of the country during a security operation. Several weapons including machine guns and RPG-7 rounds along with 42kg of explosives were seized by security forces, according to the ministry. The Bahraini Ministry of Interior claimed that the “terrorists” had been a part of “terrorist organization”, which had been formed by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The ministry accused the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Iraqi Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq of arming, training, financing and recruiting new elements of the supposed organization outside Bahrain. According to the released statement, the “terrorist organization” was planning to carry out attacks against the country’s security forces and oil facilities. “The organization was planning to target the leaders and personals of the security forces

Illustrative Image On March 3, forces loyal to Saudi-backed Yemeni president Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi imposed full control of the district of Nati’s in the central province of al-Bayda after they had captured the strategic mountain chain of al-Dahir, according to the UAE-based al-Arabiya TV. Al-Arabia added that pro-Hadi forces had begun their offensive operations in the district of al-Malagim, located south of the Nati’ district, and captured several positions in the Ashar area. During their advance, pro-Hadi fighters killed more than 30 Houthi fighters and captured 12 others, according to Yemeni sources. Saudi-led coalition warplanes backed the pro-Hadi forces attack in the Nati’ district and destroyed three positions and vehicles belonging to the Houthis. In a related development, commander of the reserve forces in the Yemeni army, Major General Samir Haj, announced that pro-Hadi forces had captured several new positions in the Arhab district of the central province of Sanaa

On March 2, a booby-trapped mini truck driven by a suicide bomber exploded in the Qabel Bai area of the Afghan capital, Kabul, according to the Afghan Tolo TV. Nusrat Rahimi, a deputy spokesman for the Afghan Interior Ministry, told Tolo that one Afghan civilian had been killed and 22 others had been injured in the attack. The Afghan Ministry of Interior claimed that the attack targeted a “a foreign forces convoy”. However, Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop said in an official statement that the attack targeted several vehicles of the Australian Embassy. It added that no Australians had been killed or injured in the explosion. “Today, a suspected vehicle-borne Improvised Explosive Device was detonated near Australian Embassy vehicles while they were travelling in Kabul,” Bishop said in a statement. Later, Najib Danish, a spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Interior corrected the ministry statement and said that “ a convoy of foreigners was targeted in toda

Snipers of the so-called moderate opposition are haunting civilians attempting to leave the besieged region of Eastern Ghouta via humanitarian corridors established by Syrian and Russian forces. “[The] situation near the check point is still strained. Since yesterday evening,  snipers have been shelling at approaches to the check point. Today, the Jaysh al-Islam terrorists have carried out two mortar attacks from eastern outskirts of Douma targeting the security corridor leading to the check point near Muhayam al-Waffedin ,” spokesman for the Russian center for Syrian reconciliation Maj. Gen. Yury Yevtushenko said on March 2. Eastern Ghouta residents are informed about the opened humanitarian corridors via leaflets and other means, but they are not able to use them actively because of constant attacks by militants. Daily humanitarian pauses started in Eastern Ghouta from 9:00 till 14:00 local time in late February. Since then, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Jaish al-Islam, Ahrar al-Sha

Washington has used its military garrison in the Syrian area of At Tanf to contribute to the creation of a terrorist reserve in the war-torn country, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin told the Russian TV news network Rossiya 24. He noted that this is done this is done “under the leadership of the special operations forces and other units of the United States.” “We are concerned about the situation in the 55-kilometer security zone near the settlement of al-Tanf. It is located on the border with Iraq in western Syria, where a reserve for terrorists has, in fact, been created, and where they are rearmed and prepared for relevant sallies,” the official said. Fomin also recalled a poor humanitarian situation in the Rukban refugee camp, which is located in the US-occupied 50km zone. US forces do not allow the Syrian government to deliver humanitarian aid there.

By  Rudaw   Cargo is off loaded from a US Air Force C-130 Hercules at an undisclosed location in Syria on February 06, 2018. Photo: Tech. Sgt. Gregory Brook | US Air Force ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The US military has up to 20 bases on Syrian territories controlled by Kurdish forces, an official from the Russian Security Council has claimed, according to Russian media. Alexander Venediktov, an aide to Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, told Russian news agency RIA Novosti that Washington has been supplying its Kurdish allies with advanced weapons. The Kurdish-led People’s Protection Units (YPG), which form the backbone of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), deny receiving heavy weapons from the Americans. The US presence in Syria has been branded “illegal” by Damascus and its major military backers Russia and Iran. Turkey has also called for the United States to pull out of northern Syria, even threatening open confrontation with American forces in the

By Ray McGovern Some leaks are good, some are not – that’s the vague and hypocritical approach of the US intelligence community to the practice of leaking classified information to journalists. Former CIA analyst Ray McGovern discusses how that double standard affects the integrity of mainstream media and the legitimacy of the national security establishment.