US intensifies theft of Syrian oil after al-Baghdadi's death

Crescent International

US troops illegally in Syria, provide protection to private contractors smuggling Syrian oil

In characteristic style, US President Donald Trump announced the death of Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on Sunday October 27 as if he himself had pulled the trigger to eliminate the leader of the terrorist outfit.

It would, however, be unrealistic to assume that Baghdadi’s death would end US meddling in the region.

The terrorist outfit, Daesh (aka ISIS) and its leader were mere pretexts for continued US occupation of the Middle East.

America has been interfering in the region for nearly 80 years, long before even al-Baghdadi’s father was born. And it is not about to quit just because it has killed one of its own created terrorist monsters.

The day al-Baghdadi’s death was announced—it is reported that he blew himself up when surrounded by US forces in northeast Syria—American tanks were sent to Syrian oilfields to tighten US grip even further.

The Pentagon had announced on October 24 that it would prevent Syrian oil fields from falling into the hands of Daesh terrorists.

The following day, while the Pentagon chief Mark Esper embarked on the Middle East tour, Trump announced that the US would not allow terrorists or “others” to occupy the oil wells.

By “others” Trump clearly meant the legitimate government of Syria that has not given permission for US forces to be based on its soil.

At the White House press conference on October 27 Trump also announced that he intended to “make a deal with an ExxonMobil or one of our great companies to go in there and do it properly ... and spread out the wealth.”

Who gave Trump the right to decide what should be done with Syrian oil or how it should be developed?

This is grand larceny and exposes the real reason for US presence in the Middle East. Whether it was Iraq before or Syria and Yemen now, Uncle Sam acts as a robber.

This is what it has done throughout life: plunder the resources of other countries.

Bruce Riedel, a former national security adviser and now senior fellow at Brookings Institution, said the plan “is not only a dubious legal move, it sends a message to the whole region and the world that America wants to steal the oil.”

Before the war was imposed on Syria in 2011, the country’s oil output was about 380,000 barrels/day. Today it is down to a mere 40,000 barrel.

This does not mean, its oil production has gone down. What has happened is that the Americans, the Turks and their mercenaries have been stealing Syria’s oil and selling it to other countries.

Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said in Moscow on October 26: “the space intelligence images showed that oil was actively extracted and massively exported for processing outside Syria, under the reliable protection of US troops, before and after the defeat of the Daesh terrorists.”

The Russian general further revealed that US private military companies and special operations forces guarded the convoys as they traveled from Syria into Turkey or Iraqi Kurdistan.

“Tank trucks guarded by US military servicemen and private military companies smuggle oil from fields in eastern Syria to other countries and in the event of any attack on such a convoy, US special operations forces and combat aviation are immediately used to protect it,” General Konashenkov said.

America survives and thrives on plundering the resources of other countries. As the saying goes, ‘once a thief, always a thief’!

Iran Offers Peaceful Solution to Syria-Turkey-Kurd Crisis

By: Kayhan Int’l

Iran’s offer to defuse the latest crisis in the region as a result of Turkey’s unwarranted invasion of Syria, by engaging with the governments of the two countries as well as with the Syrian Kurds who are viewed with suspicion by Ankara and whom the U.S. badly ditched after having exploited them for its nefarious goals, is yet another proof of the Islamic Republic’s sincere role for peace and stability in the neighbourhood.

Tehran firmly believes in non-aggression and has said in clear words that Turkey, which has every right to strongly guard its side of the joint border, should desist from setting up any military base on Syrian soil on the assumption of creating so-called safe zones that would displace the local Kurds from their ancestral homes and settle in their places the foreign-funded fugitive rebellious elements who had been terrorizing Syria for the past eight years, and with U.S. help will not hesitate to cause cross-border trouble to Turkey.

President Rajab Tayyeb Erdoghan, who has shown himself to be a man of reason through his regular contacts with his Iranian and Russian counterparts in the framework of the tripartite Astana summit for solution to the 8-year crisis in Syria, is scheduled to visit the Black Sea resort of Sochi for talks with Vladimir Putin in this regard.

This means he is fully aware of the deceitful and untrustworthy nature of the U.S.; two of whose senior officials were recently in Ankara after their president, Donald Trump, had tweeted threats at Turkey’s president.

Washington should be asked to mind its own business and instead of poking its bloody nose in the affairs of West Asia, withdraw every single CENTCOM terrorist from this region – as well as the macabrely murderous takfiri terrorists, it has been using to destabilize Syria and Iraq.      

Regional problems should be resolved by regional parties without intervention by rank outsiders, whether the U.S. or West European regimes, whose only goal is to worsen the crisis through deception and false promises in order to retain their unwarranted and illegal presence in this part of the world.

This was evident by the recent visit to Ankara of U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, and the gangster who poses as Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, on the pretext of ending tensions, but actually to fuel the fires of the conflict.

The 5-day ceasefire worked out by the diabolical duo between the invading Turkish army and the Syrian Kurds is not meant to tackle the root cause of the conflict and find a permanent solution, but to provide breathing space for relocation of the uninvited American forces from the firing zone.

The past eight years of resolute resistance by President Bashar al-
Assad and his recovery of lost territory, is ample proof of the resolve of the legitimate government of Syria in safeguarding its national sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of heavy odds, including the frequent air strikes by the racist Zionist regime.

This warrants Turkey to return to its past policy of "zero problems” with all neighbours, including Syrian Kurds, for the benefit and development of the entire region, since one wrong move will make the border conflict spiral out of control and provide the retreating Americans the pretext to say and hatch joint plots with Israel against one and all.

As said earlier, the Islamic Republic of Iran strives for peace and stability, and believes that a summit between Presidents Erdoghan and Assad, will indeed be a blessing for not just Turkey and Syria but for the whole region, which includes the Syrian Kurds, whose birthrights, freedom, and civil liberties in their own ancestral lands should not be violated by any party.

Syria’s Victories Over Terrorists Spells End of US-Zionist Plots

By: Kayhan Int’l 

The recent liberation of Khan Sheikhun by the Syrian army from years of terrorists’ control is indeed a grand victory for the government of President Bashar al-Assad which is determined to regain every inch of occupied territory.

The retreating terrorists, who could have well saved their worthless lives by surrendering, are instead concentrating in Idlib city of the province of the same name on the assumption that either the Americans or the Turks would come to their help. 

Neither Washington nor Ankara, or for that matter the Zionist regime, would bail them out, because these dastardly elements which for the past eight years have been terrorizing the people of people and are responsible for the death of at least half-a-million people, are no longer of any use.

They are likely to be exterminated since they have no chance to stand up against the government forces, even if on US directions they resort to the cowardly use of toxic weapons in a desperate bid to lay the blame on the government. 

What a miserable end for those deceived by the Americans and blindly funded by the terrorist-nurturing Wahabi regime of Riyadh that has spent billions of dollars in vain in a bid to overthrow the government of Bashar al-Assad. 

So, forget the propaganda of the western media of the so-called breach of accord by Damascus, and the supposed human rights catastrophe. 

The three million odd people of Idlib are not in any danger from their own legitimate government, and are eager to return to the national fold from years of being held hostage by the terrorists. 

As specified by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday, the military operation of Syrian troops in the town of Khan Sheikhoun does not violate any accord, including agreements between Russia and Turkey on the formation of the de-escalation zone in Idlib, 
He made it clear that the ceasefire regime did not apply to terrorists from the very beginning.

This means that the next step for the Syrian army, after mopping up operations in the surrounding areas of Khan Sheikhoun, is the liberation of Idlib city and the whole of Idlib province itself, before moving on to Raqqa and the Euphrates valley to end the illegal presence of the uninvited American troops which continue to linger as part of their policy to stir up sedition on supporting the Syrian Kurds.

The Syrian Kurds are after all Syrian citizens, and with Damascus ready to meet their just demands for autonomy, there is no question of any protectionism from the US, or fears for Turkey that such an autonomy will inspire its own long suppressed Kurdish population to make fresh demands for their deprived rights.

The Islamic Republic of Iran, for its part, remains firmly behind the people and government of Syria, whether the Americans, the Saudis, and the Zionists like it or not. 
The Resistance Front is too formidable to be cowed down by the enemies of humanity and that includes the murderously insane violations of Syrian airspace by the tottering Zionist regime, which sooner than expected will no longer be on the map of West Asia. 

Erdogan government certainly does not like the Assad regime: ex-CIA official

By Javad Heirannia

TEHRAN – Professor Paul Pillar, who was CIA intelligence analyst for 28 years, tells the Tehran Times that “The Syrian Kurds now have a much stronger incentive than before to reach some sort of understanding with the Assad regime--possibly pledging loyalty to the regime in return for a degree of autonomy in northeast Syria.” 

Pillar says “Although the Erdogan government certainly does not like the Assad regime, it would be less worried about an extension of the regime's influence in northeastern Syria than about a more independent Kurdish separatist movement.”  

He also adds that one possibility for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria is that “in return for getting out of Turkey's way in northern Syria, Erdogan agreed to downplay the issue of the Saudi crown prince's involvement in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.” 
Following is the text of the interview:

Q: The United States has announced that it will immediately leave the north-east of Syria and leave entire Syria within the next 60 to 100 days. What are the reasons for this decision?

A: This decision was wholly a matter of President Trump wanting to fulfill a campaign promise.  Although there are legitimate strategic reasons for the move, Trump has repeatedly shown himself to be motivated less by international strategy and geopolitics than he is by domestic politics and campaign rhetoric.

Q: Trump in justifying the withdrawal of his troops from Syria has declared that ISIS has failed in Syria and implicitly called "ISIL defeat" the reason for the decision. This is while some sources have spoken of the consultations between Erdogan and Trump. Can the decision be linked to Erdogan and tramp's consultation? If so, what is the agreement between Trump and Erdogan on the Kurdish regions?

A: It is likely that the conversation with Erdogan is related to Trump's decision, although it is only a matter of speculation as to what sort of understanding the two presidents may have reached.  One possibility that comes to mind is that in return for getting out of Turkey's way in northern Syria, Erdogan agreed to downplay the issue of the Saudi crown prince's involvement in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.  Trump seems determined to stay on the side of the crown prince, and he would welcome Erdogan's cooperation in helping to make the issue go away.  

Q: The Syrian Kurdish democratic forces, that are backed by the United States, expressing dissatisfaction with the decision of Trump's decision, have interpreted it as a dagger from the United States. What will be the status of these forces and have they been the bill of exchange by Trump and Erdogan?

A: Diplomacy and negotiation may get ahead of military action on this subject. The Syrian Kurds now have a much stronger incentive than before to reach some sort of understanding with the Assad regime--possibly pledging loyalty to the regime in return for a degree of autonomy in northeast Syria.  Although the Erdogan government certainly does not like the Assad regime, it would be less worried about an extension of the regime's influence in northeastern Syria than about a more independent Kurdish separatist movement.  A large Turkish military assault in the area is still a possibility but is not inevitable.  

Q: Israel said that despite the announcement of U.S. withdrawal from Syria, it will continue to oppose Iran in Syria. How do you assess the Syrian field situation in the absence of the United States, especially in the middle of tensions with Israel?

A: Israel will continue to do its military thing regardless of what the United States does with its own troops.  Having the troops there has not stopped the Israelis from launching scores of air attacks against targets in Syria over the past couple of years.  Israel will continue doing that whether the U.S. troops stay or go.  

Q: The Summit of formation of the Syrian Constitution was held yesterday with the participation of Iran, Russia, Turkey,and the United Nations. Although this meeting is at the beginning of its course, it shows that Syria is in a constitutional stage. Is there a connection between this stage of the Syrian situation and the decision of Trump?

A: There is no connection.  The United States has been conspicuously absent from the most promising diplomatic efforts on Syria.  Not wanting to sit at the same table as Iran has been a major impediment.  So too has been the overall aversion of the Trump administration to any sort of multilateral diplomacy.