Russia has
begun its military intervention in Syria, deploying an aerial contingent
to a permanent Syrian base, in order to launch attacks against ISIS and
Islamist rebels; US stays silent.
Russian fighter pilots
are expected to begin arriving in Syria in the coming days, and will fly
their Russian air force fighter jets and attack helicopters against
ISIS and rebel-aligned targets within the failing state.
According to Western diplomats, a Russian expeditionary force has
already arrived in Syria and set up camp in an Assad-controlled airbase.
The base is said to be in area surrounding Damascus, and will serve,
for all intents and purposes, as a Russian forward operating base.
In the coming weeks thousands of Russian military personnel are set
to touch down in Syria, including advisors, instructors, logistics
personnel, technical personnel, members of the aerial protection
division, and the pilots who will operate the aircraft.
A formation of Russian Mig 31's (Photo: Reuters)
Past reports have stated that the Russians were in talks to sell
the Syrians a package of MiG-29 fighter jets, and Yak-130 trainer jets
(which can also serve as attack aircraft.) The current makeup of the
expeditionary force is still unknown, but there is no doubt that Russian
pilots flying combat missions in Syrian skies will definitely change
the existing dynamics in the Middle East.
The Russians do not harbor offensive intentions towards Israel or
other sovereign states in the area, and their main stated goal is
battling ISIS and preserving Assad's rule. However, their presence will
represent a challenge to the Israeli Air Force's freedom of operation in
the skies above the Middle East.
Western diplomatic sources recently reported that a series of
negotiations had been held between the Russians and the Iranians, mainly
focusing on ISIS and the threat it poses to the Assad regime. The
infamous Iranian Quds Force commander Major General Qasem Soleimani
recently visited Moscow in the framework of these talks. As a result the
Russians and the Iranians reached a strategic decision: Make any effort
necessary to preserve Assad's seat of power, so that Syria may act as a
barrier, and prevent the spread of ISIS and Islamist backed militias
into the former Soviet Islamic republics.
Russian Air force air craft (Photo: Reuters)
The Russians are not the only ones coordinating their Middle East
policy with the Iranians; The US has also jumped aboard that train.
American government officials have been holding intensive consultations
with representatives of the Iranian regime concerning a stronger joint
effort against ISIS in Iraq. It seems that the US government currently
views Iran as a central and necessary force in the campaign against ISIS
within Iraq.
The Iranian-American cooperation is focused on two focal points: The
first being Anbar province, where the Iraqis have thus far failed to
expel ISIS; and the second Mosul, where the Iraqis have yet to come up
with a feasible plan to recapture the city.
Western diplomatic sources have emphasized that the Obama
administration is fully aware of the Russian intent to intervene
directly in Syria, but has yet to issue any reaction. The absence of a
vocal opposition from the Obama administration is compounded by its
cessation of calls for the dissolution of Assad's murderous regime.
This and more: The Iranians and the Russians- with the US well
aware- have begun the struggle to reequip the Syrian army, which has
been left in tatters by the civil war. They intend not only to train
Assad's army, but to also equip it. During the entire duration of the
civil war, the Russians have consistently sent a weapons supply ship to
the Russian held port of Tartus in Syria on a weekly basis. The ships
would bring missiles, replacement parts, and different types of
ammunition for the Syrian army.
A Russian Air Force Mig 31 (Photo: Reuters)
Arab media outlets have recently published reports that Syria
and Russia were looking for an additional port on the Syrian coast,
which will serve the Russians in their mission to hasten the pace of the
Syrian rearmament.
In the meantime, Assad's army is in full scale retreat in the
strategic province of Idlib. Mere days ago, a force from the Jaesh Al
Fatah (A coalition or rebel groups including Jabhat al-Nusra) advanced
on the Abu Duhur military airfield in southwestern Syria's Iblib
province, which borders on Latika. Alwaite and Christian residents of
the area have fled to the last remaining Alawite Bantustans along the
country's coastline.
Even Turkey, which has so far avoided any action which would
strengthen Assad, has had to come to terms with the Russian-Iranian move
and the resulting American silence, leading it to launch its own
bombing campaign against ISIS in Syria.
During
a recent trip to Qatar, Erdogan reached understandings with the Qataris
and the Saudis regarding a program to arm Muslim Brotherhood backed
rebels who are fighting against ISIS, de-facto fighting both Assad and
ISIS. End quote from:
No comments:
Post a Comment