By Gordon Duff and New Eastern Outlook, Moscow
A showdown between the US and Russia is coming over Syria. Our sources inside Syria tell us that Russia began building up capabilities to support the Syrian Arab Army’s retaking of Idlib Province as early as June 2018. Included with new T90 tanks and advanced missile-based artillery are new air defense capabilities as well, along with ECM or electronic counter measures capabilities.
Russia is arming the Syrian Arab Army to fight not just al Qaeda and ISIS, the primary occupiers of Idlib, but the US, Britain and France as well.
The real war is between Russia and the US. America has no real ability to defend Idlib other than through the use of advisors, generally private military contractors, and supplying high technology armaments directly to organizations officially deemed terrorist by the US government.
The “dark horse” here, of course, is Turkey. Her military has jointly occupied much of Idlib with the nearly extinct Free Syrian Army, in its latest guise Turkish Army reservists in civilian dress.
This has been a problem with Turkey for some time, one that nearly destroyed Pakistan some years ago. I had a chance to go over this with Imran Khan one evening. We discussed the situation Pakistan faces, continual pressure from the US to fight terrorism while America itself is the one actually fostering the terrorism.
With Pakistan, it began during the 70s with Russia’s military intervention in Afghanistan. Pakistan became the route for American military support for the Taliban, then called the Mujahedeen. In the end, the war spilled over into Pakistan while Afghanistan became a narco-state under nominal US control and Pakistan ended up paying with a crushed economy and tens of thousands dead.
Now the same fate faces Turkey. America has built an army of Kurds on Turkey’s border while the US uses Turkey as a logistics base to build an army to threaten, now wait for it, Turkey.
Now Turkey is there, partially occupying Syria’s Idlib Province along with US supported terrorists that Russia and Syria are, quite inexorably, going to crush. It was America that put Turkey there, between two superpowers, each of which are capable of economic damage to Turkey which is more than consequential.
Turkey is then left to turn south to Israel and/or Saudi Arabia, the two least trustworthy friends imaginable, both of whom have been dancing with the devil for years, playing Washington and Moscow against each other to stay afloat.
We might also mention that both, and we are talking Israel and Saudi Arabia, are among the most corrupt nations on earth with records of human rights violations that are unparalleled.
The real test will be a military one. America, and in particular, President Trump and his national security advisor, John Bolton, have placed their standing and prestige on their ability to:
- Get Russia to back away from supporting Syria in Idlib Province
- Get Turkey to openly oppose Syria and Russia through military force, something beyond “unlikely”
- Adequately arm terrorists to resist the organized military might of Russia, Iran, Syria, Hezbollah and possibly Kurdish forces as well
- Successfully stage a White Helmets’ gas attack on civilians and blame President Assad despite weeks of warnings of US intentions to do so
- Destroy enough of Syria’s military capability with an air assault without Russia retaliating in some way
Perhaps we should examine how successful air assaults actually are. The US currently has, according to count, 358 cruise missiles on station to use in an attack on Syria. Each one equals a single 1000-pound bomb unless nuclear weapons are used.
We must note that the US used the equivalent of 15 million cruise type missiles during the conflict in Vietnam, one I observed personally. There is a mathematical ratio that properly expressed the differentiation here. (2.333e-5) For those unschooled in notational expressions, simply recognize that the decimal point needs to move 5 points to the left.
America lost Vietnam, lost big. Since assuming the presidency, Trump has tripled the rate of US bombing of Afghanistan with even less success.
The problem is simple, since Vietnam, America is terrified of having pilots marched as captives through foreign streets. In meetings with Syrian officials, including Justice Minister Najm Hamad al Ahmad, it was “intimated” that Saudi, Israeli and Qatari officers, including Israeli pilots, had been captured by the Damascus government but repatriated after secret negotiations that had yielded millions in reparations.
Similarly, as early as 2012, the US had arranged with Damascus to repatriate pilots shot down over Syria and to suppress news reports and recover aircraft wreckage. Sources within the highest levels of Syria’s security apparatus say that reports of American helicopters retrieving ISIS commanders are, in some cases, saving downed pilots or advisor/observers who were attached to commands that by US law are deemed “terrorist.”
This blurring of lines, as it were, hides behind the new proxy/asymmetrical warfare the “Perfumed Princes of the Pentagon” now tout to their casualty wary political bosses.
However, this is the deal; America can only bring missiles down on soft targets in Syria, stage fake gas attacks and hit Syria and Russia with a barrage of lies. America’s missiles aren’t going to stop the defeat of the Idlib terrorists.
The wild card is Turkey, stuck in the middle, no matter what happens, Turkey loses. They didn’t pay attention to Pakistan’s fate.
Idlib won’t be the end of the war. With Idlib conquered, and the American mid-term elections coming up, and this is guesswork mind you, Trump may want to announce a pullout from Syria.
However, as the US is ramping up military action inside Iraq, making wild claims of Iranian missile factories and threats against Israel, can America function to re-occupy Iraq with Syria entirely free of occupation? The answer is “yes.”
Behind this all is Turkey, reeling economically under US pressure and hoping for a “quick fix” from Russia and the EU to support their currency woes. Giving in to America, keeping the terror pipeline open to support the dying remains of ISIS or the now growing al Qaeda threat, is no longer something the world is willing to ignore.
Behind that, America’s Kurdish juggernaut on Turkey’s southern border and the threat of a second US backed coup against President Erdogan. There are no easy solutions for Turkey.
As for America, one thing has become clear, the American people are increasingly aware of Israel’s control over Trump policies and how those policies in no way serve America’s interests. This is new territory for Israel, facing real scrutiny for the first time.
As forces build for the upcoming assault, we wait and watch it play out.
Gordon Duff is a Marine combat veteran of the Vietnam War that has worked on veterans and POW issues for decades and consulted with governments challenged by security issues. He’s a senior editor and chairman of the board of VT, especially for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook.”
https://journal-neo.org/2018/09/05/armageddon-in-idlib/
Gordon Duff posted articles on VT from 2008 to 2022. He is a Marine combat veteran of the Vietnam War. A disabled veteran, he worked on veterans and POW issues for decades.
Gordon is an accredited diplomat and is generally accepted as one of the top global intelligence specialists. He manages the world’s largest private intelligence organization and regularly consults with governments challenged by security issues.
Duff has traveled extensively, is published around the world, and is a regular guest on TV and radio in more than “several” countries. He is also a trained chef, wine enthusiast, avid motorcyclist, and gunsmith specializing in historical weapons and restoration. Business experience and interests are in energy and defense technology.
ATTENTION READERS
We See The World From All Sides and Want YOU To Be Fully InformedIn fact, intentional disinformation is a disgraceful scourge in media today. So to assuage any possible errant incorrect information posted herein, we strongly encourage you to seek corroboration from other non-VT sources before forming an educated opinion.
About VT - Policies & Disclosures - Comment Policy
The worst-case scenario for everyone is that Turkey is cajoled to allow all Idlib ghoul-gypsy-gunners to retreat over their border only to be redeployed in a ramped-up move to infiltrate these same ghoul-gypsy-gunners into Iraq as a staging ploy against Iran. Will Russia be prepared to defend Tehran with the same gusto it committed to Syria? Does Erdogan imagine by doing the US this obligement, as my Scottish friend would say, he will stave off further sanctions and put an end to the ones already in place? I was going to ask a question about the Kurds but that will only complicate things … further. To my way of thinking Turkey is damned if it does and equally damned if it doesn’t. What to do? Trust to Putin, unequivocally.
Once again Gunnery Sgt. proves he is the smartest one in the room.
I nominate Gordon Duff for President!
We need his brains, courage and patriotism in the White House, NOW!
We should simultaneously, end the armistice and war with NK, pull out of Afghanistan and Syria and Iraq.
Shock the world in a good way for a change.
if turkey is wise it will side with Russia and Iran,,,putin will never strike back at american./isreali military with any aggression no matter what.
tRumps presidency is far to gone now…to be influenced by another war…may even work against him now….white supremacists love russia….to much…as do the fake evangelists.
seldom are things as they seem so we will wait to actually see what is going on…the rest drivel.
America will most likely go through with the FF gas attack. Unless, Gordy is correct in his estimate that we, the greater public, are awake to the fact that aside from oil Israel’s greater goal is pushing this wagon.
Excellent article, Gordon. I think, as you do, that this is going to be a “big one”. We can only hope for a definitive and humiliating defeat, with as little damage as possible. If Syria/Russia are successful in shooting down +95% of incoming missiles, that will be enough to show the US and the world the defensive capability of Russia is not worth trying to fight it. May as well pack up and go home. If any Russians are hurt, though, we may just have a new artificial reef in the Mediterranean.
Someone must stand up to the coward bully criminals in the U.S. under Israeli control. Syria is theoretically a small skirmish. But it could explode beyond control and start WWIII. Hopefully Russia will have world allies like China and N. Korea and other enemies of the U.S. to help with a first strike which will send terror into the U.S. population which has never seen war on their lands. Imagine NY and about 5 other major metropolitan areas and Israel in ashes. Trump is insane and has no concept of what he is stepping into. The four star generals don’t have a clue. Look at how they “defended” America on 9/11/01 when attacked by Israel: https://wikispooks.com/wiki/9-11/Israel_did_it
Don’t you think Putin is smart enough and has been around long enough to also know the Mafia dictum: “You might as well cooperate because we are going to kill you anyway.” He is not going to allow the U.S. to win this one period. He will strike first if necessary to win. That is the key to “winning” this fight if there are to be any true winners when and the nuclear fallout settles. Israel lover Trump better think twice about this one because it ain’t going to be good for the old “economy” is it? It might even destroy is tower. Does he have war coverage?
Scrutiny of Israel must come from inside the worldwide Jewish population because the ZIO-Nazis in control inside Israel have no concern for what others think. Buying or blackmailing politicians around the world has gotten us to where we are now. Bringing light to this can only help. Constantly repeating these dangerous but limited confrontations only serves to maintain the status quo which plays into the Zionist’s hands and allows them to continue slaughter in Gaza, ethnic cleaning the Occupied Palestinian territory, and encroaching Syrian territory in the Golan. Sadness for Turkey must be tempered by the historical record of their crimes. In the long history of Russian – Turkish relations one Tsar’s advice should guide all parties – Never trust a Turk.
We need a real Jewish anti-Zionist opposition to Israel, and not what Gilad Atzmon terms “ant-Zionist-Zionists”.
Comments are closed.