Tillerson Conceals Rape of Raqqa, Meets with Saudi Monarch

[image: Getty]

Washington pretends to be combating the scourge of ISIS it supports.

Tillerson tried concealing it, hypocritically accusing its fighters of “dramatically undermin(ing) stability in Iraq, Syria and the broader Middle East, and pos(ing) a threat to international peace and security” – failing to explain with active support from Washington, using its fighters as imperial foot soldiers, providing them with weapons, munitions, aerial and other support.

ISIS couldn’t exist without foreign backing, Washington its main ally, pretending otherwise.

Tillerson “congratulate(d) the Syrian people and (terrorist-infested) Syrian Democratic Forces…on the liberation of Raqqa.”

A separate article explained the city’s rape and destruction, not liberation, tens of thousands of civilians massacred, terror-bombing continuing for months, residential areas targeted, most ISIS fighters redeployed to Deir Ezzor, Syrian ground forces and Russian aerial operations smashing them.

Washington’s rape and destruction of Raqqa was a Nuremberg-level high crime, one of many by US forces in the region and elsewhere, millions of casualties caused in multiple theaters, many more daily.

Tillerson: “Over the last seven months, millions of people have been liberated from ISIS’ brutal rule and working with our partners on the ground we are setting the conditions to enable people to return home.”

Fact: Syrian and allied forces, greatly aided by Russian airpower, alone liberated thousands of square miles of territory from terrorists supported by Washington and its rogue allies.

Fact: They want endless war and slaughter continued, not ended, Russia the only major power going all-out for peaceful conflict resolution.

Fact: Tillerson’s job includes suppressing information about US aggression in multiple theaters, pretending America seeks peace and stability – nowhere, including at home.

Trump’s leading diplomat is on a Middle East trip, visiting Gulf States, reportedly seeking to ally Saudi Arabia and Iraq against Iran.

On Saturday, he arrived in Riyadh, Monday his next stop in Qatar. Trying to form a Saudi/Iraqi alliance against Tehran before wasn’t accomplished, Tillerson’s efforts unlikely to be more successful than earlier attempts.

Iran and Iraq are allies, not adversaries, Tillerson and other US officials unlikely to turn them against each other.

Washington spent decades raping and destroying Iraq, infiltrating the country with ISIS terrorists, perhaps more coming to massacre Iraqis in other parts of the country.

Tillerson represents Washington’s imperial agenda, allied with NATO, Israel and other regional rogue states, fundamentally against peace and stability, waging permanent wars.

He’s participating in the inaugural Saudi Arabia-Iraq Coordination Committee meeting in Riyadh, capital of the despotic regime, the most ruthless among Arab states.

Shia-majority Iraq and Sunni-run Saudi Arabia make strange bedfellows, adversaries for decades, suspicious of each other’s intentions, Riyadh a regime no one can trust, Iraq led by US-installed puppet Haider al-Abadi.

Both countries had no formal diplomatic relations from 1990 to 2015, tenuous ones now.

Iran is a reliable ally, Riyadh and Washington regimes to fear, not trust.

The post Tillerson Conceals Rape of Raqqa, Meets with Saudi Monarch appeared first on The Sleuth Journal.

US High Crimes in Raqqa

[image: U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Matthew Callahan]The offensive in Raqqa was planned, orchestrated and implemented by Washington.

It’s a scorched-earth mass slaughter and destruction campaign, indiscriminately targeting civilians, the way all US wars of aggression are waged, the human toll of no consequence.

Last Friday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry Deputy Information and Press Department director Artyom Kozhin warned about Washington’s “manipulation” and support for “militants” in Syria, using them to achieve its geopolitical goals, adding:

“Our position on US overtures with the Syrian militants has been voiced repeatedly. This can lead to unpredictable military and political consequences.”

Desperate civilians continue try escaping from US terror-bombing and ISIS in Raqqa. One civilian managing to get out said “(h)ouses, families, children, women, all are hit in random (air) strikes.”

Another civilian said “there are massacres in every village. There is no escape from that. Massacres took place in all of them.”

Civilian casualties are horrendous, many thousands, maybe tens of thousands, most bodies buried under rubble, entire families massacred in some villages.

The carnage continues daily. So-called Operation Euphrates Rage isn’t about liberating Raqqa from ISIS control, its fighters supported by Washington, Israel and their rogue partners.

It’s about US plans to control northern Syria, denying Damascus sovereignty over its own territory, part of the scheme to replace Assad with pro-Western puppet rule.

Anti-government Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are forcing arrested adolescents and youths near Raqqa to join their ranks.

Families escaping to the city’s outlying areas reported what’s happening. ISIS seeks recruits the same way, kidnapping children and youths, taking them to unknown places, forcefully using them to bolster their ranks.

On Friday, Sergey Lavrov criticized Washington’s refusal to combat al-Nusra (al-Qaeda in Syria),” saying “all facts indicate” what’s going on, the agenda of both countries world’s apart on the conflict.

Russia wants terrorists defeated. America supports the scourge it claims to oppose.

Endless war continues – US regime change objectives unchanged since launched by Obama in 2011.

While Families Celebrated Father’s Day, The US Gov’t Just Committed an Act of War

The United State government has a habit of passing critical laws and making crucial foreign policy decisions when the American public is distracted, and Father’s Day 2017 was a perfect example, as the U.S. shot down a Syrian warplane on Sunday.

Operation Inherent Resolve, the US-led international coalition, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement, in which it insisted that the warplane was only shot down because it was targeting the Syrian Democratic Forces near Raqqa.

“At 6:43pm, a Syrian regime SU-22 dropped bombs near SDF fighters south of Tabqah and, in accordance with rules of engagement and collective self-defense of Coalition partnered forces, was immediately shot down by a US F/A-18E Super Hornet.”

However, the Syrian military released a contrasting statement, claiming that its warplanes were targeting Islamic State militants in the countryside surrounding the group’s capital in the city of Raqqa.

“This attack comes at a time when the Syrian Arab army and its allies are advancing in the fight against ISIS terrorists who are being defeated in the Syrian desert in more ways than one.”

The statement also noted that the pilot of the plane is still missing. It went on to say that although the coalition acted out by shooting down their military’s warplane, the Syrian armed forces are still dedicated to defeating ISIS, and restoring the Syrian Arab Republic’s rule over Raqqa.

Al Masdar News reported that there were further clashes after members of the Syrian military “attempted to cross SDF front-lines in order to rescue their fallen pilot,” and were turned away by members of the U.S.-led coalition.

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The missing pilot has been identified as Ali Fahd, an officer in the Syrian Air Force. Majd Fahd, a Damascus correspondent for Al Masdar News, spoke out on Twitter and said Fahd is his cousin, as well as a father of three children.

Ali…Your kids are waiting for you.. Please come back safe and very soon. pic.twitter.com/A23Spu4Il3

— Majd Fahd 🇸🇾 (@Syria_Protector) June 18, 2017

The latest developments out of Raqqa serve as a sobering reminder that the United States is leading a coalition that appears to have no “red lines,” in its attempt to gain control of the region.

As The Free Thought Project has reported, Syrian officials have accused the U.S. of directly transporting at least 120 ISIS fighters out of Raqqa, days before the coalition began its siege on the city. There have also been multiple reports accusing the U.S. of using cluster bombs and white phosphorus in a barrage of airstrikes—both of which are illegal when used on residential areas.

While President Trump rages on Twitter about the accuracy of his approval rating, and the danger of “fake news,” the Trump administration has remained noticeably quiet on the reports coming out of Syria that paint the U.S. in a poor light. The mainstream’s media’s coverage has also been selective in nature, and while it may paint a simple picture of various factions that are all fighting for the elimination of ISIS, it is important to remember that not every side wants the same result.

The Syrian military wants ISIS out of Raqqa, so that the Syrian Arab Republic under President Bashar al-Assad can regain control of the region. But the U.S.-led coalition—which has blatantly pushed for the overthrow of Assad on numerous occasions—has yet to explicitly say that if the city is freed from ISIS control, the coalition will support the city’s return to the Syrian government.

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By shooting down a Syrian aircraft, the United States is committing an act of war against the Syrian government that creates even more uncertainty about the future of the region the two entities are fighting over, and the staggering death toll that continues to increase at an alarming rate.

Iran News Reports US Aircraft Directly Transporting ISIS Fighters Out of Raqqa

As the death toll climbs in the city of Raqqa, the United States is now being accused of transporting ISIS fighters to safety.

It’s Not Terrorism When We Do It—Syrians Report US Use of Chemical Weapons on Town of 200K

The outrage and empathy on behalf of the civilians in Syria that was expressed by politicians and media personalities alike when they found an opportunity to blame a chemical attack on Assad’s government was a distant memory this week. Instead, reports that a US-backed coalition dropped a cluster of airstrikes containing illegal chemicals on a city housing 200,000 people was almost completely ignored by western media.

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) broke into the Islamic State-held city of Raqqa for the first time on Tuesday. While popular outlets such as Reuters reported that “as artillery and coalition aircraft pounded targets in the city, SDF fighters moved in small groups into the district,” there were some key aspects they appeared to leave out.

International outlets and witnesses on Twitter noted that some of the airstrikes resembled cluster bombs or white phosphorus, both of which are internationally banned on residential areas.

45 civilians killed in #Raqqa #Syria due to #US-led coalition airstrikes that used White Phosphorus! #UNSC and MSM must be busy for that! pic.twitter.com/mEo0C9fZBM

— maytham (@maytham956) June 8, 2017

Xinhua News, China’s state press agency, reported that “Tens of civilians were killed on Thursday when the U.S.-led airstrikes targeted Syria’s northern city of Raqqa with white phosphorus,” citing a report from Syria’s Sham FM radio.

Russia’s Riafan.ru reported that “Coalition forces led by the United States of America shell Raqqa and suburbs of white phosphorus munitions,” citing reports on Twitter, which said the U.S.-backed coalition conducted 20 air raids.

Although the total number of civilian deaths has not been confirmed, early reports suggest that nearly 50 people were killed. The U.S. has yet to acknowledge whether white phosphorus was used during the raids.

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White phosphorus is described as an “incendiary and toxic chemical substance used as a filler in a number of different munitions that can be employed for a variety of military purposes.”

The chemical was banned internationally after the 1980 Protocol on Incendiary Weapons restricted the “use of incendiary weapons as a means or method of warfare during armed conflict.”

The use of chemical weapons is clearly prohibited in international armed conflicts. The International Committee of the Red Cross noted that “employing asphyxiating, poisonous or other gases, and all analogous liquids, materials or devices is listed in the Statute of the International Criminal Court as a war crime.”

If the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces are successful in regaining control of Raqqa from ISIS, then the question remains of who will control the city moving forward. The SDF announced plans in April to run the city using a civilian council—with the help of more than 3,000 U.S. ground troops—which would further a divided Syria, and would keep the U.S. is at odds with Assad’s government.

The same president who claimed to be heartbroken over the “innocent babies” who were reportedly killed in April in a chemical attack that was immediately blamed on Assad’s government—despite evidence that suggested otherwise—has said nothing about the reports that suggest his country could be guilty of the same crime he condemned.

While it is not likely that the United States will fully address the reports, it should be noted that by remaining silent, the mainstream media is also reminding the public of its hypocritical nature.

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The same MSM that provides obsessive coverage of everything President Trump posts on Twitter, has seemingly ignored the flurry of Tweets from various users suggesting the use of chemical weapons by a U.S.-backed coalition.

HARROWING footage from #ISIS-held Raqqa. The US-led Coalition is using mass White Phosphorus bombing civilian populated neighborhoods #Syria pic.twitter.com/aUcfWLdRSL

— Rami (@RamiAILoIah) June 8, 2017

US Airstrike Kills At Least 10 Civilians In Syria

November 22, 2016   |   admintam

(ANTIWAR) In an embarrassing bit of timing, as US officials were railing against the Syrian military for targeting civilians at the UN, US warplanes were attacking a cotton mill in northeastern Syria, an attack which killed at least 10 civilians.

It is unclear why the cotton mill, in the village of Salhiyeh, was targeted in the first place, but it is north of the ISIS capital city of Raqqa, which Kurdish YPG forces are in the process of surrounding. The Kurdish forces are almost exclusively north of the city, which is also the direction civilians are fleeing Raqqa.

Among the civilians slain in the cotton mill attack were a displaced family of six who were sheltering in the area. Also killed were three employees and another bystander from the village.

This is the latest in a growing number of incidents in which US airstrikes supporting Kurdish offensives in Syria have killed innocent civilians. Despite these being well documented, official Pentagon figures dramatically under-report the actual death toll of US strikes.

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This article (US Airstrike Kills At Least 10 Civilians In Syria) by Jason Ditz, originally appeared on AntiWar.com and was used with permission. Anti-Media Radio airs weeknights at 11pm Eastern/8pm Pacific. If you spot a typo, email edits@theantimedia.org.

US Airstrike Kills 20 Civilians in Syria

November 10, 2016   |   admintam

(ANTIWAR) The first reported civilian casualties of the US-backed invasion of the ISIS capital of Raqqa occurred this week in the nearby village of al-Heisha, just 40 km north of the city, where a US airstrike hit a large number of civilians.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported 20 civilians killed in the attack and 32 others wounded, again all civilians. The Pentagon has confirmed that it conducted the strikes that were reported in the area to have caused the casualties.

The Kurdish YPG and its affiliate force, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), however, insisted the Syrian Observatory’s report was made up by ISIS, and that there were only ISIS fighters in the village. They also claimed that any civilians killed were “human shields,” even though they’d already denied any of them were present in the first place.

Locals from within the village say that those who were able fled, but many were forced to remain when ISIS fighters arrived and wouldn’t let anyone else go. ISIS had brought heavy weapons into the village, which apparently precipitated the strikes.

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This article (US Airstrike Kills 20 Civilians in Syria) by Jason Ditz, originally appeared on AntiWar.com and was used with permission. Anti-Media Radio airs weeknights at 11pm Eastern/8pm Pacific. If you spot a typo, email edits@theantimedia.org.