The Drone Wars in Iraq and Syria

by Ian Bach   3-21-15
The Wars in Iraq and Syria have been the first Wars that the enemy is also using drones in. So far it seems like everyone has drones. Jabhat al-Nusra has used them in Syria, the FSA has them in Aleppo and Damascus, ISIS has used them in Syria and Iraq, Iraqi Shia militias have Iranian ones, Iranians have theirs, and the U.S. of course has them. It seems like the only people without drones are the Kurds. 

The western media and the blogger community has fell in love with the Kurds and their struggle. Yet the governments of the West have not properly backed them. The governments in the Middle East are not about to arm the Kurds for various reasons most of which is their own fears. 

The U.S. gives weapons and ammo directly to the Iraqi Gov and will not give them directly to the Kurds. Meanwhile Iraq Gov is dragging their feet in giving those arms and ammo to the Kurds. The Germans, Danish and Italians have supplied limited amounts of light and medium weapons and ammo, and they are also offering training to the Kurdish forces, but it is not nearly enough when you consider the amount of work the Kurds have done in the fight against the #Daeshbags of the so called (rolls eyes) Islamic State. - Ian Bach

Here is some excerpts of a few News Articles regarding Drones:
From "War is Boring"

A Bunch of Iranian Drones Have Crashed in Iraq

"Shortly after Mosul fell to Islamic State forces in June 2014, Iran began flying Ababil-3 UAVs out of Baghdad’s Al Rasheed air base in order to track the jihadists, according to The New York Times."
Iran’s Drones Are Back in Iraq
"In recent years Iran’s drones have buzzed into action over Israel, Syria and Lebanon. And now Iranian drones are returning to the scene of their birth—the skies of Iraq, where Tehran’s flying robots saw their combat debut during the 198os Iran-Iraq war."
"Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps is deploying the Mohajer-4 surveillance drone and its cousins—descendants of the country’s first Mohajer-1—in its bid to halt Islamic State jihadists in Iraq."
Iran Has a Dogfighting Drone

"Hatami told the assembled press that the air-defense Mohajer can shoot down enemy fighter jets, helicopters and even cruise missiles. But a closer look at the air-to-air drone reveals that it’s not quite the engineering marvel the good general would have you believe."

The Guardian - US drone shot down by Syrian Gov over Latakia a beach resort city relatively untouched by the War.

"Syria’s state news agency, SANA, has published a video purportedly showing the wreckage of a “hostile” surveillance plane and said it was shot down in the same area where the Pentagon confirmed contact was lost with a Predator drone."

"SANA said the Syrian military had downed the plane in northern Latakia and the authorities were conducting an investigation to determine who it belonged to."

"In a statement on Tuesday, the Pentagon said it had lost contact with an unarmed Predator drone but could not confirm whether it was shot down."

US Says It Struck Islamic State Drone in Iraq

"Associated Press | Mar 19, 2015

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military says it bombed an Islamic State drone aircraft in Iraq that was being used for battlefield surveillance."

"A spokesman for the U.S. military command in charge of the conflict against the Islamic State said Wednesday that the drone was a small, unarmed hand-held type of the sort that can be purchased commercially."

"The spokesman, Maj. Kim Michelsen, said that Islamic State fighters had been flying the drone for a short time before placing it in a vehicle. A U.S. airstrike hit the vehicle near the city of Fallujah in western Iraq. He said the drone was targeted because it was being used for surveillance along IS front lines."

It seems like Unmanned Vehicles UAV's / Drones are here to stay and it is not just the USA using them anymore the cat is out of the bag and what is next is anyones guess - I.B.

Al Qaeda forces Druze of Idlib Syria to destroy their shrines and convert

The Jabal al-Summaq region in the Idlib province of northern Syria is home to nearly 18,000 Druze spread out amongst 18 villages, all of whom have been living under the control of  Jabhat a-Nusra (JAN), (the  Syrian Al Qaeda  branch)   for nearly two years.

An offshoot of  Islam, hardline Sunni groups such as JAN consider the Druze faith a form of heresy. Nusra gave the Druze in Idlib a choice: Convert or fight. They converted. Publicly, at least.

“They claimed they were fighting infidels, and that we had to decide our own fate and our identity, to either be with the Muslims, or the infidels,” Abdul Majid Sherif, a resident and retired math teacher who currently works as the head of the Media Office of the Free Democrats Party of Idlib, tells Syria Direct’s Moatassim Jamal.

“They forced us to accept their interpretation of Sunni Islam, or else we’d be punished,” Sherif says. “We reject their laws in principle, but follow them in public.”

This past February 1, JAN released a statement spelling out a series of obligations agreed to by Druze and JAN leaders in Jabal al-Summaq: The Druze would destroy their holy shrines, convert to Sunni Islam, force women to clothing Nusra believes to be in line with sharia law, among others.

The Druze agreed to Nusra’s conditions to ensure their own survival, Sherif says. “Jabhat a-Nusra is strong, so our leaders preferred that we remain under their protection. The FSA is weak, and with them we might end up being left on our own.”

Q: How does Jabhat a-Nusra treat the Druze in Jabal a-Summaq?

They treat us fairly for now. However don’t misinterpret what I’m saying as some form of propaganda; they only do so because we’ve agreed, at least on the surface, to comply with all their rules and regulations. We follow their orders so that they treat us well.

After JN kicked the Islamic State (IS) out of Idlib, they told us that they wouldn’t protect us unless we converted to Sunni Islam, prayed and issued an official statement saying that we’ve left the Druze faith. As of now they have yet to attack us. As long as we appear to be following their rules, they consider us ‘brothers’ in Islam.

Q: Did they ask that you destroy Druze shrines?

Yes. They’ve forced us to comply with a number of orders and decrees, including the destruction of our shrines. They dug up the tombs of a number of our saints, however we didn’t protest. They forced our women to wear strict orthodox Islamic garb, and to give up their traditional Druze clothing.

They’ve also threatened us saying that if the al-Hisbeh (sharia law) police found anyone on the street during prayer time, that that person be punished. Same for women who don’t follow the mandatory clothing requirements.

The worst is what they’ve done in schools. On Monday, they arrived in our village and separated all the male and female students, insisting that they be taught separately, and only by teachers of the same gender.

This has caused problems as we don’t have enough teachers to effectively accommodate these changes. For example we only had one math teacher, who was a female. There was no qualified male teacher that could replace her, so now the boys don’t study math. The opposite occurred with English classes. Our only English teacher is male, so now the girls don’t study English.

Q: On March 2, Walid Jumblatt, a prominent Lebanese Druze politician and leader of the Progressive Socialist Party, engaged in negotiations with JAN in the hopes of easing some of these strict laws imposed by JAN. Allegedly JAN agreed to do so as long as the Druze continued to adhere to Sunni Islam. Did anything come of that?

None of the terms of that agreement have been applied in practice, as far as we can tell. JAN continues to impose their strict interpretation of Islam upon us, forcing women to cover their faces, preventing men and women from mixing in public, and so forth.

When describing his position regarding JAN’s meeting with Jumblatt to Druze leaders in Jabal al-Summaq, Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Tunisi, a Tunisian and JAN’s emir in Jabal al-Sumaq, reportedly recited a well-known saying of the Prophet Mohammed, which he thought justified his position. The saying goes, “Even with the moon on my right shoulder and the sun on my left, I will not abandon my duty, or die without having it fulfilled.”

[The saying occurred when Mohammed sought to spread the word of Islam amongst non-believers in Mecca, some of whom supposedly offered him large sums of silver and gold to abandon his mission. In the above saying, the moon is representative of silver, and the sun of gold. It essentially means that Mohammad would not abandon his quest to proselytize for all the money in the world].

 Q: What do the Druze in Idlib think about Jabhat a-Nusra and the laws they impose?

We reject their laws in principle, but follow them in public. When it comes to solving disputes amongst ourselves we don’t bring our problems to Jabhat a-Nusra, we go to our sheikhs.

Q: If you reject their rules, why have you decided to continue living under their protection?

There’s nothing we can do. Those Druze who have left our villages had their property seized and confiscated, now they can never return. That’s why we’ve decided to stay here.

Q: What was Jabhat a-Nusra’s justification for imposing their laws on the Druze?

They claimed they were fighting infidels, and that we had to decide our own fate and our identity, to either be with the Muslims, or the infidels.

Q: What is it the Druze fear most about Jabhat a-Nusra?

There’s a lot that we fear. We fear that they might force our young men and women to marry outside the Druze faith. This could lead to the eventual destruction of our religion. They’re also attempting to promote polygamy among our young men, a practice we don’t support in our faith.

We also fear their ideas about jihad. They believe that jihad is mandatory for all Muslims, and that as such those of us who have converted to the Sunni sect must take up arms and fight. Many of their local leaders (Syrians) are less strict about this.

They appreciate the position we’re in, the fact that we’re neutral and don’t want to fight, and they often times exempt us from having to do so. However the foreign leaders are very strict. Abd al-Rahman al-Tunisi constantly issues laws and decrees of this nature. The local members serving underneath him make exceptions and exempt us from having to take part the fighting.

Q: How do the FSA and other battalions treat the Druze in Jabal al-Summaq?

FSA brigades also treated us well in the past, and tried to convince us to join with them previously saying they would protect us. However Jabhat a-Nusra is strong, so our leaders preferred that we remain under their protection. The FSA is weak, and with them we might end up being left on our own.

Q: What is the future of your relationship with Jabhat a-Nusra?

Despite everything we don’t believe that Jabhat a-Nusra will be around long. We can live with them for now until God frees us from their grasp. However if their rule were to last a long time, then all the previous things I mentioned would take effect permanently, that we wouldn’t be able to accept.

Q: How do Druze leaders and sheikhs deal with this situation?

Our leaders and sheikhs engage in negotiations with Nusra. Everything is done publicly, nothing is hidden. At the end of the day all they do is receive orders from Nusra and relay them to those in the villages.

Syria Direct

Al Qaeda Nusra Front force Druze citizens of Idlib Syria to destroy their shrines and convert

Walid Jumblatt speaks to the press after negotiations
 with Jabhat a-Nusra. None of the terms of that agreement
 have been applied in practice according to the Druze
 of Jabal al Summaq.Photo courtesy of Al-Quds.

The Jabal al-Summaq region in the Idlib province of northern Syria is home to nearly 18,000 Druze spread out amongst 18 villages, all of whom have been living under the control of  Jabhat a-Nusra (JAN), (the  Syrian Al Qaeda  branch)   for nearly two years.

An offshoot of  Islam, hardline Sunni groups such as JAN consider the Druze faith a form of heresy. Nusra gave the Druze in Idlib a choice: Convert or fight. They converted. Publicly, at least.

“They claimed they were fighting infidels, and that we had to decide our own fate and our identity, to either be with the Muslims, or the infidels,” Abdul Majid Sherif, a resident and retired math teacher who currently works as the head of the Media Office of the Free Democrats Party of Idlib, tells Syria Direct’s Moatassim Jamal.

“They forced us to accept their interpretation of Sunni Islam, or else we’d be punished,” Sherif says. “We reject their laws in principle, but follow them in public.”

This past February 1, JAN released a statement spelling out a series of obligations agreed to by Druze and JAN leaders in Jabal al-Summaq: The Druze would destroy their holy shrines, convert to Sunni Islam, force women to clothing Nusra believes to be in line with sharia law, among others.

The Druze agreed to Nusra’s conditions to ensure their own survival, Sherif says. “Jabhat a-Nusra is strong, so our leaders preferred that we remain under their protection. The FSA is weak, and with them we might end up being left on our own.”

Q: How does Jabhat a-Nusra treat the Druze in Jabal a-Summaq?

They treat us fairly for now. However don’t misinterpret what I’m saying as some form of propaganda; they only do so because we’ve agreed, at least on the surface, to comply with all their rules and regulations. We follow their orders so that they treat us well.

After JN kicked the Islamic State (IS) out of Idlib, they told us that they wouldn’t protect us unless we converted to Sunni Islam, prayed and issued an official statement saying that we’ve left the Druze faith. As of now they have yet to attack us. As long as we appear to be following their rules, they consider us ‘brothers’ in Islam.

Q: Did they ask that you destroy Druze shrines?

Yes. They’ve forced us to comply with a number of orders and decrees, including the destruction of our shrines. They dug up the tombs of a number of our saints, however we didn’t protest. They forced our women to wear strict orthodox Islamic garb, and to give up their traditional Druze clothing.

They’ve also threatened us saying that if the al-Hisbeh (sharia law) police found anyone on the street during prayer time, that that person be punished. Same for women who don’t follow the mandatory clothing requirements.

The worst is what they’ve done in schools. On Monday, they arrived in our village and separated all the male and female students, insisting that they be taught separately, and only by teachers of the same gender.

This has caused problems as we don’t have enough teachers to effectively accommodate these changes. For example we only had one math teacher, who was a female. There was no qualified male teacher that could replace her, so now the boys don’t study math. The opposite occurred with English classes. Our only English teacher is male, so now the girls don’t study English.

Q: On March 2, Walid Jumblatt, a prominent Lebanese Druze politician and leader of the Progressive Socialist Party, engaged in negotiations with JAN in the hopes of easing some of these strict laws imposed by JAN. Allegedly JAN agreed to do so as long as the Druze continued to adhere to Sunni Islam. Did anything come of that?

None of the terms of that agreement have been applied in practice, as far as we can tell. JAN continues to impose their strict interpretation of Islam upon us, forcing women to cover their faces, preventing men and women from mixing in public, and so forth.

When describing his position regarding JAN’s meeting with Jumblatt to Druze leaders in Jabal al-Summaq, Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Tunisi, a Tunisian and JAN’s emir in Jabal al-Sumaq, reportedly recited a well-known saying of the Prophet Mohammed, which he thought justified his position. The saying goes, “Even with the moon on my right shoulder and the sun on my left, I will not abandon my duty, or die without having it fulfilled.”

[The saying occurred when Mohammed sought to spread the word of Islam amongst non-believers in Mecca, some of whom supposedly offered him large sums of silver and gold to abandon his mission. In the above saying, the moon is representative of silver, and the sun of gold. It essentially means that Mohammad would not abandon his quest to proselytize for all the money in the world].

 Q: What do the Druze in Idlib think about Jabhat a-Nusra and the laws they impose?

We reject their laws in principle, but follow them in public. When it comes to solving disputes amongst ourselves we don’t bring our problems to Jabhat a-Nusra, we go to our sheikhs.

Q: If you reject their rules, why have you decided to continue living under their protection?

There’s nothing we can do. Those Druze who have left our villages had their property seized and confiscated, now they can never return. That’s why we’ve decided to stay here.

Q: What was Jabhat a-Nusra’s justification for imposing their laws on the Druze?

They claimed they were fighting infidels, and that we had to decide our own fate and our identity, to either be with the Muslims, or the infidels.

Q: What is it the Druze fear most about Jabhat a-Nusra?

There’s a lot that we fear. We fear that they might force our young men and women to marry outside the Druze faith. This could lead to the eventual destruction of our religion. They’re also attempting to promote polygamy among our young men, a practice we don’t support in our faith.

We also fear their ideas about jihad. They believe that jihad is mandatory for all Muslims, and that as such those of us who have converted to the Sunni sect must take up arms and fight. Many of their local leaders (Syrians) are less strict about this.

They appreciate the position we’re in, the fact that we’re neutral and don’t want to fight, and they often times exempt us from having to do so. However the foreign leaders are very strict. Abd al-Rahman al-Tunisi constantly issues laws and decrees of this nature. The local members serving underneath him make exceptions and exempt us from having to take part the fighting.

Q: How do the FSA and other battalions treat the Druze in Jabal al-Summaq?

FSA brigades also treated us well in the past, and tried to convince us to join with them previously saying they would protect us. However Jabhat a-Nusra is strong, so our leaders preferred that we remain under their protection. The FSA is weak, and with them we might end up being left on our own.

Q: What is the future of your relationship with Jabhat a-Nusra?

Despite everything we don’t believe that Jabhat a-Nusra will be around long. We can live with them for now until God frees us from their grasp. However if their rule were to last a long time, then all the previous things I mentioned would take effect permanently, that we wouldn’t be able to accept.

Q: How do Druze leaders and sheikhs deal with this situation?

Our leaders and sheikhs engage in negotiations with Nusra. Everything is done publicly, nothing is hidden. At the end of the day all they do is receive orders from Nusra and relay them to those in the villages.

original posted click here

Iranian Jets Operating in Syria

The Syrian Arab Air Force (SyAAF), entangled in a bloody civil war that will soon reach its four-year mark, relies heavily on Russia and Iran to keep attrition from diminishing its firepower. After having upgraded several SyAAF Mi-17s with armour plates and FLIR cameras, stationing Mojaher 4, Yasir and Shahed 129 UAVs in Syria and even providing an Il-76TD to the SyAAF on behalf of Syrian Air, Iran is now further consoldating its stake in the conflict by the delivery of ten Su-22s to Syria.

These ten aircraft, part of a batch of 40 flown to Iran during Operation Desert Storm for safekeeping, were finally overhauled in recent years after idly standing around at Shiraz airbase for decades while their fate was decided upon. Initially regarded as “guests” and maintained only to keep them in good condition, they were formally put into Iranian possession in July 1993 but could not be made operational due to budgetary constraints: A team of Ukrainian technical advisors were contracted to overhaul the Su-22s, but at the time this proved to be too expensive for the ill-funded Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF). Instead, the IRIAF was to restore the ten Su-22M-3 and Su-22M-4s to operational condition without any foreign help by using other Su-22s and Su-20s as a source for spare parts. This programme only commenced in 2013, when the Revolutionary Guard’s Pars Aviation embarked on the task of bringing the first Su-22s back to operational condition.

Back to the midst of the war in Syria, where the SyAAF fighter-bomber fleet continuously finds itself flying an increasing amount of sorties while the number of operational air frames continues to dwindle. The SyAAF, originally geared towards fighting a fierce but short war with Israel, never anticipated to get tangled up in a war of attrition between the pro-Assad party and its adversaries. As a result, all of Syria’s MiG-23BNs and most of the Su-22s originally destined for replacement in this decade are now on the forefront of the aerial bombing campaign against rebel positions and villages. This led to a decreasing availability of the MiG-23BN and Su-22 fleet, which in turn  are grounded for weeks at a time to allow for some much needed maintenance for certain air frames, their role being temporarily taken over by fighters such as the MiG-23MF, MiG-23ML(D) and MiG-29.

The fate of Iran’s Su-22s was also sealed in the meantime: The fleet was to join the Aerospace Wing of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGCASF) instead of the IRIAF. At least six Iranian pilots were subsequently converted to the Su-22 in Syria, and later sent to Belarus for further training on simulators in preparation of the introduction of the Su-22. The programme took a surprising turn after it was suddenly cancelled several months ago, and on the direct order of Khamenei, the ten Su-22s were put onboard Il-76s and flown to Syria. By this time, only the Su-22’s fuselages had been completely overhauled, and once arrived in Syria, the SyAAF completed the process.

The first of these new Su-22s was spotted while bombing the town of Talbeesa, Homs Governorate, on the 9th of March 2015. The title of the video claims ”New type of warplanes bombing Talbeesa in Homs”. The aircraft donned a new camouflage scheme that appears to have been applied recently, and although it has not been seen on Syrian Su-22s in the past, it bears some resemblance to that of the SyAAF’s overhauled L-39s.

The sighting of the aircraft comes amidst a series of discoveries about Iran’s increasing military presence and exports in Yemen, Sudan, Libya, Iraq and of course Syria, and follows a widely covered exercise in which a mock-up aircraft carrier was destroyed by anti-ship missiles and fast attack craft.

The continued stream of military support to Syria shows the extent of the Iranian determination in their effort to support the Syrian regime, and once again shows how far the conflict is from finally reaching a conclusion.

Special thanks to Tom Cooper and ACIG original post here.

Turkey’s Drift From NATO

The website of Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs acknowledges that NATO has played a “central role” in the country’s security and insists that Turkey, which became a member in 1952, “attaches utmost importance” to it. Yet Turkey’s commitment to the alliance has never seemed more ambivalent than it does now.

On crucial issues — from fighting the Islamic State to fielding integrated defense systems, which share information and operate together, to standing firm against Russian aggression in Ukraine — President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government either are not cooperating fully or are acting in outright defiance of NATO’s priorities and interests. Add the fact that Turkey under Mr. Erdogan has become increasingly authoritarian, and it becomes apparent that the country is drifting away from an alliance whose treaty says it is “founded on the principles of democracy” as much as defense.

Continue reading the main story

For months, the Western allies have pressured Turkey to close its porous border, which has allowed thousands of jihadists to cross into Syria to join the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, and has enabled ISIS to smuggle in weapons and smuggle out oil on which it relies for revenue.

Although the Turkish government has taken some steps to make transit harder, it has been unwilling, or unable, to stem the flow, according to Tim Arango and Eric Schmitt’s reporting in The Times. One smuggler said that while his job has become more difficult, sometimes the Turkish border guards look the other way.

Completely shutting down the long border may be impossible, but given the country’s large military and well-regarded intelligence service, it is inexcusable that Turkey is not doing a better job. Turkey should also be making military bases and troops available to the American-led coalition, but James Clapper Jr., the director of national intelligence, told Congress recently that he was not optimistic that Turkey would do more against ISIS because it had “other priorities and other interests.”

Public opinion polls show that the Turks don’t consider ISIS a primary threat, and Mr. Erdogan is more concerned with opposing Kurdish autonomy within Syria and with bringing down the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad.

Continue reading the main story

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There are other troubling aspects of Turkey’s behavior. The government says it is still considering buying from China a $3.4 billion air defense system that involves radars and long-range ground-to-air missiles that can shoot down enemy missiles. The purchase is opposed by the American and European allies because they view this military purchase from China as a risk. They are also disturbed that Turkey is not purchasing a system from them, because they have borne the cost of defending Turkey against a Syrian attack by stationing Patriot missile batteries on Turkish territory. Moreover, the Turkish defense minister last month said the government did not plan to integrate whatever air defense system it bought with NATO’s air defenses and radars so that the various parts would work together, though the presidential spokesman later said the system would be integrated with NATO’s.

CONTINUE READING THE MAIN STORY88COMMENTS

NATO would not integrate its system with a Chinese system because the two are not compatible, a Chinese system might contain risky software, and members of Congress oppose it. If Turkey refuses to link its defense system with NATO’s, “they are weakening the defense of their territory and weakening NATO at the same time,” said Ivo Daalder, a former American ambassador to NATO.

Meanwhile, Turkey is supposed to sign an agreement this year that will allow Russia to build a natural gas pipeline to Turkey, thus bypassing Ukraine. The Erdogan government, ignoring Western sanctions, has beenexploiting a rift between Russia and the West over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to gain energy supplies at bargain prices. Russia also plans to build Turkey’s first nuclear power plant.

American officials say they don’t think Turkey will ever withdraw from NATO. Of course, such a move would be a catastrophic mistake. But the fact that the possibility is even raised by officials and defense experts shows how concerned the allies are about relying on Turkey in any crisis.

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  A Path to ISIS, Through a Porous Turkish BorderMARCH 9, 2015

Classified U.S. Military Document: Syrian Rebels DO Have Chemical Weapons

Posted on September 12, 2013 by WashingtonsBlog

Al Qaeda In Syria Had Sarin Before August Attack

We’ve extensively documented that the Syrian rebels do have access to chemical weapons.

It turns out that a classified U.S. military document says the same thing.

A former senior security policy analyst in the office of the secretary of defense, F. Michael Maloof,reports at WND:

In a classified document just obtained by WND, the U.S. military confirms that sarin was confiscated earlier this year from members of the Jabhat al-Nusra Front, the most influential of the rebel Islamists fighting in Syria.

The document says sarin from al-Qaida in Iraq made its way into Turkey and that while some was seized, more could have been used in an attack last March on civilians and Syrian military soldiers in Aleppo.

The document, classified Secret/Noforn – “Not for foreign distribution” – came from the U.S. intelligence community’s National Ground Intelligence Center, or NGIC, and was made available to WND Tuesday.

It revealed that AQI had produced a “bench-scale” form of sarin in Iraq and then transferred it to Turkey.

A U.S. military source said there were a number of interrogations as well as some clan reports as part of what the document said were “50 general indicators to monitor progress and characterize the state of the ANF/AQI-associated Sarin chemical warfare agent developing effort.”

“This (document) depicts our assessment of the status of effort at its peak – primarily research and procurement activities – when disrupted in late May 2013 with the arrest of several key individuals in Iraq and Turkey,” the document said.

“Future reporting of indicators not previously observed would suggest that the effort continues to advance despite the arrests,” the NGIC document said.

The May 2013 seizure occurred when Turkish security forces discovered a two-kilogram cylinder with sarin gas while searching homes of Syrian militants from the al-Qaida-linked Jabhat al-Nusra Front following their initial detention.

The sarin gas was found in the homes of suspected Syrian Islamic radicals detained in the southern provinces of Adana and Mersia.

Some 12 suspected members of the al-Nusra Front were arrested. At the time, they were described by Turkish special anti-terror forces as the “most aggressive and successful arm” of the Syrian rebels.

In the seizure, Turkish anti-terror police also found a cache of weapons, documents and digital data.

***

Sources tell WND the documentation indicates that deadly sarin poison gas was manufactured in a Sunni-controlled region of Iraq and then transported to Turkey for use by the Syrian opposition, whose ranks have swelled with members of al-Qaida and affiliated groups.

High-level former U.S. intelligence officers say that it was the rebels – not the Syrian government – which carried out the chemical weapons attack.

They note that their high-level intelligence colleagues currently working in U.S. intelligence agenciesagree.

The director of the Congressional Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare from 1988 to 2004 – who was a former senior consultant for the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of State – (Yossef Bodansky) also says that the rebels were the perpetrators of the chemical attack.

LEAKED TURKISH WAR PLANS AGAINST SYRIA - FALSE FLAG TERRORISM

This is the English translation of the recorded conversation between Turkish Foreign Prime Minister, Chief of Intelligence, Deputy Chief of General Staff, and Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs about massive military aid to jihadist terrorists in Syria, black ops, and war plans to invade Syria, as well as the general disarray and goofiness in Erdogan's Islamic dictatorship.


Erdogan and his corralled media have branded all those who distribute this video as traitors. That we are, traitors to his phenomenally profitable bribes and corruption business fueled by Gulf money that he reels in thanks to the heads he has chopped off in Syria.

SYRIAN ARMY SMASHES NUSRA IN HANDARAAT-ALEPPO, 150 TERRORISTS KILLED

Syrian Army fighters stroll through liberated Handaraat.  (Image: Almonitor)

Handaraat:  The lying British media is spreading totally false tales of a successful terrorist counterattack at the towns of Handaraat, Bashkuwy, Tal-Al-Madhaafa and Al-Mallaah Farms.  I have access now to direct sources in northern Aleppo who have visitedHandaraat and have reported what they’ve seen to Wael in Latakia.  In actuality, Wael is now in Aleppo for some task having to do with his work on the coast.

Yesterday, the tally for dead rats in Handaraat exceeded 177, almost all Nusra andAhraar Al-Shaam cannibals.  The SAA has also destroyed 8 armored vehicles licensed in Turkey and provided to the rats by the Erdoghan terrorists regime.  The Syrian Army controls 90% of Handaraat with the remaining 10% on the verge of falling to the SAA any moment.  Nusra has been annihilated here.

In an effort to save face, or to recapture the old magic, Nusra prepared a huge BMB truck loaded with 8 tons of C-4 and military-grade TNT for suicide detonation.  But, this trick is old and the SAA is accustomed to these tactics.  The driver of the truck who attempted to approach the northern entrance to the town will never be known. The SAA fired anti-tank, wire-guided rockets at the speeding truck and exploded it.  If the driver exists at all, he exists as mist.

The Nusra force is about 3,500 rats – a formidable combat unit which is also experiencing many defections from the Syrian citizens within it.  Estimates are now that the Nusra army here is 90% foreigners with hundreds being from Central Asia and the Caucasus.  That is what’s left of the Nusra organization in Handaraat. Erdoghancontinues to ferry in supplies but with the SAA now controlling traditionally open supply routes north of this area, we are hearing, more and more, of SAAF sorties and bombings of convoys coming out of Turkey.

Syrian Army is in complete control of Bashkuwy, Seefaat and Al-Mallaah Farms.  The Syrian Army also controls 80% of the Tallat Al-Madhaafa area with the rats verging on surrender or death.

Hint:  With Handaraat falling into the hands of the government, watch for the assault on‘Anadaan which will finish off the rats in Aleppo proper and liberate all of Zahraa andNibbul.

http://wikimapia.org/#lat=36.330015&lon=37.137222&z=12&l=&ifr=1&m=b

Via Wikimapia:http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=36.325913&lon=37.144089&z=12&m=b

Read more at http://www.syrianperspective.com/2015/03/syrian-army-smashes-nusra-in-handaraat-aleppo-150-terrorists-killed-exclusive-report-from-the-scene.html#BtfHsm4j2R3HEWZQ.99