Stunning Revelations and a Major Game Changer! Russian Military Escalation in Syria Doomed for Failure?

16 Sep 15

The “Hook is in the Jaw” as Russian President Vladimir Putin invades Syria.

The world’s largest submarine, the Dmitri Donskoy (TK-208), Nato-coded Typhoon, has set sail for the Mediterranean and is destined for the Syrian coast. Aboard the sub are 20 Bulava (NATO-code SS-N-30) intercontinental ballistic missiles with an estimated up to 200 nuclear warheads. Each missile, with a reported range of 10,000km, carries 6-10 MIRV nuclear warheads. Moscow report that the dispatch of a nuclear sub to Syrian waters is taken as a strong message that the Kremlin will not let the US impede its military intervention in the Syrian conflict and will go to extreme lengths to keep the way open for the flow of Russian troops to the war-torn country.

Obama says Russian bid to aid Assad ‘doomed to fail’

Tyrant O dismisses Moscow’s claim it is trying to defeat Islamic State, not bolster embattled Syrian leader. Russia’s horizons in Syria probably extend well beyond Mr Assad’s active presence – a reflection of Russia’s concerns about militant Islam and wider trends in the region, and also its belief that Western remedies in the Middle East have been an unmitigated disaster.

Barack Obama warned Russia on Friday against doubling down on its support for Syrian President Bashar Assad, casting a recent buildup of Russian military equipment and personnel in Syria as an effort to prop up the embattled leader.“The strategy they’re pursuing right now of doubling down on Assad is a mistake,” Obama said during a town hall with US military personnel. He warned that Russia’s decision to send military staff and equipment to Syria reflected a strategy that was “doomed to fail.”

“The strategy that they are pursuing right now, doubling down on Assad, I think is a big mistake,” he said, warning Moscow was “going to have to start getting a little smarter.”

Russia denies it’s trying to bolster Assad and instead says its increased military activity is part of the international effort to defeat the Islamic State, the terror group that has wreaked havoc in both Syria and Iraq. Earlier Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called on world powers to join his country in that pursuit, arguing that Syria’s army is the most efficient force to fight the extremist network.

“You cannot defeat Islamic State with air strikes only,” Lavrov said, a dig at Obama’s strategy. “It’s necessary to cooperate with ground troops and the Syrian army is the most efficient and powerful ground force to fight the IS.”

Russia’s military moves have punctured what had been a notable uptick in optimism among US officials about the prospect that Moscow was tiring of Assad, its longtime ally. Syria has been gripped by civil war for more than four years, a conflict that has claimed more than 250,000 lives and created a vacuum for extremism to thrive.

For months, US officials have been gauging Russia’s willingness to help restart a political process to remove Assad from power. Obama, however, painted a grim prospect of that happening in light of Russia’s new action.

“It could prevent us from arriving at the political solution that’s ultimately needed to bring a peace back to Syria,” he said. Read More

Syria conflict: US presses Russia on military build-up

US Secretary of State John Kerry has called his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in a bid to clarify the intent of Moscow’s military build-up in Syria.

Mr Kerry warned that continued support for President Bashar al-Assad “risks exacerbating and extending the conflict,” a statement said.

The US accuses Russia of boosting its military presence in Syria.

Russia – Mr Assad’s ally in the four-year civil war – says it is helping Syria fight Islamic State militants.

Moscow has increased its presence in the country just as the regime is losing ground to rebel groups.

Mr Kerry’s phone call to the Russian foreign minister is believed to be his third in the past 10 days.

The state department statement said Mr Kerry warned that Russia’s support for President Assad was “undermining our shared goal of fighting extremism if we do not also remain focused on finding a solution to the conflict in Syria via a genuine political transition”.

“Secretary Kerry also reaffirmed the US commitment to fight ISIL (Islamic State) with a coalition of more than 60 countries, of which Assad could never be a credible member, and emphasised the US would welcome a constructive Russian role in counter-ISIL efforts.”

White House spokesman Josh Earnest described Moscow’s support for President Assad as “a losing bet”. Read more

(Do you hear Putin laughing at that? I do, we should never underestimate the Russians. DD)

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