And next, Syria?

[chilango]

This is 2018, it'd be out-sourced to the lowest bidder, probably Capita.

I've been reading about Blackwater. Fucking frightening.

 

[J Ed]

This is 2018, it'd be out-sourced to the lowest bidder, probably Capita.

Can't help but feel that if a war on Assad was outsourced to Capita then within a few months we'd sue for peace and the Syrian Baath Party would be in full control of Cornwall.

 

[Jeremiah18.17]

Lavrov now seems to be claiming Douma gas attack was staged by MI6......
Russia claims foreign spies are responsible for Syria chemical attack
Relevant word “Russophobic” is word used frequently by Russian state to describe Novichok allegations.

 

[HoratioCuthbert]

Trying to get a post in edgeways from CrabbedOne's relentless post odyssey...



Picked up by the Beeb here:
Syrian refugee 'felt oppressed' by Stop the War protest - BBC News.

Bump - he is about to appear on CH4 news in 5 mins I believe.


ETA: or later, man tweeting conflicting times

 

[Ralph Llama]

I have to confess I don't know what it would achieve but even if it undermines the regime a little bit it can't be a bad thing. .

Probably exactly what`s going through Theresa May`s head right now.

 

[2hats]

US/UK/French air strikes underway. Explosions reported in/near Damascus.

 

[Raheem]

I have to confess I don't know what it would achieve but even if it undermines the regime a little bit it can't be a bad thing.

Possibly a harder sell if your house is in Damascus.

 

[rekil]

US/UK/French air strikes underway. Explosions reported in/near Damascus.

False flag. Fake/old footage. Cui bono?

E2a: Old footage is doing the rounds in the loonosphere, eg on PressTv. Possibly a deluge of wild casualty claims in the morning.

Spoiler: bellingcat

Spoiler: presstv

Spoiler: PD brave solidarity action

 

[kebabking]

US/UK/French air strikes underway. Explosions reported in/near Damascus.

MoD reporting that four Tornado GR4's attacked a Syrian base with Storm Shadow missiles. All the aircraft returned safely.

 

[J Ed]

From the graunid live feed, looks like this is not going to be the start of a sustained campaign.

Syria latest: British defence secretary says attack 'highly successful'

Asked if this was a “one-time shot”, as US defence secretary, James Mattis, has said, Williamson replied:

“We’ve been working to make sure the targeting and the strikes have an enormous effect. It’s our belief the action we’ve taken has degraded their ability to act in the future.”

Pressed on the issue, Williamson said a clear message had been sent to the Syrian regime and it was now “in their hands”.

“It’s the Syrian regime choice - do they think it’s acceptable to use chemical weapons? There is a consequence.”

Williamson said the action taken by UK, US and France “significantly reduced” the likelihood of the regime using them again.

 

[TomUS]

Looks like about 120 US cruise missiles/bombs, some cruise missiles from 4 UK tornadoes, and France did something.....with 3 targets hit in about 1 hour. Symbolic.....a pin prick......surely did virtually no real damage to Assad's chem weapon capability.....but Trump, May and Macron show they are bad ass.

 

[butchersapron]

Every single person on the news presenter/questioneer is absolutely out of their depth. Abbots's quick 30 minute skim yesterday representing the labour left was just as poor and ill-informed.

Doesn't matter - it'll go back to the normal killing soon and STWC and liberals can avert their eyes again. Nothing more to see.

 

[butchersapron]

Whilst the red-brown left-right (now with added anarchist flavour) coalition can just just carry on cheering the regime chemical attacks the barrel bombings and pretending that all who oppose assad are jihadis.

 

[Doctor Carrot]

Possibly a harder sell if your house is in Damascus.

No shit. No civilians killed though, and that's according to the regime even.

Assad's had his slap on the wrist now though, as expected, it undermined his chemical capabilities just a teeny, tiny bit, as expected, he can now crack on with murdering the section of the population who disagrees with him with his weapon of choice while everybody gets back to tutting, as expected.

 

[chilango]

butchersapron

Which anarchists are joining the red-brown coalition?

I'm not following this stuff on social media so no doubt I am missing lots, but I do think it's possible to be both against British airstrikes and against the Assad regime. I wouldn't want to lump all dissent at military intervention into the pro-regime camp.

I take Geri's earlier point about listening to the views of the Syrian opposition but at the same time -at this moment - it's not just about the Syrians it's now, probably briefly, about us.

However trivial in comparison to what is happening in Syria, what is happening in the UK (i.e. the govt authorising airstrikes) merits its own response.

What exactly that should be is open to debate, and weakening the apparent grip of the conspiracists over swathes of what passes for the Left has to be a factor.

 

[LDC]

I've been reading about Blackwater. Fucking frightening.

The Jeremy Scahill book?

 

[tommers]

Russia have said that this "didn't impact the areas where they are responsible for air defence".

We get to look like we're doing something. Nothing really changes for Syria or Russia as they get plenty of warning of what's going to happen. Nobody presses any big red buttons.

This all looks like it was negotiated beforehand to me.

 

[butchersapron]

butchersapron

Which anarchists are joining the red-brown coalition?

You've seriously not seen a large part of the publicly vocal anarchists morph into PKK apologists and through that a concomitant commitment against the wider revolution and through that into assad supporters? A large wall 1 minute away from me has turned into pro-PKK propaganda with an anarchist circled A. One of many in the area. You can't think anarchist are immune form this shit surely? Many of them are in the sewer with the tankies and london-left goons and directing people right into it.

 

[butchersapron]

I'm not following this stuff on social media so no doubt I am missing lots, but I do think it's possible to be both against British airstrikes and against the Assad regime. I wouldn't want to lump all dissent at military intervention into the pro-regime camp.

I take Geri's earlier point about listening to the views of the Syrian opposition but at the same time -at this moment - it's not just about the Syrians it's now, probably briefly, about us.

However trivial in comparison to what is happening in Syria, what is happening in the UK (i.e. the govt authorising airstrikes) merits its own response.

What exactly that should be is open to debate, and weakening the apparent grip of the conspiracists over swathes of what passes for the Left has to be a factor.

It's possible of course. I am. But i want the picture drawn on to make this choice to be accurate and i want every fucking hypocrite whose shut their eyes or cheered on regime-russian bombing and attacks to be factored in and called to account as well. That's the debate that hasn't happened and that a small group of people have been vilified and attacked by the wider official left - including the current labour leadership - for demanding.

 

[chilango]

You've seriously not seen a large part of the publicly vocal anarchists morph into PKK apologists and through that a concomitant commitment against the wider revolution and through that into assad supporters? A large wall 1 minute away from me has turned into pro-PKK propaganda with an anarchist circled A. One of many in the area. You can't think anarchist are immune form this shit surely? Many of them are in the sewer with the tankies and london-left goons and directing people right into it.

I don't think anarchists are immune, no.

I just haven't been watching them closely enough.

 

[bemused]

Russia have said that this "didn't impact the areas where they are responsible for air defence".

Didn't they also say there was no evidence of a chemical attack?

 

[butchersapron]

It was 5 years ago the STWC invited Mother Agnes to speak on their platform. Five years.

 

[danny la rouge]

I do think it's possible to be both against British airstrikes and against the Assad regime

Indeed so.

 

[chilango]

The Jeremy Scahill book?

Yep.

 

[tommers]

Didn't they also say there was no evidence of a chemical attack?

Yeah, but they don't seem to have tried to shoot anything down. (based on my 5 minute look at the news this morning).

 

[bemused]

Yeah, but they don't seem to have tried to shoot anything down. (based on my 5 minute look at the news this morning).

I suspect neither Russia or USA wants to shoot each others stuff.

 

[Doctor Carrot]

According to Russia 103 missiles were fired, 73 were shot down... That's a nice convenient round number isn't it? Presumably none of them shot down by Russian forces. Only 3 civilians injured. The disinformation is absurd.

 

[butchersapron]

This may be of some interest:


The Threat of Wider Wars in the Middle East and the Responsibilities of Socialists - Alliance of Syrian and Iranian Socialists

"The alliances currently confronting each other are fighting over the control of the region, its capital, and aim to repress any movements for social justice."

"At this time, it is the responsibility of Middle Eastern socialists not to fall into the trap of the nationalist and hate-mongering propaganda of their states. Instead, we need to demonstrate that the current changing alliances are an expression of the logic of capital, its racism, misogyny and homophobia. We need solidarity between labor struggles, women’s emancipation struggles and those of oppressed minorities, including oppressed sexual minorities, against this destructive logic and for a humanist alternative.

Frieda Afary"

They've now formed a wider group and released this statement of founding principles.

Their latest:

Syrian War in year 7: The age of cyber warfare

In this article, we will expand on 3 main stands adopted by people in relation to the Syrian war.

1. The pro-Assad anti-U.S imperialism Stand
2. The Silent Stand
3. The Solidarity Stand

 

[Sasaferrato]

Didn't they also say there was no evidence of a chemical attack?

We staged it apparently.

 

[bemused]

According to Russia 103 missiles were fired, 73 were shot down...

I'll make the wild guess that the miltary launch enough to take into account some of them being shot down.