Russian Jets Carry Out 20 Sorties Against ISIS Targets In Syria, U.S. Launches Information War

Russian Jets Carry Out 20 Sorties Against ISIL Targets in Syria

Russian military jets deployed in Syria on Wednesday carried out some 20 combat missions striking at least eight ISIL targets located in mountainous regions, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"As a result of airstrikes ammunition and fuel depots, heavy military hardware, as well as command posts in the mountainous areas have been destroyed," spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.

Konashenkov added that all sorties were carried out after thorough reconnaissance and close coordination with the Syrian army.

He also stressed that the Russian planes did not target civilian facilities or their vicinity.

This Is How Russia Handles Terrorists: Moscow Releases Video Of Syria Strikes

Now that Russia has officially begun conducting airstrikes on anti-regime forces operating in Syria, commentators, pundits, and analysts around the world will be keen to compare and contrast the results of Moscow’s efforts with the year-old US-led air campaign against ISIS targets in Syria and Iraq. 

Clearly, Russia has a very real incentive to ensure that its airstrikes are effective. 

Preserving the global balance of power means preserving the Assad regime and, by extension, ensuring that Iran maintains its regional influence.

On the other hand, the US and its regional allies actually have an incentive to ensure that their airstrikes are minimally effective. That is, for the US, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, the idea is not to kill Frankenstein, but rather to ensure that he doesn’t escape the lab. 

As we documented earlier today, Russia wasted no time launching strikes against anti-regime targets once the country's lawmakers gave the official go-ahead and the West wasted no time accusing Russia of breaking protocol by targeting "modetrate" Syrian rebels (like al-Qeada) that aren't aligned with ISIS.

It's against that backdrop that we present the following footage released by the Russain Ministry of Defensewhich depicts the opening salvo in The Kremlin's battle against terrorism in the Middle East (note the vehicle traveling towards the compound at a particularly inopportune time towards the end).

And predictably, Western media reports regarding civilian casualties and Russia's alleged targeting of "moderate" rebels (as opposed to ISIS) were countered by Moscow's sharp-tongued spokeswoman and US foreign policy critic extraordinaire Maria Zakharova.

Russia has struck eight Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) targets in Syria, the country’s Defense Ministry said, adding that "civilian infrastructure" was avoided during the operations.

“Today, Russian aerospace force jets delivered pinpoint strikes on eight ISIS terror group targets in Syria. In total, 20 flights were made,” spokesperson for the Russian Defense Ministry, Igor Konashenkov, said. 

“As a result, arms and fuel depots and military equipment were hit. ISIS coordination centers in the mountains were totally destroyed,” he added.

Konashenkov said that all the flights took place after air surveillance and careful verification of the data provided by the Syrian military. He stressed that Russian jets did not target any civilian infrastructure and avoided these territories.

“Russian jets did not use weapons on civilian infrastructure or in its vicinity,” he said.

Reuters reported that Russia targeted opposition rebel groups in Homs province instead of Islamic State forces. The agency cited Syrian opposition chief Khaled Khoja, who put the death toll of the bombardment at 36 civilians.

"Russia is intending not to fight ISIL [Islamic State], but to prolong the life of [Syrian President Bashar] Assad," Khoja said.

Similar claims were made by the BBC, Fox News, Al Jazeera and numerous other news outlets.

Moscow harshly criticized the reports, labeling them an information war.

“Russia didn’t even begin its operation against Islamic State… Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov didn’t even utter his first words at the UN Security Council, but numerous reports already emerged in the media that civilians are dying as a result of the Russian operation and that it’s aimed at democratic forces in the country (Syria),” Maria Zakharova, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, told media.

For those who missed it, see here for our assessment of the Western media's take on the first round of Russian airstrikes (and by the way we, like Maria, were surprised at how quickly the propaganda machine kicked into high gear). Here is the bottom line:

The bottom line going forward is that the US and its regional and European allies are going to have to decide whether they want to be on the right side of history here or not, and as we've been careful to explain, no one is arguing that Bashar al-Assad is the most benevolent leader in the history of statecraft but it has now gotten to the point where Western media outlets are describing al-Qaeda as "moderate" in a last ditch effort to explain away Washington's unwillingness to join Russia in stabilizing Syria. 

This is a foreign policy mistake of epic proportions on the part of the US and the sooner the West concedes that and moves to correct it by admitting that none of the groups the CIA, the Pentagon, and Washington's Mid-East allies have trained and supported represent a viable alternative to the Assad regime, the sooner Syria will cease to be the chessboard du jour for a global proxy war that's left hundreds of thousands of innocent people dead.

8 ISIS targets hit during 20 combat flights in Syria – Russian military






Propaganda War Begins: Russia's Syria Strikes Targeted US-Backed "Moderate" Rebels, West Says

With the US having officially lost control of the narrative in Syria now that The Kremlin has called Washington’s bluff on the battle to eradicate ISIS and eliminate the Sunni extremist elements that threaten to wrest control of Syria from President Bashar al-Assad, the only remaining question after Russian lawmakers officially cleared the way for airstrikes was how long it would be before the Western media began shouting about Russian warplanes bombing targets that aren’t affiliated with ISIS.

As we reported earlier today, Moscow wasted no time in launching its first round of air raids.

In turn, the West wasted no time in contending that Russia is targeting areas that aren’t known to be strategically significant for ISIS. Here’s a look at two headlines which do a nice job of summarizing all of the rhetoric which you’re about to hear emanating ceaselessly from every corner of the Western world in the coming days and weeks:
And here’s WSJ with a sneak peek at the new narrative which Washington will be working hard to refine:

Russian President Vladimir Putin inserted his country directly into Syria’s war Wednesday, as Russian forces launched their first airstrikes against what Moscow said were Islamic State targets in the Middle Eastern nation.

But Western leaders raised doubts about whether Russia really intended to take the fight to Islamic State, or merely broaden the Syrian regime’s offensive against a wide range of other opponents.

For the U.S., the Russian strikes add new questions about the role of Russian forces in Syria. “While we would welcome a constructive role by Russia in this effort, today’s [meeting in Baghdad] hardly seems indicative of that sort of role and will in no way alter our operations,” a U.S. official said.

Warplanes targeted Islamic State military hardware and weapons stores, a spokesman for Russia’s Ministry of Defense told official news agencies hours after Russian lawmakers approved a request by Mr. Putin to allow the use of force abroad.

Framing the attacks as part of a fight against terrorism, Mr. Putin said that Russia will support the Syrian army from the air, without any ground operations, for the duration of the Syrian offensive.

“The only real way to fight international terrorism…is to act pre-emptively. and not wait till they [terrorists] come to our home,” Mr. Putin said in televised comments. He called for antiterror cooperation with other states through the Russian coordination center in Baghdad.

The official Syrian Arab News Agency reported Wednesday that Russian airstrikes hit areas under Islamic State control in Homs and Hama provinces, including the cities of Al Rastan and Talbiseh, near the town of Salamiyah, and the villages of al-Za’faran, al-Humr Hills, Eidoun, Salamiyah and Deir Fol. The strikes had successfully targeted Islamic State, SANA said, without elaborating.

But with the exception of the area east of the town of Salamiyah in Hama province, none of the areas listed by the Syrian regime have a known presence of Islamic State fighters. They are largely dominated by relatively moderate rebel factions and Islamist groups like Ahrar al-Sham and the al Qaeda affiliate the Nusra Front.

Yes, “relatively moderate rebel factions like al-Qaeda" (check the above, WSJ actually said that) which in July kidnapped the commander and deputy commander of the Pentagon’s ragtag group of US-trained rebels that was supposed to number in the thousands by now but has been reduced to just “four or five” men and which was humiliated last Friday when the remaining fighters were forced to surrender their pickup trucks and ammo to al-Nusra in order to “secure safe passage” to who knows where. 

Considering that, and considering the "solid" relationship the US has always maintained with al-Qaeda, it sure would be a shame if a few al-Nusra operatives wound up as collateral damage in Russia’s air campaign. 

Then there's The Telegraph with an epic attempt to spin the news with a single headline: "Putin defies West as Russia bomb 'Syrian rebel targets instead of Isil'". 

Meanwhile, France - who recently went full-propaganda by using “self defense” to justify its newly launched Syrian bombing campaign - is out expressing its consternation about which groups Russia is bombing. Via Reuters:

There are two things to note here. First, there isn't anything "curious" about this and Vladimir Putin has made no secret of his intent to keep the Assad regime from falling. Indeed, it's not clear what else Putin could do besides invite Charlie Rose for a two hour interview and explain three separate times that Moscow intends to support Assad.
Second, Germany's suggestion that Russia is "slamming shut all the doors to cooperation" is ridiculous to the point of absurdity. As the events that have unfolded over the past several weeks have made abundantly clear, it is the West that has slammed the door shut on Russia when it comes to cooperating to fight ISIS and the reason for Washington's trepidation stems directly from i) wanting to oust Assad at all costs even if it means allowing the extremists operating in Syria to remain active until the regime falls, and ii) the fact that no matter what line The White House trots out to the public, the US views the Russia-Iran "nexus" as far more dangerous to America's geopolitical ambitions than ISIS and therefore, allying with Washington's two fiercest foreign policy critics simply isn't an option even if such an alliance would swiftly eradicate Islamic State. 

US Launches Information War Against Russia’s Anti-ISIL Airstrikes

"No sooner had [Russian Foreign Minister Sergei] Lavrov uttered his first words at the Security Council, than numerous reports emerged in Western, regional, including Ukrainian media, that the military operation carried out by Russia had killed civilians, almost as if this operation was aimed at democratic forces and the civilian population," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told LifeNews television.

"I want to tell you that all this is the very information attack, the information war we have heard so much about, and for which someone, apparently, prepared very well."

In part, Zakharova is referring to comments from the Pentagon. The US Defense Department has accused Moscow of bombing targets where "there were probably no Islamic State militants." But much of this finger-pointing stems from Washington’s own interest in ousting the legitimate administration of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

"Fighting ISIL without pursuing a parallel political transition only risks escalating the civil war in Syria, and with it the very extremism and instability that Moscow claims to be concerned about and aspire to fighting," US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter told reporters on Wednesday.

Moscow was quick to respond.

"It’s all been said by the Russian Defense Ministry," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, "do not listen to Pentagon allegations about our airstrikes."

Russian Submarine Carrying Nuclear Weapons Arrives In Pacific Region

Russia’s newest nuclear-powered submarine, the Alexander Nevsky, arrived in the far eastern Kamchatka region Wednesday, carrying Bulava nuclear-capable ballistic missiles, the Russian state news service Tass reported. The submarine, now a part of Moscow's nuclear deterrent, arrives at its new port during a time of rapid Russian military modernization and renewed rivalry with the United States and NATO. 

The submarine, which is in the new Borei-class, made the journey from the Northern Fleet to the port of Vilyuchinsk in the farthest reaches of the country. It will join the Pacific Fleet, where its primary job will be to conduct strategic nuclear deterrence patrols in the Pacific Ocean, according to Tass.

Over the last few years Moscow has moved rapidly to modernize the archaic Soviet hardware built during the Cold War. New extensive investment, expected to be total $400 billion by 2020, has seen Russia launch advanced fifth-generation stealth fighters, modern tanks and advanced ships over the last six years. It has also refitted its army with state-of-the-art weaponry and armor. 

The advancement in capability has allowed the country to better exert itself against its neighbors, as has been seen in Georgia in 2008 and in the current Ukraine war, where Moscow is assisting pro-Russian rebels.  

Each Bulava missile can carry up to 10 nuclear warheads, which means the Alexander Nevsky is armed with 160 warheads. The missile has a range of more than 5,000 miles. Russia's first Borei-class submarine, the Yuriy Dolgorukiy, was inducted into the Northern Fleet in January 2013. Moscow plans to build eight Borei-class nuclear submarines by 2020.

The navy has postponed the arrival of another Borei-class sub, the Vladimir Monomakh, in the Pacific because it is yet to complete its trials, according to Tass.

Russia Demands U.S. Clear Airspace In Syria Then Launches Airstrike, Russia Now In Control Of The Region

Unlike the U.S., Russia doesn't split hairs in terms of sorting out "favorable" or "moderate" terrorists to "unfavorable terrorists", but considers all terrorist groups to be a threat to them and to Syria. The U.S. is perplexed that Russia is launching attacks against the terrorists that the U.S. favors and funds. America was under the impression that Russia would only target ISIS but not other terrorist groups in the region (who threaten the Syrian government), but obviously Russia sees no point in such distinctions. 

Russia launches airstrikes in northern Syria, senior military official says

Russian warplanes began bombarding Syrian opposition targets in the war-torn nation's north Wednesday, following a terse meeting at which a Russian general asked Pentagon officials to clear out of Syrian air space and was rebuffed, Fox News has learned.

A U.S. official said Russian airstrikes targeted fighters in the vicinity of Homs, located roughly 60 miles east of a Russian naval facility in Tartus, and were carried out by a "couple" of Russian bombers. The strikes hit targets in Homs and Hama, but there is no presence of ISIS in those areas, a senior U.S. defense official said. These planes are hitting areas where Free Syrian Army and other anti-Assad groups are located, the official said.

Activists and a rebel commander on the ground said the Russian airstrikes have mostly hit moderate rebel positions and civilians. In a video released by the U.S.-backed rebel group Tajamu Alezzah, jets are seen hitting a building claimed to be a location of the group in the town of Latamna in the central Hama province.

The group commander Jameel al-Saleh told a local Syrian news website that the group's location was hit by Russian jets but didn't specify the damage.

A group of local activists in the town of Talbiseh in Homs province recorded at least 16 civilians killed, including two children.

According to a U.S. senior official, Presidents Obama and Putin agreed on a process to "deconflict" military operations. The Russians on Wednesday "bypassed that process," the official said.

The development came after Pentagon officials, in a development first reported by Fox News, brushed aside an official request, or "demarche," from Russia to clear air space over northern Syria, where Moscow said it intended to conduct airstrikes against ISIS on behalf of Assad, according to sources who spoke to Fox News. The request was made in a heated discussion between a Russian three-star general and U.S. officials at the American Embassy in Baghdad, sources said. 

"If you have forces in the area we request they leave," said the general, who used the word "please" in the contentious encounter.

A senior Pentagon official said the U.S., which also has been conducting airstrikes against ISIS, but does not support Assad, said the request was not honored.

Russia, U.S. face off at U.N. over parallel Syria air campaigns

Russia and the United States faced off at the United Nations on Wednesday over parallel air campaigns against Islamic State in Syria, with both sides claiming legitimacy for their actions but differing over the role of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Hours after Russian launched its first air strikes, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a Security Council meeting that Moscow would liaise with the U.S.-led coalition of Western allies and regional states that has been flying missions for a year.

The United States, France and other allies questioned whether the Russian planes had hit Islamic State positions, as Moscow said, saying they were in fact aimed at Western-backed rebels who have fought both Islamic State and Assad's forces. 

U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said Russia had informed the United States of its intended strikes an hour in advance through a diplomat in Baghdad and asked that U.S. aircraft avoid Syrian airspace.

The Russian attacks occurred before Moscow and Washington had begun agreed talks on "deconfliction": averting clashes between different militaries operating in the same theater. U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin, meeting at the United Nations on Monday, had agreed that such consultations would take place.

Reflecting growing tension between the big powers, Kerry phoned Lavrov early on Wednesday to tell him the United States regarded the strikes as dangerous, a U.S. official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

But Kerry told the Security Council that, while coalition operations would continue, Washington would welcome Russian strikes if they were genuinely aimed at Islamic State or other militant groups affiliated with al Qaeda.

Kerry said the United States would be troubled if Russia struck areas where those groups were not present, adding this would suggest Moscow's real aim was to prop up longtime ally Assad, who is on the defensive after a four-year civil war.

The Homs area attacked by Russian planes is crucial to Assad's control of western Syria. Insurgent control of that area would bisect the Assad-held west, separating Damascus from coastal cities where Russia has military facilities. 

"We must not and will not be confused in our fight against ISIL with support for Assad," Kerry said, using an acronym for Islamic State. "ISIL itself cannot be defeated as long as Bashar al-Assad remains president of Syria."

Russia enters Syrian war with air strikes, jolts the Mid East into new era

That Russia launched its first air strikes in Syria Wednesday, Sept. 30 was confirmed by the Russian Defense Ministry in Moscow and criticized by US officials. Moscow stressed that it acted in support of Bashar Assad’s war on the Islamic State, assisted by other foreign powers including Iran and Iraq working together from an allied command center in Baghdad. Its targets were described as stores, ammunition dumps and vehicles, located according to US sources around Homs and Hama. The Russian communiqués did not indicate which organizations were bombed.

The Russian aerial offensive marks a turning point in Middle East affairs. Russia is emerging strongly as the number one power in the region. 

The governments which hitherto coordinated their military polices with the US, like those of Israel, Jordan and Turkey will have to reassess their orientation and affinities in a hurry.
For Israel it is the end of years of freedom for its air force to strike its enemies from the skies of Syria or Lebanon. It also marks the end of any plans Turkey and Jordan may have entertained for setting up buffer and no-fly zones in Syria to protect their borders.

A senior US official said that Russian diplomats had sent an official demarche ordering US planes to quit Syria, adding that Russian fighter jets were now flying over Syrian territory. US military sources told Fox News that US planes would not comply with the Russian demand. "There is nothing to indicate that we are changing operations over Syria," a senior defense official said.

Russian preparations for military action in Syria are clearly not limited to that country. They are being run by a joint coordination forward command and war room established a few days ago by Russia, Iran, Iraq and Syria in Baghdad. It is designed as the counterpart of the US Central Command-Forward-Jordan war room established north of Amman for joint US-Saudi-Qatari-Israeli-Jordanian and UAE operations in support of Syrian rebel operations against the Assad regime.

Two rival power war rooms are therefore poised at opposite ends of the Syrian arena – one representing a US-led alliance for operations against Assad, and the other a Russian-led group which is revving up to fight on his behalf.

 US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter instructed his staff to establish a communication channel with the Kremlin to ensure the safety of US and Russian military operations and “avoid conflict in the air” between the two militaries. The Russian defense ministry shot back with a provocative stipulation that coordination with the US must go through Baghdad, an attempt to force Washington to accept that the two war rooms would henceforth communicate on equal terms.

Israel’s Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon denied Tuesday night that Israel was coordinating its operations with the Russian army, stressing that Israel reserves the IDF’s right to freedom of action over Syria and would continue to prevent arms supplies reaching terrorist organizations such as Hizballah.

Meanwhile, six advanced Russian SU-34 strike fighter jets landed at Latakia’s Al-Assad international airport, after flying to their destination through Iraqi airspace.

The Russian military buildup is assuming far greater proportions than either imagined, far outpacing US or Israeli efforts at coordination.  

Kerry rebuffs Russian demand, says US airstrikes in Syria ‘will continue’ | Fox News

Carter: Russian strikes will ‘inflame’ Syrian war, likely targeted non-ISIS areas | Fox News

Netanyahu blasts Abbas's 'deceitful' UN speech | The Times of Israel

ISIS Planning 'Nuclear Tsunami', Putin: 'Do You Realize What You Have Done?', Russian Parliament Unanimously Approves Military Force In Syria

ISIS planning 'nuclear tsunami' - Washington Times

Nuclear annihilation across the globe. This is what a German reporter who successfully embedded with the Islamic State says the terror group is planning. Jurgen Todenhofer released his findings in a book titled “Inside IS - Ten Days in the Islamic State,” reports the UK’s Daily Express.

“The terrorists plan on killing several hundred million people. The west is drastically underestimating the power of ISIS. ISIS intends to get its hands on nuclear weapons,” says Todenhofer, calling the group a “nuclear tsunami preparing the largest religious cleansing in history.”

“They now control land greater in size than the United Kingdom and are supported by an almost ecstatic enthusiasm the like of which I’ve never encountered before in a war zone. Every day hundreds of willing fighters from all over the world come. They are the most brutal and most dangerous enemy I have ever seen in my life. I don’t see anyone who has a real chance to stop them. Only Arabs can stop IS. I came back very pessimistic.”

With the ink not yet dry on the “Iran nuclear deal,” Middle Eastern states opposed to Persian domination of the region now are actively pursuing a nuclear weapons capability of their own. President Obama’s deal could literally mean an arms race that could lead to nuclear devastation as Saudi Arabia and others look to get the bomb as well to counter Iran. With more countries obtaining nukes, the greater the possibility terrorists could obtain a weapon, which could be used to attack Israel or the West.

Putin to those who supported “Arab Spring” in Middle East: “Do you realize what you have done?”

“Instead of the triumph of democracy and progress, we got violence, poverty and social disaster — and nobody cares a bit about human rights, including the right to life. I cannot help asking those who have forced that situation: Do you realize what you have done?”

No, they don’t realize what they have done, and they’re poised to do more of it. And those of us who warned at the time that the “Arab Spring” would not lead to “the triumph of democracy and progress,” but to “violence, poverty and social disaster,” were dismissed and derided as racist, bigoted “Islamophobes.” And no matter how often the establishment analysts get things wrong, and disastrously, fatally so, they never get called to account, and keep applying the same failed solutions over and over again.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday admonished those who supported democratic revolutions in the Middle East, telling the United Nations they led to the rise of a globally ambitious Islamic State.

The Russian president added that the power vacuum following these revolutions led to the rise of terrorist groups in the region — including the Islamic State group.

He told the General Assembly it would be an “enormous mistake” not to cooperate with the Syrian government to combat the extremist group.

“No one but President (Bashar) Assad’s armed forces and Kurdish militia are truly fighting the Islamic State and other terrorist organizations in Syria,” he said.

In an earlier speech at the U.N. , President Barack Obama said it would be a mistake to think that Syria could be stable under Assad.

Putin warned that international policy toward the region has led to an Islamic State with plans that “go further” than simply dominating the Middle East. And citing recent data about failures in successfully recruiting “moderate” Syrian opposition, Putin said countries opposed to Assad are simply worsening the situation.

“We believe that any attempts to play games with terrorists, let alone to arm them, are not just short-sighted, but hazardous. This may result in the global terrorist threat increasing dramatically and engulfing new regions,” the Russian leader said….

Putin to Those Who Supported “Arab Spring” in Middle East: “Do you realize what you have done?”

Russian parliament unanimously approves use of military in Syria to fight ISIS — RT News

The upper chamber of the Russian parliament has unanimously given a formal consent to President Putin to use the nation’s military in Syria to fight terrorism at a request from the Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Consent was necessary for use of the country's military for foreign combat missions under the Russian constitution.

The request for use of force was sent by the president after considering the large number of citizens of Russia and neighboring countries, who went to join terrorist groups fighting in Syria, head of the presidential administration Sergey Ivanov told media. There are thousands of them, and Russia’s national security would be under threat, should they return home, he added.

“This is not about reaching for some foreign policy goals, satisfying ambitions, which our Western partners regularly accuse us of. It’s only about the national interest of the Russian Federation,” the official said.

Russia would use its warplanes to hit terrorist targets when requested by the Syrian government. He stressed that unlike the US-led coalition of countries that bombs militant troops in Syria, Russia was invited to do so by the legal authorities of Syria and thus follows international law.

“The military goal of the operation is strictly to provide air support for the [Syrian] government forces in their fight against Islamic State,” he said.

Military engagement in Syria would not result in Russia being mired in conflict, Konstantin Kosachev, head of the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs, said commenting on the news.

“We would not risk getting stuck in a long conflict and threaten the lives of our troops. The operation is aerial only. Certainly, in coordination with the ground operation of the Syrian army,” he told the Rossiya 24 news channel.

The developement comes after Moscow has intensified involvement in Syria, establishing an Iraqi-based military communications center with Damascus, Baghdad and Tehran.

It also happened just days after President Putin called for an international anti-terrorist effort in Syria that would include the government of President Assad at the UN General Assembly. Western nations have been seeking to oust Assad since 2011, but several key nations such as Germany, France, Britain and the US have confirmed they would not be opposed to Assad staying in power for a transitional period, which would include defeating the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) terrorist group.

Iraq's Anti-ISIL Intelligence Alliance Has Pentagon Officials Worried

Iraq's decision to sign an intelligence-sharing accord with Syria, Iran and Russia has US Defense Department officials worried about what intelligence the Iraq government is going to share with its allies against terror, and the information it may contain regarding the US armed forces.

Surprised US defense officials are concerned about the decision by Iraq's Joint Operations Command to share intelligence with Syria, Iran and Russia in an effort to coordinate action against the Islamic State.

"We were caught by surprise that Iraq entered into this agreement with Syria, Iran and Russia. Obviously, we are not going to share intelligence with either Syria, or Russia, or Iran," Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Tuesday.

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper was asked by Senator Ernst about the implications of the information sharing agreement, and also "the broader implications of Russia emerging as a leader in the Middle East while we seem to be frittering away our opportunity with ISIL."

In response, Clapper sought to cynically portray the reason behind Russia's military assistance to embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad as a move to "prop up" Assad's government, in spite of Russia's oft-and long-stated commitment to fighting terrorism, and the bulwark Assad provides against the Islamic State's advance. 

"They want to prop up Assad and, I think, a belated motivation for them is fighting ISIL," Clapper told the hearing.

Senator Ernst concluded the hearing by telling those present, "I am very concerned that we have abdicated our role in the Middle East as, and in so many other areas, as has been pointed out earlier." 

Russia Approves Use of Armed Forces in Syria

Kremlin will inform foreign partners of the decision made by the parliament of using Russian armed forces abroad during the day through foreign ministry channels, and the military will do the same through their channels.

According to Ivanov, the decision was made to help Syria and protect Russian interests.

"First and, probably, the most important, we are talking about Syria alone, and we are not talking about reaching some foreign policy goals, satisfying some ambitions which our western partners accuse us of, we are talking about Russia's national interests alone," Ivanov told journalists.

“In regard to the timeline, the Russian Air Force operation, of course, cannot last forever and has a definite time period, but what the time period is, for example, in regard to the number of days as well as telling you how many aircraft will be used and which armament will be used by our Air Force, I cannot say right now for obvious reasons,” Ivanov said.

"As you all know very well, the United States… is launching airstrikes on the territory of Syria and Iraq, and maybe other Middle Eastern States. Recently France has joined the same analogous actions, Australia and a number of other coutnries are talking about the same thing.. I would like to note one principal moment — these actions are being carried out in circumvention of international law," Ivanov told the press.

According to Fox News quoting a high-ranking US official, Russia has demanded that US airplanes immediately leave Syria.

However, US military sources told Fox News that U.S. planes would not comply with the Russian demand. "There is nothing to indicate that we are changing operations over Syria," a senior defense official said, as quoted by the Fox News website.

Russia, Iran, Iraq, and Syria have recently created an information center in Baghdad in order to coordinate the fight against the Islamic State. The information center’s main goals are to provide reconnaissance on the number of IS militants, their weapons, and their movements.

Also see:

Prison Planet.com » New Patch for U.S. Troops Fighting ISIS… Looks Like ISIS Logo

The Start Of China's Unrest? Southern China City Rocked By "Massive" Bomb Explosions, At Least 6 Dead | Zero Hedge

Obama’s Muslim Refugee Resettlement Program is actually UN’s Agenda to Balkanize & Terrorize the West - Freedom Outpost

The UN And A Blueprint For A 'United World'

This Happened In September: The UN Launched ‘The Global Goals’ – A Blueprint For A United World

Have you heard of “the global goals”?  If you haven’t heard of them by now, rest assured that you will be hearing plenty about them in the days ahead.  On September 25th, the United Nations launched a set of 17 ambitious goals that it plans to achieve over the next 15 years.  A new website to promote this plan has been established, and you can find it right here.  The formal name of this new plan is “the 2030 Agenda“, but those behind it decided that they needed something catchier when promoting these ideas to the general population.  

The UN has stated that these new “global goals” represent a “new universal Agenda” for humanity.  Virtually every nation on the planet has willingly signed on to this new agenda, and you are expected to participate whether you like it or not.

Some of the biggest stars in the entire world have been recruited to promote “the global goals”.  Just check out the YouTube video that I have posted below.  This is the kind of thing that you would expect from a hardcore religious cult…

If you live in New York City, you are probably aware of the “Global Citizen Festival” that was held in Central Park on Saturday where some of the biggest names in the music industry promoted these new “global goals”.  The following is how the New York Daily News described the gathering…

It was a party with a purpose.

A star-studded jamboree and an impassioned plea to end poverty rocked the Great Lawn in Central Park as more than 60,000 fans gathered Saturday for the fourth-annual Global Citizen Festival.

The feel-good event, timed to coincide with the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly, featured performances by Beyoncé, Pearl Jam, Ed Sheeran and Coldplay.

And it wasn’t just the entertainment industry that was promoting this new UN plan for a united world.  Pope Francis traveled to New York to give the address that kicked off the conference where this new agenda was unveiled…

Pope Francis gave his backing to the new development agenda in an address to the U.N. General Assembly before the summit to adopt the 17-point plan opened, calling it “an important sign of hope” at a very troubled time in the Middle East and Africa.

When Danish Prime Minister Lars Rasmussen struck his gavel to approve the development road map, leaders and diplomats from the 193 U.N. member states stood and applauded loudly.

Then, the summit immediately turned to the real business of the three-day meeting — implementation of the goals, which is expected to cost $3.5 trillion to $5 trillion every year until 2030.

Wow.

Okay, so where will the trillions of dollars that are needed to implement these new “global goals” come from?

Let me give you a hint – they are not going to come from the poor nations.

When you read over these “global goals”, many of them sound quite good.  After all, who wouldn’t want to “end hunger”?  I know that I would like to “end hunger” if I could.

The key is to look behind the language and understand what is really being said.  And what is really being said is that the elite want to take their dream of a one world system to the next level.

The following list comes from Truthstream Media, and I think that it does a very good job of translating these new “global goals” into language that we can all understand…

• Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere
• Translation: Centralized banks, IMF, World Bank, Fed to control all finances, digital one world currency in a cashless society

• Goal 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
• Translation: GMO

• Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
• Translation: Mass vaccination, Codex Alimentarius

• Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
• Translation: UN propaganda, brainwashing through compulsory education from cradle to grave

• Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
• Translation: Population control through forced “Family Planning”

• Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
• Translation: Privatize all water sources, don’t forget to add fluoride

• Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
• Translation: Smart grid with smart meters on everything, peak pricing

• Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
• Translation: TPP, free trade zones that favor megacorporate interests

• Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
• Translation: Toll roads, push public transit, remove free travel, environmental restrictions

• Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries
• Translation: Even more regional government bureaucracy like a mutant octopus

• Goal 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
• Translation: Big brother big data surveillance state

• Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
• Translation: Forced austerity

• Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts*
• Translation: Cap and Trade, carbon taxes/credits, footprint taxes

• Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
• Translation: Environmental restrictions, control all oceans including mineral rights from ocean floors

• Goal 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
• Translation: More environmental restrictions, more controlling resources and mineral rights

• Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
• Translation: UN “peacekeeping” missions (ex 1, ex 2), the International Court of (blind) Justice, force people together via fake refugee crises and then mediate with more “UN peacekeeping” when tension breaks out to gain more control over a region, remove 2nd Amendment in USA

• Goal 17: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development
• Translation: Remove national sovereignty worldwide, promote globalism under the “authority” and bloated, Orwellian bureaucracy of the UN

If you doubt any of this, you can find the official document for this new UN agenda right here.  The more you dig into the details, the more you realize just how insidious these “global goals” really are.

The elite want a one world government, a one world economic system and a one world religion.  But they are not going to achieve these things by conquest.  Rather, they want everyone to sign up for these new systems willingly.

The “global goals” are a template for a united world.  To many, the “utopia” that the elite are promising sounds quite promising.  But for those that know what time it is, this call for a “united world” is very, very chilling.