US funding of Al-Qaeda in Syria
Solly Rakgomo | Thursday May 18, 2017 15:47
Rhetorical promises or suggestions otherwise by Washington are meaningless. The US preemptively waged wars aimed at replacing sovereign independent Governments with pro-Western ones in Syria and elsewhere. Inside Syria Media Centre has conducted an investigation to expose a US-backed weapon supplies to the al-Qaeda group in Syria.
The suppliers list starts with US companies Chemring and its affiliate Chemring Ordinance which some few years ago signed a contract with the American government and received $47 million in accordance with the Non-Standard Equipment and Weapons Procurement Programme. Orbital ATK, another US company was granted $50 million within the programme. Weapons deliveries to terrorists have been confirmed by the Free Syrian Army deputy commander Col. Malik al-Kurdi. In an interview with one newspaper, he claimed that “a Headquarters has been set up in Turkey and Jordan to ensure cooperation between the special services of 15 States.
We warned the US and the European Union (EU) that the weapons delivered in this Headquarters get directly in the hands of the terror organisations.” In this case, these terror organisations are Al-Qaeda-affiliated groups like Jabat- Al Nusra who share a common goal with the US of toppling the Government of Bashar –al Assad. In connection with this, it would be great to ask what ordinary American people, the relatives of 3,000 people killed in the 9/11 attack conducted by Al-Qaeda, think about it.
In 16 years, the US government has not avenged the victims, nor eliminated Al-Qaeda but instead keeps supplying it with the money of American taxpayers. It would not be farfetched to state that the main reason why successive US administrations have been reluctant to eliminate Al-Qaeda completely is that they use some of these terror groups in some parts of the world to achieve some short term geo-strategic and geo-political goals. Syria is a case in point.
The US relations with Russia remain irreconcilably adversarial because its deep state wants pro-Western governance in the Middle East replacing its sovereign independence. Putin and China’s leadership are America’s main obstacles to unchallenged global dominance and a nuclear war is possible ahead against one or both countries, a doomsday scenario if launched by Washington.
Following Putin’s phone call to Trump some few weeks back, the Kremlin press service tried putting a brave face on irreconcilable bilateral differences, saying: “On May 2, Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with President of the US, Donald Trump. The sides discussed a number of topical issues of cooperation between the two countries on the international arena and focus was laid on the prospects for coordination of Russia’s and the US’s action in fighting against international terrorism in the context of the Syrian crisis.”
The statement said the Presidents, in particular, agreed to enliven dialogue between the two countries’ foreign Ministers to look for options for the consolidation of the ceasefire and making it sustainable and controlled. The envisaged goal here is to create conditions for launching a real settlement process in Syria.
Thus, the Russian foreign Minister and the US secretary of State will inform the leaders about progress reached on this track. However, I have to make it clear that the chance for Washington cooperating with Russia on Syria or any other geo-political issue, is virtually nil and Bashar al-Assad is right in saying Trump is doing what he is told to do by the CIA, the Pentagon and major oil companies. And that he conforms to the established principles of US governance like his predecessors.
It is true in my own observation too that nothing suggests change. Trump is also captive to America’s deep state, doing its bidding, risking removal from office by impeachment or something more sinister if he diverges from longstanding policy. US relations with Russia are as hostile as any time during decades of Cold War.
America is at war in multiple theatres, escalated since Trump took office, conflict on the Korean peninsula threatened regional peace. Russia and China are surrounded by hostile US military bases and both countries are furious about Pentagon’s deployment of THAAD missiles in South Korea targeting their homelands, giving America a first-strike advantage.
In a recent press briefing, Beijing’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Geng Shuang said his country’s position is clear-cut and firm as it opposes the deployment of the THAAD system in South Korea and urged relevant sides to immediately stop the deployment.
Shuang stated: “We are ready to take necessary measures to protect our interests.” Furthermore, Russia considers deployment of THAADs as an additional destabilising factor for the region. Weeks earlier, Sergey Lavrov said THAADs, “certainly affect our strategic forces, negatively affect the security not only of Russia but also of China and other countries.”
In March, Russia’s Defence and Security Committee chairman, Victor Ozerov called the deployment of THAADs “another provocation against Russia. Under the guise of a North Korean threat, Washington wants to close the ring around Russia, besieging it from the west and the east.
Putin’s telephone discussion with Trump failed to change US geopolitical policies and intentions despite positive spin reported. America’s rage for unchallenged global dominance remains unchanged.