11-14-2017, 10:20 PM
*** 15-Nov-17 World View -- BBC reports hoax by US-led coalition about ISIS evacuation from Raqqa Syria
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
****
**** BBC reports hoax by US-led coalition about ISIS evacuation from Raqqa Syria
****
![[Image: g171114b.jpg]](http://Media.GenerationalDynamics.com/ww2010/g171114b.jpg)
A picture of Raqqa taken on October 28 (AFP)
Calling it "the dirty Raqqa deal that no one wants to talk about," the
BBC has found that the US-led coalition military issued extremely
misleading statements last month, when the so-called Islamic State (IS
or ISIS or ISIL or Daesh) was evacuated from Raqqa, the capital of
their self-styled caliphate.
It was in November of last year that the coalition made a surprise
announcement that an operation would begin to recapture Raqqa from
ISIS. The announcement was controversial because the principal
fighters would be from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), comprising
a majority of Kurdish fighters and a minority of Arab fighters, backed
by American warplanes. Turkey was particularly opposed to the
participation of the Syrian Kurds, whom the Turkish government
considers to be all terrorists. However, the Kurds were chosen
because the US considers them to be the best and most effective
fighting force in Syria versus ISIS.
By September of this year, there was widespread reporting that the SDF
had almost entirely recaptured Raqqa from ISIS, and that total victory
was only a few days away. However, in mid-October there was another
surprise announcement: Instead of killing or capturing all the ISIS
fighters in Raqqa, they would be permitted to leave and go to live
elsewhere.
I wrote briefly about this evacuation deal
last month when it was announced. I went back to my
news article archive to reread the articles that I had used
as sources at the time. According to these articles:
This sanguine description has been contradicted in several ways by the
BBC report. The reporter, Quentin Sommerville, visited Raqqa and
followed the path that the bus convoy took last month into Deir
az-Zour. He interviewed dozens of people who were either on the
convoy, including bus drivers, or observed it, and to the men who
negotiated the deal.
Sommerville reported the following, based on interviews with witnesses
and bus drivers and on amateur video:
According to Sommerville, interviews with human smugglers working on
the Syria-Turkey border have revealed a surge in people trying to
cross the border into Turkey. It's feared that some wish to
return to their home countries in Europe and Russia to continue
the jihadist fight.
The BBC says that once the Raqqa investigation was completed and the
facts were presented to the coalition military, they confirmed them.
Al Araby (UK, 15-Oct) and BBC
and Daily Sabah (Turkey) and Daily Mail (London)
Related Articles
****
**** Syria war violence surges as Bashar al-Assad repeats Aleppo genocide in Ghouta
****
It was a year ago that the army of Syria's psychopathic president
Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russia's air force, was determined to
slaughter as many of the 275,000 residents of Aleppo to be killed,
even though only all but a few thousand were innocent civilians.
Syrian and Russian warplanes bombed hospitals, schools and civilian
neighborhoods even in cities where al-Nusra was never present. ( "7-Oct-16 World View -- UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura predicts total destruction of Aleppo by Christmas"
)
The violence against Aleppo and other western cities was to have
ended as a result of the "de-escalation zone" agreement reached
by Russia, Iran and Turkey, meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan.
However, the agreement never really had a chance, because
al-Assad opposed it.
So it's not surprising that al-Assad is repeating this
genocidal attacks on the Sunni Muslims that he hates, this
time in East Ghouta.
Ghouta has always been particularly hated by al-Assad. In 2013, he
ordered what a United Nations investigation found to be 'large scale' use of Sarin gas on the people of Ghouta,'
including women and children.
According to Jan Egeland, the UN Special Envoy for Syria:
<QUOTE>"I feel as if we are now returning to some of the
bleakest days of this conflict again. ...
Nowhere is it as bad as in eastern Ghouta, which is the area just
next to the capital Damascus city, it is in rural Damascus, east
of the capital. This epicenter of suffering has 400,000 civilians,
men, women, and children, in a dozen besieged towns, and
villages. ...
Winter is coming, winter in Syria is as hard as it is in Europe,
the difference between in Europe and in Syria is that people are
now sitting after a 7-year war, longer than the second World War,
they have little, if no, reserves, they have no heat in the house,
they live in a ruin, it will be a horrific winter. In eastern
Ghouta the price of a food basket is ten times that of the average
in the country, so people cannot afford food and that will be
their situation as the harsh winter is coming."<END QUOTE>
We can assume that we're going to see a repeat in Ghouta that
we saw last year in Aleppo. As I've written many times, al-Assad
is the worst genocidal leader so far in the 21st century,
and the war in Syria will continue as long as he's in power.
There is an interesting contrast between the two stories presented
in this article.
In Aleppo, and probably in Ghouta, al-Assad and Russia are using the 'Grozny Model' to pursue mass slaughter,
as Russia used against Grozny in its 1990s war against
Chechnya.
But in Raqqa, rather than commit mass slaughter against civilians,
the SDF and the coalition allowed the ISIS fighters to escape,
and even provided transportation for them.
So we have two similar situations, but two different military
strategies. Perhaps one day historians will look back at this time to
decide which strategy was the best. United Nations and Syria Direct and Al Araby (UK)
Related Articles
****
**** Apparent coup is in progress in Zimbabwe against 93-year-old Robert Mugabe
****
As this article is being written on Tuesday evening ET, there is an
apparent military coup in progress, as soldiers have reportedly taken
over the headquarters of Zimbabwe's national broadcaster, ZBC, in the
capital city Harare. Heavy gunfire and artillery have also been
heard, as well as loud explosions.
The coup attempt was apparently triggered when Robert Mugabe, the 93
year old president, sacked the VP so that his wife can succeed him.
From the point of view of Generational Dynamics, Zimbabwe is in a
generational Awakening era. This means that if the coup is
successful, it would be an Awakening era climax, something that
signals a victory of the younger post-war generation over the
generations of war survivors. This is similar to the forced
resignation of President Richard Nixon in America in 1974, which was
also an Awakening era climax, signaling the victory of the young
post-war Boomer generation over their parents, the World War II
survivors. When a successful coup is part of an Awakening era climax,
then it's sometimes also called a "velvet coup," since there's usually
little violence involved. BBC
Related Articles
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Syria, Raqqa, Syrian Democratic Forces, SDF,
Islamic State / of Iraq and Syria/Sham/the Levant, IS, ISIS, ISIL, Daesh,
Turkey, Kurds, Deir az-Zour, BBC, Quentin Sommerville,
Bashar al-Assad, Aleppo, Ghouta, Russia, Astana, Kazakhstan,
Jan Egeland, Grozny Model,
Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, Richard Nixon
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
- BBC reports hoax by US-led coalition about ISIS evacuation from Raqqa Syria
- Syria war violence surges as Bashar al-Assad repeats Aleppo genocide in Ghouta
- Apparent coup is in progress in Zimbabwe against 93-year-old Robert Mugabe
****
**** BBC reports hoax by US-led coalition about ISIS evacuation from Raqqa Syria
****
A picture of Raqqa taken on October 28 (AFP)
Calling it "the dirty Raqqa deal that no one wants to talk about," the
BBC has found that the US-led coalition military issued extremely
misleading statements last month, when the so-called Islamic State (IS
or ISIS or ISIL or Daesh) was evacuated from Raqqa, the capital of
their self-styled caliphate.
It was in November of last year that the coalition made a surprise
announcement that an operation would begin to recapture Raqqa from
ISIS. The announcement was controversial because the principal
fighters would be from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), comprising
a majority of Kurdish fighters and a minority of Arab fighters, backed
by American warplanes. Turkey was particularly opposed to the
participation of the Syrian Kurds, whom the Turkish government
considers to be all terrorists. However, the Kurds were chosen
because the US considers them to be the best and most effective
fighting force in Syria versus ISIS.
By September of this year, there was widespread reporting that the SDF
had almost entirely recaptured Raqqa from ISIS, and that total victory
was only a few days away. However, in mid-October there was another
surprise announcement: Instead of killing or capturing all the ISIS
fighters in Raqqa, they would be permitted to leave and go to live
elsewhere.
I wrote briefly about this evacuation deal
last month when it was announced. I went back to my
news article archive to reread the articles that I had used
as sources at the time. According to these articles:
- Only a few dozen militants, in addition to the families, would
be evacuated out of Raqqa by bus.
- The evacuees would all be Syrians; foreign fighters would not be
evacuated, but would be taken prisoner.
- The evacuees would be taken to Deir az-Zour, in a region already
controlled by ISIS.
This sanguine description has been contradicted in several ways by the
BBC report. The reporter, Quentin Sommerville, visited Raqqa and
followed the path that the bus convoy took last month into Deir
az-Zour. He interviewed dozens of people who were either on the
convoy, including bus drivers, or observed it, and to the men who
negotiated the deal.
Sommerville reported the following, based on interviews with witnesses
and bus drivers and on amateur video:
- There were over 4,000 people in the convoy, including some of
ISIS's fiercest fighters, and including women and children.
- There were many foreigners in the convoy -- from France, Turkey,
Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, China, Egypt, Tunisia, and
other countries.
- The convoy was 6-7 km long, and contained 47 trucks, 13 buses,
and over 100 vehicles owned by the ISIS militants.
- Ten trucks were loaded to the top with weapons and
ammunition.
- The bus drivers were furious. They had been told that it would be
a quick trip. Instead, it took several days, their lives were
constantly at risk, and they still haven't been paid.
According to Sommerville, interviews with human smugglers working on
the Syria-Turkey border have revealed a surge in people trying to
cross the border into Turkey. It's feared that some wish to
return to their home countries in Europe and Russia to continue
the jihadist fight.
The BBC says that once the Raqqa investigation was completed and the
facts were presented to the coalition military, they confirmed them.
Al Araby (UK, 15-Oct) and BBC
and Daily Sabah (Turkey) and Daily Mail (London)
Related Articles
- Armies and militias fighting ISIS in Iraq and Syria increasingly turn on each other (15-Oct-2017)
- US-backed Kurdish militias in Syria make surprise announcement of Raqqa operation (07-Nov-2016)
- In dramatic development, US warplanes smash fortified wall in Raqqa, Syria (05-Jul-2017)
- US will 'quickly' arm Kurdish militias in Syria, despite Turkey's opposition (11-May-2017)
****
**** Syria war violence surges as Bashar al-Assad repeats Aleppo genocide in Ghouta
****
It was a year ago that the army of Syria's psychopathic president
Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russia's air force, was determined to
slaughter as many of the 275,000 residents of Aleppo to be killed,
even though only all but a few thousand were innocent civilians.
Syrian and Russian warplanes bombed hospitals, schools and civilian
neighborhoods even in cities where al-Nusra was never present. ( "7-Oct-16 World View -- UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura predicts total destruction of Aleppo by Christmas"
)
The violence against Aleppo and other western cities was to have
ended as a result of the "de-escalation zone" agreement reached
by Russia, Iran and Turkey, meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan.
However, the agreement never really had a chance, because
al-Assad opposed it.
So it's not surprising that al-Assad is repeating this
genocidal attacks on the Sunni Muslims that he hates, this
time in East Ghouta.
Ghouta has always been particularly hated by al-Assad. In 2013, he
ordered what a United Nations investigation found to be 'large scale' use of Sarin gas on the people of Ghouta,'
including women and children.
According to Jan Egeland, the UN Special Envoy for Syria:
<QUOTE>"I feel as if we are now returning to some of the
bleakest days of this conflict again. ...
Nowhere is it as bad as in eastern Ghouta, which is the area just
next to the capital Damascus city, it is in rural Damascus, east
of the capital. This epicenter of suffering has 400,000 civilians,
men, women, and children, in a dozen besieged towns, and
villages. ...
Winter is coming, winter in Syria is as hard as it is in Europe,
the difference between in Europe and in Syria is that people are
now sitting after a 7-year war, longer than the second World War,
they have little, if no, reserves, they have no heat in the house,
they live in a ruin, it will be a horrific winter. In eastern
Ghouta the price of a food basket is ten times that of the average
in the country, so people cannot afford food and that will be
their situation as the harsh winter is coming."<END QUOTE>
We can assume that we're going to see a repeat in Ghouta that
we saw last year in Aleppo. As I've written many times, al-Assad
is the worst genocidal leader so far in the 21st century,
and the war in Syria will continue as long as he's in power.
There is an interesting contrast between the two stories presented
in this article.
In Aleppo, and probably in Ghouta, al-Assad and Russia are using the 'Grozny Model' to pursue mass slaughter,
as Russia used against Grozny in its 1990s war against
Chechnya.
But in Raqqa, rather than commit mass slaughter against civilians,
the SDF and the coalition allowed the ISIS fighters to escape,
and even provided transportation for them.
So we have two similar situations, but two different military
strategies. Perhaps one day historians will look back at this time to
decide which strategy was the best. United Nations and Syria Direct and Al Araby (UK)
Related Articles
- Russia uses the 'Grozny Model' to pursue mass slaughter in Aleppo Syria (02-Aug-2016)
- Syria's al-Assad goes for the kill, turning Aleppo and civilians to bloody rubble (24-Sep-2016)
- UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura predicts total destruction of Aleppo by Christmas (07-Oct-2016)
- Syria's war resumes in full, as 'de-escalation' agreements unravel (06-Oct-2017)
****
**** Apparent coup is in progress in Zimbabwe against 93-year-old Robert Mugabe
****
As this article is being written on Tuesday evening ET, there is an
apparent military coup in progress, as soldiers have reportedly taken
over the headquarters of Zimbabwe's national broadcaster, ZBC, in the
capital city Harare. Heavy gunfire and artillery have also been
heard, as well as loud explosions.
The coup attempt was apparently triggered when Robert Mugabe, the 93
year old president, sacked the VP so that his wife can succeed him.
From the point of view of Generational Dynamics, Zimbabwe is in a
generational Awakening era. This means that if the coup is
successful, it would be an Awakening era climax, something that
signals a victory of the younger post-war generation over the
generations of war survivors. This is similar to the forced
resignation of President Richard Nixon in America in 1974, which was
also an Awakening era climax, signaling the victory of the young
post-war Boomer generation over their parents, the World War II
survivors. When a successful coup is part of an Awakening era climax,
then it's sometimes also called a "velvet coup," since there's usually
little violence involved. BBC
Related Articles
- Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe sacks the VP so that his wife can succeed him (07-Nov-2017)
- Zimbabwe bans food imports as new 'bond note' currency crashes (21-Oct-2017)
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Syria, Raqqa, Syrian Democratic Forces, SDF,
Islamic State / of Iraq and Syria/Sham/the Levant, IS, ISIS, ISIL, Daesh,
Turkey, Kurds, Deir az-Zour, BBC, Quentin Sommerville,
Bashar al-Assad, Aleppo, Ghouta, Russia, Astana, Kazakhstan,
Jan Egeland, Grozny Model,
Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, Richard Nixon
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
