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----Original Message-----
From: Ken Hiebert via Marxism
By comparison with the war in Afghanistan, the Syrian air force has
suffered very few losses of helicopters and planes. Apparently their
foreign arms suppliers have not provided them with MANPADS. Why is
that?
MK: The reason is very straightforward Ken: the US supported the
counterrevolutionary forces in Afghanistan (calling them that does not
imply support for the Soviet invasion, but I still think it is a correct
description), so supplied them anti-aircraft weapons (and much else),
whereas the US is opposed to the Syrian revolution, and so moved CIA
spooks to the Turkish and Jordanian borders in 2012 to try to put a lid
on the arms flow beginning to get to the Syrian rebels (in the north
mostly from Qatar, private sources in the Gulf, and post-Gaddafi Libya).
Above all, this meant imposing a blockade on anti-tank and anti-aircraft
missiles to the rebels. After the rebels had captured hundreds of
anti-tank missiles from the battlefield by early 2014, the US ended the
embargo on anti-tank weapons, and began instead to try to control who
gets them, how much, be in a position to squeeze them when necessary
etc. However, the US continues to vigorously enforce the embargo on
anti-aircraft weaponry, not only blocking delivery from neighbouring
states, but also blocking attempts by the FSA to procure them on the
black market. I have dealt with these issues here
https://mkaradjis.wordpress.com/2016/08/10/downing-warplanes-orwell-and-us-backed-rebels/
and here
https://mkaradjis.wordpress.com/2014/09/28/yet-again-on-those-hoary-old-allegations-that-the-us-has-armed-the-fsa-since-2012/
Given that it is an air war, one of the most brutal and sustained air
wars in modern history, I don’t think I need to emphasise how crucial
this US blockade has been in the success of Assad/Russia in carrying out
daily mass homicide for years. No, warplanes and helicopters dropping
barrel bombs, cluster bombs, vacuum bombs, bunker busters, napalm, white
phosphorus, chemicals etc cannot be fought with small arms and
ammunition. Given that fact, it is rather amazing that this US blockade,
and the demand to end it as a concrete aid to the Syrian people, is
simply not treated with the seriousness it deserves, either by
“anti”-war peacenik folk, plague on both your houses folk, or even many
supporters of the revolution (who often claim the need to hold your nose
and ask for a no fly zone is necessary because there is no other
concrete demand for protection available). People under daily aerial
massacre for years do deserve the right to protection; we prefer
revolutionary self-defence; and it is the US that blocks it: simple
facts.
Ken:
It is widely agreed that ISIS in Syria is headquartered in Raqqa.
Has the Syrian air force been bombing Raqqa? How does that bombing
compare with the bombing of Aleppo?
MK: After ISIS seized Raqqa from the rebels around Aug 2013, the Syrian
airforce never bombed the city, for at least a year. However, when the
US began bombing ISIS in September 2014, Assad’s warplanes began
occasionally joining in, and US and Assadist airforces began often
bombing Raqqa in tandem (eg, see
https://mkaradjis.wordpress.com/2014/12/12/as-assad-and-us-play-two-step-bombing-raqqa-assad-demands-us-bomb-more-efficiently/).
Since Russia began bombing in Sep 2015, we sometimes see US, Russian and
Assadist planes bombing Raqqa together. In nearby Deir Ezzor, the
collaboration is even more open: the US openly admits it collaborates
with Assad against ISIS there, that they bomb together, and at crucial
points the US airforce has saved Assad’s arse in that city from ISIS.
The very ironic thing about the recent accidental friendly-fire
incident, when US warplanes mistakenly bombed Assad troops in Deir Ezzor
until their Russian allies warned them of the error, was that in fact
this incident revealed the ongoing US-Assad alliance in that city.
That said, it must be emphasised that that Assadist planes joining US
planes bombing Raqqa was more about Assad demonstrating his usefulness
to the US “war on terror,” rather than any decisive change:
overwhelmingly, both Assadist and Russian bombing has been directed
against the FSA and allied rebels; less than 10% of Russian strikes have
been against ISIS, and considerable less Assadist strikes.
Note that just a few days ago, as Turkish and allied FSA forces were
attempting to seize the strategic town of al-Bab, in eastern Aleppo
province, from ISIS, Assadist planes bombed them (even though Erdogan
has promised to his new mate Putin 100 times that they will only take
al-Bab and not let the FSA use it to aid fellow FSA being besieged and
massacred by Assad in Aleppo city). It is not the first time Assad has
thus acted as ISIS’ airforce; in the Aleppo region, that has been going
on nearly three years.
-----Original Message-----
From: Ken Hiebert via Marxism
Sent: Thursday, November 24, 2016 11:03 AM
To: Michael Karadjis
Subject: [Marxism] Questions re Syria
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