Syria: Is US Fighting ISIS or Liquidating Assets?

That the “final stronghold” of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (ISIS) resides in US occupied territory in Syria says it all.

From US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) memos dating back to 2012 noting efforts to create a “Salafist” [Islamic] “principality” [State] in eastern Syria precisely where ISIS rose and now clings to its “final stronghold,” to the obvious fact that ISIS’ fighting capacity was only possible through extensive state sponsorship – it was already clear that the US and its partners in regime change against Syria had been using terrorists including ISIS as proxy ground forces.

Now the US claims it has cornered and is on the verge of defeating ISIS – despite the terrorist group having been cleared out of virtually every other corner of the nation by Syrian, Russian, Iranian, and Hezbollah forces long ago.

In reality, the US is merely liquidating assets it had harbored, protected, armed, and funded throughout the 8 year proxy war until no longer politically feasible.

CNN in its article, “Thousands of ISIS troops surrender amid attack on final stronghold in Syria,” uncritically claims:

At its height, ISIS controlled huge swaths of territory in Syria and Iraq. The US-led coalition has been working for years to oust the group from cities and towns.

CNN omits entirely any mention of the source of ISIS’ fighting capacity and the fact that its supply lines led directly out of NATO-member Turkey and was overseen by US special forces and intelligence agencies.

CNN also omits that it wasn’t until the 2015 Russian military intervention when Russian air power attacked and cut ISIS supply lines that ISIS began suffering defeat across Syrian territory – first and foremost in territory being retaken by Syrian forces and its allies.

In territory illegally-occupied by the US, it appears that ISIS militants and other extremists were simply being shuffled around. In other cases, US forces attacked the Syrian military and their allies when attempting to cross into US-occupied territory in pursuit of ISIS forces. This game has carried on to the point of absurdity with the largest and most powerful military in the world only now creeping in last across the finish line of its own supposed battle against ISIS.

https://www.globalresearch.ca/syria-us-fighting-isis-liquidating-assets/5673120

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Dozens Of Terrorists Killed In New US-led Coalition Airstrikes On ISIS Hideouts In Euphrates Valley

Despite the ‘complete defeat’ of ISIS in Syria last week, US-led coalition warplanes carried out new airstrikes on hideouts of the terrorist group in the outskirt of the town of al-Baghuz al-Fawqani in the Middle Euphrates River Valley on March 29.

Citing sources in the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Al-Etihad Press said that more than 50 fighters and commanders of ISIS were killed in the new airstrikes. According to the sources, the airstrikes were a part of the ongoing combing operation around al-Baghuz al-Fawqani.

“Special forces are searching for prominent leaders of the group [ISIS], as well as for treasures and documents,” the Syrian outlet quoted one of the sources as saying.

Kurdish Journalist Mohamad Hassan, who is known for his close ties with the SDF, released a video of the coalition airstrikes late on March 29, confirming Al-Eithad Press report.

The coalition new airstrikes confirm that ISIS is still present in the Euphrates Valley, even if in lower numbers and smaller capabilities. The terrorists who survived the SDF’s attack will likely operate as sleeper cells in the upcoming period.

https://southfront.org/dozens-of-terrorists-killed-in-new-us-led-coalition-airstrikes-on-isis-hideouts-in-euphrates-valley-video/

In Leaked Recording, Cory Booker Says He and AIPAC President “Text Message Back and Forth Like Teenagers”

In a closed-door meeting with activists from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee on Tuesday, presidential candidate Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., spoke about working closely with the organization and his desire to create a “unified voice from Congress” against the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement, or BDS.

Booker spoke to AIPAC members from New Jersey at the organization’s annual policy conference in Washington, D.C., a gathering of thousands of activists from around the country, culminating in a lobbying effort on Capitol Hill. Booker’s appearance came at a contentious time; last week, the progressive advocacy group MoveOn called on 2020 candidates to skip the conference, and at least five of the Democrats declined to attend.

Booker’s remarks, some of which were first reported by the Jerusalem Post, did not appear on a schedule of on-the-record events for journalists covering the conference. The Intercept obtained a 35-minute audio recording of the session from a conference attendee and is publishing the recording in full here.

https://theintercept.com/2019/03/30/cory-booker-aipac-leaked-recording/

The Rise of the “Islamic State” (ISIL) Was “A Willful Decision” of the Obama White House: Former DIA Chief

This article was first published in August 2015

In Al Jazeera’s latest Head to Head episode, [2015] former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency Michael Flynn confirms to Mehdi Hasan that not only had he studied the DIA memo predicting the West’s backing of an Islamic State in Syria when it came across his desk in 2012, but even asserts that the White House’s sponsoring of radical jihadists (that would emerge as ISIL and Nusra) against the Syrian regime was “a willful decision.”

Amazingly, Flynn actually took issue with the way interviewer Mehdi Hasan posed the question—Flynn seemed to want to make it clear that the policies that led to the rise of ISIL were not merely the result of ignorance or looking the other way, but the result of conscious decision making:

Hasan: You are basically saying that even in government at the time you knew these groups were around, you saw this analysis, and you were arguing against it, but who wasn’t listening?

Flynn: I think the administration.

Hasan: So the administration turned a blind eye to your analysis?

Flynn: I don’t know that they turned a blind eye, I think it was a decision. I think it was a willful decision.

Hasan: A willful decision to support an insurgency that had Salafists, Al Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood?

Flynn: It was a willful decision to do what they’re doing.

Hasan himself expresses surprise at Flynn’s frankness during this portion of the interview. While holding up a paper copy of the 2012 DIA report declassified through FOIA, Hasan reads aloud key passages such as, “there is the possibility of establishing a declared or undeclared Salafist principality in Eastern Syria, and this is exactly what the supporting powers to the opposition want, in order to isolate the Syrian regime.”

Rather than downplay the importance of the document and these startling passages, as did the State Department soon after its release, Flynn does the opposite: he confirms that while acting DIA chief he “paid very close attention” to this report in particular and later adds that “the intelligence was very clear.”

https://www.globalresearch.ca/the-rise-of-islamic-state-was-a-willful-decision-of-the-obama-white-house-former-dia-chief/5467966

TWO TRIALS In The Bronfman-Raniere Case – Northern District to start with child porn and child exploitation! – Investigation may widen!!!

Although the ultimate decision will be made by Judge G. Garaufis, it now looks almost certain that there will be two trials with respect to the charges that are currently pending against some of the defendants in the case of the U.S. v. Raniere Et Al.

That’s because the prosecution has now agreed that Counts Three, Four, Five and Eleven from the second superseding indictment in the case should be “dismissed without prejudice for lack of venue”.

Once again, for the sake of all those Frank Report readers who have not yet totally memorized the second superseding indictment, here’s what those four counts entail – and which of the defendants are involved in those charges:

• Count Three: Sexual Exploitation Of A Child – Jane Doe 2 (Keith Raniere)

• Count Four: Sexual Exploitation Of A Child – Jane Doe 2 (Keith Raniere)

• Count Five: Possession Of Child Pornography (Keith Raniere)

• Count Eleven: Conspiracy To Commit Identity Theft Regarding Jane Doe 7 (Keith Raniere, Clare Bronfman & Others)

As was pointed out in the lengthy Memorandum-of-Law that it filed in response to all of the defendants’ pre-trial motions, the prosecution never asserted that those four counts could be tried in the Eastern District of New York (EDNY) unless the defendants granted a waiver of venue.

Now, since the affected defendants did not grant such a waiver, those four charges will likely be tried in the Northern District of New York (NDNY) after the current case in the EDNY has been fully resolved.

It is not yet clear what the process will be in terms of re-initiating the dismissed counts against Raniere and Bronfman.

But from the wording in the Memorandum-of-Law, it sounds like the process will start anew in the NDNY – most likely with the presentation of the relevant facts to a grand jury that will have the power to indict Raniere and Bronfman for the exact same crimes that are being dismissed in the EDNY.

The question, of course, is whether the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the NDNY will stop with those two defendants – and those four crimes – when it FINALLY gets off its collective ass and get involved in matters involving the NXIVM/ESP sex-slave cult.

https://frankreport.com/2019/03/30/breaking-news-two-trials-in-the-bornfman-raniere-case-northern-district-to-take-up-nxivm-starting-with-child-porn-and-child-exploitation-investigation-may-widen/

Prosecution: Raniere had nudes of Allison Mack, Kathy Russell and Lauren Salzman in same poses as 15 year old girl

In recent weeks, Keith Raniere and Clare Bronfman moved to dismiss superseding indictment #2 against them. In addition, Bronfman, Allison Mack and Kathy Russell made motions to sever their trials from Raniere (Bronfman also did not want to be tried with Mack). In response, the government filed a memorandum of law and some very interesting details emerged.

Child Porn

There were 15 sexually explicit photographs of a minor – Jane Doe #2 – a 15-year-old Mexican girl living in Clifton Park – that the DOJ plans to introduce as evidence in the trial against Raniere, Bronfman, Russell, and Mack.

The photos of Jane Doe 2 were taken between November 2 and November 24, 2005.

They were recovered from a hard drive kept by Raniere at his sex lair at 8 Hale Drive.

The 15 pictures of the 15-year-old show her in various sexually explicit poses.

For 13 years, Raniere kept these pictures, in a folder on a hard drive, until the Feds raided his Sex Lair on March 27, 2018 – and seized his electronic equipment.

The photographs were taken with a Canon EOS 20D camera, recovered by the Feds from under the desk in the office of 8 Hale Drive. The camera was made in Japan.

Raniere’s Favorite Poses

All 15 images of Jane Doe #2 were found in the same folder, titled “BACKUPS,” in a subfolder titled “Studies”.

There were 12 subfolders, each of which contained numerous sexually explicit photographs of other members and associates of Nxivm/DOS – with whom Raniere had sexual relationships, including sexually explicit photos of Lauren Salzman and Kathy Russell.

The nude and graphic photographs in each of the 12 subfolders were taken around the same time [2005] as the photographs of the then 15-year-old Jane Doe 2.

The women in all the photographs – including Jane Doe 2 – were photographed in many of the same poses.

The government plans to call witnesses at trial to testify that these poses are Raniere’s sexual preferences and similar to poses in photographs that Raniere demanded and obtained as collateral from “first-line” DOS “masters,” including Allison Mack and Lauren Salzman.

Jane Doe 2 was later housed by Russell, at Raniere’s direction, under a fake name in Clifton Park, New York

https://frankreport.com/2019/03/30/prosecution-memo-raniere-had-nudes-of-allison-mack-kathy-russell-and-lauren-salzman-in-same-poses-as-15-year-old-girl/

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^^^^^^^^^^^^^

This is what we are all counting on