ALERT!!!ALERT!!!=Turkey: Concrete Evidence ISIS Involved in Weekend Bombings

YOU GUESSED, THIS AND THE KURDS SEEKING RUSSIAN HELP WILL GET THIS GOING!!!

http://news.antiwar.com/2015/10/12/turkey-concrete-evidence-isis-involved-in-weekend-bombings/

Turkey: Concrete Evidence ISIS Involved in Weekend Bombings

Denies Claims of Insufficient Security at Peace Rally

by Jason Ditz, October 12, 2015
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Turkish officials today say that they have “concrete evidence” that the weekend bombing against a peace rally in the capital city of Ankara was carried out by attackers linked to ISIS, and were from the same faction involved in the July bombing in Surac.
The Surac bombing killed 31 people, and targeted a group organizing aid for the Syrian Kurdish city of Kobani. The Saturday strike targeted a peace rally organized by the pro-Kurdish HDP party, and killed at least 128 people.
Thousands of mourners took to the streets of Ankara after the Saturday bombings, and HDP officials accused the Turkish government of being involved, saying they have been targeted in the past in the lead-up to national elections.
Turkish officials are denying that, and also denying accusations of insufficient security at the Ankara rally, saying they had some 2,000 personnel deployed at the protest to try to prevent attacks. They failed, but they insist they made a serious effort.

http://news.antiwar.com/2015/10/12/nato-vows-military-support-if-turkey-goes-to-war-with-russia/

NATO Vows Military Support if Turkey Goes to War with Russia

NATO Secretary Touts 'Capable' Turkish Air Force

by Jason Ditz, October 12, 2015
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Addressing questions about the possibility of Turkish threats against Russian warplanes escalating into a full-scale war, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stollenberg committed NATO to providing military support in such a conflict, since NATO is there to “help and assist” Turkey.
Stollenberg talked up Turkey having the “second-largest army” in NATO and having a “capable” Air Force capable of being “first responders” in a conflict against Russia. It is unclear what metric Stollenberg was using to assess Turkey’s army in this way.
The whole notion of a conflict on this line stems from Russia’s air war against ISIS, and Turkish complaints that Russian planes briefly violated their airspace during one of their bombing runs. Russia insisted the violation was accidental, and Turkey responded by threatening to shoot down future Russian planes.
After similar complaints about Syrian planes, NATO sent some additional air defense assets to the Turkish border, though it was clear this was not done at the time with an eye toward starting a new world war against Russia, a fact that may be lost on the Turkish government, which in the run-up to elections is eager to please nationalists with a show of force.

DEEP DO DO PEEPS, VERY DEEP!!!

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/13/world/middleeast/syria-russia-airstrikes.html?_r=0

http://atimes.com/2015/10/two-powerful-gulf-sheikhs-talk-syria-with-putin/


2 powerful Gulf sheikhs talk Syria with Putin
By M.K. Bhadrakumar on October 12, 2015 in Asia Times News & Features, AT Top Writers, Middle East

The meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin took Sunday at Sochi on the sidelines of the Russian Grand Prix with the powerful Defense Minister of Saudi Arabia and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman al Saud (son of King Salman) signifies a dramatic shift of the templates in the geopolitics of the Syrian question.


Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Saudi Defense Minister Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud in Sochi Sunday

The very fact that Mohammed bin Salman travelled to Russia for a second time this year already (ostensibly to watch the Formula 1, but intentionally to meet up with Putin) becomes hugely symbolic against the backdrop of the Russian military operations in Syria.

The bottom line is that Saudi Arabia has far from shifted into a hostile mood vis-à-vis Russia following the latter’s commencement of military operations in Syria.

The scant details available so far make out that Syria figured in Mohammed bin Salman’s talks with Putin, with the visiting Saudi prince maintaining that Riyadh backs a solution to the crisis in Syria, which would result in the formation of a transitional government and the removal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Now, is there a vague sign of a softening in the Saudi stance? Possibly so. At least, Mohammed bin Salman did not make Assad’s removal a precondition for the transition itself.

According to the Russian account, Mohammed bin Salman said Saudi Arabia desires improvement of ties with Russia and reportedly discussed cooperation in military technology (Russian code for arms deals.)

The most interesting part could be that Mohammed bin Salman flagged the Saudi interest in increased cooperation with Russia in fighting terrorism. The Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow sought to assuage Riyadh’s concerns on Syria and both sides shared the objective of preventing a “terrorist caliphate” from taking root in Syria.

Earlier Sunday, Putin also held a meeting in Sochi with the UAE Crown Prince Mohammad bin Zayed al-Nahyan in which, again, Syria figured.

Conceivably, there would have been some degree of back-to-back consultations between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi prior to Monday’s dramatic diplomatic engagements in Sochi.

Ironically, as recently as Thursday, BBC had quoted a “well-placed Saudi government official” to the effect that Riyadh is set to increase supplies of “lethal’” weaponry to the extremist rebel groups fighting the Syrian government forces to make up for the losses they might be suffering from the Russian air strikes. The recipient groups mentioned were Jaish al-Fatah, Free Syrian Army and the Southern Front.

Equally, the Jerusalem Post newspaper followed up Saturday with an analysis entitled ‘Gulf states boost aid to Syrian rebels’, arguing that the “Sunni world is revving up for an explosive counterattack to have powerful intervention in Syria”.

The visits by Mohammed bin Salman and Sheikh Zayed to Russia would point in an opposite direction. It seems there could be a whole lot of highly motivated assessments floating around lately on the geopolitics of the Syrian question that border on disinformation or propaganda and are out of touch with the reality.

One key point to be noted is that Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the two key GCC powers, have opened a direct line to the Kremlin within no time after the US President Barack Obama summarily decided that the $500 million program to train a Syrian rebel force is being terminated.

MORE AT LINK ABOVE

http://www.blacklistednews.com/Iran_Sends_%22Thousands%22_Of_Troops_To_Syria_For_Russian-Backed_Assault_On_Key_City/46665/0/38/38/Y/M.html

Iran Sends "Thousands" Of Troops To Syria For Russian-Backed Assault On Key City
Published: October 14, 2015
    

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Source: Zero Hedge


As those who follow Mid-East affairs are acutely aware, the regime in Syria has enjoyed both military and financial support from Iran for the duration of the country’s civil war. 
Syria cannot fall to the West if Tehran intends to preserve the regional balance of power and an Iran-friendly Damascus ensures the supply lines remain open between the IRGC and Hezbollah. Lose Syria, and suddenly, the Mid-East tide turns in favor of the Saudis and Qatar and that, clearly, is an unacceptable outcome.
That said, Iran’s role on the ground in Syria has taken some off guard of late. Perhaps it’s the fact that Tehran’s participation on the ground has become more overt even as one would imagine that Iran would be keen to not antagonize the West on the heels of the nuclear deal which has the potential to facilitate the lifting of crippling economic sanctions. The key seems to be Russia’s involvement, which effectively gives Iran’s Syrian ground operations the superpower stamp of approval. 
The strategy, as we’ve noted on several occasions of late, is that Russia clears the way with aggressive aerial bombardments and then Iran, operating through either Hezbollah, Iraqi Shiite militias, and/or the IRGC sweeps in on the ground and takes care of whatever anti-regime forces may be left in the wake of the Russian airstrikes. 
This has worked well thus far and now apparently, Iran has sent “thousands” of troops to Syria in preparation for an assault on Aleppo. Here’s Reuters:

Quote :

A delegation of Iranian lawmakers arrived in Damascus on Wednesday in the build-up to a joint operation against insurgents in northwest Syria, and said U.S.-led efforts to fight rebels had failed.
The visit, led by the chairman of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, came as Iranian troops prepared to bolster a Syrian army offensive that two senior officials told Reuters would target rebels in Aleppo.
The attack, which the officials said would be backed by Russian air strikes, underlined the growing involvement in the civil war of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's two main allies, which has alarmed a U.S.-led coalition opposed to the president that is bombing Islamic State militants.
"The international coalition led by America has failed in the fight against terrorism. The cooperation between Syria, Iraq, Iran and Russia has been positive and successful," Boroujerdi was quoted as saying by Iran's state broadcaster IRIB as he arrived at Damascus airport.
The delegation was due to meet Assad, said officials.
Iran has sent thousands of troops into Syria in recent days to bolster the planned ground offensive in Aleppo, the two officials told Reuters.

And a bit more color:

Quote :

Syria's army along with Iranian and Hezbollah allies will soon launch a ground attack supported by Russian air strikes against insurgents in the Aleppo area, two senior regional officials told Reuters on Tuesday.
Control of Aleppo city and the surrounding province in the area near the Turkish border is divided among the Syrian government, insurgent groups fighting Assad and the Islamic State group that controls some rural areas near the city.
"The big battle preparations in that area are clear," said one of the officials familiar with the plans. "There is a large mobilization of the Syrian army ... elite Hezbollah fighters, and thousands of Iranians who arrived in stages in recent days."

As a reminder, Aleppo is very close to the so-called "ISIS free zone" that the US and Turkey planned to establish months ago. Here's the map:

This means that Russian and Iranian forces will be closing in on a particularly sensitive area of the country as it relates to the Syrian-Turkish border, setting the stage for more tension between Ankara and Moscow and suggesting that the Iran-Russia "nexus" is on the verge of marking yet another key milestone in the effort to restore the regime. 
Bear in mind that this has all unfolded in the space of just a few weeks, and we wonder just how long it will be before the assault on Raqqa will begin, because if the ISIS capital were to fall, the end would truly be nigh for anti-regime elements operating in Syria.