Research Credit: Syria Live Update News @YallaSouriya
In response to the statement made by ISIS that they beheaded James Foley in Syria, the US has begun to change their language when talking about ISIS and their role in Syria. James Foley is a renowned photo-journalist who was kidnapped in Syria over two years ago on behalf of the regime, then turned over to ISIS more recently. The Assad regime would not want to be caught with James Foley in their hands, or have a similar incident to Dr. Abass Khan where they had to lie to his family and say “Dr. Khan unfortunately committed suicide.” The regime murdered Dr. Khan three days before his release from Assad’s Prison to prevent him from talking about his treatment in the regime’s care.
The US may not be ready to send heavy arms to the Free Syrian Army or drop bombs, however, they do now have surveillance drones flying overhead in Syria. The purpose of the drone flights is to gain intelligence on where ISIS is camped out in Syria, according to press conferences held last week by both the White House and the Department of Defense. This information will supposedly be used to help develop an “ISIS strategy.”
It is important to understand that ISIS is not static in Syria … they are highly mobile. While they have established Raqqa as their headquarters, it doesn’t take much for them to pull up stakes and move. They have also held a strong presence in Aleppo and Deir Ezzor.
Who is ISIS
According to Nehad Ismail, an expert on Middle East issues and policies, who commented on June 15, 2014 in Gladstone Institute Journal, “ISIS is a gang of hired terrorists. They work for Tehran and Damascus, and in Syria are fighting other rebels. The Assad regime never targeted ISIS. ISIS never attacked the regular Syrian army. Only the Free Syrian Army is fighting ISIS in Syria.”
The leaders of “The Islamic State” are ruthless. They perpetrate a satanic form of extremist behavior that is unprecedented in the the Middle East. The Islamic State twists the foundations of the Islamic religion to lure people to their extremist lair. ISIS thrives on the reaction they get from their heinous acts, as much as they get from committing the acts. They have released photos and videos of executions, beheadings, stonings, and crucifixions.
ISIS likes to hang the heads of beheaded men on fence posts as trophies, as reminders to others that they are a satanic group from hell that will do the same to anyone who opposes them. Some of the photos and videos they produce are obviously gruesome acts of terror and death. Others are questionable, supporting a collusion theory between the regime and ISIS.
Why Would Assad Collude With ISIS?
ISIS entered Syria when Assad was on the brink of losing the battle to the opposition. There was fear both in Assad’s inner circle and in Iran that Assad was about to be dethroned. ISIS was used to upset the revolution balance back to the regime. It is known that ISIS is part of the Terror Network funded by Iran. The network includes Iran, Assad, Hezbollah, ISIS and previously Iraq’s PM Maliki.
Now that Maliki has been deposed, there is a new PM in place, who has been a protege of Iran, according to Middle East expert Nehad Ismail. Everyone hopes that the new Iraqi PM, al-Abadi, stands by his word to be more inclusive and work towards a better Iraq. We will only know if it is true when Iran’s needs [or the Terror Networks needs} outweigh the needs of the Iraqis.
What ISIS gets out of being part of the Terror Network is unlimited access to real estate that they consider necessary to their Islamic State. As they were just getting their feet wet in Syria, being part of the network gave them access to funding and protection. They definitely were on the right team from a terrorist perspective. Now it is just a property deal, inclusive of all the property rights that go along in their warped minds. For instance, but not limited to: oil & gas, banking, farming, slave trade and any other profitable business they may identify and claim spoils from.
Is The Collusion Theory a Reality?
There has been a game that Assad and ISIS have been playing in Syria since the beginning of their relationship. Call it “to be dead or not to be dead, that is the question.” There are several instances where ISIS has been the aggressor and appeared to kill a large contingent of Assad’s SAA (Syrian Arab Army). However upon through investigation, there is strong evidence that the SSA members were not killed after all. @YallaSouriya has complete painstaking research to prove that the collusion theory has merit.
D17 – ISIS Murders 500 SAA or Collusion?
In July, ISIS battled the regime for Division 17 (aka D17). After the “takeover” it was reported that approximately 500 SAA members were massacred by ISIS. Really? After careful research and validation, it is possible that the story about the D17 massacre was untrue as told. How could that happen?
Colonels Muhammad Barakat and Ali Haydar, both important regime officers posted this summary of what happened at D17 [translated]:
“D17 has been besieged for more than 1 year and resisted to all attacks from terrorists. Then, SAA thought to reorganize its line of defense and deploy the armed forces in different sectors. After SAA HQ has learned of new attacks by the terrorists during the Eid, it has decided, it has become urgent to redeploy … Death toll due to redeployment 57, but many heroes were able to reach D93 with their arms and all equipments.”
The Colonels’ post is consistent with what SOHR has reported. More than 400 of the soldiers retreated from D17 only to turn up later at another regime Division D93. An additional 100 reported to Tabaqa. Before the exodus of D17, the area D93 was being cleared. Reports coming out of that area indicated helicopters and planes were taking off and landing – trying to keep up with the ever morphing warscape on the ground.
One loyalist’s Facebook page provided a reason for the regime’s exit from Division D93 as, “High command has given the order to leave the base after removing the ammunition, some of the soldiers have ambushed Daesh, and the source added that the regime has killed and wounded 861 terrorists [at D17] according to the latter has admitted, and only 24 of the Lions have been killed … And no ammunition, arms and equipment were left in the base besides already damaged tanks, 2 damaged buses, 1 civilian bus, and old vehicles.”
More than 400 of those soldiers retreated from D17 only to have them turn up later at another regime base D93. How did that go undetected? Tunnels were found at D17 that led to local regime loyalist (shabiha) area and AL Aqtan. Once they escaped the D17 area, the trip to D93 wasn’t so difficult if planned in advance. Or, they could have simply driven right though Daesh road blocks, with a free pass to D93. The how isn’t as important as the outcome in this perverted game that is being played.
US calls upon Syria to attack ISIS
The US gave a verbal appeal via international television requesting that Assad and all opposition groups turn their attention to ISIS inside Syria starting August 19th. This would be in conjunction with the US effort in Iraq where the US and Kurds were fighting ISIS at Mosul Dam. The most logical place to hit ISIS where it would hurt is Raqqa which is their headquarters and where their military housing is.
Raqqa activists reported on August 18th that ISIS fighters and their families were loaded onto fourteen buses and moved to a town outside of Raqqa. The only ISIS personnel left behind were security who managed the civilians. The ISIS headquarters building draped in ISIS black colors stood empty.
As the US was bombing sites in Northern Iraq beginning August 19th, Assad began carrying out 40 sorties over a two day period in “Raqqa.” After 40 sorties, the ISIS headquarters was untouched but the Syrian civilians were massacred in typical Assad fashion. At the end of the day, it is clear that Assad and ISIS colluded on the attack on Raqqa. All of ISIS fighters and families were swiftly moved out of harm’s way the day before any bombing took place. And even when it stood empty, the ISIS headquarters building that stands out like an “elephant in a china shop” goes untouched once again.
Was There An ISIS Mass Execution on August 27th or Not?
ISIS paraded 250 Syrian soldiers dressed only in their underwear to an area near to the Brick factory in Raqqa. ISIS claimed that they belong to the regime forces from Tabaqa airbase. The soldiers were walked across the hot sand, lined up laying prone and summarily executed … or were they? In the video that was posted by ISIS, the men are laying quite still with some raising their heads. There is not much noise going on other than gunfire and the expected “Allah Akbar.” However there are some strange problems with the video:
1) The gunfire at the scene appears to go over the soldiers’ heads. (Update: the video has been deleted from youtube)
2) None of the soldiers’ bodies recoil as if they are being hit by bullets when the semi-automatic weapons are supposedly hitting them
3) There is a pile of dead bodies at the end of the line up in a trench. These bodies appear to have been brought to the scene most likely from the fighting at Tabaqa and dumped, as they are not lined up neatly like the others. A notable casualty of this execution is Brigadier General Sharaf Issa who is of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
4) This “kill” is way too organized for an ISIS massacre, as they thrive on disorganization, fear, pain, and gore.
5) Two men appear to have been executed, tortured or had their corpses desecrated by what appear to be branches, pipes or debris of some description.
This has been a game that ISIS and Assad have played and will continue to play for as long as it suits either one of them. The moral of this story is that under no circumstance should anyone trust Assad as a partner in Syria. Assad knows no other way to operate than “Lies, Lies, and More Lies.”
It is a wicked web that has been woven. ISIS must be stopped and it will take the resources of the International Community to make it happen. These ultra extremists must be stopped in Syria which is the pivotal point of entry to many other Arab countries.
