Real World Event Discussions

Russia's and Assad's War Crimes in Syria

POSTED BY: kpo
UPDATED: Monday, September 8, 2025 15:48
VIEWED: 105502
PAGE 5 of 87

1KIKI

Thursday, January 21, 2016 5:42 AM

I researched your link krappo, something you should have done before swallowing its cum.

BuzzFeed is corporate media. As such it owes its continued existence and the preservation of its wealth - nearly a billion dollars - to its money sources, in this case venture capitalists and trending 'news' with attendant ads.

The 'reporter' who wrote the story did NOT investigate the facts on the ground. He reported from Istanbul (in Turkey, you may recall) about things that happed in Syria. Rather than go to Syria, he instead relied on distant claims (two articles in other newspapers one of them being his own, two attributed phone calls to Salafist terrorists, a State Department press release) and all other sources were unattributed to anyone or anything.
One article was from a dubious source: "The Observatory" founder, who is one sole man based in London, who has publicly called Syrian 'rebels' and army defectors 'martyrs' (no bias there). The other article was, as I said, him referencing himself.
Then there wore the two Salafist terrorists whose words he accepted at face value. They're the foreign terrorists in Syria who saw off heads with dull knives, and in this case Saudi Arabian, Turkic and Qatar-backed.
And the State Department press release I already mentioned.
And then there were literally more than a dozen unsupported and unattributed statements, assertions, claims and 'reports'.

I've included the information below. I didn't list every single unsupported, unattributed claim or 'report' below, just a few selected examples.

Borzou Daragahi
biography here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borzou_Daragahi

BuzzFeed News Middle East
BuzzFeed is corporate media
"BuzzFeed, Inc. is a privately-held, venture capital backed company, with revenue derived from sites that act as trends aggregators and serve as a technology platform for detecting viral content through an editorial selection process."
WIKI: "Funding
In August 2014, BuzzFeed raised $50 million from the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, more than doubling previous rounds of funding.[9] The site was reportedly valued at around $850 million by Andreessen Horowitz.[9] BuzzFeed generates its advertising revenue through native advertising that matches its own editorial content, and does not rely on banner ads.[10]
In August 2015, NBCUniversal made a $200 million equity investment in Buzzfeed.[11] Along with plans to hire more journalists to build a more prominent "investigative" unit, BuzzFeed is hiring journalists around the world and plans to open outposts in India, Germany, Mexico, and Japan.[12]
In December 2014, growth equity firm General Atlantic acquired $50M in secondary stock of the company.[13]"

REYHANLI, Turkey
Article was filed from Turkey.

"Abdel Rahman was standing outside his family home in the tiny Syrian village of Marayan on a November afternoon when the Russian rocket hit, knocking him to the ground."
Claim. No evidence.
"Thaer was gathering firewood when another Russian missile hit."
Claim. No evidence.

"The Kremlin’s stated aim is to help the Syrian regime confront ISIS — but it has since directed as much as 90% of its bombing at rebel-held areas, according to U.S. State Department officials who testified before Congress in November."
US State Department officials said so.

--linked in article "The Britain-based Observatory has an extensive network of sources inside Syria."
-- from Wiki: "The United Kingdom-based SOHR is run out of a two-bedroom terraced home in Coventry by Rami Abdulrahman,[3] a Syrian Sunni Muslim who also runs a clothes shop. After being imprisoned three times in Syria, Abdulrahman fled to the United Kingdom fearing a fourth jail term.[1] The New York Times in April 2013 described him being on the phone all day every day with contacts in Syria, and checking all information himself. How?
"Abdulrahman reports on events in the Syrian

1KIKI

Thursday, January 21, 2016 5:45 AM

I literally laughed out loud at this post krappo. You - as always - provided no evidence (just claim, after government pronouncement, after presstitute article) and couldn't even scrape up any logic.

And then you used THIS as if it was some stroke of brilliance: "Saudi Arabia is a Western nation...?" Aside from the fact that you failed to address the point of state-sponsored terrorism (You've heard of that, I presume? It's been all over the news for years.), you failed to notice the semi-colon. Is your English really as bad as you honesty and your logic? Or are you just a tired whore, who can't even keep up the appearance of trying to make sense anymore?

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Originally posted by kpo:
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I read BOTH sides, and believe neither .

Right. That's why your worldview only lines up with Russian propaganda 99% of the time.

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The difference between you and me is that you read ONE side and believe it

The difference between you and me is that you don't know the difference between free media and state propaganda that comes out of authoritarian regimes in places such as Russia, Syria, Iran, North Korea etc.

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what western media has to say, you BELIEVE it, despite the fact that western media has lied to you over and over- and you've been fooled over and over.

Give specific examples of Western media lies that I've been fooled by. Please include:

1. Links to the media articles, and the specific 'lies' in question
2. Proof that the 'lies' are in fact lies.
3. Quotes of me that show that I have taken in the lies.

(By the way I could do this easily for YOU being fooled by Russian media lies)

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Did you not notice that? It's funny how it's "terrorism" when the "other side" does it, but becomes invisible when "your side" does it.

False projection of exactly the kind of hypocrisy that you yourself are guilty of. There is no internationally agreed upon/legal definition of 'terrorism', but any definition that calls state actors 'terrorist' is an incredibly dumb one. Just my opinion. For example, how do you justify calling Saudi Arabia 'terrorist', but not Putin, or Assad? Your inability to answer this question (not the first time I've assked it) shows that it is you who has the half-baked and ultimately hypocritical definition of terrorism.

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its the western nations - US, UK, and France primarily; Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Saudi Arabia is a Western nation...?

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Between us, we've managed to rack up over a million civilian dead since 2003

I'm not really interested in your crude and highly biased accounting. Let me guess, Iraqi Shia and Iraqi Sunni militias killing people using AK-47s, you count in the "civilians killed by America" column?

SAGAN: We are releasing vast quantities of carbon dioxide, increasing the greenhouse effect. It may not take much to destabilize the Earth's climate, to convert this heaven, our only home in the cosmos, into a kind of hell.

THGRRI

Thursday, January 21, 2016 6:50 AM

KPO

Thursday, January 21, 2016 8:42 PM

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BuzzFeed is corporate media.

The fact that Buzzfeed is privately owned is a point in its favour. Rather media is controlled by a variety of competing businesses (the West) than all owned/controlled/censored by a single corrupt regime (Russia).

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As such it owes its continued existence... to its money sources, in this case venture capitalists and trending 'news' with attendant ads.

Usually capitalists fund things that are going to make them money, so yes, Buzzfeed owes its existence to being profitable, and attracting a high viewership. A lot of ways for a news site to do this, but a key one is to maintain a certain minimum level of quality and accuracy in the journalism - the product.

An interesting side discussion on capitalism and different systems of media in a society, but it's probably for another thread.

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The 'reporter' who wrote the story did NOT investigate the facts on the ground. He reported from Istanbul (in Turkey)

Good point! Wow, I wonder if you will be half as scrutinising as this when it comes to posting your own and Signy's news sources. Has Zero Hedge ever been to Syria? What about all the other random blogs Signy posts from?

A key point here is that very few foreign journalists report from Syria. Not only is it a horrific warzone, there is also a specific threat to foreigners of kidnap and beheading by ISIS.

As for there being a lot of unsubstantiated claims in the article, yes I agree, and I almost didn't post it for that reason. But there are two types of things that I look for in links that I post to this thread:

1) Factual, incriminating - reliable info on who is committing what atrocities
2) A vivid picture of the human effect of 1)

1) is most important of course, but once it is established it is also important to face up to 2). In short, I posted the Buzzfeed link because there is ample evidence of maimed and injured Syrian children (victims of Russian/regime airstrikes on rebel-held areas) - and the claims in the article simply fit the pattern of what we know is happening.

Let's look at some more evidence of the war crimes that Russia and Assad are committing. This article quotes several aid agencies and a UN report on the effects of the Russian/regime bombing on Northern Syria (all of the groups have staff ON THE GROUND in Syria, so I am sure you will listen to what they say). I have underlined their direct quotes for you:

Quote:
BEIRUT — Aid agencies are warning of a worsening humanitarian crisis in northern Syria as sharply intensified Russian airstrikes paralyze aid supply routes, knock out bakeries and hospitals and kill and maim civilians in growing numbers.

Air attacks have escalated significantly since Turkey shot down a Russian warplane along the Turkey-Syria border on Nov. 24, the aid agencies say...

...

Hospitals and health facilities also have been struck, reducing the availability of medical care for those injured in the bombings. According to the U.N. report, at least 20 medical facilities have been hit nationwide in Syria since Russia launched its air war on Sept. 30.

“This is an emerging humanitarian crisis. There is extreme suffering, and people are not being protected,” said Rae McGrath, country director for Turkey and North Syria for the American aid agency Mercy Corps, one of the largest providers of food aid in northern Syria. Since the Russian strikes began, the agency has been able to deliver only a fifth of the amount it normally provides, he said.

“We’re also seeing a huge increase in the number of civilian casualties. More and more people are being hurt because the intensity of bombing is greater,” he added. “It’s hard to imagine that the conditions in Syria could have become worse than they already were, but they have.”

...

Though it is impossible to confirm that civilians are being deliberately targeted, aid workers say the attacks on civilian infrastructure appear frequent and systematic enough to suggest that they are.

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KPO

Thursday, January 21, 2016 8:47 PM

More from the UN - a confirmation that the Syrian regime was responsible for starving the town of Madaya:

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The Government of Syria and allied forces have surrounded the area of Madaya and Bqine since July 2015. Since September 2015, these forces have imposed increasingly strict restrictions on humanitarian access, commercial traffic on freedom of movement for the civilians inside the enclave, under the control of several non-state armed groups since late 2012. Despite the existence of a local agreement since January 2015, the access restrictions imposed on Madaya have translated into a severe deterioration of the living conditions for the estimated 42,000 people trapped in Madaya and Bqine

http://www.unocha.org/aggregator/sources/85

KPO

Thursday, January 21, 2016 8:56 PM

More from the UN, on Russian/regime airstrikes on civilians, civilian infrastructure, fuel and food lines and refugee camps (!!):

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Civilian Infrastructure Hit and Humanitarian Aid Workers Killed in Northwestern Governorates

GoS and allied forces airstrikes reportedly impacted civilian infrastructure in northwestern governorates in Syria from 02 to 22 December. Most recently on 20 December, six airstrikes hit a public market in Idleb City killing more than 50 people and wounding approximately 150 people most of whom were evacuated to Turkey for treatment.

One NGO staff member and two civil defense workers were among those killed while a number of NGO staff were wounded in this attack prompting safety concerns for humanitarian staff working in Idleb City. The airstrikes also destroyed a school, a court building, and a collective shelter housing newly displaced IDPs.

Airstrikes hit a fuel market in Ma’aret al-Nassan in Idleb governorate frequented by civilians on 15 December, killing approximately 16 people and wounding over 50 people. Fuel prices have risen dramatically over the last month in areas held by Non-State Armed Groups (NSAGs) due to repeated attacks on fuel supply lines and infrastructure and the subsequent shortage of fuel. According to local sources, as of 21 December the price of diesel has risen from 250 Syrian Pounds to 375 Syrian Pounds in Idleb governorate since late November.

One NGO staff was killed by artillery fire in Khan al-Shaykhoun and a NGO supported hospital was partially damaged in Taftanaz due to a missile hitting in close proximity to the hospital on 13 December. This resulted in the main generator catching fire and causing subsequent damage. In another airstrike on 11 December, one bread distribution point was hit killing six civilians and wounding at least ten others. According to the Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) cluster, 2,538 individuals were displaced between 17 November and 18 December bringing the number of IDPs displaced from and within Idleb to 206,254 people as of 18 December.

In Lattakia, GoS and allied forces continued their airstrikes in Turkmen and Akrad mountains in northern Lattakia, an area with the presence of 14 NGO supported IDP settlements hosting 12,882 IDPs. Due to ongoing airstrikes and ground clashes between GoS and allied forces and NSAGs 11,245 people were displaced from 17 November to 18 December in Lattakia according to the CCCM cluster. Approximately 4,000 families living in IDP camps and settlements along the M4 highway near the Turkish border area of Yamadiya are living in close proximity to active frontlines. Protection fears for IDPs in these camps were raised considerably on 09 December after airstrikes and surface-to-surface missiles hit Obein IDP (refugee - KPO) camp in Lattakia, killing seven civilians and wounding many others.
In the southern countryside of Aleppo governorate, airstrikes hit two field hospitals in Khan al-Touman and Zarbah killing five people and wounding an unverified number of people on 09 December and 22 December, respectively.

A medical warehouse containing life-saving aid and medical items was severely damaged in Kafer Hamra town in Haritan sub-district of Aleppo on 07 December, after being hit by airstrikes that killed a number of civilians and wounded one NGO staff. The capacity of health infrastructure and the ability of health NGOs to respond to medical needs in the area have severely deteriorated.

http://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/turkey-syria-flash-up
date-developments-northwestern-governorates-22
Well kiki?

KPO

Thursday, January 21, 2016 8:56 PM

double

1KIKI

Saturday, January 23, 2016 2:45 AM

The information came from somewhere. Does the UN have observers on the ground personally verifying these items? Is there an official repository of evidence? If not, then the sources need to be attributed and the status needs to be updated to reflect that these are just unverified claims.

Otherwise, it's just gossip (or propaganda), wearing an official facade. Like a lot of things we're supposed to accept because some authority said so. Or some businessman.

KPO

Tuesday, January 26, 2016 9:07 PM

"More Syrian children die as Assad's sieges intensify"

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/12117476/Mo
re-Syrian-children-die-as-Assads-sieges-intensify.html

KPO

Wednesday, January 27, 2016 3:25 PM

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Does the UN have observers on the ground personally verifying these items?

Err, yes:

"“UNICEF welcomes the access granted to trapped children this week and can confirm that cases of severe malnutrition were found among children in the besieged Syrian town of Madaya following our participation in the second joint UN/Syrian Arab Red Crescent/ICRC humanitarian mission to the area on Thursday*.

“UNICEF is particularly saddened and shocked to have witnessed the death of Ali, a severely malnourished 16-year-old boy who passed away in the town’s clinic in front of our eyes.

“At the make-shift hospital UNICEF visited, there were only two doctors and two health professionals working under overwhelming conditions. The UNICEF team and staff of the World Health Organisation were able to screen 25 children under five for malnutrition using the Mid-Upper Arm Circumference measurement. Twenty-two (22) of the children showed signs of moderate to severe malnutrition. All of these children are now receiving treatment at the health facility using specialized medical and nutrition supplies that the UN and ICRC delivered on Monday."

http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/media_89820.html

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Is there an official repository of evidence?

Is the UN's first hand account of starving children not enough? What do you want the UN to do, publish photos of the starving children and their mid-upper arm circumference measurements...??

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Otherwise, it's just gossip (or propaganda), wearing an official facade. Like a lot of things we're supposed to accept because some authority said so.

Right, rather believe that the UN's humanitarian offices are spewing gossip and propaganda than accept that Russia is doing anything wrong!