border Archives

Russo-Syrian Forces Close to Cutting Off ISIL’s Supply Routes From Turkey

November 24, 2015 by administrator

The Russian Air Force should continue its efforts to close the Jarabulus-Afrin corridor in northern Syria, despite the latest Turkish provocation, Bangkok-based geopolitical analyst Tony Cartalucci stresses.

Geopolitical analyst Tony Cartalucci draws attention to the fact that over the recent weeks Russian and Syrian forces have been steadily gaining ground in Syria, retaking territory from ISIL and al-Qaeda.

“The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has even begun approaching the Euphrates River east of Aleppo, which would effectively cut off ISIS [ISIL] from its supply lines leading out of Turkish territory,” Cartalucci narrates in his latest article for New Eastern Outlook.

He explains that from there, Syrian troops with Russian air support would move north, into the very “safe zone” which Washington and Ankara have planned to carve out of Syria. Cartalucci points out that the “safe zone” includes a northern Syria area stretching from Jarabulus to Afrin and Ad Dana.

If Syrian troops establish their control over this zone, the Western plan of taking and holding the territory (with the prospect of further Balkanization of the region) would fall apart at the seams. In light of this, the regime change project, harbored by the West since the very beginning of the Syrian unrest, would be “indefinitely suspended,” Cartalucci underscores.

“The endgame is at hand, and only the most desperate measures can hope to prevent Russia and Syria from finally securing Syria’s borders. Turkey’s provocation is just such a measure,” he emphasizes.

“As in the game of chess, a player often seeks to provoke their opponent into a series of moves,” Cartalucci notes.

According to the geopolitical analyst, Russia’s best choice now is to continue winning this war, eventually taking the Jarabulus-Afrin corridor. By fortifying this area Russian and Syrian forces would prevent NATO from invading Syria, at the same time cutting off the ISIL and al-Nusra Front supply route from Turkey.

— Buying ISIS oil?
— Helping terrorists?
— Trafficking migrants to EU?
— Jailing journos?

Time to boot Turkey from NATO/end EU accession?

— Raheem Kassam (@RaheemKassam) November 24, 2015

Russo-Syrian victory would have far-reaching consequences for the region as a whole.

“With Syria secured, an alternative arc of influence will exist within the Middle East, one that will inevitably work against Saudi and other Persian Gulf regimes’ efforts in Yemen, and in a wider sense, begin the irreversible eviction of Western hegemony from the region,” Cartalucci underscores.

He believes that it is the beginning of the end of the US-led unipolar global order.

The geopolitical analyst stresses that in a war emotions should be channeled by “superior strategic thinking” into a good plan which serves both short-term and long-term objectives. According to Cartalucci, the Russian leadership has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to take balanced strategic decisions.

Iraq closes northern airspace to commercial flights over missiles launched at Syria “Russia’s air campaign”

November 23, 2015 by administrator

Iraq closed its northern airspace to commercial flights on Monday for at least two days due to military traffic from Russia’s air campaign in neighboring Syria, Reuters reported. The closure could affect domestic routes to Erbil and Sulaimaniya as well as international flights from Turkey, Jordan, the Gulf and Austria. Iraq’s civil aviation authority said that the flight suspensions had been made “because of the crossing of cruise missiles and bombers in the northern part of Iraq launched from the Caspian Sea.”

Armenian side foils border violation attempt by Azerbaijani unit in Yeraskh

October 2, 2015 by administrator

Around 10:30 pm yesterday, on October 1, one of the Azerbaijani units deployed in Nakhijevan made an attempt – for a reason unclear to the Armenian side – to violate the state border at the southwestern section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani state border, in the Yeraskh direction. The attempt was noticed in the neutral zone and foiled by the Armenian armed forces, the press service of Armenian Defense Ministry said.

The enemy retreated as a result of an exchange of fire.

“Armenian Defense Ministry warns that amid the absence of tension in the Nakhijevan direction of Armenian-Azerbaijani state border, the enemy’s attempts to escalate the situation will be punished severely,” the press service of Armenian defense ministry said.

To safeguard border and appreciate independence – festive greetings by heads of border communities

September 21, 2015 by administrator

Like most of the cities, towns and villages across Armenia, the town Noyemberyan, which is in the north-eastern border region Tavush, is also celebrating the 24th anniversary of independence today.
The day here began with a festive army parade, attracting crowds of people, also from the neighboring communities, as well as their mayors.
All the community governors affirm that there is presently no tension along the border, with the population being in a festive spirit.
Speaking to Tert.am, Samvel Saroyan, the mayor of the border village Chinari, said that they heard gunshots from Azerbaijani defense positions for more than an hour on Sunday evening, adding that the Armenian side managed to counter-react and silence the adversary. He added that like every other year, this time too, they are planning different events, including a visit to a memorial to heroes killed in the Nagorno-Karabakh war, as well as a concert in the village’s club.
The village mayor said he is sure that independence is the value to which everybody would unconditionally say ‘yes’ also today in case of a referendum. “I can say for sure that the my community, which is close to the border, would say ‘yes’, because we are obliged to preserve what we have achieved at the cost of victims and blood not to let our generations blame us in future,” he added.
The mayor said he has only one good wish: peace to the country and bravery and vigilance to the soldier “to preserve our independence and become make us more powerful.”
Speaking to our correspondent, the mayor of the border Koti, Felix Melikyan, said confirmed that the situation along the border border is calm today, with the festive spirit dominating the community.
Mikaelyan said he clearly sees that the younger generation is more devoutly dedicated to independence. “With its mental abilities and patriotism, they are a step ahead of us. With my congratulations, I want to say that independence is both our national value and a pride for which each of us is responsible,” he added.
According to Narek Sahakyan, the mayor of the border village Baghanis, the mentality that September 21 is limited only to being a non-business day no longer exist. The village mayor, who considers himself a representative of the independence generation (he was born in 1986), say he strongly believes that the idea is far more deeply rooted in the young people. “I am sure of that. There’s no alternative to independence and our status,” he said.
The mayor of Voskevan says he finds independence an achievement by the present-day generation.
“All I wish is patience and only patience. All the rest is temporary. With patience, we will overcome everything,” Seryozha Alexanyan told our correspondent
To understand the value of independence, one needs to only come and maintain vigil on the border for just an hour, says Arthur Madatyan, the mayor of the village Berkaber. “I would like the entire Armenian nation to stand by its land as firmly and solidly as do the people of Berkaber,” he added.

Armenian President warns of possible destabilization at border with Azerbaijan

September 15, 2015 by administrator

Escalation at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border may lead to the destabilization of the region, Armenian President said Tuesday, September 15.

As Serzh Sargsyan noted at the CSTO Collective Security Council session in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, the heads of CSTO member states met to discuss sensitive issues.

“I informed the heads of the CSTO member states on the situation in the South Caucasus, focusing on the increasing threat of tensions along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the line of contact between Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh,” Sargsyan said.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan visited Tajikistan on Monday, September 14 to participate in the joint sessions of the CSTO Council of Foreign Ministers, Council of Defense Ministers and Committee of Secretaries of Security Councils.

8 violations recorded on Armenian-Turkish border since 2015

September 15, 2015 by administrator

YEREVAN. – 8 violations have been recorded on the Armenian-Turkish border since 2015, as reported by the press-service of Federal Security Service of Russia in Armenia.

“5 out of 8 violations were initiated by Turkey, and 3 by Armenia,” the press-service reports.

According to the source, all the violations were of a household nature. Weapons and ammunition weren’t discovered in any of these cases.

In contrast, in 2014 Russian bodyguards detained over 60 state border trespassers and more than 20 violators of the border regime. The number of people whose documents were considered faulty at the border crossing exceeded 1500. Over 250 people weren’t allowed to cross the border for different violations. 75 units of cold weapons and contraband of over 20 million AMD were seized.

Source: NEWS.am

Political scientist on reason of Azerbaijani troops’ increased activity on the border

September 7, 2015 by administrator

Fire opened by Azerbaijani troops on Armenian border villages, and systematic violations of the ceasefire are due to the policy conducted by Azerbaijani and the desire of official Baku to maintain its influence more or less in the region, political scientist Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan told Panorama.am.

In particular, he explained Azerbaijani troops’s increased activity in recent days by the joint Turkish-Azerbaijani military drills currently underway in Azerbaijan.

“I am sure the tension is conditioned by Turkish-Azerbaijani drills and the presence of the Turkish army in the territory of Azerbaijan. In the present situation when Ilham Aliyev does not assist Turkey with the fight against the Kurds, he has to show his own problems by playing with the country’s security,” Melik-Shahnazaryan noted.

In his words, through this policy Azerbaijan is trying to demonstrate its own importance in the region in order to solve both domestic and external problems. “Attempts are made so that superpowers could hold negotiations with Azerbaijan to try to persuade it. In fact, it is blackmail, and it should be noted that in the past few years this method has worked,” Melik-Shahnazaryan said.

As regards Azerbaijan’s policy aimed at marinating the tension, the political scientist said: “Azerbaijan lacks potential for taking new steps. That country fails to understand that this could lead to serious consequences. Nevertheless, it is evident from Azerbaijani media reports that society in Azerbaijan is seriously concerned over the situation on the border and does not share the tactics of the authorities in Baku”.

Referring to the Shant-2015 (Lightning -2015) command and staff exercises launched in Armenia, H. Melik-Shahnazaryan considered the drills an ‘extra stimulus’ to deter Azerbaijan.

Source: Panorama.am

Azerbaijan keeps Armenia border under fire overnight

September 5, 2015 by administrator

Azerbaijan continued violating the ceasefire along Armenia’s state border overnight, opening fire from snipers and mine-launchers, Defense Ministry’s press service reports.
Irregular gunshots were released in the direction of the border villages and towns and the defense positions stationed in the north-eastern region Tavush.
The frontline military units of Armenia’s military remained maximum committed to the Ceasefire Accord, taking retaliatory action only in urgent situations to suppress the adversary and silence their weapon emplacements.
The Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia continue the military vigil along the border.

100 freedom fighters leave Artsakh for Armenian-Azerbaijani border

September 5, 2015 by administrator

On the initiative of the Union of Artsakh Freedom Fighters, 100 veterans (freedom fighters) set for the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in Tavush province, headed by Nagorno Karabakh Republic Prime Minister Arayik Harutyunyan and the union’s chairman, Samvel Karapetyan.

“We are ready to serve our country in all its corners. We would even go to Western Armenia to set the other parts of our homeland free,” a member of the union noted, according to Artsakhpress.

The union’s Chief of Staff also confirmed the freedom fighters’ readiness to protect the country and ensure the people’s safety.

Islamic State takes new ground near Turkish border

August 27, 2015 by administrator

BEIRUT (Reuters) – Islamic State has seized new territory from Syrian rebels in northern Syria, advancing in an area where Turkey and the United States are planning to open a new front against the group in coordination with insurgents on the ground.

The ultra-radical Islamist group and a monitor said it had seized several villages as it stepped up an offensive in northern Aleppo province, in a blow to rebels who are likely partners for Ankara and Washington in any ground campaign.

In an attack that began on Wednesday night, Islamic State had also mostly encircled the rebel-held town of Marea, some 20 km (12 miles) from the border, the group and a rebel commander in the area said.

“If its progress continues, the northern countryside of Aleppo could fall,” the rebel told Reuters. “If Marea falls, it means the fall of an important symbol of the groups fighting Daesh,” he said, using an Arabic acronym for the group.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based group tracking the war, said IS had wrested control of five villages including two near the Turkish border from other Syrian insurgents.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told Reuters on Monday that his country and the United States, two NATO allies, would soon launch “comprehensive” air operations to flush Islamic State fighters from the border region.

The United States and Turkey plan to provide air cover for what Washington judges to be moderate Syrian rebels, in a joint operation to flush Islamic State from a rectangle of border territory roughly 80 km (50 miles) long. U.S. jets have already begun air strikes from Turkish bases in advance of the campaign.

Diplomats familiar with the plans say cutting Islamic State’s access to the Turkish border, across which the radical insurgent group has been able to bring foreign fighters and supplies, could be a game-changer.

CHEMICAL AGENTS

The villages captured by Islamic State on Thursday include two that the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front recently handed over to another Syrian rebel group.

Islamic State has escalated attacks against Syrian rebels in the northern Aleppo countryside since Turkey announced plans to drive it from the area.

It has been shelling Marea, from where civilians were fleeing on Thursday towards areas closer to the Turkish border, an activist said.

International medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres said on Tuesday it had treated a Syrian family from Marea who suffered symptoms of exposure to chemical agents.

The Syrian Observatory said rebels accused IS of using “gasses” in their offensive, but did not elaborate.

Islamic State used poison gas in attacks against Kurdish-controlled areas of northeastern Syria in late June, a Syrian Kurdish militia and a group monitoring the Syrian conflict said in July.

A U.S. general said last Friday that fragments from mortars fired by Islamic State militants at Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq had tested positive in a U.S. military field analysis for sulfur mustard, a chemical weapons agent.

Warplanes believed to be from the US-Turkish campaign were on Thursday bombing IS positions in one of the villages the militants had seized, the Observatory reported, although a rebel commander said this was not the case.

The Nusra Front, which is hostile to Islamic State, announced earlier this month that it would withdraw from the area where Turkey plans to establish a buffer zone, ceding it to other rebels.

A second group of rebel fighters trained in Turkey by the U.S.-led coalition could be deployed to Syria within weeks as part of the campaign against IS, diplomatic sources told Reuters last week.

The Nusra Front said late last month it had detained some of a first group of less than 60 U.S.-trained rebels in northern Syria weeks after they were deployed, and warned others to abandon the program.

(Reporting by Tom Perry and Naline Malla in Beirut, and Omar Fahmy in Cairo, writing by John Davison, editing by Dominic Evans)