Investigative journalist Seymour Hersh: The CIA carried out the Nord Stream bombing

Investigative journalist Seymour Hersh: The CIA carried out the Nord Stream bombing

    Thursday, February 09, 2023   No comments

Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh blamed the US administration for the bombing of the Russian Nord Stream gas pipeline, which took place last September.

According to a report by the veteran journalist, the bombing of an underwater gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea was a covert operation ordered by the White House and carried out by the CIA.

In a 5,000-word lengthy report, Hirsch wrote that the operation was disguised "under the guise of a widely publicized NATO mid-summer exercise known as Operation Baltic-22" that took place this past June. .

In the report, Hersh says that the American divers in the deep sea used NATO military exercises as a cover, and planted mines along the pipelines, which were later remotely detonated.

The famous American journalist added that the "black operation" was ordered by President Biden, and the attack was carried out by the CIA in cooperation with Norway.

He added that Biden's decision to sabotage the pipelines came after more than 9 months of top-secret planning within the US national security community.

Speaking about his source, Hirsch said: "At the time, the issue was not whether the task should be done, but how to get it done without a clear clue as to who was responsible."

In his report, Hersh included statements and information that he considered as indications of the US administration's responsibility for the attack, describing its behavior as a result of complete insistence.

The journalist mentioned that Biden met in his office, in the White House, the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, less than 3 weeks before the Russian military operation that began at that time in Ukraine, and he had defiantly said in the press conference that followed the meeting: “If Russia invaded Ukraine, There will be no Nord Stream 2, and we will put an end to it."

Hersh continued in this context, recalling that the US Undersecretary of State, Victoria Nuland, had delivered the same message in a press briefing at the Ministry, with little press coverage. In response to a question at the time, she said: "I want to be very clear with you today, if Russia invades Ukraine, Nord Stream 2 will somehow not move forward."

The American journalist Hersh, known for his investigative reports on American crimes in Vietnam and the Middle East wars, was able to obtain information about the operation from an unnamed source, but he stated that he was directly involved in its preparation, as he put it.

It is noteworthy that Hersh was the one who revealed the torture scandal in the Iraqi Abu Ghraib prison, which sparked a global outcry and widespread condemnation of the US administration.

For its part, the Pentagon responded to Hersh's report and said that the United States had nothing to do with the bombing of the Nord Stream gas pipeline.

Today, Department Spokesperson Jaron Gorn stated that the United States was not involved in the Nord Stream explosion, as he referred to the speech of Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Laura Cooper, who claimed on October 4 that "the United States was not involved in any Anyway" in this matter.

On the other hand, the spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said that all the facts cited by the American journalist in his investigation, about the role of the United States in the sabotage of "Nord Stream", must be commented on by the White House.

Zakharova added that Moscow has repeatedly expressed Russia's position on the involvement of the United States and NATO in this incident.

The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman stressed that the West did not hide this, adding, "The West was bragging to the whole world about its intention to destroy the civilian infrastructure through which Europe obtained Russian energy resources."

Last Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in a joint interview on the "Russia 24" channel and the "Novosti" agency, accused the United States of being directly involved in the bombing of the "Nord Stream" gas pipeline.

Last September, a series of powerful explosions destroyed the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which pass through the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany and provide cheap gas to Europe, and it was soon revealed that the attack was an act of deliberate sabotage. The perpetrator has not yet been identified.

Joseph Borrell: "You can't say I consider you a terrorist because I don't like you."

Joseph Borrell: "You can't say I consider you a terrorist because I don't like you."

    Monday, January 23, 2023   No comments

In a rare admission, the EU top diplomat suggests that the label “terrorist”, when used by politicians, can be void of any legal validity. Speaking before a meeting of EU foreign ministers which will discuss the designation of Iran’s revolutionary guards, a branch of the Iranian armed forces, as a terrorist entity, he declared that "You can't say I consider you a terrorist because I don’t like you."

The European Union foreign policy chief, Joseph Borrell, conditioned the validity of the designation by a court ruling: "This matter cannot be decided without a court, a court decision first."

He pointed out that a court in an EU member state must issue a concrete legal conviction, before the bloc itself can move in this regard.

Chechens and Caucasus, Albanians and Uzbeks are moving to Idlib to fight in Ukraine

Chechens and Caucasus, Albanians and Uzbeks are moving to Idlib to fight in Ukraine

    Sunday, January 15, 2023   No comments

Intersectional reports indicate that foreign fighters from extremist groups have begun to migrate from Idlib in northern Syria towards Ukraine to fight the Russian army there, and reports say that most of those who move to eastern Europe are Chechen and Caucasian battalion fighters, Uzbek and Tajik fighters, and a group of Albanian fighters, and the vast majority belong to These fighters belong to the ranks of “Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham,” which was formerly “Al-Nusra Front,” linked to Al-Qaeda and led by “Abu Muhammad al-Julani.”

Accounts of activists in the areas controlled by extremist groups in northern Syria speak of the departure of dozens of foreign fighters since the beginning of this year. These fighters, according to the details of the battles in the past years in Syria, are considered the most ferocious and experienced in martial arts and street warfare.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says that more than 170 people have left the Syrian territory in batches since last October, and all of them are from the Caucasus and Chechens. They headed towards a European country based on pressure and a request by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham.

It is not known until now the mechanism for the transfer of dangerous fighters, who are classified as terrorists by the countries of the world, from Idlib in northern Syria to eastern Europe, and whether American or Western intelligence agencies are working to involve these fighters in the war against the Russian forces in an organized manner, and to repeat the model of the war in Afghanistan during the occupation Soviet. Where the American intelligence formed Al-Qaeda in partnership with Saudi and Pakistani intelligence to defeat the Soviets in Afghanistan, and after this was achieved, the states sought to eliminate the organization by launching direct attribution to the occupation of the country, and pursuing Al-Qaeda fighters, and it is also unknown whether these groups were fighting under the command of the Ukrainian army or in coordination with NATO. Their peers have already fought in Libya under the command of NATO.

The dissident Salafist from Tahrir al-Sham, Ali al-Arjani, said on Telegram, “The Caucasus and Albanian group leave Idlib for Ukraine, because they found that Ukraine is more free for them than Idlib, and the battles in it are real, and it seems that they are following the old fatwa of Ayman Haroush, that going out to the country of the infidels is better.” From sitting in Idlib under the authority of Abu Muhammad al-Julani.” A video recording was published showing Abdul Hakim al-Shishani (Rustam Azif), the leader of the Caucasus Soldiers group, and his group fighting against Russian forces in the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, and Russian media published the video recording, indicating that the United States had begun using terrorist groups to support the Ukrainian army.

A state of disagreements prevailed between some of these groups, which are based on foreign fighters, and between Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and its leader al-Julani in northern Syria, as al-Julani tried to domesticate and control these groups in the context of the changes that occurred in al-Julani's approach in an attempt to enter the political space and satisfy Turkey on the one hand and flirt with the United States On the other hand, to ensure the consolidation of his control over Idlib and some of the northern Syrian countryside.

Muslim scholars and officials from 14 Muslims majority countries visited China to take a closer look at the situation in Xinjiang region

Muslim scholars and officials from 14 Muslims majority countries visited China to take a closer look at the situation in Xinjiang region

    Monday, January 09, 2023   No comments

Muslim scholars and officials from 14 Muslims majority countries visited China to take a closer look at the situation in Xinjiang region, where a sizeable Muslim population reside. The event was covered by the organization of the leader of the delegation and Chinese media. 

Here is what English language Chinese media reported:

Visiting the exhibition on the fight against terrorism and extremism, talking with religion groups, and interacting with local residents at the bazaar… a group of Islamic figures and scholars are paying a visit to Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to get a clear and better understanding of the region in contrast to the US-led smear campaign.

 Led by Ali Rashid Abudula Ali Alnuaimi, chairman of the World Muslim Communities Council, the delegation consists of more than 30 Islamic figures and scholars from 14 countries, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria, Bahrain, Tunisia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, who began their Xinjiang visit on Sunday. 

Ma Xingrui, Party chief of the Xinjiang region, welcomed the delegation - the first foreign delegation to the region in 2023 - at a meeting in Urumqi on Monday, acknowledging their support for China's stance on Xinjiang-related issues, as the US and some Western countries continuously spread rumors, throwing mud at China and attempting to sow discord between China and Islamic countries. 

However, righteous people in the Islamic world have never bent to the pressure from some Western countries, nor have they been fooled by lies about the Xinjiang region, Ma said. Instead of following a few Western countries in using Xinjiang-related issues to interfere with China's internal affairs, these people have affirmed the development of the Xinjiang region, exposed the political practices of the US and some Western countries, and defended international fairness and justice, he said.  source: GT

And here what the head of the World Muslim Communities Council reported:

HE Dr Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, Chairman of The World Muslim Communities Council, met with officials from China’s Xinjiang region on the sidelines of his visit to China.

HE Dr Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi headed the Council's delegation, which included clerics and intellectuals from various countries worldwide, including UAE, Egypt, Syria, Bosnia, Serbia, Tunisia, Albania, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, and South Sudan.

HE hailed the efforts of the Chinese authorities in combating terrorism in Xinjiang and praised the interest and determination of the Chinese leadership to serve all people in the region.

The Chairman of TWMCC added that the relationship between Islamic civilisation and China is historical and characterised by friendship, cooperation and alliance. HE pointed out that wise people all over the world need a safe, stable and prosperous China, especially since China's security and stability are not only a national interest but a global interest.

HE Dr Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi emphasized that caring for Muslims in China is a great necessity, and we must make it clear to the world that ethnic, religious and national affiliations do not conflict but complement each other.

The Chairman of TWMCC stressed the necessity for a national framework to be comprehensive and brings together all identities, and pride in identity, religion and belonging must be reinforced by the educational curriculum.

HE pointed out that Uygur youth need persuasive speech to win their minds to not fall prey to terrorist groups... Source: TWMCC

The Sunni-Shia Cold War: The Origins and Evolution of the Saudi Hegomony

The Sunni-Shia Cold War: The Origins and Evolution of the Saudi Hegomony

    Tuesday, November 15, 2022   No comments

There has been a Sunni-Shia cold war going on since 1979, but hardly anyone talked about it in those terms. That is because, in part, the rulers of Saudi Arabia chose to conduct this cold war through proxies or from the shadows. Then, Wikileaks ended the Saudi rulers' abilities to project power and influence, especially as a Sunni moderate power, in secret and the rise of the young, ambitious prince, MBS as he is known, to power while his father is still the nominal figurehead allowed them to deflect blame for any and all missteps. However, during a long tv interview in 2017, MBS revealed all the cards: He described his clash with Iran as an existential one because he sees Iranian leaders and Shia, in general, as irrational actors who hold on to messianic belief about the coming of a savior--which makes them unworthy of dialogue and diplomacy.

Wikileaks' documents described the Saudi war on Iran from behind the scene succinctly and clearly. The Saudi leaders, according to the diplomatic cables, while publicly expressing dialogue with Iran, pushed US and European leaders to go after the "head of the snake", instead of fighting Iran's proxies. The framed it as a need to liberate Iran, as Biden said recently, they wanted the West to unleash a direct war on Iran, not rely just on sanctions. Those revelations forced Saudi and Emariti leaders to emerge from the shadows and attack Iran directly--but not militarily of course. They focused instead on a strategy that aims to unravel the entire political system of Iran from within. 

The new "leak" of documents from UAE shows how the strategy was developed and executed. The Lebanese newspaper, Alakhbar, produced a dossier about these developments. Other researchers and observers have compiled more evidence about the Saudi investment in media assets to realize their goals: the paralysis and destruction of the Iranian system of governance through internal Iranian actors.

_______________

From Alakhbar Dossier about Saudi-UAE Leaks: When Mohammed bin Salman stated the above sentence, in answer to Dawood Al-Sheryan's question about dialogue with Iran, he was announcing what was not usual in Saudi foreign policy, in what was termed "transferring the battle to the Iranian interior." Many at the time, when interpreting what Ibn Salman said, said that Riyadh would resort to what it used to do in terms of employing ISIS cells and the operations that separatist movements in Sistan-Baluchestan had long carried out in the Iranian depths. However, in the documents obtained by Al-Akhbar, it becomes clear that Ibn Salman meant targeting the Iranian interior, through a plan to influence the Iranian youth group, in parallel with the intensification of the discourse of demonizing Iran, directed at the Arab and Islamic audiences.

“We will not wait for the battle to be in Saudi Arabia, but rather we will work so that the battle for them is in Iran and not in Saudi Arabia.”

Deputy Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia

Mohammed bin Salman

3 May 2017

On the morning of January 2, 2016, the world woke up to the news of the execution of Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr and a group of al-Qatifi youth, along with a group of Saudi officials and cadres of al-Qaeda. Angry reactions continued inside and outside Salman’s kingdom, and the night of that day closed. On the scene of the burning of the buildings of the Saudi diplomatic mission in Iran by angry Iranian youths.

Four days later, on January 6, the Emirati National Media Council was presenting to representatives of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain a proposed plan that he called the “media strategy for dealing with the Iranian file”, which developed in subsequent years, in coordination with the Americans, to become the “plan to undermine Iran.” From the inside.”

The proposal for the media strategy put forward by the Minister of State and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Media Council in the UAE, Sultan Al Jaber, stated that the goal behind it is to “build a public opinion hostile to Iranian policies from the internal and external public,” and that the strategy “centers on the political dimension and away from the sectarian discourse that It may weaken the public media discourse if it is relied upon. And most importantly, “the results of the strategy should be achieved after years.” In the initial proposal, as document No. 1 shows, the target audience is regional public opinion, Gulf public opinion, domestic public opinion inside Iran (the Iranian people and non-Persian Iranian minorities in particular), and the Iranian opposition abroad and at home. It is noteworthy in the “implementation partners” paragraph that the Emiratis mentioned the “Organization of Islamic Cooperation” as a partner in implementing the strategy, along with the official Gulf entities, the League of Arab States, and Iranian think tanks and opposition, noting that the Islamic Republic of Iran is an original member of the aforementioned organization whose decision-making is dominated by Saudi Arabia and harnessed. interests since its inception.

Read full dossier (Ar)...

 

The Turkish Minister of Interior accuses Kurdish Units of masterminding the Istanbul bombing and criticizes the United States

The Turkish Minister of Interior accuses Kurdish Units of masterminding the Istanbul bombing and criticizes the United States

    Monday, November 14, 2022   No comments

The Turkish authorities continued to reveal the latest details and pictures as part of their investigations into the Istiklal Street bombing in Istanbul. Interior Minister Suleiman Soylu accused the PKK and the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units of being responsible for the bombing, but they denied it.

And the Turkish Security Directorate in Istanbul announced today, Monday, that the suspect - who was arrested at dawn with more than 40 others - holds Syrian nationality and is called Ahlam Al-Bashir (23 years old).

Soylu accused the PKK and the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) of being responsible for the bombing, and said that the order to carry it out was issued in the city of Ayn al-Arab (Kobani) in northern Syria, where Turkish forces have carried out operations against those units in recent years.

The Turkish minister criticized the support provided by the United States to these units, and said that his country does not accept the condolences offered by the American embassy.

Soylu likened the American position to "a murderer who is among the first to arrive at the crime scene."

"We do not accept condolences from the US embassy, ​​we know who supports terrorism in northern Syria, and we know the message they wanted to deliver to Turkey through this attack," he said.

He stressed that "those who support terrorist organizations in northern Syria carried out the attack against us."

For its part, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) denied responsibility for the bombing of Istiklal Street, and said in a statement posted on its website today, Monday, "It is not possible for us to target civilians in any way."

The so-called Syrian Democratic Forces, of which the Kurdish units are the main component, also denied any connection to the Istanbul bombing.