“Boots on the Ground” Inside Syria? The Pentagon Comes to the Rescue of the “Islamic State” (ISIS)

“Boots on the Ground” Inside Syria? The Pentagon Comes to the Rescue of the “Islamic State” (ISIS)

By Prof Michel Chossudovsky

Global Research, October 28, 2015

Region: Middle East & North Africa

Theme: US NATO War Agenda

On October 27, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter announced that the Pentagon is contemplating “direct action on the ground” in both Iraq and Syria, “in an effort to combat the self-proclaimed Islamic State terrorist group.” (Sputnik, October 27, 2015).

The not so hidden agenda, however,  is not “to combat” but rather “to protect and come to the rescue” of the Islamic State terrorist group.

What’s new? Are we witnessing a process of military escalation?

The US and its allies already have boots on ground inside Syria. It’s not official, it’s a so-called “covert operation” which everybody knows about.

The Pentagon together with NATO, Turkey and Israel, et al, have routinely dispatched their military advisers, special forces and intelligence operatives to the Syrian war theater. These foreign forces have operated within rebel ranks from the outset of the war on Syria in March 2011.

While neither Washington nor the mainstream media have “officially” acknowledged their presence inside Syria, it should be understood that these Western special forces have performed routine command functions within the various terrorist groups in liaison with the US-NATO led coalition. In other words, they are largely responsible for coordinating countless ISIS and Al Nusrah terrorist operations against civilians inside Syria on behalf of the US led coalition. Needless to say, they are also supported by the US led air campaign, which theoretically is targeting (rather than “protecting”) the terrorists.

“Responsibility to Protect”. R2P The Terrorists

In response to Russia’s bombing raids against ISIS, Washington is now contemplating to announce “officially” (what they have been doing for the last four) their resolve to have boots on the ground in an extended military operation. Needless to say, this operation, if it were to be carried out without the UN Security Council stamp of approval would constitute a violation of international law (Nuremberg).

The US administration is considering the possibility of deploying a small number of ground forces in Syria embedded among Kurdish troops or the “moderate” opposition, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, citing US officials.

The US military has also proposed sending a group of combat advisers to the front lines with the Iraqi army, and possibly also with Syrian rebels. This proposal is, nevertheless, qualified by the newspaper as a less likely scenario.

Moreover, the White House is to examine the option of deploying a small squadron of Apache attack helicopters to Iraq to step up the fight against the Islamic State, the newspaper said. The measure will entail deploying several hundred US servicemen to Iraq, according to the daily. Washington heads a coalition that has been conducting airstrikes on ISIL positions in Syria and Iraq since 2014.On Tuesday, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said the Pentagon had not ruled out conducting attacks on the ground against ISIL terrorists. (Sputnik, October 28, 2015)

A No Fly Zone

Another important development pertains to the statement by Defense Secretary Ashton Carter that while “a no fly zone” is not contemplated in the immediate future by the Pentagon, it nonetheless remains an option: “President Barack Obama has not taken the option of a Syrian no-fly zone ‘off the table’”.

Meanwhile, Qatar has announced that it is contemplating sending ground troops to Syria. This statement announced by Doha was in all likelihood formulated  in Washington. According Qatar’s Foreign Minister Khalid al-Attiyah, Qatar could intervene military in response to Russia’s intervention in support of the government of Bashar Al Assad. (CNN Arabic (October 21):

 “Anything that protects the Syrian people and Syria from partition, we will not spare any effort to carry it out with our Saudi and Turkish brothers, no matter what this is,”

From the outset, Qatar has acted as a US proxy. Together with Saudi Arabia it has contributed to the recruitment, training and financing of Al Qaeda affiliated terrorists inside Syria including ISIS and Al Nusrah.

We are at a dangerous crossroads

International diplomacy has collapsed. US foreign policy makers are ignorant and corrupt, unaware of the implications of their actions.

The US led air raids are being implemented simultaneously with those of Russia.

Stalemate at the UN. The UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon (appointed by Washington ) supports the US led war under a humanitarian banner.

These various actions and threats by the US led coalition –not to mention the chatter pertaining to a “World War III option” in the corridors of the US Congress– point to a scenario of military escalation,which could potentially lead to direct military confrontation between the US led coalition and the Russian Federation. 

Copyright © Prof Michel Chossudovsky, Global Research, 2015