by Stephen Lendman

Previous articles explained what Western officials and media scoundrels suppress. ISIS or ISIL or IS are US recruited, trained, armed, funded and directed Pentagon proxy foot soldiers doing Obama’s dirty work - to destabilize and/or topple governments where they’re deployed.

Using them is part of Washington’s imperial strategy for unchallenged global dominance. They’re likely to show up almost anywhere. Mass slaughter, destruction, brutal atrocities and human misery follow - notably in Syria and Iraq.

On August 2, the Wall Street Journal headlined “US to Defend New Syria Force From Assad Regime.” The so-called “new” force is the old one. They’re not Syrian rebels or others supporting the rights of its people.

They’re US enlisted death squads - cutthroat killers, trained in the art of committing the most brutal acts of murder, torture and other atrocities, including use of chemical and other illegal weapons.

The Journal said Obama “authorized using air power to defend a new US-backed fighting force in Syria if it is attacked by Syrian government forces or other groups, raising the risk of the American military coming into direct conflict with the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.”

What’s planned appears prelude to Libya 2.0 - airstrikes on Syrian military targets, likely others not yet struck, escalated war to topple Assad, lawless butchery, a US specialty.

According to the Journal, “US military officials played down the chances of a direct confrontation (with Syrian forces), at least in the near term.” The strategy appears designed to create a pretext to attack them directly - in other words, be IS’ air force, the same strategy used in Libya against Gaddafi.

White House National Security Council spokesman Alistair Baskey was deliberately vague, saying the administration will “take the steps necessary to ensure (its proxy foot soldiers can) successfully carry out their mission” - with no further explanation other than adding “defensive fires support (will) protect them.”

The latest escalation follows Obama/Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussions to let US warplanes use Ankara’s Incirlik and Diyarbakir air bases to bomb Syrian targets, as well as establish illegal buffer and no-fly zones in northern Syria bordering Turkey - seizing a portion of its territory ahead of aiming to grab it all.

Pentagon claims about recruiting so-called “rebels” to fight IS forces is part of Obama’s grand deception - no different from Big Lies proliferated in all US wars of aggression.

Defense Secretary Aston Carter’s claims about US efforts to turn the tide against IS is polar opposite US strategy. So is the Wall Street Journal reporting “Pentagon-backed force(s) explicitly directed not to conduct offensive operations against” Assad.

But they’re free to conduct any called “defensive” - code language for offensive on the pretext of defense - the same bogus argument Israel uses to attack Palestinian civilians.

New Pentagon rules of engagement don’t explicitly name Assad, said the Journal. At the same time, they permit strikes on any elements attacking so-called “rebels.”

Current plans have been in the works for months, the Journal explained - delayed because of administration “reluctance to spell out the conditions under which the US might find itself in a fight with” Assad forces.

Events suggest it’s coming - perhaps following a US-instigated false flag, blaming Assad for attacking so-called “rebels, letting Pentagon warplanes begin bombing Syrian targets the way US-led NATO’s aggression against Libya was waged.

A repeat of that scenario looks increasingly likely. Chances for peaceful conflict resolution are nil. Washington won’t tolerate it. Regime change in Syria remains official US policy.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III".

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

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