‘US accusations ring hallow as Russia turns tide of Syrian battle’

The Russian air campaign against terrorists in Syria has helped turn the tide of battle, forcing the United States and its proxies to the negotiating table, an American scholar and political analyst says.

Dennis Etler, a professor of Anthropology at Cabrillo College in Aptos, California, made the remarks in an interview with Press TV on Wednesday, after the United States accused Russia of killing hundreds of Syrian civilians.

US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said on Tuesday, "Russian airstrikes in Syria have killed hundreds of civilians, including first responders, (and) hit medical facilities, schools and markets." He cited reports from what he called "credible human rights organizations."

Professor Etler said, “This clearly illustrates how Washington uses NGOs such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch as adjuncts of the US State Department.”

US State Department’s revolving door

“It is widely known that there is a revolving door between the State Department and these so-called ‘human rights’ organizations with State Department functionaries assuming leading posts in them upon their departure from government,” he stated.

“It is also obvious to any impartial observer that purported Syrian human rights organizations are nothing but bought and paid for US operatives feeding the US whatever fabricated story they need at any given time,” the analyst pointed out.

“It is hard to imagine how anyone one but the most craven apologist for US interventionism and aggression can believe a word the State Department says after the lies about Kuwaiti incubator babies, 9/11, Iraqi WMDs, and Syrian sarin gas attacks have all  been exposed,” he emphasized.

The US and some of its allies have been carrying out airstrikes since last year against Daesh inside Syria without any authorization from Damascus or a UN mandate. The US-led coalition has done little to stop the ISIL's advances in parts of Syria.

Upon a request from the Syrian government, Russia started conducting airstrikes against Daesh and other terrorist groups in Syria on September 30. Since then, it has killed hundreds of ISIL terrorists and other foreign-backed militants.

US inflicting no damage on terrorists

Professor Etler said that since the US and its allies “intervened a year ago to ostensibly defeat Daesh, the US has hemmed and hawed in its response to their provocations and atrocities, inflicting little or no damage on the terrorists.”

“In contrast, Russian airstrikes at the request of the Syrian government have had devastating effects and helped turn the tide of battle, forcing Washington and its proxies to the negotiating table,” he stated.  

“In the meantime clear evidence has been provided of Saudi Arabian, Persian Gulf state and Turkish support, including logistical, financial and military, for Syrian terrorists of all stripes,” the commentator underlined.

“This in addition to the aggressive moves by Turkey in downing a Russian bomber over Syrian airspace and the downing of the Russian airliner over the Sinai with hundreds of lives lost has placed the US in an untenable position,” he argued.

Kerry’s empty bag of tricks

“In order to maintain some degree of credibility [US Secretary of State John] Kerry has nothing left in his nearly empty bag of tricks other than to pull out a joker, spurious, undocumented accusations of Russian bombing of civilians, something that the US itself has done innumerable times throughout the many wars it has waged ever since the end of WW2,” Professor Etler said.

“Kerry then fully exposes his loathsome hypocrisy when he laments the death of the notorious Syrian rebel chief and terrorist Zahran Alloush, in an air strike by the Syrian government,” he added.

“The US which has no qualms in killing and assassinating suspected terrorists all over the globe irrespective of other nation's sovereignty has the audacity to tell the Russians that Alloush's death may have a negative impact on scheduled peace talks with opposition forces,” he continued.  

“US bemoaning of the death of this close ally of Takfiri terrorists is beyond the pale and shows the bankruptcy of US policy in the Middle East,” he further said.  

“The US is now between a rock and a hard place in its misadventures in the Middle East and Northern Africa that have led to the destruction of one country after another and the deaths and displacement of millions. It seems that they can only weasel their way out of their predicament by spreading false unsubstantiated rumors against their erstwhile Russian rivals,” the scholar concluded. 

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