Former CIA Officer: "The Intelligence Confirms The Russian Account On Syria"

[LonestarDream]

There is also an internal dispute over the intelligence. On Thursday night, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the U.S. intelligence community assessed with a “high degree of confidence” that the Syrian government had dropped a poison gas bomb on civilians in Idlib province.

But a number of intelligence sources have made contradictory assessments, saying the preponderance of evidence suggests that Al Qaeda-affiliated rebels were at fault, either by orchestrating an intentional release of a chemical agent as a provocation or by possessing containers of poison gas that ruptured during a conventional bombing raid.

One intelligence source told me that the most likely scenario was a staged event by the rebels intended to force Trump to reverse a policy, announced only days earlier, that the U.S. government would no longer seek “regime change” in Syria and would focus on attacking the common enemy, Islamic terror groups that represent the core of the rebel forces.


http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-04-08/former-cia-officer-intelligence-confirms-russian-account-syria

[LonestarDream]

Though Bannon and Kushner are often presented as rivals, the source said, they shared the belief that Trump should tell the truth about Syria, revealing the Obama administration’s CIA analysis that a fatal sarin gas attack in 2013 was a “false-flag” operation intended to sucker President Obama into fully joining the Syrian war on the side of the rebels — and the intelligence analysts’ similar beliefs about Tuesday’s incident.

Instead, Trump went along with the idea of embracing the initial rush to judgment blaming Assad for the Idlib poison-gas event. The source added that Trump saw Thursday night’s missile assault as a way to change the conversation in Washington, where his administration has been under fierce attack from Democrats claiming that his election resulted from a Russian covert operation.

If changing the narrative was Trump’s goal, it achieved some initial success with several of Trump’s fiercest neocon critics, such as neocon Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham, praising the missile strike, as did Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The neocons and Israel have long sought “regime change” in Damascus even if the ouster of Assad might lead to a victory by Islamic extremists associated with Al Qaeda and/or the Islamic State.

[LonestarDream]

Editors Note: Primary source for this article is Philip Giradi
, former CIA officer

Giraldi told Scott Horton’s Webcast: “I’m hearing from sources on the ground in the Middle East, people who are intimately familiar with the intelligence that is available who are saying that the essential narrative that we’re all hearing about the Syrian government or the Russians using chemical weapons on innocent civilians is a sham.”

[LonestarDream]

For those of us who are considering this as a false flag operation.

@don-o
@DiogenesLamp
@EC
@Emjay
@Maj. Bill Martin

[LonestarDream]

“The intelligence confirms pretty much the account that the Russians have been giving … which is that they hit a warehouse where the rebels – now these are rebels that are, of course, connected with Al Qaeda – where the rebels were storing chemicals of their own and it basically caused an explosion that resulted in the casualties. Apparently the intelligence on this is very clear.”

Giraldi said the anger within the intelligence community over the distortion of intelligence to justify Trump’s military retaliation was so great that some covert officers were considering going public.

[don-o]

Am I correct that there has been no investigation possible on site? What can we expect to learn? Who will run it?

[LonestarDream]

Am I correct that there has been no investigation possible on site? What can we expect to learn? Who will run it?

This is a war zone.

It wont be the UN doing the investigating.  It will be various intelligence services.

Imagine the intelligence the Russians *may* give to Tillerson when they meet next week. 

[LonestarDream]

@Right_in_Virginia
@truth_seeker


This is not intended to be a Pro or Anti Trump thread.

And remember, Obama and Susan Rice's LIES about the lack of WMD in Syria proper made this mess.

THAT fact must always be REMEMBERED to keep our analysis grounded.

[INVAR]

Given past history of how ISIS and Al Qaeda works in conjunction of setting up photo-ops for maximum propaganda purposes - this is a more likely scenario than Assad deploying chemical weapons on civilians.  Especially after the Obama regime in concert with the Russkies had maintained that all stockpiles were destroyed in 2013 to much fanfare and balloons from the Obama regime and the media.

[LonestarDream]

Given past history of how ISIS and Al Qaeda works in conjunction of setting up photo-ops for maximum propaganda purposes - this is a more likely scenario than Assad deploying chemical weapons on civilians.  Especially after the Obama regime in concert with the Russkies had maintained that all stockpiles were destroyed in 2013 to much fanfare and balloons from the Obama regime and the media.

Agreed.  Being the eternal optimist, I pray that the real facts come out and Syria can be stabilized.

For the Sake of Western Syria, Greater Kurdistan (to exclude Turkish territory), Iraq, Jordan and Israel of course.   

[don-o]

My opinion is that, regardless of possible false flag, Assad and Russia bear all the responsibility for the existence of WMD's in country.

That being said, I hear very little speculation on WHY Assad could have possibly thought that dropping a gas bomb was a good thing to do. I do not think he is a nutjob of the variety of the fat kid in NK

 

[LonestarDream]

My opinion is that, regardless of possible false flag, Assad and Russia bear all the responsibility for the existence of WMD's in country.

That being said, I hear very little speculation on WHY Assad could have possibly thought that dropping a gas bomb was a good thing to do. I do not think he is a nutjob of the variety of the fat kid in NK

 

I call this the ' @don-o ' doctrine. It is that good.

Yes.  Obama, Rice and Assad own this WMD, regardless.

At the same time, what next actions moves the US interests forward. 

Keeping in mind long term allies like Israel and Jordan. 

[TomSea]

Even before this, I have heard Zero Hedge called unreliable and that they disseminate Russian news per another poster.

What else have they said? That the armies of Turkey and Saudi Arabia were amassed to invade Syria and that the Russians might nuke them.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-02-19/experts-invasion-syria-could-lead-nuclear-war?page=1

Not sure if this is the same article, they might have pulled that other but the above link looks to suffice.

[Rivergirl]

At what point should we believe anything coming from the DT administration.  Are we to ignore all his lies and misrepresentations during the primaries?
I, personally, am a  long long way from believing a single word.    Being in NJ we have long known all about his nefarious dealings and his refusing to pay his contractors.  His workers response to demands for pay.........SO SUE ME.

[LonestarDream]

Philip Giradi, former CIA officer is the primary source.  He was interviewed on a webcast.

Zero Hedge is not the NYT or Main stream media.  A lot of their reporting turns out to be true. 

Even before this, I have heard Zero Hedge called unreliable and that they disseminate Russian news per another poster.

What else have they said? That the armies of Turkey and Saudi Arabia were amassed to invade Syria and that the Russians might nuke them.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-02-19/experts-invasion-syria-could-lead-nuclear-war?page=1

Not sure if this is the same article, they might have pulled that other but the above link looks to suffice.

[Chosen Daughter]

For those of us who are considering this as a false flag operation.

@don-o
@DiogenesLamp
@EC
@Emjay
@Maj. Bill Martin

You can add me to the list.  Wag the dog is right.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

And if this is proven... what then?

[Chosen Daughter]

My opinion is that, regardless of possible false flag, Assad and Russia bear all the responsibility for the existence of WMD's in country.

That being said, I hear very little speculation on WHY Assad could have possibly thought that dropping a gas bomb was a good thing to do. I do not think he is a nutjob of the variety of the fat kid in NK

 

Right or wrong I did believe the Saddam's WMD's ended up in Syria.  But I don't think Assad is a nut job like Hussein.  I just don't buy it that he would gas his citizens.  Doesn't seem like the kind of family they are.  His wife has done interviews and she seems to be very charming and kind.  The country was secular until this recent Civil War.  If they succeed in getting rid of Assad you can bet it will become an Islamic hell hole.

[don-o]

I call this the ' @don-o ' doctrine. It is that good.

Yes.  Obama, Rice and Assad own this WMD, regardless.

At the same time, what next actions moves the US interests forward. 

Keeping in mind long term allies like Israel and Jordan.

Quite right and the dirty hands of the bumbler O need to be referenced and Trump needs to flush out any of his minions who are still hanging around.

Going forward...................hmmmm.

Who will dare to say out loud that the borders in that whole region and the centralized authority that rule them are well past their usefulness.  As we discussed, partition needs to be on the table. These artificial constructs of "nation-states are prima facie incoherent. Competing cultures can never sustain nationhood.

But, this will a very difficult slog because "there's plenty of money to be made, supplyin' the army with the tools of the trade."

[don-o]

Even before this, I have heard Zero Hedge called unreliable and that they disseminate Russian news per another poster.

What else have they said? That the armies of Turkey and Saudi Arabia were amassed to invade Syria and that the Russians might nuke them.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-02-19/experts-invasion-syria-could-lead-nuclear-war?page=1

Not sure if this is the same article, they might have pulled that other but the above link looks to suffice.

Maybe / likely I am dense, but I do not get your point. The article is quoting speculation and opinion. Seems a solid contribution to a discussion of that situation. Or do you think that nuclear war is literally unthinkable?

[ABX]

This reads just like the 2013 chemical weapon use.

[LonestarDream]

And if this is proven... what then?

Exactly.  I think Congressman Massie raised the false flag concern earlier in the week.

Would not want to see the Raqqa operation delayed in any way.

[LonestarDream]

This reads just like the 2013 chemical weapon use.

Which, according to some sources, is why Obama called His attack on Syria short.

[bigheadfred]

From what I have read Assad has the upper hand in the fight. And what started out as a more "legitimate" revolution is now more towards extremist jihadist groups fighting to control smuggling and other criminal enterprises. For Assad, at this point, to resort to chemical weapons is ridiculous, IMO, and more likely the fault, plan, or action of the jihadists.

What I want to know is will Trump deal harshly with these extremist groups if they resort to more use of chemical or biological weapons? It should be a two way street.

[LonestarDream]

This reads just like the 2013 chemical weapon use.

And apparently, 'the gold standard' New York Times has been on both sides of the 2013 Sarin gas story.

Assad -v- rebels.


https://consortiumnews.com/2017/04/06/nyt-retreats-on-2013-syria-sarin-claims/

The New York Times, which has never heard an allegation against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that it hasn’t immediately believed, has compiled a list of his alleged atrocities with a surprising omission: the Aug. 21, 2013 sarin gas attack outside Damascus.

A heart-rending propaganda image designed to justify a major U.S. military operation inside Syria against the Syrian military.

Why this omission is so surprising is that the sarin incident was the moment when the Western media and the Washington establishment piled on President Barack Obama for not enforcing his “red line” by launching military strikes against the Syrian government to retaliate for Assad “gassing his own people.”