Media Confliction over Russia and US Airstrikes on ISIS Oil Facilities & Tankers in Syria

[KoKo]

I've seen U.S. Media Claim that our forces. have bombed Oil Facilities and Tankers in Syria with no mention of Russia's air strikes on those facilities. I've seen Russia and Foreign Media report that Russia has struck Oil Facilites and Tankers in Syria with no mention of the U.S. I'm talking about the Mainstream U.S TV Media like CNN/MSNBC because I don't know what Fox News does because I never watched it

Has anyone else noticed this?

I did a quick search for sample article and it seems to me from the dates that we must be, and have been, working in coordination with Russia for these strike against the ISIS Oil Facilities and Tankers--yet our Mainstream TV Media seems to ignore Russia's part while a few newspapers like NYT, WaPo and others do mention both. I check out both MSNBC and CNN and I've not seen either talk about a coordinated effort in the bombing raids between US and Russia.

Anyway, maybe I'm just being nit picky but thought it interesting.

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Added on 8:54 AM ET, Thu November 19, 2015

Russian bombers strike ISIS' oil

Russia says it significantly reduced ISIS' export capabilities and income by striking oil tankers and storage facilities in Syria.

http://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2015/11/19/russia-bombs-isis-oil-orig-vstan-mobile.cnn


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AP November 20, 2015, 2:41 PM

Russian airstrikes blast ISIS oil facilities in Syria

MOSCOW -- The Russian military has destroyed numerous oil facilities and tankers controlled by ISIS in Syria, sharply cutting its income, Russia's defense minister said Friday.

Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to President Vladimir Putin on Friday that Russian warplanes destroyed 15 oil refining and storage facilities in Syria and 525 trucks carrying oil during this week's bombing blitz. He said this deprived ISIS of $1.5 million in daily income from oil sales.

Russia, which has conducted an air campaign in Syria since Sept. 30, sharply raised the intensity starting Tuesday following confirmation that the Russian Metrojet plane in Egypt was downed by a bomb, which ISIS said it had planted. All 224 people aboard the plane, mostly Russian tourists, were killed.

Putin has discussed cooperating on fighting ISIS during his meetings with President Barack Obama and other Western leaders at the sidelines of the Group of 20 rich and developing nations in Turkey this week.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/russian-airstrikes-blast-isis-oil-facilities-in-syria/


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Updated: Friday, September 26, 2014, 5:47 PM

BY Corky Siemaszko
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

U.S.-led coalition bomb ISIS oil sites in Syria for 2nd straight day as Britain, Belgium and Denmark announce they are joining the fight

The coalition dropped bombs on ISIS oil facilities overnight Thursday — the second day of raids on the oil plants and the fourth of airstrikes in the region. The strikes aim to cripple one of the terrorists' primary sources of cash: black market oil.



http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/u-s-allies-bomb-isis-oil-sites-2nd-straight-day-article-1.1953649


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Middle East--November 16, 2015

U.S. Warplanes Strike ISIS Oil Trucks in Syria

By MICHAEL R. GORDON --NOV. 16, 2015
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/17/world/middleeast/us-strikes-syria-oil.html?_r=0

ISTANBUL — Intensifying pressure on the Islamic State, United States warplanes for the first time attacked hundreds of trucks on Monday that the extremist group has been using to smuggle the crude oil it has been producing in Syria, American officials said.

According to an initial assessment, 116 trucks were destroyed in the attack, which took place near Deir al-Zour, an area in eastern Syria that is controlled by the Islamic State.

The airstrikes were carried out by four A-10 attack planes and two AC-130 gunships based in Turkey.

Plans for the strike were developed well before the terrorist attacks in and around Paris on Friday, officials familiar with the operation said, part of a broader operation to disrupt the ability of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, to generate revenue to support its military operations and govern its territory.

To disrupt that revenue source, American officials said last week that the United States had sharply stepped up its airstrikes against infrastructure that allows the Islamic State to pump oil in Syria.

Until Monday, the United States refrained from striking the fleet used to transport oil, believed to include more than 1,000 tanker trucks, because of concerns about causing civilian casualties. As a result, the Islamic State’s distribution system for exporting oil had remained largely intact.

The new campaign is called Tidal Wave II. It is named after the World War II effort to counter Nazi Germany by striking Romania’s oil industry. Lt. Gen. Sean B. MacFarland, who in September assumed command of the international coalition’s campaign in Iraq and Syria, suggested the name.

To reduce the risk of harming civilians, two F-15 warplanes dropped leaflets about an hour before the attack warning drivers to abandon their vehicles, and strafing runs were conducted to reinforce the message.

The area where the trucks assemble in Syria has been closely monitored by reconnaissance drones. As many as 1,000 trucks have been observed there, waiting to receive their cargo of illicit oil.

On Monday, 295 trucks were in the area, and more than a third of them were destroyed, United States officials said. The A-10s dropped two dozen 500-pound bombs and conducted strafing runs with 30-millimeter Gatling guns. The AC-130s attacked with 30-millimeter Gatling guns and 105-millimeter cannons.

The pilots saw several drivers running to a nearby tent and did not attack them, an American official said, and there were no immediate reports of civilian casualties.

Col. Steven H. Warren, the American-led coalition’s spokesman in Baghdad, confirmed that A-10s and AC-130s had been used in the attack and that 116 tanker trucks had been destroyed.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/17/world/middleeast/us-strikes-syria-oil.html?_r=0

[CJCRANE]

1. PBS even used Russian video footage of Russian strikes on Isis oil facilities

but didn't mention Russia!

[KoKo]

4. In What Context did PBS Report this?

I gave up on PBS as "Impartial" a few years ago when I looked at their Board of Directors and the Person Bush put in followed by more Think Tank/Corporate installations.

Do the research yourself....that we Progressive Dems/Left Dems have reported about PBS as (Not your Real Public Broadcasting" but bought and owned by Corporate Media.

That Aside...those of us who seek Differing Opinions from "Council on Foreign Relations, MIC Media," and the Various Other Think Tanks" like the "Pretend Progressive Dem Think Tank...Podesta's "Center for American Progress" (the fake Left Think Tank&quot ........seek other sources to balance what we here from the Above Disinfo Sources.

If one is an "Inquiring Mind" then we seek BALANCE so when we find those we Support Betray Us...we Seek that Balance from other Emerging Sources now available on the Internet.

Here's a Contradiction to what you hear on PBS. The "Truth" in "Foreign Affairs" is often "In the Middle."

FOR YOU: To counter whatever it was that PBS had out there. And, since you replied, I'm thinking you might be an "Inquiring Mind" and be Open to Other Opinions?

If your Mind is Open it addresses the issues in my OP!

Discussion/Diplomacy is Necessary!

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CHECK THIS OUT on "SOUND CLOUD" as a DISCUSSION..by Former "State Dept." Personnel and others from Different Sources and Compare to PBS:

What does the downing of a Russian Air Force jet by Turkey tell us about the war against the Islamic State? How many sides are there in the conflict? And who benefits from a very divided front? Is ending the Syrian civil war as elusive as ever?

CrossTalking with Joe Lauria, Afzal Ashraf, and Flynt Leverett. It's really interesting for "Counterpoint:"

It's a Really Interesting Discussion to Counteract U.S. MSM Discussion owned by Corporation Think Tanks.


https://soundcloud.com/rttv/dangerous-skies

What does the downing of a Russian Air Force jet by Turkey tell us about the war against the Islamic State? How many sides are there in the conflict? And who benefits from a very divided front? Is ending the Syrian civil war as elusive as ever?

[leveymg]

2. Oil has never been more than 40% of IS budget. The majority is still KSA and Gulf State contributors

When are we or the Russians going to start following the real money and cut it off? We won't.

As UN Security Council Mulls ISIS Oil Sanctions, Most Funds Still Flow from Saudi and Gulf Donors
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026192755
Proposed UN Sanctions Do Not Go To Most ISIS Funding from Wealthy Donors

There is broad agreement that "substantial" funds are still reaching ISIS from wealthy elites in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Gulf states. As the Pentagon announced yesterday, oil exports now do not account for most of ISIS finances. ISIS is instead depending on donations, “a lot of donations,” according to Rear Admiral John Kirby, spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Further sanctions do not threaten the primary source of finance for the so-called Islamic State (IS), reported to be in excess of $2 billion last year. On Thursday, a UN measure was proposed by Russia that would sanction the trade in oil and stolen antiquities that partially funds ISIS funders. However, according to the NYT, it does not add to the existing list of individuals named for sanctions. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/07/world/middleeast/un-prepares-resolution-to-confront-islamic-state-on-oil-and-antiquities.html?_r=0

This spares the US and NATO the difficult task of having to immediately punish most of the same Sunni states with which it has been previously cooperating in prosecuting the war in Syria. The measure discussed on Friday would, however, specifically sanction parties engaged in smuggling oil from ISIS controlled areas, paying ransom, and the sale of stolen antiquities, the latter valued at $35 million last year.

Nobody seems to want to put a finger on exactly how much cash is still flowing to ISIS from wealthy ISIS funders, and who exactly they are. But, everyone agrees that support from the Saudis and Gulf elites continues to be substantial. See, http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-terror/whos-funding-isis-wealthy-gulf-angel-investors-officials-say-n208006

In 2014, Saudi Arabia publicly agreed to clamp down on some donations from its citizens and religious foundations. As a result, most private funding now goes through Qatar. The UN Security Council Resolution 2170 passed last August 15 named only six individual ISIS leaders for direct sanctions. The new measure does not expand that list, but calls for a committee to nominate others for violation of existing UN resolutions.

The effects of the additional sanctions on oil exports proposed would have its primary impact on crude oil smuggling in and out of Turkey. The majority of ISIS oil revenues are derived through the black market in that country. Last June, at its height, a Turkish opposition MP and other sources estimated the annual oil revenues at $800 million. http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/221272-report-isis-oil-production-worth-800m-per-year

If accurate, oil sales was about 40% of the total ISIS operating budget as stated by the group. However, even at its height, petroleum accounted for only a fraction of ISIS funding. Some western estimates placed the IS annual total budget as high as $3 billion. See, http://thehill.com/policy/defense/228465-isis-puts-payments-to-poor-disabled-in-2-billion-budget; http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/isis-news-caliphate-unveils-first-annual-budget-2bn-250m-surplus-war-chest-1481931

The $800 million figure is actually at the top end of the estimates. US sources quoted by CNN last October stated that ISIS oil income was more likely half that figure: http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/06/world/meast/isis-funding/

The U.S. Treasury Department does not have hard figures that it can make public on the group's wealth but says it believes ISIS takes in millions of dollars a month.

Sources familiar with the subject say that ISIS' "burn' rate" -- how much the group spends -- is huge, including salaries, weapons and other expenses. For ISIS' oil sales, sources told CNN, the group probably makes between $1 million and $2 million per day, but probably on the lower end.

Along with everyone else, the returns on ISIS oil are probably a fraction of what they were at the height of world oil prices a year ago. Plus, the US and allies are bombing the group's oil platforms and vehicles. That has cut production and export to the point where US commanders now acknowledged that oil sales aren't the source of most ISIS funds, and that they are coming from donations, "a lot of donations":

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is no longer relying on oil as its main source of revenue to fund its terrorist activity, according to the Pentagon.

“We know that oil revenue is no longer the lead source of their income in dollars,” Pentagon spokesperson Rear Admiral John Kirby told reporters during a press briefing on Tuesday.

ISIS’ loss of income is compounded by its losses on the battlefield as the group has “lost literally hundreds and hundreds of vehicles that they can’t replace,” Kirby said.

“They’ve got to steal whatever they want to get, and there’s a finite number.”

ISIS is instead depending on “a lot of donations” as one of the main sources of income. “They also have a significant black market program going on,” Kirby said.
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/02/05/Pentagon-oil-is-no-longer-ISIS-main-source-of-income-.html

That leaves a big hole in the Caliphate's budget - that gets filled by someone.

Imposition of expanded UN sanctions would entail difficulties and costs for the US, particularly with Saudi Arabia. Therefore, it should not come as a surprise that the Security Counsel measure is limited, and does not yet show if the world is truly serious about eradicating ISIS.

[KoKo]

5. Cut Off the FUCKING OLIGARCH MONEY! But...NO....it is TOO COMPLICATED!

At some point Down the Road......this Will Be Important..but the devastation until we get to that Point will be Very Painful.

[w0nderer]

3. K & R N/T

[KoKo]

6. Yes..and Post #2 for "Inquiring Minds" trying to makes Sense of This Mess!

We are all Good Americans..just trying to "Steer the Ship" of our Country......from Disaster..