Sputnik interviews the Saker

Here is the original and full transcript of my recent interview with Sputnik (by email):

PREFACE
Having realized that they lost in Syria the US has shifted to "Plan B" to maintain control over the oil-rich regions of the country, military analyst The Saker told Sputnik. The Russo-Syrian advance in Deir ez-Zor has endangered the US plan, prompting the Pentagon to target the Syrian Arab Army and Russian military personnel on the ground.

Sputnik: Could you comment on the US recent actions in Deir ez-Zor? What could have been behind the alleged US provocations in the region?

Jabhat al-Nusra fighter (File). Part of the Takfiri infestation injected into Syria by the Americans. An international war crime by any reasonable standard, not to mention UNO bylaws and treaties.

The Saker: The US has lost the war in Syria: the good and the bad terrorists are in full retreat, Assad is firmly in power and nobody believes anymore that he can be removed, the Israelis are in a total panic mode, the Saudis are enraged, and the Russian peace initiative is backed by all the actors who truly matter: the Syrians themselves, of course, but also Iran and Turkey. Even Hezbollah has declared victory. This is a massive loss of face for the Empire and a humiliation for the USA. As a result, the Americans are falling back to their plan B – that is to partition Syria, and keep control of at least some areas in the northeast of the country in order to keep US military forces (illegally) present in Syria, keep control of the oil fields east of the Euphrates river and continue to destabilize and subvert the liberated regions of Syria. The Americans hope to achieve that by using the Syrian Kurds as their boots on the ground. The problem with that plan is that with the help of the Russians, the Syrians have freed the city of Deir-ez-Zor and their forces have now crossed the Euphrates river. Now it is the American plan B which looks increasingly threatened. This is why the Americans are engaging in terrorist attacks against Russian military personnel.

Sputnik: What are the US’ major objectives in Syria and what could Russia expect from the US-led coalition in the near future? Did the US State Department really abandon the idea to topple Bashar al Assad?

The Saker: The US-lead coalition is composed of three entities: the US armed forces, the good terrorists and the bad terrorists. The rest of that ‘coalition’ is entirely theoretical. This means that all that the Russians can expect from such a ‘coalition’ are more terrorist attacks, more provocations. The US State Department can abandon the idea to topple Bashar al Assad or not, this will make exactly zero difference on the ground. Secretary Tillerson has proven himself a weak man, unable to even contain Nikki Haley at the UN, nevermind taking any effective actions against the Neocons and their allies in the US deep state. The latter are now back in total control of the USA. These people have a single operating mode: war, war and more war. As for a sudden outbreak of peace, that is their worst nightmare. The Russians fully understand that and this is why they work with everybody else in the region, even crazy states like Israel or Saudi Arabia. At least those two are capable of making a deal and sticking to it. In contrast, the USA are what the Russians called “non-agreement capable” (недоговороспособны). This is why even Putin said that it is “hard to talk with people who confuse Austria and Australia”.

Sputnik: Is it possible that Daesh struck some sort of a deal with the US in order to save the lives of terrorists and preserve their positions in Syria?

The Saker: Of course! Daesh and all the other terrorist groups are working hand in glove with the United States. The recent satellite photos published by the Russians prove that: they are all working together and they have been doing that for years.

Sputnik: Is it possible that Washington is considering Daesh and Al-Qaeda’s affiliate al-Nusra Front as an effective bulwark against the Assad regime?

The Saker: Not anymore. That was their original plan, but now that all the terrorists, good and bad, have been either defeated or have switched sides and are part of the Russian peace plan, the last American hope is for the Kurds. Of course, the Americans will still be working with Daesh, al-Qaeda, al-Nusra, ISIS and all of the other labels the various Takfiri groups use, but by now they know that it is over and that they will not topple the Syrian government or even conquer most of Syria.

Sputnik: If there is cooperation between US military personnel and Daesh, was it authorized by Washington or has the Pentagon/CIA taken the liberty to collude with terrorists in order to achieve America’s objectives (oust Assad, split Syria up) using all means possible?

The Saker: I don’t have access to secret US negotiations transcripts, but it is an easy guess to make that the CIA and the Pentagon have been working with Takfiri terrorist groups as far back as the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. This has then continued in Bosnia, Chechnia, Kosovo, and, of course, on 9/11 when Takfiri terrorists have been used as patsies to sit in the planes which were slammed in the Twin Towers before they, along with World Trade Center 7, all brought down by controlled demolition. You have to understand a simple but crucial fact: Takfiri terrorists are the footsoldiers of the Empire. They are the creation of the US and the US has always tried to control them, more or less successfully.

Sputnik: Could Moscow continue its cooperation (intelligence sharing, etc.) with Washington on Syria given the US controversial actions in the region? Will the US continue efforts to disrupt the Syrian Arab Army’s advance in Deir ez-Zor, Idlib, northern Syria? And what should Russia do to avoid possible US traps?

The Saker: Moscow should continue to engage in deconfliction efforts with the USA, just because there might be mentally sane US officers in Syria who would want to avoid a potentially very dangerous incident between US and Russian forces. But the real solution is to begin to demand a full withdrawal of all US forces from Syria as they are they are there totally illegally. The Russians should also accept as a fact that the US will continue to break agreements, refuse to abide by the terms of any negotiated deal, and continue to support all the terrorist forces in Syria and the rest of the region. The United States is simply unable to collaborate in any meaningful way. All they can do is sabotage any and all peace efforts and subvert the Syrian government. This is very sad, but this is also a fact of life. Instead, what the Russians should do is give their fullest support to the Syrian, Iranian and Hezbollah forces on the ground until they finally liberate Syria from all the terrorist forces, including the Americans. Finally, Russia ought to work with Turkey and Iraq to prevent the Kurds from creating the next “Kosovo” with a local version of the American “Camp Bondsteel” in Syria or Iraq.

If you are interested, you can find what Sputnik actually posted here: https://sputniknews.com/analysis/201709281057790173-us-syria-daesh-alnusra/

Due to the decision by the Sputnik editors to remove parts of my replies which I consider to be essential, I have taken the painful decision not to grant any further interviews to Sputnik.

—The Saker