“War hath no fury like a non-combatant.” –E.C. Montague Vladimir Putin, in his defence of Russia’s bombing missions against Islamic elements residing in the mountains of northern Latakia, Syria remarked, “These are people who must be directly qualified as international terrorists.” In that one statement alone Mr. Putin has shamed and exposed the inefficacious promises […]
Turkey denies widespread report that intel chief advocated establishing consulate for ISIS
The disputed report reads, in part, “Hakan Fidan, the head of Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization… said that it is imperative that ISIS must set up a consulate or at least a political office in Istanbul,” and “we must stop Putin from crushing the Islamic revolution.” Even if the report is false, it highlights global concerns over Turkey’s […]
Russia says Turkey shot down its plane to protect its oil trade with the Islamic State
Eminently plausible. Turkey repeatedly refused John Kerry’s entreaties to block the Islamic State’s black market oil trade. “Russia says Turkey ‘shot down plane for IS oil,’” BBC, November 30, 2015: Russia has accused Turkey of shooting down its warplane near the border with Syria in order to protect its oil trade with the Islamic State […]
Putin: Turkish leadership purposefully supports Islamization of country
Putin has also accused Erdogan of being an “accomplice of terrorists.” Hard to deny that. Turkey’s rapid re-Islamization under Erdogan has been documented by Robert Spencer here at Jihad Watch for a decade or more now. For Putin to target Turkey’s Islamist shift demonstrates yet again the Russian leader’s clarity and toughness, as juxtaposed with the West’s politically correct myopia and […]
Turkey shoots down Russian warplane on Syria border
The Russian plane was there to attack the Islamic State. Could Erdogan’s Turkey possibly make it clearer which side it is on? The NATO alliances were constructed during the Cold War, and they are outmoded. Turkey is neither a friend of the United States nor a foe of the global jihad. NATO drastically needs reconfiguring. […]
Islamic State jihadis distribute candy to celebrate downing of Russian jet
We have previously seen this, on numerous occasions, among these jihadis’ fellow lovers of death, the “Palestinians.” “ISIS Militants Distribute Candy to Celebrate ‘Downing’ of Russian Plane, Threaten Putin with Attacks in Russia,” MEMRI, November 3, 2015: In a video posted on the Internet on November 3, ISIS militants are shown handing out candy to […]
Islamic State on recruitment spree in Russia, “moderate” imams can’t counter the jihadis’ appeal
“Most local imams in Dagestan shun radical views, but they have found it hard to counter the appeal of radical ideas promoted by the Islamic State. Some imams who spoke against radical Islam have been killed.” Why have they “found it hard to counter the appeal of radical ideas promoted by the Islamic State”? To […]
Video: Raymond Ibrahim on Russia’s “Holy War” on the Islamic State
I was recently interviewed by Erick Stakelbeck on The Blaze TV regarding my article, “Russia Declares Holy War on Islamic State.” Are Russian claims concerning persecuted Christians sincere or propaganda? What of Russia’s alliance with Iran? I respond to these concerns and more in the above 7-minute video.
Putin: 20 jihad terror plots foiled in Russia this year
“The FSB, the main successor to the KGB, says that it has foiled two major terror plots in two weeks in Moscow and in southern Russia which were allegedly prepared by men with links to IS.” The Islamic State, and the jihadis in general, will keep advancing until they are stopped by force. That is […]
Putin proposes “immunity” for sacred texts: they can’t be judged “extremist”
“The move comes after the protest by a part of the vast Russian Muslim community over the decision of a court of the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, the Far East, which had deemed verses of the Koran ‘extremist’, forbidding its distribution.” What, then, must one do when confronted with a worldwide movement that quotes verses of […]
Obama says Russian campaign in Syria a sign of Putin’s weakness
This is as delusional as Obama’s insistence that the Islamic State has nothing to do with Islam. Acting decisively in defense of an ally is not a sign of weakness, but of reliability — something Obama has never been with America’s allies. “Obama says Russian campaign in Syria a sign of Putin’s weakness,” EFE, October […]
Raymond Ibrahim: Russia Declares ‘Holy War’ on Islamic State
The Orthodox Christian Church, which is reclaiming its traditional role in post-Soviet Russia, has just described its government’s fight against the Islamic State and other jihadi groups in Syria as a “holy war.” According to Vsevolod Chaplin, head of the Church’s Public Affairs Department, The fight with terrorism is a holy battle and today our […]
Robert Spencer in PJ Media: Putin Bests Obama in UN Showdown on Syria
In PJ Media today, I discuss how, at the UN yesterday, Obama tripled down on his politically correct Mideast fantasies, while Putin correctly analyzed the Islamic State and Assad. Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin both spoke at the United Nations on Monday, with Putin reiterating a call he made in September for an international coalition […]
Putin to those who supported “Arab Spring” in Middle East: “Do you realize what you have done?”
“Instead of the triumph of democracy and progress, we got violence, poverty and social disaster — and nobody cares a bit about human rights, including the right to life. I cannot help asking those who have forced that situation: Do you realize what you have done?” No, they don’t realize what they have done, and […]
Russia, Iraq, Syria, and Iran to share intelligence about the Islamic State
Obama and the French and the others in the Western coalition are merely carrying out cosmetic strikes against the Islamic State. Russia is now acting with Iran and its client regimes in Baghdad and Damascus to do something genuine to fight the Islamic State. Obama won’t coordinate with Putin because of Assad: “American officials, who […]