Free Republic

Life often takes us in unexpected directions, but Maria Sue Bell’s life has been more rollicking and full of surprises than most. Back in 1984 and 1985, Bell served in the Army National Guard and was on Army Active Duty until Jan. 31, 1986. In a warning sign of what was to come, the criminal complaint against Bell says that she “received an Other Than Honorable (OTH) Discharge deemed Good for Service in lieu of a Court Martial,” although the reason for this has not been disclosed and has now been overshadowed by far more serious misconduct: Bell was sentenced...

Here in Pennsylvania the indoor mask order still in force for the unvaccinated but Democrat Governor Tom Wolf did choose today to lift all other coronavirus restrictions on restaurants. But restaurant owners say other issues on the table including rising food prices and supply shortages along with the shortage of labor place obstacles in their way... Russia's Tass news agency reporting that British Intelligence (MI 6) is working to rebrand Al Qaeda terrorists operating in Syria (An Nusra) as friends of the West... Denmark's military intelligence service helped the US National Security Agency to spy on top leaders of four...

EXCLUSIVE – After he escaped from Al Qaeda in Syria, American photojournalist Matt Schrier investigated his own kidnapping and uncovered what he describes as a pattern of "betrayal" by FBI agents handling his case. Schrier is now asking hard questions of former FBI Director Robert Mueller, who now leads the special counsel Russia probe, and former FBI Director James Comey who was fired by President Trump in May 2017. "Not every FBI agent is bad. Some are very good people," Schrier told Fox News. "But the ones that are bad need to be weeded out. And the ones who let...

How Qatar carefully nurtured al-Nusra to sow mayhem A video showing Al-Jazeera anchor Ahmad Mansour interviewing the leader of the al-Nusra Front in Syria or Jabhat al-Nusra, Abu Muhammad al-Julani, has reappeared on social media platforms. While Mansour drew attention to the fact that there is no difference between the Muslim Brotherhood and al-Qaeda, the most interesting part remains the target of the dialogue itself. The goal of Al Jazeera anchor was to whitewash Al Nusra Front and present it as a militant party with an honorable cause. The interview brings to the forefront the issue of Qatar’s relationship with...

Stanford University has a set of very informative web pages containing descriptions of various militant groups. The information is presented as an interactive map showing relationships between groups, leaders, and major battles. There is a wealth of information available. For example, this screen capture shows a map of the relationships between al Nusra, IS, AQ, and the Free Syrian Army.

There are moments within investigative research when your jaw can stand agape as you recognize the scope of what you are reading or hearing. A brutally down-played audio of Secretary John Kerry is just such an occasion.(snip) This evidence within this single story would/should forever remove any credibility toward the U.S. foreign policy under President Obama. It also destroys the credibility of a large number of well known republicans. What the recording reveals is substantive: ♦ First, only regime change, the removal of Bashir Assad, in Syria was the goal for President Obama. This is admitted and outlined by Secretary...

An al-Qaeda linked terror group has claimed responsibility for the assassination of the Russian ambassador in Turkey, it was reported. A statement released by the Syria based al-Nusra front hails the killer, off duty policeman Mevlut Altintas, as a martyr who sought 'revenge for the women, children and elderly killed in Aleppo'. Altintas recited a poem associated with al-Nusra fighters and yelled, 'Don't forget Aleppo', before gunning down Andrei Karlov at the opening of an art exhibition in Ankara.

Two days ago, Trump visited the White House to prepare for his Presidency, and part of that involves his being brought up to speed on ALL aspects of Obama's foreign policy. It turns out that the very same day, the Treasury Department all of a sudden announced that al Nusra is a terrorist organization, making any funding or support for them illegal. Check it out at this linkFor years Obama has been playing a dirty game of opposing certain terrorists in Iraq, while supporting them in Syria. Nusra is particularly bad, these are the thugs who have beheaded bishops, terrorized...

Ex-Mossad chief says it’s OK for Israel to support al Qaeda in Syria because al Qaeda never attacked Israel.

One of the mortar shells fired at the embassy complex hit the residential area, while two others landed near the embassy building, the ministry said in a statement. Nobody was injured by the explosions. “According to reports, the shelling came from the Jobar neighborhood of Damascus, which is under control of the terrorist groups Jabhat Fateh al-Sham and Failak ar-Rahman,” the ministry said. Jabhat Fateh al-Sham is the new name taken by Al-Nusra Front, the Al-Qaeda offshoot universally considered a terrorist organization. Failak ar-Rahman is a lesser-known Islamist group. Moscow said the shelling is “result of the actions of those...

In a striking interview with German journalist Jürgen Todenhöfer published today the German press including the prominent newspaper Focus, a militant jihadist commander said that US weapons are being delivered to Jabhat Al-Nusra by governments that Washington supports, adding that American instructors were in Syria to teach how to use the new equipment. “Yes, the US supports the opposition [in Syria], but not directly. They support the countries that support us. But we are not yet satisfied with this support,” Jabhat al-Nusra unit commander Abu Al Ezz said in an interview with Koelner Stadt-Anzeiger newspaper from the city of Aleppo....

For years the Obama administration has been accused of micromanaging the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan from inside the White House. Now in an astonishing report from Fox News anchor Bret Baier, three former Obama Defense Secretaries are openly slamming him for his distrust of the military, his failure to lead and they're exposing his inexperienced and closest advisors for second guessing senior field commanders with phone calls to the battlefield. "President Obama, he's one of the youngest presidents we've ever had. One of the most inexperienced presidents we've ever had. He has a staff around him that is very...

UN says armed Syrian groups blocking Aleppo aid for 'political gain' By Raf Sanchez, Middle East correspondent 14 September 2016 • 4:22pm The UN has accused armed groups in Syria of blocking the delivery of aid to the besieged city of Aleppo for “political gain” - including rebel factions inside Aleppo itself who say they will reject aid that comes through regime territory. /snip A convoy of 20 UN trucks carrying enough aid for 40,000 people is languishing at the Turkish border as diplomats try to secure agreement from both rebels and regime forces to allow the vehicles through. /snip...

Russia and the US have agreed to a "cessation of hostilities" in Syria from sunset on 12 September after intensive talks in Geneva. Under the plan, the Syrian government will end combat missions in specified areas held by the opposition. Russia and the US will establish a joint centre to combat so-called Islamic State and al-Nusra fighters. The plan follows a day of talks between US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.

Al Nusra Front officially splits from Al Qaida Group hopes to evade a new cooperation pact between the US and Russia, aimed at annihilating Al Qaida Published: 15:35 July 25, 2016 Gulf News Sami Moubayed, Correspondent Beirut: Abu Mohammad Al Golani, commander of Al Nusra Front, will make a public statement later today announcing his departure from Al Qaida. His new group will be named Jabhat Fateh Al Sham (Sham Liberation Front). By doing so the group hopes to evade a new cooperation pact between the US and Russia, aimed at annihilating Al Qaida operatives on the Syrian battlefield. Originally...

Obama retreats from Putin in Syria — again By Editorial Board July 2 at 4:46 PM FOR SEVERAL years, the Obama administration’s Syria policy has been stuck in a cycle of failure. Secretary of State John F. Kerry negotiates deals with Russia to end the fighting or create a new government in Damascus, while warning that if they are not respected by Russian President Vladi­mir Putin or Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the United States will consider other options, such as stepping up support for Syrian rebels. In every case, the Russian and Syrian regimes have betrayed their commitments, continuing to...

A senior figure from a Syrian rebel group with links to al Qaida was allowed into the United States for a brief visit, raising questions about how much the Obama administration will compromise in the search for partners in the conflict. Labib al Nahhas, foreign affairs director for the Islamist fighting group Ahrar al Sham, spent a few days in Washington in December, according to four people with direct knowledge of the trip and who spoke on condition of anonymity. His previously undisclosed visit is a delicate matter for both sides – the conservative Salafist insurgents risk their credibility with...

Syrian rebels massacre Kurdish civilians in Aleppo April 6, 2016 Syria ARA News ERBIL – Dozens of civilians, including women and children, were killed on Tuesday in attacks by Arab rebel groups on a Kurdish neighborhood in Syria’s northern Aleppo city, officials and activists told ARA News. The Kurdish neighborhood of Sheikh Mqsoud in Aleppo –held by fighters of the People’s Protection Units (YPG)– was exposed to heavy shelling by Islamist rebels on Tuesday. At least 70 civilians were reported dead in the bombardment of Sheikh Maqsoud. “The situation in Sheikh Maqsoud is very bad, the attacks of these rebel...

CIA's Syrian Jihadists Fighting Pentagon's Kurdish Rebels March 26, 2016 Daniel Greenfield The Pentagon often gets a bad rap, but it's been a voice of reason during Obama's era of foreign policy irresponsibility. It went head to head with Hillary Clinton over the push to invade Libya to the point of usurping the State Department by trying to work out an agreement with Gaddafi. While the CIA continues running guns to any Jihadist with a Qatari connection and a pulse, the Pentagon has shown some common sense. Now two foreign policies are colliding once again on the battlefield. The fighting...

Officers seized thousands of uniforms and other military gear on the way to terror groups Isis and al-Nusra Front. Spain's National Police reported on Thursday that officers had intercepted 20,000 uniforms and other military gear that were being sent to terror groups Isis and al-Nusra Front - the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda. "With nearly 20,000 uniforms and military accessories seized, they would have been able to equip an entire army, which would be perfectly prepared to enter combat in any of the centres of conflict where terrorist jihadist organizations operate in the world," the Interior Ministry reported on Thursday. Police...