Since early 2011, Washington waged proxy war on Syria. Daily it continues down and dirty.

Targeting civilians is policy. So are atrocities grave enough to make some despots blush.

Syria's conflict isn't an uprising, revolution or civil war. It's naked Western aggression. Syria's been invaded. A struggle for survival continues.

Washington planned regime change years ago. Western recruited death squads ravage the country. Strategy usually involves war.

Daily crimes of war and against humanity are committed. Pro-Assad loyalists are terrorized, tortured, brutalized, dismembered, and murdered. World leaders turn a blind eye. Assad is wrongfully blamed for defending his people responsibly.

Washington bears full responsibility for destroying another country. Rare mainstream reports tell it straight. Daily propaganda drowns it out. Occasional honest journalism reveals what's otherwise suppressed and ignored.

Even The New York Times said Syria's conflict is "radicalized....Salafists" and other Islamic groups are involved. Falsely it claimed they're homegrown. They're largely imported from regional countries.

Most Syrians deplore violence. They want peace, not war. Assad is their last line of defense. Without him they're at the mercy of unrestrained cutthroat killers. Washington uses them strategically to ravage countries. Humanitarian intervention is turned on its head.

Various reports say or suggest Al Qaeda fighters play an active role in Syria. The New York Times suggested it. So did the Washington Post, Time Magazine, CBS News, Reuters and Al Jazeera, among others.

Last winter, Hillary Clinton admitted Al Qaeda's presence in Syria. She told BBC news about "a very dangerous set of actors in the region, Al Qaeda, Hamas, and those who are on our terrorist list....supporting (the Syrian) opposition...."

She omitted saying Washington recruits, funds, arms, trains and directs them. BBC didn't ask. An Arab League observer mission report admitted insurgent atrocities against civilians and government forces.

Media scoundrels ignored it. Nothing is said about independent journalists doing their job. They provide accurate on the ground reports. It's not what imperial Washington wants known. Truth and full disclosure are suppressed.

Rare exceptions are noteworthy. Last March, Der Spiegel discussed the "Homs burial brigade." An insurgent "executioner" said he and comrades "kill in the name of the Syrian revolution. They leave torture (to) the so-called interrogation brigade...."

"They do the ugly work." He believes in violence, he explained. He "cut the throats of four men." He machine-gunned many more.

Homs fighters commit "regular executions." It continues daily in cold blood throughout the country. Assad loyalists are targeted, brutalized and murdered. Women and children aren't spared. Der Spiegel's "executioner" article explained. The publication said little more by way of follow-up.

Assad confronts death squads responsibly. Imagine the greater bloodbath if he stood down. Western and regional special forces direct death squads. Washington's strategy involves terrorizing Syrians to submit. No forms of violence are too taboo.

Last March, Human Rights Watch reported on Syrian "Armed Opposition Groups Committing Abuses." An "Open Letter to the Leaders of the Syrian Opposition" accused them of targeted killings, summary executions, kidnappings for ransom, torture, hostage taking, and other violent crimes.

HRW's moment of truth didn't last. It's a reliable imperial ally. Amnesty International and similar groups replicate its anti-Assad propaganda. They're well funded to support US interests.

McClatchy Newspapers are the latest ones to publish disturbing truths. It operates 30 dailies in 15 states. It owns Knight Ridder. When purchased in 2006, it was America's second largest newspaper company.

McClatchy publications include the San Jose Mercury News, Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Daily News, and Miami Herald, among others.

On August 3, it headlined "Accounts of Syria rebels executing prisoners raise new human rights concerns," saying:

"Syrian insurgents fighting to unseat President Bashar Assad face a growing list of accusations that they’ve carried out executions and torture, muddying the Western narrative of a heroic resistance force struggling against a vicious regime."

Videos captured their dirty work. They circulated widely online. They showed pro-Assad elements murdered in Aleppo.

Turkish Milliyet's reporter witnessed what happened firsthand. More than a dozen men were captured. Summary executions followed.

They "were forced into a building, then brought before a court of the Free Syrian Army on the back of a pickup truck, after which they were lined up and shot at lightning speed."

It wasn't an isolate incident, said McClatchy. Its reporter traveling with Free Syrian Army fighters said 45 Assad loyalists were seized in Al Tal. It's north of Damascus. At least eight were executed. Others were held captive either for ransom or prisoner exchanges.

A Damascus insurgent said his unit executed about 150 Syrians "on suspicion of being pro-Assad informants."

In mid-July, a top Iraqi security official said insurgents took over a border outpost and "executed 22 soldiers in front of the eyes of Iraqi soldiers."

A so-called Daoud Battalion operates in Jebel al Zawiyah in northern Syria. It puts "prisoners in cars rigged with explosives and then remotely detonate(s) the bombs when the vehicles (approach) government checkpoints."

Videos document it. They're not suicide attacks. They're cold-blodded murder. US-funded Syria Justice and Accountability Center head Mohammad Abdallah said:

"We're going to face retaliation and revenge at the end because of the numbers of those being killed is huge."

McClatchy also said fake videos of alleged regime crimes circulate. It's well known but little reported.

These type reports are rare. Daily propaganda overwhelms them. A so-called "Damascus Spring" is imperial cover for ravaging Syria ruthlessly. Strategy includes cold-blooded mass murder and other gruesome crimes.

In his recent Global Research article, Finian Cunningham said:

Insurgent captives "were dragged out to be executed in a small, dusty courtyard in blazing sunlight. The victims were half-naked, dazed, their underwear soaked in blood, their legs bleeding from torture inflicted earlier."

"The expectant crowd, some armed with guns, others holding up mobile phones to take what were presumably trophy photos, were baying for execution."

Mercenary killers are well trained. No crime is too gruesome to commit. Washington wants blood and gets it. Body counts mount.

Media scoundrels portray a liberating struggle. Independent journalists tell it like it is. You wouldn't want these thugs in your neighborhood. You shouldn't want US tax dollars funding them.

They're Washington favorites. Ronald Reagan called earlier equivalents "freedom fighters." Some got White House visits.

A March 1983 photo showed Afghan Mujahideen fighters there. Reagan called them "an inspiration to those who love freedom." He spent eight years destroying it at home and abroad. He wrecked California as governor.

Wherever America shows up, one atrocity follows others. Countries are ravaged one at a time or in multiples. Millions have died. Appalling crimes are committed. Scoundrel media coverup conceals them.

Rare reports tell it straight. Ending carnage isn't imminent. The world at war may follow. Expect anything because it's possible.

A Final Comment

Haaretz reported on Israeli security officials expressing concern about possible internal Al Qaeda blowback. What's ongoing in Syria could strike Israel.

If Assad goes, "global jihad(ists)" could launch cross-border attacks or infiltrate Israel and hit internally. Why not when Israeli policy makes more enemies than friends. Pay back may be just a matter of time.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book is titled "How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War"

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

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