Anything short of putting out a press release verifying that 2+2=4, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t trust anything coming out of the Biden Administration. Ever.
But in all fairness, I trust the Putin government about as far as I could throw them.
But who I do consider a trusted news source, Newsmax.com to be exact, is reporting that the Moscow government is actively recruiting Syrian fighters with “skill in urban combat.”
Even though I really do trust Newsmax, their report is (sad to say) built on a foundation of quicksand.
Newsmax reporter Nick Koutsobinas cites a report from the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) as his main source article. Unfortunately, the WSJ.com article is behind a pay wall, but the audio article is available for free.
With that out of the way, the WSJ.com cites their sources as simply “four American officials” and “experts.”
Well, that’s about as clear as a bucket of mud.
However, Newsmax.com is citing an article from an independent Syrian news source, Deirezzor24.com, that Putin’s Kremlin actually is recruiting Syrian guns-for-hire.
As reported by Newsmax;
According to Syrian publication Deir Ezzo, Russia is offering Syrian fighters “salaries ranging between 200 and 300 USD” to operate as “guards” for six months.
At this time, it is unknown how many Syrian fighters have been recruited, and U.S. officials have declined to elaborate on the matter.
But Jennifer Cafarella, a national security fellow at the Institute for the Study of War in Washington, D.C., said, “the Russia deployment of foreign fighters from Syria into Ukraine internationalizes the Ukraine war, and therefore could link the war in Ukraine to broader cross regional dynamics, particularly in the Middle East.”
Cafarella adds that Syrian forces could also work in a support role, similar to how they worked in Syria operating alongside the Wagner Group, a mercenary force some believe to be a proxy of the Russian government.
Speaking of Putin recruiting Muslims, I noted late last week that Putin plans on deploying the much-feared Chechen Muslim fundamentalist troops to saddle-up with the Russian Army already invading Ukraine.
News about 10 000 Chechen troops leaving to Ukraine alarmed many. And yet, one must know context to understand its meaning. Many assume that after Putin’s victory Chechnya became just part of Russia and thus Chechen troops are just Russian regulars of Chechen origin. Not quite🧵 pic.twitter.com/GyXRWTruzo
— Kamil Galeev (@kamilkazani) February 26, 2022