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Assadland, a Russian protectorate
[Hurriyet Daily News] Only a few weeks ago, the al-Assad regime seemed in danger of losing the swath of land from Latakia to Damascus to the assaults of the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
 of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Jabat al-Nusra
...formally Jabhat an-Nusrah li-Ahli sh-Sham (Support Front for the People of the Levant), also known as al-Qaeda in the Levant. They aim to establish a pan-Arab caliphate. Not the same one as the Islamic State, though .. ...
 and others. Today, Russia has taken over and brought in heavy weapons. Not only can Bashir al-Assad breathe a sigh of relief, but the entire Syrian scene should now be revisited from three different angles.
Posted by: Fred 2015-09-22
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=430274