[Peace-discuss] US State Dept travel warning (10/18/17) -- Fwd: US Admitting Syrian Militants Use Chemical Weapons ‘Welcome’ Overdue Corrective

Mon Oct 23 15:09:16 UTC 2017

Francis Boyle pointed out the US State Dept. travel warning that's the
basis for his comments to Sputnik.    Here's a link (dated 10/18/17)
*and* the text that's there at the moment - in case a future version of
the travel warning omits the parts Boyle refers to:

https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/alertswarnings/syria-travel-warning.html

It's been assumed (publicly by our gov't and in our press) that when
chemical weapons were used in Syria, it must have been the Syrian
government which used them.   This travel advisory implies that our own
State Dept doesn't believe that's necessarily so.  See this bit:

> Tactics of ISIS, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, and other violent extremist
> groups include the use of suicide bombers, kidnapping, small and heavy
> arms, improvised explosive devices, and chemical weapons.

  Syria Travel Warning

Last Updated: October 18, 2017

*The Department of State continues to warn U.S. citizens against all
travel to Syria and strongly recommends that U.S. citizens remaining in
Syria depart immediately. The security situation remains dangerous and
unpredictable.  *Violent conflict between government and armed
anti-government groups continues throughout the country. There is a
serious risk for kidnappings, bombings, murder, and terrorism. This
replaces the Travel Warning dated March 22, 2017. 

No part of Syria is safe from violence. Small arms fire, improvised
explosives, artillery shelling, airstrikes, kidnappings, arbitrary
arrests, and the use of chemical weapons transpire with little or no
warning, significantly raising the risk of death or serious injury.
While there have been internationally supported efforts to de-escalate
the conflict, violence still persists in many parts of the country. The
Syrian government has demonstrated reluctance to comply with ceasefire
agreements in East Ghouta, Homs, and Idlib. In addition, Russian and/or
Syrian forces continue to conduct airstrikes in Idlib province, which
have recently resulted in dozens of civilian casualties and the death of
medical personnel. Moreover, the Syrian government and its partners
continue to prohibit the free flow of humanitarian aid into besieged
areas, resulting in severe food shortages.

Terrorist and other violent extremist groups including ISIS and
al-Qa’ida-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (dominated by al-Qa’ida affiliate
Jabhat al-Nusrah, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization), operate
in Syria. In July 2017, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham consolidated power in Idlib
province after it clashed with other armed actors. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham
control over Idlib threatens the ability of NGOs and states to deliver
humanitarian aid to Syrians residing in Idlib. Moreover, Russia and/or
the Syrian government initiated airstrikes in Idlib in September, which
resulted in significant damage to medical facilities and dozens of
civilian casualties. Tactics of ISIS, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, and other
violent extremist groups include the use of suicide bombers, kidnapping,
small and heavy arms, improvised explosive devices, and chemical
weapons. They have targeted major city centers, road checkpoints, border
crossings, government buildings, shopping areas, and open spaces, in
Damascus, Aleppo, Hamah, Dara, Homs, Idlib, and Dayr al-Zawr provinces.
These groups have murdered and kidnapped U.S. citizens, both for ransom
and political purposes; in some instances U.S. citizens have disappeared
within Syria. Because of the security situation in Syria, the U.S.
government’s ability to help U.S. citizens kidnapped or taken hostage is
very limited.

The U.S. government particularly warns private U.S. citizens against
traveling to Syria to engage in armed conflict. U.S. citizens who
undertake such activity face extreme personal risks, including
kidnapping, injury, or death. The U.S. government does not support this
activity, and our ability to provide consular assistance to individuals
who are injured or kidnapped, or to the families of individuals who die
in the conflict, is extremely limited. Individuals who demonstrate an
interest in groups opposing ISIS, including on social media, could open
themselves to being targeted by ISIS itself, especially if those
individuals travel to Syria.

Fighting on behalf of or providing other forms of support to designated
terrorist organizations, including ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusrah (also known
as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham), can constitute the provision of material
support for terrorism, which is a crime under U.S. law that can result
in penalties including prison time and large fines.

The destruction of infrastructure, housing, medical facilities, schools,
and power and water utilities has also increased hardships inside the
country. Communications in Syria are difficult as phone and internet
connections are unreliable. U.S. citizens have reported facing dangers
traveling within the country and when trying to leave Syria via land
borders, given the diminishing availability of commercial air travel out
of Syria. Opposition-held land border checkpoints should not be
considered safe, as they are targeted by regime attacks and some armed
groups have sought funding through kidnappings for ransom. Border areas
are frequent targets of shelling and other attacks and are crowded
because of internally-displaced refugees. Errant attacks will
occasionally hit border towns just outside the borders as well. Road
checkpoints controlled by armed terrorist and violent extremist groups
have been utilized to conduct kidnappings, including of U.S. citizens.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) prohibits U.S. civil
aviation from flying in the Damascus Flight Information Region (FIR)
because of the ongoing armed conflict and volatile security environment.
This FIR includes all the airspace over Syria and extends into adjacent
international airspace. In addition, U.S. government personnel in
Lebanon are prohibited from taking flights that pass through the
Damascus FIR. A number of armed extremist groups are known to be
equipped with a variety of antiaircraft weapons that have the capability
to threaten civil aircraft. For additional background information
regarding FAA flight prohibitions and advisories for U.S. civil
aviation, U.S. citizens should consult the Federal Aviation
Administration’s Prohibitions, Restrictions and Notices
<http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/us_restrictions/>.

The U.S. Embassy in Damascus suspended its operations in February 2012
and cannot provide protection or routine consular services to U.S.
citizens in Syria. The Government of the Czech Republic, acting through
its Embassy in Damascus, serves as the Protecting Power for U.S.
interests in Syria. The range of consular services the Czech Republic
provides to U.S. citizens is extremely limited, and those services,
including U.S. passports and Consular Reports of Birth Abroad, may
require significantly more processing time than at U.S. embassies or
consulates outside Syria. U.S. citizens in Syria who seek consular
services should try to quickly and safely leave the country and contact
a U.S. embassy or consulate in a neighboring country, if at all
possible.  U.S. citizens who are unable to safely leave Syria and
require consular services may contact the U.S. Interests Section of the
Embassy of the Czech Republic in Damascus at
USIS_damascus at embassy.mzv.cz <mailto:USIS_damascus at embassy.mzv.cz>.

U.S. citizens in Syria who are in need of emergency assistance and are
unable to reach the U.S. Interests Section of the Embassy of the Czech
Republic, or must make contact outside business hours, should contact
the U.S. Embassy in Amman, Jordan
<https://jo.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/emergency-contact/>:

Telephone: +962 (6) 590-6950 (Daily 2-3:30 local time)
Emergencies: +962 (6) 590-6500
E-mail: Amman-ACS at state.gov <mailto:Amman-ACS at state.gov>

For additional information about U.S. citizens' services in Syria from
the Office of Overseas Citizens' Services in Washington, e-mail:
SyriaEmergencyUSC at state.gov <mailto:SyriaEmergencyUSC at state.gov>.

For information on "What the Department of State Can and Can't Do in a
Crisis," please visit the Bureau of Consular Affairs' Emergencies and
Crisis link
<http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/emergencies/crisis-support.html>
at Travel.State.Gov <http://www.travel.state.gov/>. Up-to-date
information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747
toll-free in the United States and Canada or, for callers outside the
United States and Canada, on a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444.
These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight
Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).

For additional information:

  * See the State Department's travel website
    <http://travel.state.gov/> for the Worldwide Caution
    <http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/alertswarnings/worldwide-caution.html>,
    Travel Warnings, Travel Alerts,
    <http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/alertswarnings.html>
    and Syria Country Specific Information
    <http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country/syria.html>.
  * Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program
    <https://step.state.gov/step/> (STEP <https://step.state.gov/step/>)
    to receive security messages and make it easier to locate you in an
    emergency. 
  * Call 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada or
    1-202-501-4444 from other countries from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
    Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal
    holidays).
  * Follow us on Twitter <http://twitter.com/travelgov> and Facebook
    <http://www.facebook.com/travelgov>.

Embassies & Consulates

    Assistance for U.S. Citizens

      Embassy of the Czech Republic

The Government of the Czech Republic serves as the protecting power for
U.S. interests in Syria. U.S. citizens in Syria who seek consular
services should contact the U.S. Interests Section of the Embassy of the
Czech Republic in Damascus at USIS_damascus at embassy.mzv.cz. U.S.
citizens in Syria who are in need of emergency assistance in Syria and
are unable to reach the U.S. Interests Section of the Embassy of the
Czech Republic or must make contact outside business hours, should
contact the U.S. Embassy in Amman, Jordan:

  * Emergency After-Hours Telephone +(962) (6) 590-6500
  * Email AmmanACS at state.gov <mailto:AmmanACS at state.gov>
  * Embassy of Jordan <http://jordan.usembassy.gov/>

View more locations
<https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/alertswarnings/syria-travel-warning.html#more_embassies>

View Larger Map
<https://travelmaps.state.gov/TSGMap/?extent=32.181412429,31.8199888,44.089166782,37.551485788>

    Learn About Your Destination

    Enroll in STEP

Enrolling in this free service will allow us to better assist you in
case of an emergency while you are abroad.

Enroll <https://step.state.gov/step/>

On 10/20/2017 10:09 PM, Karen Aram via Peace wrote:
>>
>>  
>> Shared from sputniknews.com <http://sputniknews.com/>
>>  
>> US Admitting Syrian Militants Use Chemical Weapons ‘Welcome’ Overdue
>> Corrective
>> https://sputniknews.com/analysis/201710211058422305-usa-terrorists-use-chemicals-syria/
>> <https://nam01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsputniknews.com%2Fanalysis%2F201710211058422305-usa-terrorists-use-chemicals-syria%2F&data=02%7C01%7Ckarenaram%40hotmail.com%7Cfa271db85a454e13baad08d5182dc2d3%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636441507170392832&sdata=MxYO3V0U0bf9cp%2BPJjNaZ%2FTc6FfMf7ToubQg5MSkIhg%3D&reserved=0>
>>
>> *US KNEW ALL ALONG*
>>
>> The US government was finally started to acknowledge that groups it
>> had supported had employed chemical weapons in Syria where the Trump
>> and Obama administrations had sought to blame the Damascus government
>> for such attacks, University of Illinois Professor of Law Francis
>> Boyle told Sputnik.
>>
>> These policies were part of a wider US strategy to topple the
>> Damascus government that was clearly illegal under international law,
>> Boyle pointed out.
>>
>> The United States had backed the Syrian terror groups "as part of an
>> illegal attempt to overthrow the Syrian government in violation
>> of the United Nations Charter and the rulings of the World Court
>> in the Case of Nicaragua versus United States of America
>> (1984-1986)," he said.
>>
>> US policymakers could have had no doubt that the terror groups they
>> were financing, helping to organize and arming had been s using
>> chemical weapons, Boyle observed.
>>
>> "Of course the United States government 
>> <https://nam01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsputniknews.com%2Fpolitics%2F20170718%2F1055632225.html&data=02%7C01%7Ckarenaram%40hotmail.com%7Cfa271db85a454e13baad08d5182dc2d3%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636441507170392832&sdata=GZ9YKEHWEONLflKh8pBiNoC3mYfqwKZ2tLfoB0YfG8M%3D&reserved=0>knows
>> full well that some of its surrogate terrorist organizations in Syria
>> have used chemical weapons," he said.
>>
>> © SPUTNIK/ MIKHAIL VOSKRESENSKIY
>> *OPCW Says Found Evidence of Chemical Weapons Use in Syria's Hama in
>> March
>> <https://nam01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsputniknews.com%2Fmiddleeast%2F201710051057967144-opcw-chemical-weapons-use-syria%2F&data=02%7C01%7Ckarenaram%40hotmail.com%7Cfa271db85a454e13baad08d5182dc2d3%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636441507170392832&sdata=5DenvfjtOltAAfiT5YLcjb82Qx8yhlri4JOBky1P%2Fok%3D&reserved=0>*
>> Over the past four years, successive US administrations had
>> deliberately and cynically blamed Damascus for chemical attacks that
>> they knew their own allies had carried out, Boyle stated.
>>
>> "Both the Obama administration and now the Trump administration have
>> maliciously exploited their surrogates’ uses of chemical weapons
>> as pretexts and propaganda to justify direct US military intervention
>> into Syria," he said.
>>
>> Boyle also warned that even after the admission buried deep in this
>> week’s Travel Advisory, the US government could again in the future
>> blame the Syrian government for chemical attacks that it knew had
>> been carried out in reality by its own allies.
>>
>> "It very well could happen again. Caveat emptor!" he said.
>>
>> Al-Nusra Front controls Syria's Idlib Governorate through the
>> umbrella terrorist group al-Sham and is still thought to be a front
>> for al-Qaeda.
>>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Peace mailing list
> Peace at lists.chambana.net
> https://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/peace

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