Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor

By : Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor

The United States and its European allies, who claim to be working toward the destruction of the Islamic State of Iran and Syria (ISIS) and toppling of the Assad regime, are beginning to lose credibility. It appears their sophisticated surveillance apparatus is unable to track long columns of military Humvees and tanks decked out in black flags moving through Syria at will. And they are making no effort to free the long-suffering Syrian people from a dictator who has killed close to 200,000 of his own people.

It’s unbelievable that U.S. airpower has failed to put an end to the war of attrition still raging in the Syrian town of Kobane between Kurdish fighters attempting to wrest the town from the most vicious terrorist organisation on the planet. One is forced to ask why the United States, which waged a war and occupied an entire country for 13 years to get Osama bin Laden, has taken such half-hearted action to eradicate monsters that proudly cut off the heads of U.S. and British citizens.

It’s unbelievable that U.S. airpower has failed to put an end to the war of attrition still raging in the Syrian town of Kobane.

Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor

U.S. ignoring Assad, eyeing ISIS

Evidence is piling-up suggesting America’s official policy toward both cruel entities is nothing but a facade in a bid to appease its Middle East allies and a sop to naive sectors of global public opinion that still have faith in so-called American values. I hope this is not a cover-up for back-door deals between the United States, Iran and the Syrian regime to rearrange the region’s geopolitical deckchairs to the detriment of Sunni states.

For instance, the U.S. State Department is about to end funding to the Commission for International Justice and Accountability (CIJA) that relies on human intelligence to gather material evidence of the Assad regime’s crimes against humanity. At the same time, it’s spending more on ferreting out evidence on war crimes committed by ISIS, a move that leads some to suspect that Bashar al-Assad and his Iranian-controlled cohorts will ultimately be handed a get-out-of-jail pass.

The United States spending more time on ferreting out evidence on war crimes committed by ISIS leads some to suspect that Assad and his Iranian-controlled cohorts will ultimately be handed a get-out-of-jail pass.

Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor

In any event, anyone who imagines that either regime officials or the Mickey Mouse “Caliph” will ever see the inside of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague is either dreaming or easily fooled. In the case of Assad, Syria is not a member of the ICC, which leaves only one option: a United Nations Security Council resolution. But that option would be dead in the water because Moscow would certainly use its veto to block any such attempt. But let’s suppose for the sake of argument that President Putin dumps his Syrian ally, thus paving the way for such action. Even then, does anyone suppose that those indicted would be packing their suitcases and booking their flights to the Netherlands to face justice?

Lest we forget, Hezbollah still refuses to surrender four suspects wanted by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in connection with the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005. If an armed militia is able to ignore the court with impunity, there is no doubt that a sitting president would do the same. And as for the “Caliph” and his henchmen, they must be chuckling at the very idea. Creatures that bury children alive, bartering women in a slave market for weapons and blow themselves up to murder innocents are hardly likely to quake with terror at the thought of a panel of judges thousands of miles away.

And, let’s face it, what’s the point of tasking organizations to accumulate proof of their crimes when video evidence is all over the news and there is no shortage of witnesses lucky enough to escape the terrorists’ clutches. In the days prior to the proliferation of the Internet and citizen journalists armed with mobile phones capable of taking videos and photographs, this type of con on the part of Western powers might have succeeded but fortunately the truth can no longer be hidden.

Worse, the United States and other NATO member states are seemingly turning a blind eye to Turkey’s alleged role in permitting ISIS to gain a foothold in Syria. Ankara has been accused of permitting its soil to be used as a secure re-supply and medical hub for ISIS whose fighters are being treated in Turkish hospitals, ostensibly for humanitarian reasons. Is President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s heart so mushy that he apparently welcomes killers, rapists, bombers, crucifiers and decapitators to enjoy his hospitality? What kind of humanitarian seemingly gives succour to murderers while doing nothing to save innocent Syrians being slaughtered a stone’s throw away from his country’s border?

The United States and other NATO member states are seemingly turning a blind eye to Turkey’s alleged role in permitting ISIS to gain a foothold in Syria

Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor

Moreover, despite appeals from the U.S.-led coalition, Erdogan still refuses to join their campaign in Syria and Iraq because the coalition has yet to fulfil his conditions, he says. He has barred the United States and its allies from using Turkey’s Incirlik Air Base and, in fact, the only concession he’s made is permission for Kurdish Peshmerga fighters to access Kobane via Turkey.

The Turkish president criticises U.S.-led operations in Syria almost weekly with an unrestrained tongue. No surprise there! But I’m mystified as to why the West is treating this renegade by default with kid gloves. Why aren’t Washington, London, Paris and NATO holding Turkey to account for allegedly providing facilities to crazed extremists threatening the entire region when it’s supposed to be on the same side? They didn’t hesitate to slap Russia with sanctions over its stance toward Ukraine, yet Turkey that openly collaborates with the Muslim Brotherhood and its takfiri affiliates gets away with being belligerently obstructive.

Arab leaders must surely be aware of what’s going on. Western powers are no longer sincere in cleansing our region from terrorists. Sure, they tickle them with a few bombs and threaten to haul them off to the ICC but that’s about it. The UK has even asked the Emirates to explain why the names of certain UK-based Islamist organisations and ‘charities’ have appeared on the UAE’s recently published terrorist blacklist as though the British government is their advocate. For years, they’ve been urging Muslim countries to come out strongly against terrorism and when they do, they’re being questioned!!!

Enough is enough! It’s time that Arab armies acted independently without waiting for a green light from the West whose goals are far from transparent. This is our neighbourhood. This is our fight and we must take matters into our own hands. GCC States and their allies, in particular Jordan and Egypt, have well-equipped, well-trained military forces and, together, they can destroy these threats to our existence once and for all. Once again, I must make a strong appeal to these leaders to recognise the dangers and the need for driving our own chariots into a battle that must be won at all costs.

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Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor is a prominent and highly respected citizen of the United Arab Emirates. A self-made man, he is Chairman of the Al Habtoor Group – one of the most successful conglomerates in the Gulf. Al Habtoor is known not only for his many business achievements but also his extensive knowledge of international political affairs; his philanthropic activity; his efforts to promote peace; and the fact that he has long acted as an unofficial ambassador for his country abroad. Writing extensively on both local and international politics, he publishes regular articles in the media and has released a number of books.
Al Habtoor began his career as an employee of a local UAE construction firm and in 1970 established his own company, Al Habtoor Engineering. The UAE Federation, which united the seven emirates under the one flag for the first time, was founded in 1971 and this inspired him to undertake a series of innovative construction projects – all of which proved highly successful.

 
 
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