Islam Times - Russian president calls US bluff on fighting Daesh terrorists: Analyst

Islam Times - Russian President Vladimir Putin has called the bluff of the United States and its allies in their supposed battle against the Daesh (ISIL) Takfiri group terrorizing its way through much of Syria and Iraq, a writer and sociopolitical psychologist in Washington says.

“I seriously doubt that Putin is naive enough to believe that the West is trying to stop ISIL when it is clear from the evidence that ISIL is the progeny of the West and its policy of destabilization in the region,” said Walt Peretto.

“By protecting Russia's borders with airstrikes, this strategy also places the ball in the hands of the West who must continue to pretend to be against ISIL instead of behind it,” Peretto said.

Since September 2014, the US and some of its allies have been conducting airstrikes against purported positions of the Takfiri Daesh terrorists inside Syria without any authorization from Damascus or a UN mandate.

Russia began its own military campaign against terrorists in Syria on September 30 upon a request from the Damascus government.

“Putin is trying to expose Western involvement in the creation and maintenance of ISIL and cause the West to back off support and allow Syria to re-stabilize and allow its traditional government to take back what is now lost,” Peretto noted

“Potentially, these recent events may expose to the world the West's true intent which is regime change in Syria to bring them under Western control,” he added.

On Tuesday, Putin described as mindless the United States policies vis-à-vis Syria and Washington's refusal to cooperate with Moscow on ending the years-old crisis in the Arab country.

"I believe some of our partners simply have mush for brains," Putin said at an investment forum in the Russian capital, Moscow, adding that Washington has declined to share intelligence on Syria.

Washington has accused Moscow of targeting US-backed “moderate” militants in Syria instead of Daesh, two groups fighting to overthrow the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

“The blushing and embarrassed West is squirming by accusing Russia of targeting so-called "moderate" groups as opposed to all-out terrorist groups,” Peretto said.

“In turn, Putin has been accusing the US-led coalition of withholding intelligence from Russia that could help them strike targets that are most beneficial to the cause,” he added.