Towards World War III

 By Sajjad Shaukat

Although the UNO-backed fragile ceasefire in Syria, brokered by the major powers including Russia and the United States came into force on February 27, this year, yet its violations continue, which could lead the world towards World War III in wake of various negative developments.

In this regard, rift has also been created between the US and its close NATO ally Turkey, when on February 10, 2016, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lashed out at the US over its support for Syria’s main Kurdish group, saying, “The failure to recognise the Democratic Union Party (PYD) as a terrorist group is creating a “sea of blood” in Syria. He explained, “The PYD, on which the US relies to battle so-called Islamic State (ISIS or Daesh) in Syria, is an offshoot of the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party.”

Despite the insistence of America and France to observe the ceasefire, Ankara continued its massive shelling against Kurdish targets in northwest Syria.

Meanwhile, Syria’s opposition and rebels have accused the Bashar al-Assad’s regime of attacking the rebel-held areas with heavy shelling, and its ally Russia of pounding at two villages in Aleppo province with air strikes. But, both Moscow and Damascus blame the US-supported rebels of violating the truce.

Besides, the Sunni-based militant groups, the CIA-backed Al-Qaeda’s affiliated outfit, Al-Nusra Front and ISIS which are in control of some areas of Syria are not subject to the truce agreement. These outfits, especially ISIS which are fighting to topple the Shia-government of Assad claimed responsibility for the recent terror attacks in Syria. And Moscow and US-major European allies are accusing each other of violating Syria’s ceasefire agreement.

In this respect, since September 30, 2015, various developments such as Russian successful airstrikes on the ISIS targets in the northern Syria—its coalition with Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon-based Hezbollah in support of Syrian President Assad, US Defense Department’s announcement to abandon the goal of training the Syrian rebels, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s clear-cut statement, indicating the Zionist regime in the US and  Israel for their “fake war on ISIL”, including the first Vienna meeting on Syrian crisis, where the US Secretary of State John Kerry agreed to keep Assad in power, and America’s decision of  sending 50 special forces to Syria to help in taking down ISIS terrorists, creation of  war-like situation between Russia and Turkey after the downing of Russian fighter jet by Ankara and demoralization of the ISIS terrorists and the rebels who are on flee, after the Russia-led coalition reoccupied several territories in Iraq and Syria have clearly proved that there is no durable solution of Syrian crisis, and the country still remains a flashpoint of World War III.

In this connection, the most alarming development is that the Pentagon has again announced to a train and equip programme for Syrian rebels who are fighting to topple Syrian President Assad’s regime. However, it is deviation from Geneva agreement and shows double game of America. While, Russia which is fighting a real war against the ISIS and wants to keep Assad in power cannot remain silent.

It is notable that during a visit to Italy’s largest military cemetery of World War I, on November 14, expressing his grief over the November 13 terror attacks in Paris, Pope Francis called them a “piece of a piecemeal World War III…war is madness…even today…fought with crimes, massacres, destruction.” Earlier, addressing the US Congress, Pope Francis said, “No religion is immune from forms of individual delusion or ideological extremism…we must be especially attentive to every type of fundamentalism.”

By setting aside the remarks of the Pope Francis, in the post-Paris attacks phenomena and the shooting at San Bernardino, California, like the drastic aftermath of 9/11 tragedy, rulers and politicians of the US-led Western countries, especially of Europe, including their media have been misguiding their general public by creating chauvinism against the Muslims. They are propagating the so-called threat of Islamophobia. In one way or the other, the Muslims are being persecuted in the US and other Western countries, particularly in Europe.

As regards the anti-Muslim policy, on January 18, 2015, while singling out only Muslim women British Prime Minister David Cameron announced that Muslim women who fail to learn English to a high enough standard could face deportation from Britain. He also suggested that poor English skills can leave people “more susceptible to the messages of groups like Islamic State (IS).”

Earlier, Donald Trump, the Republican Party’s nominee for US presidential candidate had called for a ban on Muslims, entering the United States.

On January 25, 2016, The EU’s law enforcement agency Europol revealed that ISIS have set up special forces style training camps in Europe, as they plot mass casualty civilian strikes on the continent. And under the threat of ISIS, especially European governments and EU have been expelling the immigrants, particularly the Muslims from their countries, while discouraging more Syrian refugees. On the other side, they are also trying to resolve the Syrian crisis. However, it shows contradictory policy.

America also got the assistance of its western allies (NATO) against Russia. Now, as part of their ambivalent approach, American jet fighters and those of its Western coalition are targeting the ISIS terrorists in Iraq and Syria.

Nevertheless, it is due to the dual policy of the US-led Western world that ISIS which is most dangerous terrorist group than Al-Qaeda is rapidly spreading its tentacles all over the world. On January 14, 2015, multiple blasts and gunfire killed seven people and jolted the Indonesian capital Jakarta. The ISIS claimed responsibility. On October 4, 2015, ISIS-affiliated militant outfit Boko Haram claims responsibility for Nigeria’s deadly suicide bombings which killed 18 people on October 4.

Here, it is also worth-mentioning that since 9/11, by availing that golden opportunity, both India and Israel have perennially been exploit the world phenomena of terrorism and anti-Muslim approach of the US-led West so as to obtain their secret designs. Both Tel Aviv and New Delhi have been equating the ‘wars of liberation’ in Palestine and Kashmir with terrorism, and under the cover, accelerated state terrorism on these controlled territories. Their main purpose is to divert the attention of the West from their own atrocities, while employing delaying tactics in the solution of these issues.

With the support of their lobbies and in connivance with the US neoconservatives, India and Israel have been exaggerating the threat of Islamophobia.

However, Tel Aviv and New Delhi have been acting upon a secret diplomacy in targeting the whole Islamic World in general and Pakistan, China, Iran, Libya and Syria in particular. In this respect, by manipulating President Barack Obama’s ambivalent strategy, both India and Israel have also been propagating that a ‘nuclearized’ Pakistan, having close ties with China is sponsoring cross-border terrorism in Afghanistan and Kashmir. And Iran and Syria are doing the same act in Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Israel. Particularly, New Delhi considers Pakistan as its enemy number one. America and Israel are also against Pakistan, as it is the only nuclear country in the Muslim world.

This similarity of interests has brought Israel and India to follow a common secret strategy with the help of those Americans who are present in the US Administration. In this context, Indian RAW, Israeli Mossad and some American CIA agents are in collusion at the cost of the US global and regional interests.

It is mentionable that ideology of Hindu nationalism prevails in every field at the cost of other minority groups. It is even supported by Indian defence forces secretly. This could be judged from the incident, when on April 6, 2008 in a house of the fundamentalist outfit Bajrang Dal in Nanded, a bomb went off. The investigation proved that the militants were found in bomb-making. Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the Maharashtra arrested a serving Lt. Col. Srikant Purohit along with other army officials, indicating that they were helping in training the Hindu terrorists, providing them with the military-grade explosive RDX, used in terrorist attacks in various Indian cities. ATS further disclosed that Lt. Col. Purohit confessed that in 2007, he was involved in bombing of Samjhota express (Train between Pakistan and India in which a majority of Pakistanis travel), which burnt alive 70 Pakistanis.

In one of his tapes, LT. Col Purohit said, “One of our own captain had visited Israel”, and demanded “continuous supply of arms, training, an office with a saffron flag in Tel Aviv, political asylum and support for our cause of a Hindu Nation in the UN.” The Israelis, he added, gave “a very positive response.”

Regarding Hindu terrorism, Indian Home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde disclosed on January 20, 2013 that organised training camps run by the fundamentalist parties, RSS and BJP (Ruling party of India) were promoting Hindu Terrorism. He also explained that these extremist parties were behind the Samjhauta Express, Meccca Masjid and Malegaon blasts.

Since the leader of the ruling party BJP Narendra Modi became Prime Minister of India, various developments like unprecedented rise of Hindu extremism, persecution of minorities, creation of war-like situation with Pakistan etc. clearly show that encouraged by the fundamentalist rulers, Hindu extremist parties such as BJP, RSS VHP, Bajrang Dal and Shiv Sena have been promoting religious and ethnic chauvinism in India. Especially, assaults on Christians and Muslims including their places of warships and property have been intensified by the fanatic Hindu mobs.

Frustrated in isolating Islamabad, RAW in connivance with Mossad might have prepare a most dangerous plan to use chemical, biological and nuclear weapons inside the US homeland or any major European country to implicate Pakistan for having allegedly used these weapons through some Taliban militants. Particularly, RAW-Mossad may also employ these fatal weapons against NATO forces in Afghanistan, as India and Israel want to prolong the stay of the US-led NATO troops in Afghanistan which have become the center of their covert activities against Pakistan, China and Iran. ISIS (Daesh) terrorists which are strategic assets of the CIA may be used by RAW and Mossad for employment of these unconventional weapons. While, India, Israel and the US are also playing double game against one another, hence, by utilizing the vicious circle of terrorism, New Delhi can alone use these weapons through Afghanistan-based Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) which have been supported by India, and has claimed responsibility for several terror attacks inside Pakistan, including the recent one at Charsadda’s university.

RAW’s sole aim will be to provoke Americans and its allies against Pakistan which is threatening Indian hegemony in the region. Thus, Indian RAW could create a dangerous misunderstanding in which US could use small nuclear weapons against Pakistan. Otherwise, Islamabad could be asked to rollback its atomic programme. However, there are fundamentalist governments in India and Israel. Hence, in order to avoid the solution of the issues of Kashmir and Palestine, both can create misunderstanding between the US-led Western powers and the Islamic World, which could result into World War World War III.

Nonetheless, Western European countries are not willing to join Russsia-led coalition against ISIS. So, if double game towards Al-Qaeda and especially ISIS continues by the US-led Western countries, it will create chaos in the Middle East, enveloping the entire world, and may culminate into World War III, also called “Clash of Civilizations” in Hutington’s sense.

Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs, is author the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations.

Email:  sajjad_logic@yahoo.com