Introduction — Nov 17, 2017
Although the information in this report was originally uncovered by the BBC the corporation itself has given it no airtime. So while Arab News outlets are now reporting this the BBC has breathed barely a word about it to its licence fee paying audience.
This tells us two things. First that the BBC knows that there is active collusion between the Western backed Syrian Democratic Forces and Islamic State (otherwise known as ISIS, ISIL or Daesh). And secondly, and perhaps even more importantly, it is actively trying to withhold this information from the public.
Why else has BBC News barely reported on the ongoing cooperation between militants and Western-backed forces in Syria?
Yes, we’ve heard all manner of reports about Western collusion with Islamic State, but not from Western corporate media like the BBC.
That means that even though the Western media knows that Western backed forces in Syria are colluding with terrorists they are actively withholding this information from the public. In other words they are censoring the news. Ed.
ISIS terrorists given safe passage from Raqqa by US-backed forces: BBC report
Leith Fadel — Al Masdar News Nov 13, 2017
The BBC leaked details, Monday, of a secret deal that had the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) surrender Raqqa City to the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in early October.
“The BBC has uncovered details of a secret deal that let hundreds of IS fighters and their families escape from Raqqa, under the gaze of the US and British-led coalition and Kurdish-led forces who control the city,” the report began.
“The deal to let IS fighters escape from Raqqa – de facto capital of their self-declared caliphate – had been arranged by local officials. It came after four months of fighting that left the city obliterated and almost devoid of people. It would spare lives and bring fighting to an end. The lives of the Arab, Kurdish and other fighters opposing IS would be spared,” the BBC continued.
According to the report, some 250 Islamic State terrorists were allowed to leave the city, along with 3,500 of their family members that were trapped in Raqqa with them.
“We didn’t want anyone to leave,” says Col Ryan Dillon, spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve, the Western coalition against IS, as quoted by the BBC.
“But this goes to the heart of our strategy, ‘by, with and through’ local leaders on the ground. It comes down to Syrians – they are the ones fighting and dying, they get to make the decisions regarding operations,” he added.
The Islamic State fighters reportedly fled to many areas, including Turkey and the Deir Ezzor Governorate.
The U.S. Coalition had previously criticized the Syrian government and Hezbollah for allowing a smaller convoy ISIS terrorists and civilians to leave the Lebanese border for the Deir Ezzor Governorate.