Are Turkey and Saudi Arabia Going to be Busted!?

King Salman and Turkish President Erdogan are about to spark a new war for control over Middle Eastern oil but the plan, which was in fact devised by Washington, will ultimately backfire, F. William Engdahl asserted. Riyadh, assisted by Qatar and Turkey, is striving to bring oil fields and pipeline routes in Iraq and neighboring Syria "under direct Saudi control," the expert on oil politics noted. "Unfortunately, as in all wars, there will be no winners," Engdahl wrote in an opinion piece for New Eastern Outlook. He also named the EU, the Iraqis, Syrians and Kurds as the main losers. 

The historian named four key groupings, which will be involved in the upcoming conflict. Sunnis, including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Daesh and the recently formed Saudi-led anti-terrorist coalition, make up the first group. The second one consists of Syria, Iran, Iraq and Hezbollah, with Russia also being a factor. The analyst named Israel as the third player. Engdahl maintains that the fourth group, led by the United States, is "playing the most sly, deceptive role" at the moment.

"Washington is preparing a devastating trap that will catch the foolish Saudis and their Turkish and other Wahhabi allies in a devastating defeat in Syria and Iraq that will no doubt then be proclaimed as a 'victory over terrorism' and a 'victory for the Syrian people,'" the historian assumed.

Daesh, according to Engdahl, is instrumental to the Saudi plan. The oil kingdom wants the group to perform "ethnic cleansing of the legitimate Syrian populations" living in oil-rich regions so that it would then be able to transport fuel from Qatar and Saudi Arabia to Turkey through Syria. "Erdogan's Turkish military and most especially his Turkish intelligence, MIT, headed by close crony, Hakan Fidan, is playing a key role in the planned Saudi-Turk-Qatari coalition's move to destroy the regime of Assad and at the same time seize control for them of the rich oil fields of Iraq between Mosul and Kirkuk," the historian explained.

Although many see the recently-adopted UN Security Council resolution on Syria as an achievement that will help to bring lasting peace to Syria, Engdahl views the document as a "a near-perfect deceptive maneuver" designed by Washington to "set the stage for the imminent Saudi-Turk oil wars and subsequent debacle in Syria and Iraq." The agreement paves the way for a ceasefire, which is expected to be followed by the UN-supervised free and fair presidential election. "That ceasefire excludes Saudi and Turkey-backed Daesh, and the al-Qaeda affiliate, al-Nusra Front. At the same time, it calls for an immediate, simultaneous start of a 'political transition' which means completely contradictory things for the United States, Germany, France and the UK as it does for Syria, Iran, and Russia," Engdahl warned.

The expert maintains that Russia, Damascus-led forces, Hezbollah and Iran will abide by the resolution, while Daesh and the like will "have free reign to grab the oil riches" in Iraq and Syria. "At that point, the trap will have been set and Washington will no doubt spring it, with Russia, Iran and Assad … able to do little to prevent it," he observed.

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Al-Quds Brigades' General Qassem Soleimani Lightly Wounded in Syria

Gen. Qassem Soleimani, commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards' foreign operations wing, was lightly injured in fighting against Syria rebels near Aleppo, a monitoring group and a security source said Wednesday.

Soleimani "was injured a few days ago" in an offensive in the southwest of Aleppo province, a security source on the ground told AFP.

The head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor of the war, also said the general was hurt.

He was "lightly injured three days ago in the Al-Eis area in the south of Aleppo province," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.

For several days, reports have been circulating on social media claiming the powerful commander was wounded or even killed in Syria, where Iran backs President Bashar al-Assad against an uprising that began in March 2011.

In response, a spokesman for the Revolutionary Guards, Rameza Sharif, said Tuesday that Soleimani was "in perfect health and full of energy."

"He helps the Islamic resistance in Syria and Iraq," Sharif added, according to SepahNews, the official site of the Revolutionary Guards.

Abdel Rahman said the commander was wounded while "leading military operations on the outskirts of Al-Eis, which is under the control of pro-regime forces."

"Many Iranian fighters are present in the area," he added.

Abdel Rahman said rebel groups launched a counteroffensive on Sunday in a bid to push regime forces from several areas in south Aleppo that they captured with support from Iranian and Lebanese Hezbollah ground forces and Russia air strikes.

Russia, another key Assad ally, began airstrikes in support of the government on Sept. 30.

Last month, a US official said some 2,000 Iranian or Iranian-backed forces were participating in the regime's Aleppo operations.

Iran has not officially acknowledged sending troops to Syria, but says it has "advisers" on the ground assisting regime forces.

Iran-backed Hezbollah also acknowledges its forces are fighting on the ground, and the presence of Iranian, Iraqi and Afghan "volunteers" has been documented.