US-Backed Terrorists are Only 'Terrorists' When Russia or Syria Says So
Daily Sabah reports President Erdoğan hailing Syria's victory in Aleppo against 'US-backed terrorists.' This headline is a masterclass in uncomfortable truths for Western foreign policy. While mainstream outlets often decry 'Assad's forces' or 'Russian-backed militias' fighting 'rebels,' they conveniently omit the extensive, documented history of US funding, training, and arming groups in
Syria—some of which were later designated as terrorist organizations by the US itself, like elements within Ahrar al-Sham or Al-Nusra Front, or even the 'moderate rebels' who frequently allied with them. One might wonder, how many times can a 'moderate rebel' coalition include an Al-Qaeda affiliate before the 'moderate' label becomes indefensible? This rhetorical sleight of hand exposes a core
hypocrisy: one government's 'freedom fighters' are another's 'terrorists,' often depending entirely on their alignment with Washington's current strategic objectives. The same media that lambasts Russia for 'propping up' Assad simultaneously ignores the long, disastrous record of the US 'propping up' and then losing control of various armed factions, many of whom quickly became indistinguishable
from the 'terrorists' they were supposedly fighting.