White Helmets: Loose Ends Secured?

As everyone focused on Virginia.

.. myself included.Some individual or group of individuals conspired (breathed together towards a common goal) to have 7 members of the "White Helmets" executed. This occurrence has to be documented here.“tying up the loose ends”Telegraph

Seven member of the Syrian White Helmets rescue group were shot dead by unknown gunmen on Saturday, sparking a manhunt and deep suspicions in the rebel-controlled province of Idlib.The men were killed in their operations centre in the village of Sarmin at dawn on Saturday. Two of their vehicles as well as several of their distinctive white helmets were stolen, the group said.  The White Helmets have been lauded (and financed) by Western countries for saving civilian lives in opposition areas in Syria and in 2016 they narrowly missed out on winning the Nobel Peace prize.

The group also operates in areas controlled by jihadists and supporters of the Assad regime regularly accuse them of allying with terrorists.

Idlib province is now mainly controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an Islamist rebel group that is dominated by jihadists linked to al-Qaeda. Activists in Idlib said they were baffled by the killings but did not think that HTS was responsible. The group has not targeted White Helmets in the past.

One theory was that agents of the Assad regime had killed the men to create suspicion and distrust between rival rebel groups.

Could have been someone allied with the Assad government? Or not.

HTS recently fought an open battle against Ahrar al-Sham, another prominent rebel group, and there is lingering distrust in Idlib as a result. “The ones who did this are clever. They want to make conflicts worse between the rebel groups and show that there is no security and no safety in the opposition areas,” said Abdulkafe al-Hamdo, an English teacher in Idlib.

Another theory is that the killings were the work of a criminal gang, who wanted to steal equipment from the White Helmets centre. Two vans were taken from the centre as well as several motorcycles and some walkie-talkie equipment.

One of the vans was later found burned out on the edge of a field several miles from the centre.    One the vans stolen from the White Helmets centre was later found burned out in a field pic.twitter.com/gtkM0UV3QK    — Raf Sanchez (@rafsanchez) August 12, 2017

The White Helmets centre is close to several other houses in the village of Sarmin but neighbours said they had not heard any gunfire during the night. That raises the possibility the White Helmets were killed with silenced weapons.

Perhaps the Piper payee finally called in the last tune?RT

 A chief liaison officer of the White Helmets has acknowledged to RT that his organization, which claims to be “non-governmental” and “neutral,” receives funding and equipment from several western states, including the US, the UK and Germany.“We do not hide it, we admit [that] there is funding from the USA, from the UK, from Germany, from Netherlands,” Abdulrahman Al Mawwas, the chief liaison officer of the White Helmets, told RT after a meeting with top French officials including President Francois Hollande and Prime Minister Manuel Valls on Wednesday.

 Western funding and friends in high places. Perhaps it was time to cut the ties that bind?