THIS year has already been blighted with multiple terror attacks, rising tensions around the globe and the ongoing threat of nuclear war.
The Sun has spoken to a range of military and terror experts, some of whom have claimed the threat of World War Three is greater than it’s been since the Cold War.
Why is 2017 such a dangerous year?
Throughout the past year events have been taking unexpected twists and turns. Let’s recap.
Britain has voted itself out of the EU and Vladimir Putin and Bashar al-Assad continue to inflict misery in Syria.
The latest chemical attack on civilians outraged the world and sparked a US Tomahawk missile strike on a regime airbase.
Meanwhile Donald J Trump is now President of the United States and he is an emotional man who appears to act impulsively.
Then there’s North Korea pushing ahead with its ballistic missile tests in its suicidal bid to become a nuclear power.
In response Japan has carried out air attack drills and dished out leaflets on what to do should Kim Jong-un’s nukes rain down.
Kim responded by reportedly telling its giant neighbour it would be a “piece of cake” to nuke Japan and leave it “blanketed in radioactive clouds”.
ISIS is also being expelled from its so called Caliphate and its supporters are being encouraged to lash out with lone wolf terror attacks.
But worryingly, top British military men have been warning how the UK has cut its forces back so much we would struggle to defend ourselves.
Why is Syria regarded as a World War 3 flashpoint?
Last year Putin’s war machine raced to the rescue of Bashar Assad’s genocidal regime.
Russian navy ships sailed dramatically through the English Channel in the Autumn on their way to help the struggling dictator maintain his grip on power.
Since his presidential inauguration, Donald Trump has so far been relatively hands off when it comes to Assad and Putin. They’ve even had chummy phone chats.
But after at least 70 people, many of them children, died an excruciating death after being gassed by a nerve agent in the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun thing look set to change.
Outraged, Trump ordered the missile strikes after blaming the regime for the horrific attack
Indeed, Russia and Iran have said they will respond to further American military actions following the US air strikes.
In a joint statement, the command centre for the two countries and allied groups said “we will respond to any aggression”.
The statement read: “What America waged in an aggression on Syria is a crossing of red lines.
“From now on we will respond with force to any aggressor or any breach of red lines from whoever it is and America knows our ability to respond well.”
The US has blasted Iran for “alarming provocations” and said it poses a bigger threat of nuclear war than North Korea.
Number 10 Downing Street is also worried about Russia in 2017.
Writing in national security report seen by SunOnline, Prime Minister Theresa May says: “We are witnessing the resurgence of state-based threats – as displayed most obviously by Russia’s actions in Syria and Ukraine.”
But Britain’s Armed Forces would be unable to protect the country against a full-scale attack from Russia, according to the former head of the Joint Forces Command.
General Sir Richard Barrons, who retired in April this year, has slammed the Ministry of Defence for “skinning” budgets and highlighted Vladimir Putin’s resurgent former superpower as a potential threat to the country.
11
The Trump/ Putin bromance which started with just a call could come to a sudden end
Dr Alan Mendoza, executive director at the Henry Jackson Society security think-tank, told SunOnline: “We’ve seen Russia increase its sphere of influence and been quite aggressive on its borders and seemingly getting away with it.
“And that will empower to do more.
“The Russians have had it all their own way. Time [Magazine] said man of the year 2016 was Trump but actually it was Putin.
“Everything has gone his way. Everything.
“You’ve never seen a case where every gamble goes your way in politics but he has done it and that in itself is pretty amazing.”
Dr Mendoza continued: “Just remember the reason he is doing all of this is essentially because of domestic weakness.
“The economy is faltering at home and he needs to distract the Russian people’s’ attention elsewhere.
“This imperial project of his is a very popular one and he will continue to do it as long as he feels he needs to.”
11
Russia will encourage civil unrest in Latvia just as it did in Ukraine and Crimea, an expert claimed
But as exclusively reported, General Sir Alexander Richard David Shirreff, ex-NATOs Deputy Supreme Allied Commander for Europe, warned Russia could invade the Baltic States in 2017.
He warned Vladimir Putin was deploying troops and tanks next to the Baltic states – but NATO will not have any defences there until May.
Tens of thousands of Russian troops are currently stationed near its border with the Baltic states, Sir Richard claimed.
General Shirreff said: “All that is there is the armed forces of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania which would probably generate about 10,000 including reservists on their own, each.
“So Russia could just bite off a chunk or bite off all tonight.
“And they could crack it in a couple of days before NATO was ever able to react.”
Will ISIS start a world war?
It will no longer be a case of whether the death cult will attack it has already and will again.
As they flee their strongholds in Syria and Iraq they have the potential to embark on a world terror campaign.
Most recently in the Westminster terror attack evil Islamist thug Khalid Masood killed four people when he sped his car across the iconic bridge’s footpath.
Then a few weeks later on Friday, April 7, a similar terror attack happened in Stockholm.
With ISIS being turfed out of their strongholds in Iraq and Syria, security chiefs fear they could return and commit lone wolf attacks.
REX FEATURES
11
A medic in Stockholm walks through the streets, surrounded by the covered
No comments:
Post a Comment