It’s hard to overstate the historic significance this week of Syria’s victory against foreign-backed mercenaries.

We can dismiss Western official narratives that the nearly seven-year was some kind of “pro-democracy uprising”. The conflict was nothing of the sort.

It was a classic American-led covert war for regime change, of the kind that dozens of countries around the world have been subjected to over the decades.

In Syria, the criminal enterprise involved the clandestine support from Western governments and their regional partners to a whole host of mercenary groups. These groups were largely dominated by extremist self-styled jihadists who descended on Syria from all over the world; armed, paid and directed by a US coalition of governments, to carry out the most horrific violence against civilians.

The supreme irony here is that the Americans, British and French, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Israel were sponsoring Al Qaeda-type terrorist mercenaries, despite their ostentatious claims of fighting a “war on terror”.

The geopolitics of Washington’s arrogant hegemonic interests meant that the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad – being an ally of Russia, Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah – was targeted. For decades, in fact, the Americans had been plotting regime change in Syria, along with their trusty British accomplice.

When Russian President Vladimir Putin determined to intervene militarily in the Syria War in October 2015, the Syrian state was nearly teetering on collapse after nearly five years struggling against the Western-led assault on the country. Putin’s decision was courageous and principled, acting on request from Damascus for help. The Russian intervention dramatically turned the war. In just a little more than two years, the Syrian state was salvaged and the foreign-backed terror army has been eradicated.

Last December, Syria’s second biggest city, Aleppo, was liberated by the Syrian army and Russian air force. It was the first time that the residents of Aleppo were able to celebrate Christmas in peace after four years of being subjected to a reign of terror under the cult-like barbarians whom the West lionized as “pro-democracy rebels”. This year, all of Syria will celebrate Christmas, free from terror.

Russia’s role in Syria’s victory is nothing short of heroic. We should acknowledge too the valiant role of Iran, Hezbollah and Iraqi militia who also rallied to support the Syrian army. But Russia takes pride of place in rescuing Syria from the US-led international criminal conspiracy to destroy that country and install a regime suited to Washington’s imperialist interests.

The celebration is bitter-sweet. It is estimated that up to 400,000 people died in the war. Nearly half the population of 24 million were displaced. The financial cost of rebuilding Syria’s obliterated infrastructure is put at $200 billion. The country is in ruins because of the US-led war for regime change. Washington, London, Paris and their cohorts should be prosecuted to pay for the reconstruction.

Nevertheless, Syria is victorious, and that is precious. Neighboring Iraq has also declared that the same terror groups have been routed after a three-year war. Syria’s vanquishing of these militants was instrumental in Iraq’s success.

The victory in Syria is so stunning that Western governments and media have been embarrassingly muted. Why aren’t self-acclaimed prestigious Western outlets, like CNN, BBC and France 24, going into Syria to report on the country’s liberation? Why aren’t these so-called “news” services reporting on the millions of Syrians who are gladly returning to their homes? Why aren’t they reporting the Christmas festivities on the streets of Damascus, Aleppo, and other cities and towns, where droves of joyous people are holding up portraits of Presidents Assad and Putin?

Western governments and media are shamefully silent because they have to deny what took place in Syria: a criminal covert war orchestrated by Western governments and media. This is why the American and French governments have in the past week made ridiculous statements claiming that the defeat of terrorism in Syria is not over yet, and trying to belittle Russia’s role.

The war is over thanks to Russia, yet the US and France still continue to keep special forces in pockets of the country and fly their warplanes – in flagrant violation of international law.

This Western denial over Syria has historical echoes. Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump was bragging at a rally in Florida that American forces won the Second World War and “defeated communism”. Western official arrogance can’t accept the reality that it was the Russian people and their Soviet confederates who defeated European fascism and Nazi state terrorism. There is a hidden history of how Western finance and rulers fomented Nazi Germany with the express purpose to destroy the Soviet Union.

As in Syria today, the West fomented that war with horrendous consequences for the region. It was Russia that put an end to the abomination. Yet, as with WWII, the West has the audacity to deny the real victor. But of course, the denial is necessary, otherwise the truth about Western criminal complicity would be apparent.

Russia saved Syria in two years. This week the Pentagon is proposing to continue “anti-terror” operations in Somalia for another two years – on top of the 25 years it has been marauding in that unfortunate African country. Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Yemen, and on and on goes the heinous list.

Russia defeats terrorism, the West creates terrorism, and the abhorrent debacle requires the endless habit of Western denial.