Utopia Talk - Politics - Today Ghouta, tomorrow Daraa

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Utopia Talk / Politics / Today Ghouta, tomorrow Daraa

Paramount
Member Fri Mar 16 17:25:55
THE REGIONAL-INTERNATIONAL DEMARCATION LINE IN DARAA IS APPROACHING FLASHPOINT

Will Syria be the cause of all-out war between Russia and America?

* Information on the gathering of forces of Syria’s allies, including Hezbollah, in Daraa in preparation for future military operations

Beirut – from Elilah J. Magnier: @ejmalrai

Today, Ghouta and tomorrow Daraa …

This is not about Syria nor about the war on its soil : it is all about an open war between the axis led by United States of America, Europe and their allies in the Middle East against the axis led by Russia and its allies. It’s a war about control, influence and dominance in the Middle East and the rest of the world.

It is natural for the US to resist the loss of its unilateral dominant status that has held since the collapse of the Soviet Union, from 1991 until 2015. September 2015 is the date when Moscow decided to send its air force, navy and some ground special forces to the Levant to announce its presence to the world there and give birth to its superpower capability after decades of absence.

It is therefore natural that the US defends its world unilateralism and tries to block the awakening of the Russian genie by mobilising all its energies and those of its western and arab allies to push back against the (successful) attempts by Russia to prove its diplomatic skills and military power through the window of the Levant.

So it is indeed natural that the US should try to hit the weakest link (Tehran) in the Russian-Chinese-Iranian alliance by attempting to thwart the nuclear agreement signed by the United Nations and the five permanent members of the Security Council plus one (Germany).

All this is caused by the successful (in Russia’s view) outcome of the war in Syria, in which the US failed in its attempt to redraw the map of the Middle East, divide Iraq and Syria, hit Hezbollah in Lebanon and extract parts of northern Syria for itself and Turkey, and the southern region for Israel.

Washington has benefited from the religious and sectarian slogans circulated by the “Islamic State” (ISIS) and al-Qaeda, insinuating that the conflict in Syria is just “among Muslims of different sects”. The fake message was as follows: ”these Muslim Arabs miss no opportunity to quarrel among themselves and to kill each other in the name of Allah”. Whereas the truth is otherwise: it is a struggle for power, control and dominance. This allows hits under the belt and the use of all kinds of twisted means and excuses, including ”religious extremism,” to prevent the return of Russia to the Middle East and be able to divide the region.

So did the Washington hawks succeed in their quest? The simple answer would be: No, they didn’t.

But these US hawks are still exploring various avenues to accuse Russia of supporting the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, discredited for years by the restless hammering of mainstream media (which has become an obvious tool in the hands of decision makers) who painted al-Qaeda as “moderates” for all the seven years of war.

The US aimed to discredit Moscow’s leadership at the UN to intimidate and to halt the efforts of President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Syria and stop the partition of the Middle East, and to prevent Russia from completely eliminating the bulk of Jihadis In Iraq and Syria.

It required Moscow to use 11 “vetoes” at the UN to reject multiple attempts by Washington and its allies to strike Syria and topple President Assad. Russia played very cleverly its diplomacy in Syria by creating de-escalation and de-confliction areas in the north, around the capital, and in the south to cut Syria into squares and freeze the war in different strategic areas so that it could devote enough forces to striking ISIS first and then al-Qaeda and its allies.

ISIS has been reduced to a small pocket under US protection in north-east Syria. Actually, this area situated east of the Euphrates is today ISIS’s safe haven and it is therefore forbidden for Russia and the Syrian governmental forces to strike the terrorist group. Previous attempts resulted in the US heavily bombing local forces and their allies.

However, Russia has given enough time to the Syrian government to gather its forces, strike al-Qaeda and clear various enclaves, limiting the control of al-Qaeda and its allies to the vicinity and the city of Idlib, around Damascus (al-Ghouta and Yarmouk) and in the south (Daraa and Quneitra).

The Syrian army managed to divide the Ghouta areas despite the frenetic anti-Russian campaign mounted by mainstream media and the failed US attempts at the United Nations to stop the war on al-Ghouta and to keep this enclave as a sore thumb at the back of the main capital Damascus.

The US’s anger at the Syrian-Russian attack on al-Ghouta needs to be made clearer here: the US occupation of al-Tanf Syrian-Iraqi borders aimed to create a launching platform for its military operations towards Deir al-Zour in the north and al-Ghouta in the east. The US plan was to occupy the city of Deir al-Zour and al-Qaim north-east and the capital Damascus. But Iran went around the area where the US forces were positioned, isolating these in the al-Tanf pocket, and made a qualitative leap to liberate Deir al-Zour and al-Qaim by defeating ISIS forces, who withdrew towards the US area of influence east of the Euphrates.

Moreover, Al-Ghouta is a clear demonstration of the US’s failed plan to attack Damascus. The strategic military planning and link between al-Tanf and al-Ghouta was possible had the Syrian Army and Russia not intervened on time to surround it and attack jihadists to force these to surrenderer and pull out to Idlib. The US thought to create a real menace against Damascus and at least prevent the parliamentary and presidential elections due next year. By controlling Ghouta, jihadists were supposed to keep up the pace of bombing to render the Syrian capital “unsafe”.

The US and the International community tried to stop the battles of al-Ghouta to no avail. This prompted Washington to exercise its favourite hobby of imposing sanctions on Russia, without succeeding in stopping the Syrian army (fighting without its allies – except Russia) from recovering its control over Ghouta. The answer came immediately from Moscow by bombing Daraa and hitting al-Qaeda’s area of influence in an indication as to where the future theatre of military operations is expected to be.

Again, events are moving very fast: the US response came quickly through its UK ally when Britain took advantage of the poisoning of the former Russian spy Sergey Skripal in London to accuse Moscow of being behind his assassination. The message here is clear: all means are legitimate for the control of the Middle East, specifically Syria.

Israel followed by demanding the return of the UNDOF troops, withdrawn in August 2014 following the abduction of 47 UN peacekeepers by al-Qaeda (the ransom for their liberation was paid by Qatar). The Israeli demand coincided – I have learned from well informed sources – with the gathering of forces of Syria’s allies, including Hezbollah, in Daraa, in preparation for future wide scale military operations. The US considers that the battle of Daraa is directly against itself and its Israeli ally, especially as it is party, along with Russia and Jordan, to the agreement to reduce the escalation there, to serve Israel and secure its security in southern Syria.

In this tense political climate it requires no imagination to link the issue of the Russian former spy spy to the aggressive statement of President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials who threatened to use military force against the US and any other country in Syria if necessary.

The Syrian war is far from being a normal one. It is THE war between two superpowers and their allies, where US and Russian soldiers are directly involved on the ground in a war of domination and power. The lack of victory in the US eyes is worse than losing a battle. Even more, the victory of Russia and its allies on Syrian soil in any battle is therefore a direct blow to the heart of Washington and its allies.

Russia understood the US, UK and NATO’s message, including that of the mainstream media, and had no other choice but to escalate the pace of war in Syria as harshly as possible.

The superpowers are on the verge of the abyss, so the danger of falling into a war of cosmic proposition is no longer confined to the imagination or merely a sensational part of unrealistic calculations.

Will Damascus be the door of a major war that destroys everything? Asking the question is very important : but it is a very difficult question to answer.

http://ejm...raa-is-approaching-flashpoint/

Why is the US siding with Nazi Israel and Saudi Barbaria? I’m deeply disappointed.

Paramount
Member Fri Mar 16 17:30:16
DUPLICITOUSDEMOCRACY
16/03/2018 at 7:51 pm

A major problem for the US hierarchy is their eagerness to please Netanyahu. He can clearly intimidate friend and foe alike, not necessarily physically but politically and career wise. Everything that is happening is for Israel. Only allies of Israel are allowed to live normally. Saudi Arabia, possibly the most repugnant of all nations, would be the first in line for regime change if we really aspired to a better world.

The countries that looked after their people, Iraq, Libya and Syria have all been destroyed. That’s not to say they haven’t been brutal with their enemies but looking back now, they had good reason to be.

I don’t want to tempt fate but how long is it since Israel attacked Syria? Has the destruction of a fighter plane stopped them in their tracks? I hope so but we all know that Netanyahu will do anything to remain in power, so maybe this is the next stage of Israeli meddling. We who respect the lives of all people know that there really is a good versus evil battle being played out before our eyes. Mr Putin has completely outwitted Trump and his war mongering bullies so far and we can only hope it continues – For the sake of mankind.

The Syrian Arab Army deserve a lot of credit too, along with the many who have been lost and their courageous President, who has been looking down the barrel of a gun for such a long time without showing an ounce of fear.

jergul
large member Fri Mar 16 18:08:13
Daraa is not next on the list. Subject to ceasefires holding.

Eastern-Ghouta saw the SAA use night vision equipment en mass for major operations for the first time.

It worked like a charm and was combined with complex danger-close artillery, airstrike, and tank support.

It means in sum that the rebels are screwed.

Attrition the past year has been too low to keep the SAA from gaining the full benefit of advanced military supplies and training.

There is no way for the rebels to play catch-up now.

Even Western intervention would have to be at Kosovo levels to do anyting other than delay the eventual outcome.

Russia plays a major part in the carrot portion of the equation. Evacuation or demobilization is a real alternative for all but the most dedicated of rebels (even ISIS membership allows for individual to reinvent themselves by joining a more moderate group).

Turkey has resolved the Kurdish part of the equation. Limited regional self-determination is the best the curds can hope for.

Israeli power parity would have been better served by there never being a coloured revolution.

Strong alliance ties bolstered by highly experienced military forces equipped with skill-sets and equipment that are incredibly difficult to degrade.

Good for the next 20 years minimum.

Well, played Putin.

jergul
large member Fri Mar 16 18:09:07
kurds*

Paramount
Member Fri Mar 16 18:26:41
In 10-20 years from now, will 2010-2020 generally be refered to as the World War 3?

jergul
large member Fri Mar 16 18:30:07
No.

jergul
large member Sun Mar 18 14:05:42
SAA is by no means uniformly well-trained however.

I just saw a clusterfuck video of up to 12 heavily damaged t-55 and t-64 MBTs (rpg damaged, not catastrophic explosion destroyed) caught by rebels using tunnels to re-occupy firing position.

So the best units do really well and then you have the clusterfucks inherent to less prepared units.

murder
Member Sun Mar 18 15:43:45

This mess won't end anytime soon. The Saudis aren't willing to lose it, and the US for reasons understood only by foreign policy nerds, come attached at the hip.

I'd be surprised if some version of this war isn't still ongoing in a decade.

murder
Member Sun Mar 18 15:46:25

"In 10-20 years from now, will 2010-2020 generally be refered to as the World War 3?"

This is more Vietnam than anything. Except this time we've had the good sense to not take over the fighting ourselves.

jergul
large member Mon Mar 19 04:37:39
Murder
Some limited conflict will certainly exist in 10 years.

Aeros
Member Tue Mar 20 01:11:49
the US made it abundantly clear what would happen to Russian backed forces if they approached the Euphrates line a few months ago. I think at this point the Russians will be smart enough to leave us to our patch of desert. The Turks on the other hand are a far more worrisome problem.

Aeros
Member Tue Mar 20 01:17:34
The US has begun to reinforce Manbij and is again stating it has no intention of leaving the city.

http://www...yrian-town-held-us-troops.html

Turkey renewed threats Monday to attack a town in northeastern Syria where a small contingent of U.S. troops is based, raising the stunning possibility of a clash between NATO allies.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his forces and allied Free Syrian Army militias would press on with attacks against Manbij and several other northeastern Syrian towns held by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces "until we completely abolish this [terrorist] corridor."

Erdogan spoke after his troops captured the border town of Afrin, which had been held by the Kurdish fighters of the People's Protection Units (YPG), which is the dominant force in the SDF.

"Many of the terrorists had turned tail and run away already," he said in a speech. "In Afrin's center, it is no longer the rags of the terror organization that are waving but rather the symbols of peace and security."

Monitoring groups charged that hundreds of civilians were killed and tens of thousands of refugees fled in the taking of Afrin in what Turkey is calling Operation Olive Branch.

"Civilian casualties, not getting humanitarian assistance, a growing humanitarian crisis -- it's got to be stopped, it's got to be averted," said Army Col. Rob Manning, a Pentagon spokesman.

At a Pentagon briefing, he declined to cite Turkey as being responsible but said, "More than who is to blame, is the need to stop it, and the need to ensure that all parties focus on the reason why they are there," which is the defeat of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

However, Manning indicated that the U.S. would not leave Manbij or abandon support for the SDF.

"We've made that very clear that U.S. forces are in Manbij, and again, this goes back to the need to focus on the defeat of ISIS," he said.

"It's been very clear to all parties that U.S. forces are there, and we'll take measures to make sure that we de-conflict," Manning said.

At the State Department, spokesperson Heather Nauert said the U.S. is "deeply concerned over reports from Afrin city over the last 48 hours."

"It appears the majority of the population of the city, which is predominantly Kurdish, evacuated under threat of attack from Turkish military forces and Turkish-backed opposition forces," she said.

In highly unusual remarks aimed at an ally, Nauert said, "We are also concerned over reports of looting inside the city of Afrin. We have repeatedly expressed our serious concern to Turkish officials regarding the situation in Afrin."

The split with Turkey on U.S. support for the SDF had been building for months and intensified when Turkey pushed across the border into Syria on Jan. 20 in Operation Olive Branch.

Turkey considers the YPG fighters of the SDF to be terrorists allied with the PKK (Kurdish Workers Party), which has been labeled a terrorist organization by Turkey and the U.S.

However, the YPG played the leading role in retaking Manbij from ISIS, which set the stage for the major victory of the war against ISIS in Syria -- the taking of the so-called capital of the "caliphate" in Raqqa.

Last week, the U.S. announced a "pause" in ground operations against ISIS in the middle Euphrates River Valley (MERV) as YPG fighters began leaving their posts to travel north to battle the Turkish forces.

jergul
large member Tue Mar 20 05:25:13
Aeros
"At this point". Why yes. The regime is currently busy fighting rebels.

Forwyn
Member Tue Mar 20 12:39:31
"allied Free Syrian Army militias"

LOL

show deleted posts

Paramount Member	Fri Mar 16 17:25:55 THE REGIONAL-INTERNATIONAL DEMARCATION LINE IN DARAA IS APPROACHING FLASHPOINT Will Syria be the cause of all-out war between Russia and America? * Information on the gathering of forces of Syria’s allies, including Hezbollah, in Daraa in preparation for future military operations Beirut – from Elilah J. Magnier: @ejmalrai Today, Ghouta and tomorrow Daraa … This is not about Syria nor about the war on its soil : it is all about an open war between the axis led by United States of America, Europe and their allies in the Middle East against the axis led by Russia and its allies. It’s a war about control, influence and dominance in the Middle East and the rest of the world. It is natural for the US to resist the loss of its unilateral dominant status that has held since the collapse of the Soviet Union, from 1991 until 2015. September 2015 is the date when Moscow decided to send its air force, navy and some ground special forces to the Levant to announce its presence to the world there and give birth to its superpower capability after decades of absence. It is therefore natural that the US defends its world unilateralism and tries to block the awakening of the Russian genie by mobilising all its energies and those of its western and arab allies to push back against the (successful) attempts by Russia to prove its diplomatic skills and military power through the window of the Levant. So it is indeed natural that the US should try to hit the weakest link (Tehran) in the Russian-Chinese-Iranian alliance by attempting to thwart the nuclear agreement signed by the United Nations and the five permanent members of the Security Council plus one (Germany). All this is caused by the successful (in Russia’s view) outcome of the war in Syria, in which the US failed in its attempt to redraw the map of the Middle East, divide Iraq and Syria, hit Hezbollah in Lebanon and extract parts of northern Syria for itself and Turkey, and the southern region for Israel. Washington has benefited from the religious and sectarian slogans circulated by the “Islamic State” (ISIS) and al-Qaeda, insinuating that the conflict in Syria is just “among Muslims of different sects”. The fake message was as follows: ”these Muslim Arabs miss no opportunity to quarrel among themselves and to kill each other in the name of Allah”. Whereas the truth is otherwise: it is a struggle for power, control and dominance. This allows hits under the belt and the use of all kinds of twisted means and excuses, including ”religious extremism,” to prevent the return of Russia to the Middle East and be able to divide the region. So did the Washington hawks succeed in their quest? The simple answer would be: No, they didn’t. But these US hawks are still exploring various avenues to accuse Russia of supporting the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, discredited for years by the restless hammering of mainstream media (which has become an obvious tool in the hands of decision makers) who painted al-Qaeda as “moderates” for all the seven years of war. The US aimed to discredit Moscow’s leadership at the UN to intimidate and to halt the efforts of President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Syria and stop the partition of the Middle East, and to prevent Russia from completely eliminating the bulk of Jihadis In Iraq and Syria. It required Moscow to use 11 “vetoes” at the UN to reject multiple attempts by Washington and its allies to strike Syria and topple President Assad. Russia played very cleverly its diplomacy in Syria by creating de-escalation and de-confliction areas in the north, around the capital, and in the south to cut Syria into squares and freeze the war in different strategic areas so that it could devote enough forces to striking ISIS first and then al-Qaeda and its allies. ISIS has been reduced to a small pocket under US protection in north-east Syria. Actually, this area situated east of the Euphrates is today ISIS’s safe haven and it is therefore forbidden for Russia and the Syrian governmental forces to strike the terrorist group. Previous attempts resulted in the US heavily bombing local forces and their allies. However, Russia has given enough time to the Syrian government to gather its forces, strike al-Qaeda and clear various enclaves, limiting the control of al-Qaeda and its allies to the vicinity and the city of Idlib, around Damascus (al-Ghouta and Yarmouk) and in the south (Daraa and Quneitra). The Syrian army managed to divide the Ghouta areas despite the frenetic anti-Russian campaign mounted by mainstream media and the failed US attempts at the United Nations to stop the war on al-Ghouta and to keep this enclave as a sore thumb at the back of the main capital Damascus. The US’s anger at the Syrian-Russian attack on al-Ghouta needs to be made clearer here: the US occupation of al-Tanf Syrian-Iraqi borders aimed to create a launching platform for its military operations towards Deir al-Zour in the north and al-Ghouta in the east. The US plan was to occupy the city of Deir al-Zour and al-Qaim north-east and the capital Damascus. But Iran went around the area where the US forces were positioned, isolating these in the al-Tanf pocket, and made a qualitative leap to liberate Deir al-Zour and al-Qaim by defeating ISIS forces, who withdrew towards the US area of influence east of the Euphrates. Moreover, Al-Ghouta is a clear demonstration of the US’s failed plan to attack Damascus. The strategic military planning and link between al-Tanf and al-Ghouta was possible had the Syrian Army and Russia not intervened on time to surround it and attack jihadists to force these to surrenderer and pull out to Idlib. The US thought to create a real menace against Damascus and at least prevent the parliamentary and presidential elections due next year. By controlling Ghouta, jihadists were supposed to keep up the pace of bombing to render the Syrian capital “unsafe”. The US and the International community tried to stop the battles of al-Ghouta to no avail. This prompted Washington to exercise its favourite hobby of imposing sanctions on Russia, without succeeding in stopping the Syrian army (fighting without its allies – except Russia) from recovering its control over Ghouta. The answer came immediately from Moscow by bombing Daraa and hitting al-Qaeda’s area of influence in an indication as to where the future theatre of military operations is expected to be. Again, events are moving very fast: the US response came quickly through its UK ally when Britain took advantage of the poisoning of the former Russian spy Sergey Skripal in London to accuse Moscow of being behind his assassination. The message here is clear: all means are legitimate for the control of the Middle East, specifically Syria. Israel followed by demanding the return of the UNDOF troops, withdrawn in August 2014 following the abduction of 47 UN peacekeepers by al-Qaeda (the ransom for their liberation was paid by Qatar). The Israeli demand coincided – I have learned from well informed sources – with the gathering of forces of Syria’s allies, including Hezbollah, in Daraa, in preparation for future wide scale military operations. The US considers that the battle of Daraa is directly against itself and its Israeli ally, especially as it is party, along with Russia and Jordan, to the agreement to reduce the escalation there, to serve Israel and secure its security in southern Syria. In this tense political climate it requires no imagination to link the issue of the Russian former spy spy to the aggressive statement of President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials who threatened to use military force against the US and any other country in Syria if necessary. The Syrian war is far from being a normal one. It is THE war between two superpowers and their allies, where US and Russian soldiers are directly involved on the ground in a war of domination and power. The lack of victory in the US eyes is worse than losing a battle. Even more, the victory of Russia and its allies on Syrian soil in any battle is therefore a direct blow to the heart of Washington and its allies. Russia understood the US, UK and NATO’s message, including that of the mainstream media, and had no other choice but to escalate the pace of war in Syria as harshly as possible. The superpowers are on the verge of the abyss, so the danger of falling into a war of cosmic proposition is no longer confined to the imagination or merely a sensational part of unrealistic calculations. Will Damascus be the door of a major war that destroys everything? Asking the question is very important : but it is a very difficult question to answer. http://ejm...raa-is-approaching-flashpoint/ Why is the US siding with Nazi Israel and Saudi Barbaria? I’m deeply disappointed.
Paramount Member	Fri Mar 16 17:30:16 DUPLICITOUSDEMOCRACY 16/03/2018 at 7:51 pm A major problem for the US hierarchy is their eagerness to please Netanyahu. He can clearly intimidate friend and foe alike, not necessarily physically but politically and career wise. Everything that is happening is for Israel. Only allies of Israel are allowed to live normally. Saudi Arabia, possibly the most repugnant of all nations, would be the first in line for regime change if we really aspired to a better world. The countries that looked after their people, Iraq, Libya and Syria have all been destroyed. That’s not to say they haven’t been brutal with their enemies but looking back now, they had good reason to be. I don’t want to tempt fate but how long is it since Israel attacked Syria? Has the destruction of a fighter plane stopped them in their tracks? I hope so but we all know that Netanyahu will do anything to remain in power, so maybe this is the next stage of Israeli meddling. We who respect the lives of all people know that there really is a good versus evil battle being played out before our eyes. Mr Putin has completely outwitted Trump and his war mongering bullies so far and we can only hope it continues – For the sake of mankind. The Syrian Arab Army deserve a lot of credit too, along with the many who have been lost and their courageous President, who has been looking down the barrel of a gun for such a long time without showing an ounce of fear.
jergul large member	Fri Mar 16 18:08:13 Daraa is not next on the list. Subject to ceasefires holding. Eastern-Ghouta saw the SAA use night vision equipment en mass for major operations for the first time. It worked like a charm and was combined with complex danger-close artillery, airstrike, and tank support. It means in sum that the rebels are screwed. Attrition the past year has been too low to keep the SAA from gaining the full benefit of advanced military supplies and training. There is no way for the rebels to play catch-up now. Even Western intervention would have to be at Kosovo levels to do anyting other than delay the eventual outcome. Russia plays a major part in the carrot portion of the equation. Evacuation or demobilization is a real alternative for all but the most dedicated of rebels (even ISIS membership allows for individual to reinvent themselves by joining a more moderate group). Turkey has resolved the Kurdish part of the equation. Limited regional self-determination is the best the curds can hope for. Israeli power parity would have been better served by there never being a coloured revolution. Strong alliance ties bolstered by highly experienced military forces equipped with skill-sets and equipment that are incredibly difficult to degrade. Good for the next 20 years minimum. Well, played Putin.
jergul large member	Fri Mar 16 18:09:07 kurds*
Paramount Member	Fri Mar 16 18:26:41 In 10-20 years from now, will 2010-2020 generally be refered to as the World War 3?
jergul large member	Fri Mar 16 18:30:07 No.
jergul large member	Sun Mar 18 14:05:42 SAA is by no means uniformly well-trained however. I just saw a clusterfuck video of up to 12 heavily damaged t-55 and t-64 MBTs (rpg damaged, not catastrophic explosion destroyed) caught by rebels using tunnels to re-occupy firing position. So the best units do really well and then you have the clusterfucks inherent to less prepared units.
murder Member	Sun Mar 18 15:43:45 This mess won't end anytime soon. The Saudis aren't willing to lose it, and the US for reasons understood only by foreign policy nerds, come attached at the hip. I'd be surprised if some version of this war isn't still ongoing in a decade.
murder Member	Sun Mar 18 15:46:25 "In 10-20 years from now, will 2010-2020 generally be refered to as the World War 3?" This is more Vietnam than anything. Except this time we've had the good sense to not take over the fighting ourselves.
jergul large member	Mon Mar 19 04:37:39 Murder Some limited conflict will certainly exist in 10 years.
Aeros Member	Tue Mar 20 01:11:49 the US made it abundantly clear what would happen to Russian backed forces if they approached the Euphrates line a few months ago. I think at this point the Russians will be smart enough to leave us to our patch of desert. The Turks on the other hand are a far more worrisome problem.
Aeros Member	Tue Mar 20 01:17:34 The US has begun to reinforce Manbij and is again stating it has no intention of leaving the city. http://www...yrian-town-held-us-troops.html Turkey renewed threats Monday to attack a town in northeastern Syria where a small contingent of U.S. troops is based, raising the stunning possibility of a clash between NATO allies. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his forces and allied Free Syrian Army militias would press on with attacks against Manbij and several other northeastern Syrian towns held by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces "until we completely abolish this [terrorist] corridor." Erdogan spoke after his troops captured the border town of Afrin, which had been held by the Kurdish fighters of the People's Protection Units (YPG), which is the dominant force in the SDF. "Many of the terrorists had turned tail and run away already," he said in a speech. "In Afrin's center, it is no longer the rags of the terror organization that are waving but rather the symbols of peace and security." Monitoring groups charged that hundreds of civilians were killed and tens of thousands of refugees fled in the taking of Afrin in what Turkey is calling Operation Olive Branch. "Civilian casualties, not getting humanitarian assistance, a growing humanitarian crisis -- it's got to be stopped, it's got to be averted," said Army Col. Rob Manning, a Pentagon spokesman. At a Pentagon briefing, he declined to cite Turkey as being responsible but said, "More than who is to blame, is the need to stop it, and the need to ensure that all parties focus on the reason why they are there," which is the defeat of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). However, Manning indicated that the U.S. would not leave Manbij or abandon support for the SDF. "We've made that very clear that U.S. forces are in Manbij, and again, this goes back to the need to focus on the defeat of ISIS," he said. "It's been very clear to all parties that U.S. forces are there, and we'll take measures to make sure that we de-conflict," Manning said. At the State Department, spokesperson Heather Nauert said the U.S. is "deeply concerned over reports from Afrin city over the last 48 hours." "It appears the majority of the population of the city, which is predominantly Kurdish, evacuated under threat of attack from Turkish military forces and Turkish-backed opposition forces," she said. In highly unusual remarks aimed at an ally, Nauert said, "We are also concerned over reports of looting inside the city of Afrin. We have repeatedly expressed our serious concern to Turkish officials regarding the situation in Afrin." The split with Turkey on U.S. support for the SDF had been building for months and intensified when Turkey pushed across the border into Syria on Jan. 20 in Operation Olive Branch. Turkey considers the YPG fighters of the SDF to be terrorists allied with the PKK (Kurdish Workers Party), which has been labeled a terrorist organization by Turkey and the U.S. However, the YPG played the leading role in retaking Manbij from ISIS, which set the stage for the major victory of the war against ISIS in Syria -- the taking of the so-called capital of the "caliphate" in Raqqa. Last week, the U.S. announced a "pause" in ground operations against ISIS in the middle Euphrates River Valley (MERV) as YPG fighters began leaving their posts to travel north to battle the Turkish forces.
jergul large member	Tue Mar 20 05:25:13 Aeros "At this point". Why yes. The regime is currently busy fighting rebels.
Forwyn Member	Tue Mar 20 12:39:31 "allied Free Syrian Army militias" LOL
	show deleted posts

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