Posted on 07/02/2017 11:35:46 AM PDT by Texas Fossil
FSA militants backed by Turkish tanks enter Jarablus in August, 2016.
Around 20,000 members of opposition Free Syrian Army (FSA), composed mostly of Islamic fundamentalist groups, and Turkish troops will participate in a new military operation in the northwestern Syrian Afrin region, which is under control of the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), Turkish media reported on Sunday.
The first targets of the operation will be the town of Tall Rifat and the Minaq airbase, the Sabah newspaper reported citing its sources. The offensive will be launched from the towns of A’zaz, Kaljibrin and Marea eastward and from Idlib westward.
Ankara is reportedly holding consultations with Moscow on the new operation. Later on Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
Afrin is located in the province of Aleppo and belongs to the de facto autonomous region of Rojava in the north of Syria. Turkey considers the Syrian Kurdish associations to be a wing of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
There are 500,000 displaced persons in refugee camps in this district.
Kurds have substantial fortification in place.
If FSA does this, it ill be a bloody mess.
There are rumors that the Russians are sending reinforcements into the near by air base they have occupied.
Is Erdogan insane? Guess we shall see.
FSA = AL NUSRA = ISIS = AL QAEDA
So the Turkish army is allied with Al Qaeda? Wow!
For long time. FSA was not totally al Qaeda, but al Nusra is totally al Qaeda.
It’s the same guys with different names to confuse the public.
They all have the same black flag of Al Qaeda.
FSA, one of “our” jihadi groups. It’s sickening to see American military assistance for Sunni jihadis.
Not recently. Think Trump cut off all funding for them.
I think, famous Kurd sniper Abu Leyla, was with some element of FSA once.
Erdogan wants the regional oil fields. He was one of the main ISIS supporters. As soon as ISIS is on the ropes, in rides the real problem.
Giving Turkey Afrin is probably the price of keeping them out of those oil fields in the east.
Geopolitically that would be a bargain (not morally).
The District is about an equilateral triangle with Turkey on two sides. IE: practically militarily indefensible.
Likely Afrin city can be saved by diplomatic and public pressure.
Re: “20,000 members of opposition Free Syrian Army (FSA)...”
Anyone know who pays the bills for this Army?
Even in the impoverished Middle East, it’s going to cost at least $10 million a month to clothe, feed, shelter, transport, arm, and pay these guys.
Erdogan has been supporting ISIS all along. He seems to desire the ISIS Caliphte to be established after which the Neo-Ottomans will absorb it and move the seat of the Caliphate to Istanbul where “it belongs.” Now that ISIS is in collapse he is ready to take more direct action to establish Turkish hegemony in the region. Turkiye has for fifty years being the sleeping giant in the region. The giant is moving and is awake.
Gulf oil money. Probably Qatar.
“FSA, one of “our” jihadi groups.”
Aren’t they openly one of Ace McCain’s pet projects? One that he admits to?
They always have been.
This is horrible, but not unexpected, eh? Praying for a result as described when Gideon was instructed to choose only 300 fighters against the Midianites in Judges 7.
*** Anyone know who pays the bills for this Army? ***
The United States of America trains and arms the FSA...those so called moderate rebels..
So, let me see..Qatar, home of All Udeid Airbase, largest US Airbase in the ME, and the Kurds who supported US efforts in Syria are both getting thrown under the bus.
Sickening.
In case anyone is curious as to my sentiments, I do not support the US Government efforts of Regime Change in Syria, or the Middle East.
They probably used Greek fire, although that has never been stated.
FSA would be wise to leave Kurds alone. but no one ever said the FSA was smart, much less wise.
Syria is like a bench clearing hockey fight. Everybody is settling scores. Last side standing gets to build it’s pipeline and support the new dictatorship.
If SDF comes out on top, there will be no dictatorship.
Syrian Kurds are different.
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