Posted on 01/26/2018 8:12:32 PM PST by Texas Fossil
Turkish forces continue to bombard Afrin, a district in Syria currently controlled by Syrian Kurds. Turkey justifies its actions in the presence of the People’s Protection Units, or YPG, a Kurdish militia which Turkey accuses of being a terrorist group. The State Department and Pentagon, meanwhile, reticent to see hemorrhaging U.S.-Turkish ties decline further, split hairs: They explain their support for Syrian Kurds is limited to areas where the YPG (or Syrian Defense Force, of which the YPG is the dominant portion) fights the Islamic State, but that the United States is under no obligation to help the same groups where they live elsewhere in Syria.
There are two problems with that sort of hairsplitting: First, while it may pass for sophistication in Washington, no one is fooled in the real world. They see the United States abandoning a partner in time of need. The cynicism this breeds throughout the region can be corrosive. Second, if the goal is to assuage Turkey, then it is also doomed to fail. Turkey sees the YPG as a terrorist militia, period. For Ankara, it is a black-and-white issue with no shades of gray. Turkey will object if the United States supports the YPG anywhere.
The problem with the Turkish position, however, is....
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonexaminer.com ...
"What Turkey seeks to do in Afrin is not eradicate terrorism but rather to engage in ethnic cleansing."
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My excerpt is too small to get a real grasp. Go to the link and read the entire article.
“... But, of the things the Bulgarian told me, the following scene particularly caught my attention. Imagine a baby in the arms of his trembling mother, with Turks all around them. The Turks are having a little game: they laugh and tickle the baby to make it laugh too. Finally they succeed and the baby begins to laugh. Then one of the Turks points his pistol at the baby, holding it four inches from the child’s face. The little boy chuckles delightedly and tries to catch the shiny pistol in his tiny hands. Suddenly the artist presses the trigger and fires into the baby’s face, splitting his little head in half...Pure art, isn’t it? Incidentally, I understand that Turks are very fond of sweet things.. .” - Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
Hot a good source for info on the Afrin battle?
https://sputniknews.com/tags/geo_Afrin/ Spturnik is the best I’ve found, and I’ve my doubts of them of course.
Pay no attention to those Turks behind the Curtin! It’s Russia-Russia-Russia.
The Turks have committed Genocide many times, never once admitted to any of them. They are racist who hate many people.
Ask the Armenians, Greeks, Jews, Alevi, Ezidi, Kurds, Assyrian Christians and more.
This is about hating Kurds. The Syrian Kurds have never once attacked Turkey. NEVER. But Erdogan got the green light from Russia and Assad. They want to snuff out the Kurds in Northern Syria. FACT.
Better source> https://anfenglishmobile.com/news/latest-from-the-turkish-state-s-afrin-operation-24483
I believe Assad and Putin did not give Turkey permission to invade but they don’t lift a finger for some reason.
Namely Kurds were unwilling to recognize Syrian authority over Syrian Kurdistan.
Neither Russia nor Syria want to fight with them over it but dimwit Erdogan would for his own reasons.
That is basically a trap for Turkey and a small diplomatic check for the Kurds. The moment the Kurds would learn their lesson and cry for help the Turks would get their butts handed to them in days.
Erdogan clearly misunderstands all these dynamics.
Thanks, I guess the two sources will have to do.
Any idea who holds Bursaya Mountain presently?
The SDF had recaptured it yesterday, I am pretty sure they still hold it.
Thanks again. Very strategic position.
You and I often disagree, but on this we agree completely:
“That is basically a trap for Turkey”
Putin has not forgotten the jet Erdogan shot down. Putin does not like disloyal players, and Erdogan blows with the wind. Putin is playing with Erdogan like a cat with a mouse.
In my opinion. But that opinion was shaped by conversation with my Syrian friends.
Bingo, that's the choice they made, and they must accept the consequences.
Turkish coup was a great opportunity for Putin to gain control over Erdogan.
It is not really a secret that Russian ELINT has broke into a Turkish military command and control playing them for suckered in their quest to off Erdogan leading them to bomb an empty hotel room minutes after Erdogan left it and then called off fighters sent to down Erdogan’s jet.
It was an opportunity for Putin to set scores with Erdogan but he correctly assumed that it is better to keep an idiot in charge of NATO’s #2 military power. Especially an idiot who owes him his life.
You can see parallels with Warsaw uprising in 1944.
A lot is said about it being ‘betrayed’ by the red army but the problem was a pro-British Polish government waiting in airport in London to victoriously arrive and gain control while the Soviets were expected to do the heavy lift and take casualties dealing with the Germans.
Stalin wasn’t that stupid to make in happened.
That’s Kurd’s and their sponsor’s idea. Surprisingly (for them) Assad isn’t biting too.
A few modern parallels are the successful installation of Muslim Terrorist KLA in Kosovo by ethnic cleansing of Christian Serbs, the failed attempt to install Muslim control of Georgia and subjugate ethnic Russian provinces, and the Ukraine Coup to loot Ukraine, Donbass and Crimea for the EU Soros and the IMF.
That’s correct as well. I believe some players are willing to make ‘Free Kurdistan’ into a place like that.
You are right, of course.
Good article. From the article:
“Turkey consistently undermined the fight against the Al Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front and also ISIS. Not only did it give free passage to foreign fighters, but it also supplied and equipped both groups.”
As ISIS collapsed, former ISIS fighters, and sometimes whole units have been formed into the so called “Free Syrian Army” militias, that Turkey is using for infantry in their assault on Afrin. As we have seen all too much of already, these ISIS extremists are World-Class war criminals, when it comes to ethnic cleansing and genocidal campaigns against civilians. Turkey knows that very well, and has consciously chosen to use them.
Yes, Turkey has an extremely long history of massacres and genocide that they have never once admitted doing. Long before Modern Turkey, the Ottoman Empire did this. And the Neo-Ottoman dreamer, Erdogan the Islamist is on the threshold of another attempt.
The world must know this, must understand this. There is a lot riding on this in the Middle East.
It is fortunate that some in the Region are fully aware of it. Egypt’s President Sisi knows, and has acted strongly to end the terrorists in his country. I think Jordan also has to a degree. Some of the Gulf States do, but are much quieter about it.
These are very interesting times. The battle lines are old, but the region is still locked into Tribal leadership, which dies with the leader. Not the best situation.
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