Joint military patrols in Manbij City by US and French troops
Posted on 04/29/2018 4:11:27 PM PDT by Texas Fossil
No, the Kurds are not mercenaries. The Mercenaries are Wagner group Russian variety. Who also contract with Iran and with Assad.
That is not what happened.
It appears it was the Syrian Army (SAA) that crossed east of the Euphrates and were repelled by the SDF.
All the Kurdish fighters who aren’t defending their homelands are mercenaries.
They’re literally protecting ISIS from attack on the Iraqi border while Turkish tanks roll over their cities in the North.
They’re mercs and not very bright ones either.
I mis-typed. The SDF repelled the SAA/NDF mixed forces.
Here is a better source:
I’m not sure about the site. Looks credible, but don’t know anything about it. Will examine it closer.
You and I often don’t see the same conclusions from same evidence.
I don’t see how The Independent is a better source.
In my opinion, the Iranian elements have always been the portion of the SAA that attacked Kurds. From the beginning.
With the Iranians this is about advancing their interests, their obsession of destroying Israel. That effort will fail.
Assad has been very quiet lately. But it is clear that he gave approval to the opening of the air space over Afrin for Turkey. And Turkey (our fine NATO ally /sarcasm) has re-established ISIS in Syria in the territory Turkey over ran in Afrin.)
Tensions are very very high>>
Is Israel-Iran clash imminent?
Neither U.S or UK newspapers do a very good job of covering the Region. Middle East Eye is not my favorite Regional source, but it is better than most Western Press.
I do like most writers on Al Monitor. They have perspective of the region in mind. Some of them are partisan, but others are very honest and accurate.
US MSM? Most of it is Totally Insane. Chasing money and an agenda, not actively trying to deliver “the news”.
Syria is no longer the sovereign involved.
The areas in syria and Iraq are being formed into a new country to correct the irrational territorial division by the Brits and France in 1918
The American people need to know more about the SDF forces that our government is supporting. Why are they any better than the Assad government? Who is leading them? Who is better for religious freedom? A why do we have to take sides?
The American people will never get that information from our MSM. Not going to happen, partly because the MSM does not have a clue what is going on there.
Our military does. They understand totally.
Assad and Iran both support terrorists. Have for many many years. Turkey does too.
Those are sobering thoughts but they are facts.
I know about the PKK. I have no use for the Totalitarian Left. I cringe every time I see some idiot post a pic of Che. Stupid Stupid Stupid.
YPG/YPJ are communal. They are not Globalist Communist.
You must ask yourself why they don’t trust a market system. If you lived where they are and were subject to totalitarian Islamist domination, you would not trust the “system” either. (that is a very shallow analysis)
I admit, I’ve never been in the ME. I do know some of the Syrian Kurds very well. I simply like them and the way they treat others. They are head and shoulders better at that than their neighbors. They have long lived, far from Damascus, and isolated. The various religious groups had to interact and cooperate in order to survive. They were somewhat detached from the Central Government in Damascus. Especially after ISIS took over. The only option they had was to band together and fight the ISIS animals/butchers.
The Kurds were naturals at fighting the takeover by ISIS. With very limited help from the US they grew very competent at that. After Trump became president we stepped up that limited support with great results.
That beginning grew into the SDF.
I think this would easily end well, if it were not for the agenda of the Iranians and Turks. Russia could help negotiate an end, but is instead partnered with the bad players because of ME oil and military interests.
Are we facing Israel vs Iran? Has long been so.
Are we facing Erdogan’s Neo Ottoman Empire wet dream? Yes.
Are we facing a real threat toward Israel by Iran? Yes.
Syria is the most complicated and shifting military/political theater I’ve ever seen.
What we want is stability. That means Iran has to be minimized to box in Hezbollah.
We have to choke the air corridor from Iran to Syria. That means ground territory has to be occupied to deny overhead airspace.
Rojava is critical to that end and the Kurds need considerable support to do that.
How to get that last block of SE Syria, along the Jordanian border, secured.
Jordan is unwilling, for now, to occupy it. The Kurds aren’t ready, Turkey can’t be trusted. Israel can’t do it. We’re stuck.
There are a lot of twitter feeds that are offering timely down-range intel.
Joint military patrols in Manbij City by US and French troops
Agree. One that will not be ignored. If it is ignored and is fired upon, a response will come.
Syria’s as sovereign as the USA is, quite frankly.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.