[Zhang Fei]

If this was the Syrian Arab Air Force, I’m impressed.

[House Atreides]

Only 33? Damn!

[Jeff Chandler]

[nuconvert]

“Russia’s military has denied it is responsible for airstrikes that killed dozens of Turkish soldiers on Thursday night in the Syrian province of Idlib”

Ha. Of course it does. Who would expect them to say anything else?

[Alberta's Child]

Turkey has said at least 33 of its troops were killed and almost 40 more injured in the strikes. It said the airstrikes were carried out by the Syrian government.

Imagine the audacity of those Syrians. Turkey sends an armed force to occupy a sovereign nation, and then the government of that nation actually decides to do something about it.

[Cicero]

Tough luck. Turkey is not our friend.

[PGR88]

I thought only we were allowed to kill Arabs?

[Grampa Dave]

Ooops! Was there a hidden message with the public apology?

[McGruff]

Let them kill each other off. Just get our troops out of there.

[Wuli]

No fan of Putin, but no fan of Erdogan either. In this particular case I would believe the Russians over Erdogan.

[rrrod]

Turks dead Russians dead muzzies dead.
I don’t give a shi’ite.

[Zhang Fei]

Amusingly, the Turks (and Linda Graham) want to get NATO involved. I’m gonna guess that this will meet with shrugs from all NATO members, including Uncle Sam. My bet? Trump has no wish to help Turkey annex Syrian territory, given its encroachment on allied Kurdish territory in Syrian Kurdistan.

---

[NATO announced that it would hold an emergency council meeting on the situation in Syria after Turkey triggered the Article 4 mechanism of the alliance’s charter, which permits members to seek consultations when their territorial integrity, political independence or security is threatened.

NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg spoke with Turkey’s foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu by phone, the Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu reported. Erdogan’s spokesman Ibrahim Kalin, who plays a senior role in foreign affairs, also spoke to U.S. National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien, AP reported.

Turkey has been calling for the international community to help halt the Russian-backed offensive in Idlib as the humanitarian crisis there worsens. The offensive has already sent hundreds of thousands of civilians fleeing towards the border with Turkey. Huge numbers of people are sleeping in tent camps in freezing temperatures.

“The world is sitting on its hands and watching the destruction of Idlib by Assad, Iran, and the Russians,” U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham said in a statement. “I very much appreciate Turkey’s intervention in Idlib. It is now time for the international community to establish a no-fly zone to save thousands of innocent men, women, and children from a horrible death.” ]

[Wuli]

The Syrian government recently gained control of the last few strategic villages along the main national highway that connects Damascus to Allepo. That activity was in the area Erdogan is attempting to OCCUPY under the pretense he is only helping the “Syrian opposition” (to Assad).

Now Erdogan is trying to take back those villages and deny the Syrian government control of the main north-south highway end to end.

This all NOT about “the Syrian opposition”. It is about Turkey/Erdogan attempting to permanently occupy a section of northwestern Syria.

[map]

Great. Erdogan, leader of a NATO member nation threatens to unleash hordes into Europe while Lindsey threatens to go to war with Russia.

Over what? A province that is under attack by jihadists and that has been part of Syria for decades?

Why doesn’t Lindsey just go to the floor to demand a declaration of war? And why don’t we politely ask Erdogan to leave NATO?

[ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas]

The International Association of Dumpster Fires has demanded that everyone stop calling Syria a dumpster fire, and also demands that they cease using that term for the Dem debates.