Be Well
may all be well
AH! I have a great idea! Why don't they all KILL THEMSELVES and save everyone else the headaches.....
(Just kidding, sort of. I only want some of them to kill themselves.)
WAR Syria - Turkish troops launch anti-ISIS offensive in northern Syria (8/24/16)
- Thread starter Housecarl
- Start date
AH! I have a great idea! Why don't they all KILL THEMSELVES and save everyone else the headaches.....
(Just kidding, sort of. I only want some of them to kill themselves.)
Possible Impact
TB Fanatic
Al-Masdar News @TheArabSource 46m
UN Security Council cancels Syria meeting
after US refuses to release ceasefire details
https://aml.ink/BEozb Russia
Charles Lister @Charles_Lister 49m
Having cancelled today’s meeting,
the U.S. & Russia have scheduled a meeting
of ISSG Foreign Ministers for 7.30am EST on Tuesday Sept 20.
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Daily Mirror @DailyMirror 18h Moment Syrian rebel blows himself up using phone rigged to bomb to take SELFIE
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/moment-syrian-rebel-blows-himself-8846250 …
Doomer Doug
TB Fanatic
Well, things can get complicated in the Middle East.
The brief version is the FSA is the Free Syrian Army. The FSA is mostly composed of Sunni, Al Qaida and other Muslim fighters targeting either the mostly Sunni ISIS, or the Shia offshoot Assad's Army.
The TAF is the Turkish Armed Forces which is supporting the pro Turkish elements of the FSA, which may or may not include ISIS forces, which the FSA is supposed to be fighting. LOL Got all that?
Next, we have, under the general title of "Kurdish Peshmerga," several different Kurdish groups, some Syrian, some Iraqi and some a mixture.
The two main Kurdish Peshmerga groups are the PYK and the PPK One of them is communist I think, with their leader Ordogun?captured by Turkey and now rotting in a jail somewhere. The other one is Syrian and is mostly fighting ISIS and the Turks now. The third Kurdish group is the one now headed towards Mosul for a Stalingrad. They are now in conflict with the Turks, ISIS, the Shia militias from Iran and the Shia central government in Baghdad.
The USA and Russia is now supporting various groups, and various factions inside of the groups, all under the mantra of "fighting ISIS." ISIS, of course, is directly supported by Erdogan and his TAF forces, some/most of the FSA forces, while being attacked by the Kurds, Assad, the Russians and even the Americans from time to time.
Now, Be Well, if you are not completely confused at this point, then Doomer Doug has clearly lost his touch! he he he
Seriously, the Syrian situation is now like Oklahoma weather. All you have to do is wait fifteen minutes and the alignments will change, the groups will shift who they support and who they attack.
The brief version is the FSA is the Free Syrian Army. The FSA is mostly composed of Sunni, Al Qaida and other Muslim fighters targeting either the mostly Sunni ISIS, or the Shia offshoot Assad's Army.
The TAF is the Turkish Armed Forces which is supporting the pro Turkish elements of the FSA, which may or may not include ISIS forces, which the FSA is supposed to be fighting. LOL Got all that?
Next, we have, under the general title of "Kurdish Peshmerga," several different Kurdish groups, some Syrian, some Iraqi and some a mixture.
The two main Kurdish Peshmerga groups are the PYK and the PPK One of them is communist I think, with their leader Ordogun?captured by Turkey and now rotting in a jail somewhere. The other one is Syrian and is mostly fighting ISIS and the Turks now. The third Kurdish group is the one now headed towards Mosul for a Stalingrad. They are now in conflict with the Turks, ISIS, the Shia militias from Iran and the Shia central government in Baghdad.
The USA and Russia is now supporting various groups, and various factions inside of the groups, all under the mantra of "fighting ISIS." ISIS, of course, is directly supported by Erdogan and his TAF forces, some/most of the FSA forces, while being attacked by the Kurds, Assad, the Russians and even the Americans from time to time.
Now, Be Well, if you are not completely confused at this point, then Doomer Doug has clearly lost his touch! he he he
Seriously, the Syrian situation is now like Oklahoma weather. All you have to do is wait fifteen minutes and the alignments will change, the groups will shift who they support and who they attack.
Possible Impact
TB Fanatic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bi6-iAmq3LA
SYRIA The terrorists expelled the Americans
from the town of al Rai, the friendship is over
Published on Sep 16, 2016
The FSA ran the Americans out of the town of al Rai,
the friendship is over, even though the US pays their bills.
American soldiers hoist U.S. flag on Syrian land,
set up new military base at Tell Abyad
By Chris Tomson -
15/09/2016 https://www.almasdarnews.com/articl...syrian-land-set-new-military-base-tell-abyad/
A new batch of U.S. special forces have entered Syria through Turkey
and set up camp at the Al-Monbath hill in the countryside of Tell Abyad,
a Kurdish-held region north of Raqqa.
In total, 50 American troops - 10 of which are classified as combat
advisors - are stationed at the base. The crew is armed to the teeth
with heavy weaponry and accompanied by 17 armored vehicles.
Communication equipment has been set up while U.S. flags
have somewhat controversially been hoisted at the base.
The team will be advising commanders of the Syrian Democratic Forces
(SDF) in their battles against the Islamic State. Additionally, U.S. military
advisors will attempt to prevent the SDF from clashing with Turkish-backed
rebel groups and vice versa.
Effectively, U.S. soldiers are now de facto in control two large buildings
complexes near the Tall Abyad border crossing. According to a source
close to Al-Masdar, the SDF is barred from entry at the new military site.
Damascus has not approved of the new U.S. base which could, according
to a source, be established as a permanent military base in the near future.
______
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvrnK3oXdxo
US troops withdraw from the sponsor towards the village
of Tal red western town
Published on Sep 16, 2016
from the town of al Rai, the friendship is over
Published on Sep 16, 2016
The FSA ran the Americans out of the town of al Rai,
the friendship is over, even though the US pays their bills.
American soldiers hoist U.S. flag on Syrian land,
set up new military base at Tell Abyad
By Chris Tomson -
15/09/2016 https://www.almasdarnews.com/articl...syrian-land-set-new-military-base-tell-abyad/
A new batch of U.S. special forces have entered Syria through Turkey
and set up camp at the Al-Monbath hill in the countryside of Tell Abyad,
a Kurdish-held region north of Raqqa.
In total, 50 American troops - 10 of which are classified as combat
advisors - are stationed at the base. The crew is armed to the teeth
with heavy weaponry and accompanied by 17 armored vehicles.
Communication equipment has been set up while U.S. flags
have somewhat controversially been hoisted at the base.
The team will be advising commanders of the Syrian Democratic Forces
(SDF) in their battles against the Islamic State. Additionally, U.S. military
advisors will attempt to prevent the SDF from clashing with Turkish-backed
rebel groups and vice versa.
Effectively, U.S. soldiers are now de facto in control two large buildings
complexes near the Tall Abyad border crossing. According to a source
close to Al-Masdar, the SDF is barred from entry at the new military site.
Damascus has not approved of the new U.S. base which could, according
to a source, be established as a permanent military base in the near future.
______
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvrnK3oXdxo
of Tal red western town
Published on Sep 16, 2016
US troops pulled out Friday afternoon from sponsor a town
in the countryside of Aleppo, the north after entering a short time
towards the village of Tal red western town, and after factions of
the Free Army rejected its presence in the town and share with them
in the process of "shield Euphrates battles according to reporter Smart
in the region.
He said leadership in East Ahrar that their refusal to deal with US forces
was due to direct their support for the troops, "Kurdish separatism".(Google translated)
in the countryside of Aleppo, the north after entering a short time
towards the village of Tal red western town, and after factions of
the Free Army rejected its presence in the town and share with them
in the process of "shield Euphrates battles according to reporter Smart
in the region.
He said leadership in East Ahrar that their refusal to deal with US forces
was due to direct their support for the troops, "Kurdish separatism".(Google translated)
Possible Impact
TB Fanatic
U.S. Special Operations forces begin
new role alongside Turkish troops in Syria
By Thomas Gibbons-Neff September 16 at 6:41 PM
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...n-new-role-alongside-turkish-troops-in-syria/
U.S. Special Operations forces have begun partnering with Turkish troops
and a contingent of Syrian opposition groups for a new operation in
northern Syria, defense officials said Friday.
The move comes just weeks after Turkey launched a blitz operation over
the Turkish border, seizing the northern city of Jarabulus and injecting
a new dynamic into the five-year-old conflict.
[A breakdown of some of the gear U.S. Special Operations forces are using in Syria]
Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis said in a statement that
the contingent of Special Operations forces assisting the Turkish and
Syrian forces around the cities of Jarabulus and Al-Rai was sent at
the request of the Turkish government.
It is unclear how many U.S. troops have been sent to assist in the
operation, though a video posted online Friday depicted about a dozen
U.S. troops driving out of Al-Rai as Syrian fighters called them “pigs”
and “dogs.”
“U.S. personnel operating with Turkish forces and Syrian opposition forces
will provide the same train, advise and assist support they have been
providing to other local partners in Syria fighting [the Islamic State],”
Davis said.
The United States’ new partnership with the Turks and what the Pentagon
calls the “Vetted Syrian Opposition” comes as the United States has
sought to ease tensions between the Turks and U.S.-backed Kurdish
forces that had been fighting the Islamic State near the Turkish-Syrian
border before Turkey’s new offensive.
Since the spring, U.S. Special Operations forces have been embedded
with Kurdish YPG fighters and the Syrian Democratic Forces, helping
the fledgling groups seize a number of key towns from the Islamic State
in northeastern Syria.
Turkey, however, considers the YPG an extension of the terrorist group
the PKK, or Kurdistan Workers’ Party, and has made it well-known that
it was uncomfortable with Kurdish forces so close to its border.
As Turkish ground forces entered Syria, the Pentagon sought to deconflict
the Kurds and Turkish troops, and requested the former pull back east of
the Euphrates. After small skirmishes with the Turks, the Kurds withdrew.
With U.S. forces now embedded with the Turks and still embedded with
the Kurds, the Pentagon appears to have set up a line of communication
between the two groups to ensure they remain focused on fighting the
Islamic State and not each other.
[Obama outlines plans to expand U.S. Special Operations forces in Syria]
In April, the White House authorized up to 300 Special Operations troops
in Syria. According to a U.S. defense official speaking on the condition
of anonymity to discuss ongoing operations, the new detachment of
U.S. forces with the Turks was requested by Defense Secretary Ashton
B. Carter and was approved by President Obama.
It is unclear whether the new detachment of troops alongside the Turks
will increase the overall number of Special Operations forces in Syria.
In the past, the Pentagon has insisted that the troops are not on
the “front line” and have instead remained in an advisory role,
helping local forces call in airstrikes and assisting them plan operations.
In August, Syrian Democratic Forces backed by heavy U.S. and coalition
airstrikes, took the key town of Manbij. Although no U.S. troops have
been killed in Syria, several have been wounded.
Missy Ryan contributed to this report.and a contingent of Syrian opposition groups for a new operation in
northern Syria, defense officials said Friday.
The move comes just weeks after Turkey launched a blitz operation over
the Turkish border, seizing the northern city of Jarabulus and injecting
a new dynamic into the five-year-old conflict.
[A breakdown of some of the gear U.S. Special Operations forces are using in Syria]
Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis said in a statement that
the contingent of Special Operations forces assisting the Turkish and
Syrian forces around the cities of Jarabulus and Al-Rai was sent at
the request of the Turkish government.
It is unclear how many U.S. troops have been sent to assist in the
operation, though a video posted online Friday depicted about a dozen
U.S. troops driving out of Al-Rai as Syrian fighters called them “pigs”
and “dogs.”
“U.S. personnel operating with Turkish forces and Syrian opposition forces
will provide the same train, advise and assist support they have been
providing to other local partners in Syria fighting [the Islamic State],”
Davis said.
The United States’ new partnership with the Turks and what the Pentagon
calls the “Vetted Syrian Opposition” comes as the United States has
sought to ease tensions between the Turks and U.S.-backed Kurdish
forces that had been fighting the Islamic State near the Turkish-Syrian
border before Turkey’s new offensive.
Since the spring, U.S. Special Operations forces have been embedded
with Kurdish YPG fighters and the Syrian Democratic Forces, helping
the fledgling groups seize a number of key towns from the Islamic State
in northeastern Syria.
Turkey, however, considers the YPG an extension of the terrorist group
the PKK, or Kurdistan Workers’ Party, and has made it well-known that
it was uncomfortable with Kurdish forces so close to its border.
As Turkish ground forces entered Syria, the Pentagon sought to deconflict
the Kurds and Turkish troops, and requested the former pull back east of
the Euphrates. After small skirmishes with the Turks, the Kurds withdrew.
With U.S. forces now embedded with the Turks and still embedded with
the Kurds, the Pentagon appears to have set up a line of communication
between the two groups to ensure they remain focused on fighting the
Islamic State and not each other.
[Obama outlines plans to expand U.S. Special Operations forces in Syria]
In April, the White House authorized up to 300 Special Operations troops
in Syria. According to a U.S. defense official speaking on the condition
of anonymity to discuss ongoing operations, the new detachment of
U.S. forces with the Turks was requested by Defense Secretary Ashton
B. Carter and was approved by President Obama.
It is unclear whether the new detachment of troops alongside the Turks
will increase the overall number of Special Operations forces in Syria.
In the past, the Pentagon has insisted that the troops are not on
the “front line” and have instead remained in an advisory role,
helping local forces call in airstrikes and assisting them plan operations.
In August, Syrian Democratic Forces backed by heavy U.S. and coalition
airstrikes, took the key town of Manbij. Although no U.S. troops have
been killed in Syria, several have been wounded.
danielboon
TB Fanatic
Conflict News @Conflicts 2h2 hours ago
BREAKING: US 'responsible' if Syria ceasefire breaks down: Russian military - AFPConflict News @Conflicts 2h
2 hours ago
MORE: Situation in Syria is "worsening": Russian military
BREAKING: US 'responsible' if Syria ceasefire breaks down: Russian military - AFPConflict News @Conflicts 2h
2 hours ago
MORE: Situation in Syria is "worsening": Russian military
danielboon
TB Fanatic
Conflict News@Conflicts
TURKEY: PKK take responsibility for killing of AKP MP, say it is a warning to Kurds in AKP.http://anfenglish.com/kurdistan/hpg-heavy-blow-inflicted-on-turkish-army-in-tendurek …
TURKEY: PKK take responsibility for killing of AKP MP, say it is a warning to Kurds in AKP.http://anfenglish.com/kurdistan/hpg-heavy-blow-inflicted-on-turkish-army-in-tendurek …
danielboon
TB Fanatic
now add this
Conflict News @Conflicts 2h2 hours ago
BREAKING: Iron Dome intercepts missile over northern Israel, initial reports indicate rocket fired from Syria - @michaelh992Conflict News @Conflicts 28m28 minutes ago
BREAKING: 2nd mortar shell from Syria intercepted by Iron Dome - @haaretzcom
Conflict News @Conflicts 2h2 hours ago
BREAKING: Iron Dome intercepts missile over northern Israel, initial reports indicate rocket fired from Syria - @michaelh992Conflict News @Conflicts 28m28 minutes ago
BREAKING: 2nd mortar shell from Syria intercepted by Iron Dome - @haaretzcom
For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...y-plans-to-create-safe-zone-in-northern-syria
Erdogan Says Turkish Military Plans a Safe Zone in Syria
Selcan Hacaoglu
September 19, 2016 — 12:20 AM PDT
Updated on September 19, 2016 — 12:56 AM PDT
- Turkish offensive to extend to IS stronghold of al-Bab town
- Turkey will not allow Kurdish corridor in northern Syria
Turkey plans to create a 5,000-square-kilometer (1,931-square-mile) safe zone in Syria, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday, deepening its involvement in one of the Middle East’s deadliest conflicts.
Erdogan said Turkey’s offensive inside Syria, which started on Aug. 24 under operation Euphrates Shield, has already cleared “terrorist groups” from an area of about 900 square kilometers. The offensive will extend to the Islamic State-stronghold of al-Bab, which lies about 30 kilometers from the border, he said.
The size of the planned safe zone is about 85 times the size of Manhattan, making the operation one of Turkey’s largest foreign military interventions in modern history. Deepening the offensive will likely escalate its conflict with Islamic State militants and Kurdish groups seeking autonomy in northern Syria. Last month’s incursion started days after a suicide bomber said to be linked to Islamic State killed at least 54 people at a wedding in the border city of Gaziantep.
Turkey’s goal “is likely to require the deployment of thousands of Turkish soldiers in Syria for years and increase risks of a possible military confrontation with the Syrian forces,” Nihat Ali Ozcan, a strategist at the Economic Policy Research Foundation in Ankara, said by telephone on Monday.
Syrian Refugees
Turkey, which hosts about 3 million refugees from Syria’s civil war, has long advocated the establishment of a buffer zone on the Syrian side of the border to help contain the human flight and stop deadly rocket attacks by Islamic State on Turkish towns. Clearing Islamic State from border areas west of the Euphrates river could seal the Turkish frontier and allow allied forces to speed up planning of a major offensive on Raqqa, the capital of Islamic State’s self-proclaimed caliphate.
Erdogan also said Turkey will not allow Kurdish rebel fighters in Syria to link areas under their control along Turkey’s 911-kilometer long border with Syria.
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...y-plans-to-create-safe-zone-in-northern-syria
Erdogan Says Turkish Military Plans a Safe Zone in Syria
Selcan Hacaoglu
September 19, 2016 — 12:20 AM PDT
Updated on September 19, 2016 — 12:56 AM PDT
- Turkish offensive to extend to IS stronghold of al-Bab town
- Turkey will not allow Kurdish corridor in northern Syria
Turkey plans to create a 5,000-square-kilometer (1,931-square-mile) safe zone in Syria, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday, deepening its involvement in one of the Middle East’s deadliest conflicts.
Erdogan said Turkey’s offensive inside Syria, which started on Aug. 24 under operation Euphrates Shield, has already cleared “terrorist groups” from an area of about 900 square kilometers. The offensive will extend to the Islamic State-stronghold of al-Bab, which lies about 30 kilometers from the border, he said.
The size of the planned safe zone is about 85 times the size of Manhattan, making the operation one of Turkey’s largest foreign military interventions in modern history. Deepening the offensive will likely escalate its conflict with Islamic State militants and Kurdish groups seeking autonomy in northern Syria. Last month’s incursion started days after a suicide bomber said to be linked to Islamic State killed at least 54 people at a wedding in the border city of Gaziantep.
Turkey’s goal “is likely to require the deployment of thousands of Turkish soldiers in Syria for years and increase risks of a possible military confrontation with the Syrian forces,” Nihat Ali Ozcan, a strategist at the Economic Policy Research Foundation in Ankara, said by telephone on Monday.
Syrian Refugees
Turkey, which hosts about 3 million refugees from Syria’s civil war, has long advocated the establishment of a buffer zone on the Syrian side of the border to help contain the human flight and stop deadly rocket attacks by Islamic State on Turkish towns. Clearing Islamic State from border areas west of the Euphrates river could seal the Turkish frontier and allow allied forces to speed up planning of a major offensive on Raqqa, the capital of Islamic State’s self-proclaimed caliphate.
Erdogan also said Turkey will not allow Kurdish rebel fighters in Syria to link areas under their control along Turkey’s 911-kilometer long border with Syria.
danielboon
TB Fanatic
And now that the ceasefire has expired this should get interesting Conflict News @Conflicts 28m28 minutes ago
SYRIA: Russia military says observance of the ceasefire by Syria government troops is "meaningless" amid rebel violations - AP
SYRIA: Russia military says observance of the ceasefire by Syria government troops is "meaningless" amid rebel violations - AP
Last edited:
danielboon
TB Fanatic
Reuters Top News @Reuters 31m31 minutes ago
Turkey-backed rebels could push further south in Syria, Erdogan says http://reut.rs/2cjRWZZ
Turkey-backed rebels could push further south in Syria, Erdogan says http://reut.rs/2cjRWZZ
danielboon
TB Fanatic
Sputnik @SputnikInt 24m24 minutes ago
#Assad: US coalition's airstrikes on #SyrianArmy is aggression serving #Daesh http://sptnkne.ws/cmgH #DeirEzZor
#Assad: US coalition's airstrikes on #SyrianArmy is aggression serving #Daesh http://sptnkne.ws/cmgH #DeirEzZor
Possible Impact
TB Fanatic
Syrian Army Declares End of the Ceasefire
09.19.2016
https://southfront.org/syrian-army-declares-end-of-the-ceasefire/
The Syrian army command has declared the end of the nationwide ceasefire in Syria.
in confronting the abuses by terrorist groups.”
In turn, “armed terrorist groups took advantage of the declared ceasefire” in order
to regroup and mobilize forces. Now, the terrorists are aimed to launch attacks
on “residential areas” and the government forces positions in several regions,
including Aleppo.
We recall, the nationwide ceasefire came into force on September 12 at 16:00 GMT
according to the deal signed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his
US counterpart, John Kerry in Geneva earlier this month.
However, the US and US-backed militant groups have failed to meet any
of the commitments undertaken as part of the Geneva agreements.
09.19.2016
https://southfront.org/syrian-army-declares-end-of-the-ceasefire/
The Syrian army command has declared the end of the nationwide ceasefire in Syria.
“It was assumed that the ceasefire will present a real chance to end
the bloodshed, but terrorist groups did not adhere to any of the points
of the agreement on a ceasefire, the number of violations on their part
has exceeded 300,” SANA news cites the statement.
The statement says the Syrian army has “shown the highest level of endurance the bloodshed, but terrorist groups did not adhere to any of the points
of the agreement on a ceasefire, the number of violations on their part
has exceeded 300,” SANA news cites the statement.
in confronting the abuses by terrorist groups.”
In turn, “armed terrorist groups took advantage of the declared ceasefire” in order
to regroup and mobilize forces. Now, the terrorists are aimed to launch attacks
on “residential areas” and the government forces positions in several regions,
including Aleppo.
We recall, the nationwide ceasefire came into force on September 12 at 16:00 GMT
according to the deal signed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his
US counterpart, John Kerry in Geneva earlier this month.
However, the US and US-backed militant groups have failed to meet any
of the commitments undertaken as part of the Geneva agreements.
Possible Impact
TB Fanatic
Conflict News @Conflicts 1h
BREAKING: Reports of a Red Crescent aid convoy
targeted by airstrikes in W Aleppo
after cease-fire ends Syria - @michaelh992
Conflict News @Conflicts 10m
UPDATE: Officials confirm to @ABC
that UN convoy carrying aid for Aleppo has been attacked.
Still unclear who attacked it - @WilliamsJon
BREAKING: Reports of a Red Crescent aid convoy
targeted by airstrikes in W Aleppo
after cease-fire ends Syria - @michaelh992
Conflict News @Conflicts 10m
UPDATE: Officials confirm to @ABC
that UN convoy carrying aid for Aleppo has been attacked.
Still unclear who attacked it - @WilliamsJon
For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-turkey-erdogan-idUSKCN11P0HL
World News | Mon Sep 19, 2016 | 10:44am EDT
Turkey-backed rebels could push further south in Syria, Erdogan says
By Orhan Coskun and Seda Sezer | ANKARA/ISTANBUL
Turkey-backed rebels may extend their zone of control in northern Syria by pushing south and are now targeting the Islamic State-held town of al-Bab, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday.
Turkey's "safety zone" in the region could eventually span an area of 5,000 square km (1,930 square miles), Erdogan told a news conference before departing for New York where he was due to address the United Nations' General Assembly.
Ankara launched its operation in northern Syria known as "Euphrates Shield" last month, aiming to clear Islamic State from Turkey's Syrian border area and to stop the advance of Syrian Kurdish fighters. So far, it has secured a thin wedge of land along its border.
"As part of the Euphrates Shield operation, an area of 900 square kilometers has been cleared of terror so far. This area is pushing south," Erdogan said.
"We may extend this area to 5,000 square kilometers as part of a safe zone."
Turkey has long argued for the need for a "safe zone" or a "no-fly" zone along its Syrian border, with the aim of clearing out Islamic State and Kurdish fighters and stemming a wave of migration that has fueled tensions in Europe.
But Western allies have so far balked at the idea, saying it would require a significant ground force and planes to patrol, marking a major commitment in such a crowded battlefield.
Erdogan said on Monday the Turkey-backed rebels - a group of Syrian Arabs and Turkmen fighting under the loose banner of the Free Syrian Army - were now focused on capturing the Islamic State-held town of al-Bab.
"Jarablus and al-Rai have been cleansed, now we are moving towards al-Bab... We will go there and stop (Islamic State) from being a threat to us," he said.
CONTROL OF AL-BAB
Gaining control of al-Bab, which lies on the southern edge of what Ankara sees as its potential buffer zone, is crucial to Turkey's plans to keep the Syrian Kurdish YPG fighters in check, analysts say.
Ankara's challenge now is to turn the fractured Free Syrian Army into a coherent force as a counterweight to the YPG.
Turkey, a NATO member and part of the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State in Syria, regards the Washington-backed YPG as a terrorist group and an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Ankara worries that advances by the YPG will embolden insurgents in its largely Kurdish southeast.
Erdogan has frequently castigated the United States for its support of the YPG. On Monday he accused Washington of exacerbating tension in the region, referring to an incident last week when a small number of U.S. forces entered the town of al-Rai but were forced to withdraw after the Free Syrian Army rebels protested against their presence.
The U.S. special forces entered the town to coordinate air strikes against Islamic State.
"The Syrian army did not and does not want interference from U.S. special forces," Erdogan said. "Unfortunately, the behavior of U.S. officials has pushed the FSA to this point," he said, in what appeared to be a reference to Washington's support of the YPG.
Separately, Turkey's military said on Monday it hit Islamic State targets in northern Syria in air strikes a day earlier, targeting barracks and an ammunition store.
Erdogan said he plans to address the Syria crisis, the fight against terrorism and Turkey's failed July 15 military coup when he addresses the U.N. General Assembly later this week.
(Additional reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu and Humeyra Pamuk; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Gareth Jones)
Related Coverage
Syrian army ceasefire expires, no statement of extension
Syrian rebel says truce has 'practically failed and has ended'
Turkey's Erdogan to address Syria crisis, terrorism fight in U.N. speech
Eastern Aleppo aid stuck in Turkey as Syria truce ends
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-turkey-erdogan-idUSKCN11P0HL
World News | Mon Sep 19, 2016 | 10:44am EDT
Turkey-backed rebels could push further south in Syria, Erdogan says
By Orhan Coskun and Seda Sezer | ANKARA/ISTANBUL
Turkey-backed rebels may extend their zone of control in northern Syria by pushing south and are now targeting the Islamic State-held town of al-Bab, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday.
Turkey's "safety zone" in the region could eventually span an area of 5,000 square km (1,930 square miles), Erdogan told a news conference before departing for New York where he was due to address the United Nations' General Assembly.
Ankara launched its operation in northern Syria known as "Euphrates Shield" last month, aiming to clear Islamic State from Turkey's Syrian border area and to stop the advance of Syrian Kurdish fighters. So far, it has secured a thin wedge of land along its border.
"As part of the Euphrates Shield operation, an area of 900 square kilometers has been cleared of terror so far. This area is pushing south," Erdogan said.
"We may extend this area to 5,000 square kilometers as part of a safe zone."
Turkey has long argued for the need for a "safe zone" or a "no-fly" zone along its Syrian border, with the aim of clearing out Islamic State and Kurdish fighters and stemming a wave of migration that has fueled tensions in Europe.
But Western allies have so far balked at the idea, saying it would require a significant ground force and planes to patrol, marking a major commitment in such a crowded battlefield.
Erdogan said on Monday the Turkey-backed rebels - a group of Syrian Arabs and Turkmen fighting under the loose banner of the Free Syrian Army - were now focused on capturing the Islamic State-held town of al-Bab.
"Jarablus and al-Rai have been cleansed, now we are moving towards al-Bab... We will go there and stop (Islamic State) from being a threat to us," he said.
CONTROL OF AL-BAB
Gaining control of al-Bab, which lies on the southern edge of what Ankara sees as its potential buffer zone, is crucial to Turkey's plans to keep the Syrian Kurdish YPG fighters in check, analysts say.
Ankara's challenge now is to turn the fractured Free Syrian Army into a coherent force as a counterweight to the YPG.
Turkey, a NATO member and part of the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State in Syria, regards the Washington-backed YPG as a terrorist group and an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Ankara worries that advances by the YPG will embolden insurgents in its largely Kurdish southeast.
Erdogan has frequently castigated the United States for its support of the YPG. On Monday he accused Washington of exacerbating tension in the region, referring to an incident last week when a small number of U.S. forces entered the town of al-Rai but were forced to withdraw after the Free Syrian Army rebels protested against their presence.
The U.S. special forces entered the town to coordinate air strikes against Islamic State.
"The Syrian army did not and does not want interference from U.S. special forces," Erdogan said. "Unfortunately, the behavior of U.S. officials has pushed the FSA to this point," he said, in what appeared to be a reference to Washington's support of the YPG.
Separately, Turkey's military said on Monday it hit Islamic State targets in northern Syria in air strikes a day earlier, targeting barracks and an ammunition store.
Erdogan said he plans to address the Syria crisis, the fight against terrorism and Turkey's failed July 15 military coup when he addresses the U.N. General Assembly later this week.
(Additional reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu and Humeyra Pamuk; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Gareth Jones)
Related Coverage
Syrian army ceasefire expires, no statement of extension
Syrian rebel says truce has 'practically failed and has ended'
Turkey's Erdogan to address Syria crisis, terrorism fight in U.N. speech
Eastern Aleppo aid stuck in Turkey as Syria truce ends
For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.reuters.com/article/mideast-crisis-iran-syria-idUSL8N1BX4W4
Cyclical Consumer Goods | Thu Sep 22, 2016 | 2:00am EDT
RPT-Abandoning discretion, Iranians proclaim their role in Syrian war
(Repeats Wednesday item)
* Iran leaders present Syria as existential war
* Volunteer fighter numbers rise
* Perceived threat from Islamic State
* Fighters who die praised as heroes
* War deepens region's sectarian strains
By Bozorgmehr Sharafedin and Babak Dehghanpisheh
DUBAI/BEIRUT, Sept 21 Abandoning a long-standing reticence, Iranians are increasingly candid about their involvement in Syria's war, and informal recruiters are now openly calling for volunteers to defend the Islamic Republic and fellow Shi'ites against Sunni militants.
With public opinion swinging behind the cause, numbers of would-be fighters have soared far beyond what Tehran is prepared to deploy in Syria, according to former fighters who spoke to Reuters, and commanders quoted by Iranian media.
Iran has been sending fighters to Syria since the early stages of the five-year war to support its ally, President Bashar al-Assad, in the struggle against Sunni rebels backed by Gulf Arab states and Western powers.
Once Tehran described these forces as military "advisers" but with around 400 killed on the battlefield, this discretion has slipped and several thousand are now believed to be fighting Islamic State and other groups trying to topple Assad.
Many Iranians initially opposed involvement in the war, harbouring little sympathy for Assad. But now they are warming to the mission, believing that Islamic State is a threat to the existence of their country best fought outside Iran's borders.
"The first line for the security of Iran is Syria and Iraq," a would-be volunteer named Mojtaba told Reuters by email from Tehran. Mojtaba, who asked that he be identified by only his first name, said he had been trying in vain to get out to fight in Syria for the past two years.
While Islamic State still holds large areas of Syria and Iraq, it has so far failed to stage attacks in neighbouring Iran like it has in Turkey.
Nevertheless, Iranian media have reported the breaking up of cells linked to the jihadist group at home, and the large numbers of people such as Mojtaba willing to join the battle in Syria suggest Tehran has the stamina to pursue its involvement there for years if it wishes.
"DEFENDERS OF THE SHRINE"
Iran alludes to its fighters in Syria as "defenders of the shrine", a reference to the Sayeda Zeinab mosque near Damascus, which is where a granddaughter of the Prophet Mohammad is said to be buried, as well as other shrines revered by Shi'ites.
It is casting its recruitment net wide. As well as Iranians, it has gathered Shi'ites from Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan to battle the Syrian opposition in what has become a sectarian conflict.
Brigadier General Mohsen Kazemeini, the Revolutionary Guard Corps commander for greater Tehran, said last month there were so many volunteers that "only a small number of them are sent to (Syria)", according to the Defa Press site.
Fighters killed in Syria are praised as heroes on state television and given lavish funerals. Iranian wrestler Saeed Abdevali dedicated the bronze medal he won at the Rio Olympics to the families of "defenders of the shrine" who have been killed.
Some volunteers, disappointed at the long waiting list, take a shortcut. They fly directly to Damascus and volunteer at the Sayeda Zeinab shrine, according to postings on Modafeon, a web site dedicated to news and pictures of the "defenders".
The potent message of protecting the shrines has drawn in Shi'ite Afghans, some of whom live in Iran and others in Afghanistan. These Afghans fighting in Syria under the supervision of the Revolutionary Guards are known as the Fatemiyoun.
SACRED BELIEFS
A 26-year old Afghan student living in Mashad in northeast Iran described how he was sent with other Fatemiyoun to fight in Damascus and Aleppo for about 45 days after limited training.
"My motivation is the same as the Iranians," the student, who asked not to be identified because of security concerns, said. "We are both fighting in Syria, so it shows our cause is far beyond geographic borders. We are fighting to defend our sacred beliefs and Shi'ite ideology."
Asked if he thought Iranian society had grown more welcoming to those who fight in Syria, he said "One hundred percent. When I was deployed, people were saying that they were doubtful if our fight would change anything. But now they respect the fighters more, as they are more familiar with the threats the rebels in Syria and Iraq can cause to Iran."
He said that pay, or the promise of gaining Iranian citizenship upon their return from the battlefield, are also incentives for some Afghans to volunteer. The Afghan fighters get about $450 a month, according to a Fatemiyoun commander interviewed by the Tasnim news site.
Senior officials regularly discuss the role of the Revolutionary Guards and Iranian special forces in Syria in terms of confronting the existential threat that mostly Shi'ite Iran faces from Sunni militant groups such as Islamic State, which is also known as ISIS.
Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, said this appealed more to public opinion than support for Assad.
"Fighting Shi'ite-hating bloodthirsty ISIS jihadists is easier to sell to Iranians than wasting billions on a ruthless dictator who gasses his population," he said.
A video regularly featured on Iranian state television shows a group of children wearing fatigues and combat boots singing about a religious duty to fight in Syria.
"The red lines around the shrine are made of my blood," they sing. Children under 18 may go to Syria to serve in non-combat support roles as long as they are accompanied by a guardian, according to postings on the Modafeon web site.
LESSON FROM EUROPE
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has described the wars in Syria and Iraq, where Iranian-backed authorities are also fighting Sunni militants, as crucial to the survival of the Islamic Republic. If Iranians had not gone and died fighting there, "the enemy would enter the country", he said,
This perception has won over many doubters. Sasan Sabermotlagh, a 34-year-old decorator in Tehran, said he was initially "100 percent" against the war, but he and many others he knows had changed their mind.
Despite Iran's often fraught relations with the West, Sabermotlagh cited attacks staged by Islamic State in Europe in recent months. "Now that people completely know (Islamic State) and after the incidents in France, Germany and elsewhere, you can say that 90 percent of the people who criticised the 'defenders of the shrine' don't anymore," he said.
Sabermotlagh even considered joining the fight. "When I see the videos and the pictures it has a big effect on me," he said. "I think if (Islamic State) or a similar group find their way to Iran then we will suffer similar things."
The presumed glory of the war is such that some people invent military service records to gain others' admiration. In August, Iran arrested four men in Mashad "accused of trying to attract young people's attention by putting together fake stories about their presence on the frontline", a local judiciary official was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency.
(Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafeddin in Dubai and Babak Dehghanpisheh in Beirut, Editing by William Maclean and David Stamp)
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.reuters.com/article/mideast-crisis-iran-syria-idUSL8N1BX4W4
Cyclical Consumer Goods | Thu Sep 22, 2016 | 2:00am EDT
RPT-Abandoning discretion, Iranians proclaim their role in Syrian war
(Repeats Wednesday item)
* Iran leaders present Syria as existential war
* Volunteer fighter numbers rise
* Perceived threat from Islamic State
* Fighters who die praised as heroes
* War deepens region's sectarian strains
By Bozorgmehr Sharafedin and Babak Dehghanpisheh
DUBAI/BEIRUT, Sept 21 Abandoning a long-standing reticence, Iranians are increasingly candid about their involvement in Syria's war, and informal recruiters are now openly calling for volunteers to defend the Islamic Republic and fellow Shi'ites against Sunni militants.
With public opinion swinging behind the cause, numbers of would-be fighters have soared far beyond what Tehran is prepared to deploy in Syria, according to former fighters who spoke to Reuters, and commanders quoted by Iranian media.
Iran has been sending fighters to Syria since the early stages of the five-year war to support its ally, President Bashar al-Assad, in the struggle against Sunni rebels backed by Gulf Arab states and Western powers.
Once Tehran described these forces as military "advisers" but with around 400 killed on the battlefield, this discretion has slipped and several thousand are now believed to be fighting Islamic State and other groups trying to topple Assad.
Many Iranians initially opposed involvement in the war, harbouring little sympathy for Assad. But now they are warming to the mission, believing that Islamic State is a threat to the existence of their country best fought outside Iran's borders.
"The first line for the security of Iran is Syria and Iraq," a would-be volunteer named Mojtaba told Reuters by email from Tehran. Mojtaba, who asked that he be identified by only his first name, said he had been trying in vain to get out to fight in Syria for the past two years.
While Islamic State still holds large areas of Syria and Iraq, it has so far failed to stage attacks in neighbouring Iran like it has in Turkey.
Nevertheless, Iranian media have reported the breaking up of cells linked to the jihadist group at home, and the large numbers of people such as Mojtaba willing to join the battle in Syria suggest Tehran has the stamina to pursue its involvement there for years if it wishes.
"DEFENDERS OF THE SHRINE"
Iran alludes to its fighters in Syria as "defenders of the shrine", a reference to the Sayeda Zeinab mosque near Damascus, which is where a granddaughter of the Prophet Mohammad is said to be buried, as well as other shrines revered by Shi'ites.
It is casting its recruitment net wide. As well as Iranians, it has gathered Shi'ites from Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan to battle the Syrian opposition in what has become a sectarian conflict.
Brigadier General Mohsen Kazemeini, the Revolutionary Guard Corps commander for greater Tehran, said last month there were so many volunteers that "only a small number of them are sent to (Syria)", according to the Defa Press site.
Fighters killed in Syria are praised as heroes on state television and given lavish funerals. Iranian wrestler Saeed Abdevali dedicated the bronze medal he won at the Rio Olympics to the families of "defenders of the shrine" who have been killed.
Some volunteers, disappointed at the long waiting list, take a shortcut. They fly directly to Damascus and volunteer at the Sayeda Zeinab shrine, according to postings on Modafeon, a web site dedicated to news and pictures of the "defenders".
The potent message of protecting the shrines has drawn in Shi'ite Afghans, some of whom live in Iran and others in Afghanistan. These Afghans fighting in Syria under the supervision of the Revolutionary Guards are known as the Fatemiyoun.
SACRED BELIEFS
A 26-year old Afghan student living in Mashad in northeast Iran described how he was sent with other Fatemiyoun to fight in Damascus and Aleppo for about 45 days after limited training.
"My motivation is the same as the Iranians," the student, who asked not to be identified because of security concerns, said. "We are both fighting in Syria, so it shows our cause is far beyond geographic borders. We are fighting to defend our sacred beliefs and Shi'ite ideology."
Asked if he thought Iranian society had grown more welcoming to those who fight in Syria, he said "One hundred percent. When I was deployed, people were saying that they were doubtful if our fight would change anything. But now they respect the fighters more, as they are more familiar with the threats the rebels in Syria and Iraq can cause to Iran."
He said that pay, or the promise of gaining Iranian citizenship upon their return from the battlefield, are also incentives for some Afghans to volunteer. The Afghan fighters get about $450 a month, according to a Fatemiyoun commander interviewed by the Tasnim news site.
Senior officials regularly discuss the role of the Revolutionary Guards and Iranian special forces in Syria in terms of confronting the existential threat that mostly Shi'ite Iran faces from Sunni militant groups such as Islamic State, which is also known as ISIS.
Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, said this appealed more to public opinion than support for Assad.
"Fighting Shi'ite-hating bloodthirsty ISIS jihadists is easier to sell to Iranians than wasting billions on a ruthless dictator who gasses his population," he said.
A video regularly featured on Iranian state television shows a group of children wearing fatigues and combat boots singing about a religious duty to fight in Syria.
"The red lines around the shrine are made of my blood," they sing. Children under 18 may go to Syria to serve in non-combat support roles as long as they are accompanied by a guardian, according to postings on the Modafeon web site.
LESSON FROM EUROPE
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has described the wars in Syria and Iraq, where Iranian-backed authorities are also fighting Sunni militants, as crucial to the survival of the Islamic Republic. If Iranians had not gone and died fighting there, "the enemy would enter the country", he said,
This perception has won over many doubters. Sasan Sabermotlagh, a 34-year-old decorator in Tehran, said he was initially "100 percent" against the war, but he and many others he knows had changed their mind.
Despite Iran's often fraught relations with the West, Sabermotlagh cited attacks staged by Islamic State in Europe in recent months. "Now that people completely know (Islamic State) and after the incidents in France, Germany and elsewhere, you can say that 90 percent of the people who criticised the 'defenders of the shrine' don't anymore," he said.
Sabermotlagh even considered joining the fight. "When I see the videos and the pictures it has a big effect on me," he said. "I think if (Islamic State) or a similar group find their way to Iran then we will suffer similar things."
The presumed glory of the war is such that some people invent military service records to gain others' admiration. In August, Iran arrested four men in Mashad "accused of trying to attract young people's attention by putting together fake stories about their presence on the frontline", a local judiciary official was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency.
(Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafeddin in Dubai and Babak Dehghanpisheh in Beirut, Editing by William Maclean and David Stamp)
danielboon
TB Fanatic
Already Happened @M3t4_tr0n 7h7 hours ago
Report: 41000 Turkish soldiers ready to join #Euphrates Shield operations. #Turkey #Syria - https://translate.google.it/transla...=UTF-8&u=http://www.haber53.com/mobil/haber.p hp%3Fid%3D111933&edit-text=&act=url …
Report: 41000 Turkish soldiers ready to join #Euphrates Shield operations. #Turkey #Syria - https://translate.google.it/transla...=UTF-8&u=http://www.haber53.com/mobil/haber.p hp%3Fid%3D111933&edit-text=&act=url …
danielboon
TB Fanatic
��: Turkish Commando Brigade has reportedly joined military operations in #Syria - #Turkey (via @Malikejder47)
danielboon
TB Fanatic
@DailySabah: UPDATE — Howitzers started to hit back at the area from which Daesh fired rocket into Kilis: Turkish Armed Forces
Possible Impact
TB Fanatic
Iraqi News - Iraq @IraqiNews_com Sep 19 2 US cargo planes carry humanitarian aid
for Manbij people land near Kobani
http://www.iraqinews.com/arab-world...l&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=kuku.io
Sardar Sattar @SardarSattar Sep 19
US cargo planes delivered humanitarian shipment to Rojava.
They landed in a military airbase near Kobani.
http://www.basnews.com/index.php/en/news/middle-east/299872
Conflict News @Conflicts 44m
BREAKING:
Erdoğan: "3 days ago 2 US planes brought weapons to Kobani,
Biden said he did not know about it, well I do."
- @CNNTURK_ENG
^^^ Keep watch for Incirlik Airbase incidents
if he presses further on this gambit.
Hummm.....
For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
https://www.yahoo.com/news/pentagon-weighs-arming-syrian-kurds-ahead-raqa-fight-182105270.html
Pentagon weighs arming Syrian Kurds ahead of Raqa fight
AFP•September 22, 2016
Comments 1
Washington (AFP) - Washington is considering arming Syrian Kurdish forces who will join the offensive to retake the Islamic State group's stronghold of Raqa, the US military's top officer said Thursday.
Though the United States has already helped arm Kurdish fighters in Iraq, a similar move in Syria is more contentious as key ally Turkey regards the group as terrorists and allies of PKK separatists fighting within Turkish borders.
"We're in deliberation about exactly what to do with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) right now," General Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The SDF numbers about 30,000 fighters and is made up largely of Kurds, though Syrian Arabs also form a significant component.
While the Pentagon has already provided military equipment to the SDF, it insists these shipments have only gone to the Arab part.
The United States is helping train and advise the SDF, as they are expected to conduct the eventual push to retake Raqa, the de-facto capital of IS's self-declared "caliphate."
"They are our most effective partner on the ground. It's very difficult as you know, managing a relationship between our support for the Syrian Democratic Forces and our Turkish allies," Dunford said.
"We're working very closely with our Turkish allies to come up with the right approach ... and still allay the Turkish concerns about the Kurds' long-term political prospects."
When asked by a lawmaker if arming the Syrian Kurds would make the SDF more effective, Dunford said: "I would agree."
"If we would reinforce the Syrian Democratic Forces' current capabilities, that will increase the prospects of our success in Raqa," he said.
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said no "specific decision" had been taken on the issue. He did not directly respond when asked if he would support arming the Syrian Kurds.
"I support whatever is required to help them move in the direction of Raqa," Carter said.
Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad's regime were pushed out of Raqa, which lies on the Euphrates River, in 2013, making it the first provincial capital in Syria to fall out of government control.
IS rapidly infiltrated the city, which is strategically located near the Turkish border, and declared a caliphate in 2014.
Ousting IS from the city would be a turning point in the conflict and mark a huge blow to the jihadists.
For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
https://www.yahoo.com/news/pentagon-weighs-arming-syrian-kurds-ahead-raqa-fight-182105270.html
Pentagon weighs arming Syrian Kurds ahead of Raqa fight
AFP•September 22, 2016
Comments 1
Washington (AFP) - Washington is considering arming Syrian Kurdish forces who will join the offensive to retake the Islamic State group's stronghold of Raqa, the US military's top officer said Thursday.
Though the United States has already helped arm Kurdish fighters in Iraq, a similar move in Syria is more contentious as key ally Turkey regards the group as terrorists and allies of PKK separatists fighting within Turkish borders.
"We're in deliberation about exactly what to do with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) right now," General Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The SDF numbers about 30,000 fighters and is made up largely of Kurds, though Syrian Arabs also form a significant component.
While the Pentagon has already provided military equipment to the SDF, it insists these shipments have only gone to the Arab part.
The United States is helping train and advise the SDF, as they are expected to conduct the eventual push to retake Raqa, the de-facto capital of IS's self-declared "caliphate."
"They are our most effective partner on the ground. It's very difficult as you know, managing a relationship between our support for the Syrian Democratic Forces and our Turkish allies," Dunford said.
"We're working very closely with our Turkish allies to come up with the right approach ... and still allay the Turkish concerns about the Kurds' long-term political prospects."
When asked by a lawmaker if arming the Syrian Kurds would make the SDF more effective, Dunford said: "I would agree."
"If we would reinforce the Syrian Democratic Forces' current capabilities, that will increase the prospects of our success in Raqa," he said.
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said no "specific decision" had been taken on the issue. He did not directly respond when asked if he would support arming the Syrian Kurds.
"I support whatever is required to help them move in the direction of Raqa," Carter said.
Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad's regime were pushed out of Raqa, which lies on the Euphrates River, in 2013, making it the first provincial capital in Syria to fall out of government control.
IS rapidly infiltrated the city, which is strategically located near the Turkish border, and declared a caliphate in 2014.
Ousting IS from the city would be a turning point in the conflict and mark a huge blow to the jihadists.
danielboon
TB Fanatic
What a cluster
For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-turkey-idUSKCN11T0G4
World News | Fri Sep 23, 2016 | 2:34am EDT
Turkey's Erdogan says U.S. sent weapons to Kurdish fighters in Syria
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan accused the United States of supplying more weapons to Kurdish fighters in northern Syria this week, delivering two plane loads of arms to what Ankara says is a terrorist group.
Erdogan's comments, in a speech in New York on Thursday, are likely to add to tensions between Turkey and Washington over U.S. support for Kurdish YPG forces involved in operations against Islamic State fighters.
Turkey is part of the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State but views the Syrian Kurdish YPG and its PYD political wing as an extension of Kurdish militants who have waged a three-decade insurgency on its own soil.
"If you think you can finish off Daesh with the YPG and PYD, you cannot, because they are terrorist groups too," Erdogan said in comments broadcast on Turkish television, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State.
"Three days ago America dropped two plane loads of weapons in Kobani for these terror groups," he said, adding he had raised the issue on Wednesday with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden who he said had no knowledge of this.
The United States, which sees the YPG as a major strategic partner in the fight against Islamic State in Syria, air-dropped weapons to the group in the largely Kurdish town of Kobani in 2014. Erdogan said that half of those arms were seized by Islamic State fighters.
Kobani was besieged by Islamic State for four months in late 2014 and is about 35 km (20 miles) east of the Syrian border town of Jarablus, which Turkey-backed rebels seized a month ago in an operation dubbed "Euphrates Shield".
That operation is designed to clear Islamic State fighters from Turkey's southern border area but it has also brought Turkish and Syrian rebel forces into conflict with the YPG.
Erdogan's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin on Thursday ruled out the possibility of Turkey joining an operation by coalition forces against Islamic State militants in their stronghold of Raqqa if the YPG also takes Kurdish fighters also take part.
The Turkish border town of Kilis was struck on Thursday by three rockets, fired from Islamic State-controlled territory in Syria, which wounded eight civilians including six children, the Turkish military said.
(Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by David Dolan and Ralph Boulton)
Also In World News
Jets pound rebel-held Aleppo after army offensive declared: rescue worker, monitor
Iraqi army says it recaptured key town south of Mosul
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-turkey-idUSKCN11T0G4
World News | Fri Sep 23, 2016 | 2:34am EDT
Turkey's Erdogan says U.S. sent weapons to Kurdish fighters in Syria
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan accused the United States of supplying more weapons to Kurdish fighters in northern Syria this week, delivering two plane loads of arms to what Ankara says is a terrorist group.
Erdogan's comments, in a speech in New York on Thursday, are likely to add to tensions between Turkey and Washington over U.S. support for Kurdish YPG forces involved in operations against Islamic State fighters.
Turkey is part of the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State but views the Syrian Kurdish YPG and its PYD political wing as an extension of Kurdish militants who have waged a three-decade insurgency on its own soil.
"If you think you can finish off Daesh with the YPG and PYD, you cannot, because they are terrorist groups too," Erdogan said in comments broadcast on Turkish television, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State.
"Three days ago America dropped two plane loads of weapons in Kobani for these terror groups," he said, adding he had raised the issue on Wednesday with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden who he said had no knowledge of this.
The United States, which sees the YPG as a major strategic partner in the fight against Islamic State in Syria, air-dropped weapons to the group in the largely Kurdish town of Kobani in 2014. Erdogan said that half of those arms were seized by Islamic State fighters.
Kobani was besieged by Islamic State for four months in late 2014 and is about 35 km (20 miles) east of the Syrian border town of Jarablus, which Turkey-backed rebels seized a month ago in an operation dubbed "Euphrates Shield".
That operation is designed to clear Islamic State fighters from Turkey's southern border area but it has also brought Turkish and Syrian rebel forces into conflict with the YPG.
Erdogan's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin on Thursday ruled out the possibility of Turkey joining an operation by coalition forces against Islamic State militants in their stronghold of Raqqa if the YPG also takes Kurdish fighters also take part.
The Turkish border town of Kilis was struck on Thursday by three rockets, fired from Islamic State-controlled territory in Syria, which wounded eight civilians including six children, the Turkish military said.
(Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by David Dolan and Ralph Boulton)
Also In World News
Jets pound rebel-held Aleppo after army offensive declared: rescue worker, monitor
Iraqi army says it recaptured key town south of Mosul
Be Well
may all be well
2 US cargo planes carry humanitarian aid
for Manbij people land near Kobani
http://www.iraqinews.com/arab-world...l&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=kuku.io
Sardar Sattar @SardarSattar Sep 19
US cargo planes delivered humanitarian shipment to Rojava.
They landed in a military airbase near Kobani.
http://www.basnews.com/index.php/en/news/middle-east/299872
Conflict News @Conflicts 44m
BREAKING:
Erdoğan: "3 days ago 2 US planes brought weapons to Kobani,
Biden said he did not know about it, well I do."
- @CNNTURK_ENG
^^^ Keep watch for Incirlik Airbase incidents
if he presses further on this gambit.
Why does Erdog think it's up to him whether the US arms Kurds who are fighting ISIS, or gives humanitarian aid to whoever the Manbij people are? Erdog is a fiend in human form and the kowtowing and placating him by the US - it's so insane. ALL foreign policy since 0-asshat got into the WH has been straight from hell. (Or course domestic too but that's other threads.)
For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-idUSKCN11U05B
World News | Sat Sep 24, 2016 | 5:20am EDT
Warplanes press attack on rebel-held eastern Aleppo
Warplanes mounted a new wave of heavy air strikes on rebel-held areas of Aleppo on Saturday, rebel sources, a rescue worker and a war monitor reported, pressing a major offensive by the Russian-backed Syrian military to take back the whole city.
Residents of rebel-held eastern Aleppo say it has been subjected to the most ferocious bombardment of the war since the Damascus government declared a new offensive that has killed dozens of people in the last two days.
Rebel officials said heavy air strikes on Saturday hit at least four areas of the opposition-held east, home to more than 250,000 people. Rebels say the strikes are mostly being carried out by Russian warplanes.
The attack has drawn on ordnance more destructive than anything previously used against the area, and many buildings have been destroyed, residents say. Images of blast sites show craters several meters wide and deep.
"There are planes in the sky now," Ammar al Selmo, the head of Civil Defense in the opposition-held east, told Reuters from Aleppo on Saturday morning. "Our teams are responding but are not enough to cover this amount of catastrophe."
A Syrian military source told Reuters the operation announced late on Thursday was continuing according to plan.
Asked about the weapons being used, the military source said the army was using precise weapons "suitable for the nature of the targets being struck, according to the type of fortifications", such as tunnels and bunkers, and "specifically command centers".
A senior official in an Aleppo-based rebel faction, the Levant Front, told Reuters the weapons appeared designed to bring down entire buildings. "Most of the victims are under the rubble because more than half the civil defense has been forced out of service," he said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based organization that reports on the war, said it had documented 47 deaths since Friday, including five children. Selmo said the toll was more than 100.
"The raids are intense and continuous," Observatory Director Rami Abdulrahman told Reuters.
Related Coverage
Syrian government forces seize Aleppo camp from rebels: monitor, rebel, state TV
The Syrian army says it is targeting rebel positions in the city, and denies hitting civilians.
"Every missile makes an earthquake we feel regardless of how far off the bombardment is," one Aleppo resident said.
(Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
Next In World News
Four al Qaeda members killed in suspected U.S. drone strike: officials
Anti-Brexit group challenges UK government over Article 50 disclosure
12 killed in militant attack north of Iraq's Tikrit: security sources
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-idUSKCN11U05B
World News | Sat Sep 24, 2016 | 5:20am EDT
Warplanes press attack on rebel-held eastern Aleppo
Warplanes mounted a new wave of heavy air strikes on rebel-held areas of Aleppo on Saturday, rebel sources, a rescue worker and a war monitor reported, pressing a major offensive by the Russian-backed Syrian military to take back the whole city.
Residents of rebel-held eastern Aleppo say it has been subjected to the most ferocious bombardment of the war since the Damascus government declared a new offensive that has killed dozens of people in the last two days.
Rebel officials said heavy air strikes on Saturday hit at least four areas of the opposition-held east, home to more than 250,000 people. Rebels say the strikes are mostly being carried out by Russian warplanes.
The attack has drawn on ordnance more destructive than anything previously used against the area, and many buildings have been destroyed, residents say. Images of blast sites show craters several meters wide and deep.
"There are planes in the sky now," Ammar al Selmo, the head of Civil Defense in the opposition-held east, told Reuters from Aleppo on Saturday morning. "Our teams are responding but are not enough to cover this amount of catastrophe."
A Syrian military source told Reuters the operation announced late on Thursday was continuing according to plan.
Asked about the weapons being used, the military source said the army was using precise weapons "suitable for the nature of the targets being struck, according to the type of fortifications", such as tunnels and bunkers, and "specifically command centers".
A senior official in an Aleppo-based rebel faction, the Levant Front, told Reuters the weapons appeared designed to bring down entire buildings. "Most of the victims are under the rubble because more than half the civil defense has been forced out of service," he said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based organization that reports on the war, said it had documented 47 deaths since Friday, including five children. Selmo said the toll was more than 100.
"The raids are intense and continuous," Observatory Director Rami Abdulrahman told Reuters.
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Syrian government forces seize Aleppo camp from rebels: monitor, rebel, state TV
The Syrian army says it is targeting rebel positions in the city, and denies hitting civilians.
"Every missile makes an earthquake we feel regardless of how far off the bombardment is," one Aleppo resident said.
(Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
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