WAR TURKEY'S ERDOGAN INVADES NORTHERN SYRIA PART TWO 4-8-2018
- Thread starter Doomer Doug
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- erdogan kurds syrian war trump turkey
Doomer Doug
TB Fanatic
The context of all of this is last year, further to the West, the battle of Afrin happened. Turkey eventually kicked out the US backed Kurds, further deployed into Syria, and Erdogan made explicit statements he would mover further east, towards manji? and then over the Euphrates River, and south into central Syria and directly engage Assad junior.
The only reason Erdogan waited was for the delivery of Russian S-400 state of the art defensive missile systems. Now that he has them Erdogan won't hesitate to directly take on both, or either, the USA and Israel.
This means my original article was just delayed by one year. All of this, the combat deployment of the s-400's, the refusal to give Turkey the F-35,s, and the final, de facto withdrawal of Turkey from NATO means WAR is now imminent, since all the pieces are lined up.
If either Israel of the USA makes any effort to stop Erdogan from further moves east, INTO IRAQ, or south, INTO CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SYRIA, he will use the S-400 missile systems, and be in a defacto alliance with Russia, Turkey, Iran, Syria, who has been screwed by both Putin and Erdogan. Putin has agreed to give Turkey a guaranteed Kurdish free Iraq/Syria border, and allow a large chunk of northern Syria to be annexed by Erdogan. In return, Putin gets a permanent naval base in the med, plus the final and total collapse of the ENTIRE Southern flank of NATO. Iran gets a land route from Tehran to Beirut, and Turkey gets rid of the Kurdish threat in both eastern and southern Turkey.
Yep, the Kurdish Peshmerga is going to kick over the wasp's nest, Daniel and after that all of it, from the Kurdish areas in Iraq bordering Turkey, as well as the entire turkey syria Kurdish border area are going to light up like a fire cracker.
I have to say, yet again, that Putin is a master of the long play. He set all of this up, going back to 2014 with the Crimea, Ukraine etc etc etc
The only reason Erdogan waited was for the delivery of Russian S-400 state of the art defensive missile systems. Now that he has them Erdogan won't hesitate to directly take on both, or either, the USA and Israel.
This means my original article was just delayed by one year. All of this, the combat deployment of the s-400's, the refusal to give Turkey the F-35,s, and the final, de facto withdrawal of Turkey from NATO means WAR is now imminent, since all the pieces are lined up.
If either Israel of the USA makes any effort to stop Erdogan from further moves east, INTO IRAQ, or south, INTO CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SYRIA, he will use the S-400 missile systems, and be in a defacto alliance with Russia, Turkey, Iran, Syria, who has been screwed by both Putin and Erdogan. Putin has agreed to give Turkey a guaranteed Kurdish free Iraq/Syria border, and allow a large chunk of northern Syria to be annexed by Erdogan. In return, Putin gets a permanent naval base in the med, plus the final and total collapse of the ENTIRE Southern flank of NATO. Iran gets a land route from Tehran to Beirut, and Turkey gets rid of the Kurdish threat in both eastern and southern Turkey.
Yep, the Kurdish Peshmerga is going to kick over the wasp's nest, Daniel and after that all of it, from the Kurdish areas in Iraq bordering Turkey, as well as the entire turkey syria Kurdish border area are going to light up like a fire cracker.
I have to say, yet again, that Putin is a master of the long play. He set all of this up, going back to 2014 with the Crimea, Ukraine etc etc etc
Zagdid
Veteran Member
Syria Safe zone: Can US reconcile conflicting demands of Turkey, YPG
https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/or...s-syria-envoy-coming-for-safe-zone-talks.html (fair use)
Metin Gurcan July 22, 2019
An American delegation led by US Syria envoy James Jeffrey has arrived in Turkey for July 22-23 meetings with its Turkish counterparts to make progress in plans for a proposed safe zone, which is expected to provide a buffer between Turkey’s border area and parts of northern Syria controlled by Kurdish groups that Turkey considers a threat to its national security. The critical talks are expected to focus on five controversial points.
Moreover, the timing of the talks is telling because of three recent developments. One is that the leaves of Turkish soldiers serving along the border east of the Euphrates River have been canceled. Also, military activities have increased along the border area facing Kobani, which is under Syrian Kurdish rule. Finally, military fortifications around the area have increased expectations of an imminent Turkish operation in northeast Syria.
The operational picture northeast of Syria indicates absolute US aerial dominance. Turkey has assembled two armored brigades, two mechanized brigades and two commando brigades on the Suruc-Akcakale front for a grand-scale, corps-sized offensive military operation with a depth of 40 kilometers (25 miles).
It is essential to provide close air support to ground forces with combat planes, attack helicopters and armed drones. This means Turkey will have to persuade the United States to allow access to the airspace. During the 72-day-long al-Bab siege during Operation Euphrates Shield, the Turkish army bitterly learned the importance of close air support in Syria. A US green light is therefore essential. It is impossible for Turkey to conduct a unilateral military move east of the Euphrates bypassing the United States; thus, there is a necessity to get US approval for any operation in northeastern Syria.
The strategic questions the United States will have to deal with when approving such an operation will be how to accommodate two contrasting objectives: taking into account Turkey's concerns while also safeguarding the security of its local ally, the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), which constitute the backbone of the Syrian Democratic Forces.
To achieve this objective, for almost a year, the United States seemed to be in agreement with Turkey’s proposal to create a buffer zone with a limited operation in the Kobani-Tell Abyad-Ain Issa triangle, adjacent to the Manbij region. This operation, whose sole objective would be to create a buffer zone that would be protected by fixed observation outposts in the Kobani-Tell Abyad-Ain Issa triangle, would not resemble Operation Euphrates Shield — carried out against the Islamic State from Aug. 16, 2016 to March 17, 2017 — and Operation Olive Branch — which took place from January to March 2018 — launched against the YPG, which Turkey considers to be a Syrian extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) of Turkey. The United States and many other Western countries also consider the PKK to be a terrorist group.
This new military move will be defensive in nature — as was the case with the 12 Turkish observation posts around Idlib — closely monitored by the US military.
It appears that the tactical picture of Manbij is to be copied and pasted just to the east of the Euphrates River.
Of note, two rival camps appear to be emerging in Ankara on the US-proposed buffer zone stretching into the Kobani-Tell Abyad-Ain Issa triangle. The first camp says Turkey should cooperate with Washington to create a buffer zone as soon as possible on the grounds of eliminating the YPG's military presence along the border. The second camp says cooperating with the “unpredictable” Trump administration and what is seen as an unreliable US security bureaucracy in northeast Syria would eventually lead Turkey to recognize the de facto legitimacy of the YPG-affiliated Democratic Union Party and that Ankara should not attempt to work with the United States on the safe zone.
It appears that Jeffrey and his team have persuaded YPG officials to accept the creation of a buffer zone, but there are still some major points need to be discussed:
Size of the buffer zone: Ankara has been insisting on creating a buffer zone starting from Jarablus to Akcakale with the depth of 40 kilometers, marking the max range of the 155 mm Storm Howitzer so as to provide indirect fire support for its ground units. When Ankara is able to deliver this indirect fire support, then there will no need for close air support for the Turkish military units creating fixed military outposts in the buffer zone.
The YPG, on the other hand, seems to agree on the creation of a limited buffer zone that is a maximum of 10 kilometers (6 miles) in depth and that excludes critical urban settlements such Kobani, Tell Abyad and Ain Issa. The YPG’s offer is simply copying and pasting the operational picture in Manbij to the Tell Abyad-Kobani-Ain Issa triangle. In Manbij, the north is under the control of the Turkish military, backed by the Free Syrian Army (FSA), and the south is under the US-controlled YPG; an east-west cease-fire line along the Hajur River constitutes the boundary of these two. The United States has been trying to find a solution to the size of the buffer zone.
Also controversial is the proximity of indirect fire support elements such as multiple-rocket launchers and mortars to the buffer zone. Ankara demands all such heavy weapons should be at least 20 kilometers (some 12 miles) from the buffer zone. The YPG insists that these weapons will be needed to protect the Kurdish population that will remain in the buffer zone and that a shorter distance is necessary.
Who will control the urban settlements? Ankara wants full control of Kurdish-majority Kobani and Tell Abyad, just as it is controlling Afrin at the moment, claiming that these are historically Arab-majority areas. The YPG, in contrast, does not want to withdraw from these city centers and transfer local governance to Turkish authorities.
Who will protect the airspace of the planned buffer zone? Ankara wants full control of airspace over buffer zone, seeking a US withdrawal from the airspace of northeast Syria. In contrast, the YPG has been insisting on a US declaration of a no-fly zone so as to guarantee US backing against Turkish air-supported offensive military operations.
Will the FSA factions be deployed to the northeast? Ankara claims that it is impossible to create a buffer zone without getting help from the FSA, but the YPG does not want any FSA footprint in the northeast, particularly in Kurdish-majority city centers.
Who will control/monitor the cease-fire line in the buffer zone? The Manbij model, which involved the creation of joint patrols from the Turkish and US militaries, would not work in the northeast because the area is too big and more risky. That is why the United States is very eager to invite European partners such as France and Germany to share the burden. I think that the United States' true objective for inviting European soldiers to the northeast is to assign them to control/monitor the boundary line separating the Turkish-controlled north from the YPG-controlled south as a bipartisan military force that would be welcomed both by Ankara and YPG.
It remains to be seen whether US officials will be able to accommodate the diverging interests of Turkey, a traditional ally currently having bitter relations with Washington, and the YPG, the only US proxy force legitimizing the US military presence in Syria.
If the Jeffrey-led US delegation cannot nail down these issues, then August may be a hot month for the Kobani-Tell Abyad-Ain Issa triangle.
https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/or...s-syria-envoy-coming-for-safe-zone-talks.html (fair use)
Metin Gurcan July 22, 2019
An American delegation led by US Syria envoy James Jeffrey has arrived in Turkey for July 22-23 meetings with its Turkish counterparts to make progress in plans for a proposed safe zone, which is expected to provide a buffer between Turkey’s border area and parts of northern Syria controlled by Kurdish groups that Turkey considers a threat to its national security. The critical talks are expected to focus on five controversial points.
Moreover, the timing of the talks is telling because of three recent developments. One is that the leaves of Turkish soldiers serving along the border east of the Euphrates River have been canceled. Also, military activities have increased along the border area facing Kobani, which is under Syrian Kurdish rule. Finally, military fortifications around the area have increased expectations of an imminent Turkish operation in northeast Syria.
The operational picture northeast of Syria indicates absolute US aerial dominance. Turkey has assembled two armored brigades, two mechanized brigades and two commando brigades on the Suruc-Akcakale front for a grand-scale, corps-sized offensive military operation with a depth of 40 kilometers (25 miles).
It is essential to provide close air support to ground forces with combat planes, attack helicopters and armed drones. This means Turkey will have to persuade the United States to allow access to the airspace. During the 72-day-long al-Bab siege during Operation Euphrates Shield, the Turkish army bitterly learned the importance of close air support in Syria. A US green light is therefore essential. It is impossible for Turkey to conduct a unilateral military move east of the Euphrates bypassing the United States; thus, there is a necessity to get US approval for any operation in northeastern Syria.
The strategic questions the United States will have to deal with when approving such an operation will be how to accommodate two contrasting objectives: taking into account Turkey's concerns while also safeguarding the security of its local ally, the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), which constitute the backbone of the Syrian Democratic Forces.
To achieve this objective, for almost a year, the United States seemed to be in agreement with Turkey’s proposal to create a buffer zone with a limited operation in the Kobani-Tell Abyad-Ain Issa triangle, adjacent to the Manbij region. This operation, whose sole objective would be to create a buffer zone that would be protected by fixed observation outposts in the Kobani-Tell Abyad-Ain Issa triangle, would not resemble Operation Euphrates Shield — carried out against the Islamic State from Aug. 16, 2016 to March 17, 2017 — and Operation Olive Branch — which took place from January to March 2018 — launched against the YPG, which Turkey considers to be a Syrian extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) of Turkey. The United States and many other Western countries also consider the PKK to be a terrorist group.
This new military move will be defensive in nature — as was the case with the 12 Turkish observation posts around Idlib — closely monitored by the US military.
It appears that the tactical picture of Manbij is to be copied and pasted just to the east of the Euphrates River.
Of note, two rival camps appear to be emerging in Ankara on the US-proposed buffer zone stretching into the Kobani-Tell Abyad-Ain Issa triangle. The first camp says Turkey should cooperate with Washington to create a buffer zone as soon as possible on the grounds of eliminating the YPG's military presence along the border. The second camp says cooperating with the “unpredictable” Trump administration and what is seen as an unreliable US security bureaucracy in northeast Syria would eventually lead Turkey to recognize the de facto legitimacy of the YPG-affiliated Democratic Union Party and that Ankara should not attempt to work with the United States on the safe zone.
It appears that Jeffrey and his team have persuaded YPG officials to accept the creation of a buffer zone, but there are still some major points need to be discussed:
Size of the buffer zone: Ankara has been insisting on creating a buffer zone starting from Jarablus to Akcakale with the depth of 40 kilometers, marking the max range of the 155 mm Storm Howitzer so as to provide indirect fire support for its ground units. When Ankara is able to deliver this indirect fire support, then there will no need for close air support for the Turkish military units creating fixed military outposts in the buffer zone.
The YPG, on the other hand, seems to agree on the creation of a limited buffer zone that is a maximum of 10 kilometers (6 miles) in depth and that excludes critical urban settlements such Kobani, Tell Abyad and Ain Issa. The YPG’s offer is simply copying and pasting the operational picture in Manbij to the Tell Abyad-Kobani-Ain Issa triangle. In Manbij, the north is under the control of the Turkish military, backed by the Free Syrian Army (FSA), and the south is under the US-controlled YPG; an east-west cease-fire line along the Hajur River constitutes the boundary of these two. The United States has been trying to find a solution to the size of the buffer zone.
Also controversial is the proximity of indirect fire support elements such as multiple-rocket launchers and mortars to the buffer zone. Ankara demands all such heavy weapons should be at least 20 kilometers (some 12 miles) from the buffer zone. The YPG insists that these weapons will be needed to protect the Kurdish population that will remain in the buffer zone and that a shorter distance is necessary.
Who will control the urban settlements? Ankara wants full control of Kurdish-majority Kobani and Tell Abyad, just as it is controlling Afrin at the moment, claiming that these are historically Arab-majority areas. The YPG, in contrast, does not want to withdraw from these city centers and transfer local governance to Turkish authorities.
Who will protect the airspace of the planned buffer zone? Ankara wants full control of airspace over buffer zone, seeking a US withdrawal from the airspace of northeast Syria. In contrast, the YPG has been insisting on a US declaration of a no-fly zone so as to guarantee US backing against Turkish air-supported offensive military operations.
Will the FSA factions be deployed to the northeast? Ankara claims that it is impossible to create a buffer zone without getting help from the FSA, but the YPG does not want any FSA footprint in the northeast, particularly in Kurdish-majority city centers.
Who will control/monitor the cease-fire line in the buffer zone? The Manbij model, which involved the creation of joint patrols from the Turkish and US militaries, would not work in the northeast because the area is too big and more risky. That is why the United States is very eager to invite European partners such as France and Germany to share the burden. I think that the United States' true objective for inviting European soldiers to the northeast is to assign them to control/monitor the boundary line separating the Turkish-controlled north from the YPG-controlled south as a bipartisan military force that would be welcomed both by Ankara and YPG.
It remains to be seen whether US officials will be able to accommodate the diverging interests of Turkey, a traditional ally currently having bitter relations with Washington, and the YPG, the only US proxy force legitimizing the US military presence in Syria.
If the Jeffrey-led US delegation cannot nail down these issues, then August may be a hot month for the Kobani-Tell Abyad-Ain Issa triangle.
Zagdid
Veteran Member
Rockets fired from Syria injure six in southeast Turkey
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/rockets-fired-from-syria-injure-six-in-southeast-turkey-145170 (fair use)
News Turkey July 23 2019 09:25:00
Six people, including a child, were injured on July 22 when one of two rockets fired from Syria hit a family estate in southeastern Turkey's Şanlıurfa province.
The two rockets targeted Ceylanpınar district bordering Syria, according to a statement from the Şanlıurfa governorate.
The injured were being treated at Ceylanpınar State Hospital, the statement added.
Extensive security measures had been taken in the Ceylanpınar and an investigation had begun, the statement said.
Turkey's National Defense Ministry said on Twitter that seven targets were destroyed on the Syrian side in response to the attack.
Turkey will resolutely continue protecting its borders and people, the country's vice president said on July 23 in the wake of the rocket
attack.
"Our armed forces immediately responded to the attack and from now on will respond with more severity," Fuat Oktay said at a Turkey-Uzbekistan Business Forum in Ankara.
"Turkey will resolutely continue protecting its borders and people," he added.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/rockets-fired-from-syria-injure-six-in-southeast-turkey-145170 (fair use)
News Turkey July 23 2019 09:25:00
Six people, including a child, were injured on July 22 when one of two rockets fired from Syria hit a family estate in southeastern Turkey's Şanlıurfa province.
The two rockets targeted Ceylanpınar district bordering Syria, according to a statement from the Şanlıurfa governorate.
The injured were being treated at Ceylanpınar State Hospital, the statement added.
Extensive security measures had been taken in the Ceylanpınar and an investigation had begun, the statement said.
Turkey's National Defense Ministry said on Twitter that seven targets were destroyed on the Syrian side in response to the attack.
Turkey will resolutely continue protecting its borders and people, the country's vice president said on July 23 in the wake of the rocket
attack.
"Our armed forces immediately responded to the attack and from now on will respond with more severity," Fuat Oktay said at a Turkey-Uzbekistan Business Forum in Ankara.
"Turkey will resolutely continue protecting its borders and people," he added.
danielboon
TB Fanatic
EndGameWW3
@EndGameWW3
Turkey has 'no patience left' with U.S. on Syria safe zone
4:42 PM · Jul 24, 2019·https://t.co/rW64DA6aYA
@EndGameWW3
Turkey has 'no patience left' with U.S. on Syria safe zone
4:42 PM · Jul 24, 2019·https://t.co/rW64DA6aYA
danielboon
TB Fanatic
EndGameWW3
@EndGameWW3
Employee of Belarus embassy in Turkey Alexander Poganshev was shot and wounded on the street in Ankara. He is in serious condition in hospital, attacker shot dead himself Ankara - News and incidents from Belarus in English on live map - belarus
Employee of Belarus embassy in Turkey Alexander Poganshev was shot and wounded on the street in...
belarus.liveuamap.com
3:24 PM · Jul 24, 2019·
@EndGameWW3
Employee of Belarus embassy in Turkey Alexander Poganshev was shot and wounded on the street in Ankara. He is in serious condition in hospital, attacker shot dead himself Ankara - News and incidents from Belarus in English on live map - belarus
Employee of Belarus embassy in Turkey Alexander Poganshev was shot and wounded on the street in...
belarus.liveuamap.com
3:24 PM · Jul 24, 2019·
danielboon
TB Fanatic
EndGameWW3
@EndGameWW3
Large Turkish military reinforcements arrived over the last few days to the Syrian border opposite the protection militia-held areas east of the Euphrates, including field artillery and tanks...
4:56 PM · Jul 24, 2019·
EndGameWW3
@EndGameWW3
·
21m
Replying to
@EndGameWW3
and the Turkish army completed the establishing of heavy artillery quarters in the border town of "Akçakale."
@EndGameWW3
Large Turkish military reinforcements arrived over the last few days to the Syrian border opposite the protection militia-held areas east of the Euphrates, including field artillery and tanks...
4:56 PM · Jul 24, 2019·
EndGameWW3
@EndGameWW3
·
21m
Replying to
@EndGameWW3
and the Turkish army completed the establishing of heavy artillery quarters in the border town of "Akçakale."
For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...zone-despite-tensions-officials-idUSKCN1UK17L
WORLD NEWS JULY 25, 2019 / 3:08 AM / UPDATED 21 MINUTES AGO
Turkey, U.S. to continue discussing planned Syria safe zone despite tensions: officials
Ece Toksabay
3 MIN READ
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish and U.S. officials will continue to discuss a planned safe zone in northern Syria, Turkish military officials said on Thursday after Ankara warned that it would launch a cross-border operation if a deal was not reached.
Following a U.S. decision to withdraw from northern Syria, the two NATO allies agreed to create a sanctuary in the region that would be cleared of the Kurdish YPG militia, which Ankara sees as a terrorist organization.
RELATED COVERAGE
Turkey's first shipment of Russian S-400s complete, second planned for Ankara: officials
Turkey's first S-400 shipment complete, second planned for Ankara: officials
Turkey has been infuriated by U.S. support for the YPG - the main U.S. ally on the ground during the United States’ fight against Islamic State militants - and has demanded that Washington sever ties.
After U.S. special envoy for Syria James Jeffrey held talks with Turkish officials, Turkey said on Wednesday it had run “out of patience” with Washington and warned that it would carry out a military operation in the region if an agreement on the safe zone was not reached.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the United States was stalling progress on the safe zone, just as it did with a joint roadmap agreed to clear the northern Syrian town of Manbij of the YPG last year.
At a briefing in Ankara on Thursday, Turkish military officials said talks on the planned safe zone with the United States would continue, but reiterated that Turkey’s expectations on the Manbij roadmap had not been met.
“Work is planned to continue in the coming period. We cannot share details as efforts are under way. Our aims are clear. The Turkish army is the only force capable of doing this,” one of the officials said regarding the safe zone.
“Despite all our work, the end-goal of the Manbij Roadmap, which is for the area to be cleared of the YPG, for heavy arms to be collected, and a local administration to be formed, has not been reached. There are still around 1,000 terrorists in the region,” the official said, referring to the YPG.
Earlier this year, President Tayyip Erdogan said the Turkish military would launch an offensive into northern Syria to clear the region of YPG forces, a move that would have marked Turkey’s third cross-border sally in as many years.
However, the operation was later put on hold after President Donald Trump’s decision to pull U.S. troops out of the region. Turkey has since said that Washington has stymied progress and warned that it would mount its offensive if necessary.
Writing by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Jonathan Spicer and Mark Heinrich
Posted for fair use.....
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...zone-despite-tensions-officials-idUSKCN1UK17L
WORLD NEWS JULY 25, 2019 / 3:08 AM / UPDATED 21 MINUTES AGO
Turkey, U.S. to continue discussing planned Syria safe zone despite tensions: officials
Ece Toksabay
3 MIN READ
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish and U.S. officials will continue to discuss a planned safe zone in northern Syria, Turkish military officials said on Thursday after Ankara warned that it would launch a cross-border operation if a deal was not reached.
Following a U.S. decision to withdraw from northern Syria, the two NATO allies agreed to create a sanctuary in the region that would be cleared of the Kurdish YPG militia, which Ankara sees as a terrorist organization.
RELATED COVERAGE
Turkey's first shipment of Russian S-400s complete, second planned for Ankara: officials
Turkey's first S-400 shipment complete, second planned for Ankara: officials
Turkey has been infuriated by U.S. support for the YPG - the main U.S. ally on the ground during the United States’ fight against Islamic State militants - and has demanded that Washington sever ties.
After U.S. special envoy for Syria James Jeffrey held talks with Turkish officials, Turkey said on Wednesday it had run “out of patience” with Washington and warned that it would carry out a military operation in the region if an agreement on the safe zone was not reached.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the United States was stalling progress on the safe zone, just as it did with a joint roadmap agreed to clear the northern Syrian town of Manbij of the YPG last year.
At a briefing in Ankara on Thursday, Turkish military officials said talks on the planned safe zone with the United States would continue, but reiterated that Turkey’s expectations on the Manbij roadmap had not been met.
“Work is planned to continue in the coming period. We cannot share details as efforts are under way. Our aims are clear. The Turkish army is the only force capable of doing this,” one of the officials said regarding the safe zone.
“Despite all our work, the end-goal of the Manbij Roadmap, which is for the area to be cleared of the YPG, for heavy arms to be collected, and a local administration to be formed, has not been reached. There are still around 1,000 terrorists in the region,” the official said, referring to the YPG.
Earlier this year, President Tayyip Erdogan said the Turkish military would launch an offensive into northern Syria to clear the region of YPG forces, a move that would have marked Turkey’s third cross-border sally in as many years.
However, the operation was later put on hold after President Donald Trump’s decision to pull U.S. troops out of the region. Turkey has since said that Washington has stymied progress and warned that it would mount its offensive if necessary.
Writing by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Jonathan Spicer and Mark Heinrich
Zagdid
Veteran Member
Ankara Reinforces Military Presence Around Manbij to Pressure Washington
https://aawsat.com/english/home/art...ry-presence-around-manbij-pressure-washington (fair use)
Sunday, 28 July, 2019 - 08:00 Ankara - Said Abdelrazek
Turkey has stepped up military reinforcements on the border with Syria and has moved some of its troops to the outskirts of the city of Manbij, northeast of Aleppo, threatening to target the Kurdish people’s protection units, which are allied to Washington.
Ankara announced on Wednesday the failure of a round of negotiations conducted by a US delegation - led by Special Envoy to Syria James Jeffrey - over a proposed safe area in north-east of the Euphrates. It added that no progress was made on the implementation of the road map for Manbij, which was signed between the two sides last year.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Turkey was not satisfied with a US proposal concerning the creation of a possible “safe zone” in northern Syria. He explained that Turkey and the US do not agree on the size of the possible zone or how it would be administered.
Turkey said there were about 1,000 members of the Kurdish units in Manbij, adding that Washington did not fulfill its obligations under the road map agreement by moving them to the east of the Euphrates.
On Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan renewed his threats to “bury” elements of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, regardless of the ongoing talks with Washington on the safe area in the east of the Euphrates.
Reports said that large reinforcements from the Syrian Democratic Forces, the main body of the Kurdish People’s Protection Unit, armed with heavy weapons, have reached the border town of Tal Abiad, following Erdogan’s threat to prepare for military operations in the area, in order to eliminate what he described as the “terrorist belt.”
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch accused the Turkish government of forcing Syrian refugees to sign voluntary returns to Syria while forcibly sending them back to their country.
In a report, the organization said that it documented many cases of deportation by contacting Syrian refugees who recently arrived in Syria.
https://aawsat.com/english/home/art...ry-presence-around-manbij-pressure-washington (fair use)
Sunday, 28 July, 2019 - 08:00 Ankara - Said Abdelrazek
Turkey has stepped up military reinforcements on the border with Syria and has moved some of its troops to the outskirts of the city of Manbij, northeast of Aleppo, threatening to target the Kurdish people’s protection units, which are allied to Washington.
Ankara announced on Wednesday the failure of a round of negotiations conducted by a US delegation - led by Special Envoy to Syria James Jeffrey - over a proposed safe area in north-east of the Euphrates. It added that no progress was made on the implementation of the road map for Manbij, which was signed between the two sides last year.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Turkey was not satisfied with a US proposal concerning the creation of a possible “safe zone” in northern Syria. He explained that Turkey and the US do not agree on the size of the possible zone or how it would be administered.
Turkey said there were about 1,000 members of the Kurdish units in Manbij, adding that Washington did not fulfill its obligations under the road map agreement by moving them to the east of the Euphrates.
On Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan renewed his threats to “bury” elements of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, regardless of the ongoing talks with Washington on the safe area in the east of the Euphrates.
Reports said that large reinforcements from the Syrian Democratic Forces, the main body of the Kurdish People’s Protection Unit, armed with heavy weapons, have reached the border town of Tal Abiad, following Erdogan’s threat to prepare for military operations in the area, in order to eliminate what he described as the “terrorist belt.”
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch accused the Turkish government of forcing Syrian refugees to sign voluntary returns to Syria while forcibly sending them back to their country.
In a report, the organization said that it documented many cases of deportation by contacting Syrian refugees who recently arrived in Syria.
danielboon
TB Fanatic
EndGameWW3 Retweeted
Aleph ️ א
@no_itsmyturn
Turkish military convoy consisting of 12 military vehicles, accompanied by armed opposition departed from the Turkish observation post located east of the city of Morek north of Hama towards the Syrian north #Syria
via:
@lummideast
12:48 PM · July 2019
Aleph ️ א
@no_itsmyturn
Turkish military convoy consisting of 12 military vehicles, accompanied by armed opposition departed from the Turkish observation post located east of the city of Morek north of Hama towards the Syrian north #Syria
via:
@lummideast
12:48 PM · July 2019
danielboon
TB Fanatic
ELINT News Retweeted
Woofers
@NotWoofers
The Americans are flying a CAP on the Turkish border.
4:53 PM · Aug 5, 2019
·
3m
Combat air patrol
Woofers
@NotWoofers
The Americans are flying a CAP on the Turkish border.
4:53 PM · Aug 5, 2019
·
3m
Combat air patrol
danielboon
TB Fanatic
EndGameWW3 Retweeted
Al Arabiya English
@AlArabiya_Eng
Any Turkish operation into northern Syria would be “unacceptable,” says US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, adding that the United States will prevent any unilateral incursions.
(link: https://english.alarabiya.net/en/Ne...-unacceptable-Turkish-incursion-in-Syria.html) english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle…
Embedded video
4:36 AM · Aug 6, 2019·
Al Arabiya English
@AlArabiya_Eng
Any Turkish operation into northern Syria would be “unacceptable,” says US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, adding that the United States will prevent any unilateral incursions.
(link: https://english.alarabiya.net/en/Ne...-unacceptable-Turkish-incursion-in-Syria.html) english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle…
Embedded video
4:36 AM · Aug 6, 2019·
Shacknasty Shagrat
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Do you have a response from Turkey on this positions?
All the positions and stances seem to be getting very clear.
SS
danielboon
TB Fanatic
Here you go
AFP news agency
@AFP
·
6h
#BREAKING Pentagon chief warns unilateral Turkey attack on Kurds in Syria 'unacceptable'
Image
EndGameWW3 Retweeted
AFP news agency
@AFP
#BREAKING Turkish President Erdogan threatens operation against Syria Kurds 'very soon'
Image
6:15 AM · Aug 6, 2019·
AFP news agency
@AFP
·
3h
Replying to
@AFP
#UPDATE Turkey and the US were on a collision course Tuesday as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to "eliminate" a Kurdish militia in northern Syria -- a move deemed "unacceptable" by the Pentagon. (link: http://u.afp.com/J8Ld) u.afp.com/J8Ld
Image
W. Clayton
@weciv01
·
4h
Replying to
@AFP
@sfrantzman
Turkey is an ally of Russia and Iran. Why are they still in NATO?
Jeanette, Princess of Whales
@Seriouslymoi
·
4h
Good question. Aside from the named allegiances.
AFP news agency
@AFP
·
6h
#BREAKING Pentagon chief warns unilateral Turkey attack on Kurds in Syria 'unacceptable'
Image
EndGameWW3 Retweeted
AFP news agency
@AFP
#BREAKING Turkish President Erdogan threatens operation against Syria Kurds 'very soon'
Image
6:15 AM · Aug 6, 2019·
AFP news agency
@AFP
·
3h
Replying to
@AFP
#UPDATE Turkey and the US were on a collision course Tuesday as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to "eliminate" a Kurdish militia in northern Syria -- a move deemed "unacceptable" by the Pentagon. (link: http://u.afp.com/J8Ld) u.afp.com/J8Ld
Image
W. Clayton
@weciv01
·
4h
Replying to
@AFP
@sfrantzman
Turkey is an ally of Russia and Iran. Why are they still in NATO?
Jeanette, Princess of Whales
@Seriouslymoi
·
4h
Good question. Aside from the named allegiances.
danielboon
TB Fanatic
EndGameWW3 Retweeted
Mutlu Civiroglu
@mutludc
Last night a logistical and military convoy of the International Coalition passed through Qamishli in N. Syria
9:41 AM · Aug 6, 2019·
Mutlu Civiroglu
@mutludc
Last night a logistical and military convoy of the International Coalition passed through Qamishli in N. Syria
9:41 AM · Aug 6, 2019·
danielboon
TB Fanatic
EndGameWW3
@EndGameWW3
Defense Secretary says the U.S. intends to prevent any Turkish invasion into northern Syria
U.S. Intends to Stop Any Turkish Invasion of Syria: Pentagon
time.com
4:09 PM · Aug 6, 2019·https://t.co/kvfMrgjYOs?amp=1
Josh
@Josh02036218
·
48m
Replying to
@EndGameWW3
When do you think the Turkish operation will begin because I heard it was meant to begin last night?
EndGameWW3
@EndGameWW3
·
47m
America is still in talks last I heard in Turkey.
Josh
@Josh02036218
·
45m
Thanks for reply mate keep up the good work
EndGameWW3
@EndGameWW3
·
42m
Thank you!
Chaos??
@FollowsChaos
·
51m
Replying to
@EndGameWW3
So uh. I had a conversation with my wife the other day and she asked what was up with all the tension in the world (Venezuela, China, Russia, Iran, NK, Turkey) and I told her I thought we were approaching a point where a third world war was inevitable.
EndGameWW3
@EndGameWW3
·
49m
There is a paradigm shift happening in this world for sure.
Chaos??
@FollowsChaos
·
48m
I am a WW2 history buff and it is amazing how many seemingly unconnected and small events lead to the outbreak of the war. I hope people are prepared.
@EndGameWW3
Defense Secretary says the U.S. intends to prevent any Turkish invasion into northern Syria
U.S. Intends to Stop Any Turkish Invasion of Syria: Pentagon
time.com
4:09 PM · Aug 6, 2019·https://t.co/kvfMrgjYOs?amp=1
Josh
@Josh02036218
·
48m
Replying to
@EndGameWW3
When do you think the Turkish operation will begin because I heard it was meant to begin last night?
EndGameWW3
@EndGameWW3
·
47m
America is still in talks last I heard in Turkey.
Josh
@Josh02036218
·
45m
Thanks for reply mate keep up the good work
EndGameWW3
@EndGameWW3
·
42m
Thank you!
Chaos??
@FollowsChaos
·
51m
Replying to
@EndGameWW3
So uh. I had a conversation with my wife the other day and she asked what was up with all the tension in the world (Venezuela, China, Russia, Iran, NK, Turkey) and I told her I thought we were approaching a point where a third world war was inevitable.
EndGameWW3
@EndGameWW3
·
49m
There is a paradigm shift happening in this world for sure.
Chaos??
@FollowsChaos
·
48m
I am a WW2 history buff and it is amazing how many seemingly unconnected and small events lead to the outbreak of the war. I hope people are prepared.
danielboon
TB Fanatic
EndGameWW3
@EndGameWW3
Explosions rock Turkish ammunition depot near Syria
Explosions rock Turkish ammunition depot near Syria
orient-news.net
2:57 AM · Aug 9, 2019·https://t.co/V2GG461n9W?amp=1
@EndGameWW3
Explosions rock Turkish ammunition depot near Syria
Explosions rock Turkish ammunition depot near Syria
orient-news.net
2:57 AM · Aug 9, 2019·https://t.co/V2GG461n9W?amp=1
danielboon
TB Fanatic
Regime advance cuts off Turkish convoy in northwest Syria
19 Aug 2019
AFP / Omar HAJ KADOUR
A convoy of Turkish military vehicles passes through the town of Saraqeb in Idlib province on August 19, 2019
A Turkish military convoy crossed into jihadist-run northwest Syria on Monday, its path blocked by advancing regime troops as tensions soared between Damascus and Ankara.
Rebel-backer Turkey said its forces were targeted by an air strike, while the Syrian regime accused Turkish forces of backing "terrorists".
The convoy had entered Idlib province before heading towards a key town where Russian-backed regime forces are waging a fierce battle to retake the area from jihadists and rebels.
Turkey claimed an air strike hit its convoy, killing three civilians, though a war monitor said a Russian air raid took the lives of three rebels in the surrounding area.
Russian President Vladimir Putin told French President Emmanuel Macron Monday that Moscow supports the Syrian army's offensive against "terrorists" in the northern province of Idlib.
"We support the efforts of the Syrian army... to end these terrorist threats" in Idlib, Putin said after Macron urged respect for a ceasefire in Idlib.
After eight years of civil war, the jihadist-run region on the border with Turkey is the last major stronghold of opposition to President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
AFP / Sophie RAMIS
Syria
The region of some three million people was supposed to be protected by a Turkish-Russian buffer zone deal signed last year, but regime and Russian forces have upped their deadly bombardment there since late April.
After days of inching forward, Russian-backed regime ground forces on Sunday entered the key town of Khan Sheikhun in the south of the stronghold.
On Monday afternoon, a new loyalist advance saw pro-Damascus fighters take control part of the highway north of Khan Sheikhun, effectively blocking the Turkish military convoy from continuing south.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor with a network of contacts in Syria, said this would stop the convoy ever reaching a Turkish monitoring post south of Khan Sheikhun.
Earlier in the afternoon, an AFP correspondent saw the convoy stop on the Aleppo-Damascus highway in the village of Maar Hattat, just north of Khan Sheikhun.
- Deadly air strike -
AFP / Omar HAJ KADOUR
Around 50 armoured vehicles including personnel carriers and tanks were seen travelling southwards through Syria's Idlib province
Analysts say regime forces want to retake the key road that connects Damascus with the northern city of Aleppo, both of which they control.
Earlier, an AFP correspondent saw a military convoy of around 50 armoured vehicles including personnel carriers and at least five tanks travelling southwards along the highway.
The Observatory reported Syrian and Russian air strikes aimed at hindering the convoy's advance.
Turkey's defence ministry "strongly" condemned the attack, saying regime operations were "in violation of the existing memorandums and agreements with the Russian Federation".
The Damascus regime meanwhile denounced the convoy's crossing from Turkey.
AFP / Abdulaziz KETAZ
Damascus accused Ankara of sending the military convoy to help "terrorist groups"
"Turkish vehicles loaded with munitions... are heading towards Khan Sheikhun to help the terrorists," a foreign ministry source said, using the regime's blanket term for rebels and jihadists.
This confirmed "the support provided by the Turkish regime to terrorist groups," state news agency SANA reported the source as saying.
On Monday morning, a Russian air strike hit the rebel vehicle leading the convoy just outside Maaret al-Noman, 15 kilometres (nine miles) north of Khan Sheikhun, killing a Turkish-backed fighter from the Faylaq al-Sham group, the Observatory said.
It also killed two other opposition fighters, it added.
After the convoy entered the town, Russian and Syrian warplanes targeted the area in an apparent "attempt to prevent the convoy from advancing", Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.
- 'Protect Khan Sheikhun'? -
AFP / Omar HAJ KADOUR
Smoke billows during a reported air strike by Syrian pro-regime forces near the town of Hish in Idlib province on August 19, 2019
On Sunday, pro-regime forces backed by Russian air strikes took control of Khan Sheikhun's northwestern outskirts.
Fighting continues to the east and west of the town, the Observatory says.
The seizure of Khan Sheikhun and territory further east would encircle a patch of countryside to its south, including the town of Morek where the Turkish observation post is situated.
The Turkish army earlier said the convoy was heading towards Morek.
Analyst Nawar Oliver said the latest developments in Khan Sheikhun were likely linked to a "disagreement" between both signatories.
He said Turkey had likely sent the convoy to avoid its troops being "threatened" or placed "at the mercy of the regime and Russia".
It may have also taken a "decision to protect Khan Sheikhun", he said.
Since late April, the regime and Russia have upped their bombardment of the Idlib region, killing more than 860 civilians.
More than 400,000 people have fled their homes, the United Nations says.
Jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, led by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate, controls most of Idlib province as well as parts of the neighbouring provinces of Hama, Aleppo and Latakia.
Syria's war has killed more than 370,000 people and displaced millions since it started in 2011.
https://t.co/yGdoPWQZDl?amp=1
19 Aug 2019
AFP / Omar HAJ KADOUR
A convoy of Turkish military vehicles passes through the town of Saraqeb in Idlib province on August 19, 2019
A Turkish military convoy crossed into jihadist-run northwest Syria on Monday, its path blocked by advancing regime troops as tensions soared between Damascus and Ankara.
Rebel-backer Turkey said its forces were targeted by an air strike, while the Syrian regime accused Turkish forces of backing "terrorists".
The convoy had entered Idlib province before heading towards a key town where Russian-backed regime forces are waging a fierce battle to retake the area from jihadists and rebels.
Turkey claimed an air strike hit its convoy, killing three civilians, though a war monitor said a Russian air raid took the lives of three rebels in the surrounding area.
Russian President Vladimir Putin told French President Emmanuel Macron Monday that Moscow supports the Syrian army's offensive against "terrorists" in the northern province of Idlib.
"We support the efforts of the Syrian army... to end these terrorist threats" in Idlib, Putin said after Macron urged respect for a ceasefire in Idlib.
After eight years of civil war, the jihadist-run region on the border with Turkey is the last major stronghold of opposition to President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
AFP / Sophie RAMIS
Syria
The region of some three million people was supposed to be protected by a Turkish-Russian buffer zone deal signed last year, but regime and Russian forces have upped their deadly bombardment there since late April.
After days of inching forward, Russian-backed regime ground forces on Sunday entered the key town of Khan Sheikhun in the south of the stronghold.
On Monday afternoon, a new loyalist advance saw pro-Damascus fighters take control part of the highway north of Khan Sheikhun, effectively blocking the Turkish military convoy from continuing south.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor with a network of contacts in Syria, said this would stop the convoy ever reaching a Turkish monitoring post south of Khan Sheikhun.
Earlier in the afternoon, an AFP correspondent saw the convoy stop on the Aleppo-Damascus highway in the village of Maar Hattat, just north of Khan Sheikhun.
- Deadly air strike -
AFP / Omar HAJ KADOUR
Around 50 armoured vehicles including personnel carriers and tanks were seen travelling southwards through Syria's Idlib province
Analysts say regime forces want to retake the key road that connects Damascus with the northern city of Aleppo, both of which they control.
Earlier, an AFP correspondent saw a military convoy of around 50 armoured vehicles including personnel carriers and at least five tanks travelling southwards along the highway.
The Observatory reported Syrian and Russian air strikes aimed at hindering the convoy's advance.
Turkey's defence ministry "strongly" condemned the attack, saying regime operations were "in violation of the existing memorandums and agreements with the Russian Federation".
The Damascus regime meanwhile denounced the convoy's crossing from Turkey.
AFP / Abdulaziz KETAZ
Damascus accused Ankara of sending the military convoy to help "terrorist groups"
"Turkish vehicles loaded with munitions... are heading towards Khan Sheikhun to help the terrorists," a foreign ministry source said, using the regime's blanket term for rebels and jihadists.
This confirmed "the support provided by the Turkish regime to terrorist groups," state news agency SANA reported the source as saying.
On Monday morning, a Russian air strike hit the rebel vehicle leading the convoy just outside Maaret al-Noman, 15 kilometres (nine miles) north of Khan Sheikhun, killing a Turkish-backed fighter from the Faylaq al-Sham group, the Observatory said.
It also killed two other opposition fighters, it added.
After the convoy entered the town, Russian and Syrian warplanes targeted the area in an apparent "attempt to prevent the convoy from advancing", Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.
- 'Protect Khan Sheikhun'? -
AFP / Omar HAJ KADOUR
Smoke billows during a reported air strike by Syrian pro-regime forces near the town of Hish in Idlib province on August 19, 2019
On Sunday, pro-regime forces backed by Russian air strikes took control of Khan Sheikhun's northwestern outskirts.
Fighting continues to the east and west of the town, the Observatory says.
The seizure of Khan Sheikhun and territory further east would encircle a patch of countryside to its south, including the town of Morek where the Turkish observation post is situated.
The Turkish army earlier said the convoy was heading towards Morek.
Analyst Nawar Oliver said the latest developments in Khan Sheikhun were likely linked to a "disagreement" between both signatories.
He said Turkey had likely sent the convoy to avoid its troops being "threatened" or placed "at the mercy of the regime and Russia".
It may have also taken a "decision to protect Khan Sheikhun", he said.
Since late April, the regime and Russia have upped their bombardment of the Idlib region, killing more than 860 civilians.
More than 400,000 people have fled their homes, the United Nations says.
Jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, led by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate, controls most of Idlib province as well as parts of the neighbouring provinces of Hama, Aleppo and Latakia.
Syria's war has killed more than 370,000 people and displaced millions since it started in 2011.
https://t.co/yGdoPWQZDl?amp=1
danielboon
TB Fanatic
EndGameWW3 Retweeted
Ahval
@ahval_en
#Breaking:
US formally pulls Turkey's Patriot missile system offer, a senior State Dept official tells
@CNN
’s Ryan Browne:: "Our PATRIOT offer has expired” following Turkey’s deployment of S-400s from Russia.
4:38 PM · Aug 22, 2019·
Ahval
@ahval_en
#Breaking:
US formally pulls Turkey's Patriot missile system offer, a senior State Dept official tells
@CNN
’s Ryan Browne:: "Our PATRIOT offer has expired” following Turkey’s deployment of S-400s from Russia.
4:38 PM · Aug 22, 2019·
danielboon
TB Fanatic
EndGameWW3 Retweeted
EHA News
@eha_news
#BREAKING
The #Turkish Defence Ministry has announced the start of "Operation Claw-3" in Northern #Iraq's Sinat-Haftanin area against the PKK terror organisation
Image
3:10 AM · Aug 24, 2019·
EHA News
@eha_news
#BREAKING
The #Turkish Defence Ministry has announced the start of "Operation Claw-3" in Northern #Iraq's Sinat-Haftanin area against the PKK terror organisation
Image
3:10 AM · Aug 24, 2019·
danielboon
TB Fanatic
HMMMMMM
EndGameWW3 Retweeted
Guy Elster
Verified account
@guyelster
8m8 minutes ago
More
#BREAKING #Turkey President Erdogan says that Ankara might need to obtain nuclear weapons
EndGameWW3 Retweeted
Guy Elster
Verified account
@guyelster
8m8 minutes ago
More
#BREAKING #Turkey President Erdogan says that Ankara might need to obtain nuclear weapons
danielboon
TB Fanatic
Doomer Doug
TB Fanatic
Can you say BAT POOP CRAZY AND RAVING LUNATIC IN THE SAME SENTENCE AS ERDOGAN WANTS NUKES.
Sheesh, I mean hopefully Putin will do some serious ASS KICKING on Erdogan. S-400 missile systems, defacto leaving of NATO and NOW THE F%%$%^^ MORON WANTS NUKES.
The lesson is anybody who tries to get nukes, Iraq, Iran, and now possibly Turkey gets an Israeli F-16 raid up the wazoooo!
They ain't laughing in Tel Aviv and Haifa me thinks.
Sheesh, I mean hopefully Putin will do some serious ASS KICKING on Erdogan. S-400 missile systems, defacto leaving of NATO and NOW THE F%%$%^^ MORON WANTS NUKES.
The lesson is anybody who tries to get nukes, Iraq, Iran, and now possibly Turkey gets an Israeli F-16 raid up the wazoooo!
They ain't laughing in Tel Aviv and Haifa me thinks.
Zagdid
Veteran Member
Turkey successfully test fires first cruise missile with penetrating warhead
https://www.dailysabah.com/defense/...first-cruise-missile-with-penetrating-warhead (fair use)
Published 06.09.2019
Turkey's first domestically-made cruise missile with a penetrating warhead successfully completed its test firing, Science and Industry Minister Mustafa Varank announced late Thursday.
Developed by the Defense Research and Development Institute (SAGE) of Turkey's Scientific and Technological Research Council (TÜBİTAK), test fired the SOM-B2 missile — a high explosive blast fragmentation warhead variant of the stand-off missile (SOM).
Varank shared a video on his Twitter account that showed the missile successfully hitting its target, which was a bunker with a concrete roof.
According to Ismail Demir, the head of the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB), with the latest test firing, SOM-B2 successfully concluded its development, ground and flight tests.
The missile will be used by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) against hardened targets or targets buried deep underground.
The SOM missile family, designed for use against ground and sea targets, comes in different variants including the SOM-A, SOM-B1, SOM-B2, and SOM-J.
The missiles have an operational range of more than 250 kilometers and offer low visibility, high precision, resistance/endurance against mixing measures, network-based movement suitability, engagement with opportunity targets and selection between pre-planned tasks and target definition during flight, selectable stroke parameters and universal weapon interface compatibility.
https://www.dailysabah.com/defense/...first-cruise-missile-with-penetrating-warhead (fair use)
Published 06.09.2019
Turkey's first domestically-made cruise missile with a penetrating warhead successfully completed its test firing, Science and Industry Minister Mustafa Varank announced late Thursday.
Developed by the Defense Research and Development Institute (SAGE) of Turkey's Scientific and Technological Research Council (TÜBİTAK), test fired the SOM-B2 missile — a high explosive blast fragmentation warhead variant of the stand-off missile (SOM).
Varank shared a video on his Twitter account that showed the missile successfully hitting its target, which was a bunker with a concrete roof.
According to Ismail Demir, the head of the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB), with the latest test firing, SOM-B2 successfully concluded its development, ground and flight tests.
The missile will be used by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) against hardened targets or targets buried deep underground.
The SOM missile family, designed for use against ground and sea targets, comes in different variants including the SOM-A, SOM-B1, SOM-B2, and SOM-J.
The missiles have an operational range of more than 250 kilometers and offer low visibility, high precision, resistance/endurance against mixing measures, network-based movement suitability, engagement with opportunity targets and selection between pre-planned tasks and target definition during flight, selectable stroke parameters and universal weapon interface compatibility.
Zagdid
Veteran Member
Turkey may open door to Europe for refugees not bluff: VP Oktay
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tu...europe-for-refugees-not-bluff-vp-oktay-146341 (fair use)
September 06 2019 13:55:00
Turkey's warning on opening gates to Europe for the refugees was "neither a threat nor a bluff," Vice President Fuat Oktay said on Sept. 6.
"The statement of our president is neither a threat nor a bluff. This is a reality. There is a crisis in Syria. Turkey has opened its doors completely," Oktay told Turkish reporters on the sidelines of the Ambrosetti Forum in Cernobbio, Italy.
His remarks came a day after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warned Turkey could "open its doors" to let the Syrian refugees to cross to Europe if Ankara does not get expected support.
Oktay said the thinking that Turkey will bear a new migrant flow is "wrong".
"Turkey is not any other country's guardian, nor their migrant center. It is not the country that will pay the bill for the crises that [the other countries] create," he added.
Turkey currently hosts more than four million refugees, including 3.6 million Syrians, more than any other country in the world. Erdogan previously said that Ankara has spent over $37 billion for the Syrians alone.
"Yes we did our duty for the refugees, we are still doing and we will continue to do so," he added.
Oktay said if the crisis in Syria's northwestern Idlib province continues, and if a new migration crisis starts, then Europe has "no chance" to escape from this reality.
"It will have to face the crises with this," he added.
Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tu...europe-for-refugees-not-bluff-vp-oktay-146341 (fair use)
September 06 2019 13:55:00
Turkey's warning on opening gates to Europe for the refugees was "neither a threat nor a bluff," Vice President Fuat Oktay said on Sept. 6.
"The statement of our president is neither a threat nor a bluff. This is a reality. There is a crisis in Syria. Turkey has opened its doors completely," Oktay told Turkish reporters on the sidelines of the Ambrosetti Forum in Cernobbio, Italy.
His remarks came a day after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warned Turkey could "open its doors" to let the Syrian refugees to cross to Europe if Ankara does not get expected support.
Oktay said the thinking that Turkey will bear a new migrant flow is "wrong".
"Turkey is not any other country's guardian, nor their migrant center. It is not the country that will pay the bill for the crises that [the other countries] create," he added.
Turkey currently hosts more than four million refugees, including 3.6 million Syrians, more than any other country in the world. Erdogan previously said that Ankara has spent over $37 billion for the Syrians alone.
"Yes we did our duty for the refugees, we are still doing and we will continue to do so," he added.
Oktay said if the crisis in Syria's northwestern Idlib province continues, and if a new migration crisis starts, then Europe has "no chance" to escape from this reality.
"It will have to face the crises with this," he added.
Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.
For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
https://www.jpost.com/International...s-in-eastern-Syria-and-why-they-matter-601027
What are Turkey-US 'joint patrols' in eastern Syria and why they matter
In 2014 ISIS attacked the area and threatened to exterminate and ethnically cleanse Kurds, minorities and anyone who didn’t adhere to the ISIS extremist interpretation of Islam.
September 8, 2019 19:34
The US and Turkey began joint military patrols in northeast Syria along the Turkish border, a possible sign that the US is trying to cater to Ankara’s demands regarding the future of eastern Syria. The patrols, which saw Turkish military vehicles and US military vehicles, each with their country’s large flags attached, driving around dry farmland, come after a year of Ankara’s threats to launch an attack on eastern Syria against US partner forces.
According to reports the US said that the patrols are part of the “security mechanism” that was announced last month amid renewed Turkish threats. The patrols are one part of a mechanism that has seen the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) uproot fortifications near the border and claims to illustrate that the YPG has left an area of eastern Syria along the border.
The complex backstory to this is that in 2014 ISIS attacked this area and threatened to exterminate and ethnically cleanse Kurds, minorities and anyone who didn’t adhere to the ISIS extremist interpretation of Islam. Instead ISIS was met with resistance from the mostly Kurdish YPG who eventually were able to push them back with the help of US and coalition airstrikes. Later, with more assistance from special forces and light arms, the YPG and the Syrian Democratic Forces helped liberate Raqqa and defeat ISIS in eastern Syria. But for Turkey this was problematic because Turkey claims the YPG is part of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which Turkey had fought a war with after a ceasefire broke down in 2015. Turkey invaded Afrin in northwest Syria in January 2018 to defeat the YPG and has said it intends to do the same thing to eastern Syria. In Afrin more than 150,000 Kurds were displaced by fighting and hundreds of thousands of mostly Arab Syrian refugees settled in Afrin, changing the demographics of this historic Kurdish area. Turkey says it will return eastern Syria to its “true owners” and has said it wants to send a million Syrians, most of whom are not from eastern Syria, to move into eastern Syria in a “safe zone” that Turkey has demanded control over.
The US, which is partnered with the SDF and wants to see ISIS fully defeated, has objected to Turkey’s plans for a military operation, concerned it will destabilize eastern Syria at this unique time when the area requires peace and prosperity. When Turkey announced plans for a similar military offensive in Manbij the US came up with a concept of joint military patrols. But Turkey has said that it will not accept a Manbij-style solution to areas along the border. So it has demanded that its forces be allowed into Syria, which the US appears to have facilitated in order to avoid a possible Turkish offensive.
Last month Turkey said it had informed the US and Russia that an offensive would take place and only last minute discussions with US military officials supposedly stopped the operation. Since then Turkey has gone to Russia to propose buying more Russian military equipment, has threatened to build nuclear weapons and threatened to “open the gates” of refugees going to Europe if its demands are not met in eastern Syria. It’s unclear if Ankara’s threats are just talk designed to see if the US will budge, or if it would actually launch an offensive in an area where US forces are present.
Washington is in a difficult place because Turkey is ostensibly a NATO ally and Washington has paid lip service to caring about Turkey’s concerns, while some wonder what Turkey’s real goal is. Turkey has acquired Russia’s S-400 missile defense system and seems to want to play the US and Russia off against one another, while Ankara claims it has been betrayed by the US which it accuses of training a “terrorist army” in eastern Syria. But for the US the SDF and mostly Kurdish forces on the ground have proven capable partners defeating ISIS.
The joint patrol that took place on September 8 leaves many questions. No one seems to agree exactly how far these patrols will extend. According to CNN’s Ryan Browne they could go as deep as 5-12km into Syria. The patrols are also complex because they involve not just US-Turkey cooperation at the three-star general level, according to recent comments by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Joe Dunford, but they also involve cooperation between US European Command and Central Command (CENTCOM). European Command is eager to show that these patrols go well and work closely with NATO ally Turkey. So it tweeted about how the US and Turkey had conducted the patrol “inside the security mechanism” on September 8. It followed an announcement over the weekend by European Command about US Black Hawk helicopters conducting an aerial patrol over northeast Syria with Turkish military helicopters alongside.
The patrols were photographed on the ground by locals near the area between Tel Abyad and Ras Al-Ain. SDF General Mazloum Kobani told CNN over the weekend that he is concerned about the prospect of a Turkish military offensive. Mazloum agreed to a safe zone and says his forces have shown flexibility. He is confident the Americans are going to be responsive. The SDF seems to be doing everything it can to make sure the US is pleased. This is because the US had threatened to leave eastern Syria last December which would have left the SDF exposed to a Turkish offensive and a repeat of what happened in Afrin. The SDF has said it removed fortifications that the Coalition forces surveyed on September 3. On the ground on September 7, in the lead up to the patrols, Coalition aircraft could be head and vehicles were present, locals said. The patrols began at 10am and were one of several that are supposed to take place between Tel Abyad and Sere Keniye (Ras al-Ayn).
The SDF have sought to change the forces they deploy on the ground as part of making the security mechanism work. This included the participation of the Tel Abyad Military Council and the Sere Kaniya Military Council. The latter has some 300 locals that were trained for securing the area, according to the Rojava Information Center.
The joint patrols differ from the US-Turkey joint patrols that began last year near Manbij. There the patrols went along a line outside the city, but there are questions about where these patrols will go and the fact that the Turkish army is now operating inside northeast Syria. There are concerns that once Turkey begins operating there, it may not be willing to leave and this may presage more demands. It’s unclear how the US will respond to those demands. It also appears that despite the efforts devoted to defeating ISIS that a tremendous amount of time and resources are going in to make sure these patrols work, but how they will satisfy both Turkey and the SDF and people on the ground is unclear. If the SDF senses that this is just way for Turkey to inspect the area and reduce fortifications in order to pave the way for an eventual land grab there will be a crises.
Turkey has already become an expert in provoking crises with the US in order to get the process moving. This is a linear process for Ankara that began with Euphrates Shield in 2016 when Turkey and its Syrian rebel allies took over an area of northern Syria between Jarabulus and Kilis. It extended to the Afrin operation in January 2018 and Turkey’s observation points in Idlib. This is leading toward Turkey’s fourth major demand in Syria in an ever-expanding military and civilian role. The joint patrols matter because they may have given Turkey an entrée into more demands in eastern Syria, but they could also prove to be a US solution to Turkey’s demands so that Ankara can say it got its safe zone. That all depends on Turkey’s next move.
Posted for fair use.....
https://www.jpost.com/International...s-in-eastern-Syria-and-why-they-matter-601027
What are Turkey-US 'joint patrols' in eastern Syria and why they matter
In 2014 ISIS attacked the area and threatened to exterminate and ethnically cleanse Kurds, minorities and anyone who didn’t adhere to the ISIS extremist interpretation of Islam.
September 8, 2019 19:34
The US and Turkey began joint military patrols in northeast Syria along the Turkish border, a possible sign that the US is trying to cater to Ankara’s demands regarding the future of eastern Syria. The patrols, which saw Turkish military vehicles and US military vehicles, each with their country’s large flags attached, driving around dry farmland, come after a year of Ankara’s threats to launch an attack on eastern Syria against US partner forces.
According to reports the US said that the patrols are part of the “security mechanism” that was announced last month amid renewed Turkish threats. The patrols are one part of a mechanism that has seen the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) uproot fortifications near the border and claims to illustrate that the YPG has left an area of eastern Syria along the border.
The complex backstory to this is that in 2014 ISIS attacked this area and threatened to exterminate and ethnically cleanse Kurds, minorities and anyone who didn’t adhere to the ISIS extremist interpretation of Islam. Instead ISIS was met with resistance from the mostly Kurdish YPG who eventually were able to push them back with the help of US and coalition airstrikes. Later, with more assistance from special forces and light arms, the YPG and the Syrian Democratic Forces helped liberate Raqqa and defeat ISIS in eastern Syria. But for Turkey this was problematic because Turkey claims the YPG is part of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which Turkey had fought a war with after a ceasefire broke down in 2015. Turkey invaded Afrin in northwest Syria in January 2018 to defeat the YPG and has said it intends to do the same thing to eastern Syria. In Afrin more than 150,000 Kurds were displaced by fighting and hundreds of thousands of mostly Arab Syrian refugees settled in Afrin, changing the demographics of this historic Kurdish area. Turkey says it will return eastern Syria to its “true owners” and has said it wants to send a million Syrians, most of whom are not from eastern Syria, to move into eastern Syria in a “safe zone” that Turkey has demanded control over.
The US, which is partnered with the SDF and wants to see ISIS fully defeated, has objected to Turkey’s plans for a military operation, concerned it will destabilize eastern Syria at this unique time when the area requires peace and prosperity. When Turkey announced plans for a similar military offensive in Manbij the US came up with a concept of joint military patrols. But Turkey has said that it will not accept a Manbij-style solution to areas along the border. So it has demanded that its forces be allowed into Syria, which the US appears to have facilitated in order to avoid a possible Turkish offensive.
Last month Turkey said it had informed the US and Russia that an offensive would take place and only last minute discussions with US military officials supposedly stopped the operation. Since then Turkey has gone to Russia to propose buying more Russian military equipment, has threatened to build nuclear weapons and threatened to “open the gates” of refugees going to Europe if its demands are not met in eastern Syria. It’s unclear if Ankara’s threats are just talk designed to see if the US will budge, or if it would actually launch an offensive in an area where US forces are present.
Washington is in a difficult place because Turkey is ostensibly a NATO ally and Washington has paid lip service to caring about Turkey’s concerns, while some wonder what Turkey’s real goal is. Turkey has acquired Russia’s S-400 missile defense system and seems to want to play the US and Russia off against one another, while Ankara claims it has been betrayed by the US which it accuses of training a “terrorist army” in eastern Syria. But for the US the SDF and mostly Kurdish forces on the ground have proven capable partners defeating ISIS.
The joint patrol that took place on September 8 leaves many questions. No one seems to agree exactly how far these patrols will extend. According to CNN’s Ryan Browne they could go as deep as 5-12km into Syria. The patrols are also complex because they involve not just US-Turkey cooperation at the three-star general level, according to recent comments by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Joe Dunford, but they also involve cooperation between US European Command and Central Command (CENTCOM). European Command is eager to show that these patrols go well and work closely with NATO ally Turkey. So it tweeted about how the US and Turkey had conducted the patrol “inside the security mechanism” on September 8. It followed an announcement over the weekend by European Command about US Black Hawk helicopters conducting an aerial patrol over northeast Syria with Turkish military helicopters alongside.
The patrols were photographed on the ground by locals near the area between Tel Abyad and Ras Al-Ain. SDF General Mazloum Kobani told CNN over the weekend that he is concerned about the prospect of a Turkish military offensive. Mazloum agreed to a safe zone and says his forces have shown flexibility. He is confident the Americans are going to be responsive. The SDF seems to be doing everything it can to make sure the US is pleased. This is because the US had threatened to leave eastern Syria last December which would have left the SDF exposed to a Turkish offensive and a repeat of what happened in Afrin. The SDF has said it removed fortifications that the Coalition forces surveyed on September 3. On the ground on September 7, in the lead up to the patrols, Coalition aircraft could be head and vehicles were present, locals said. The patrols began at 10am and were one of several that are supposed to take place between Tel Abyad and Sere Keniye (Ras al-Ayn).
The SDF have sought to change the forces they deploy on the ground as part of making the security mechanism work. This included the participation of the Tel Abyad Military Council and the Sere Kaniya Military Council. The latter has some 300 locals that were trained for securing the area, according to the Rojava Information Center.
The joint patrols differ from the US-Turkey joint patrols that began last year near Manbij. There the patrols went along a line outside the city, but there are questions about where these patrols will go and the fact that the Turkish army is now operating inside northeast Syria. There are concerns that once Turkey begins operating there, it may not be willing to leave and this may presage more demands. It’s unclear how the US will respond to those demands. It also appears that despite the efforts devoted to defeating ISIS that a tremendous amount of time and resources are going in to make sure these patrols work, but how they will satisfy both Turkey and the SDF and people on the ground is unclear. If the SDF senses that this is just way for Turkey to inspect the area and reduce fortifications in order to pave the way for an eventual land grab there will be a crises.
Turkey has already become an expert in provoking crises with the US in order to get the process moving. This is a linear process for Ankara that began with Euphrates Shield in 2016 when Turkey and its Syrian rebel allies took over an area of northern Syria between Jarabulus and Kilis. It extended to the Afrin operation in January 2018 and Turkey’s observation points in Idlib. This is leading toward Turkey’s fourth major demand in Syria in an ever-expanding military and civilian role. The joint patrols matter because they may have given Turkey an entrée into more demands in eastern Syria, but they could also prove to be a US solution to Turkey’s demands so that Ankara can say it got its safe zone. That all depends on Turkey’s next move.
Michiana MaJo
Deceased
So many hot spots to follow, anymore. Can anyone say for sure if the nukes that were at the base we shared on Turkish soil are still there?
There were discussions on the board wondering how we would get them out, since Erdogan was starting to get very inhospital, to say the least, awhile ago.
There were discussions on the board wondering how we would get them out, since Erdogan was starting to get very inhospital, to say the least, awhile ago.
Doomer Doug
TB Fanatic
Ragnarok, don't forget Erdogan's famous "dove hovered over me moment," or his statement he is going to get nukes and take care of Israel once and for all, or well you all get the idea.
The reason Erdogan gets the famous Doomer Doug "BAT POOP CRAZY," label is because Erdogan really is BAT POOP CRAZY.
Erdogan is like Hitler in Mein Kampf. You can't say that either Hitler of Erdogan didn't lay out very well exactly what they intend to. Unfortunately, it is the case that people just don't believe Erdogan really plans to invade Israel, or occupy Saudi Arabia.
The reason Erdogan gets the famous Doomer Doug "BAT POOP CRAZY," label is because Erdogan really is BAT POOP CRAZY.
Erdogan is like Hitler in Mein Kampf. You can't say that either Hitler of Erdogan didn't lay out very well exactly what they intend to. Unfortunately, it is the case that people just don't believe Erdogan really plans to invade Israel, or occupy Saudi Arabia.
intothatgoodnight
. . .
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/jan/22/deciphering-confusion-about-the-kurds/
Deciphering Confusion About The Kurds
By Lee Smith
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
U.S. foreign policy hands are concerned that President Trump’s withdrawal from Syria is likely to encourage Turkey to prosecute a military campaign against the Kurds. Many fear that abandoning a partner in the campaign against the Islamic State will show that America does not stand by its allies.
Mr. Trump has vowed to protect the Kurds, warning Turkey that he will destroy its economy should it lay siege to them. Hence, Washington and Ankara are trying to work out details of a buffer zone separating Kurdish and Turkish forces.
However, short of a permanent deployment, there is little the United States can do to shelter the Kurds long-term, never mind ensure an independent Kurdish state in northern Syria. That the Kurds will now turn toward other powers — like Iran and Russia — is a natural fact of history and geography, i.e. geopolitics.
Even analysts and journalists appear to be confused about the Kurds — including the nomenclature used to describe them. The Kurds are a Middle Eastern minority spread out from Syria in the West, through Turkey and Iraq, to Iran in the east, and further divided into various political groupings.
But this is not what the foreign policy establishment is referring to in the Syria debate. Rather, they are talking about a specific Kurdish political institution in northern Syria, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), and its military wing, the People’s Protection Units (YPG). This is the Syrian franchise of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been at war with Turkey for 35 years, and is a U.S.-designated terrorist group inspired by Marxist doctrine.
How the United States came to ally with such an organization in the first place was a function of Barack Obama’s grand strategy for the Middle East — to realign U.S. interests with Iran.
Mr. Obama never wanted to intervene in Syria, fearing that it might jeopardize his blossoming relationship with Iran, patron of Syrian president Bashar Assad. But the White House felt pressured to step in after ISIS murdered American journalists. The trick was to avoid turning the intervention against ISIS into an instrument that would help anti-Assad rebels and Turkey.
“The PKK was the perfect partner for the Obama White House,” says Tony Badran, senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. “Not only were they not interested in pursuing an anti-Assad agenda but they would also create an irritant for Turkey that would distract or even block Ankara from fighting Assad.”
Mr. Obama’s military alliance with the PKK naturally angered then-Prime Minister and now President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The group presents Ankara with its most vital national security concern, threatening Turkish peace at home, and is hence Mr. Erdogan’s greatest political liability.
Mr. Erdogan initiated a peace process with the PKK as early as 2012, which was stalled in part by the 2014 U.S. intervention. With the White House at its back, the PKK was convinced it had enough leverage to walk away from peace talks to acquire more, by carving out territory in northern Syria — with American support. Mr. Erdogan is a difficult U.S. ally, distrusted by both Democrats and Republicans. However, the idea that Washington should swap out a NATO member and replace it with the PKK is strategically wanton.
In spite of the PKK’s proven military abilities, it is no substitute for a nation-state with an army, an important air base at Incirlik, and naval bases on major waterways. As Mr. Trump’s Syria envoy James Jeffrey recently said, “the United States does not have permanent relationships with substate entities.”
Sympathetic Westerners believe that the PKK in Syria deserves a state. But merit does not factor into geopolitics: You have a state if you can keep it.
A map shows why that is unlikely. The Syrian PKK is land-locked, with Assad regime forces to the west, Sunni Arabs to the south, Turkey to the north, and to its east another Kurdish party in Iraq that is hostile to them, the Kurdistan Democratic Party, a longstanding U.S. ally with Turkish ties.
Kurdish politics are historically shaped by the fact of the two regional powers, Turkey and Iran, from whom they must chose a patron. As a Turkish PKK adviser once put it: “Iran influences the PKK because the PKK is based on the Iranian border. When you fight a party, you have to find support from some other party.”
Unless the PKK comes to its senses and reaches an American-brokered compromise with Turkey that satisfies the latter’s national security interests, it has no choice but to partner with Iran and its axis, which now includes Russia. The United States’ temporary alliance with the PKK only delayed the inevitable.
As it is, the United States empowered the PKK beyond its wildest imagination. By funding, training and arming a substate actor, Washington made the PKK the envy of substate actors the world over. Any of which would welcome the same munificence, even though they know, as the PKK did, that the United States will someday return home, far over the horizon.
Now that Mr. Trump has decided it is time to leave, the PKK, grateful to the United States for having buttressed its negotiating position, would be wise to re-initiate peace talks with Turkey.
Lee Smith is the author of “The Strong Horse: Power, Politics, and the Clash of Arab Civilizations."
Deciphering Confusion About The Kurds
By Lee Smith
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
U.S. foreign policy hands are concerned that President Trump’s withdrawal from Syria is likely to encourage Turkey to prosecute a military campaign against the Kurds. Many fear that abandoning a partner in the campaign against the Islamic State will show that America does not stand by its allies.
Mr. Trump has vowed to protect the Kurds, warning Turkey that he will destroy its economy should it lay siege to them. Hence, Washington and Ankara are trying to work out details of a buffer zone separating Kurdish and Turkish forces.
However, short of a permanent deployment, there is little the United States can do to shelter the Kurds long-term, never mind ensure an independent Kurdish state in northern Syria. That the Kurds will now turn toward other powers — like Iran and Russia — is a natural fact of history and geography, i.e. geopolitics.
Even analysts and journalists appear to be confused about the Kurds — including the nomenclature used to describe them. The Kurds are a Middle Eastern minority spread out from Syria in the West, through Turkey and Iraq, to Iran in the east, and further divided into various political groupings.
But this is not what the foreign policy establishment is referring to in the Syria debate. Rather, they are talking about a specific Kurdish political institution in northern Syria, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), and its military wing, the People’s Protection Units (YPG). This is the Syrian franchise of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been at war with Turkey for 35 years, and is a U.S.-designated terrorist group inspired by Marxist doctrine.
How the United States came to ally with such an organization in the first place was a function of Barack Obama’s grand strategy for the Middle East — to realign U.S. interests with Iran.
Mr. Obama never wanted to intervene in Syria, fearing that it might jeopardize his blossoming relationship with Iran, patron of Syrian president Bashar Assad. But the White House felt pressured to step in after ISIS murdered American journalists. The trick was to avoid turning the intervention against ISIS into an instrument that would help anti-Assad rebels and Turkey.
“The PKK was the perfect partner for the Obama White House,” says Tony Badran, senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. “Not only were they not interested in pursuing an anti-Assad agenda but they would also create an irritant for Turkey that would distract or even block Ankara from fighting Assad.”
Mr. Obama’s military alliance with the PKK naturally angered then-Prime Minister and now President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The group presents Ankara with its most vital national security concern, threatening Turkish peace at home, and is hence Mr. Erdogan’s greatest political liability.
Mr. Erdogan initiated a peace process with the PKK as early as 2012, which was stalled in part by the 2014 U.S. intervention. With the White House at its back, the PKK was convinced it had enough leverage to walk away from peace talks to acquire more, by carving out territory in northern Syria — with American support. Mr. Erdogan is a difficult U.S. ally, distrusted by both Democrats and Republicans. However, the idea that Washington should swap out a NATO member and replace it with the PKK is strategically wanton.
In spite of the PKK’s proven military abilities, it is no substitute for a nation-state with an army, an important air base at Incirlik, and naval bases on major waterways. As Mr. Trump’s Syria envoy James Jeffrey recently said, “the United States does not have permanent relationships with substate entities.”
Sympathetic Westerners believe that the PKK in Syria deserves a state. But merit does not factor into geopolitics: You have a state if you can keep it.
A map shows why that is unlikely. The Syrian PKK is land-locked, with Assad regime forces to the west, Sunni Arabs to the south, Turkey to the north, and to its east another Kurdish party in Iraq that is hostile to them, the Kurdistan Democratic Party, a longstanding U.S. ally with Turkish ties.
Kurdish politics are historically shaped by the fact of the two regional powers, Turkey and Iran, from whom they must chose a patron. As a Turkish PKK adviser once put it: “Iran influences the PKK because the PKK is based on the Iranian border. When you fight a party, you have to find support from some other party.”
Unless the PKK comes to its senses and reaches an American-brokered compromise with Turkey that satisfies the latter’s national security interests, it has no choice but to partner with Iran and its axis, which now includes Russia. The United States’ temporary alliance with the PKK only delayed the inevitable.
As it is, the United States empowered the PKK beyond its wildest imagination. By funding, training and arming a substate actor, Washington made the PKK the envy of substate actors the world over. Any of which would welcome the same munificence, even though they know, as the PKK did, that the United States will someday return home, far over the horizon.
Now that Mr. Trump has decided it is time to leave, the PKK, grateful to the United States for having buttressed its negotiating position, would be wise to re-initiate peace talks with Turkey.
Lee Smith is the author of “The Strong Horse: Power, Politics, and the Clash of Arab Civilizations."
intothatgoodnight
. . .
https://twitter.com/Doranimated/status/1181125761203408897
Mike
@Doranimated
We aligned under Obama not with “the Kurds,” but with the PKK, the sworn enemy of the Turkish Republic, our ally. We were sowing the seeds of a Turkish-PKK war with that policy. We were also driving Turkey toward Russia.
https://twitter.com/GrayConnolly/status/1181124549510750208
Gray Connolly
@GrayConnolly
Replying to @Doranimated
How does this end? The Kurds, whatever their political panjandrums, have been reliable allies. I note we come to the 100th anniversary of the Sevres treaty next year, in which the Kurds were promised a plebiscite.
Mike
@Doranimated
We aligned under Obama not with “the Kurds,” but with the PKK, the sworn enemy of the Turkish Republic, our ally. We were sowing the seeds of a Turkish-PKK war with that policy. We were also driving Turkey toward Russia.
https://twitter.com/GrayConnolly/status/1181124549510750208
Gray Connolly
@GrayConnolly
Replying to @Doranimated
How does this end? The Kurds, whatever their political panjandrums, have been reliable allies. I note we come to the 100th anniversary of the Sevres treaty next year, in which the Kurds were promised a plebiscite.
