If Russia wants to take on the responsibility of driving ISIS out of Syria that sounds ok to me.
Russia proping up Assad has got nothing to do with ISIS.
Russia wants to cut the possible gas pipeline route through Syria to Europe to maintain their monopoly.
“Russia proping up Assad has got nothing to do with ISIS.
Russia wants to cut the possible gas pipeline route through Syria to Europe to maintain their monopoly.”
Interesting and probably true. And if true, it is also just as true that the western and Saudi created rebel movement had nothing to do with Assad, it was to build a Saudi and western controlled pipeline.
I do not think that a gas pipeline through Syria is the reason. It looks like Assad is leaning toward abandoning most of the country, and retreating into the Alawite homeland around Latakia on the Med. Since the Russian’s naval base at Tartus is also in this region, Putin will help Assad create a Fortress Alawite in this region. With less area to defend and both Russian air and ground forces to backstop them, Assad can hold out here for years, if not decades. Putin gets to maintain his naval base in the Eastern Med in the bargain. I do not see Russia conducting any offensive operations against ISIS for the simple reason that Russia cannot maintain the logistical means to accomplish this mission. They do not have the sea lift capability that the US has, thus all their war fighting has been in areas neighboring their own country(Afghanistan, Georgia, Ukraine).
Why couldn’t a pipeline go through southern Iraq and Turkey if ISIL can be gotten out of the way. Granted the Kurds could be a problem, but I think that could be solved.