Emily, that's "chiefs", not "chefs"
. Oh. That's very different. Nevermind.
Posted on 03/07/2017 8:50:17 PM PST by Texas Fossil
US and Russian military chiefs meet to discuss their plans for fight against ISIS.
Just three weeks after the top soldiers of the US and Russian militaries – General Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and General Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff – met in Azerbaijan, they have followed up with a second meeting in Antalya Turkey, for a summit hosted by Turkey’s top soldier, General Hulusi Akar, who is the Chief of the Turkish General Staff.
Unlike the summit meeting in Azerbaijan, which discussed the full range of US-Russian military relations, the meeting in Turkey is specifically focused on this situations in Iraq and Syria.
The background to this meeting is that President Trump has directed the US military to provide him with plans to intensify the fight in Iraq and Syria against ISIS and the other Jihadi terrorist groups, which President Trump has pledged “to wipe from the surface of the earth”. Apparently a draft plan has already been prepared by the Pentagon, though it has not yet been presented to the President.
At the meeting in Azerbaijan Dunford is reported to have reassured Gerasimov that talk of large scale US army deployments to Syria was untrue. However a sharp increase in the number of US military personnel deployed to Syria is definitely on the cards. With the Russians in a dominant military position in Syria, Dunford clearly wants to brief Gerasimov personally about the plan, so as to ensure at least a measure of Russian (and Syrian) cooperation.
This comes after reports that the US air force carried out air strikes on ISIS that helped the recent Syrian advance on Palmyra.
A further reason why Dunford and Gerasimov might wish to speak to each other – and involve the Turks in their discussions – is that recent offensives by the Syrian and Turkish armies in northern Syria have brought these two armies into close contact with each other. Whilst there has been no outright clash, a number of incidents have taken place.
With both the US and Russia anxious to concentrate on the fight against ISIS, Dunford and Gerasimov will be concerned to ensure that these incidents do not spiral out of control. They will want Hulusi Akar’s explanations of how he will ensure this, and they may have their own proposals to make to him.
With the situation in the eastern Syrian desert Deir Ezzor remaining critical, Gerasimov will also be seeking reassurances from Dunford that the US is doing all it can to prevent ISIS fighters fleeing from Mosul and Iraq joining the fight against the Syrian army in Deir Ezzor.
Lastly, Dunford, Gerasimov and Hulusi Akar will undoubtedly discuss in detail the situation in Manbij, where parallel and clearly coordinated US and Russian troop movements have blocked a Turkish advance on Kurdish controlled Manbij and on ISIS controlled Raqqa.
The chiefs of the US and Russian militaries will want both to reassure Hulusi Akar that this is not a hostile move by the US and Russia against Turkey, and that Turkey’s cooperation in the fight against ISIS is highly valued, and at the same time make clear to Hulusi Akar what are the red lines beyond which Turkey is not allowed to go.
The fraught political situation in Washington has made it politically impossible for President Trump to forge ahead at least for the time being with his objective of detente with Russia.
However the US military are not so constrained. With the neocons no longer in charge in Washington and able to prevent them from talking to the Russians, they have seized the opportunity to reach out to their Russian counterparts. The result is that they are now working with them discreetly on the ground in Syria in order to avoid possible conflicts there – such as the one which almost happened in October – and in order that the two militaries can keep each other informed of their respective plans.
It is important to say that this is a dialogue not an alliance. There is no evidence that Dunford and Gerasimov are planning joint operations together against ISIS. Whilst that might one day happen for the moment US Defense Secretary Mattis has ruled it out.
However one reason ISIS has been able to survive for so long and grow to such enormous strength is precisely that the US and the Russian militaries have been in conflict with each other in Syria. This has allowed ISIS to play the two off against each other, and even to forge tactical alliances with the US against the Syrians and the Russians, as happened to deadly effect in September in Deir Ezzor.
Now that the US and Russian militaries are at talking to each and informing each other about their plans, hopefully that will no longer be the case.
In the meantime the mere fact that the US and Russian militaries once more have an active ongoing dialogue, even if its scope for the moment is limited to the fight against ISIS and Jihadi terrorism in Iraq and Syria, may make it easier in the long run to effect a general improvement in US Russian relations.
The US military are not as vulnerable to the charges of treason and collusion with the Russians that s0 many of Donald Trump’s civilian officials are. It would take a very brave or even reckless Democratic Party Senator, CIA official or New York Times journalist to accuse General Dunford of treason because he has met with his Russian counterpart.
That means that for the moment the US military are in a much better position to carry out diplomacy with the Russians than the civilians are, a fact which given how important the military are in Donald Trump’s administration may turn out to be important in the long run.
That however is for the future. In the meantime the mere fact that Dunford and Gerasimov are now regularly talking to each other is in itself a good thing.
So much stupid stuff coming out of Erdogan. Some say he is insane. It may well be so.
Syria Ping!
Generals meet in Turkey
YESS ,wonderful but here is a clue to the Trump administration. Be sure that we are fighting in Syria under the auspices and request of the sovereign government of Syria — like the Russians do. Otherwise we have NO LEGAL RIGHT TO BE THERE!!! Do you want Chinese army here fighting for “black lives only matter”? Let’s try this !! Let’s don’t violate international law like we did in our worst mistake ever in Iraq!! We fight WITH Assad or we stay the hell OUT!!
Did you know that Russia has supported us since the America Revolution, and has actually been our most staunchest ally even more than Great Britain?
Wendle.
Trump said he would destroy ISIS and he will help.
Don’t ever question military leaders like Mattis. NEVER.
Assad and Russia want this ended. Kurds & Arabs in the SDF want it ended. None of those mentioned who are now allied with the US and Kurds were trying to overthrow Assad. The relation were not always friendly, but never tried to overthrow Assad.
Now Obama, Hillary, Turkey (Erdogan) did finance and train multiple Militias, al Qaeda & some in ISIS. It is true. But Obama is gone.
So stop acting dumb. Let the adults fix this.
Mistakes will be made and some dopes will shoot wrong but communication has been established.
The John McCain/Obama/Clinton arm of the deep state was very dangerous.
“Some say he is insane.”
As I’ve said before, my Turkish BIL and all his Turkish friends hate Erdogan with amazing passion!
It may have been so before the Russian Revolution. It quickly changed after that.
My mother was a Swede. Her grandparents immigrate to the US through Finland. My mom’s grandfather had to serve in the White Russian Army before they would let him leave.
The lived in MN. They were Staunch Republicans in a terribly Democrat state.
Yes, Russia and China were good customers of the US before the Communists.
And yes, I hope Trump and Putin can work together to build a relationship that benefits all.
Your BIL is a smart man. He is right about this.
uh-oh...Dems & lamest ream media will have more kiniption fits bout us meeting with da Russians....
screw em
It will still be going on come Christmas; Assad wants it to go on.
. Those must be State Department employees. They are not Generals. hee hee hee
The fraught political situation in Washington has made it politically impossible for President Trump to forge ahead at least for the time being with his objective of detente with Russia.
++++
The above, from the article, IMHO, is nonsense. It might be true for some.
But Trump?
Nope.
Needs clarification.
Russia and the US had a working relationship during the Czarist period. Trade, diplomatic ties, and purchase of territory.
Bolshevik and Soviet Russia engaged in numerous anti American activities, agitation espionage, insurrection, sabotage, and financing terrorism, excluding military confrontation. The Soviet union escalated actions to proxy warfare, covert action, accidental (or not) military incidents and possible covert retaliation for US covert actions that they SUSPECTED the US implemented, but still no open military confrontation.
The Russian Federation has a much better record of reducing, very significantly, proxy and covert action of all types and supporting the US fully in anti terrorist operations and intervention.
The Russian Federation has been a valuable ally in the fight against Islamic Terrorism wherever the US goes.
but I'm paraphrasing
I believe he is doing a great job.
That is why the ComDems have totally lost their minds.
It’s a wonder all we have seen on TV is a few meltdowns by the talking heads.
And yes, they have tried to play the Russian hacking card to prevent Trump associating with Putin.
Once Erdogan is boxed in where he cannot cause trouble, it will begin.
The additional troops were moved into place over past few days.
If Erdogan had not puked all over everyone else, it would have begun.
I’m wondering how much our USAF has softened them up. I heard rumors in the beginning there were roughly 10,000 ISIS in Raqqa. Is it 5,000 now? I saw photos of the Base north and slightly east of Raqqa after it was bombed. If it was inhabited, they are gone. It was flattened. Suspect the B-52 I saw flying took care of that.
You don’t really think Trump cares if they do.
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