What the hell are we doing there?
Posted on 09/17/2017 9:15:04 PM PDT by Texas Fossil
KOBANI – Sipan Hemo, the general commander of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) in a statement released on Saturday wondered why Russian forces bombed their positions, which led to the injury of six fighters.
“Russia is bombing the positions of our forces. We are asking Russia to explain the reasons for their bombing our positions," he said, asking whether Assad and Russia were cooperating and allies with ISIS,” he said.
On Saturday afternoon, Russian forces struck a target east of the Euphrates River in Syria near Dayr Az Zawr, causing injuries to Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Although the Russian government denied bombing SDF forces, the US coalition and the SDF argue otherwise.
"This is not possible. Why would we bomb them?" a Russian military spokesman, Igor Konashenkov at the Hmeimim base on Syria's coast, told AFP.
The alleged bombings coincide with a statement released on Saturday by the Syrian regime and Iran-backed Shia militias, announcing an operation towards Abu Kamal to clear out the Syrian border, bringing them on a clashing course with the SDF forces.
Sipan Hemo, the commander of the People Protection Units (YPG) vowed to respond to any provocations. “Any attacks on the positions of our forces is a helping hand to the ISIS mercenaries,” he said.
The commander said they have told the Russians, the coalition and all world powers that they would liberate these areas, warning that if needed, the SDF was willing to fight back.
“Anyone who attacks, we will respond without hesitation, and we consider any attack on our forces as extending a helping hand to ISIS mercenaries to prolong their life,” he concluded.
US-supported Coalition & SDF response to attacks
The US-led coalition has also accused Russia of attacking the SDF.
“Russian munitions impacted a location known to the Russians to contain Syrian Democratic Forces and Coalition advisors. Several SDF fighters were wounded and received medical care as a result of the strike,” the US-led coalition said in a statement received by the Region.
Coalition troops advising and assisting the SDF were present but not wounded as a result of the Russian strike. "Coalition officials are available and the de-confliction line with Russia is open 24 hours per day," said Coalition commander Lt. Gen. Paul E. Funk II. "We put our full efforts into preventing unnecessary escalation among forces that share ISIS as our common enemy," said Funk.
“The Coalition and its partners remain committed to the defeat of ISIS and continued de-confliction with Russian officials. Coalition forces and partners always retain the right of self-defense”, the coalition added.
In a statement issued by the SDF itself, the Russian and Syrian air force were blamed for targeting SDF forces and injuring six of its fighters. “Our forces in the East of the Euphrates were targeted by Russian jets and the Syrian regime in the industrial zone, injuring six of our partners,” the SDF said.
“Some parties are trying to create obstacles to the progress of our forces and are trying to unsuccessfully prolong the life of Daesh [ISIS] for goals and projects that do not serve the Syrian people,” the SDF said.
“We strongly condemn this aggressive attack and call upon the aggressors to stop these attacks, which serve only terrorists and terrorism,” the SDF added.
Long Term Strategic interests of the Assad Regime
Assad's key adviser and media mouthpiece, Bouthaina Shaaban, on Friday suggested that the Government would fight the SDF to regain areas in Deir az-Zor.
“Whether it’s the Syrian Democratic Forces, or Daesh (Islamic State) or any illegitimate foreign force in the country ... we will fight and work against them so our land is freed completely from any aggressor,” she said in an interview with Hezbollah’s Al Manar TV.
“I‘m not saying this will happen tomorrow ... but this is the strategic intent,” she said Friday.
Tobias Schneider, a London-based defence analyst told the Region that the costly Assad offensive towards Deir az-Zor is to contain US influence.
“The regime considers any American presence in Syria an existential threat and will work to contain and eventually evict it,” he said. “The US is the only power it cannot easily deter through its Russian allies and that can thus force a political compromise,” he concluded.
Nicholas A. Heras, a Fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) agreed that the Syrian government was not happy with the SDF-campaign.”These airstrikes show just how provocative the SDF campaign in Deir Azzour is to Damascus. Assad knows that if Coalition advisers are embedded with the SDF as it makes gains all over Deir Azzour, he won't be able to strike back because of the risk of escalation with the Americans would be high,” he said.
“Assad might try to push his luck, and hit the SDF again, but if there are American advisers with the SDF, he will be playing with fire,” he added
This author has been in the region a number of years. I don't know about "The Region". I think it is a realatively new source.
The only people who understand this conflict, are in Syria. There are a number of writers who do an excellent job of covering this. Some are regional, as implied by this sources name.
The article is totally credible to me.
It is not stated, but I suspect Iranian influence is pushing Assad on this.
The US has used air power before to prevent regime-aligned forces from advancing to the Iraqi border.
I think this is a way of saying “Stay on the West side of the River, or else.” (whether or not they actually struck first).
It is a US strategic concern to block an Iranian “Shia Corrider” land route across the Iraqi border from being established, when this war is over.
Assad would not last long in a direct war with the USA - days or weeks, maybe hours.
Regime change only ensures a sunni wahabbist government in Syria. Assad is far better. Our neocon generals are more interested in overthrowing Assad than they are in bombing Isis out of existence.
Shias are running Iraq because George Bush and the neocons invaded and ousted Iran’s No 1 enemy, Saddam. “Dear George Bush, you got rid of our sworn enemy and allowed us to establish our allies as leaders of Iraq. Thank you! Yours, Iran”
Makes sense to me.
Iran and Turkey are the bad potatoes in the bag.
Assad owes Iran heavily. I doubt that most of the southern Syrian civilians realize how dependent SAA is on Iranian troops, Hezbellah and Quds. I think if they did they would look very differently toward Assad. I see a few here on FR who try to defend him.
In the Northern Syria area, all know. They know what happens if Iran dominates. So does Israel and SA.
Turkey thinks they can deal with Iran. Smile. Not Happening.
Shias also kinda run iraq because they are 64% of the population as opposed to the 31% Sunni.
NeoCons are not calling the shots.
Wahabbi’s are not either, but scared of old nemesis Iran.
SA and Israel would like Kurdish independence in whatever form. That is the best outcome. Syrian Kurds want autonomy. Assad might accept that, he has bigger problems. It might even come to unified independence. No one can see that far.
“Regime change only ensures a sunni wahabbist government in Syria. Assad is far better.”
That is probably Assad’s best argument to stay - and probably what the Obama Admin intended by trying to overthrow him. I think the West’s dream outcome now is that Assad retires to a Dacha on the Black Sea, and more politically palatable “reformed” “former” Ba’athists from the Alawites run the Government with a nod toward Democracy, and autonomy or independence for the Kurds.
I posted another thread recently, on how al Queda has been growing in Idlib Province in Syria (North of Damascus, along the Turkish border). They have changed their name a couple of times - now doing business as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) - but they have sworn loyalty to al Queda.
Brett McGurk, the US Special Envoy for the Region (Super Ambassador) said “Idlib Province is the largest al-Qaeda safe haven since 9/11”. They have pretty much taken over the opposition to Assad in that part of the country, and would be well positioned to move on Damascus if the Assad Regime suddenly collapsed.
Turkey has moved some of their armor and artillery into that part of Syria, and they seem to get along just fine with the alQueda forces there. So the possibility exists that Turkey might get behind them in earnest, to support a takeover.
They (al Queda) are going to have to be rooted out, but Assad/the Russians/Iranians have a strategy of taking out all the other opposition first, so that the US can’t side with the opposition in the end, because it will be al Queda.
We’ll see. Lot’s of shifting left before everything settles out.
“Shias are running Iraq because George Bush and the neocons invaded and ousted Iran’s No 1 enemy, Saddam.”
Shi’ites run Iraq because they are the majority. But pro-Iranian’s ran Iraq because the Obama administration would not support Pro-American Shi’ite Ayad Allawi, when he won the majority in the election to become Prime Minister. Iranian stooge Maliki was installed, and abused the Sunnis into supporting the rebellion that gave ISIS Mosul.
Saddam was an Anti-American monster who was a huge State supporter of terrorism, who had to go.
You do know Brett McGurk is an Obama holdover, right?
The Kurds should pay attention to what happened to the South Vietnamese.
The Kurds are remembering Henry Kissinger.
“You do know Brett McGurk is an Obama holdover, right?”
Brett McGurk seems all right.
He sticks his neck out quite a bit going to meet with folks over there, and has served there pretty much since 2004 (which must kind of suck for him on the personal level). He knows the place and the players like just about no one else.
He worked for Bush before Obama, and was a clerk for Chief Justice Rhenquist - so no flaming liberal. He was really a Bush Guy - one of the very few who got called back by the Obama Administration, when they were in a bind.
You said: “the SDF who are no more than Sunni/Wahhabi controlled terrorists”
Total nonsense. The Syrian Kurds are no friend of the Saudi’s, they were never on McCains team.
Some are Muslims, but all have accepted that it must be a secular state. (not like the phoney secular state named Turkey). I’m not sure if the majority are any kind of Muslims. I know they have Christians, Ezidi, (many) atheists and Turkmen all fighting for SDF. The percentages depend upon the local area.
The SDF was formed by the YPG and YPJ to overcome the objections of Turkey that the Kurds would take over Arab areas.
NONE of the original SDF were fighting Assad.
Those Kurds were in Iraq.
These Kurds are mostly from Syria. Very very few from Iraq.
I despised Henry Kissinger, aka Super Kraut. (he’s a traitor)
McGurk was in the State Department under Bush, Obama and now Trump.
He knows the turf very well. He has from the beginning been a friend of the Syrian Kurds. He has some flaws, I won’t discuss here, but he is doing a good job against ISIS. He has given Trump very good advice. (Erdogan hates him, tried to get him fired, smile)
Stinger AA Missiles would neutralize Russian/Syrian air power in that region and thus expose their ground troops to serious counterattacks.
Seems the Russians learned nothing from Afghanistan.
The talk about "Assad would not last long in a war against the US" is reprehensible. A major part of Trump's support was because he rejected regime change. President Trump has assured us that our goal is to annihilate ISIS. This crazy war talk has got to end. The US should LEAVE once ISIS is defeated.
What the hell are we doing there?
>>15Jan2013
The Rebels were just as bad as the current regime. Rebels = al Qaeda, al Nusra, Sultan Muriat, and other groups that the CIA hired for ME oil producers benefit.
The Syrian Kurds are not “the rebels”. They never fought with Assad until he abandoned them when ISIS (and others) moved in.
I became aware of the difference in September and October 2014 when Kobani was about to be overrun. Others and I did all we could to get Obama to step in and prevent the city from being butchered by ISIS animals. Finally, the public opinion got so strong that he did act. Our Air Force destroyed ISIS heavy weapons and nearby facilities. The Kurds left in Kobani were largely made up of women and young girls. They were about out of food, water, ammo and weapons. They survived in Urban warfare mode, at a very high price. Most of the city had escaped, a lot across the Turkish border. The Turks had their tanks on the hill above Kobani and did nothing (but cheer ISIS on).
After the defenders did what everyone thought impossible and held, Kurds flooded in to secure the ISIS defeat.
That is where this began. Never sell those people short. They paid a high price in blood and lives. And they are as good a people as there is in the Middle East.
Yes, they are communal. (I despise lefties and love liberty)
I make no excuses for Totalitarians. They are evil in all forms. (Left or right, almost all are left)
So,,, I’m still here.
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