Today in front of the hospital in Afrin! Unutterable expression on the face of this Kurdish man from Alikhero village of Rajo in #Afrin after loosing his wife and children in a mortar attack. His hands were still covered with beloved ones’ bloods...
Posted on 02/18/2018 9:47:57 PM PST by Texas Fossil
QAMISHLI - US Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis on Saturday said that an attack by Turkey in Afrin, launched on 20 January, has no valid justifications in one of the strongest comments the US has made on Afrin up until date.
“While we understand their legitimate security concerns, as I've mentioned several times, that does not align with us concurring with attacks into areas that were not sources of violence before the attack into Afrin, for example,” he told reporters en route to Washington.
“We concur with Turkey on the need for locals taking control of the liberated areas, and we're going to work with Turkey on the locals taking control, and with Turkey on every other irritant, or diversion or distraction, or every area,” he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at theregion.org ...
Today in front of the hospital in Afrin! Unutterable expression on the face of this Kurdish man from Alikhero village of Rajo in #Afrin after loosing his wife and children in a mortar attack. His hands were still covered with beloved ones’ bloods...
Erdogan isn’t going to like the idea we’re going to work with the locals taking control....
Photos as that just break the heart....so many years at war for the Kurds to have their own country...too much blood..and now his loss of wife and children.....just a stunning photo....
I really don’t care. Let them kill each other.
Very tragic. War is often like that. But this is different. It is totally unnecessary for civilians to be slaughtered like Turkey is again doing.
Some of the excuses they try to peddle on Twitter about why they must do it make you literally ill.
There are far worse photos than this, but I don’t like to look at those atrocities.
But the crushing emotion is conveyed by this photo. And to Erdogan the Islamist? They are all terrorists. (even 3 year olds)
Such vile excuses for humanity, need to be ended.
Yes...it’s very tragic, the ‘crushing’ look of dispair and sorrow...that photo says exactly what needs to be told...
There are no excuses Erdogan can offer for what he’s doing.....this has gone well beyond any security and never was that to begin with as we know. I see Erdogan worse of the worst because he deceives everybody..he’s worse than a viper!
It’s really too bad you said that you don’t care. The Kurds have been fighting with our troops and have fought hard and mighty to have their own country longer than any nation. I will always support the Kurds efforts.
You don’t see me defend him. He is a great evil.
Who is a great evil?
I listened to, and watched cry, the elderly father of an Armenian friend, tell me how the Muslims went door to door killing Armenians. His immediate family escaped to Russia, but the rest of his family were killed. Sad.
Very sad indeed.
Metz Yeghérn (“The Great Evil”)
http://www.armeniapedia.org/wiki/Medz_Yeghern
The word for it did not exist in 1914, but the word today is Genocide.
That act that Turkey continues to commit and continues to deny they have ever done.
The Secretary of Defense only came out with this statement after the Secretary of State’s visit to Turkey. I take this to represent the coordinated US position - likely coordinated with other key allies, before putting it to Turkey, or going public.
It seems that the Turkish attack has failed, and that big reinforcements to try again are likely off the table now that International condemnation has solidified into such public statements. Those public statements are no doubt reinforced by “carrot and stick” incentives, which were privately delivered.
The Turks might not stop on their own out of stubbornness or to save face domestically, but their chances of conquering Afrin seem to have dropped into the unlikely range.
This statement by SecDef comes right after a major NATO meeting - obviously coordinated.
He specifically mentioned that Italy and Spain were also working with Turkey on this issue, and specifically mentioned the air defense systems that they provide in Turkey. That sounds like a threat.
Thanks for the assessment.
All quite logical.
It is apparent that SDF in Efrin and the citizens have no intention of allowing Turkey to conquer them. And the same goes for Assad.
The demands required for “protection” have thus far been far too much to accept. (nothing short of total disarmament.)
Turkey would be wise to back off, but I’m not yet sure they will. If they push this much further, there are elements of the Kurds who will step in and Turkey many have more fronts to fight than they can say grace over. Turkey is still a US NATO “ally” (sarcasm), so if they were attacked we are obligated to help defend them. BUT if they attack another country, that deal is no longer obligatory.
I despise what Erdogan the Islamist is and does.
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