Posted on 12/22/2015 3:03:07 PM PST by Mariner
urkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Tuesday condemned an attack on the rebel-held Syrian city of Idlib, believed to have been carried out by Russian jets, and said Syria will not be part of "Russian imperialist goals".
Relations between Ankara and Moscow are already at their worst in recent memory after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane over Syria last month.
This weekend's air strikes killed scores of people in the center of Idlib in northwest Syria on Sunday, rescue workers and residents said.
Turkey, which has long called for the ousting of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and supports the rebels who have been fighting against him for four years, has been highly critical of Russia's role in the region. Moscow is a longtime ally of Assad.
"Syrian lands are not, and will not be, a part of Russia's imperialist goals," Davutoglu told members of his ruling AK Party in parliament.
Russia began a major campaign of air strikes on Sept. 30 in support of Assad, whose forces have suffered setbacks this year including the loss of Idlib province and other areas of crucial strategic importance.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
The future must not belong to the progeny of the jihadists against the Armenians.
One gets the feeling that Putin’s not listening.
In fact, that he couldn’t care less.
He cares.
It would present a substantial challenge to Russia if there was a Turk excursion into Idlib.
He would have to double or triple existing forces in Syria to keep them from moving to Aleppo and Latakia.
And, he would have to do it by air at great expense...if he could muster the airlift, which I believe he could.
“It would present a substantial challenge to Russia if there was a Turk excursion into Idlib. “
Putin has already hinted at using nuclear weapons. At the present moment, and until January 20th 2017 there is nothing to stop him from doing so.
Putin can’t afford to take mass casualties and he won’t allow it. Nor is he afraid of NATO while Obama is President. If Turkey moved into Syria and threatened the Russians Putin would take whatever action he deemed necessary to win. One bomb, and a couple of incinerated divisions, should do it.
But as for conventional arms, the Russians couldn’t afford to match the Turks at such a long distance; not for long anyway.
Also, the Turkish government is far from stable. If they take mass casualties the government might fall and Turkey with all its sophisticated weaponry, could become another Syria or Lebanon overnight.
I doubt it unless they are feeling suicidal..
Amen! Jihadists should have no future!
Cares less - they a re indiscriminately dropping iron dumb bombs - this seems to be because the the Syrian army, Hizballah and Shiite militias under Iranian command with Russian air cover have been unable to take Azaz on the Turkish boarder ... so they are going at Azaz by way of Idlib.
BTW: the US-Iranian-Russian-Iraqi offensive was launched to recover Ramadi from ISIS ... US and Russian army and air force elements, two varieties of Iraqi militia Shiites under Iranian command and Sunnis, the regular Iraqi army ... Iraqi army forces are attacking the Ramadi city center from the north; Shiite militias from the south. The US air force is pounding ISIS targets inside the town in order to cripple its ability to fight off the oncoming forces. The Russian air force is standing by, ready to destroy any ISIS reinforcements attempting to cross in from Syria to aid their comrades in beleaguered Ramadi.
However, ISIS has extensive underground tunnel systems which are not likely to be cleaned out
NATO will not honor the mutual defense clause if Turkey pushes across an international border, so all that you said is likely true.
But the crazy jihadi bastards might do it anyway.
Just sayin'....
Do you have a source for all of that? I've been following alerts on Ramadi and everything I've seen clearly states it was 199% regular Iraq Army...not even militias. And they are at the center of town already, encountering fierce resistance.
Turkey needs a severe lesson IMHO...
“Will Turkey put tanks across the border into Idlib to protect their terrorist proxies and proceeds?”
They might. I think the Russians are hoping that they will. Scores to settle, and all that.
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