Posted on 10/09/2019 5:17:14 PM PDT by FreeAtlanta
Turkey's Syria invasion: Member of US Special Forces says, 'I am ashamed for the first time in my career'
A member of U.S. Special Forces serving alongside the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Syria told Fox News' Jennifer Griffin on Wednesday they were witnessing Turkish atrocities on the frontlines.
“I am ashamed for the first time in my career,” said the distraught soldier, who has been involved in the training of indigenous forces on multiple continents. The service member, whom Griffin described as "hardened," is among the 1,000 or so U.S. troops who remain in Syria.
“Turkey is not doing what it agreed to. It’s horrible,” this military source on the ground told Griffin. “We met every single security agreement. The Kurds met every single agreement [with the Turks]. There was no threat to the Turks -- none -- from this side of the border."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Maybe you remember a thread here started by a soldier claiming to be in Iraq. He posted that President Bush had just arrived unannounced. He reported that the President was there for Thanksgiving Day and served turkey to the troops.
Many Freepers jumped on him, accusing him for everything from a fraud, to a DU troll. They were viciously unkind. After a few minutes he left the thread and I believe left FR.
30 minutes later the White House announced that President Bush had just left Iraq airspace aboard AF-1. He went there to visit the troops and brought Turkey and all the trimmings, which he personally served. For security reasons there was no advance notice to the leaker MSM or Congress critters. Photo's and video were released before the President even got back to the US. Yep, there he was slicing and serving turkey.
Many here had egg on their faces, and had to eat crow.
Sadly attempts to contact the soldier failed as he dropped off FR.
Sounds very similar to what the US did to the Montagnards in Vietnam. It didn’t turn out real well for them. Some got to the US. Some went into reeducation camps, and many were just killed. I remember this debacle well.
“”” “I am ashamed for the first time in my career,” said the distraught soldier, who has been involved in the training of indigenous forces on multiple continents. The hardened service member is among the 1,000 or so U.S. troops who remain in Syria. “””
A “distraught” “hardened service member” of the “Special Forces” (who shouldn’t be talking to the msm).
Gimme a break
NewFoxNews
The “Kurds” had a country for three years by one treaty but it was canceled out by another treaty. This was after the breakup of the Ottoman Empire who the Kurds had actually joined with.
The UK and France were involved in those treaties but not the USA.
Ethnically, the Kurds are NW Iranians. The majority are Muslim and some are communists. They mostly live on a mountain range that spans four countries. They also span those four countries.
Sorry if previous presidents got their hopes up or used them but this shit’s got to stop somewhere.
My only question would be. Were they warned?
Even so, the number I heard earlier was 2 civilians. Two civilians in some tussle between muslims and muslims.
Hey, let’s post some pics of cute female kurd soldiers. I think that’s what half of this emotional response is here on FR.
I don’t know about the legal ramifications you suggest. The ISIS captives are probably ‘enemy combatants’ so they are being treated as such. They will never legally enter the US, unless we re-elect another Obama, in which case we have bigger problems.Trump was trying to get certain host countries to take the prisoners but that is obviously a slow and frustrating process. So you ask do we stay to keep them locked up? What was the alternative? Personally I’d be happy if the Kurds just made them disappear tonight. We couldn’t do it but I wouldn’t care if someone else did. My concern is the Kurds will retreat, and never be a reliable ally again, and Erdogan is going to let the ISIS fighters go free. What a Effin mess that will be. Couldn’t we have a little patience and sort this out without chaos?
I hate to see this, but I have learned to give my senior leaders the benefit of the doubt - they have access to more information, and sometimes they are working a strategy that they can’t talk about - it must be hidden to succeed.
It could be a larger game being played (the proverbial 3D chess).
Perhaps Erdogan is being given the rope he needs to hang himself in the longer term - cause him to lose elections or be deposed
Nonetheless, it is a hard thing to see artillery falling on our allies the Kurds, who we fought alongside with against our common enemy, ISIS. Turkey was the main state sponsor of ISIS.
The Middle East is so convoluted, there is some value in keeping our enemies fighting each other (Assad, Iran and Russia against Turkey) than building their power against us.
It is a hard business, in the Middle East.
We were super allies to the SDF (PKK) Kurds against ISIS, when they desperately needed it. But that does not necessarily mean that we have have married them, and all their problems and aspirations, forever. Unlike their other sometime allies in the region, at least we don’t sometime turn around and start killing them, like the Arabs, Turks and Persians do.
I’ll bet nobody laughs at this ... because it’s hardly an outlandish possibility.
He’s Guidtard. Very common type of person from Staten Island, Long Island, Brooklynn parts of Queens, most of Jersey & Philly. You necessarily don’t have to be Italian. One can be Irish, and even Philippino.
Its blend of retard and Guido.
I had forgotten that but, yes, as you mention it, that’s all I’m saying. This place can be as bad as the msm (I say that because I don’t go to DU so I can’t use it as a comparisons). The ability to have a friendly discussion, what’s that?
I recall it getting this way during the 2012 election cycle too. A lot of people left and never came back during that cycle.
The replacement host for the Ben Shapiro radio show had a guest on today who wrote a piece for something I forget now, but he was certainly in the know about this group of Kurds. This group of Kurds is certainly a group that we shouldn't lose sleep over.
It’s not fake news! After fighting side by side for so long as brothers in arms, the country you represent betrays the very men you fought, bled and died with. It’s a shame.
In true form.
Nobody is insulting anybody. But many of us know that many times other people fighting alongside our armed forces get screwed. That's an unfortunate aspect of war. Our special forces operators certainly know that. Ask anyone of their predecessors who served in Vietnam, Cambodia or Laos.
All Trump has done is say in essence, "Sure, walk right into that pile of shit".
The military has been playing chicken with Trump over pulling out ever since Trump first said, "leave" and the military screamed that they needed time to prepare to leave.
Now, the military got their time to prepare and Trump is pulling them out with the added benefit of Erdogan getting stuck to the tar baby after having pissed Trump off over the S400 deal.
The only people being "abandoned" are the middlemen who have relied on a cut of whatever flows to both the Kurds and ISIS.
JMHo
“Seriously? You put that much faith in Fox News? As they publish a hit piece article against President Trump using an unnamed source? Really?
Upthread someone already mentioned that the author of this article is yet another Obama toadie. I see no reason to trust this article as factual.”
Agree
I am calling B.S. on this Special Ops” source.
If this story is true, and I have my doubts about the veracity for the same reasons others here have voiced, then I feel for this young soldier. He is expressing his frustration at a situation he is witnessing on the ground. Watching the men he has trained, lived with, fought with, bled with being put in danger from an outside enemy and wanting very much to help. I cannot fault him for feeling that way. But, his is a tactical point of view.
President Trump made a strategic decision, which is exactly what he is supposed to do. The choice was between continuing to keep our troops in the area where Turkey, a US ally (? Well, at least by treaty.) has said it will establish a buffer zone for it’s own protection or withdraw from that treaty, remove all US personnel and assets that we have in Turkey, and fight this move directly.
Which viewpoint is right, that is above my pay grade. God and history will judge both sides of this. But, I cannot fault either the soldier or the President for the decisions they have made nor for the way they feel.
As for those who would denigrate and insult this young soldier’s integrity and honor (again, IF this is truly a young SF soldier on the ground in Syria), I would say until you have walked a mile in his shoes, carried his weight, and lived his life, you should probably STFU.
TheGunny, this was not directed at you, I just clicked on your post in order to reply.
Take care and stay safe.
“”””No idea, but sounds like more fake news to keep the military there. Were they invited? The Russians were, maybe they should be the ones to get involved? Next maybe we’ll hear about Turkish soldiers throwing Kurdish babies out of incubators?””””
Kurds has certain sacred status since Desert Storm in international public opinion. They were a problem for Turkey and Iraq for a long time and now a problem for Syria.
It is just so convenient for Assad regime to have someone else especially Turkey to solve this problem for him even if it means a little bit more violation of Syrian souvereignty.
Russia wouldn’t kill Kurds as well because it quite clearly declared that the goal of her involvement and it means the stabilization of the regime. Engaging in another genocide inviting international condemnation doesn’t serve the goal. Why not let a rogue NATO member do it for them and watch the cognitive dissonance and media blackout on the issue from the West?
“leaving people to be slaughtered”
I think, if I recall, I’ve been hearing that very same thing about the Kurds for about 30 years now. Hmmm.
Ok...so what specific declaration of war allows us to fight with the Kurds as brothers in arms? How long does it last?
“Would one of of our SF speak out like this? Legit?”
I would have to sincerely doubt this. If a downrange soldier was to allow information to leak out that there were things happening that shouldn’t it can create a major problem for the US and/or the middle east. It would be catastrophic. Hundreds of thousands could die from this leak and the reaction of surrounding countries.
I trained SF while working for the department of the army and the DOD, and the troops are highly trained not to do something like this. The terms are OPSEC (Operations security) and COMSEC (communications security) The soldier would be court marshaled and imprisoned for this failure to secure sensitive information. And he knows it could be his life he is placing in the sights as he is already there and would be vulnerable. In all the years I trained, I never ran across a SF troop this stupid. Doubt here.
rwood
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.