The Kurdish-led SDF which will be the assault force, has cheerfully and efficiently executed ISIS jihadis over the last two years - no reason to believe they will change now.
What does SecDef Mattis say?
Posted on 03/06/2017 6:30:07 PM PST by Lorianne
A Pentagon plan for the coming assault on Raqqa, the Islamic State capital in Syria, calls for significant U.S. military participation, including increased Special Operations forces, attack helicopters and artillery, and arms supplies to the main Syrian Kurdish and Arab fighting force on the ground, according to U.S. officials.
The military's favored option among several variations currently under White House review, the proposal would ease a number of restrictions on U.S. activities imposed during former President Barack Obama's administration.
Officials involved in the planning have proposed lifting a cap on the size of the U.S. military contingent in Syria, currently numbering about 500 Special Operations trainers and advisers to the combined Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF. While the Americans would not be directly involved in ground combat, the proposal would allow them to work closer to the front line and would delegate more decision-making authority down the military line from Washington.
President Donald Trump, who campaigned on a pledge to expand the fight against the militants in Syria, Iraq and beyond, received the plan Monday after giving the Pentagon 30 days to prepare it.
But in a conflict where nothing has been as simple as anticipated, the Raqqa offensive has already sparked new alliances. In just the past two days, U.S. forces intended for the Raqqa battle have had to detour to a town in northern Syria to head off a confrontation between two American allied forces - Turkish and Syrian Kurdish fighters. There, they have found themselves effectively side by side with Russian and Syrian government forces with the same apparent objective.
Approval of the Raqqa plan would effectively shut the door on Turkey's demands that Syrian Kurds, considered terrorists by Ankara, be denied U.S. equipment and kept out of the upcoming offensive. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that arming and including the Kurdish People's Protection Units, or YPG, in the operation is unacceptable and has vowed to move his own troops and Turkish-allied Syrian rebel forces toward Raqqa.
The caliph of the Islamic State made an American woman his personal rape slave. I want him tried in America.
Thank God we have Trump on our side.
Yeah what’s wrong with providing even air cover and equipment?
“Better there than here.”
A silly argument. They wont be here if we don’t import them. They wont be building an invasion fleet. This war isn’t about home defense, its a war of influence peddling and nation building and making the Saudis happy.
“The caliph of the Islamic State made an American woman his personal rape slave.”
She went there as a volunteer as I recall. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
The Kurdish-led SDF which will be the assault force, has cheerfully and efficiently executed ISIS jihadis over the last two years - no reason to believe they will change now.
What does SecDef Mattis say?
Sounds hauntingly familiar....
It absolutely is. The world is very small now, and there is no putting the genie back in the bottle. If we don’t stiffle radical momentum in the source loctations, we lose control of where it grows and where it goes. We will have to confront it. Where and when is still under our control.
They should be there and we should be here.
She should have stayed here.
We stay here, they stay there ... it would work.
Ridiculous. We have been at war there for 15 years and are worse off than the day we started. I’ve heard the roach motel theory of “fight them over there”.
Its BS. They aren’t coming here except the ones we import. And blowing up the whole middle east doesn’t make them less likely to attack us here. It makes it MORE likely.
Yeah, Mattis the tough guy who prosecuted the Haditha marines who actually fought the way he talks.
“The Kurdish-led SDF which will be the assault force, has cheerfully and efficiently executed ISIS jihadis over the last two years - no reason to believe they will change now.”
SDF isn’t lead by Kurds. Its mostly Sunni Arab. And SDF is just as jihadi as ISIS. ISIS will fall, and a Sunni government will take over.
Lot of tough talk, just changing owners in Raqqa.
The ISIS Caliphate is being systematically destroyed. Their last major strongholds of Mosul and Raqaa will be retaken in a few months.
The Mosul operation is very well supported, but the Raqqa assault force (the Kurdish-led SDF) is lean and lightly equipped. Doing the numbers, it would take them a long time, and a lot of casualties (we want Raqqa more than they do - its majority Arab).
US Army Rangers are already landing in Syria, and there has been talk of elements of the 82nd Airborne Division deploying as well. They might provide artillery and logistic support, as well as guarding roads and key assets (able to destroy suicide vehicles with their TOW missiles) rather than go door-to-door.
Turkey has threatened to block the use of Incirlik Air Base for the Raqqa operation, so they have to have the firepower to replace air support, or (less likely) build, operate and defend an air base nearby.
Just doing what it takes, to get it done.
It really is not exactly about here or there, as much as it is about attacking radicalism as it emerges, before it can develop, organize, and become more effective and efficient. History does show that if you allow radicalism the space to develop, it becomes much more painful to deal with. The distance between here and there, doesn’t matter as nearly as much as it did 40-50 years ago.
It really is not exactly about here or there, as much as it is about attacking radicalism as it emerges, before it can develop, organize, and become more effective and efficient. History does show that if you allow radicalism the space to develop, it becomes much more painful to deal with. The distance between here and there, doesn’t matter as nearly as much as it did 40-50 years ago.
They have to die, there is nowhere safe in the world for them to be.
Going to war overseas and refusing to shore up the US borders should have been our clue w was never really serious about it all.
“SDF isn’t lead by Kurds”
From Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Democratic_Forces):
“The SDF is dominated in manpower and militarily led by the People’s Protection Units (YPG), a mostly Kurdish militia.”
That is why Turkey is putting up such resistance - those Kurds are affiliated with the PKK, all followers of Abdullah Ocalan, who is in prison in Turkey as a terrorist.
SDF was an American-inspired effort, to put a multi-ethnic/Arab face on the YPG Kurds, as we ramped up our train and equip mission to them, and cut out the Turkish “moderate” rebels in the NW of Syria, who kept “losing” their heavy weapons to ISIS and al Queda. The non-Kurdish elements have really grown this last year, but it is still majority Kurd, and all the top commanders are YPG/YPJ Kurds.
Non-stop war actually seems to benefit the Left as it ultimately supports big government, its cronies, and their suck up media
As is their custom, Co-Commanders are designated - a man for the YPG, and a woman (media darling Rodja Felat) for the YPJ. They are Kurds, and only Kurdish YPG and YPJ flags are flown, although token reps of subordinate militia are allowed in the photo.
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