Posted on 03/08/2017 12:51:30 PM PST by elhombrelibre
Marines from an amphibious task force have left their ships in the Middle East and deployed to Syria, establishing an outpost from which they can fire artillery guns in support of the fight to take back the city of Raqqa from the Islamic State, defense officials said.
The deployment marks a new escalation in the U.S. war in Syria, and puts more conventional U.S. troops in the battle. Several hundred Special Operations troops have advised local forces there for months, but the Pentagon has mostly shied away from using conventional forces in Syria. The new mission comes as the Trump administration weighs a plan to take back Raqqa, the so-called capital of the Islamic State, that also includes more Special Operations troops and attack helicopters.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
The Marines did the same mission at Mosul until relieved by the Army. I believe their expeditionary capabilities play well to this type of mission.
I don’t look at it as negative beyond the fact that the Kurds may end up doing all the heavy lifting and the pro-Assad/pro-Putinistas are going to give him credit for what the SDF and US forces did. Hell, many posters on this forum believe that the SDF is a malignant terrorist force and that Assad should crush them. The fact that its the SDF defeating ISIS doesn’t fit their narrative and does not compute. They’re basically in denial about the facts. They seem to think its Putin’s forces taking the fight to ISIS. That’s the type of thing I don’t get.
By the way, the Marines have HIMARS and the US Army has the same M777. Same capabilities. Granted the Army has more of each. That’s why they can both provide precision fires.
Something tells me that highly destructive, very well-aimed American artillery is not something you would want to be on the receiving end of; it will ruin your entire day...
There are going to be a lot of days ended for ISIS fighters. Those who stand and fight will be annihilated. Those who run will be chased down and either killed or captured. And capture after all of their crimes may not be as good an ending as death.
The article says it is only a battery minus.
That’s less than a hundred troops.
IIRC, we have over a thousand spec ops troops in this battle for years now.
But it is the right weapons system in the right place at the right time. Huge combat difference
Putin has given air cover to Assad’s forces. Past that he has “sold”?? aircraft and tanks, etc.
The problem I have with Assads is what they did in Lebanon and his insane connection with the Iran’s Mullahs. Headshake.
I like the bravery and decency of the Syrian Kurds. There is baggage from outside of Syria. It is connected.
Turkey? I wished there was hope of correcting what is happening there now. I don’t see any evidence there is.
Erdogan is an egomaniac Islamist soon to be dictator. It will destroy Turkey. (they have a huge problem with genocides they have brought about in the past.)
Turkey DID NOT “take” Al-Bab. He made a pact with the devil for the devil to just leave. And then hired some of them to help him kill Kurds. No way to sugar coat that.
Yes, our generals know all this. Unfortunately many of the POLs do not, or are bought with Middle East money to represent foreign interests. (McCain & Graham, etc)
http://www.rferl.org/a/russia-syria-tartus-agreement-naval-base/28246822.html
“it will ruin your entire day”
Yes. absolutely.
Yes, I was aware.
“By the way, the Marines have HIMARS and the US Army has the same M777. Same capabilities. Granted the Army has more of each. That’s why they can both provide precision fires.”
I stand corrected. I wasn’t aware the Corps had fielded HIMARS. I knew the Army had tasked M270s to their use in Iraq in the mid-aughties (which was why I thought they had no organic MLRS) but I gather that was before the HIMARS was operational.
Thanks for the update!
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