http://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/m50-ontos-the-forgotten-tank-killer/
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 ...
Meh, let Arab wars be fought by Arabs.
Everyone knows that in Civ 4, marines get a +100% strength against artillery, too.
An earlier posting via “Stars and Stripes” with 21
comments if anyone is interested in scanning it.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3532786/posts
Tell it to ISIS. They’re going to be destroyed, so you’d better hurry.
Hope they have some beehive rounds in case they get gooks in the wire.
We (Obama) wanted to topple Assad. So are we (Trump) now trying to prop him up?
We’re destroying ISIS. The rest is up for debate. Unfortunately, Russia and Assad have not been destroying them. They’ve kept them around for the last round so they can tell the world there is no alternative. I don’t see President Trump caring about removing Assad. So he’ll survive and for now the Russians will have their new 49 year base leases and Assad can kill people as he pleases.
http://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/m50-ontos-the-forgotten-tank-killer/
So 11th Regt Marine Arty is likely to be firing jn support of 75th Regt Rangers. First, I do not like this. Syria is a hexagon of sides shooting at each other. Second, if we are going to do this would it not make sense to utilise the Marine Raider Regt with the Marine Arty rather than employ separate organization and TOEs.
What’s the lesser of two evils? The rebels kill Christians and want to impose Sharia law. Obama and McCain apparently thought they were the better choice.
I believe the Kurds will assault Raqqa, not the Rangers. The number of Rangers is not that large. The Marines role is much like what they previously performed in Mosul with in direct fire, which is now pretty darn direct.
I am appalled that Trump seems no more interested in legally deploying US Forces that was Obama.
A unilateral POTUS when it comes to war? Is that all we have left?
That has become Assad’s narrative. He’s claimed that anyone against him is ISIS or al Qaeda. And many, like yourself, believe it. Any Syrian not wanting an hereditary socialist depot running Syria must be ISIS. It’s worked because the very terrorists Assad collaborated with until four years ago to kill Americans in Iraq - al Qaeda and ISIS in its embryo - turned on him after the people of Syria rose up against his tyranny. Being more brutal than most of these insurrectionists, ISIS and al Qaeda became the most effective fighters against Assad. Assad purposely fought everyone else besides ISIS first making sure the alternative was him or ISIS. Soon it will be only him. It was an effective strategy that future tyrants will be able to emulate and a huge success for RT/Sputnik and Putin.
I’m not taking either side. But I’m highly suspect of any side which Obama chooses.
“I believe the Kurds will assault Raqqa, not the Rangers.”
Maybe Rangers will designate air and artillery fires, exploit intelligence, and be a QRF to protect our other forces, in case of a breakout/counterattack.
It has been reported thst the 75th Rangers were being deployed not specific elements.
At this point, the rump of the forces of what Obama chose is the Kurds and some Arab allies who are the troops who will take Raqqa. Since many people have denied they even exist as a fighting force and that they’re any different than ISIS, it’s going to be great to see them finish ISIS. The rest of Syria really now belongs to Hezbollah, Iran, Russian, and nominally to Assad. Assad supporters will be getting what they want. The Kurds will likely be abandoned once they’ve defeated ISIS. After all, Assad, his supporters will tell us, supports Christianity with his KGB buddy Putin and the mad mullahs of Iran, and he’s the sovereign by virtue of his birth and his father’s previous many cruelties. The good news, if one sees it this way, is that Syria as a state will be little threat to others beyond the fact that Russia has an agreement for permanent naval bases now on the Mediterranean, which should make American-hating, pro-Putin people very happy.
If Moslems are dying, I'm happy.
Right. I think it was a modest sized contingent, not the whole regiment.
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