Posted on 10/09/2019 1:35:56 PM PDT by BeauBo
Turkish forces began crossing the Syrian border on Wednesday, launching an operation in Kurdish-dominated areas of the country's north, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced... Airstrikes have reportedly hit in or near Kobane... to the west of where U.S. troops are located.
The official adds that they believe the offensive will both spread and intensify overnight into Thursday, likely encompassing the entire border.
Trump said that Turkey has promised to protect civilians and religious minorities, but his statement did not specifically mention the Kurds. And he said Turkey has also promised to hold the line on ISIS.
"Turkey is now responsible for ensuring all ISIS fighters being held captive remain in prison and that ISIS does not reconstitute in any way, shape or form," Trump stated.
Just before Turkey launched its attack, there were reports of ISIS attacks against Kurdish forces in the northern Syrian city of Raqqa, which was previously the de facto capital of ISIS' so-called caliphate.
The Turkish military is working with the Syrian National Army, Erdogan said, adding that they are targeting Kurdish fighters as well as ISIS extremists...
A U.S. military official in Syria tells Bowman that the Turkish airstrikes are "more expansive than shaping a limited incursion."
The U.S. is tracking people who are being displaced from the Syrian cities of Ras al-Ayn, Tal Abyad, Qamishli and Ain Issa, the official says, reflecting a span of some 140 miles along the north and northeastern border...
U.S. forces in this area of Syria have assisted Kurdish allies with keeping ISIS fighters detained. And there are concerns about what will happen to those ISIS fighters now that the U.S. is stepping back.
"The Kurdish forces have always been clear that their number one concern is not ISIS but is protecting their territory from Turkey,"
(Excerpt) Read more at mainepublic.org ...
Looks like it is on.
We should kick Turkey out of NATO and destroy Turkish forces, let Kurds reclaim their historic lands.
Looks like Turkish ground forces are crossing into Rojava - expected to be across a 140 mile front.
Look, it’s Congresses job to declare WAR, let Madam Pelosi call the role and do just that!
Oh well.
.....also, as I understand it, exactly 50 US troops are the ones everyone is whining about being “moved” not exactly sent home!
What happened to attacking at dawn? Haven’t they ever seen a war movie?
Refugees from Kobani fleeing to US base. That could get weird.
https://twitter.com/jenanmoussa/status/1182022875508813824
If the Kurds really want a “Rojava”, they better start negotiating, as they should have done last year. Without permanent US presence, it was never going to be independent, but at least they could have been a “semi-autonomous” state within Syria. Their options are quickly sinking, as is the footprint of their territory.
What if Assad bombs Turkey in retaliation?
I do not want Turkey to invoke the NATO charter to draw us into WWIII for their sake.
This sounds like the assassination set up of WWI, with obscure coup plotters in Turkey, Kurdish intrigues and Erdogan’s fleeting relations with Russia, off and on.
“Usually I’m on Trump’s side. But this is a bad move. It didn’t take much to protect the Kurds. All we had to do was to flex our muscles.”
Our major base in the region is inside Turkey. I don’t know how many Americans are there but probably several thousand. We had somewhere around 150 people in the Syrian Kurd region. How, exactly, would Trump flex our muscle when everyone at the Turkish base where we rent space could be rounded up and held prisoner? Trump made the only move he could under the circumstances.
On the other hand, I suspect Turkey is ripe for a civil war and substantial casualties here might kick that off.
Looks like the negotiations are over, and heavy combat operations are underway.
“What if Assad bombs Turkey in retaliation?”
Probably would not invoke NATO, because Turkey invaded first.
Syria has been trying to push Turkish surrogates (islamist jihadis) out of Idlib Province.
This is a big new phase of the conflict there.
“I suspect Turkey is ripe for a civil war and substantial casualties here might kick that off.”
This is going to play a big role in Turkish domestic politics - one way or the other.
Erdogan’s Nationalist political opponents tend to rally around putting down the Kurds. A quick victory will boost Erdogan with them. A slow stream of casualties will be a political drag on Erdogan.
There is also significant risk that domestic terrorism will increase in retaliation, and possibly the already struggling economy could take a significant hit.
And that is the problem. We are so stupidly fixated on Russia - like it is 1985 - that it warps our entire foreign policy.
Turkey is our enemy. Not Russia.
Stupid and Stupider. Come on Trump - do your own research and stop relaying on crap military advice from the JCS.
Nope, Trump is right. This is just anti-Trump hype. Turkish forces have been fighting for a long time. We have 50 guys there. They just give weapons to the Turks and show them how to use them. Because of us, there is no deal, no peace. We just provide weapons and cash. We are in a no win situation that we can’t continue. The Kurds got their billions worth of weapons and support. And as long as they get it, they will keep fighting. Our weapons don’t make peace. They just keep the fighting going on.
This news story could have been shown 3 months ago. Nothing has changed. Our 50 guys are still there. Our weapons are still there. The fighting is the same. You and the news just weren’t paying attention to it.
To repeat a key question:
Do we really want to see thousands and thousands of murderous moslem butchers murdering thousands and thousands of other murderous moslem butchers??
A lot of good British forces, which included Indian troops, Anzac and French troops died fighting the Turks in WWI. I hope Turkey takes it in the shorts...big time!! I’d love to see Erdogan humiliated. Kick Turkey out of NATO. They’re not an ally by any means.
The area they are invading is nice flat farmland. I don't think this is a fight the Kurds can win without our air, artillery and ISR support. When your neighbor can easily kick your ass, the best thing to do is avoid war with them.
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