Erdogan Vows Turkey Will Crush U.S. 'Terror Army' in Syria (Kurdish YPG)

[Jaskalas]

Pro-Syrian regime forces enter Afrin to support Kurdish fighters

So that's why Turkey bombed Syria between Aleppo and Afrin. Wonder how many Syrians are coming to the aid of the Kurds....
I suspect the Assad military wants nothing to do with this (who the hell would wage war VS Turkey?), but they're not stopping their brothers in arms from protecting their fellow Syrians from the Turkish invasion. I'm amazed the Kurds still have allies.

Afrin... 1 thousand dead, 16 thousand refugees, and now more fuel to the fire.

 

[bshole]

s

 

[bshole]

!!! Pro-Syrian regime forces enter Afrin to support Kurdish fighters !!!!

So that's why Turkey bombed Syria between Aleppo and Afrin. Wonder how many Syrians are coming to the aid of the Kurds....
I suspect the Assad military wants nothing to do with this (who the hell would wage war VS Turkey?), but they're not stopping their brothers in arms from protecting their fellow Syrians from the Turkish invasion. I'm amazed the Kurds still have allies.

Afrin... 1 thousand dead, 16 thousand refugees, and now more fuel to the fire.

Apparently this worked in the past for Turkey, as recently a year ago. Is America paying Turkey to care for all of those refugees?

Another official familiar with the issue, who asked to remain anonymous, said there are refugees in Turkey who left Afrin because of the Kurdish militia and they, in particular, would be the focus of any return.

"There are Kurdish refugees who escaped the group there," the official said.

"We cannot give any expected numbers as all returns are going to be voluntary. We are in no position to force them to return to their home country."

He noted 140,000 Syrian refugees returned home after Turkey's previous cross-border operation - dubbed Euphrates Shield - that ended in March 2017 after seven months.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/...d-afrin-operation-turkey-180222114439065.html

 

[Jaskalas]

Syrian aid convoy under Turkish artillery fire in Afrin

The Syrian Arab Red Crescent said in a statement that it had suspended its pre-planned convoy to the Afrin area due to the lack of safe passage, according to an Associated Press report.
​

They had some balls trying to approach an active battleground during a war. Speaking of which...

Syrian Militias Enter Afrin, Dealing a Setback to Turkey

Militias loyal to the Syrian government swept into the northwestern enclave of Afrin on Thursday in support of Kurdish militias, reclaiming the territory and stealing a march on Turkish forces that have been battling toward the city for nearly a month.​

Sounds like Syria is successfully reinforcing Afrin, forcing Turkey to decide to escalate or not.

 

[Jaskalas]

UN ceasefire applies to all Syria, ‘including Afrin,’ Macron tells Erdogan

French President Emmanuel Macron told his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday that the latest UN ceasefire vote applied to all Syrian territory, including the Kurdish-held enclave of Afrin, where Turkey is waging an offensive.​

Not that Turkey cares what Europe thinks. More Syrians need to die for their satisfaction. Why was Assad the bad guy again?

Turkey deploys special forces for ‘new phase of battle’

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag told Turkish television that police special forces had been deployed as reinforcements in Afrin, where Turkey is waging the one-month-old Operation Olive Branch to clear Kurdish fighters from the border region “in preparation for the new battle that is approaching”.​

 

[crashtech]

The problem for the US is that access to the Black Sea is still desired, and Turkey controls that.

 

[Jaskalas]

A BBC update covers some of the bombing of civilians Turkey has done. Though I must say, given the hundreds of thousands of people trapped in Afrin, the casualties could still be a lot higher. Problem is, with escalation occurring, mass casualties may soon be happening. That is, if you do not count the thousand plus already killed in fighting.

Afrin: Syria's other front line

Erdogan calls for mobilization of army reserves in Syria

Devlet Bahceli, the chairman of the opposition Nationalist Action Party (MHP), which has decided to enter into an elections alliance with the AKP and to support Erdogan, answered the president’s call by saying, “We are ready for mobilization. It is time to hoist the Turkish flag over Afrin.” Prime Minister Binali Yildirim got into the mood by dressing up in military attire at a meeting of the AKP's youth wing in Kocaeli.

The spirit of nationalism and shouts of war do not spare small children either. Erdogan’s photo shoot with children wearing military outfits at an AKP meeting and his calling a little girl dressed in a military commando uniform to the stage prompted bitter reactions, even though he had tried to console the crying girl.​

It is clear that this does not end well for the people of Syria. Turkey intends to send many more of them through the meat grinder.

 

[bshole]

s

 

[Oric]

It is clear that this does not end well for the people of Syria

Which people of Syria ? Almost 4 Million Syrians are currently inside Turkish borders, waiting for safe areas to return back to homeland. If you look at the map of current situation almost 1/3 of Syria is under control of YPG/PKK, which does not represent the pre-war influence/lebensraum of Kurds in Syria. Most of the ethnic composition was changed by the hands of ISIS, who forced out the local Arab/Turkoman populations of North and Eastern Syria, which later were handed over to YPG/PKK. Afrin, Al-Bab and Membic operations will create a safe area for at least 150K Syrians to return back and settle. Turkey is going to build new towns and infrastructure. That has already been completed for areas after "Euphrates Sword" operation. This approach will not stop despite some Major World power's "Divide and Conquer" strategy.

 

[crashtech]

...This approach will not stop despite some Major World power's "Divide and Conquer" strategy.

Russia?

 

[Jaskalas]

Which people of Syria ?

Turkey is going to build new towns and infrastructure.

Yes, on top of the bones of those who resisted Turkish invasion and occupation.

Two updates today:

Turkey to set up refugee camps near Syria's Idlib

Turkey will set up refugee camps with a total capacity of 170,000 at various locations under the control of Turkish army and Turkish-backed rebels, Hami Aksoy, the Turkish foreign ministry spokesman, said.​

‘Operational pause’: Turkish offensive in Syria’s Afrin forces US to halt anti-ISIS battle

On Monday, the Pentagon spokesman Colonel Robert Manning acknowledged that the Turkish offensive had affected the US-led fight against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) terrorists on the ground, effectively leading to an “operational pause.”​

Looks like Turkey has successfully ended our half of the campaign against ISIS. Not much territory remained, but it's too soon after their fall to think elements couldn't resurface in the midst of Turkey decimating the force responsible for eliminating ISIS in Eastern Syria. We stop ISIS, Turkey stops us. It's Turkey's damn fault if ISIS remains in the region.

 

[bshole]

Looks like Turkey has successfully ended our half of the campaign against ISIS. Not much territory remained, but it's too soon after their fall to think elements couldn't resurface in the midst of Turkey decimating the force responsible for eliminating ISIS in Eastern Syria. We stop ISIS, Turkey stops us. It's Turkey's damn fault if ISIS remains in the region.

Agreed. And if ISIS remains, let Turkey deal with them. This is not America's business.

 

[Doc Savage Fan]

I believe Turkey wants to control the region (instead of U.S. allies) once ISIS is gone.

 

[Jaskalas]

Fresh details on just how badly this screws up finishing the job against ISIS. There is now enough open space between the Syrian and Iraqi government forces to allow senior ISIS leadership to escape. That will surely come back to haunt Western Civilization with terror attacks some day.

Kurds pull back from ISIS fight in Syria, saying U.S. ‘let us down’

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said they were pulling fighters off the front lines in the province of Deir al-Zour, where Islamic State fighters have been putting up a fierce fight in a pocket of territory on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River. The holdouts there are thought to include some of the most senior leaders of the organization who escaped the cities of Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria last year, U.S. officials say.​

 

[Doc Savage Fan]

Looks like Syrian rebels and the Turks hate the Kurds more than either Assad or ISIS.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...a6665f59e95_story.html?utm_term=.10f98dbf674b

 

[bshole]

Looks like Syrian rebels and the Turks hate the Kurds more than either Assad or ISIS.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...a6665f59e95_story.html?utm_term=.10f98dbf674b

Ya, it is certainly messed up. We don't have a dog in this hunt, let them sort it out.

 

[bshole]

I believe Turkey wants to control the region (instead of U.S. allies) once ISIS is gone.

Probably, let them.

 

[bshole]

Fresh details on just how badly this screws up finishing the job against ISIS. There is now enough open space between the Syrian and Iraqi government forces to allow senior ISIS leadership to escape. That will surely come back to haunt Western Civilization with terror attacks some day.

Were any attacks on Western Civilization actually launched from Syria? Or perhaps were those attacks perpetuated by Islamist nutters in the country attacked? Killing ISIS fighters in Syria has no effect on Islamist nutters in Western countries.

You may not have noticed this before but Muslim support for Sharia law is around 75% or better in most of the Middle East (91% in Iraq). Do you understand what that means? In most Middle Eastern countries, a sizeable majority of the people support theocracy. You want to prevent that at the point of a gun? Good luck.

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tan...key-findings-in-the-u-s-and-around-the-world/

 

[bshole]

Interesting, it doesn't look like American troops will engage Turkish troops.

In an effort to repair tattered relations, the Trump administration has told Turkey it will move to rein in Kurdish fighters who have been the backbone of the U.S. campaign against the Islamic State in Syria, according to U.S. and Turkish officials.

The first step and “the crux of the matter,” a senior Turkish official said, is to withdraw the Kurds from the Syrian town of Manbij and relocate them east of the Euphrates River. The town, about 25 miles from Turkey’s border, has come to symbolize the fevered competition for territory and influence in northern Syria among the United States, Turkey, and other regional powers.

The American pledge, if carried out, would satisfy a long-standing demand by the Turkish government and fulfill a promise first made by the Obama administration to keep the Kurdish forces east of the Euphrates. The Kurds helped to take Manbij from the Islamic State in 2016 and have been there since.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...420060cb7bd_story.html?utm_term=.cee9f98c20b8

 

[Jaskalas]

Afrin: Turkish forces 'encircle' Syrian Kurdish city

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, confirmed that Turkish-led forces were besieging Afrin, 90 villages and a nearby town on Tuesday. The only road out was in range of Turkish artillery fire and was therefore impassable, it said.​

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...e-captured-by-wednesday-evening-idUSKCN1GQ13J
Erdogan says hopes Syria's Afrin town to be captured by Wednesday evening

Speaking to local administrators in Ankara, Erdogan also said civilians in Afrin town were being evacuated in cars through a special corridor, as Turkish forces made substantial advances against Kurdish fighters in their nearly two-month-old offensive.​

Soon there will be no hope (or resupplies) for those still trapped in Afrin. The death toll of Afrin will determine if there are any differences between Erdogan and Assad. For the people of Afrin, let's hope so.

 

[Jaskalas]

Were any attacks on Western Civilization actually launched from Syria? Or perhaps were those attacks perpetuated by Islamist nutters in the country attacked? Killing ISIS fighters in Syria has no effect on Islamist nutters in Western countries.

You may not have noticed this before but Muslim support for Sharia law is around 75% or better in most of the Middle East (91% in Iraq). Do you understand what that means? In most Middle Eastern countries, a sizeable majority of the people support theocracy. You want to prevent that at the point of a gun? Good luck.

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tan...key-findings-in-the-u-s-and-around-the-world/

ISIS was not merely a "theocracy". It was one part anarchy, one part genocide. Their treatment of prisoners alone warranted all measures to wipe them off the face of the earth. Restoring Syrian and Iraqi government authority is a major step up over the cesspool that was ISIS.

I wonder why you falsely conflate the issue of stopping ISIS with the Neocon agenda. I see some similarities, sure, but our action to stop ISIS was to RESTORE regimes, not to end or change them. It was to restore order and peace, not to end it as the Iraqi invasion had done. There is a considerable difference with our presence today that you should be able to acknowledge.

It is Turkey, now, that is invading and interfering with a fledgling peace process... and preventing us from truly finishing off ISIS.

 

[Jaskalas]

Turkish military and allied rebels in ‘total control’ of Afrin city.

Gun-toting rebels backed by Turkish troops and tanks swept through the city of Afrin early Sunday, with the fighters posting photos and videos from outside municipal buildings and in public squares. The Kurdish YPG militia, which controlled Afrin, had withdrawn from the area just hours before amid fierce air and artillery strikes.​

Turkey: 'We won't give Afrin back to Syrian regime'

Turkey's presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said on Thursday that Ankara would assume control of Afrin after it seizes the area from Kurdish forces. "We have no intention or thought of giving it to the [Syrian] regime," Kalin said in comments carried by state broadcaster TRT. Afrin should be run by its local population, he said.​

When Turkey circled Afrin last week they cut off the water supply, along with everything else.
As a result, 200,000 Kurds Flee Syria's Afrin. But their plight of homelessness and destitution has only just begun.

Erdogan Vows to Extend Offensive to East Syria, Northern Iraq

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, buoyed by his army’s capture of a Kurdish stronghold in northwest Syria, threatened to extend the offensive against separatist Kurdish militants to eastern Syria and northern Iraq.

Turkey’s military will shift their campaign to several towns under the control of the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, including Manbij, Ayn al-Arab, Tal Abyad, Rasulayn and Qamishli, “until this terror corridor is fully eliminated,” Erdogan said Monday​

Looks like there will be no safe haven for the Kurdish people when Erdogan is done with them. I wonder if Iraq / Iran would step in to stop Turkey's military and "rebel" forces from carving out northern Iraq? I wonder if Assad is willing to let 200,000 Afrin refugees enter the ruins of Aleppo, and would Turkey follow them there? War across the Middle East rages on.

 

[bshole]

Turkish military and allied rebels in ‘total control’ of Afrin city.

Gun-toting rebels backed by Turkish troops and tanks swept through the city of Afrin early Sunday, with the fighters posting photos and videos from outside municipal buildings and in public squares. The Kurdish YPG militia, which controlled Afrin, had withdrawn from the area just hours before amid fierce air and artillery strikes.​

Turkey: 'We won't give Afrin back to Syrian regime'

Turkey's presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said on Thursday that Ankara would assume control of Afrin after it seizes the area from Kurdish forces. "We have no intention or thought of giving it to the [Syrian] regime," Kalin said in comments carried by state broadcaster TRT. Afrin should be run by its local population, he said.​

When Turkey circled Afrin last week they cut off the water supply, along with everything else.
As a result, 200,000 Kurds Flee Syria's Afrin. But their plight of homelessness and destitution has only just begun.

Erdogan Vows to Extend Offensive to East Syria, Northern Iraq

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, buoyed by his army’s capture of a Kurdish stronghold in northwest Syria, threatened to extend the offensive against separatist Kurdish militants to eastern Syria and northern Iraq.

Turkey’s military will shift their campaign to several towns under the control of the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, including Manbij, Ayn al-Arab, Tal Abyad, Rasulayn and Qamishli, “until this terror corridor is fully eliminated,” Erdogan said Monday​

Looks like there will be no safe haven for the Kurdish people when Erdogan is done with them. I wonder if Iraq / Iran would step in to stop Turkey's military and "rebel" forces from carving out northern Iraq? I wonder if Assad is willing to let 200,000 Afrin refugees enter the ruins of Aleppo, and would Turkey follow them there? War across the Middle East rages on.

The fundamental problem here is tribalism. These people simply refuse to live with each other.

What is wrong with letting the most powerful force win? If Turkey takes over the region, it will probably more stable.

It is not America's business to be picking governments for other countries. I would be supportive of humanitarian and relief missions but not certainly no bombing missions.

 

[AtenRa]

The fundamental problem here is tribalism. These people simply refuse to live with each other.

What is wrong with letting the most powerful force win? If Turkey takes over the region, it will probably more stable.

It is not America's business to be picking governments for other countries. I would be supportive of humanitarian and relief missions but not certainly no bombing missions.

You do know that Afrin is in SYRIA and turkey invaded and currently occupies a piece of land in a foreign country ??

 

[bshole]

You do know that Afrin is in SYRIA and turkey invaded and currently occupies a piece of land in a foreign country ??

Yea.... kind of like America has been doing for decades in the Middle East now. At least in Turkey's case, they have a verifiable national interest involved. If Turkey can enforce stability so that people can live there again, all the better. I really would like to see America completely disengaged from this mess.