Turkey Invades Syria

Salvador · Oct 9, 2019

Shadow Wolf said:
Plenty of us do. You'll never convince the Trumpeters otherwise, however.

2022627e-screen-shot-2019-10-09-at-7.18.40-am.png

SkepticThinker · Oct 9, 2019

Salvador said:
Please let's agree it's time to let the well-armed and highly trained Kurdish Syrians fight their own battles without the risk of American soldiers getting killed in the cross-fire. We should wish these souls the best of luck and Godspeed.

11,000 Kurds died fighting ISIS for the US.
Now the US has abandoned them to fend for themselves.
I guess Trump thinks abandoning your allies is good policy.

Shad · Oct 9, 2019

Stanyon said:
Declassified CIA Report Exposes 25 Years of US Plans to Destabilize Syria

"SYRIA — While the nearly seven-year-long sectarian “civil war” in Syria is widely believed to have started in 2011, revelations in recent years have shown that the sectarian war that has sunk Syria into chaos actually precedes the “official” start of the conflict.
In 2010, Wikileaks published hundreds of thousands of classified State Department cables, including a 2006 cable showing that destabilizing the Syrian government was a primary goal of U.S. policy in the Middle East. The ultimate intention was to topple Iran, one of Syria’s closest allies. The cable revealed that the U.S.’ goal at the time was to undermine the Syrian government by any means available."

This is interesting:
SYRIA: SCENARIOS OF DRAMATIC POLITICAL CHANGE

Heck CNN did an interview with Assad years before the war and told him the US government wanted regime change. The US backed FSA which is a rebel faction. Now people are pretending the US is only there "humanitarian reason".. hah

sooda · Oct 9, 2019

Stanyon said:
Wonder who was behind the protests in the first place? The CIA is well known to sow discord and train rebels

U.S. BACKING REBELS IN 4 COUNTRIES (and that was just at that time)

CIA activities in Syria - Wikipedia

Obama making the case for more U.S. involvement in 2013:

Assad arrested and killed school boys

Shadow Wolf · Oct 9, 2019

Salvador said:

America pulled out of Iraq and among come ISIS to do the power void. Troops are pulled out again, this time leaving an ally-- who is of a better ideology than most US allies in the area, and one who did tons of fighting against ISIS--to get butchered by the Turks,who themselves barely lifted a finger against ISIS.

Stevicus · Oct 9, 2019

Stanyon said:
I imagine pro Turkey propaganda will be on the menu soon and it's not even Thanksgiving yet here in the states.

Here's an example of it. I came across this opinion piece from Turkey's communications director: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opin...must-support-turkeys-plan-northeastern-syria/

By Fahrettin Altun
October 8 at 5:51 PM
Fahrettin Altun is Turkey’s communications director.

During a phone call with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday, President Trump agreed to transfer the leadership of the counter-Islamic State campaign to Turkey. The Turkish military, together with the Free Syrian Army, will cross the Turkish-Syrian border shortly.

George Washington famously said that America must “steer clear of permanent alliances.” American officials have been saying for years that their partnership with the terrorist organization Kurdistan Workers’ Party’s Syrian affiliate, People’s Protection Units (or YPG), in the fight against the Islamic State was “tactical.” Trump’s latest decision reflects that view.

Like the United States, Turkey does not go abroad in search of monsters to destroy. But when monsters attempt to knock down our doors and harm our citizens, we have to respond. Sending young men and women into battle is never an easy decision. As Turkey’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, once said: “Unless a nation’s life faces peril, war is murder.” Unfortunately, we find ourselves precisely in that situation today.

Turkey has no ambition in northeastern Syria except to neutralize a long-standing threat against Turkish citizens and to liberate the local population from the yoke of armed thugs.

Having suffered dozens of casualties in Islamic State attacks, Turkey was the first country to deploy combat forces to fight the terrorists in Syria. Our country also helped the Free Syrian Army keep thousands of Islamic State militants behind bars for years. It is in our interest to preserve what the United States has accomplished, and to ensure that history does not repeat itself.

It remains to be seen whether YPG militants will agree to the change in the campaign’s leadership. Indeed, they have two options: If they are genuinely interested in fighting Islamic State, they can defect without delay. Or they can listen to their commanders, who say that they will fight the Turkish forces — in which case we will have no choice but to stop them from disrupting our counter-Islamic State efforts.

He says that it would be good for the world, but there's no telling if he's really sincere.

The world has a vested interest in the success of the fight against Islamic State under Turkey’s leadership. American military advisers, who have been on the ground for years, deserve to return home. The locals, many of whom were forced into exile when the YPG took charge, get to return to their ancestors’ lands. The proposed safe zone is good for Europe because it will address the problem of violence and instability in Syria — the root causes of illegal immigration and radicalization. Finally, the plan helps Turkey shelter innocent people from a known terrorist organization.

Erdogan unveiled the details of Turkey’s “safe zone” plan at the United Nations General Assembly last month. Turkey estimates that up to 2 million Syrian refugees will volunteer to live in a 20-mile secure area spanning from the Euphrates River to the Syria-Iraq border. If the safe zone’s southern border reaches the Deir ez Zor-Raqqa line, that number could reach 3 million, including refugees currently in Europe.

When he mentions addressing the problem of violence and instability in Syria, does this mean a possible Turkish invasion of the rest of Syria to end their civil war once and for all? Hard to say.

Shad · Oct 9, 2019

SkepticThinker said:
11,000 Kurds died fighting ISIS for the US.
Now the US has abandoned them to fend for themselves.
I guess Trump thinks abandoning your allies is good policy.

ISIS is done in the area. The Kurds can easily open up negotiations with Assad thus becoming protected by Syrian nation-state status or just admit they are just another rebel faction.

Shad · Oct 9, 2019

Shadow Wolf said:
America pulled out of Iraq and among come ISIS to do the power void. Troops are pulled out again, this time leaving an ally-- who is of a better ideology than most US allies in the area, and one who did tons of fighting against ISIS--to get butchered by the Turks,who themselves barely lifted a finger against ISIS.

That is because the US won't take measure to destroy the ideology while ignoring part of the population is a problem itself due to being Islamists.

A lot of the Kurdish groups are communist or socialist. Some of those factions are open rebels against Syria. You are eating up propaganda

Twilight Hue · Oct 9, 2019

sun rise said:
Yeah right. The stupid belief that having a rifle will stop tanks because guns are holy and grant miracles of firepower to the possessors.

You could actually kill a tank with a molotov cocktail. Of course that was back in World War II. ;0)

Shadow Wolf · Oct 9, 2019

Shad said:
You are eating up propaganda

Not really. Many Kurds are not the extremist or radical ultra conservative Muslim that many of their neighbors are. They were also devastated from fighting for their survival against ISIS. Now Turkey is attacking the Kurds while they are in a weakened state. For the Kurds, it out of the frying pan and into the fire.

Shadow Wolf · Oct 9, 2019

Shad said:
ISIS is done in the area. The Kurds can easily open up negotiations with Assad thus becoming protected by Syrian nation-state status or just admit they are just another rebel faction.

I doubt Assad will bring anything favorable to the table.

Nakosis · Oct 9, 2019

metis said:
From BBC:
Turkish troops launch Syria offensive

Thoughts?

I don't thinks there ends up being any good guys in a war. Funny how our "heroes" are usually the people who go about killing other people.
Unfortunately the only way the Kurds can have the state they were promised is if they can defend its borders.
I wonder were the UN is in all this. It shouldn't be the US involved except in support of UN action IMO.
I don't think the US government should take it on itself to decide who is the good guys here. Too much vested interest, little actual concern for the people involved.

We Never Know · Oct 9, 2019

metis said:
From BBC:
Turkish troops launch Syria offensive

Thoughts?

Saw that in the news this morning. One can't help but wonder if the Trump Towers Istanbul had anything to do with Trump's decision to pull out.

Shad · Oct 9, 2019

Shadow Wolf said:
I doubt Assad will bring anything favorable to the table.

So? If the Kurds are a rebel group than they can admit it. If they are not they can deal with Assad. Neither is a problem for the US.

Shad · Oct 9, 2019

Nakosis said:
I don't thinks there ends up being any good guys in a war. Funny how our "heroes" are usually the people who go about killing other people.
Unfortunately the only way the Kurds can have the state they were promised is if they can defend its borders.
I wonder were the UN is in all this. It shouldn't be the US involved except in support of UN action IMO.
I don't think the US government should take it on itself to decide who is the good guys here. Too much vested interest, little actual concern for the people involved.

You have the UN/US relationship backwards. The UN needs the US. The US does not need the UN.

Shad · Oct 9, 2019

Shadow Wolf said:
Not really. Many Kurds are not the extremist or radical ultra conservative Muslim that many of their neighbors are. They were also devastated from fighting for their survival against ISIS. Now Turkey is attacking the Kurds while they are in a weakened state. For the Kurds, it out of the frying pan and into the fire.

Socialist and communist is not the better ideology in my view. Just a different form of crap

Again Kurds can deal with Assad thus become protected by Syria's government which is the only recognized government in the area to counter Turkey.

Nakosis · Oct 9, 2019

Shad said:
You have the UN/US relationship backwards. The UN needs the US. The US does not need the UN.

Don't you think if we are going to have "world" cooperation that this cooperation should come through the UN.

The UN should have the support of all member nations including the US shouldn't it?

Shadow Wolf · Oct 9, 2019

Shad said:
Socialist and communist is not the better ideology in my view. Just a different form of crap

In your view, but in the lives of many, including women, many Kurdish groups are incomparably better than those around them. Instead of protecting someone who probably won't be sending us the next Taliban to attack on American soil, they stepped aside for a regime that's becoming increasingly religious and fundamentalist.

columbus · Oct 9, 2019

leov said:
I was not supporter of Trump. Now I am because this:
Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump
The United States has spent EIGHT TRILLION DOLLARS fighting and policing in the Middle East. Thousands of our Great Soldiers have died or been badly wounded. Millions of people have died on the other side. GOING INTO THE MIDDLE EAST IS THE WORST DECISION EVER MADE.....
7:14 AM · Oct 9, 2019·Twitter for iPhone
Donald J. Trump on Twitter

However did Trump manage to tweet this without mentioning the Bushes or the Republicans?
Tom

Nakosis · Oct 9, 2019

metis said:
From BBC:
Turkish troops launch Syria offensive

Thoughts?

Interesting that Turkey sees the Syrian Kurds as a terrorist group. Label a group as terrorists and you can justify any action against them.

Hard for me to judge, from the otherside of the world, who the terrorists are.

Turkey Invades Syria

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