Wow, the Kurds have really been screwed by the US.
ISIS in Iraq and Syria
- Thread starter Suli
- Start date
How so? Genuinely curious.
Didn't it target a police checkpoint? (I may be mistaken, if I am please correct me)
If the target is a military one I don't think you can call it a "terrorist attack" (even if there was to some extent some 'collateral damage'). It's when you start targeting civilians that you get into the terrorist territory imo. The bombing in the airport for example was a clear terrorist attack, but I don't think the Kurds did it.
First, they got them to fight for months, some fierce battles with ISIS, to finally liberate Manbij. And then offered them air support to attack the regime forces in Hasaka, which strained their relations with Russia (and the regime of course), and then a few days later Erdogan attacked them and suddenly found nobody on their side. Russia decided to watch from far, while the US is siding with Turkey against them, and after all the sacrifices they made to liberate Manbij from ISIS they were just told by the US to "get the hell out of there!".
And rubbing some salt on it, Kerry, in his press conference, called the Kurds' role in liberating Manbij "limited engagement". Ouch.
Hardly a surprise that the US is trying to lure Recep back from the precipice, the precipice in their eyes being the sudden resurgence in Turkey-Russia foreign relations. I just wish America's involvement in Turkey was drastically reduced in general.
A police force isn't a combat force - they count as civilian IMO.
Kurds should have seen it coming. No reason to trust the Americans, and certainly not this administration.
In any case, they should have realized ages ago that the 'Azaz Corridor' linking Afrin to the rest of Rojava is never going to be accepted by the Turks or the jihadi groups in control there, and probably not the population itself which is mostly Arab. They'd be better off consolidating control in the solidly Kurdish-majority areas and trying to avoid getting dragged into the mess that is the rest of Syria.
They are part of the security forces. They would also arrest and fight people whom they deem against the government, and they're armed to do so. A civilian is basically an unarmed person or is not part of the armed forces that take orders from the government.
This is from a paper that has supported the anti-Assad position that the US shares throughout: http://www.spiegel.de/international...-highlights-shifting-alliances-a-1109649.html
That's a great analysis of the current situation. We were discussing in this thread at least a year ago how the Kurds were ultimately going to be squeezed out.
Not at all. Spiegel is pretty decent when it comes to foreign policy and overall the German public/media is in favours the Kurds.
Thats not new, "interests" always win, turkey will start leaning to Russia when they change their secular country to islamic then US will see the mistake
'Not at all' isn't exactly right.
Especially during the first years they depicted the civil war in the then compulsory 'dictator vs. democratic opposition/protesters' way, when the role Jihadists played among the opposition forces was already clear as day. I also remember them using the usual little tricks, like using the SOHR as a main source without making any reservations, or adding up the figures of victims of the civil war (as reported by the SOHR) and implying they were all killed 'by Assad'. They were also quick to blame the reported gas attacks on Assad's forces, despite the obvious uncertainties. And so on.
This 'Spiegel' interview with Assad in late 2013 reflects this agenda pretty well. Of course I don't expect them to be uncritical towards a politician like Assad, but the interviewers certainly show the Spiegel's bias @berbatrick mentioned. And the bratty tone is pretty embarrassing for journalists, even if you don't have any sympathies for Assad.
http://www.spiegel.de/international...h-syrian-president-bashar-assad-a-926456.html
But yeah, they have toned down those tendencies recently, of which the article from post #7131 is a proof.
Can the Kurds get some anti-aircraft? In my opinion that would stop the turk attacks and probably they will have to send a ton of troops to defeat the kurds in syria.
Yes, I used to read regularly at that time and that's all I remember. I think after that the politics of my own country (India) got a lot more interesting and I stopped reading about Syria altogether.
The word "hypocrisy" comes to mind.
Some ISIS accounts on Twitter reporting al-Adnani has been killed near Aleppo.
Yes, looks like he is dead. Probably the biggest ISIS figure to bite the dust yet.
Hopefully he is dead. There is some speculation that the Islamic State sees the writing on the wall for the coming year, and their leadership is preparing to disappear underground, hence such announcements need to be treated with extreme caution.
Here's a recent pic, disappointing beard:
(Edit):
Camp Bucca mugshot (probably):
(Edit):
Camp Bucca mugshot (probably):
They are basically out of leaders at this point. Baghdadi has been laying low since he got injured last year and all their other celebrities from Shishani to Jihadi John have been taken care of. Only a matter of time until they melt back into an insurgency.Here's a recent pic, disappointing beard:
nice head. islamic hipster?
Poor man's Ahmad Shah Massoud, rocking the tilt back in the day (they actually look quite alike):
Yeah, but there is no reason for an ISIS fella from Syria to wear a Pakol or am I missing something? fashion hipster. 
Pretty sure you're right, it's just a tribute to the Afghan mujahidin. Seen plenty of ISIS jihadists wearing them.Yeah, but there is no reason for an ISIS fella from Syria to wear a Pakol or am I missing something? fashion hipster.
Lol the Mujahadin championed by the US in the 80s. Someone tell the ISIS hipsters.
Interestingly, Massoud is pretty despised by half of Afghanistan - and loved and revered in the other half. Much like the Sunni/Shi'a thing in the middle east, Pashto and Dari speakers in Afghanistan seem to have wildly divergent views on Massoud.
Not a particularly useful article that spends a lot of time stating the obvious.
Arab Fighters Massively Defect from US-backed SDF, Attack Kurdish YPG Units in Northern Syria.
https://southfront.org/arab-fighter...f-attack-kurdish-ypg-units-in-northern-syria/
https://southfront.org/arab-fighter...f-attack-kurdish-ypg-units-in-northern-syria/
How is he so henchHere's a recent pic, disappointing beard:
(Edit):
Camp Bucca mugshot (probably):
The man who shot me now works for the CIA, says British reporter Anthony Loyd.
https://pjmedia.com/homeland-securi...o-shot-me-twice-is-now-a-cia-vetted-moderate/
https://pjmedia.com/homeland-securi...o-shot-me-twice-is-now-a-cia-vetted-moderate/
Israeli think tank: Don’t destroy ISIS; it’s a “useful tool” against Iran, Hezbollah, Syria
Head of a right-wing think tank says the existence of ISIS serves a "strategic purpose" in the West's interests
http://www.salon.com/2016/08/23/isr...ia/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socialflow
Head of a right-wing think tank says the existence of ISIS serves a "strategic purpose" in the West's interests
http://www.salon.com/2016/08/23/isr...ia/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socialflow
What do you make of it? Do you think it has any actual relevance for Israeli/NATO policy towards ISIS?
I think it's not that implausible. From HRC's email the first priority of the US in that region was subduing Iran. That was the main reason she wanted to intervene in Syria. On the GOP side that same logic made McCain pose with Al-Qaeda in Syria, hoping to pull Assad down. I know there were reports about Israel giving preferential treatment to wounded Jihadis over regime forces.
So...no clue, but I'm sure they considered it.
My question was more on the line of: Does the particular guy this article is about have any influence on Israeli policy makers?
From the way this article is constructed and after a little internet research I have the firm impression that the author simply hypes up a completely irrelevant figure who fits his (and his audience's) picture of a 'reactionary Israeli'.
So to me the actual news content here seems to be 'some idiot somewhere said something', with the author trying very hard to give the impression that this is somehow representative of Israeli politics and strategy, which to my best knowledge it is not.
Well 2 idiots who seem pretty well-connected to the Israeli security establishment and NATO...
http://besacenter.org/about/international-support/
http://besacenter.org/about/history/
http://besacenter.org/researchers/
The author is the director of the centre.
The current situation is helping Israel at the moment. Hisbollah has another much bigger target, Assad/Syria is extremely weak and can´t annoy them, Iran has to send all their resources to the war, the situation allows further rapprochement between with Arab countries and it distracts their neighbours from the Israel/Palestine conflict.
I doubt that this means, that Israel undermines any effort to fight ISIS. They simply sit on the sideline and an watch the mess without interfering. Nothing wrong with that. We can´t complain about their military actions and at the same time blame them when they do nothing.
I doubt that this means, that Israel undermines any effort to fight ISIS. They simply sit on the sideline and an watch the mess without interfering. Nothing wrong with that. We can´t complain about their military actions and at the same time blame them when they do nothing.