Turkish troops launch offensive into northern Syria, says Erdogan

[ParanoiD84]

Something random...

Is it just me or do Pence's head and the flag align... unfavourable in this pic?

Yeah his hair match with the colour white nicely.

[Gaidax]

Something random...

Is it just me or do Pence's head and the flag align... unfavourable in this pic?

Haha this is hilarious, I'll give you that.

[Thekri]

See, the thing is the stronger party always decides, that's the reality and not your pretty flowery dreams. Erdogan calls the shots now and Kurds will make use of what they are given.

All in all Kurds only have a bunch of ground fighters and light mechanized infantry at best that Erdogan can pound all that from the air easy-peasy.

So, if they are smart, they will make use of that time to regroup with Assad and move civvies out, because this is the only course of action at the moment which will save lives.

These 5 days might not hold (and it won't if Kurds fight it), but it's better than nothing in this situation to begin with.

That is the whole point. The United States is the strongest party involved, and by backing Turkey on this they have no resistance. If you think the Kurds are going to stop fighting because they are outgunned, you clearly don't know anything about the Kurds. We (The US) don't have to lay down and let Erdogan walk all over us, Trump chose to do so, and that is what I am mad at.

Also, if you think a bunch of disorganized middle eastern "Light Infantry" is easy to beat... uh, don't know what to tell you. Hasn't worked out well for anyone so far.

[Crispin]

The turks say its not a ceasefire tho.

[Breccia]

The turks say its not a ceasefire tho.

We'll judge on their actions. They can name it whatever they want, if they keep shooting then there's a problem.

[Gaidax]

That is the whole point. The United States is the strongest party involved, and by backing Turkey on this they have no resistance. If you think the Kurds are going to stop fighting because they are outgunned, you clearly don't know anything about the Kurds. We (The US) don't have to lay down and let Erdogan walk all over us, Trump chose to do so, and that is what I am mad at.

Also, if you think a bunch of disorganized middle eastern "Light Infantry" is easy to beat... uh, don't know what to tell you. Hasn't worked out well for anyone so far.

US has long seized being strongest party in Syria. It retains some measure of influence (that's why Turkey even agreed for this 5 days respite), but realistically US has nothing to gain there and everyone knows it. Trump can huff and puff all he likes, but Turkey has the upper hand in this situation from every standpoint imaginable.

Turkey, Iran and Russia are dominant players in that specific part of the region.

---

Other than that, Turkey is a NATO ally and US ally, a bad and troublesome ally, but important ally nonetheless. In-between Turkey and Kurds, Turkey will be picked, because it has actual value.

[Gaidax]

So, Erdogan just got everything he wanted, thanks to the US (well, Trump)? Neat.

I do not think it's that simple.

Erdogan still needs to play this whole thing right, as in make a deal with Russia and manage to move refugees back to Syria and what not, while making sure the inevitable sanctions remain mild enough to make this whole thing worth it.

It's really a fine 3-way game here for all sides. US and EU need to make a show out of it how they are glorious and just defenders of poor aboriginals (but not too much, because Turkey is important), Turkey needs to create a genuine safe zone and move refugees there without too much bloodshed, Russia needs to keep Syrian army and Turkey from contact, Turkey needs to make a deal with Russia.

There are a lot of things that can go wrong there.

[Crispin]

We'll judge on their actions. They can name it whatever they want, if they keep shooting then there's a problem.

They will unless the kurds Russians and Syrians leave the areas Turkey wants as a buffer. It’s more a pause than a ceasefire.

[Shadowferal]

Pence Just Ratified All of Turkey’s War Aims in Syria

Over the next five days, the Kurdish forces that the U.S. abandoned are to withdraw approximately 20 miles south. In exchange, the Trump administration agreed not to implement new sanctions—Sens. Lindsey Graham and Chris Van Hollen introduced a new sanctions package as Pence briefed reporters—and, should the Turkish ceasefire hold, will lift those the administration placed on Turkey after Trump’s greenlight drew widespread backlash.

“It’s a ratification of what Donald Trump told the Turks they could do,” assessed Aaron Stein, the director of the Middle East program at the Foreign Policy Research Institute.

Erdoğan’s foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, even boasted that Turkey had agreed to do no more than “pause” its war for the five agreed-upon days. “We will only stop the operation if our conditions are met,” Cavusoglu said.

-----------------

Bad day to be a US ally.

[Easo]

Pence Just Ratified All of Turkey’s War Aims in Syria

Bad day to be a US ally.

This shit badly smells as if having been planned long time ago.

Some ignorant people will never understand that this operation was never about a genocide or even against Kurds. Turkey has over 10 million Kurdish citizen in the country. If this operation was to kill Kurds, there would be a revolt in Turkey. Luckily, our Kurdish citizen are alot more knowledgeable than most brain-washed-by-media Western's so we are living in peace.

This is about PYD being a terrorist organisation, not about Kurds.

Sure brah, but coincidently - have you finally owned to having allies who execute civilians and war prisoners?
P.S.
How about giving Kurds their own country? Could solve so many issues...

[Azerul]

This shit badly smells as if having been planned long time ago.



Sure brah, but coincidently - have you finally owned to having allies who execute civilians and war prisoners?
P.S.
How about giving Kurds their own country? Could solve so many issues...

At least we are not ally with a terrorist organisation like YPG which does bomb truck explosions and suicide bombings in civilian areas.

How about you leaving middle east to middle easterns? Could solve so many issues.

[Wilian]

See, the thing is the stronger party always decides, that's the reality and not your pretty flowery dreams. Erdogan calls the shots now and Kurds will make use of what they are given.

All in all Kurds only have a bunch of ground fighters and light mechanized infantry at best that Erdogan can pound all that from the air easy-peasy.

So, if they are smart, they will make use of that time to regroup with Assad and move civvies out, because this is the only course of action at the moment which will save lives.

These 5 days might not hold (and it won't if Kurds fight it), but it's better than nothing in this situation to begin with.

Flowery dreams heh. World would look quite different if every time aggressive invasive force came around and you'd just roll over.

[Easo]

At least we are not ally with a terrorist organisation like YPG which does bomb truck explosions and suicide bombings in civilian areas.

How about you leaving middle east to middle easterns? Could solve so many issues.

I literally do not care about what Turkey (a country sliding into authoritarianism and religious fanaticism, at least the part supporting Erdogan) thinks the YPG is. No one else does really agree with you, so maybe you should take a hint. I also cant really remember YPG being fans of suicide bombings - kurds are more rational and practical than most other regional inhabitants. But seeing your allies scream allahu akbar while repeatedly shooting prisoners does remind me of IS - who are real terrorists, plus it reminds me how Turkey turned a blind eye about IS for quite some time... And if Turkey plans to leave norther Syria to them, well... You are just going to create more reinforcements for resurgant IS.

Middle East hasnt been able to solve itself, with or without interventions. Just saying...

[Thepersona]

At least we are not ally with a terrorist organisation like YPG which does bomb truck explosions and suicide bombings in civilian areas.

How about you leaving middle east to middle easterns? Could solve so many issues.

The US tried to do that 6 years ago. And look at the mess that the ME is ATM.
And the kurds are not a group of terrorists. DAESH is. And the Turks that support this, are a bunch of people that are ok with continuing the long story of genocides that they have done.

[Shadowferal]

Well, the whole stabbing allies in the back thing has Israel worried. Pompeo to meet Netanyahu as US alliances questioned

The abrupt end to an alliance with Kurdish forces in Syria has raised concerns among allies about America’s commitment to the region, specifically in the face of Iran’s regional ambitions.

“The nightmare for Israel is for Iran to be the biggest winner of the vacuum we created by withdrawing from Syria,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Thursday, adding that he has spoken to Netanyahu by phone about Trump’s decision.

Netanyahu is “very concerned about not only ISIS coming back but Iran being the biggest winner of the vacuum we created,” Graham said.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said the recent withdrawal has raised worries beyond Israel.

“There is danger and damage to every one of our allies in the area,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said. “There is no one in the area who is better off as a result of this invasion except for Iran and Russia and Syria.”

Trump’s sudden removal of U.S. troops have allies fearing that the president’s “gut-instinct” policy, with little appearance of long-term strategy, will soon hurt them.

“I think that everybody in the Middle East recognizes that this administration is a complete circus,” said Danielle Pletka, senior vice president for foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute.

“In terms of how Netanyahu plays this, he’s going to do exactly what the Saudis and the Emiratis and the others have done, which is to hedge their bets, not rely on assurances from the United States about anything

[JohnBrown1917]

The US tried to do that 6 years ago. And look at the mess that the ME is ATM.
And the kurds are not a group of terrorists. DAESH is. And the Turks that support this, are a bunch of people that are ok with continuing the long story of genocides that they have done.

Now it seems the US is also just okay with the genocide. Who knew that the words of trying to stop Erdogan if he did commit any ethnic cleansing where just lies?

- - - Updated - - -

They will unless the kurds Russians and Syrians leave the areas Turkey wants as a buffer. It’s more a pause than a ceasefire.

They are not being subtle, they are now just saying outright they want an ethnic cleansing.

[Thepersona]

Now it seems the US is also just okay with the genocide. Who knew that the words of trying to stop Erdogan if he did commit any ethnic cleansing where just lies?

My dude, The US has always done a crapton of unethical shit (like backing Pinochet here, or Videla in Argentina)

[JohnBrown1917]

At least we are not ally with a terrorist organisation like YPG which does bomb truck explosions and suicide bombings in civilian areas.

How about you leaving middle east to middle easterns? Could solve so many issues.

I'd rather be labeled a terrorist by a theocratic country than be a cog in a machine that commits ethnic cleansing[don't try to deny it, your dear leader just admitted to it]

[Miracle Mira]

I'd rather be labeled a terrorist by a theocratic country than be a cog in a machine that commits ethnic cleansing[don't try to deny it, your dear leader just admitted to it]

Yet you support an ideology that has commited mass murder but ethnic cleansing is a step too far? Sorry, I'm in disbelief.

[JohnBrown1917]

My dude, The US has always done a crapton of unethical shit (like backing Pinochet here, or Videla in Argentina)

Yeah, they have probably commited a few genocides themselves(Pretty much wiped out most of the native Americans/culture), but i'm talking about this case. You know, the whole pretending to be tough on Turkey if they go all genocidal again.

- - - Updated - - -

Yet you support an ideology that has commited mass murder but ethnic cleansing is a step too far? Sorry, I'm in disbelief.

Genocide is far above mass murder, and I support neither, so tough shit.


And fuck Tankies/M-Ls/MLMs.