Official Syrian Conflict Thread
nikkas feeling themselves with the Turkish flag across the chest
Welp, got the battery in his back
Birnin Zana
Honorary Wakandan
Soooo...the U.S. really thought they could build up a fighting force 30k deep, full of Kurds, on the Turkish border...and thought Erdogan and the Turks would be cool with it? 
And the Kurds really thought the Trump Administration would have their back?
And both the U.S. and Kurds thought that such a large pro-US fighting force ultimately intended to split up Syria would be tolerated by Damascus/Russia/Iran?
Damn, they really thought it was one way
And the Kurds really thought the Trump Administration would have their back?
And both the U.S. and Kurds thought that such a large pro-US fighting force ultimately intended to split up Syria would be tolerated by Damascus/Russia/Iran?
Damn, they really thought it was one way
Last edited:
Soooo...the U.S. really thought they could build up a fighting force 30k deep, full of Kurds, on the Turkish border...and thought Erdogan and the Turks would be cool with it?
And the Kurds really thought the Trump Administration would have their back?
And both the U.S. and Kurds thought that such a large pro-US fighting ultimately intended to split up Syria would be tolerated by Damascus/Russia/Iran?
Damn, they really thought it was one way
Yup.
MoA - Syria - Turks Attack Afrin, U.S. Strategy Fails, Kurds Again Chose The Losing SideThe now unfolding Turkish operation was preceded by several rounds of negotiations.
The Syrian government and its Russian allies offered the Afrin Kurds to protect them from any Turkish attacks:
This account was confirmed by Kurdish negotiators:
Nearly a week ago, [a] meeting between Russian officials and Kurdish leaders took place. Moscow suggested Syrian State becomes only entity in charge of the northern border. The Kurds refused. It was immediately after that that the Turkish Generals were invited to Moscow. Having the Syrian State in control of its Northern Border wasn't the only Russian demand. The other was that the Kurds hand back the oil fields in Deir al Zor. The Kurds refused suggesting that the US won't allow that anyway. The meeting was not exactly a success.
The Kurds made a counteroffer. They would raise some Syrian flags and give up on the (mostly destroyed) Menagh air force base they hold but they were unwilling to give up any border control:Aldar Xelil (@Xelilaldar), member of the Democratic Free Society Tev-Dem: “In a meeting Russia proposed to the Afrin Administration that if Afrin is ruled by the Syrian regime, Turkey won’t attack it. #Afrin Canton Administration refused this proposal.”
A translation from the Diken newspaper:
After the negotiations with the Kurds had failed Syria and Russia, which was the negotiating entity, made a deal with Turkey. Turkey had agreed to a de-escalation zone in Idleb but never proceeded to set up the promised observation posts in the al-Qaeda ruled area. Turkey had supported al-Qaeda. Fighting it directly is against Turkish interests. It is itself too vulnerable as many al-Qaeda fighters have family and friends living within Turkey.
Amberin Zaman talked to Rojava officials Nobahar Mustafa and Sinam Mohammed. They say:
- Russia aims to weaken the YPG and to turn Afrin over to "the regime."
- We're still in negotiations with Russia. They said if you turn over Afrin to the regime it will protect you. We refused. We offered to turn over Menagh airbase and some other checkpoints but they refused.
- We may pull out of Sochi
- New alliances will be formed with Saudi, UAE, and Egypt.
- Rojava forces commander General Mazlum and Ilham Ahmed have met Brett McGurk to ask the US to stop the Turkish attacks. This is a test of how reliable an ally the US is.
The new deal will give Syria control over most of Idleb in exchange for Turkish control over Afrin (if the Turks can indeed take the area). In parallel to the start of the Turkish operation the Syrian army took the air base Abu Duhur in east-Idleb. It will eliminate whatever is left of al-Qaeda and ISIS in the now closed cauldron. It will then proceed further into Idelb governorate.
bigger
Having Turkey take over Afrin is bad for Syria. The Syrian government clearly dislikes the deal the Russians made in its name. Any agreement with the shifty Turkish President Erdogan will likely not hold for long. But having the Kurds ally with the U.S. in a permanent occupation of the north-east is even worse.
The Syrian government has rejected Turkish claims that it was informed about the attack and officially condemned the Turkish move. But it can do little against it. Its army is depleted and engaged elsewhere. Neither Russia nor Iran would support an open conflict with Turkey.
Turkish media are in full war mode:
Turkish papers this morning:
Turkey has launched a quite large operation against Afrin. Its air-force is bombarding the area. It is now sending its most modern tanks. The al-Qaeda-"Free Syrian Army" Turkey supports and controls will be its front line infantry that is sure to bleed the most. Afrin is mountainous and it will be a difficult fight. Two Turkish tanks have already been destroyed. The Kurds are well prepared and armed. Both sides will have lots of losses.
- Hurriyet: Our jets hit #Afrin. Turkey’s heart beats as one
- Sabah: We hit them in their den
- Haberturk: Iron fist to terror, olive branch to civilians
- Sozcu: We said we would strike despite the US and Russia. We struck the traitors
Meanwhile the Syrian army and its allies will have time to take over Idelb.
The U.S. is left with a mess. Its strategy for Syria, only announced last week, is already falling apart. Its Central Command rejected any responsibility for the Kurds in Afrin while allying with the Kurds in the east. These are the same people. The Kurdish military commander in Afrin earlier fought in Kobane. Now Turkish planes are taking off from the U.S. build Incerlik air base to bomb the Kurds in the Syrian west while U.S. tanker planes take off from Incirlik to support the U.S. alliance with the Kurds in the east.
The Arab group Jaysh al Thuwar was part of the Arab fig leaf that disguises the Kurdish command over the U.S. supported SDF in the east. It has now turned sides and is back under Turkish tutelage. More elements of the SDF will change sides. We can expect "insider attacks" against the U.S. forces who are training them.
The Kurdish command blames Russia for the Turkish attack on Afrin. That is laughable. Syria and the Russians had supported the Kurds throughout the war. They were the first to deliver weapons and ammunition to the Kurds for the fight against the Takfiris. It were the Kurds that changed sides and invited the U.S. occupation. It is the Kurds that announced they would ask for Saudi support.
Just a few month ago the Kurdish project in Iraq failed miserably. The Iraqi government took back all gains the Kurds had made over a decade and the U.S. did nothing to help their Kurdish "allies". Why do the Kurds in Syria believe that their immense overreach will have a different outcome?
Soooo...the U.S. really thought they could build up a fighting force 30k deep, full of Kurds, on the Turkish border...and thought Erdogan and the Turks would be cool with it?
And the Kurds really thought the Trump Administration would have their back?
And both the U.S. and Kurds thought that such a large pro-US fighting ultimately intended to split up Syria would be tolerated by Damascus/Russia/Iran?
Damn, they really thought it was one way
They helped defeat Isis and were ready to do whatever America told them . Kept the oil for America too . They really left them out there . This is dirty . These are the real stories news should be covering .
This is why Trump is a bad President not because he doesn’t support DACA and fukked. Pornstar .
ill
Superstar
fukk Turkey. Kurds having a homeland would do eventual wonders for the region and our interests in it. Turkey opened the door for ISIS and all the international freedom fighters for war in Syria. Turkey needs to be put in its place asap and we need to stop backtracking on our Kurd support.
The thing is who’s gonna Check Turkey?
The Russians and Iranians don’t want conflict with Turkey cause of the obvious trade and economics.
The Syrian government cant do anything and clearly don’t want conflict with the Kurds as they were and prolly still open to working with them. The Kurds are using regime territory to supply Afrin from Aleppo
The US is gonna go to the Turks demands all the time cause of NATO.
The Kurds probably should have listened to the Russians and not put all their eggs on the US basket.
They let them use the border freely... Turkish border guards saw them running around. ISIS fighters have their fams in Turkey, regularly go on vacation there.
The Turks are also scared of going after Al-Qaeda aka Hayet Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) which basically runs Idlib because those fighters also went through Turkey and Erdogan can't possibly have terrorist attacks inside his border.
Kurds need to be humbled. 
ill
Superstar
Can’t wait for the blowback against Turkey. They were one of the largest state sponsors of ISIS and bought all their stolen oil.
ill
Superstar
Unfortunately I agree. US needs to stand behind the Kurds and stop sending them to the slaughter.