This is interesting. Very interesting! Is this a possible answer to the question that ended the previous post? Is the US/Turkey "Safe Zone" the April Glaspie Handshake?Final paragraph below:
"If Turkey's goal was to prevent a hostile Kurdish territory from forming at it's border, and I do believe that was their goal, the US will no doubt target Turkish military assets. Turkey has to be aware of the duplicity of the US & NATO. What is Turkey's plan? "
On To Today's News I've wondered for the last little bit if there was some cooperation between Turkey & Syria, in particular. There was activity at their mutual border that had caught my eye via some news reports.Keeping in mind the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Reuters:
Syria's warring parties declared a 48-hour ceasefire in two frontline areas on Wednesday after unprecedented mediation from Turkey and Iran.
The ceasefire halted fighting between insurgents on the one hand, and the army and its Lebanese militant Hezbollah allies on the other, in the rebel-held town of Zabadani and in a pair of Shi'ite Muslim villages in Idlib province.. The two areas are strongholds of each side under ferocious attack by the other. Sources familiar with the talks, which have been under way for weeks, said the truce could be extended to give time for ongoing negotiations aimed at evacuating civilians and combatants.
Three officials close to Damascus described the truce as a result of mediation by Turkey After four years in which diplomats made no headway toward peace, countries that support Assad and his opponents have been quietly discussing ways to end the war and tackle the common threat from Islamic State.
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif arrived in Damascus on Wednesday and met with Assad. He was expected to discuss a new peace plan for Syria.
Sources on both sides of the civil war told Reuters earlier on Wednesday the truce was to begin at 6 a.m. (0300 GMT), and negotiations would continue. The rebel group Ahrar al-Sham had led the talks on the insurgents' side.
"A ceasefire began at 6 a.m. today for 48 hours to halt military operations in Zabadani," Hezbollah's al-Manar TV reported. "It also includes the two villages of al-Foua and Kefraya in the Idlib countryside."
Abu Walid al-Zabadani, a fighter with Ahrar al Sham in Zabadani, said: "We have stopped firing. It's from both sides."
"As fighters on the ground, we were not interested in this ceasefire, but it is led by our commanders and we have to abide by their orders," he told Reuters from Zabadani.
A second rebel said there were 200 injured insurgent fighters in the town. Hezbollah said Islamic State gunmen had opened fire in Zabadani in an attempt to break the ceasefire but other insurgent groups had intervened to stop them.
IS gunmen opened fire but were stopped by others?
Sources on both sides say negotiations are underway about a possible evacuation of civilians from the two villages, and a withdrawal of rebel fighters from Zabadani. The evacuation of the critically wounded had been agreed but logistics were still being worked out.
Ahrar al-Sham said last week it was holding talks with an Iranian delegation over Zabadani.
TURKEY REVAMPS STRATEGY
Turkey, is revamping its strategy toward the Syria war. It is pressing for a buffer zone in Syria near its frontier.
Any thoughts on this development?UPDATE: Yahoo News A 72-hour ceasefire came into effect Wednesday
"No shots have been fired since 6:00 am" local time (0300 GMT) in Zabadani as well as in Fuaa and Kafraya, two regime-controlled villages in northwestern Syria."We really noticed that it was relatively calm this morning," Mohammad, a Zabadani resident, told AFP."We didn't hear sounds of shelling or clashes, and we hope the situation stays like this."Pro-regime forces launched an offensive to seize Zabadani from rebel groups early last month.In retaliation, a rebel alliance including Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front surrounded Fuaa and Kafraya, two Shiite Muslim villages in Idlib province, and regularly fired rockets into them.Mohammed Abu Qassem, secretary general of Syria's Tadamun (Solidarity) Party, told AFP he had negotiated the ceasefire on behalf of fighting groups inside Zabadani."Tadamun was authorised to negotiate with the government to reach a new agreement," Abu Qassem said."Since the beginning of the military operation, we have been trying to find a solution to the crisis in Zabadani," he said, adding that a local administrative council, rebel groups and regime forces had signed off on the ceasefire.
Interesting also is are reports the US has been dropping bombs on refugee camps in Syria:At Least 5 Children Dead in US Airstrikes in Northern Syria
"The overnight raid on the Atmeh region in the Northwestern parts of Idlib province killed five children and three adults," Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said on Wednesday.
Abdel Rahman reiterated that Atmeh is home to a large camp for displaced Syrians.
Wonder if the Kurds called in those airstrike targets?I don't believe this news story at all! Syrian opposition accuses Assad of napalm attack near DamascusAnd if I recall correctly, the first time this lie made the rounds it was demonstrated to be patently false.
If true, the attack would be the second serious allegation of napalm use in the Syrian war. In 2012, a BBC crew in Aleppo province witnessed what they described as a “napalm-like” attack on a school.
Long term readers here may recall this incident? There were videos that certainly reinforced the zombie meme and I'm pretty sure the whole thing was picked apart as BBC creating propaganda against the Assad government. When I have more time I'll dig back into the blog archives for info on that.Regarding the previous napalm incident that the Guardian UK is pushing as credible- Tons of info and links below- Haven't had a chance yet to check through the blog archivesBecause I've been having intermittent issues accessing the blog! Fabrication in BBC Panorama 'Saving Syria’s Children' Updates again! New Terrorist Attack Leaves 13 Dead and 63 Injured in Damascus
Damascus, Aug 12 (Prensa Latina) A new terrorist attack against residential areas in this capital launched by the self-proclaimed Army of Islam today left 13 people dead and 63 injured. The attack against the civil population is the fifth in the last ten days, and aimed again at heavily populated areas at rush hours. The rockets impacted the districts of Mazraah where the Russian embassy is located, the fruit and vegetable market in Zablatani and the crowded neighborhood of Mezzeh 86. The area of Abu Rummaneh was also attacked with morter shells, headquarters of several foreign embassies and where a missile impacted almost 200 meters from the Cuban embassy. Other missiles targeted the Baramkeh area and the University of Damascus, where four rockets impacted the buildings of the schools of Mechanics and Civil Engineering. The Syrian air forcé responded with a series of attacks against the areas controlled by the terrorists in the suburbs of Jobar, Zamalka and Erbin, located in the outskirts of the city.