The move is not a shocker. The location is not a shocker either.Turkey has been clear that they will clear the PKK/YPG away from their border...The location has long been problematic. For Syria and Turkey.A route for the PKK to pass through from Iraq into Syria. Created by the US under the guise of "fighting ISIS" More then three years have passed since it was explained here what was really occurring in Sinjar, to the best of my understanding.
Flashback November 13 2015:Sinjar: Creating a Crucial Supply Route for KurdIShIS & Annexing Iraqi Territory
"This is about redrawing the borders of the middle east- Weakening certain states. Strengthening others. This is about ethnic cleansing. Displacing persons. You want simple narratives? The war mongering media and plenty of other so called alt media sites will spoon feed you all the drivel you can stomache.I am way past believing there is any real fight between the alphabet Kurds and ISIS.Both brands are getting their support, munitions, arms and everything else from NATO/US/Israel. Knowing that to be true, I cannot believe the bogus narrative, from the war mongering, perception managing media, regarding any real fight between Kurds and ISIS.Briefly- Turkey has been cutting off KurdIShIS supply lines for a while now- Covered previously at the blog. This is most likely the reason we recently had reports of the US dropping tons of arms to Kurdish militias in Syria."Why Cutting a Crucial ISIS Route May Not Stop Flow of Fighters and Supplies"??
Answer: It's not supposed to. Nothing is being cut. The supply line is being shored up, controlled extensively, bolstered... but not cut- No news reports suggest the supply lines are being cut
"The operation seeks to retake control of the highway between Raqqa, the Islamic State’s capital in Syria, and Mosul, the largest city controlled by the group in Iraq.The secondary roads are slower, and they could flood in winter rains, but they will be sufficient to continue the flow of supplies from Raqqa to Mosul, according to Michael Knights, a military expert at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.“The only way to cut off this area is to establish military outposts within line of sight of each other, covered by a generous allocation of airpower,” he said
Operation Free Sinjar aims to cordon off the town, take control of Islamic State supply routes and establish a buffer zone to protect the town from artillery, a statement from the Kurdish national security council said"
Control supply routes? That's right. Not block them.Establish a buffer zone to protect the town from artillery? Hmmm..
"Sinjar is both a symbolic and a strategic prize, sitting astride the main highway linking the cities of Mosul and Raqqa"Clearly what is going on in Sinjar has zip to do with fighting ISIS. The US is aiding the Kurds in their annexation of Iraqi territory- Same as in Syria. Same as will be done in Turkey. The US is redrawing the borders of the ME, using ISIS as the pretext, as has been suggested here for a very long time! As the US aids the Kurds in their land thievery and nation destruction they are also ensuring a supply route to continue this redraw. Complete with ethnic cleansing and massive displacement that will see yet more movement towards Europe- As intended!
For years and years now the USraeli PKK/YPG coalition have been passing back and forth between Iraq and Syria. Delivering all kinds of weapons etc. Bases have been built. Whatever else that is necessary to occupy Syria, destabilize Turkey and Iran, while ethnically cleansing the area, has been done through this route. It's all been covered here, and pretty much only here for years now! (nomadiceveryman &myself have consistently covered the redrawing of the region)Onto the latest news regarding the Turkish airstrikes
Turkey destroys PKK tunnels, warehouses in Iraq's Sinjar ahead of op against YPG in Syria
"Turkish warplanes destroyed tunnels and warehouses built by PKK militants in Iraq's Sinjar late Thursday, ahead of an imminent operation against the Syrian affiliate of the terrorist group in northern Syria.
The Turkish government has repeatedly called on the Iraqi government to eradicate the PKK threat in Sinjar. If not, Ankara says, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) will exercise its rights and launch a cross-border operation in the area as it did during Operation Euphrates Shield and Operation Olive Branch into Syria.In mid-2014, the PKK managed to establish a foothold in Sinjar on the pretext that it was protecting the local Yazidi community from Daesh. Since then, the PKK has reportedly established ground in Sinjar as a new base for its logistical and command-and-control activities.
The United States' ongoing steadfast support to the PKK's Syrian affiliate the People's Protection Units (YPG) and the terrorist organization's subsequent increase in strength in the region have prompted Ankara to take necessary steps to ensure its national security"
Also: Pentagon Warns Turkey- Again
"The question has grown ever more pressing since the Pentagon’s swift and stern response to Erdogan’s vow yesterday to “start the operation to clear the east of the Euphrates from separatist terrorists in a few days.” Although Erdogan emphasized that a Turkish incursion would not target US military personnel in any way, it remains unclear how the US would respond if Turkey waded in, raising the specter of confrontation between the NATO allies"
Is there going to be a move from Idlib to the east as well? Leaving HTS to be picked off by SAA and Russia?Will the US, using their Kurdish proxies and all those special forces embedded in Syria, take up the fight against Turkey. While hiding through the obfuscating media that it's NATO vs NATO? We shall see. Related as well:PKK Challenges Barazani in Iraq- One ring to rule them all?