I've altered the headline in order to broaden the thinking here.By M.K. Bhadrakumar on August 8, 2016Of course the bits I find relevant will be highlighted!
Who stands to gain as Aleppo battle rages?Certainly, it can’t be Turkey and Russia – or Iran. The only conclusion that can be drawn is that the US seems to be feeling unnerved by the Russian-Turkish rapprochement and President Recep Erdogan’s proposed visit to Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin on August 9.
Mentioned Erdogan meeting "his friend Vladimir" in yesterday's post;Turkey Sends a Message of National Unity Aimed Right at Comtemptuous NATO & More...
President Barack Obama’s reputation as “prudent retrencher” in America’s foreign entanglements stands corrected in the recent weeks.Once again Obama went by the military commanders’ wish and agreed to keep American troop level in Afghanistan in such a way to allow an open-ended US occupation.Again, he just resumed bombing Libya – without any UN mandate and although Hillary Clinton is no longer coaxing him to do that – in a futile campaign that could easily morph into full-fledged military intervention if the next president feels so.
Readers here are, or should be, aware that the US is bombing Libya?
But it is in Syria that the “alter-ego” is surging. Obama is displaying willingness to escalate the war and keep it at a threshold where a plausible option is open to the next president to seek “regime change” through use of force.As a matter of fact, Dennis Ross, former senior Middle East advisor to Obama, wrote only last week in the New York Times that by using drones and cruise missiles to hit the Assad government’s military resources, US could begin “speaking in a language that Mr. Assad and Mr. Putin understand.”
The oped by Dennis Ross and Andrew Tabler as featured here: NYT's: The Case for Finally Bombing Syria- Aleppo Updates
Curiously, three things happened in Syria in the past week alone – shooting down of a Russian helicopter in Idlib, capture of the northern town of Majib from Islamic State, and the counterattack to break the siege of Aleppo – all of which have varying degrees of US involvement.The stunning thing is that the uncertainties in Turkish policies do not seem to have come in the way. Can it be that these uncertainties have prompted Washington to accelerate to create new conditions in Syria?The capture of Manjib by Syrian Kurdish militia in the weekend was only possible with the direct participation of US Special Forces and ferocious US airstrikes (plainly disregarding international criticism about large-scale civilian casualties).
Indeed the US bombed Manjib brutally killing and displacing civilians. And the media was quite silent on what was occurring.
The Russian reports just stopped short of accusing that the MANPADS – shoulder-mounted surface-to-air missiles – used for shooting down the helicopter last Monday would have originated from the US (or transferred by its allies with its knowledge and approval).The MANPADS would be a ‘game changer’ in the hands of the US-backed rebel forces – much like the famous Stinger missiles in the Afghan ‘jihad’ against the Red Army in the eighties. Reuters pointed out that in the area in Idlib near Aleppo where the Russian helicopter was shot down, Islamic State fighters are not active, “but there are other Islamist rebel groups there, as well as moderates backed by the United States and its allies”.The report added,• That raises the prospect — which could cause a major diplomatic incident — of the helicopter having been brought down by a U.S.-supplied weapon. The United States has equipped some rebel groups with TOW anti-tank missiles, which can also be used against helicopters.Moscow obviously chose to play down the incident. However, with regard to the current rebel counter-offensive in Aleppo, Russian reports are explicit that these “al-Nusra Front and allied anti-Assad Islamist rebel groups… are strangely backed by the United States”. Sputnik reported:• Washington-backed ‘moderate’ rebels, including a freshly re-branded al-Nusra Front (al-Qaeda) and the violent Islamist group Ahrar al-Sham breached the Syrian government siege in the city of Aleppo on Saturday opening a corridor in the south marking a major setback for the Syrian Army supported by Russian air power.This is not to suggest that Russia is gearing up for a confrontation with the Obama administration. Rather, the US seems to be creating new ground realities where Dennis Ross’s prognosis can become a viable action point at a future date if a future US president decides on those lines.
Which is why I do not discard the idea that the US will try a no fly zone
The Russian reports are cautiously optimistic that the US-backed rebel attacks in Aleppo will be “short-lived”. The Syrian government and Hezbollah have rushed in reinforcements, according to Iranian reports.But the Saudi establishment daily Asharq Al-Awsat has boasted that “it will take only hours to liberate eastern areas (of Aleppo) and rebels have crossed halfway through liberating the whole city”. The daily reported on Saturday that “news about liberalizing (sic) Aleppo will be announced in hours.”Clearly, a do-or-die battle is shaping up in Aleppo. What introduces an element of intrigue here is that the US-backed rebel offensive got under way hardly 48 hours before the trip by Turkish President Recep Erdogan to Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin on August 9.On Friday, Erdogan had received Kazakhstan President Nurusultan Nazarbayev who came to Turkey on an announced visit. Nazarbayev is a trusted friend and associate of Putin in regional politics.
That meeting is mentioned in yesterday's post
Erdogan told the media that Nazarbayev made a “big contribution to re-establishing concord” between Turkey and Russia. He said they held “similar views on relations with Russia”.Again, on Saturday, Erdogan told TASS in an interview: “It will be a historical visit (to Russia), a new start. I believe talks with my friend Vladimir will open up a new page in bilateral relations. Our countries have a lot to do together.”He stressed, “It is impossible to find solution to the Syrian problem without Russia’s participation. We can settle the crisis in Syria only in cooperation with Russia”.All things considered, the big question is: Who stands to gain by pushing the envelope in Aleppo at this point? Certainly, it can’t be Turkey and Russia – or Iran. The only conclusion that can be drawn is that certain quarters seem to be feeling unnerved by the Russian-Turkish rapprochement.To be sure, Obama’s “alter-ego” will get noticed in Ankara, Moscow and Tehran.Interestingly, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani disclosed that at a meeting with Putin in Baku today (Monday), he hoped to discuss regional security and stability in the Middle East with emphasis on strengthening the fight against terrorism.Put differently, Iran and Moscow will work out a coordinated response in Syria.Significantly, the influential foreign policy advisor to Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Akbar Velayati warned the Obama administration on Sunday not to underestimate Iran’s will to safeguard its national interests.“Iran is always free to act based on its national interests in the region, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and other different places”, Velayati said.
It's clear from today's news that Syria and Russia are fighting the US backed rebels ferociously.hattip anonymous commenter:
AnonymousAugust 8, 2016 at 7:49 AMhttp://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160805/1043981849/kurdish-concerns-syrian-turkish-normalization.htmlIn an interview for Sputnik, Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party co-chair Salih Muslim expressed his concerns over the possibility of Ankara attempting to normalize relations with the Syrian government out of spite for the Kurds.
Salih Muslim seems disappointed the NATO backed coup failed in Turkey-
"The putschists were people who were largely engaged with the Kurdish problem,"
People ( NATO/Israel) who were largely engaged with the Kurdish problem Salih Muslim if full of beans:
""Even if Turkey reaches consensus with Assad, this will not affect the Kurds. I don't think it will throw us back. I doubt that Turkey will be able to come to terms with Assad. But even if they do, this will not affect us, because we do not depend on anyone's support. We stand on our own feet. We do not act against Turkey relying on the Syrian regime, nor act against the Syrian regime relying on Turkey. We rely on the strength of our people. We have a federalization project which is making progress every day."
The NATO backed Kurdish terrorists do not rely on their people. They have terrorized and displaced their own people- To create a state which will not benefit all of the Kurdish people.The NATO backed Kurdish terrorists posing as ISIS or Kurds, depending on the agenda at hand, have never been the mythological 'best fighters against ISIS' That's a load of excrement spread to manage the perception of the largely out of touch global populace. There have been Americans fighting with the Kurds. Canadians fighting with the Kurds. Germans. Egyptians. Brits. Etc.,Puhleezee with the baloney all ready!!EXCLUSIVE: German YPG fighter says foreign fighters leaving Rojava Max is the preferred nickname for the German YPG fighter who refused to mention his real name in the report for security reasons. Max fought IS in Rojava for a year.The back of Max's head!Egyptian killed fighting with YPG:
Badin al-Imam, also known as Firaz Kardo, was killed in clashes with ISIS near the jihadi border pocket of Manbij in northern Syria. Al-Imam, who left Egypt months ago to fight ISIS in Syria, had joined the YPG ranks upon his arrival and fought alongside other members of the western-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) against ISIS.He was the first Egyptian to be killed in the fight against ISIS as part of YPG.
hattip Marie!
...August 8, 2016 at 11:42 AMHi Penny, just caught BBC news, very interesting report about UK admitting special forces ARE on the ground in Syria fighting WITH the rebels and heavily armed!Quote: "The soldiers, unlike conventional troops, do not need parliamentary approval to be deployed."
Link for you: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37015915
British Special Forces Pictured For the First Time- Armed to the Teeth & On the Ground in Syria
The BBC has obtained exclusive pictures showing for the first time British special forces operating on the ground in Syria. They are carrying an arsenal of equipment including sniper rifles, heavy machine guns and anti-tank missiles.
The Brits played ISIS. And fought alongside the phony fierce kurdish fighters