To understand the week end news...we're taking a trip through 2 weeks of developmentsJanuary 7/2016: The Top US Military Official Arrives in Turkey. Who Greets Him?...More then two weeks has passed since that post. It appeared clear, to me anyway, the destabilization of the Syria/Iraq/Turkey situation was going to take a turn for the worse- Preparations were clearly being made between the US and Turkish Military- With military requests coming from Turkish military being made directly to US military counterparts. This was NATO planning. Erdogan was out of the loop, as he has been for some time now. It would seem the shoot down of the Russian plane was one of many warnings sent to Erdogan. The PKK ending the ceasefire was an earlier warning to Erdogan also.
"So why is the top military dog meeting with his 'counterpart' in Turkey, alongside other officials, but not meeting the elected leadership?"
Judging by the news this week end- The US is set to militarily intervene in a way they hadn't previously- As I stated January 7/2016
" Increasing the destabilization geographically- worsening it in Turkey. Iraq. Syria"
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said on Saturday that the United States and Turkey were prepared for a military solution against Islamic State in Syria should the Syrian government and rebels fail to reach a political settlement.
That's NATO occupied Turkey.Digression- Brief, but, extremely important ***Biden shows "loyalty" to NATO ally Turkey- If your idea of loyalty is back stabbing duplicity! As I've informed my readers here, for well over a year now, Turkey is being targeted by it's NATO "friends" inc. the PKK. There are numerous posts on that subject here!
"Biden went on to meet with President Tayyip Erdogan, but an expected joint statement was not issued.
Biden: "He criticized the Turkish state for intimidating media, curtailing Internet freedom and accusing academics of treason" (Biden has chutzpah considering the state of the US media, internet and freedom in general)
Biden: "Last week, he denounced as "dark, nefarious and brutal" more than 1,000 signatories of a declaration that criticized Turkish military action in the southeast"
"More recently, reforms have faltered and Erdogan has adopted a more authoritarian style of rule. (I've read those same memes "authoritarian/dictator/Hitler wrt Assad, Hussein, Gaddafi, etc)
"In an apparent rebuke, Erdogan told Biden on Saturday that he expected sensitivity from Turkey's allies and that they should avoid statements which may equate to support for those trying to hamper Turkish efforts to fight terror, presidential sources said"
Since Biden is sending a message of support to NATO's PKK terrorists he made no effort to avoid these multiple and very provocative statements! He wants his terror crew to know, the US has your back! ***** Digression, endedWe already know that meeting (Geneva) has been 'temporarily delayed' The US played every card it held to ensure that happened! Meanwhile Syria has been making battlefield gains with the help of it's allies. Including moving to take back Aleppo- The US/Israel evil duo will not allow this to happen.January 16/2016
Syrian Endgame Could Begin in Aleppo- Who Would Block This Pivotal Win?
Consider the Syrian Endgame in alignment with reports of Pentagon Considering Turkish Proposal – Ask yourself what group or organization would want only to deny Syria’s combined allied forces from taking back Aleppo? The answer is NATO. NATO occupied Turkey will play their role, but, not the civilian government which is increasingly left out of military decisions.
Today we had news coverage reporting John Kerry & Benjamin Netanyahu talking as if they are the deciders of Syria's future!Netanyahu with his delusional benign balkanization:Netanyahu at Davos: Syria "best case scenario benign balkanization"Kerry with his Assad, the terror magnet just had to go:From "Benign Balkanization" to the "Terror Magnet" Regime Change Push Coming These statements from two of the most violent and evil men on the planet cannot be taken as anything but declarations of war- Combined with Biden's proclamations, all this planning and talk looks to be ominous-Yesterday, January 22/2016 , I posted news regarding US special forces taking over an airbase they undoubtedly created with the PKK/YPG militias in Northern Syria- Alongside the fact that Russia moved troops to an unused Syrian airbase not to far away.
US/NATO War Expansion- Special Ops to Airbase-AWACS and more
U.S. special operations troops have reportedly taken over an airfield in northeastern Syria, potentially clearing the way to flow more American military support to friendly militias fighting the Islamic State group.
Russian troops:
While Rmeilan sits in territory controlled by the Kurds Qamishli airport remains in the few enclaves controlled by the regime in that part of Syria.Russia and US setting up shop in that part of Syria is a highly notable development in the Syrian conflict.
Onto the latest news from WSJ:
Moscow’s new presence at a regime-held airport in northeastern Syria near Turkish border puzzles Washington and rattles Ankara
Rattles Washington and puzzles Ankara is likely more accurate
ISTANBUL—Russia has sent new forces to a regime-controlled airfield in northeastern Syria as American military advisers step up operations with Kurdish militants in the same region, according to U.S. and Turkish officials.
Covered in yesterday's post- relinked above
The parallel military moves, while small, could create new friction between Washington and Moscow, where leaders are angling to protect their competing interests in Syria and shape the direction of peace talks aimed at ending the five-year conflict there.
The new deployments to northeastern Syria come as world leaders are struggling to launch United Nations-brokered talks next week in Geneva, with unresolved disputes between rival factions threatening to derail the negotiations before they begin.
Exactly what the US wants...
With few expecting much progress from the talks, Russia and the U.S. are maneuvering for more influence in key Syrian battlefields.The U.S. military is stepping up its operations in northeastern Syria as teams of special-operations forces deepen their engagement with Kurdish and Arab militants leading the fight against Islamic State.
Now, U.S. and Turkish officials say, a group of Russians are operating out of a small airport controlled by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s military in Qamishli on the Turkish border.
Their presence has generated alarm in Turkey and some concern in the U.S., with military officials from both countries worrying that Russia is maneuvering for a stake in a vital Syrian battle zone far from its main presence along Syria’s western coast.
U.S. officials said Friday the Russians’ presence at the airfield is small, and there are no signs they are trying to transform it into a hub for bombers to carry out airstrikes. But what Russia’s intentions are there remain unclear.
“We’re dying to know what they’re doing,” a senior U.S. defense official said. “Right now it’s a mystery.”Since entering the Syrian war last fall by launching airstrikes against Syrian rebels battling the Assad regime, Russia has transformed the conflict and forced the U.S. to rethink its approach. Washington and Moscow agreed to new rules meant to prevent accidental confrontations in the crowded Syrian skies.
But U.S. officials said the memorandum of understanding to prevent accidents wouldn’t evolve into collaboration in the fight until Russia proves it is aligned with U.S. interests in defeating Islamic State and eventually removing Mr. Assad from power.
“The MoU has been effective and proven to be a good way to sustain and promote safety of pilots,” a senior U.S. military official said. “But there will be no consideration of any terms of cooperation until we can achieve common political objectives.”
In Brussels, the chairman of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s military committee, Czech Army Gen. Petr Pavel, said Moscow hasn’t shown “a practical willingness to get in touch” in response to NATO’s efforts to improve military-to-military contacts.
Anything to do with that NATO shootdown of the Russian jet?
Turkish officials have also expressed concerns about Russia’s new presence in northeastern Syria. On Friday, Turkey’s Hurriyet newspaper published photos of Turkish military forces digging trenches and deploying tanks along the border across from Qamishli, where the Russian forces are based.
Which Turkish officials? The no name ones?
Russia’s moves could be an issue on Saturday when Vice President Joe Biden meets in Istanbul with Turkey’s president and prime minister to discuss new ways to prevent Islamic State fighters from using the Turkey-Syria border to ferry fighters, weapons and supplies into the war zone.
Turkish and U.S. officials said the new deployment may be a sign that Russia is trying to position itself to boost its ties with Kurdish militants, who have emerged as the most effective fighting force against Islamic State in Syria.
That statement from no name US and Turkish officials confuses me. Why would Russia ingratiate itself with NATO's Kurdish militias?
American support for the Syrian Kurdish militants, known as the People’s Defense Units or YPG, has upset Turkey, which views the group as a direct threat to its security because of its close ties with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK. That larger Kurdish force, whose commanders operated from sanctuaries in northern Iraq, is deemed a terrorist group by the U.S., Turkey and the European Union.
U.S. officials and Syrian rebels say Kurdish militants are already trying to capitalize on Russia’s intervention, which has generally targeted other U.S.-backed fighters rather than Islamic State. In at least one instance, they say, Kurdish forces gave Russian military advisers coordinates to strike U.S.-trained rebels.
This is written to portray Russia and the US as Kurdish allies? Are they? Both? Allies to the same Kurds? Why would Russia ally itself with NATO's Kurds who are waging war against Assad and Syria? Confusing? Or misleading?
Turkish Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz challenged Russia’s moves as counterproductive. “One cannot achieve success by stepping out of the coalition,” he said, according to Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency. “If a fight against terrorism is needed, then international cooperation is needed.”
Robert Ford, a former U.S. ambassador to Syria who is senior fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, said the Russians’ buildup gives them new clout to push their interests in the region.“Russians achieve a triple play with this move: bolstering the Syrian government and Syrian Kurdish allies’ position in eastern Syria; complicating U.S. activities in the process; and securing a new position at the back door of Moscow’s newly found Turkish adversary,” he said.
Interesting that an unnamed US official and Robert Ford are both claiming the Kurds are allies of Russia - Are we talking an entirely different set of Kurds then the US backs? Which is possible, as the USSR did have their cold war Kurdish allies?